SeaCatMich

It becomes reflex after you do it a while! The really time consuming part is recording it in a spreadsheet at home -- the computer geek coming out in me. :smile:

Your hull weight range is what NADAGuides.com lists as well for the 22' models with most at 1850#. The 19' model is closer to 1,500#. Add the weight of the trailer (400-800# depending on model), tackle/equipment, and 6# per gallon of fuel to the hull for the full towing weight. I have never been a big fan of towing with unibody vehicles. What seems to really make a difference is the weight ratio of vehicle to trailer being towed -- with heavier vehicles doing a better job. I used to tow with a Jeep Cherokee that was rated for 5,000# and it did tow the 4,600# boat but stopping was an issue and emergency stops were very difficult. Not towing a long distance will help, but I would not push the weight being towed to the limit. Pulling up hills and out of the water at launch ramps, plus stopping will be the biggest challenges.

Been using the Klincher on FishHawk 80 and X4 probes for years eith no problems.

Have you just been letting it sit in the jar undisturbed or have you moved the gas in the jar as would happen when trailering or running the boat?

BowBender, two different ways mentioned by me and FBD to do the same thing 1) Diver rod method: From years of experience I pretty much know when the bend in the diver rod "looks right". With my Power Pro 9' Talora diver rods the rod holders are set one notch above horizontal and the rod tips are just a few inches above the water. I set the drag so if I make a turn, line will slip on a rod on the outside of the turn and I'll hear the clicker on the reel. Only way to really tell you what that speed is will be to look at the bend in the diver rod(s) when you get a hit, then try to replicate it. 2) Downrigger wire angle method: This is it is watching the angle of the downrigger wire, not the angle of the rods. The drag on the reels is set so that line does not slip when you put the amount of bend in the rod you want. This has little to do with reading the angle of the downrigger wire. What FBD was talking about as variables to this method are due to different downrigger weights, diameter of the wire on the rigger, how high the rigger boom is off the water, depth of the ball, and the lure being used. 15# weights are not gong to have as much blow back as 8, 10 or 12# weights, but if you have the same weight on all of your riggers then the angle will be consistent from rigger to rigger. The deeper your rigger is set, the more blow back and greater the angle will be. Heavier weights will help reduce this blow back angle. Thicker diameter rigger wire and lures with more drag (11" flashers compared to spoons and plugs) will add to the blow back on the rigger -- especially in down current situations. Just something to remember. As with the diver method there is not a set rule to follow. You have to get used to what "looks right" and the easiest way to do this is to make note of the rigger cable's angle when you get a hit. Knowing your GPS SOG is important so you can reset it if you change speeds during fighting the fish but remember you need to be going the same direction and depending on how far you have traveled the down currents may have changed. Checking the angles will confirm that you are still in the ball park. The other thing I do to try to determine what speed is best is "S" turns. When you make slight turns the rods on the inside of the turn slow down and those on the side of the boat that is on the outside of the turn speed up. If you get a hit on an outside rod it probably means that you are .2 or .3 mph too slow and conversely with a hit on an inside rod try slowing down your straight troll speed by .2 or .3 mph (SOG). Another thing that I learned a long time ago is to have a set routine on the boat when you get a hit. Have each person assigned a job -- someone notes the depth of the rigger or the line counter setting on the diver or copper/leadcore, someone notes the angle on the rigger wire/divers, someone notes the SOG, someone notes the RPMs on the tach, someone notes the water depth... A log book for this really helps you figure out what works when and how -- add in the lure, method, location, weather, wave and hopefully landed fish info... and review it to learn.

Gale Force makes nice tackle. Top quality paint jobs. Those two with the glow tape look like they would be good. I have some of his spoons (walleye size) and many of his walleye blades.

COOL! You're going to love it. The X4 probe is a great bonus.

When are you coming? What types of stuff do you consider to be "night life"?

Gale Force Tacle is still in business and producing salmon spoons. http://www.galeforcetackle.com/products/spoons

I have done both but didn't get hit. Always when nothing else seemed to be working either so probably not a very valid test.

I understand you enojoying it there. One of my favorite spots to get away. I have said for many years that I need a job that lets me be in Michigan from April to October and then Islamorada or Marathon for November to March. Haven't found it yet.

Stop by or call Tangled Tackle. http://www.tangledtackle1.com/

For the most part IMO, longer is better. On most boats the limit is rod length to be able to net the fish without hand lining it in.

Worked for me too. Text the buoy number to: 734-418-7299 Port Sheldon is 45029 Here are the numbers to text for the other Lake Michigan buoys: Ludington: 45024 St. Joseph (Bridgeman/Cook Nuc Plant): 45026 South L. Mich: 45007 North L. Mich: 45002

Sorry to say the 840 probe will eat batteries. Plan on a new 9v for every couple of days on the water. The probe turns on when oriented as it would be connected to the downrigger and powers off if positioned up side down (should be marked on the probe). Making sure it is in the off position when not in the water will help get longer life from them. I also found that using top quality alkaline batteries (Duracell or EverReady) also got longer use from them -- cost of the alkalines ends up about the same as the "regular" batteries since you need many more of the regular to get the same life. The X4 probe is much better. I have used a couple sets of 4 AA per season on it. The X4 probe is water activated so when it is out of the water it powers off. Good news is that in the future you can upgrade to the X4 probe and it will work with the 840 display and transducer.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/bod/4433514735.html

The FishHawk 840, X4, and X4D all use the same transducer. Each model has a different probe but the new X4 and the older 840 will work with the X4's newer probe. Since the X4D adds probe depth information to the signal transmitted to the transducer, the X4D display is needed.

When I had my FishHawk 840 the down speed, surface speed and the GPS SOG all were different speeds most of the time. My sonar also had a paddle wheel on its transducer and it would be a different number too. This makes sense though since they are measuring speed differently or with different conditions. The FH surface speed and the GPS speed over ground is influenced by the lake's surface current's increasing or decreasing the speed relative to what it would be in calm conditions but the FH is relative to the water and the GPS is relative to the ground under the boat. The down speed is measuring speed relative to the various currents at the depth of the probe. The only speed that really has any value when trolling is the down speed. The others are nice to know, but are really only telling you how what direction and how fast the underwater currents are. I personally like to move the probe around a little because the currents can vary in speed and direction at different depths too. The temps on the FH chart have been updated in recent years are are more accurate than they used to be. I would pretty much agree with the optimal numbers but the upper limit numbers are generally too low. For Chinook the upper is listed at 60* but I have caught many early morning shallow waters with 65 to 70* temps. Same for Steelhead -- says 62* is the max but I often find them in 65* water offshore.

I have my scanning 6, 9 (hailing), 16 (emergency), 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 79, 80, & 83 Which ones have the fishing traffic varies by port.

My boat has the batteries in the center console. To avoid multiple heavy gauge wire runs to the downriggers I have one heavy gauge wire (4 Ga) running to a pair of distribution posts the stern. From the two posts (+ & -) I then have 10 Ga wire going to the rigger outlets. I also have 30a resettable circuit breakers between the posts and the wires going to the outlets. The single run of 4Ga is a lot cheaper than 4 runs of 8Ga that the length of the runs would require and my main run is about 12', not the 20 you need.

Ed, I would disagree a little with this. The heavier downrigger weights are going to reduce the blow back but are not going to affect the speed they are running at. The boat and consequently the rigger balls are all moving at the same speed. How fast the balls are showing to be going on the down-speed is relative to the current at the depth of the ball. So if one boat with 15# balls is going 2.5 over ground, another boat with 10# balls can match that speed, the balls will also be going the same speed BUT due to the blow back of the lighter balls the depth will be slightly less. Heavier down currents will exaggerate the degree of blow back and depth difference.

Without a down-speed unit the best guide for me is my diver rods. With a "normal" bend in them I set my drag so that they will creep if I get going too fast. No audible signal for going too slow, but can watch the rod bend and speed up until the drag slips and then back back the throttle off a little. Even with a down-speed on the boat the diver rods help to let me know if the boat is turning as the one on the outside will start clicking. Since that's the sound I want to hear when a fish hits it always gets my attention.

Here is the info on the TW9000 I have: http://www.etrailer.com/Winches/Dutton-Lainson/DL25215.html