SeaCatMich

New state record buck taken with bow has been certified:

http://youtu.be/LPS6fMj9Sa8

I don't think it makes any difference between the DR and ST. The connection between the readout and the coil antenna is just an RCA plug so it is really easy to disconnect. The antenna and cable stays with the downrigger.

At the end of the 2011 season 2 of my Vectors finally gave out. Consequently I have two that I would consider parting out. They each have two of the Y mounted rod holders that are still in real good shape. Send me a PM if you are interested.

...Ryan i was going to wait till the GR show when franks is there they had the wilderness rods the cheapest. Other wise i was going to get the tdrs from outdoorsman. I will be there all four days running the MUCC booth.

It has been a couple of years since I have gone to the GR show. Didn't realize that Frank's had started going to that one too. For you, that's a lot closer than Birch Run/Flint... even though BR/Flint is a great show too.

Another low priced rod that might be worth considering is the Okuma Classic Pro 8 or 8.5' medium action. Lots of guides and a no nonsense design. I don't have them personally, but do know quite a few people that swear by them. At around $20-22 each I think they are a good buy.

Personally either rod in a 8.5' MH action is too heavy for walleye... even if using divers. I would go with medium action. As for the two different lines of rods, I have had the TDRs in the past and they are nice and very durable. The Wilderness rods seem okay but I just don't like them... it may be the color I'm not thrilled with or just that I think you get what you pay for and they are too cheap to be worth buying.

If you're going to the Flint Steelheaders show, Franks Great Outdoors always seems to have some good buys on rods and might be well worth waiting to see. Another real good source and worth at least one trip a year is to go up to Northwoods in Pinconning -- always lots of good rods at good prices in bulk.

Michigan State Record Great Lakes Muskellunge Now Listed as World Record

by Michigan Department of Natural Resources on February 19, 2013

The state-record Great Lakes muskellunge caught by Joseph Seeberger of Portage, Mich., on Oct. 13, 2012, has now been listed as a world record by the International Committee of the Modern Day Muskellunge World Record Program (MDMWRP).

Click to view the full story

Moonshine RVs were very good last year as were the Stinger UV spoons. Old stand by NBK, M&M, Blue Glow and Green Glow Dolphin, and Mixed Veggie were also good spoons.

Probably my most successful presentation though was with 11" flashers in many colors but especially the Big Weenie UV with BW meat heads and cut bait herring strips and whole alewife. Mosty ran these off divers but also deep riggers.

From mid July on, Ace High 5" plugs did well but not as good as 2010 and 2011. Ghost and Glow Green, Glow Blue, and Glow Purple swiggle and splatter backs all worked well.

About 15 years ago I bought an Igloo Max Cold 40Q cooler to bring back fish from the Florida Keys to Michigan. Packed it full of frozen fish and ice to the top. 3 days of driving in March with temps in the mid 70's all the way to Ohio but when I opened the cooler at home there was no melted ice and the fish was all still solidly frozen.

I subsequently bought a 150 quart model for a fish box for salmon fishing about 14 years ago. Used it in my previous boat as the fish cooler and seat for 3 years. The new boat has a built in fish box, but the Igloo is used to take fish to the cleaning station and then to pack the fillets for the trip home (along with the 40 quart on good trips). It is still going strong and has really been beat around... still looks good too.

They are around $70 at Sam's Club if you or a friend has a membership. At that price and performance I think it is hard to beat. I know the Yeti coolers are close to 5x that much. Parts like the hinges, drain plugs, and latches are easy to repair if needed and readily available... so far I had to replace a hinge and a drain plug because someone took it all the way off at a cleaning station and didn't put it back on.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/igloo-maxcold-cooler-150-qt/157017.ip?navAction=

I used to change my Fireline out every 3 years or so... not so much because it was going bad, but because it was turning white. Since going to Power Pro about 8 years ago I haven't changed it at all and aside from trimming back and retying the connection to the divers/snap swivel. The PP backing on my cores and coppers are on their 8th and 4th years respectively.

I also have neoprene covers for all of my reels to keep sunlight off the line when not in use. Also helps to keep the reels in nice shape.

If you check the MiDNR budget figures, ALL license fees have gone directly to support either the fishing or hunting in the state and not other programs in the DNR. I see no reason that this will change.

Another way that anglers in the state can help with funding the state DNR is to get youth licenses for those under 16. The license is only $2 currently but the real benefit is that the state gets ~$9 returned in Federal Pittman-Robertson Act funding for each license... just like a full adult license. The federal funding is through an excise tax on all fishing tackle sales. We might as well do what we can to get some of those $$$ back to help with funding the DNR fisheries.

I don't think they will sell the tape or other products in bulk to the general public but WTP have had their packaged products available via the web site for quite a while. I have ordered it before because I don't know any sources that have a good selection of the different colors. Here is a link to their site where you can order direct: http://www.shopwtp-inc.com/index.php

Would that be the Shuttle Hawk?

That's the one that I had but never tried.

I'd be glad to help by answering questions and/or going out with you. Can't say I'm an "expert" as far as Holland goes, but have launched there quite a bit in the last 3 years and done pretty well. Each port can have its little nuances, but overall salmon fishing is pretty similar at most ports with currents, temps, and structure when it is available affecting choices. You would be welcome to join me on my boat when I trailer over your way and a spot (happens pretty often) and/or go out on your boat.

There is a lot of water out there on Lake Michigan. While just going out and figuring it out on my own is quite satisfying... getting a little knowledge to know what lure(s) have been working, where, how deep... sure helps to shorten the daily learning curve. For Holland the Gold Coast Outfitters tackle shop near Port Sheldon is a good source of information along with reports on the web sites (GLF, GLA, Michigan Sportsman...). BUT developing a network of buddies that are out fishing is a great way to keep up on what's going on. I can always use another buddy to trade info with -- either the days or night before a trip or out on the water.

There are also a couple of fishing leagues that have friendly tournaments out of the Holland/Port Sheldon/Muskegon/South Haven area. I'd be all over that if I didn't live 2 hours from the lake. From what I have heard, the guys who fish these are pretty good guys and willing to share. There isn't enough money involved to be tight lipped about it... plus let's face it, us fishing guys like to brag (and exaggerate).

Holland also has a Steelheaders chapter. Join and go to some meetings. Great way to get to know some of your fellow fishing nuts in the area. http://www.hollandsteelheaders.org/

The link isn't working to get to the speaker schedule.

I isn't so much that Wisconsin counts a slider as another rod. Wisconsin limits each person to 3 lures total in the water. So if you put a slider on one rod that is 2 of your lures and you can only run 1 other lure... usually on another rod. You could actually run only one rod with all 3 lures.

As for the original question, the biggest issue I have with stacking is having to have both rods out of the water to change a lure on one. There was a stacker release on the market that would walk a line down the rigger cable to allow you to release and reset the stacked line without bringing the rigger up, but I never tried it... so I can't say how well it worked.

Check with Wild Wings marina. It is in Ohio a little west of Port Clinton and is in easy range of most of the reefs and western islands for spring fishing. They have a campground, launch and slips. Not sure how early they open the campground.

Nice restaurant there too that has early morning breakfasts and will put together a "cook your catch" dinner for a reasonable price.

Kurt has a great company. Real nice when the owner/engineer is answering the phone as the head customer service guy too.

I do it both ways. If it is a fish that I think would be best to smoke or grill then the skin is left on. If it gong to be cooked any other way then I take the skin off. Ratio is probably 40% on, 60% off.

Either way, the whole skin on filets or the steaked out skin off pieces are sorted by species and go into big 1 gallon economy brand ziplocks bags to transport them home. Then the smaller pieces go in the pint/quart vacuum bags easier and are all ready to cook when I pull them out. The whole skin on filets go into vacuum bags from rolls cut to length.

Might want to drive an hour down to Benton Harbor to Wolf's Marine. Almost guarantee they will have what you need and be a lot cheaper than any other vendor.

One more completed.

Big Jon will exchange the standard bases for the tree post for ones that will go in standard tracks from Bert's, Traxstech, or Cannon. I have the track mount bases for mine and they work great.n/

I am probably against having the Chicago River connected to the Mississippi more than almost anyone, but that has very little impact on the Michigan/Huron water level. The big problem is that for the last decade, the Lake Superior watershed has be way below average precipitation. Until that corrects itself there will be low water levels. The good news is that from the previous lows of 1965 the lakes were back to above average levels by 1968... so it can correct itself fast.

In the next couple weeks I am going to start my annual fishing tackle tune ups. The main thing is to check all of the reels and do the regular maintenance such as cleaning, oiling, and greasing. I'll probably wait until late March or early April before respooling some with new line.

In thinking about this, it reminded me that last year lots of guys waited until April or May to do this and found that some reels needed professional service. Tuna Tom's in Ludington was completely swamped due to people waiting until the last minute and this caught lots of anglers with their reels out of commission during the season.

Now is the time to check your reels and get them shipped to Tuna or other repair locations if there are issues you can't address yourself. Having them away for a couple weeks now is a whole lot better than in May when there are fish to catch.

They are just carp. Had a bunch in the 3#+ class in a garden pond when I lived down by St. Joe. The pond was 4' deep or so and around 3,000 gallons so plenty of space to grow in the three years I had the house. Biggest challenge was to keep the herons and kingfishers from using it as a fast food restaurant.

The Hoosier Coho Club is having a swap meet night on Feb 13 (http://www.hoosiercohoclub.org/2013%20Calendar%20of%20Events.html) in Michigan City.