SeaCatMich

I too have the Edgemaker in my fish cleaning kit along with a nice steel to keep the edge clean and tuned up. I'm sure that with more effort and a different hone I could get a better edge, but after 6 years of using the Edgemaker I'm still happy. Very easy to get a knife sharpened up right at the cleaning station.

Just noticed that the auction is at the Repocast Flint location.

I have had my 21' SeaCat (the CATtitude Adjustment) since August of 1999. In the rough stuff (3'+ seas) it is the equivalent of a good 24' V hull. Worst stuff I have had it out in was 6-7' head seas coming in from West Sister Island to Sterling State Park on Erie. No we didn't go 30 mph but did run at 10 mph and never took water over the bow and really didn't get too wet from spray either in the ~18 mile run. Another time the waves built from a nice 2' chop to 8' seas out of the north off Manistee. Had 3 other BIG guys (all 6' 4"+ and 300#+ each) plus me at 200# on board. After catching our limit of Kings we made the long run back in. The guys were simply amazed at how the cat hull handled the seas. In more reasonable waters that I normally fish (1-3') it will run at 20-25 mph and slice through the seas nicely with only wind spray getting us wet. My hull is rated at twin 90 hp and it isn't going to be the fastest boat in 0-1.5' seas -- needs about a 1' chop for best speed to help lift the hull a little. From 2-3' though it does great. I am often amazed at how nice and smooth we are running in the slop while other V hulls are getting beat launching off the tops of the waves and crashing into the trough. The twin hulls also make for a very stable boat when fishing. The day with the 3 BIG guys on board they were delighted that all three could be on one side of the boat and not risk capsizing the boat. The hull dipped about 2". There are a couple of downsides to the cat. First it takes a little deeper ramp to be able to launch since the hull sits higher on the trailer. Second, you need two decent size outboards on the rear. The twin outboards was actually the reason that I ended up deciding to go cat. I had decided since I did a lot of solo fishing, I wanted to have twins for safety. Once I made that decision, the cat hull was a viable option. I have owned 5 different boats that I would consider "Great Lakes" boats over the years. 1) 18' MirroCraft center console twin 80 hp OB, 2) 20' Bertram cuddy I/O, 3)24' Chaparral cuddy I/O, 4) 22' Cruisers SeaDevil WAC 230 hp OMC SeaDrive, and the 22' SeaCat w/ twin Honda 90 hp OB. The SeaCat handles seas better than any of the other boats. The 24' Chaparral was not a good hull (too much front to back flex) and the cat easily handles 3' seas much better. The 22' SeaDevil was a very heavy hull that handled heavy seas well but the cat does better and is a much dryer and smoother ride at the same speeds. When I bought the CATtitude Adjustment I was living in St. Joe with a condo on the river with a boat slip out the back door. Pretty much left the tackle on the boat or in the garage 300' away. I did 3-5 days per week on the lake -- Sat & Sun plus 2-3 days after work if the weather was good. The center console is great for solo fishing and is very versatile for both trolling for salmon or drifting for walleye -- real nice to put 2 anglers in the bow and two in the stern. Now that I have it on the trailer and tow 2+ hours to get to the lakes, I sometimes wish it had a cabin to store tackle so I could leave it at the lake or in an unattended slip. There are compartments but since it is an open hull, most of the tackle is in boxes on the deck. The center console has my batteries, tool box, and a small porta-potty. The 21' cat hull is big enough to handle any conditions I want to be in on the lake but is small enough to easily handle launching and docking on my own. If I had to do it again, I think I would have gone with the 23' model. The extra 2' is in the rear of the boat and for more than 2 on board that extra space would be nice. The SeaCat hull has been owned by 3 different companies since 2000 (SeaCat, SportCraft - SportCat, and now SeaCat again) and the same hull is now rated for 115 hp outboards. While my twin 90s do a good job with a top speed of 28 mph, I would think a pair of 115 would push it to over 40. I might be able to do better with different props too. There are also two different types of cat hulls -- displacement and planing. The Glacier Bay boats are displacement hulls while World Cat and SeaCat are planing designs. With the displacement hull it does not lift the boat on top of the water but rather pushes the twin hulls through the water. In slow speed conditions the planing cat also pushes the hull through the waves but when power is given it lifts similar to a V hull. Boat handling is somewhat different between the two styles but I don't see a significant difference between mine and the V hulls I have had in the past. The big difference I do see is when maneuvering the boat during docking. With the twin OBs on the corners I use the throttle to steer most of the time when putting the boat on the trailer. By putting one engine in reverse and the other in reverse the boat will spin in a circle about the length of the hull.

For fishing alone or with up to 4 onboard a 21-23' center console is a good answer -- I do the sole thing about half the time. Since you're near the lake (Holland) not having a cabin is usually not an issue. Only downside (or upside depending on your perspective ) is my boat does not have an enclosed head and most women don't like that. There are a lot of center consoles that have added a head in the console though. Here's a link to an older CC that has been repowered with a new eTec outboard which is being auctioned in Grand Rapids. Pics show it on a trailer but the description says the trailer isn't included. http://auction.repocast.com/details.cfm?ID=1065471

I am glad to see that at least Ontario is being aggressive in the pursuit, prevention, and prosecution of those that traffic in invasive species. I wish that Michigan and other Great Lakes states and the states where the fish farms are based (Arkansas) were half as effective. If I were the Canadian authorities, I think that the lack of action from the US based enforcement would be very disappointing and frustrating.

I really like the concept of the Down-East rod holder. What I don't like about them is the rod butt sticking into the boat. Might work on some boats or situations where the rod is near the transom, but not for me.

Used to use a mini ball bat to whack them but that was back when all of the fish were 20#+. The bat is still on the boat but haven't used it in years. I have one of the "S" hook fish holders that Bob's Outdoors sold... somewhere

I started out with Tite Loks but took too long to adjust them to fit different situations. Then went to Pursuit (now Traxstech) and they were good but without ratcheting made getting a diver rod out a little difficult. Went to some Vector horizontal triples that could be laid nearly flat for divers and lift for removal -- very good but I replaced them with some vertical rod trees for boards and tried some Bert's ratcheting for divers. The Bert's worked well but I didn't like the need for two hands to adjust them down. So I changed to the new Cannon dual axis rod holders 3 seasons ago. The Cannons are great -- ratchet for removal, hand grip adjustment with one hand, both up/down & left/right adjustment. I have not had them, but I have heard good things about Big Jon's ratcheting rod holders. i'm very happy with the Cannons though, so not going to change anytime soon.

Keep 'em high! This helps keep the line from the rod to the board out of the water and the board will run cleaner through the water. A couple years ago I went from horizontal rod holders to a rod tree. The boards run better when up in the tree which puts them a 1-3' higher than the horizontal setup.

Got the following in an email from the Michigan DNR ********************************************************* Press Release ________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 2, 2012 Contact: Heather Hettinger, 231-922-5280 or Ed Golder, 517-335-3014 To protect steelhead, fishing on Platte River prohibited Jan. 1 to March 31 The Department of Natural Resources has announced the Platte River spawning closure will return to its historic timeframe of January 1 through March 31, in 2013. In 2012 the closure was extended through April 28 to assist in the DNR’s efforts in protecting returning steelhead. This closure affects the Platte River from the Platte River State Fish Hatchery down to Platte Lake. In addition, no fishing will be allowed within 300 feet of the upper hatchery weir whenever the weir is in place (which was August 15 through September 30 in 2012). This closure provides enhanced protection of migrating coho salmon, many of which are used as broodstock for hatchery operations. A spawning closure is put into place to protect key stretches of river where high-levels of natural reproduction are known to occur or where broodstock fish can potentially be collected. All fishing is prohibited during a closure. These spawning closures will go into effect on January 1, 2013 and will read as follows in next year’s fishing guide: “The Platte River is closed to fishing from the US-31 bridge at Veteran’s Park downstream to Platte Lake, January 1 – March 31†and “The Platte River is closed to fishing within 300 feet of the Upper (hatchery) weir infrastructure, whenever the weir is in place.†Since 2010, DNR’s Fisheries Division has been annually stocking the Platte River with 20,000 yearling steelhead. This stocking program is anticipated to increase the steelhead population to a level that could support a back-up egg take facility at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery and thus enhance angling opportunities on the Platte River. “Moving the date of spawning closure last spring offered a good level of protection for the first group of steelhead that returned to the river following our stocking efforts,†said Heather Hettinger, DNR fisheries biologist for the Platte River. “Now that we have had a chance to see our efforts are beginning to work, we feel confident we can restore angling opportunities and protect these fish at the same time.†For more information, please review Fisheries Order 204 at www.michigan.gov/fishing.

I upload to PhotoBucket.com with their Android app. Can then link to the hosted picture from GLF or other web sites. Additionally it provides me a backup of my pictures. Recently a friend's hard drive physically crashed and could no longer be accessed. Her biggest loss was the pictures she had stored on it without backups.

I agree that 1,000' of wire is more than enough, but I have not figured out a good knot to allow connection to a backing material directly or with a small Spro swivel to be able to use less and still fill the reel. The overhand knot works well for connection to the terminal tackle but leaves a protruding end to get caught. What do you do to connect the wire to the backing?

This may sound cold and callused but I really don't have a ton of sympathy for those on the eastern seaboard when they build structures so close to the ocean and don't protect their infrastructure, then are "surprised" when a big storm causes major destruction. If they are going to insist on living on Long Island, Manhattan, the Jersey Shore -- all of which are technically barrier islands -- they need to implement the levies and improve the building codes. If mass transit systems in this part of the country are the prototypes that the current federal government thinks are the solution for the rest of the country... they are crazier than I ever thought. It's broke now and there isn't any alternative to get people around. The news was reporting 4 hour one-way commutes for many people instead of 1 to 1.5 hour "regular" commutes. Heck the regular commute seems outlandish to me. I don't see a whole lot of difference between the situation there and the below sea level situation of New Orleans or the people that continue to build in the flood plane of the Mississippi. I can appreciate how nice it must be to live on the ocean in good weather but to now be so surprised that this has happened is ridiculous. Florida gets hit by storms with much higher wind speeds and more rain much more often and you don't see nearly the same devistation. This is the 2nd big storm in 2 years to hit this area of the country and while this one was bigger than others, it isn't like this is something new... it happens every few years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_hurricanes). There is a reason that insurance companies will not write policies for flood insurance on much of the area affected and the insurance is through the federal program. Unfortunately it isn't limited to just hurricanes and tropical storms. How many winter snow or freezing rain storms have happened that completely paralyze New York or Boston? It happens almost every winter but do they make improvements? No! If the Great Lakes states did it the same way no one would live here, but our states have the necessary equipment to deal with moving the snow and putting out salt. We have coats, boots, gloves, snow blowers and vehicles to deal with the cold and snow. I think New York and New Jersey could learn a few things. Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie (and maybe Superior and Ontario too) all had record or near record wave heights and sustained winds. Sure there were news reports about minor beach damage, but no one builds houses or boardwalks or amusement parks right on the beach where 20' waves are going to wipe it out. We also don't build subway systems that would get flooded. It is pretty much the text book definition of insanity -- repeat the same process over and over... and expect different results. I really hope (as the article indicates has been recommended for years) that improvements are made and the "same old" stuff is not just put back in. I'm sure that federal funding will rebuild it and given the economic impact that NYC has on the whole country, I sort of understand... but I am tired of good money being put forth to repair things. I really hope that they don't follow the standard model of repeating the past -- what's the definition of insanity... repeating the same process over and over, and expect different results. Spend the money to fix it right in the first place!

Officials set to stock Atlantic Salmon in Lake Huron After three-years of experimentation to determine whether Atlantic salmon can be successfully reared in state hatcheries, Michigan fisheries officials say it’s time to shift gears. The 2013 fishing season will be a bellwether of what is possible. “We’ll have 60,000 to 80,000 Atlantic salmon yearlings available for planting in 2013,†said Todd Grischke, the Lake Huron basin coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “We are going into the stocking phase and will be evaluating the plants: where they go, where to best stock them and what to expect once we do.†http://howardmeyerson.com/2012/10/25/officials-set-to-stock-atlantic-salmon-in-lake-huron/#more-3806

Always fun! I'm glad they don't have those canines when out in the lake.

For sliders I have been using a Northland Tackle Tamer (pic 1 below). It has a place to clip one end's snap and then small velcro patches to secure the other end. Works pretty well but the small diameter of the tube does mean lots of wraps around it. I was thinking about this a few weeks back and am considering trying a saltwater style leader wheel (pic 2 below) instead. All of the sliders are pretty much the same so I think I could string them end to end connected by the snaps and wind them on top of each other on the wheel. One wheel should hold a whole bunch of sliders. If you have different lengths of sliders could get one wheel for each length. I'm also thinking the leader wheels would be a good solution for storing cut bait rigs instead of small ziplock bags. As for diver leaders, I just wrap them on the diver. Most of the time I'm running attractors off my divers so the leader is 30-40# mono and I usually replace it after a few trips. A while back there was a product called a Dive-R-Dock (sp?) that looked like a good solution but I didn't get any and I haven't seen them in a couple of years. They were not real expensive but not the cheapest things either. Tackle Tamer pic: Leader Wheel pic:

I have used a variety of different snap swivels (Sampo, Dreamweaver, Opti, Torpedo...). I really like the design of the Torpedo snaps better than the others. They are actually a different design that all of the other brands. Unlike the others, a fish/lure pulling on the snap actually keeps tension on snap where it clips closed. I also like the fully rounded nose which I think gives the lures the best action. Cost wise they are actually cheaper. For small spoons I use the #1, for large spoons and plugs the #2.

It adds actual depth of the probe to the readout.

The Chamberlains work even better on walleye. Especially nice that they will trip on small walleye or the other small fish that could get towed around otherwise. I also use them on salmon from spring through fall and have no trouble with pulling spoons, plugs or flashers. If you are considering changing rigger releases, these are hard to beat.

I know that many of us have already put their boats away for the year, but I received this in an eMail from BoatUS and thought it would be good information for GLF. I have been holding off, hoping to get one or two more trips in but so far the weather has not cooperated. With gas prices now down to around $3.30/gallon I'm seriously considering topping it off adding the Stabil and getting it ready for winter in the pole barn. The first big snow storm out west means it isn't too far from that time here too. ********************************************************* Putting a Boat Away for the Winter? What You Need to Know About E-10 Gas ALEXANDRIA, Va., October 23, 2012 - Nearly full tank or nearly empty tank? That is the big question facing boaters now in the midst of preparing their boats for the long winter hibernation. The concern is ethanol - an octane enhancing gasoline additive that has some unfortunate, harmful side effects on marine engines. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has some tips learned from fuel industry insiders on how to store a boat with E-10 gasoline (containing 10% ethanol) over the winter. The octane issue: Some boaters choose to leave their boat's gas tank mostly empty over the winter, and then refill in the spring in the hopes of "refreshing" the fuel to regain any octane loss. However, a nearly empty gas tank introduces a bigger problem: the strong possibility of phase separation with the E-10 gas. Incidentally, over long winter storage periods, E-10 gasoline loses octane at about the same rate as non-ethanol gasoline. The path to phase separation: Ethanol (an alcohol) can attract and absorb water - about 10 times more than regular gasoline - and still burn harmlessly through the engine. However, there comes a tipping point when the ethanol can no longer absorb the water, and the alcohol will separate out or "phase separate" from the gasoline. When this happens, the solution of water soaked ethanol will settle to the bottom of the tank, which is where the engine's fuel system pick-up is located. Can you see where we are headed with this? More water, less absorption: The problem with leaving a tank mostly empty is that it increases the tank's "lung capacity" to breath in moist air (water) through the tank's vent. If the tank is mostly empty over the winter, there will also be less E-10 gas in the tank to absorb the moisture. This combination of more water and less capacity for absorption greatly increases the chances of phase separation. Adding fresh gasoline in the spring would not remedy the problem - the phase-separated ethanol remains separated at the bottom of the tank. The Water Separator issue: E-10 can hold up to 1/2 percent of water by volume and up to that concentration the water molecules will dissolve in the gasoline forming a soluble mixture that will pass through a water separator and burn harmlessly in your engine. The only time water will collect in a tank and not be absorbed is if phase separation has occurred, and by then it will be too late. A water separator is not a solution to the phase separation problem. The Fuel Additive issue: Fuel additives are good for many reasons and should be used when laying up a boat for winter, but no additive will stand up to a good-sized slug of water. And once too much water has entered the tank and the gas has begun to phase separate, no additive will return the fuel to its original state. The only solution to phase-separated gas is to have a professional drain the tank and start anew. The best advice for storing E-10 in your boat's gas tank over winter: Keep the tank nearly full. This greatly reduces the volume of moist air that can enter the tank via the fuel tank vent when temperatures fluctuate in the fall and spring. With any fuel, an antioxidant (found in many additives) will help keep it fresh during lay-up. Finally, never plug up a fuel tank vent - it creates pressure that could cause dangerous leaks in the fuel system. For more information go to http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/ethanol.asp. A free, downloadable winterizing checklist is available at http://www.BoatUS.com/seaworthy/winter.

A buddy over in Chicago bought a 2007 28' Whaler Conquest with twin 225 Verado outboards this past spring. He had no trouble trolling with them this past summer. I'm pretty sure that all of them have the digital throttle control to allow RPMs to be adjusted in very small amounts -- 25 or 50 RPMs at a time -- which is great for adjusting speeds when trolling. 275 HP should do the same with the bigger hull.

I suggest going to the local convenience store and investing a few $$$ in Power Ball or Mega Millions tickets. For more instant gratification, the Cash for Life instant games might work too. You could then get both boats... plus a pair to put down in the Florida Keys too. Would not have to worry about that inconvenient little button and arguing as to which one you have to pay taxes on.

I have the X4 transducer and my Raymarine DSM250 50/200 mounted with about 5.5' of separation (one on each hull on the cat) and run it in 50 KHz mode most of the time when trolling and the gain up at 80%+. No problems at all. On my previous V hull boat the FH 840 transducer and the FF transducer were about 2.5' apart without problems. The X4 and the 840 use the same frequency and transducer. I think that I'd probably mount the FH transducer on the side you most likely will use the probe but that may not matter either. I have mine on the port side with the display near the port transom downrigger so that it is easy to move the ball/probe up/down and see the display. When that rigger had a problem I did use it without problems on the starboard transom rigger and the outdown on the port side without problems. Have not used it with the starboard outdown but the other two are a good 5' farther away than the "normal" location. Good to hear that your current FF transducer position works well. Many boats wold have issues with good readings on plane in that location.

Best part to me is that it was caught while small mouth bass fishing with a minnow -- that accounts for the 2 hours to land it. So much for giant spinners or Believer & Swim Whiz jerk baits for Muskie!

Looking at your boat's transom, I think I would do the following: 1. Mount the FH triducer where the old one was on the port side. When you are trolling on the kicker having the FH triducer near the big motor shouldn't be an issue. When running with the big motor, the FH triducer should still work fine for surface temperature readings which is what you're looking at anyway. 2. I would consider moving the FF transducer to where the old unused/broken mount is at. With its current location in front of the main OB prop and close to the centerline of the hull, I would suspect you might be having trouble getting good readings under power due to turbulence of the big OB's prop. The starboard side of the OB is best for the transducer, but having it a minimum of 3" outside the prop spin radius usually gives the least potential for problems. Mounting the FH triducer where the old broken/unused mount is on the starboard side will also work. Neither OB will affect it there and you shouldn't have any problems with the signals from the FF transducer -- the FH frequency is 70 KHz which is not close enough to the FF's 50 or 200 KHz to be a problem.