SeaCatMich

As long as it takes! Most of the time that is 4-8 hours but have been known to fish dawn to dark. If I'm going to tow the boat for 2-4 hours to go fishing, then I'm going to spend as much time on the water as I can to catch as many fish as I can. Only thing that will bring me in early is rough seas with little action on the rods. 4' seas and no fish stops being fun.

Your Daiwa 47lc reels are not going to be very good for copper as they will not let you put much on them. Copper takes about twice the space of leadcore on a reel. A 47lc with backing is max'd at 5 to 6 colors of lead (150-180') which means only 70-90' of copper. The level wind on the 47lc is also too narrow to handle the knots needed when copper is attached to the backing and leader. If you want to run copper, you're going to need bigger reels . I run my 300 coppers on Penn 895LC digital line counter reels and Cabelas 8' large guide rods. Lots of guys run the Okuma 55 size reels in various model lines and the Okuma leadcore/copper rods have got very good reviews too. I found deploying copper without getting nasty bird nests on the reel to be a challenge. After lots of good advise on the boards I don't have many issues now. It must be deployed slowly (pulling line off the reel a foot or two at a time by hand) and the best advice I got was to keep the rod tip in the water until the leader plus 75' or more of the copper is in the water. Even then you have to keep the rod tip low and not let the spool over rev as the rest of the line is deployed. It definitely takes patience compared to other presentations. I have pairs of both braid (50# Power Pro) and 30# Wire (Mason 7 strand & Torpedo Diver 19 strand) outfits for my divers. The last three seasons the wire has gotten 2-3 times as many hits. I run the wire on the inside rods (Talora roller 9') with the diver on 1 to 1.5. The PP (10' rods) are set on 2 or 3 to run out farther from the boat and I vary the amount of line depending on how deep I want the presentation to be. I will often start with one of each out with them both set to be low divers and let the fish tell me if they have a preference -- most of the time it is the wire they want. Fighting the fish on either PP or wire is a blast as you feel every move they make on the other end.

On the SOS web page referenced in my first reply it also says: So since it is less than 20' long, if the boat does not have a "permanently affixed engine", you don't actually need to title the boat.

Found this form on the Michigan SOS web site: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/tr-205_16198_7.pdf It can't be used in your situation since the boat is from out of state but on page two does say that in that case: either "an assigned ownership document" or "a surety bond must be purchased". Not a clue as to what either of those entail specifically, sorry. I think you'll need to call or visit the SOS office to find out what is needed specifically.

You should be able to just go to a Secretary of State (SOS) office. Without a title you may be able to just use the bill of sale but I would call the 1-888-767-6424 SOS number and ask. Normally the fee would be $5 for the title ($10 for an instant title), $42 for the 3 year boat registration, and $75 for a lifetime trailer license plate. Boat Registration/Title info: http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1585_15242-34638--,00.html License/Title Fees: http://michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127--75432--,00.html

When I had a DR, I used a clip mount from a MagLite to hold it when it was not in use. Pic below. I had it mounted to the underside of my Traxstech swivel bases but not sure how it would work on a walker setup.

Plugs off riggers and divers is the main presentation I have used for trolling but a lot of guys will also anchor and jig for them with spoons. Super Mag spoons have also worked for me in the past. Trolling speeds vary, but I usually go slower (1.8-2.1 mph) than on the big lake. I would anticipate combat fishing at its finest which means shorter leads than on the big lake (usually no more than 40' or so) and be ready to adjust depths quickly as the water depths change quickly too.

I would head for one of the drowned river mouth lakes -- Muskegon, Manistee, Ludington/Pere Marquette, Whitehall/White Lake, Lake Charlevoix... With the north/north-west winds and showers, there should be a good push of fish moving in each day.

It is a little dated now (from 2001) but this document prepared by the Ontario Fisheries Ministry has a lot of good information about air bladders in various species of fish and the merits/problems with various techniques to release them successfully including "fizzing". http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@letsfish/documents/document/228130.pdf

I was considering it, but with 15-20 knot N/NW winds pushing 4'+ seas forecast all through the weekend... does not sound like getting on the lake is very viable. Could be very crowded in the channel. I hope we can get a break sometime next week as I'd like to get one more trip to try for some staging fish before they all head up the rivers. With showers forecast for the whole weekend too... next week could really see some fast action on harbor patrol.

The only time I set the Chamberlains very very light is when I know that there are lots of real small fish around. If most of the fish are able to pop a normal tension setting then that is how they get set. I have not tried it, but I also think that a rubber band from the line to the release arm with the arm set slightly less tight than "normal" might be a good way to get a good hookset but also trip on small fish. The rubber band would give some stretch/resistance to set the hook before popping the release's arm. It has been 2 seasons since I fished in a situation where there were enough small fish around to warrant trying the theory.

Had a FishHawk 840 for a lot of years but it started acting flakey and I had heard lots of good feedback on the Depth Raider the first year it was out, so I changed to it. Worked very well but I didn't like the coated cable and because of the cable and antenna, it could not be moved to another downrigger. When the X4 came out and got rave reviews, I got it two years ago. Only problem with the X4 was when a probe went bad but Trevor at FH shipped out a new one the day I called him (and then I shipped the bad one back) -- in the middle of July . Haw worked very well with no other issues -- have run it down to 230' in late July and no problems with speed or temp readings. Personally I prefer the FishHawk and to me, is worth the extra cost. I would not be without a down speed/temp unit. FishHawk advantages: 1) No coated cable -- had to repair the DR cable quite a few times where the coating came off. Would probably have bought the new Torpedo Diver cable had I kept the DR -- but then the total cost is a lot closer to the X4 2) Can move between riggers by moving the probe. 3) Battery life is outstanding -- 4 AA per season 4) Surface temp/speed and surface temp/speed on the same display is nice to be able to see the difference 5) Very good customer service 6) No spring antenna (but does need transducer) 7) No "special" termination necessary to maintain electrical connection to probe since no coated cable so any type of release can be used 8. Less blowback Depth Raider advantages: 1) Can run more than one per boat 2) Lower cost 3) Very good customer service 4) No transducer (but does need spring antenna) 5) Can have multiple displays by splitting the antenna cable 6) One 9v battery per season 7) Lower replacement probe cost

Been using the Chamberlains for 4 seasons now. Started using them because of the numbers of non-walleye hitting at times on Lake Erie and for the early season Coho on Lake Michigan. They work great and as advertised. No problems adjusting them tight enough to drag flasher/meat rigs or light enough for crawler harnesses while being able to really put a bend in the rod. I got a "beta" version of the stacker version of the release that I wanted to use on my Depth Raider coated cable. The early version worked on regular uncoated wire but would not hold on the coated cable. I subsequently went to the X4 so I don't know if the production stacker would work or not. I heard that they did make some changes so it might (and would be a nice solution for DR or Subtroll use.)

Just got this off of the FishHawk website's news page (http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8106120b8bc76f1eb4b489fc2&id=c3cdf92795) We have purchased the assets of the Deeper Diver and TripZ Diver from Walker Downriggers. We'll be launcing a new website for them later this fall, trollingdivers.com. First we're going to work on getting everything in-stock. Beyond that we're excited about adding new technology to divers in the near future. I had heard that Walker had sold the downrigger part of the business to Bert's and now this. I wonder if anyone will be taking over their under-rod levelwind reel product too? Not much else left.

The LSSU St. Marys river fish cam is pretty impressive today. Lots of fish -- mostly Pinks -- moving through. Link to webcam: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/166657 Screen capture:

Story from the Elberta Alert: http://elbertaalert.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/dnr-officer-from-tc-arrives-at-betsie-salmon-scene-shoos-away-diggers/ DNR Officer from TC Arrives at Betsie Salmon Scene, Shoos Away Diggers In Breaking, On and off the Apron, Open Season on September 17, 2012 at 9:50 pm Story by Emily Votruba Photos by Chip Marks Sergeant Robert Torres of the Traverse City DNR enforcement office arrived at the mouth of the Betsie River this evening at about 5:30. He had been called to the scene by reports of the efforts of citizens to save the fish as well as the snagging and bagging of fish struggling through the shallow water. Torres spoke with the Alert after he left he scene. He could not comment on whether he had written any tickets. “Compared to last week when there was 50 to 100 people out there, there was hardly anybody tonight. There was lots of lawfully caught fish, hooked in the mouth. There was maybe six people out there. Whether it was word of mouth, or people have gone back downstate, that’s what we want—for people to stay out of there. “Fisheries writes the rules, plants fish, and manages the fish population of Michigan. The law division enforces the laws they pass. Most of the time when there’s a law change they seek our input on whether or not it’s enforceable. We’ve been in touch with them since the situation came to our attention through the local anglers about the low water levels. We’ve had a lot of good input from citizens as far as solutions, whether it was closure, or dredging, but the DNR doesn’t regulate dredging. That’s the Army Corps and DEQ, totally different entities, one federal, one state. You need to get a hold of the proper entity you can’t just take it upon yourself to do that. “But as far as the fish go, to protect them, to get them to go up—that’s what we deal with.†And there are fish in the river, he said. “We’ve talked to anglers. They’ve been catching them. “Last year we had the biggest fish run in memory. It was a phenomenal run that started in August and lasted all the way to mid-October. Anglers are panicking because they’re not seeing all the fish they did last year. But they got to remember that last year we had the biggest fish run ever; number two, water levels are down to their lowest since 1961, temperatures have been high, with a mild winter, so water temperatures have been up and fish don’t run in hot water. The majority of fish are still being caught by boats out in Lake Michigan. It’s not a red alert for Fisheries because the majority of fish are still probably going to come in. They may come in before October 10 [when the Bay fishing ban is expected to take effect], they may come in after, we can’t say, but what we can say is that as long as people are in Betsie Bay, kicking around, that is going to impact fish getting up the river because when it’s ankle deep as opposed to thigh to waist deep, fish spook easily. Instead of working hard to get up there, they’re turning around and beaching themselves. That’s why this emergency closure is going into effect. Some anglers will voluntarily stay out because they realize the importance of letting the fish go and others will say, well, it’s my only trip up here… That’s the problem. We can’t cure certain mentalities.†The Alert asked whether there’d be any kind of DNR presence for the next few days or weeks to stop the snagging. “If there’s illegal activity going on, people should call the RAP line and report it. There’s a lot of different seasons now, bears and small game, so we’re getting complaints all over the place, so I can’t say there’ll be an officer there 24-7. As we can we’ll go through there. I’m hoping the Village of Elberta will cooperate and post the press release when it comes out so that people will be able to see it and read it. As with any new law there’s a posting period that has to occur. When it’s enforceable [on October 10], that’s when all the official signs from Fisheries will go out.†The press release is posted on the DNR website here. As this post went up, rain fell steadily and more was forecasted for the rest of the week. Note: Pictures are available at the link above.

4 Ace High plugs where line broke with fish on (all on one trip). Line was not bad but currents had fish getting into other lines. Respooled anyway 1 BW UV flasher with UV meat head (failed welded ring on Deeper Diver) 3 spoons (on 4 of the plug lines above) Aside from the one trip (only went 4 for ~15 where lots of other fish also got off) it wasn't bad.

Georgian Bay is Lake H But I would really love to hear info from over there on the salmon fishery. With all the rumors of massive natural salmon coming from Georgian Bay tributaries, I would hope some are being caught there. About 15 years ago I spent a week fishing the Parry Sound area for small mouth and pike. Had a great time but the boat we had was too small to go out beyond the islands to to for the open water fish.

And maybe we won't have to deal with our other opinionated but clueless "friend" from there too . He's been at it again in recent days.

With it relatively early in the run, I would concentrate on holes that the fish will setup in. The fish in the lower river will still be aggressive but with the water low and clear more subtle lures such as streamer flies will probably work better than spoons, spinners, and crankbaits. If that doesn't work though "hotshotting" a crankbait into a hole 3' at a time can provoke good strikes. Just match the lure to the river current and depth keeping the lure 6" to 1' off the bottom.

I ran a rig with 4 no-hook soft body "swimbaits" and a spoon off a center connection 3' to 5' back. Tried it off a downrigger and on copper. No action while other lures did get hits - the same spoon clean and flasher/fly. Tried it two trips for a few hours each time -- early to mid morning. Basically I was thinking of it like a BW grease trap or the old Les Davis 6 pack attractors but it was not successful.

Hi Jeff. Welcome aboard.

Sure join in! I sure have... it is a friendly place to talk fishing

What "school"?

So that would be ALL of the nets???