1mainiac

I don't mind the honor system we did it the first year and had some complaints. So we changed to resolve the issues. I fished the WMFL for many years and had fun however that was when it ran out of Port Sheldon which 5 years ago became too shallow to safely launch my boat. I got tired of polishing my prop to fish there. My other issue back then was the 6 rod rule combined with the fact even if I won I could not get back my gas money for the boat. I made a 20 mile run to find good fish ended up 2nd to win 18 bucks. Not trying to complain but none of the guys I fish with were interested in being rod limited to lose money and waste a good day of fishing. If I had kept my 18 I would have never stopped fishing the tournaments.

I am fine with the WMFL always have been even if it's not a event I fish. My goal for the last 2 plus years has been to get all of the league style events to use the same points system which is part of the reason we modified our points and weigh in and Ken changed the rod limits so we would be more similar. Shannon is doing the same with the SHFL

So I am currently looking at some sponsors for a a multi port championship prize. However the only way it can be done is we all play by rules similar enough that it is fair for everyone involved. Right now I think we are close I know BW is interested in a multiport challenge I am sure I can find a few more to make it cool.

Besides Muskegon will likely win we have the best fishing and fishermen LOL.

While our events are also just for fun and bragging rights my goal all along was to fish as close to possible to Pro AM rules so guys could see what fishing in a Pro AM would be like without spending hundreds of dollars doing it. On top of that it is kinda cool seeing which way everyone goes to start the day. With the set lines at 6 am rule I could run to Manistee at 4 am and set lines at 6am.

Looks good Jon

I am sure Pro Troll will be back again this year as well.

What I would like is for all of us to use the same scoring system. Then we could compare points straight up from league to league.

Owners are the answer they don't let go The problem with Steelhead is slack in the line they will charge the boat wrap the line around themselves and often shake the hook out. We had one a couple years ago that went nuts at the net and ran about half way thru the run I felt the hook let go and was bummed except a few seconds later I got a huge jolt on the rod and it felt like a much larger fish was on. When we got it back to the boat we were dragging it sideways as the line had wrapped around the fish and when it spit the hook it grabbed him in the middle of the back. When I am in Steelhead mode I consider 50% making it to the net a darn good day.

I have not tried to catch a laker in many years in fact my spread is usually to avoid them. I find them easy to catch and boring to reel in and not very tasty on the plate. That said another good way to target them is Wireline with 1pound balls I take a1 pound ball add a 12 in leader to it and clip it to the swivel on my wire rod then run nearly any bait you choose on a 6 to 10 ft lead behind it. My personal fav from years back was a large Loco Spoon in crushed white and chrome back in the 70's that setup took some monster lakers for me fished slow. By slow I mean absolute slowest a 16ft Starcraft will go with a 9.9 Mercury outboard. Stick a trash can and spin and glo or peanut on one side with the 1 pound ball bouncing and a clean lure behind a 1 pound ball on the other. Back then we used sinker releases so when the fish hit you lost the sinker.

If you have HYD steering any system on the market will do what you want as they all require a pump installed along with valving and fittings. My personal choice would be the Gamin unit However you can even go ala cart with a Octipus pump and there are many combinations that will drive it. Si Tex and some of the older tech systems can be found in your price range the Garmin and other systems will be closer to 3 grand or more by the time you get them installed. Last I heard Garmin required a certified installer for them to warranty the unit. Calumet Marine is a sponsor here and they will get you whatever you need at a good price.

For the bullet heads I made a jig that is a 5/16 bolt welded to a piece of pipe on a flange. thread a short piece of rubber hose on the bolt threads. Stick the bullet head into the rubber hose and tie I use kevlar thread and a whip finish knot to secure them. Sometimes I glue them with nail polish.

I personally think the whole blow back issue is a moot point. Because the ball does not come up that much even at 4mph there is only a few ft of difference when the ball hits at 90FOW vs 2.5mph. However at 4mph the cables look like they are going nearly straight back but it is really just bow in the line. At 2.5 mph the difference between my 15lb pancake and my 15lb finned round ball was the pancake hit bottom with 103ft of cable and the 15lb ball hit at 105ft of cable. At over 4mph the 15lb ball hits in 90ft at 111ft of cable. that extra 6ft of cable makes for one heck of a bow. We spent a couple days with a friend who loves Lake trout so we got to do a lot of bottom bouncing. out front in Muskegon.

Simrad no longer makes the AP12 and AP14 which used the Octipus drive helm. SiTex is offering a similar setup with the drive for about 1800 bucks. However it still requires working power assisted steering which he does not have. He needs to fix the steering first then pick a AP or pick a AP based on what steering he is going to have when fixed. I did not want the AP I bought but finally decided it was my cheapest option to stop yelling at friends and family because they could not drive the darn boat. Last year was great push the button and fish turn the knob on the controller to adjust course and fish. Even with 3 or 4 big guys at the back of the boat it stayed on course so now I am pretty happy with it.

Ben you would need to fix your steering before you add a Auto pilot. If your not in a hurry I have a Hyd Steering system that should fit your boat all you would need is new hoses and a steering wheel. First however I need to get out of this apartment so I can unload the storage and find it. In the meantime you need to verify where the slop is in your system. it will require 2 guys to do it as you need to watch while some one turns the wheel and while someone moves the drive. If there is slop in the drive it must be fixed or the boat will always wander. While watching the transom steering connection have someone move the drive back and forth there should be very little drive movement without moving the steering arm any slop needs to be fixed. One sure answer is does the steering get harder when the boat is under power vs sitting on the trailer?

As to AP I put a SPX5R setup on my boat last year with the P70R controller and it works pretty good. Fishsniffer has the same setup with the standard controller on his 235 but he had to get a steering shaft adapter and a new steering wheel which I gave him cheap. Since I had one I did not need and his 235 had a square shaft for the steering. You have to have power steering for the SPX5R system or you will ruin it on your boat. All the power steering parts you need for the engine are mid 70's pickup parts for the pump and mount. You will need custom hoses made and the power steering parts from a donor boat. which will include the transom bracket and cylinder with the cooler and small parts. To be honest it might be easier to trade for a boat that has what you want there are lots of them for sale. Because unless you can find all the parts cheap and do the work yourself your going to be spending several grand on this project. Just the AP alone is going to be around 2 grand and in a shop converting to Hyd steering or to power steering would be costly in fact Hyd steering would be cheaper to convert to but would require a more expensive AP even if you buy my Hyd steering parts which will be cheap you will still have around 3 grand into it with a AP and you doing all the work. That to me is a lot to invest in a boat that will likely only be worth 4 or 5 grand when finished.

Only advantage is if you have your program dialed in for flies. I tend to run a bit too fast for flies so my fly hook up rates are lower than others. Once in a while we put the brakes on and the fly bite picks up. But I almost never catch lake Trout at higher speeds and the Steelhead bite is hot if I find them. I have taken Coho and Steelhead on bare flies as sliders and really like the BW vibrator flies as sliders.

Kind of funny about 5 years ago when I switched all my flies to double single hooks several people thought I was nuts. LOL But after you drive a big Octipus hook into a king you become a believer. Almost never a knock off and unless something breaks when the fish hits it you can plan on netting it. Don probably still hates his Maniac Glow fly LOL But I am having Gary make the Buttsniffer fly for us this year so maybe he will have a new fly to not like LOL.

Looks Good if you still have my number give me a call sometime.

Nick I think you set your entry fee too low it would be better at 25.00 a head and have a small group that can really get some in depth info.

I talked to Ken last night and he is doubtful on doing it this year. He said he does not have internet where he is right now but will try and talk to some people when he gets back in town. He is looking to have someone run it but if not he will try and do at least 1 tourney this summer likely in Aug.

this is the idea I was trying to remember earlier

http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19659&highlight=bazooka

I will make on up in a week or 2 and show my mods to it.

Everything Don said except I use 40lb flouro leader. My hook of choice is a Gamakatzu 5/0 Octipus tied in tandem with snell knots. I think one of the guys here had a idea for a tube storage setup using PVC pipe which was cool. Since a short piece of 4in PVC will hold a lot of flies. You could have a short one for 8in and a long one for 11in

Tapatalk would be nice to use here I set it up on my forum in about 20 min and it works fine I also use it on several other forums. it is also free so it is a nice add on.

Even though I almost never ice fish anymore I have a Striker Ice floating suit. I bought it because I fish the piers in the winter and falling in would suck so since I needed a new winter suit I got the Striker Ice suit. I did some shopping around and found one that is 2 sizes too big but on closeout so it was 250 bucks with shipping for the bibs and jacket. I spent 6 hours in the boat fishing with it on a 30 deg day and it was like sitting on my couch at home.

I will be there possibly with a friend

Or consider Mile's 270 Amberjack it is already for sale and is a great fishing and family boat. I may not have a decision on mine till April. The only advantage to mine over Mike's is mine is on a trailer but his is wider and has twin engines.

http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29005

A small Islander won't ride any better than what you have, in some conditions it will ride worse. The only way you get a better big water ride is a heavier bigger boat no replacement for displacement. While my fishing partner loves the fuel economy of his 17ft Alumacraft he would rather chip in on gas to fish mine most days than his. I am looking to go up to a 32 to 36ft this year if the money is right Which will mean less days on the water in the bigger boat but we still can take Steve's 17 on calm days. With my wife's neck injury she can't take the ride in the 26 any more so I am hoping a bigger boat will let her come back out fishing a few times a year. A avg fishing trip in my 26ft is about 20 gal of gas that is about a 7 mile run in and out and 3 to 4 hours of trolling. I can run on plane at 26 to 28 mph in 1 to 3ft chop all day long and have made a 26 mile run in 4 to 6ft waves at close to 30mph.

As much as I grew up loving Islanders I would never own another one. The rivets will leak and fail usually in a spot that is a PITA to access. They will kill you to run hard in anything beyond 1ft waves. The Grady and Pursuit will run wide open in stuff that will jar your teeth out in a Islander. Like it or not if you fish the Great lakes the day will come you need to make a run from hell to get back in. A slow moving cork would not be my choice for that.