1mainiac

Before this turns into a political argument let me explain my point of view. I am nearly 50 and have lived around here nearly all of my life. So I remember a few things I remember when we bought nealrly all of our stuff from our neighbors and they bought from us so we all grew together. I remember when my dad was forced to buy a GM product cause you could not park a non GM on the lot. The 80's were a great time of growth but like idiots we spent way too much on foreign product. So what happened one by one the plants here closed since no one bought the product they made as plants closed investors looked to make money so to compete with foreign produt we brought in more of it with american labels. And we let foreign companies move here and before you know it the Honda Goldwing has more american made parts than a Harley Davidson. We all used to buy our fishing gear at the local bait shop we knew the guys there we trusted their advice now most of them are gone and we buy from the internet or chain stores. Guys I don't much care which lever you pull in the election box this year the government won't fix this we have to. So for those who think that we can vote in a change who is gonna change us cause until we make a change in our habits nothing will improve. So start thinking about how to keep your money here before it is all over there. Walmart is one of China's largest exporters try and find one of China's importers look hard cause there is virtually none. So look at what you buy and see if you can shop more wisely.

Jim

Don't work for OPEC but realize most of our problems our self inflicted some where we got a bunch of morons who think the government can tax and spend to solve our problems. Everyone wants to see the Government tax the rich well consider this most of the government is the richest 1 percent they talk of how they will tax but actually never do. Cause they will fill it with so many holes they will actually pay less then before but everyone will thank them. Oh yea and who was in charge during the last economic recovery Ronald Reagan and Bush 1 but darn if Bill Clinton did not take credit for it. remember that most of the crap these guys do takes several years or more to take effect. Also if you want to fix jobs in this country try buying something made here we all seem to want big paying jobs so we can fill our life with crap made overseas if nobody buys american there will be no jobs here so even if you have to save up to buy American at least your money will help feed your neighbors instead of China and other countries who refuse to buy anything from us.

Jim

One thing to keep in mind is that Oil and Gas are publicly traded meaning that the market sets the price. As long as investors think you will pay more they will raise the price so before anyone thinks the Government should fix this check your retirement plan and see how much you are making off of this cause as long as people keep making money off of high oil prices they will stay high. When they finally settle back down or wages and the rest catch up people will whine about that as well.

Jim

Thanks to everyone who helped put this together had a great time can't wait till next year. I will fish every event next year so sign me up now and let me know if I can be of any help.

Tight Lines

Jim

Ran it all weekend with no issues the slower rigger and the modified release worked great. Did not find many fish but no equipment problems. Thanks for all the great advise from all.

Tight lines

Jim

I have never ran them with the Blacks release's but I allways had better luck with stackers in the past when using differant length rods. I ran a shorter rod on the bottom I also run longer lead from the stacker and get it back away from other lines. But then the more I think about it I am starting to remember why my stackers remain unused. It seemed that way to often the bottom rod would grab the top rod when a fish hit so I will probably stick to sliders.

Tight Lines

Jim

I run the Off Shore boards and use the red heavy tension clip at the rear. I have never had a problem and I prefer to remove the board with the fish far from the boat also nice to not have to deal with the board while trying to net a fish.

Tight Lines

Jim

Looks like it could be a bumpy ride.

Sunday

west winds 10 to 20 knots becoming southwest. Chance of

showers. Waves 2 to 4 feet.

Sunday night

west winds 15 to 25 knots. Chance of showers.

Waves 4 to 6 feet

This was a pleasure to be a part of glad to see it come to a great end and ready to do it again next year. Would be willing to do it a couple of times next year if possible.

Tight Lines

Jim

I ran the Blacks release's for a while last year with limited success. I modified a set last night so they can't open and am going to try running a Cannon release behind it. I figure the worse that could happen is it might open and I could lose a Pinch release but if it works it will allow the release to not spin with the probe ball or cable. I am also going to move the probe setup to my outside riggers as they are slower and I might even be able to watch the temp change as they go down. since i don't always use them I could just send the probe down without a line on it to test temp and current. I had liked having the probe on all the time but may just get used to using it more as a test instrument than a running part of my gear. After losing one I think I can learn to be happy geting my data and putting it away unless things change

Tight Lines

jim

Ok that fixed it thanks

jim

Mike just noticed my name is not comming up in my post no big deal since I sign all of them anyhow

Jim

Well I may try the start stop idea but to be honest I am usually in haulbutt mode when setting lines. Why else buy the badddest fastest riggers you can get I suppose I could move the probe to my Fishlander riggers they are real slow. If I had known how slow they were I MIGHT NOT HAVE BOUGHT THEM but perhaps they might be better for the probe. I may move the gear over to them this week.

Tight Lines

Jim

I never run flashers behind the probe so not sure if that would make a differance. But plugs or spoons short leads or long has not made a differance. Desent speed is one thing I have not considered the riggers are older Big Jon senior units with new Speed rigger motors which basicly makes them the same as the new Brute model with fiberglass booms but they do haul butt down or up but probably close to 250ft a min going down so perhaps it is spinning on desent. If this turns out to be the issue kinda blows the bigger faster stronger theory being better.

Tight Lines

Jim

Fished Port Sheldon this morn set lines in 115 FOW ran north then southwest out to about 160 wandered around tried a bunch of differant setups. No hits nothing worked saw a few small fish boated ended up with 3rd skunk of the year waves were 2 to 4 not 1 or less. Other than being a little bumpy in a 17ft boat was a decent day.

Tight Lines

Jim

Out again tonight same program as last night 5 for 5 if you count the Laker we threw back. Again smaller fish but great eating I am up to 80 Kings for the year will be out of Port Sheldon in morn on a friends boat. Lot of chatter of guys fishing the bottom in 80 to 100 but no one at the dock had more than a couple of small fish. So I gotta beleive they are deep and scattered will probably start out dragging the sand in 80 ft tommorow.

Tight Lines

Jim

I have never put my boat in neutral I check my lines every time. I have a Depth Raider setup I have tried heavier balls I usually set them down with the drag set so the rods are bent over all the way down I run fairly fast so I think blow back is the biggest issue but if I am hooked above the probe with swivels above and below the probe WTF is up. Again it only happens when running deep I may try a set of the shark weights or pancakes but they don't fit in my cradles.

Tight Lines

Jim

Anyone else having problems with releases and tangleing on the probe rigger? I have tried several differant release setups this year with limited success. Yet I still have trouble with tangles at the probe that I have not figured out where they come from it looks like the probe spins and grabs the line I have ran the release above the probe below the probe and off the ball I also tried just running a stacker release off the wire above the probe that was worse. Yet when I remove the probe I have no problems with the rigger and when running above 60ft no issues. But since the warm water moved back in and I am back to searching deep water the tangles are back dragged a 5lb king to its death last night found it when I pulled lines to change lures. I have got at least 7 fish this way this year and have lost a few lures as well. Any ideas?

Tight Lines

Jim

Out this evening first night with new probe working. Ran out to first net north of pier and went out past it to 145 FOW set lines and ran SW. 80 dn temp was 58 to 61 not good marked a few decent fish in top 25ft assumed to be Steelhead so put out a couple of half cores and got a 4lb Steelhead ok that works. lost a couple more steelhead before we got another one in the box but no kings been running spoons 80 dn and 100 dn on riggers no takers ran several dipsey fly combos between 150 and 220 back on 2.5 finally got a 8lb King in 177ft on a dipsey just before sundown. Pulled lines and reset with glow spoons 70 and 90dn on riggers put a glow spoon on one dipsey and a Siggs blue green glow on other ran em back 150 turned back in after about 15 min decided to throw out a couple of sliders that turned out to work got 2 small kings on same setup within 15 min Moonshine dbl orange spoon on free slider rigger set at 90 dn. Had to change course to avoid the coal ship coming in and never got another hit so called it a night 5 for 7.

Tight Lines

Jim

1Mainiac will be there weather permiting

True which is why I will drive the boat down that way but won't launch from there. Mostly dislike the battle at the launch ramp and the long idle out to the lake. Even worse is to launch at Fruitport which is 3 miles from my house but seems like a all day event to get to the big lake. So I either blast down to Grand Haven from Muskegon or up from Port Sheldon for me either one beats the endless drive down the channel.

Tight Lines

Jim

Not me hate the ride out from the launch and always seems like more idiots fish there. Every time I go there I swear I will never go back I don't mind driving the boat down from Muskegon but won't launch there.

Tight Lines

Jim

They kicked butt last year I usually try to get one right on the bottom and one up about 20ft. I usually run J Plugs on them late in the morn or early in the evening when fish are laying on the bottom. Have never had a dbl on them but if bottom one goes off I let the other one dn or vise versa. I won't run flies spinnies on them but will run spoons or plugs. I have ran em a few times this year with no hits but no tangles will probably have em running tommorrow when we go out.

Tight Lines

Jim

I RUN 2 QUITE A BIT i PUT THEM ON MY OUTSIDE RIGGERS AND RUN THEM DEEP I ALSO KEEP THEM AT LEAST 20FT APART DEPTH WISE. JIMBOBBER A SWR IS 2 0R 3 COLORS OF LEADCORE BEHIND THE DOWNRIGGER BALLS. GETS YOU DEEP AND ADDS STEALTH TO YOUR SETUP LETS YOU FISH THE BOTTOM WITHOUT YOUR BALLS DRAGGING.

TIGHT LINES

JIM

I start with the boat at about 3 GPS and then adjust to between 1.8 and 2.5 at the probe depending on what lures I am pulling. J plugs and some spoons seem to like 1.8 to 2.2 for me depending on flasher fly I like 2.0 to 2.5. I like to pull stuff along side the boat to see how it looks in the water if it don't kinda look like a fish swimming it probably won't catch fish. Oh yea and when my probe hit the bottom 2 weeks ago I darn near cried and you may have heard me swearing in Holland. Getting the probe has probably doubled or tripled my catch ratio no more driving around wondering why I ain't catching fish. Once you get to monitor speed and temp in the zone you are fishing you will never go back.

Tight Lines

Jim