Rayman96

Sounds like the cookin of Justin Wilson. I really liked his show.

Good South Louisiana flavor….at it's best.

http://www.justinwilson.com/

Good cast iron lasts forever. They will last for generations. I agree, that teflon crap does not do good food justice!

....Fishing Lake Erie, I started running core last year.

....18 lb. core and 15 lb. leaders at 20' long. I retie when under 10' long.

....I would like to use a lighter leader, but big sheephead and some rainbows dictate the use of at least 15 lb. leader material.

....

....Friends who run copper on Lake Huron and Lake Ontario swear by leaders as short as 10'. I personally don't have any copper rigs.

....

....I would think it's like stainless steel wire rigs which supposedly have an ion effect that attracts fish.

....HIH!

....Is it spring yet???

Thanks Tom. That will give me a starting point for the weight I want to pour!

Jim, I think you are right about the battery deal. Before Christmas, I bought a dewalt 1/2" hammer drill, two batteries and charger for 129.99 plus tax. So far the batteries are holding up.

Over here our Radio Shacks were turned into the Source by Circuit City. I'm told they rebuild batteries for much less than new, but don't have a price yet as I called too late today!

I've used Dewalt, Makita and Hitachi at work and all performed well. I don't care for anything over 18 volts as they get too heavy. They solved the weight and duration of charge issues by going to Lithium Ion batteries. The only problem again is cost of the battery and you have to buy a matching charger:angry2:

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Main sponsor is Lowes. Does Lowes carry Dewalt products?

Tom, that looks good and I'm sure it will work!

Best thing I like is the cost...........NICE!!

Now I'm going to have to make me a some!

BTW, how long is that piece if pipe?

Hey Robert, spring is right around the corner so don't waste any time getting new gear!

I don't believe that old varmint groundhog anyway!!!

Did not buy anything last time however did get some good information from!

Welcome back Tony.

Hello everyone,

I discovered this site through the links section of the new Detroit Area Steelheaders web site. Browsing this I was impressed and decided to join...................I look forward to learning more from the site, sharing my stories and hope to read many of yours. Good fishing to all this year!

Bob, best intro I have seen in a long time! BTW, welcome aboard! As you know we are all in this together. Help or a funny story is only a post away.

Hope to see you here often!

Thanks Guys, I'll redo them this weekend, good thing I only did 4 of them.. and I'm going with the Redline,, it's just easy to identify

4 AT 10' = 8 AT 5' .........and you are almost done.

BTW, great thread and lets keep the ideas coming!;)

If you get a true doubleheader, a short leader makes for easier netting. This way both fish come to the net at the same time. Otherwise one fish is in the net and the other is 10' away and no way to reel it in!

36 to 39 inches is a safe length on my boat to keep sliders a safe distance away from the cable of the rigger next to it.

Never thought of using red line before, might be worth a try!

For a slider I don't believe there is any need to be stealthy.

....More than likely the fish has come through all your other stuff to get to the slider.......stealth not required.

....I use a heavier line for the slider because it will rub against the other gear on that line when you catch a fish.

....Heavier line in case it makes contact with rigger cable.

....Heavier line just because it is subjected to more abuse.

Leader length is 36 to 39 inches........or less than the displacement between riggers.

Very light spoons are used for free sliders. Heavier spoons are fixed sliders or stacked on another rod. In most cases I stack on another rod rather than use a slider.

Just some of my set-up, not rule by any means.

HIH

Here's a few sites for various components. I'm sure that there are more out there.

http://shop.bigweeniebrand.com/product.sc?productId=566&categoryId=16

http://www.terminaltackleco.com/prod_detail_list/402

http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/catalogue-index/beads-index.htm

http://www.atommiktrollingflies.com/rigging_beads.htm

http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/lure-making-parts/

I do like that Q-tip idea for tubing.

Here's another source to consider for comparison sake.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/guidedSearch.asp?CatId=5298&srkey=Solid%20State%20Drive

Yeah, they seem to know when the season is over. Anybody been out hunting for sheds?

I may start this weekend, all depends on how much snow I find in my hunting area!

Ken;

...The two links below provide info on cleaning and preserving wood finishes.

http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/oxybleach.html

http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/oxalic_acid.html

HIH

Please tell me I'm not turning into an old Geek.

I think you passed that milestone about a 1000 waypoints ago!!!!:D:D

Well remember I am not as nearly as HARD CORE and you men are with the fishing issue... I have to remian somewhat grounded, because the Wife said she'd cut me deep.. if it starts to look like a charter boat.....And she will man... it hurts...

I think you need another boat, just for fishing!!!!:cool:

If you are still setting up, and need other gear, I'd postpone getting one. They are a handy tool but not required to catch fish. Your Sonar F/F will show you where the fish are. It's good to learn the old fashioned way, before going high tech. It's nice to know where the the thermocline is but if you ask someone will probably tell you. I like the new Fish Hawk.

I'm with you on this one Frank.

...I look at blow-back to tell me whether I'm trolling with or against a current.

...Hum of the riggers tells me where my speed is or I set up a thumper rod down the chute.

...Fish finders used to show a thermocline easily, but since the lakes have cleaned up, not so well. Or maybe it's just that my settings are wrong.

...When I catch a fish, it tells me what they like and where they are. Just because at times the fish that I catch don't show up on the fishfinder.

If I had everything else I needed, my choice would be the Fish Hawk X4. Since I don't have one, I did not vote in this poll.

The one thing I would not give up is my GPS.

I loaded up Sea clear a little while back and it seemed to load alright but the online charts would not load into the program. After messing around trying to get the charts to load I went back on there site and found out that SeaClear is not set up to run on Vista. Maybe it would work if I purchased the DVD with the charts but not sure I want to take that chance. Hope it all works out for you, I can't wait to see what the charts look like when you get them.

I found the same problem with Vista and some of my XP software. I later came to find out that my new computer with Vista runs on a 64 bit matrix. This turned out to be a double whammy. Now any hardware or software I buy has to be Vista 64 bit compatible!!!:angry2:

Then Microsoft brought out Windows 7 and offered a free upgrade to Vista consumers, but I missed the time frame for the free upgrade!!:angry2:

Thanks Adam;

....I learned the hard way on my first set up and then did a bunch of research on the net.

....Now if I could avoid accidents and brain farts, I'd be all set!!

Should i have my downriggers grounded to my aluminum boat? I am putting out over 9.6 volts on my rigger cable.

....How many riggers?

....Do they all put out the same discharge?

....Do these riggers have auto stop? If so check the rigger manual for specs.

....Who installed the riggers?

The first thing I would do is disconnect the power to the riggers. Then check to see if the discharge is the same. This should tell you whether the riggers are a concern or there is a problem elsewhere.

Just some thoughts, but I would start with the riggers.

I take special care when spooling wire and or braid!

....On the first trip out, I attach a lead weight or spin-doctor and let all the line out, while at a fast troll.

....Then reel back in under good tension. This will set the line into the spool and prevent jamming.

....Another thing to watch out for is line guide alignment after a break-off. Make sure the guide lines up with where the braid or wire comes off the spool.

I use red power pro and like it. For big water trolling, it's 50 lb. red. For Lake St. Clair and shallow water it's 20 lb. green for bottom bouncing or jigging. I also have neon yellow mono for some applications.

If you troll at night and use red lighting, the red power pro will jump out at you as white in colour.

HIH

Wow, right in your back yard!

If it were me, I'd be shooting some dog!!!