craveman85

Well I have a bigger boat that's getting a smaller motor. My 18' queen merrie had a 1959 mercury mark 78a 70hp dockbuster on it. No neutral sucks. And just a general pita. Hopefully in the spring she'll be getting a late 60s bearcat 55 4 stroke all rebuilt and ready to go. Should be able to even troll with that. I've got a friend that says his will do 1.4mph on a 16' whaler.

I usually fish small dipsy divers and pretty slow. These holders have trolled divers for years without issue. I also don't have kings hitting them. Eventually I may go with the ones that are just angled tube you drill a hole for. I always run safety lines on the holders though because I don't like to lock them in. I'll probably put down east in my bigger boat but this ones getting very little invested in it.

Here's the layout I've decided I'm using at the moment. I don't use the back seat because it's too far back. I sit on the plastic bench in front of it facing the side. I tried a board across the back with everything mounted but couldn't get comfortable and put around with the motor. I also tried the board in front of me but the line counters were hard to read. I did have the one rid holder bolted where the downrigger was but I needed someplace for the downrigger to mount. I need a bigger little boat. Something wider and deeper.

They were at a runnings. The older dx model not the newer dxt-t that replaced it. I got a newer one too and I hate where the reset for the line counter is. I tripped it many times yesterday and took that one off today to return it. That one the ones spot on the counter around keep rolling around but never would click over the tens slot.

Side note I still can't find a position I like the rod holders in. Tried a board across the oar locks. Tried it across the back. Had 2 rod holders mounted adjacent to the back seat on the gunnels. Haven't liked any of them. Too damn small of a boat. I wanted to run 2 trolling rods and a downrigger but it just seems to be too much.

This setup will never see kings or any salmon besides landlocked Atlantic in a couple lakes. I've got 200' of mono backer and 600' of spectra braid on them. When I get a boat for the big lake the rods will definitely not be getting these little okuma reels. I believe I can replace the drag washes on a 15 with carbon anyways. I don't need that much drag since I'm fishing with an 8# leader.

Picked up 3 more trolling combos last night. The rods are 9.5' daiwa wilderness dipsy/downrigger rods. Got 3 clearance magda 15dx reels for 28.99 each. Is there anything special to running wire besides the tip? If I can i may grab a few more for wire. I might take this boat in cayuga when we go to see the woman's niece at college.

When you jig what are you using for lures? Is there a general technique to jigging? I may be Doing it wrong. How deep are these fish you're jigging? Is there a best way to set up rod holders for dipsy rods? Straight off the side? Upright? Angled down? I may mount all my gear on the rear seat. It's too far back for me so I put a small bench I made in front of the seat. My arms are too long and I weigh too much to sit that far back.

I always do new lines on any motor I get. I also use non ethanol premium. But I forget my net on a regular basis

I forgot one of the key parts of a trolling setup today. Forgot the net at home. Lost 3 nice fish at the boat. Lost one other I didn't see and had 4 hits that didn't hook up.

I previously picked up a 4 stroke 9.9 merc long shaft. Intention was to run a Jack plate on this boat and use it on this and my bigger boat as a kicker. A Jack plate is going to put me in a very uncomfortable position. I tried it just mounting it normal but didn't like how the boat handled and it gets very close in a few places to the bottom. I picked up a seized 99 5hp Johnson last night for 100$ with some other stuff. Had been stored improperly and wouldn't turn this year. A little atf overnight and a tap on the piston with a rubber mallet got it moving again. Cleaned the water pump and fuel system out good, put the carb in my ultrasonic cleaner and I have a beautifully running 5hp short shaft. No rust damage to the cylinder walls or anything. Cleaned right up with a scotch brite. Still has cross hatch from honing. 140 psi on my tester. Can't wait to get it out on the lake.

I would have kept the 13' hell I'd give the woman up for a 13'. Tired of coming second to a dog anyways. I've got access to some sweet teak and mahogany from a friend who makes yachts.

I had a 15' till a flood 3 years ago. If it had been a lesser boat it would have filled with water and sat there. Never saw it again. I checked nearly every marina down to Albany but no sign. The hull id is reported as lost/stolen so hopefully someone fixes the seats ava tries to register it

Jigging doesn't produce as much for me as trolling. I can only seen to jig them through the ice. There's just something I really like about trolling anyways. I can fish more presentations that way too. I'd love a 13' whaler for trolling. Someday...