Billy V

I've stuck with my longer rods for separation purposes and also because they're all in really great shape so until one of them breaks I'm not going to spend any more $$ to replace it. I've taken a look at some of the shorter rods out there and when I finally need to replace some rods (which might be years, those Heartlands are indestructible) I think I'll give a couple of short sticks a try. I've also never run Power Pro with my Divers. I've had such good success with wire that I haven't felt the need to try it, and also because I've fished on a few boats that have used some sort of braid with their Divers and they loaded up pretty badly with fleas and that really turned me off. I have no idea what brand of braid they were using, so maybe Ray's onto something with the 65# Power Pro. Anyone else used it with similar results? I'm wondering if both fish hook and spiny water fleas don't stick to it? I'll also second the Daiwa Accudepth Plus as a great reel for the money. I was at Bass Pro yesterday and they still have them for $49.99. The Tekota is a fabulous reel no question about it, but you can get three ADP's and spool one of them with 1000' of wire for the price of one Tekota. I have two ADP47LC's that I've been running with wire for three seasons now and they still operate like new and we haven't missed a beat with them.

FWIW, AFW's camo color 30# is .012" as well. You can buy that from Tom Allen at ATOMMIK: http://www.atommiktrollingflies.com/lee.htm

In my opinion the color definitely matters because the diameter of the camo line is a few thousandths smaller and you can get deeper with it than you can with the bright line.

We've been running 9'6" Daiwa Heartland dipsy rods for years now and they've been great. You won't go wrong with them Blackdog. Although I'd personally choose to spool up with wire rather than with Power Pro.

I think color make s a difference. I personally run AFW 7-strand 30 lb in camo. It has a thinner diameter than their bright line and is just .001" thicker than their 20lb line. You'll be able to reach deeper depths with a smaller diameter line. I'd check Malin and Mason out to see what their diameters are too. We've been very happy with the AFW line that we run. http://www.americanfishingwire.com/prod ... ndstd.html

I don't have the Fishin' Chip so I really can't say what to expect on the Finger Lakes with it Chowder. The Gold+ charts have depth contours, but it's not every foot or so like it is on the Fishin' Chip. It's enough contour to keep you out of trouble though. It definitely has all of the landmarks, etc. It's primarily designed as a navigational tool rather than as a fishing tool.

We'll be there too. LOVE the format, should be a big success. Can't wait!!

Unless you have two card ports or a hard drive on your unit you'll probably have to run them separately. The Fishin Chip is not a navigational chart, but rather a contour map of the bottom of the lake. The charts will have all of the navigational aids and other information listed on them, whereas the Fishin Chip doesn't. I have a Humminbird 955C NVB that came pre-loaded with every one of the Gold+ and Premium charts that Navionics makes, but since I didn't "buy" a Gold+ chip they won't send me the Fishin Chip. I've fished on a couple of boats that have the Fishin Chip and it is a very nice tool to have, but we've made due without it and been just fine, although I've been considering buying a Gold+ chart just so I can get the Fishin Chip. One of the guys that charters out of FH has it on his Raymarine and since he knows the area so we and doesn't need the navigational aides on the chart he tends to use just the Fishin Chip. Here's a pic of what the Gold+ charts look like on my 955C: I took that picture the day we installed it. The boat was sitting at the Watercraft Clinic in Red Creek, but you get the idea of what it looks like on the water. This is a stock Humminbird pic of the Gold+ charts. You can see that there are contour lines on the Gold+. There are just a lot more on the Fishin Chip.

I'll second what Muskybob said. The X14 Gold with the Fishin Chip is the way to go!

Very nice work Mike!

Nice! Did you get a picture of the fish?

I'm a lifelong Steelers fan, so I gotta throw my vote their way.

We have that same box as YT and it's the ticket for storing flashers. I was just at Fat Nancy's a couple of weeks ago and I saw them on the shelf there, so they still have them in stock.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/article ... 002/NEWS01

Rich, how are you attaching the weight to the leader?

Try here: http://www.gloutdoorstore.com/ I think they carry just about every DW spoon there is!

I was definitely talking about big boards guys. Sorry for the confusion! I've run 600' off of my Church boards enough times to know that it isn't really a viable option for every day use.

Awesome post Shawn. Thanks for sharing!

We run 600' of copper off of our boards all the time Chowder. I'd also go with a 600' and mark it every 50' and then you can use it at whatever length you want. You'll probably want to start by running it down the chute and then work your way into using it on the boards.

Great fish guys!! Congratulations!!!!

Bob asked me to post this for him: Nice deer Bob!!

Me? Noooooooooooooo........ Actually, we were just busting on each other pretty hard and it just sorta happened...I laughed so hard that afternoon that my gut hurt the whole way home... Sandy Creek Welcoming Committee...too funny Legacy!!

We tie a Surgeon's knot. Incredibly easy to tie. http://www.killroys.com/knots/surgeon.htm

...a man's gotta go! Jerry, weren't the Yankee Troller boys asleep on the boat when you "relieved" yourself???

Nice pics Rod. I'm sure you'll have fishing partners for life because of the time you've spent with them now.