Gator

We saw you just inside of us when you first set up and we couldn't figure out at first what a pontoon boat was doing out there. I've got to say, you were rocking and rolling...good times! I'm glad to hear that you got into them. We picked up at ~8:30 with no fish, but we never made it out to that 135 fow. It was a tough day out there, and a buddy of ours is getting some knee work done soon, so he wasn't too comfortable. A couple of kings might have changed our attitude, though. Your son sounds like a trooper!

No settling disputes on this site! Don't you know that you're supposed to argue these points for years until they become a thing of legend? At least that's the way my partner does it I've got to admit, though...the dollar is his. Ie. we have a dollar on the front windshield that's the payoff for every bet we make. Today, the bet was I couldn't catch a fish on a downrigger using my favorite spoon. I lost.

Scramp, Did you fish 4th at all? I see you say that it was the same as in past years...but you only reference 7th lake. I'd be interested in hearing the full report, and whether any of the "hotspots" produced.

Great information! At the very least, when running high divers on a 3 setting it helps to know that letting out more than 200' of line just gets the stuff further away from the boat.

Hook your Saltist 30 up to a Mag Dipsy on a #1 setting and let out 250'...deep won't scare it! We're running an older Daiwa Great Lakes 47LC next to the Saltist and it's night and day. They will all be Saltists next year. Best prices I've seen new are at fishhbt.com, Hallett's bait and tackle here in Rochester, online. $158 for a #30 linecounter.

The mag dipsy surprised us and we were ticking bottom in 90 fow with 200 feet of wire run on a 1.5 setting. It's nice not having to spot 350 feet of line to the fish.

If you fish Fourth Lake, try the area around Algiers Island at the Southern end. There's a small launch for car top boats. The large point on the East side just prior to the island and the area east and north of the island can be great for smallmouth on topwater. I'm sure that there's lots of good spots, but I have been limited to a canoe in that area. Also, Nick's Lake can be very good for largemouth. There's a state campground where you can put in. Could be tough mid-August. Give us a report when you get back.

Ray was my sensei

Our leather fighting belt looks new, but the hassle of getting it on during a fight means that it hasn't seen much use. The Hammer Head Rod Butt Cushions pictured above work great at preventing bruises, but the rubber pulls the heck out of any hair you might have there. Probably not an issue for most women? I love the look of the neoprene ones, though. Something new to buy.

Yeah, my first thought was "blue", too...glad to see that everybody else is on the same wavelength. We are all a bunch of pigs. Or so my wife told me this morning when I read her that "talking frog" joke on the Comics Corner page. This will only reinforce her opinion. Who cares, though, the derby starts in a couple of days and I won't see her for two weeks. Plenty of time to make amends come September...prior to bow season

Disclaimer: I only build for fun, not for sale, so I'm by no means an expert. However, I'll second Copperliner's comments, with the caveat that micro guides may improve sensitivity, but since you're not casting, there's not as much advantage as regards line control, and they could be a disadvantage in wintertime when it's below freezing, IMHO. Definitely the casting setup with a spiral wrap is really comfortable. The XMB series from Batson is their top of the line high modulus blank and is a great value for the price; as for Mudhole blanks, I've never built on that particular model, but I've had generally good results with many others. If you're a spinning a"fish"ionado, the Batson XSB822.5 is a fantastic blank for this application, and it's slightly lighter than the 843. With this setup, I prefer carbon tube handles with an Aero Comfort size 16 reel seat and Fuji KH concept guides in an Alconite ring for use with superlines.

I have a butt section that lacks a ceramic insert on the second guide up, nearest the ferrule. The top section is broken, so it's useless to us. Just needs a new guide wrapped on. The 1802 rods were relatively cheap to begin with, good rods, but not expensive, so I don't know how much hassle you want to go through to get this thing. It's yours if you want it. We're out of Sandy Creek halfway between Rochester and the Oak. You might be better off just replacing the whole rod, especially if nobody local comes through with a butt for you. You can pm me if you want.

We probably have one of those in the basement. Where are you located?

I sure hope not. Please be sure to post an update when you get this reconciled.

That's funny, our 250 used to be a 300, too. Must be catching. There isn't as much adjustment on the TX-44 as on the smaller boards. The weight runs along most of the length. The clip seemed a little odd to me when we first ran them, since the tensioner faces toward the board rather than away from it. I guess that make sense if they're not designed to release.

I heard Keith left a pair of pink fashion sunglasses and a pack of Virginia Slims next to the computer... Great tournament, guys! Congrats to Jay and crew.

Yeah, that's my take on it, too. The downriggers and rigger rods alone would total the $2700 she wants for everything. However, at 25% of retail, it sounds like a really good deal. Makes me want to buy some stuff for my already overburdened boat Even at 35%, it's tempting. Good luck selling!!

I get the ads, too, with a notice that we're in a 30-day period where the domain either gets renewed or becomes available.