Gator

I'm insured with State Farm and when stuff got ripped out of my truck they cut me a check for something like 80% of replacement value immediately, then the rest when I provided a receipt that I'd actually replaced the stuff. No complaints. Also, no experience with any other companies...

This thread is killing me You guys love to yank the chain. I saw the ad, and yeah it's kinda goofy, but who advertises stuff by saying, "Come on out and learn from a couple of guys who barely know how to tie their shoes"? In advertising, it's all about hyperbole, and you don't need to prove much in order to state that YOUR stuff is the best. I know I cringed a little, but from the sounds of it, so did the Finders Keepers guys. Oh, and TripleS has the Cliff Notes, he's just been too bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, getting up and POUNDING the salmon every day, to read them

Hey Scott, even a blind squirrel finds a nut some days... We figure that Jason was either basking in the glory of his win the day before, so he wasn't trying his hardest, or he mistakenly thought that he had to weigh in his smallest salmon rather than his largest

Wow, Mike, that's a heck of a picture!! Based on our experience on big fish Sunday, here's some advise on ice: have it on board. We weighed that fish fresh and it was 30.86 on the digital scale. However, neither Capt. Skippy nor myself were bright enough to grab ice for the cooler (you'd think we'd have learned from Saturday, right?). A couple hours later, Keith wants to get a picture of the fish...it was caught admist a Chinese fire-drill...so we weigh it again. This time it's 29.5, and there's a bunch of blood and water in the (previously dry) cooler. And it ends up 28, 14 on Tom's scale. We found out Saturday that our scale is dead nuts. So, that fish lost a pound and a half sitting in a dry cooler for six hours. Luckily, we didn't learn this the hard way and she held up, but next time there will be lots of ice. As an aside, we considered putting her in the live well filled with water...anybody know if that helps or hurts weight loss? Once again, kudos to the organizers of this quality event!

The trig would work great if the angle of the cable off the downrigger were consistent all the way to the ball and easily determined. What ends up happening is the cable arcs as it descends, and this effect is exacerbated at increased speeds (or with thicker cable, like for the Moor probe). It's tough to accurately measure the true angle, as well, especially in waves. What you do is keep going shallower until you hook the ball on the bottom...note the depth where you break off, and Bob's your uncle.

Wow, Larry...there's some real scumbags in this world. I'll echo your hope that they're stupid and put them on Craigslist. A couple years ago I had a bunch of rods grabbed from the back of my truck. Here's the kicker: three of the rods they took, they only stole either the top or bottom half. Idiots. Now the rods are of no use to anyone.

My advice: Take a trip with a charter. Watch what the captain runs and what he pays the most attention to, then decide for yourself. I don't know where you're from, but you can look at the results page from the Sandy Creek Shootout and get the names of some great captains. IMHO, a third rigger with temp/speed is invaluable given the currents on the lake and the way the thermocline moves with the wind. Not essential, but definitely a great tool. Jigging is tough because of the currents. You can do it (butterfly jigs work...there's a thread on here), but it's not as productive as trolling. As with every technique, there's a learning curve. Just get out there and fish! You'll catch some and learn on the job, then decide what you want as you figure the boat out. Even if I tell you what I would do, it might not be what works best for you, or even what you eventually decide you prefer (ie copper vs wire; 2 vs 3 riggers; boards vs down the chute). Or an autopilot, like Gambler keeps trying to convince me to purchase Good luck and have fun!

Hey Matt, It could happen!! I'm throwing around the idea of a second shootout type tournament out of Sandy, but with somewhat different rules. Still four fish, but the four fish would need to be four species: a salmon, brown, laker and a steelhead. Mix things up a bit. Obviously it's just an idea as of yet, but if there's enough interest then I may take the little I've learned the past three years watching Scott, Keith, Rob and Mike run this tournament and apply it. I'll put out feelers this winter.

Yup, it was a great day despite the waves and the waterspouts. I can't add much to Brian's report, as we did almost exactly the same thing, but finished just out of the money. Congratulations to the winners...the big fish was a hair over 32 lbs and the winning box was 107 lbs (yes, four fish for 107 pounds total weight)...and nobody's surprised whose boat it came off. That "X" on his back just got a bit bigger!! Thanks to all of the guys who helped organize the event and all of the businesses that contributed. Hats off to Rob, Mike, Scott and Keith!

And here I was hoping that we could play chicken in the fog! It doesn't matter what the weather is like, it's going to be a great time. Weather just adds another element to the equation...game on!

So says Captain Speedo Should be fun if we get the fog they're calling for!!

Yeah, Brian has it right. Throw on 5-7 ft of 20 lb test fluorocarbon leader with one on the super-small Spro swivels. You won't even notice the swivel, it's so small, and it winds through the guides easily. Voila, no twist. The only issue I've had is that the downrigger clip can rough up the line immediately above the swivel, since that's where you usually attach it, so you may have to cut a few feet off and retie occasionally. FF line seems to become abraded on its surface more easily than conventional lines?? Maybe to be expected with the larger diameter.

That sounds like a good starting point. I have two of them that came on my Lund; one stayed with it and the other went onto the big boat. The screen is a bit small and the resolution isn't fantastic, but it's a color unit and it has GPS. If I had to purchase them again, I'd think about paying $250-300, myself.

PM me for photos if you'd like, I don't have my phone on me. I'd rather sell the reels as a pair, but I sent you a pm, Dan.

I have these two Daiwa reels that are loaded with (I think) 400' and 500' of copper. They aren't level wind, they're saltwater style, though they were never used in saltwater. In fact, we haven't used them in a couple of years, but they were our "starter" copper reels and they are in great shape. Hopefully somebody on the board who wants to get into copper can put them to use. Warning: they are beasts...big reels and heavy when loaded with copper (only "reel" men need apply). I'm looking for $125 firm for the two of them, and I'd rather not split them apart. I live just South of Rochester, or we can hook up at Sandy Creek, where we'll be fishing the Shootout next weekend.

If Sandy holds true, the fishing will be great up until the start of the Fall Derby, then the bottom will fall out. Enjoy it while you can! I've been away on vacation, but I will be back at them this weekend, sans Keith who's in Utah on the Green River fly fishing til Sunday. It sucks when vacations and fishing trips interfere with the best king fishing of the year

Ah, come on Keith, I'm sure you miss the kids and the...well, the kids, anyway.

Well, the site is kinda named "Lake Ontario United"...not Erie Seriously, though, you could post under warm water species, or just throw a line in the section for the big pond. I'm sure guys would be interested in hearing about your results, but that's not really what the site's about. Even so, I seen this one guy they call Ray K., a legend in these parts, post pictures of lobsters, and there ain't none of them 'round here. As for "good 'ole boys", maybe not so much so. As Mickey-D's says, "billions and billions served". Have you seen the number of people that belong here? That a lot of good 'ole boys. And girls. I think that folks who post here a lot get possessive about the site and don't want to see it overly commercialized. My personal feeling is that there's not enough of an issue to make noise about. If there gets to be, then the idea about limiting classifieds to professional members makes some sense. As for a boat not getting much response, well...there's lots of boats out there and the sports who frequent this board are fairly knowledgeable on whole about watercraft. I'd have to guess that the boat was priced somewhat high. There's always a buyer, at the right price. Good luck moving your rig. I hope that you stay on board here and contribute, too. If so, welcome and tight lines.

Hey Ray, the mattress was only lightly used...just ask my wife. Ouch.

I'm in for one! Make mine Monkey Puke, please.

2-year old pristine Simmons Beautyrest Black Josephine extra-firm queen mattress and box spring. We bought this two years ago for $2300 at Raymour and Flanigan, but it's just too firm for us so we went to a latex mattress. I'd like to get $500 out of it. I know used mattresses can be dicey, but this one is perfect...and I'd rather pass on a great deal to an LOU member than some random Joe. We live in Rush outside Rochester for pick-up. Quickest way to get in touch is via e-mail [email protected]

Wow, that's a backhanded compliment, "I know that you'll put up a bigger one"...when you're talking lakers. Better hope that Yankee doesn't hear, he might be tempted

It's a tough situation. I know Steve saw one of his favorite places to fish get shut down because of disrespectful fishermen who ignored posted signs, and he's got a good point. If property is posted, then you need to get written permission to fish it. That's the route that I'd go, myself. However, it's a good bet that the company posted the land to restrict their liability in case of an accident, and perhaps they don't care if anyone fishes it. And my final thought: "Life is short, enjoy it" ??? I agree with the sentiment, but as a rationale for doing whatever you want? Buddy, no offense to you personally, but that kind of attitude causes more problems than it solves. I like the idea from panfisher on working to establish a partnership with the town.

Our Tekota 800 reels had almost no range from the day we got them, just like you say...two or three clicks, at most, was enough to go from too loose to too tight. I had Tuna Tom upgrade the drags on them during a reel overhaul this winter, but I haven't fished them yet. Keith might be able to answer whether this gave us better dynamics on the drag; I think he had them out with Scott this past weekend.

The Jake 45 Bloody Ghost Green Glow was great for summer browns last year. I think that the Jake 45 is probably as good a choice as the DW Super Slims if you want to target browns.