Blue Heron

Hal

I have both the Fishawk and a Depth Raider. If you can afford the cost difference the X4 is the way to go but they both work well. I noticed a great deal on th DR at Marine General so...

B&E Fishing tackle east on 104 typically has bulk spools - not sure exactly what they have but you could give them a call

Later last summer I installed a depth raider on the small boat . It worked very nice for the first 2 trips I made after install , on the 3rd trip it started losing signal after about an hour but due to the lake conditions we quit shortly there after and that was the last trip for that boat last year.

This year I just started getting out this week and have fished 3 times - all three times the DR has started working great, suddenly lost signal after about an hour, come back online about 10 minutes later, worked for about 30 minutes and then lost signal again, only working if I reach out and 'jiggle' the antenea on the rigger boom after which it will work for about 15 seconds. and no the damp towel trick doesnt work- this pattern has been consistent for each of the 3 trips

On Fri I called Kell while on the water and they said it sounded like an antenea issue and have shipped a new one.

I am a little uncomfortable thinking this is an antenea issue since the unit works fine first thing each trip and then slowly fails - seems more like an issue with something 'overheating'.

While I hope Kell is right I just thought I would see if others have had a similar issue and if so what resolved it

Thx

Fishing Report

Your Name / Boat Name:Blue Heron ( jr)

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TRIP OVERVIEW

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Date(s):7/10

Time on Water:6:30 - 10

Weather/Temp: Decent/70's

Wind Speed/Direction:South 10ish

Waves: 1+ settling to calm

Surface Temp: 70

Location: creek to pump house

LAT/LONG (GPS Cords):

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FISHING RESULTS

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Total Hits: 5

Total Boated:4

Species Breakdown:Kings , Steelie

Hot Lure: Gater S/D combo, Stingray 42nd

Trolling Speed:

Down Speed: 2ish

Boat Depth: 160 - 180

Lure Depth: 50 - 70

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SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS

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Did a short trip out with the neighbor - ran out to about 140 and set 2 riggers & 2 wires while headed North - turned west at about 160 and quickly hooked up on an nice King upper teens on the Gator SD combo on a wire out 155. the did a slow pick of a juvie king, and a nice steelie on the riggers , then dropped another nice king on the gator SD on the wire - the fish broke off on the fly harness between the treble and the single - must be i knicked it on the first fish and missed it on my check before resetting , then did a shaker king on the 60 ft rigger. About that time the lake went pretty flat and the fishing did the same thing for so we packed it up and headed home

Fishing Report

Your Name / Boat Name:Blue Heron

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TRIP OVERVIEW

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Date(s):7/8

Time on Water:7 - 11

Weather/Temp: 70's

Wind Speed/Direction:e/ne 5

Waves: 0 - 1

Surface Temp: 70

Location:

LAT/LONG (GPS Cords):

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FISHING RESULTS

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Total Hits: 9

Total Boated: 8

Species Breakdown: Steelies, Lakers, Kings

Hot Lure: Stingray 42snd, Stingray Gator, NBK S/D, Gator S/D

Trolling Speed: 2.0 - 2.2

Down Speed:2.0 - 2.2

Boat Depth: 120 - 200

Lure Depth: 60 - 75

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SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS

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Headed out of Sandy with a buddy from down in the fingerlakes , based on reports was looking to get into some of the kings - but that really didnt happen. Ran out to 180 fow to start but had a barren picture and some cold water at 90 ft on the probe rigger. made one pas between 180 and 200 and then had to decide to move in or out so opted to move in

At about 140 fow we started hitting fish on both the riggers at 65 & 70 and wires out 180 & 210 . took some nice steelies ( 10lbs+) , a couple of nicer lakers , and 2 shaker kings - didnt find any big boys.

Maybe I should have turned north at the end of the first pass but at that point had lost signal on the DR and was fishing based on the graph

a long time ago I had a boat that would behave in a very similar way - drove me nuts for about a month since there was not really a pattern of when it would act up - stranded me 3 times requiring me to get towed in - the original dealer was clueless .

I went to another marina and they quickly discovered that there was a ball check valve in the Gas Tank pick-up tube that was sticking - they simply removed the ball and the boat ran flawlessly from then on

Just a thought

thanks guys -glad to hear I dont need boots

Is the water still over portions of the docks at Sandy Creek launch - am thinking about heading that way later this week

Thx

Thanks Guys - I know from Lund that the closest dealer with a Renegade in stock is Red Lake Ontario. The guys at Seagar are getting me some additional specs. I was hoping someone on here had seen one or fished in one and could comment

I am considering changing boats and the Lund Renegade Sport has come to my attention ( as has the Hewescraft 160 Sportsman). From what i can tell the Lund is designed similar to west coast boats in that it is rather utilitarian, has a small open bow area, and more space in the rear for fishing. Unfortunately no dealer in the northeast has one of these in stock to look at

Does anyone here own one, or has anyone seen one, fished on one ,etc - I am interested in any comments

thanks

I am using a new X4 probe with my older FH840 unit and it works great. The new probe has essentially eliminated all the problems, no lost reading, great battery life. You can order a new probe any number of places for about $250.

I have a depth raider on my small boat and it works fine but I still think the FH is the better unit

Yoy may also want to look at Atlantic Towers - check their website

I have a Fishawk ( 840 w/ X4 probe) on my bigger boat and a Depthraider on the small boat. So I have an opportunity to experience both with some degree of regularity. They both work well . I have had Fishawks on my boats since the late 80's and like Vince have always had good luck with them except for the battery life issue ( i started using fishawks after experiencing the frustration of a procombinator). The new X4 has corrrected the annoyances of the older 840 and is rock solid. I installed the Depth Raider on the little boat partly because of the numerous staunch supporters ( like Tim) on this site but also because i got a heck of a deal on it.

IMO the coated cable and (associated antenna) is a significant draw back ( sorry Tim) primarily because of the blowback ( it is pronounced), but also because it adds wiring and 'clutter' on the downrigger, because it limits you to having to use the probe on that one rigger ( limits disaster/recovery capabilites) and lastly ( but not least) the need to be more judicious in the care of the cable ( a challenge when you are doubled up and have rookies on the boat) - none of these are shop stoppers but they are differentiators.

Of course , in all fairness, if you are one that has concerns about mounting/adding transducers to your boat then the X4 has a significant drawback.

Based on my experience the X4 is the better choice but a bigger inital expense - the DR is also a great unit and clearly a more economical choice

I have owned several crestliners including 2 sabres and have always thot they were a good boat. All welded ( no leaky rivets) and generally built as fishing boats.They are heavier than comparable aluminum boats ( starcraft, sylvan,etc) ,very deep, and handle water very well - always felt safe in mine. Had freinds with Regals, PennYans, Sylvan, Starcrafts but when we fished together it was always the Sabre that we took.

That said the interior design on my sabres was always a little sparse and lacking in storage - I redid both of them with bigger storgae boxes under the seats

Jeff

I ended up ordering a couple from FISH307.Com and had them in a couple of days

Fishing Report

Your Name / Boat Name:Blue Heron

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TRIP OVERVIEW

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Date(s):5/6

Time on Water: 06;30 - 10:30

Weather/Temp: 50ISH PARtLY CLoUDY

Wind Speed/Direction: WSW 10 - 20

Waves: 1 - 3

Surface Temp: 49

Location: iBAY TO WEBSTER PARK

LAT/LONG (GPS Cords):

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FISHING RESULTS

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Total Hits: 9

Total Boated:7

Species Breakdown: Browns, coho, king

Hot Lure: Asstd Sticks

Trolling Speed: 2.2 - 2.4

Down Speed:

Boat Depth: 10'

Lure Depth: flat lines

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SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS

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Got out for a few hours on a shakedown with the bigger boat. Started slow - lost 1st 2 fish . Weather was a little rougher than expected .About 9ish it clouded up a little and the wind settled and we started to hit some fish - did fish in a small area just west of the park - saw several other boats hook up in the same area

Did 5 browns - one over 10#, a couple 7-8#, and a couple of cookie cutters; a mid size coho; and a shaker king. There was no hot color took fish on goby, perch, fire tiger, black/gold rapalas

I asked yesterday at the booth and they said they had them - I have a different issue in that I have 2 boats and they say they issue the permit per trailer - I think that if I am getting an annual use permit is should cover both boats as long as I can show that I own them both

oh well - cant fight city hall ( or in this case county hall)

Both of my kickers are clamped directly to the transom area of the boats - but that may not work for all boats - it really depends on your transom

I just installed a tohatsu kicker this spring.

I used a Controll King speed controller - it works great - there is a rep on this site if you do a search - I have a Trollmaster on my bigger boat kicker and it works fine also but it costs more

I do have mine locked on to my boat - I dont use one of the fancy outboard locks - typically you can get the clamps aligned and just use a good padlock

As far as steering I have the kickers on both my boats set up with the basic linkage rod sold at cabelas ( about $30) that links kicker to main OB with simple quick lock ball connectors at the front of the engine - it works great

Fishing Report

Your Name / Boat Name:Blue Heron

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TRIP OVERVIEW

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Date(s):5/1

Time on Water: 06:00 - 08:00

Weather/Temp:mostly cloudy - 50s

Wind Speed/Direction: SE 10-15

Waves: 1

Surface Temp: 47 - 49

Location: I bay east

LAT/LONG (GPS Cords):

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FISHING RESULTS

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Total Hits: 2

Total Boated:2

Species Breakdown:Brown,Steelie

Hot Lure: Perch Flat Rap (#

Trolling Speed: 2.2 - 2.4

Down Speed: n/a

Boat Depth: 10 - 20

Lure Depth:Flat lines

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SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS

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Have been in agony watching the great reports while I was landlocked with a family situation - so when i got a chance to sneak out for a few minutes this morning I was off- albeit solo

Went east Shipbuilders to Webster park - water color was better towards the park. Did the brown on the east bound pass and the steelie on the westbound pass - then picked it up and headed for the barn

Plan to be back out on Thu with a full crew and a shakedown trip with the bigger boat

Hey guys

just a heads up that the launch at the park at Lansing has been closed due to the high water - not sure about the one at Ford Marina

Either way be careful the water is extremely high

Tony

I have set up 2 sabres ( 22 and a 20) and on both i used a trolling bar setup - i did that becuase of my marine railway car - I recently set up a smaller polarkraft and used a track system .

If I were doing a sabre now I would definately go to the track system - 48" down each side and a shorter one in accross the back from each corner .the ability to move things around based on what you are fishing for is light years ahead of the old style setups

I just went thru the same research for a kicker for my small boat and settled on a tohatsu. On the smaller 4 strokes the Mercurys are made by tohatsu so the tohatsu is the same motor but without the premium price. I bought it online at onlineoutboards.com. If you can handle the weight I would suggest 8hp or greater since they are twin cyl engines and will be a little smoother - that said I was kind of restircted and went 5hp and it works great - I did have the charging kit installed

Fishing Report

Your Name / Boat Name:Blue Heron

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TRIP OVERVIEW

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Date(s):4/9

Time on Water:6:30 - 9:00

Weather/Temp:sunny, 40ish

Wind Speed/Direction:light south

Waves: light chop

Surface Temp: 40 - 41

Location: East of the bay

LAT/LONG (GPS Cords):

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FISHING RESULTS

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Total Hits: 5

Total Boated:4

Species Breakdown: all browns

Hot Lure: f9 Goby rapala, #8black & silver flat rap

Trolling Speed:2.0 - 2.2

Down Speed:

Boat Depth: 10 - 20

Lure Depth: flat lines

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SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS

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forecast said it was going to be a nice morning so I took the small boat and headed up to the marine park - in the water at 6:30

headed east in 10 - 20 fow rigged a rapala goby and a black silver flat rap both back about 175. Took fish on each pass - 3 were cookie cutter browns - one was a little nicer - all fish released at te boat side - flat rap took 2 fish - goby took 2 and dropped 1 -

back on the trailer by shortly after 9 - nice day on the water

I have been running the BWD 1131 1 pc for about 3 years now and to date havent found anything they cant handle . I think alot of the ability to handle larger fish is related to the quality of your reels/drags and i think that the softer nature of these rods leads to less horsing of the fish and tearing out hooks . I have even had several people land their first King on one of these set ups . Since I am now running a smaller boat i also find the 7' rods much easier to handle , set, store, etc. That said i will often clear one side of the boat when hooked up with a bigger fish since there is a reduced ability to lead the fish around and out of trouble when its in close