rusty1034

I have a ‘12 196. I love the boat, it’s the second 196 I’ve had. The first one was an ‘06 with a 115 Mercury 4 stroke. I loved that set up, trolled down to 1.8 with a small bag, planted nicely at about 15 mph, and topped out in the low 30s. The ‘12 has a 150 mercury 4 stroke and a merc 9.9 four stroke. The kicker works flawlessly. The issue with this set up is that I think the 150 plus the kicker makes the boat rather stern heavy causing steering issues at low speed. I fill the livewell with water to add some ballast in the bow. The 150 has sort of adjustment feature on the tach that allows the motor to be operated in a trolling mode. It allows for rpm adjustments of 50 (rpms) to control speed. I’ve used that feature in the past, and it works really well. So, in my experience in your situation, the kicker works great, but I’m not sure it’s needed because of the weight and option of trolling with the main. Good luck fellow 196 owner- Rusty Rusty

That’s about right. I launched there two days ago. No more wet feet ! Now if I could just figure out how to catch the fish [emoji30] Rusty

Ditto- temp between 80-90. Pretty sharp break. Rusty

It’s a great clean burning powder. Much less fouling, and cleans with solvent rather than soap and water. Rusty

Sorry Sir, can't help you with that. Although it's my favorite lake of all times, I've moved from the area, and haven't been able to fish it since about 2015. My best recollection is to try various depths, they are typically scattered until the thermo sets up. Rusty

Small sticks and spoons in perch or rainbow colors. Rusty

pm sent. Thanks. Rusty

Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) may have something that will work. Rusty