chowder

I'd get the advice of a competent marine mechanic who has done a lot of kicker installs b4 you go very far. I just went thru 2 kicker installs on 2 different boats & believe me there is a lot more to getting everything to work right than it looks at first glance. Spending a few hundred on a bracket is the least of your worries, remember when you are done you want a setup that didn't break the bank but that works well and is ultra dependable. P.S. You should look at the Yamaha T8 or T9.9 (I've got one next to a Merc and they get along just fine!) and also remember; you get very sensitive speed control from a tiller model compared to a factory remote throttle setup.

LZ have a great day & thanks for the advice on my kicker project! -Andy

If Elliot & I can manage to get over there no secret lures or mannequins are gonna help any of you guys.

Glen, you got a nice bunch of spring Kings there! Sure looks like a lot more fun than work!-Andy

You probably all ready did this but, make sure the problem is not the solenoid on the trim motor.

Hey Stinger, do you charge by the hour or do you have some kind of package price program?

On top of the weather I have labor issues to deal with. I gotta see if I can borrow Stinger's trusty buddies, Honey & Sugar. I'm hoping to get them to cover the midnight milking and then slide back into rod holding duty! -Andy

I drained my I/O & drive and now with a clear conscience I'm making a good winter time venison stew with turnips, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Let it snow, it will slow down the hay crop and we might be in Barney's yet!

I had calf pails with 3" water frozen solid this morning & it's supposed to be colder tonight and Mon. night. If the temp goes to 27 (as predicted) and there is wind then there is going to be some pretty hard water here and there.

I would seriously consider draining your I/O today (or yesterday) if your boat is out of the water in an exposed location. We are experiencing an unprecedented period of dangerously cold weather w/ a windchill below 20 degrees. Also, if you did not trim down & drain your outboard after the last use you probably should. It's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with Mother Nature when she's pissed even if it is Mother's Day!

Start working your way up to the trestle. Work the weed beds that have openings in them. Learn how to read the weed beds as they change from spring to summer. Set up w/ the following rigs, use them in succession until you find a working combo, work it until it stops firing. 1. Spinner bait setup (blk,white,green,etc) 2. Super fluke setup (white) 3. Jerk bait/crank bait setup (change colors & shapes), and sometimes it's worth trying a topwater presentation, especially real early and again near dark.

At this point it doesn't look like Elliot and I are gonna be able to fish that weekend b/c it looks like we'll be chopping hay by the end of next week + we've had some major challenges in the labor dept as well So, good luck to all but lookout, if it's certain to rain I'll buzz over to Barney's & enter on Fri. afternoon. -Andy

Hi Jim, I see you around town now & then. Sent you a pm. -Andy

Just an awesome story with the great feel of the epic event that actually went down for real for you guys! Hang in there & good luck!

Hank possesses a combination of tremendous knowledge with a no nonsense 'get it done right with no B.S.' approach. On top of being a top notch marine mechanic, Hank is one of those rare people you meet in life that really cares about others. -Andy

Eskimo Joe , the legend continues!

Many of the active fish and their prey at this time of year are up in the top of the water column and they will not really show up on the sonar. Drop an way point when you hit fish and go back and work it! Many times these spring fish are scattered by traffic but they are also scattered due to a lack of any temp stratification, so don't get too hung up on a particular presentation depth, be flexible and work the water column from the surface down to at least 30' down. The fish will 'tell you' what they are up to and don't be surprised when after a little while they tell you something different.

Sounds like a good trip!

His smile says it all, great job!

Got things taken care of & got back out on the south end solo this afternoon - lots of small/med & a handful of 15-18"s. Had a real dandy on heading back to Myers, thank god it came unbuttoned b4 I got to see it b/c it might have come back to haunt me in my dreams, it was a real good fish!. Really nice day hanging out on the water & good to visit w/ all of you folks on the radio. -Andy

Well, the Islander shakedown was shaky. Couldn't get the starter on the i/o to engage so we just trolled around w/ the kicker. I do love my new Auroralite planer boards! Managed a real nice mixed bag of pretty decent lakers,browns, and salmon. Best setup was the braid slide diver w/ watermelon spoon, next best was 5 colors off the board w/ a glow frog. Had to stop running cheaters off the riggers b/c they were just clogged w/ 12"-15" salmon. Got a lot of small browns and salmon on stix off boards and small spoons down 15-20' off the riggers. Here's my son Elliot w/ a decent brown.

I'm shaking down my newly refitted Islander today, might need somebody tomorrow for a south end browns run if we make it back to shore today. Shoot me a pm if interested in a low pressure, mid morning sortie. -Andy

John, here's a good rule of thumb; if your flasher/fly dipsies are taking fish consistently on a given day and your flasher/fly riggers riggers are not then run short leads to see what gives. Generally speaking, if your flasher fly dipsies are not taking hits, it's probably a good idea to try a spoon program off the riggers w/ long leads.

Awesome!

Great pictures! Nice fish!