Sk8man

I believe that you will find most folks using both. They have different action and sometimes the fish seem to prefer one over the other just as they may prefer a spoon over a fly but you never know which one on a given day or moment for that matter. It would be wise to have some of each in your arsenal as well as both spoons (of various sizes and colors) and flies. There have been a number of threads on here discussing which combinations seem to be popular. Be advised that the hot color or combo also is subject to change at a moments notice so in the long run having a variety may be fruitful.....with that said this is not an inexpensive sport

At the risk of some serious ball busting by friends I must admit to a failed attempt at do it yourself carbon fiber drag installation where I even took pics of each step of disassembly along the way thinking I had it mastered and then when I pulled off a plate a whole bunch of springs and unrecognizable parts exploded and I had no clue where they went back together even after looking at an exploded view diagram I sent one complete reel and another in a zip lock bag with all the parts to the folk at Tuna (I think it is basically a 3 person operation) and they had the reels back to me with the new drags installed all cleaned up looking like brand new reels that had just come out of the box in just a few days and with inexpensive shipping. I was shocked at how quickly and competently they handled it. They have my vote (and future business) hands down.

Tuna Tom's is definitely THE place to go for reel repair and Andy Copenhaver there is great to deal with.....they are a class operation.

Try contacting someone here: Hook, Line, & Sinker 900 W. State St Ithaca, NY 607-256-1879

I stand corrected Thanks Hank....and they say memory is the second thing to go...guess I'm screwed

I think Nissan makes both Tohatsu and Merc motors but I'm not sure they are identical. I seem to remember noticing some specs someplace and was of the mind that the Tohatsu's were lighter weight for the same horse power which signaled potential differences to me at the time....I may be wrong but you may want to check it out further.

Yeah let me know if things look good. I haven't been down there for as couple weeks....have had the flu. I'd love to give it a try again.

After searching around my unit I couldn't find anything that would work with the unit on and I couldn't find anything in the manual or on the website so it was trial and error for me until I figured it out. It would have been easier had I known there was a video The one complaint I've always had about my Lowrance products is the sucky documentation. I've had good luck with their products but it is always "learn through experimentation" rather than good documentation.

I did the three year one this time too Ed. It is really worth it if you trailer frequently to numerous places and even using the ramp here at the north end.

:lol:

Whenever I'm crabbing about something around home (no matter what it is) my wife's response is "You'll get over it"

Hookyour unit up to DC power source (e.g. 12 Volt battery. You download the file to your computer, open up the Zip file and expand it to the UPD file, then copy that UPD file to a SD microchip (inserted in the SD adapter that comes with the chip), place the chip in the Lowrance unit and then power it up. It will recognize the update and automatically install it. Make sure it is finished before powering it off.

Mike It was either 1977 or 78 I think and I was one of the "early birds" there near the arterial for a few days before others discovered it and it was the best pike fishing I've ever seen in my life. Even little kids had 10-15 lb pike laying on the ice one weekend. Those pike were the biggest and most numerous I've ever seen I had a couple that had bellies that looked as though those guys had been beer drinking all their lives and they easily weighed in the high teens or early twenties. I still think about it every time I go by there on land or water - one of those "peak experiences" in life. I also caught the biggest pickerel of my life out from Geneva on the Lake during that same period. We also got a bunch of those big pike and perch around that time out near the channel markers on the east side

You may wish to contact the tech guys at Airmar. Although thru hull transducers may be the way to go for some applications they can also have some limitations such as measurement of surface temperature...they will only give temp of the hull area where they are located not the actual water temp itself. Another thing to consider is whether your unit has the new CHIRP technology or not. If so it would be wise to consult with the Lowrance guys at Navico to see whether transducer selection may impact that technology. In general the 50/200 kz units are designed/optimized for deep water applications (e.g. ocean -deeper penetration) and the 83/200 khz are designed for freshwater applications although either can be used in each environment. The cone angle on the 50 khz is wider than that of the other units and they are also more expensive in general.

Sparky I believe you did the right thing and your intentions are beyond question. The situation does however bring to mind something that happened to a close fisherman friend of mine who while trying to do the right thing created a major mess for himself. He kept his boat at a marina for years at the south end of Canandaigua Lake and one day he went fishing very early in the AM for brown trout. He went to launch his boat when he noticed a metal box on the dock near his boat. This was about 4 AM and it was still dark yet so he figured someone had inadvertently left the box there but nobody was yet available to either give it to or to inquire about it since the marina was closed right then so he put the box in his boat thinking that he would deal with it when he got in. The box was locked so he had no idea what was actually inside and he wanted to get fishing as he had driven from Rochester etc. Well he fished all morning and then went back to the marina and before he could get out of the boat the marina owner was right there at his spot. Mind you they had known each other for years. The marina owner spotted the metal box in the boat and before my friend could speak a word he accused him of stealing his "money box" from the marina and said that if any money was missing he was calling the sheriff. My friend tried to explain the circumstances but the marina owner and several people that had gathered made disparaging remarks and the owner told him to get his boat out of the marina and never come back. My friend ended up fishing Keuka for the rest of his life and never returned to Canandaigua Lake and the experience affected him for years afterward..... and when he described the situation to me afterward when I asked him why he didn't keep his boat there he nearly burst out crying he was so upset. I am 100 percent sure of his original intentions and he was very wealthy from an inheritance and had a great job so didn't "need" any money and he had no idea what was even in the box. True story. Moral of the story is even with the best of intentions things can get really messed up sometimes especially where valuables are involved. I should also clarify that the current marina owners had nothing to do with this situation. It happened many many years ago.