JeffM

There was no mud line. The water was emerald green and slightly cloudy out to about 25 ft.

Same report here. We fished 7 hrs only caught 1 coho and lost 2 of something else. The weather and water was awesome if the fish would have showed up it would have been an amazing day. I wonder where they all went.

Great thanks for the info. How is the rocks situation? Do I need to know the water well or be particularly cautious?

So I am planning to take of this coming week for our first spring trolling adventure for browns. I heard the spring bite is hot this year and its something I have always wanted to try. I have a 19ft Tracker with an electric and a 9.9 kicker. I guess my questions are how concerned should I be with rocks in close 5 - 15ft near Olcott? Also should I run with my salmon setups with a lighter leader? They are spooled with 25lb mono. I was planning on pulling stick baits back about 120 and maybe one planer board, Would the electric be best? If so what speed? Thanks is advance for any advice.

Thanks for the info. Good straight forward instructions. I will give that a try.

So I purchased a new Nissan 9.8 kicker this year and now I will need to winterize it. The manual talks about draining the carb and removing the plugs and spraying storage oil into the combustion chamber through them while slowly turning over the motor with the recoil starter. Is that the same as fogging oil? Also, do I keep the fuel line connected and actually start the motor or just spray the storage oil in and pull the recoil starter but not let it start. Any advice would be appreciated. I have never done this before so the instructions aren't entirely clear. Thanks

Are you doing your winterization yourself? I also have an opti and I am thinking of doing it myself this year. It seems nobody in the area knows how to properly winterize one. The instructions say to drain the fuel filter chamber and then dump a blend of fuel/quckleen and stabilizer in the fuel filter hole. And then prime the fuel system (whatever that means). After that they suggest dropping 1oz of Optimax oil in each of the spark plug holes and the rotating the flywheel. Alot of marinas just run a thicker blend and then turn the motor off. I heard this can clog the injectors plus what a ripoff for 100+ dollars. Just curious what you are doing because I am confused.

Does the color of the Dipsy Diver seem to matter? If so are there any colors that are best? Thanks

So last year was my first year fishing and I managed to catch one fish on my dipsy rod. I was running a spoon back 7 ft or so from the diver. Early in the season I tried running a Spin Doctor/fly behind the diver but the whole thing seemed crazy. I could just not comprehend that a fish would actually hit that setup. I am wondering what others do? Would the most common setup on a dipsy rod be fly/SD or anyone running spoons? Also is there anything that could be keeping me from getting hits on this? I generally put out about 175' on the counter and am using Power Pro. Thanks

Thanks everyone for the great info!

Looking for some info on leaders. I have been using Big Game 25lb with mixed success. A good morning for me may be 2-5 fish. I am wondering if a fluoro leader may up my success rate. If so are any brands better than others and what is the best way to attache to the main line swivel or perhaps blood knot? Thanks!

What kind of prop guard are you using? That sounds like a good idea to me. I think a steel cable in the prop would be bad news.

Remember the good old days of dragging tubes in lake Erie and catching more bass than you could handle? Where have they gone? Is it tournament pressure and goby forage leading them to deeper water around structure? I have changed my tactics but still haven't mastered how to catch them regularly. I have tried goby imitations, drop shot etc. but still only smaller bass and not getting big numbers. Are others having this issue or just me?

You may want to check this out. I dont own one but was thinking about it. It also says it holds the handles in a rigid grip. I was thinking tham may keep them from loosening over time. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Trimax-Outboard-Motor-Lock/701769.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dmotor%2Block%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=motor+lock&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Thanks ERABBIT. Do you have any additional support when running? I am picturing some of the waves we hit on Erie and Ontario and I am wondering how it will hold up if it cant handle trailering.

So what would you have done different to trailer? Just put in the down position?

What exactly do you mean by locked out? I believe mine has a metal pin that holds the motor in the tilt position. It is not a power trim unit.

So I am reading the instructions and my new 9.8 kicker says the trim is not made for trailering and to trailer with the motor down if possible. It says to use a transom saver if you cant drive with it down. This got me thinking about running the boat as well. I was picturing the motor up when not is use but now I am wondering how this works. Anyone have any input? Thanks

Just bought a 9.8 Nissan from Onlineoutboards. It shipped in 3 days. It cost me $2,289 for the 25" extra long shaft with electric start, 4 blade prop. Merc is the same motor and would have cost nearly $700. You can get the Tohatsu for $100 less. So far I am very happy but I havent fired it up yet.

I would like to see some solid data showing a kicker charging the battery would damage the big motor. In my boat I have the starting battery as well as two deep cycle for the 24v trolling motor. In an emergency you can always start off the deep cycle. I am in the same boat with my kicker but need more info before I bring a fourth battery on the boat just for starting a kicker. Seems overkill.

Thanks A*M. Yes I agree I always quote the manual and the mechanics feel insulted that I act like they dont know what they are doing. I will keep my fingers crossed and insist that they follow the manual next fall. I noticed they had a bunch of Mercs there so I assumed they knew what they were doing. I have heard all types of horror stories where guys try fogging the Optimax etc. For now I am just hoping that he lowered and drained it when he was done. I would have to think that he would have done that before slapping the winterized sticker on it and disconnecting the battery but you never know.

Thanks everyone for the input. I am thinking the best option is a static mounting plate and a valve to use the main fuel tank. If anyone can suggest anyone who could do this at a reasonable price that would be great. I just cant see paying 100+ an hour for a master mechanic to mount a kicker. It seems like you are paying a surgeon to do something a doctor could do.

Thanks for the info. It sounds like the most risk may be with the lower end gears and housing. I assume that would be a costly repair. what really concerns me would be a cracked engine block. It sounds like that would mean a new motor.

So I am looking for some opinions from ppl that know more about outboards than me. I have a 1yr old Mercury Optimax 150. I took it to a local marina last fall to be "winterized". Granted they do not do much on an outboard, It sounds like he hooked the motor to a tank running a fuel mix with more oil then killed the motor. He also changed the gear lube. He disconnected the battery and sent me home. Here is where I am concerned. The motor was in the trailer position with the support bar under it when the first cold night came. I notice the wheel barrel next to the boat had water in it that was frozen solid. I jumped in the boat connected the battery and lowered the motor. No water came out at that time. When I got home from work I noticed a fairly large wet area under the motor so I assumed water thawed and slowly dripped out during the day. What are the odds I just destroyed my brand new 15k motor? Does anyone have any experience with outboards being ruined in this manner with a cracked block etc? If so how will I know in the spring? I appreciate any input. Thanks