Fins 2

I recently bought a new boat with a 200 HP outboard. My previous boat was an I/O and I ran 3 downriggers one in the middle and 2 outdowns with 4' booms, A center downrigger is not an option on the new boat due to the height of the outboard. Should I buy a 4th downrigger, and run one straight back on each corner along with my existing outdowns ? Is this enought distance between the downriggers to avoid tangles? My other option is to eliminate the third downrigger and just run the two outdowns.

I'll be up the weekend after for the week as we just came off the quarantine list !

It gets even worse. Walked out to get the mail and noticed the back of the truck and front of the boat are covered with oil. Looked underneath and have a puddle of oil under the rear differential. Must have blow a seal after the last as stop.

This is not a fishing report rather a lack of fishing rant. Due to less than stellar salmon fishing in Michigan the last few years I made the decision to trailer an hour further and try Lake Ontario at Olcott. Two weeks ago left home on Wednesday, drove 3 hours and had a hot trailer bearing. Pulled off the highway, dropped the trailer at a Pilot, and found a hotel and decided to deal with the bearing in the morning. Next morning I pulled the wheel and found the bearing got so hot the inner race had welded itself to the spindle. Found someone who could tow the trailer and replace the spindle. and left the boat and trailer sitting on the jack. This Monday, got a call from the shop that the trailer was ready. The wave forecast didn't look good for a 20' boat on Thursday so decided not to leave home til Thursday morning. Packed everything in the truck and left Thursday morning to fish on Friday. We got an hour from home and had a flat on the truck. Guess where the jack was ? Yep with the trailer. After getting a jack and changing the tire, I didn't want to drive 7 more hours with no spare. So found a tire store and bought a spare. Finally got back on the road by noon. Picked up the trailer and boat and had an uneventful drive to Olcott arriving at 8:00 PM. Stayed at the Old Olcott Fire House which was great, and had a nice dinner at the Lighthouse Grill. Woke up Friday morning to 20 knott winds and 4' waves, and went back to bed. The lake layed down by noon so launched the boat at the very nice Town of Newfane Marine for only $4.00 (senior discount!), and headed out got about a mile offshore and the engine died. Threw out the anchor and tried to trouble shoot the problem. After about an hour with no luch called Boat US on the cell and found out they have no assetts in the Olcott area so don't depend on them for help on Lake Ontario. Called the Coast Gaurd on the VHF and they promptly put out an MAR. The Niagara County Sherrif answered and came from Wilson to tow us back to Olcott Harbor. They are now my new favorite cops !!! Put the boat on the trailer and towed it around the corner to Boat Doctors. Jim looked at the boat right away to try and get us back out. No fuel was getting to the carb and the anti siphon valve was good so the problem seemed like a fuel pump. He got on the phone and called the other local shops and found a fuel pump 45 mins away in Transit, but they were about to close. I thanked him and asked what I owed for his time and he wouldn't let me pay him. When Dry Dock opened on Saturday morning I was pulling in their parking lot. The owner sold me a used fuel pump, cheap and I was off to Olcott again. Back at Boat doctors, the fuel pump was installed and still no gas to the carb. An electric pump was hooked to the anti siphon valve and no gas still would come out of the tank. Iasked is it possible the standpiep was broke off? The owner siad he has seen stranger things and said he would try to remove it, but those fittings often gall in the aluminum tanks and ofter break when you try to take them out. I replied How broken can the boat get ? might as well try. Guess what ? It broke when he put a wrench on it ! Inside the broken fitting was packed with some kind of plastic shavings. I must have got some bad gas on my last fillup. By now, my wife was sitting in the truck getting sick and running a fever. It was time to give up and go home. The owner at Boat Doctors still would not let me pay him because he said he didn't fix the problem. I cannot recommend this place enough if you have a boat issue in Olcott. The owner at the Old Firehouse Inn didn't charge me for the 2 days I didn't use even though he lost 2 days of rental over a holiday weekend. Olcott is a beautiful small harbor town full of very nice helpful people. I wish I knew what the fishing was like.

I'll be making my first trip to LO Labor day weekend. I tried to make trip #1 last week with the admiral, but trailer bearing overheated 3 hrs from home near Cincinnati. I used to work a lot at several paper mills near Lake Michigan, and did a lot of salmon fishing in Michigan. After retiring, I kept going to the same ports that I was used to, but the last few years salmon fishing in Lake Michigan has really gone downhill. I started looking at a map and realized that Olcott, NY is ony 45 mins. drive farther from home than Luddington, MI so thought I'd give it a try after seeing good fishing reports. If I get my trailer fixed I'll be arriving in Olcott Wednesday evening. I'll post reports on how I do.

Sorry for your loss. I know what your going through as I lost my wife to colon cancer 12 years ago at age 50. I had a 12 year old daughter at the time, and caring for her is what kept me going. while this is something you never get over, time, family, and friends do help you deal with it. wish you all the best.