sherman brown

8 hours ago, greenhornet73 said:

Yeah, last night I thought condensation because it was milky but the level wasn’t much higher. Today it poured out when I pulled the dipstick after running it over an hour on the lake. It was running fine but wanted to keep an eye on it.  Definitely smells like gas in there.

if it has fuel in the oil you have a much larger problem. and there is no way it should have enough fluid in it for it to run out when the dipstick is removed.

but before I would do anything with what you say about the oil pouring out when you pull the dipstick and the smell of gas I wouldn't run it again and set up a time to take the motor in to have it checked and repaired. it is something a lot more serious than condensation in your oil.

my guess would be a blown head gasket or a cracked head. but getting it checked by a certified mechanic will give you the answers to the problem. they might know some other way you are getting water or fuel in the oil. but my first guess would be the head gasket or the head. but 1 more option would be a cracked block but I think that is highly unlikely. these are the only ways I know for water or oil to get in your oil.

it sounds a lot like you may have a blown head gasket or a cracked heat. with what you say here I would take a small amount of the oil and place it on the ground or other safe place away from everything that might catch fire. then I would get a long stick or other thing then I would tape a piece of paper on the end and light the paper then hold it to the oil and see if it burns. if it's just fuel and water nothing should happen but if fuel is in it, it should catch on fire in short order.

try googling downrigger dredge weight and see what you get.

and yes a dredge weight is shaped like a fish. but it has small front fins that are set to cause the weight to dive downward which it actually dives and pulls the weight down. I just went and did a Google search for downrigger dredge weight and got several different sites that have them. eBay has good prices on some of them but Walmart isn't bad.

7 hours ago, Pair of Jacks said:

Sherman—sorry for the confusion… you stated in your original post,”I have found the dredge weights to work the best with less blowback than all the others I have tried.”  So I search google for Dredge weights and found this:  https://fishrazr.com/dredge-pulling-kit-in-waterproof-box-with-6lb-fish-weight/

 

If I now understand your post a dredge weight is just a downrigger weight shaped like a fish…correct?

2 hours ago, steelydan said:

No, a dredge weight works like a planer board only it pulls down instead of out to port or starboard. Kinda the same idea as a dipsy diver.

you have it right!! I love these weights. I can't wait until I get to try the 10# ones I bought. 

HAPPY FISHING TO EVERYONE AND THE BEST OF LUCK.

I watched a video of running a Garmin with the transducer showing what was forward of the boat. I thought it was awesome so you would know ahead of this when you were going to be in fish.

I thought very seriously about switching to Garmin for this feature alone. but it was cost prohibitive for me. right now I have all Lowrance HDS units, I have a 12 live and a 9 gen 3, and an 8 gen1 for emergencies.

checking your thermostat would be a great place to start. but any time you run your motor in colder water and colder temps if you don't run it at a higher RPM long enough to dry the condensation it will mix with your oil. the more times you run in colder conditions at idle will make things worse each time it's used.

15 hours ago, Pair of Jacks said:

Sherman—can you clarify how you use dredge weights to reduce blow back…I looked on YouTube and I found a dredge weight but it looks like an over signed Alabama rig you attach to a fish-shaped downrigger weight… I cannot see how this configuration would decrease blowback when it just adds more surface area to the weight.

1st off I have no idea what you're talking about. A downrigger dredge weight is the weight that attaches to your DR cable that takes your lures down. it doesn't attach to your DR weight as it is your DR weight.

just go to Walmart's site and do a search for downrigger weights. they carry several designs of rigger weights with the dredge weight being one of them. the design with the little wings with the downward angle causes them to dive better than other weights of the same weight. which causes less blowback as they aren't just weight but the diving design helps them pull down with a deeper dive curve than other weights.

I really hope this clears up any confusion you have.

when we forgot our 12# pancake weights and found the 8# dredge weight on the boat I thought we would have a lot more blowback than the pancake weights. but when we let them down and set the blowback was much less with the 8# weight over the 12# pancake weights I had been using for years.

I have found the dredge weights to work the best with less blowback than all the others I have tried. I used 12# pancake weights to reduce blowback. One trip in the boat we just bought the weights didn't get loaded. we found a set of 8# dredge weights that we had to use. they worked better with less blowback than my 12# pancake weights had. I bought a set of 10# dredge weights to use but haven't used them yet.

WALLMART is the best option I know of for the lowest price on rigger weights. and they have a pretty good choice of weights. they have the 10# dredge weights in silver for only 34.00 each. they have pink and purple priced at 42.00. but they have several balls with fin weights at much better prices.

I always mount mine where I will get the least turbulence from things sticking down from the bottom. then I mount mine with about 1/4" of the bottom of the transducer sticking down below the bottom of the boat. I also like to tilt the front up slightly to have a smoother water flow over it.

I think the biggest reason it hasn't already sold is no one has seen it yet that needs a kicker. sometimes it just takes time for the right person to view your listing.

I understand what you're saying about it being way above average. but until someone comes along who's looking for a kicker and makes contact it's just a waiting game.

5 hours ago, ski-dooz said:

Gen 1-2-3? Live?

I believe he says they are both Gen 3 in his description. but it never hurts to make sure before the purchase to prevent problems later.

does everything work like they should? if these are in working condition I want to buy them. please let me know something?

the reason it hasn't sold is you have it priced a little high for a 2002. I know I got a great deal on the 2000 9.9 Merc four-stroke long shaft electric start with remote controls included which I paid 1000.00 for. It is a big foot model and it trolls great for us.

but I bought another 2002 four-stroke electric start tiller motor for 1600.00 but this motor is in the best condition of any 2002 motor I have ever seen. it looks much newer than a 2002 it looks almost new and starts and runs like new.

the story of why this motor had very little use and still looks so good is this guy bought it so he and his dad could do some fishing together. but they never got to use it much before his dad died. he hung onto the boat and motor for a few years but he wasn't using it so he sold the boat and kept the motor thinking he might buy another boat. but after storing it in his garage for a few more years he made the decision to sell it. and all it took was one look at the motor for me to buy it. we had no way to test-run the motor so I actually bought a pig in a poke.

I got home and the 1st thing I did was hook it up and see if it would run. I don't know how long it had been since it had been started but it fired right up and ran so smooth you didn't know it was running.

we ended up using the 2000 with the remote controls and stored this motor in my pole barn for the last couple of years. i plan on trying to sell it at some point but haven't been motivated to sell it yet.

if filling the boat about 1/2 full or better doesn't show any leaks it'll be hard to find. but even then you won't have much pressure pushing the water out but on the water, you have all the weight of the boat.

the 1st thing I would do is go to the transom and reseal any screws in the transom. old screws from past transducer mounting if not sealed right will let lots of water in, I learned my lesson the hard way.

take every transducer screw out and reseal them making sure you put enough sealer on them. I have always just used 100% Silicone but I have read some great reviews on the 3M 4200 marine sealant. but if you want a more permanent seal then the 5200 is what you want. but the 4200 is more flexible and the best choice for sealing screws.

the fish are there now but you need to know what works and what it takes to get them to strike. 

right now I would still be running very slow with cranks to get down far enough to catch fish or what's needed to get them down,

if they are mid depth I like deep diving walleye bandit cranks. if they are really shallow the shallow walleye bandit works and using a clip on 2oz weight to get deeper your are good to go.

running cranks at a very slow speed like 0.6 to 1.5 is usually very productive if the fish are there and you dial in what gets you to the right depth. SUNSPOT, CHROME WITH BLUE BACK, AND A COUPLE OF THE BRIGHTER PERCH PATTERNS WORK BEST FOR US,

if I run divers I want nothing but braid for my main line at least 30# with 50# being a better choice. braid has no stretch which makes it much better for tripping your diver. on rough days the release tension has to be set on the tight side to prevent a bunch of false releases, so with anything that has stretch makes it almost impossible to trip the diver. braid doesn't have any stretch and will trip the diver much better. king salmon can make some long hard runs and put on a show above the water at times.

as for leaders for kings, I want something strong to prevent the leader from breaking. 20# fluro is the minimum to use. but it's all open water so you can run a lighter line and get away with it by backing the drag off enough the light line doesn't break. for me I don't like losing so much fishing time on the fight with a big king with a light line. it takes forever to land these big fish on a light line.

the bottom line for me when running divers is 50# power pro braid for my main line with a leader no more than a foot longer than my rod. the best fluro I have found is Seaguar preimier fluro leader line.  this line is the best I have ever used even for walleye fishing on Lake Erie where I use 20# leader line and love using it.

3 hours ago, 13owhunter said:

I need to get out to Erie this year.  I have never fished it.  Meant to make the trip last year but I am 15 minutes away from Sandy and we had great fishing last year so was hard to make a decision to drive an hour to fish unknown water.

this year is supposed to have the most legal walleye that Lake Erie has ever had. we have had several hatches in the last few years that were above average hatches. and a couple of them were the best hatches that was a lot above the best hatches since they started checking them. the biggest problem you should have is catching so many small fish that's not legal size.

On 3/26/2024 at 1:44 PM, Gator said:

FYI, I'm on the Scheels website and it looks like the Primos Double Bull Roughneck - not the see through fabric, but the regular super tough - is marked down from $399 to $199 with free shipping. That's a heck of a deal, and if you purchase with Active Junkie, you get 8% cash back too. Or sign up for a Scheels Card (which I will never use) and you'll get $75 to spend on your first purchase. Anyway, send you a pm too. 

 

https://www.scheels.com/p/primos-double-bull-roughneck-ground-blind-combo/01013500985.html?cgid=hunting#start=7

 

 

thank you for the site and info. those look pretty good but I'm thinking about getting the one that has the surround view. it is priced at 499.00 but I found them for 399.00. As soon as we get our checks on the 1st and 3rd of April I will be ordering one for my 17 year old granddaughter and I to use this fall. That is unless she learns to use my summit climbing stand, and I am still able to get up the tree with mine. 

back when I first started using divers I was using the Cabelas quick draw rod holders I had been using for trolling crankbaits. and they worked OK but had a twist in them that scared the crap out of me. I couldn't afford to go and buy all new holders at the time. 

the charter we went out on to learn how to fish the central basin with dipsies. we went out with him for 2 days. he was using steel clamp on holders on his rear rail. they worked great. but during our 2 days, a few of them had turned about an inch on the rail and had to be adjusted back up.

. so I decided to make the switch so I would be able to make fine adjustments. they cost a lot more money than the Cannon. after using them a couple of times I realized I had made a mistake for me. I liked the one-hand Cannon much better than the extra stops., so now I use my Cannon and love being able to set the holder with only one hand while I have a reel and rod in my other hand.

I like the single axis best myself. they only turn 35 degrees each way and the double axis turns 360 but the single turn is much more than I will ever need. She can make small adjustments left or right to fine tune the angle of the holder. the double uses pins to adjust them left or right. if the next pin is too far then the holder isn't just where you want it. you could go back to the other hole but it wasn't right either.

20 hours ago, tyler.woodard04 said:

new one was less than $100. know they are straight and true.  not opposed to buying used on some things.  just felt more comfortable with new for that price.  to each their own.  if and when i end up with another boat ill reach out to Ken again if it needs changed.  

I understand where you are coming from. but the props I've been buying are 600.00 to 700.00 new and when I can get a like new used one for 250.00 or less I choose used. when I get the prop from eBay I visually check it out then I do the on-water test. if the prop has anything wrong with it or if the description is off then you can get your money refunded. all you need to do is file a dispute for item not as described. I have bought many stainless props off eBay and never had a bad one.

I guess one of my best deals was on a 17p high five prop that I only paid 175.00 shipping included. the same prop new is around 600.00

11 hours ago, SmokeyNBandit90 said:

Anyone have an idea of what the lb pull a dipsy diver puts on a rod?

you might try Google or just a web search. why do you ask? if you run dipsies or any diver you want to start with 30# power pro braid at a minimum.

the Daiwa wilderness trolling rods in M/L 8.5' and 9.0' are so great for fishing walleye on Erie's central basin with lite bite slide divers. I never use the slide part. I tie to the front arm then I tie a 65# piece of braid about 12" to an O-RING then lace the line through the back and tie my snubber to that line then I use a 7' to 8' Seaguar premier fluro leader attached with a swivel then I use another swivel on spoons, harnesses, and on most of my cranks.

what I love about these rods is they are all glass that will stand up to the abuse for many years. the M/L is the only way to go as they flex when the boat rocks so I can set my releases a little lighter. and running more than one rod per side they flex together and if something small gets on my hook it's so easy to detect that rod isn't acting right. A few years ago we were catching a lot of larger fish. with the stiffer rods, the hook pulled out so many more times than with the lighter rods which would flex taking stress off the fish and hook.

for trolling you have no reason to spend the money for sensitive rods. the rods are all you will ever need. they are also great downrigger rods or anywhere else you want to use them.

On 3/20/2024 at 4:57 PM, tyler.woodard04 said:

when i was shopping i emailed Ken at propgods.  he recommended a prop that he did not even sell and told me amazon would be the best price.  his suggestion was perfect and did exactly what he said it would.  thought that was great of him to give a solution even if it did not benefit his business.  

it's good that you found the prop you needed. but for future reference, you should always check on eBay before you buy anything. I haven't bought a new prop in the last 20+ years. I have been buying used props off eBay. I have been paying less than half price for all the props I've bought. I am 72 now and probably won't ever buy another prop as long as I live. but what I've saved on props has helped pay on my fishing trips.

if the prop you have now is just what you want you really should think about getting another one for a spare. just start looking on eBay for what you want. if they don't have it you can save your search and get emails if they get one for sale.

I have used many different styles over my 40+ years using riggers and the 3rd one from the top is by far the best weight bi have ever used. I started using 8# dredge weights a few years ago when we forgot to load my 12# pancak weights but found the 8# dredge weights on the used boat we had just bought.

I like a 10' medium rod for running my lite bite slide divers on walleye on Erie's central basin. I want some give in my rod. I had some nice fish pull the hook even using my medium rods. I have been thinking about trying to find a med/light 10' rod on eBay but I haven't looked yet.

On 3/15/2024 at 7:49 AM, slow rollin said:

Looking for rod holders with tracks so I can easily remove the rod holders when not in use. I have cash or a bunch of trolling gear for trade as well. Thanks

if you can't find anything you want on here and decide to go new I recommend the Cisco tracks as they are high quality at a cheaper price than other name-brand tracks.

I do recommend getting the ratcheting rod holders. I use Cannon single axis so I can adjust them just a little or a lot. the dual axis are great holders but to adjust them left to right they have a pin and hole setup where you have to go all the way to the next hole which can be too much. the main reason I use the cannon is they can be set up and down using one hand. all the other brands doesn't have the one-hand feature on it.

but the Cannon only has 5 or 6 up-and-down and down settings. the traxstech is my next choice. They can't be set with one hand but they have 17 up-and-down settings starting below 90 degrees and then rising up at very close settings for the ultimate adjustability up or down.