cyclops2

The older I get. The more I want............... Just 1 more good day. ?

I just got tired of having those green Seahorse motors. Still started every time & ran great. The varnished cork floats were good for a few decades before slowly flooding the engine. Cute in the boonies.

My first reels were Bait. I got used to smelling cooked bacon fumes from my thumbing finger.

I can give the good & not good of 4 # braided & 4# mono when trolling a 1.5" Rapala floater 150' to 200' of line out. Mid day spooky fish. Braid & the fish always set the hook & jiggle the rod tip to signal fish on. Mono is hopeless. The fish MAY MAY cause a tip twitch. But by the time I pick up & pull to set the hook ? Fish off. Small Mouths are great at a fast tip bend . Then most are off in a couple of maximum cranks & yank.

I can now reply about my 1988 Evinrude 28 SPL ( cheap version of a 30 hp ). The 1999 9.9 hp have run 7 months every year. I bought both brand new. Only parts were TONS of spark plugs fouling every week some years............. Champion Technical support told me to go 2 steps hotter in the plugs.................. Bingo NO carboned up & missing any more. I now troll almost all day every safe weather day. Same 2 plugs trolling since start of this summer in N Y. He DID WARN ME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!do not go higher than the 2 steps hotter !!!!!!!! Engine damage is a given for close to WOT runs . The 28 SPL loves the L86C plugs so much that idle is increased by the self cleaning burning over 1 month of running. Starting is less than a 1/10 0f a second. L I G ?

Many thank you everyone. ? You have saved me a bunch of money starting up on casting gear at 81. I do lots of trolling with 10# braid & small floating Rapalas weighted down with split shot. My eye sight is failing rapidly. So I am buying some 9 strand braid 6# & 1" Raps for perch. I just can not be a trolling driver catching bigger fish. Too boring. Thanks everyone. ?

I watch pros reel a fish in 1/2 of the total distance. I can not do that distance with 4 # braided on my old saltwater spin.

I now find that everything is needlessly computerized. Just to say it is more reliable. A computerized Safety Pin !! I kid you not. I saw a electronics show about molecular motors And devices. I guess they will be selling computerized toilet paper soon.

Been away for bad health conditions. Heart & blockages. So now I am active. Money is no object !! I told the surgeon. Put in the best Medicare has !! He did. 6 stints. Pacemaker. Defibrulator with 2 levels of shocking my heart to pump again. New Honda Accord. Same great wife of 50 years. Life is good in my 1985 Lowe & 1988 Evinrude.

I did a quick check of the cheaper units problems. NONE are reliable. Some are bad in sunlight. Last only 3 months. Transducers die. 1 of my 2 Garmin 4 strikers has had a screen & transducer fail in 6 months. The other Striker 4 is still running. I will save some money & a ton of very poor / no Customer Service aggravation. Garmin was ordered to stop all sales of down looking units & parts by the Federal Trade Commission. Lowrance won the case. Why people complain about Garmin service ?

Thank you for your opinion.

Am I being too critical ? Buying new electronics just because there is a new release ? Buying the latest releases of fishing gear just to buy it ?

Kind of like a bunch of historians discussing war...........& never been in a battle for months on end. Have to do something with the spare time.

I really get a big smile when I see fishing topics like this. Line color or marking patterns are critical to success !! The 2 or 3 HIGHLY VISABLE TREBLE HOOKS hanging down ARE NOT !! Same for no mouth ?? No scales ?? No true correct fins ?? No gills ?? Sure......................The bass has a check list he goes thru before making a bite. That skinny disappearing line is what turns him off ?????????? Old mind. If he makes a attack from the rear. So the fish ahead has almost no sensing of him approaching. Lateral lines are not sensitive detecting from directly behind ?

Fish are just like.... Freddy the Free Loader.

I forgot. Lures & equipment catch fisherman. Skill catches fish.

The small fish can save you money. Nothing heavy is needed 4# test braided line & a Ultra light spinning rod & reel. I just bought 3 Mitchell ultra light spinning reels on sale & a light weight rod for everything up to 1 pound perch & all your smaller fish. Save again & buy the Medium heavy rod & reel for bigger fish, Lines & lures. Worst case ? a muskie / pike grabs a small fish & you have a hell of a battle for a change. Now we are fishing 30" to 48" fish on 4 # test ?? WAAAHOO. I now use the 4# test ultra lights for ANYTHING. Usually land them from a boat. Shore casting is a Double WAAHOO. 4# braded is usually about a ACTUAL 8# breaking strength with my improved Trilene Knot. It CUTS weeds easily. Reeds no way I use a 4# test setup & a 60# setup for going after bigger fish. Start small. Then decide how much bigger you will need. Some of us like screaming drags & chasing a fish from land or starting the engine alone & still keeping a tight line in the boat.

Do not need the reminder of drowning. Almost did it in a motel pool picking coins off the deep end. With loads watching me. Never new I was in deep trouble.

Most people leave trash behind when they leave it. Pee & crap near a bush or tree. All the things I do not want done to me.

I went to a metal fabricating shop. Told him I wanted a long rod SOLID anchor Needed a screw eye in the end. 3" diameter & 12 " long with a screw eye I supplied. He did it for $20. It is perfect for nice weather anchoring . NO weeds build up. I have a hand operated Anchor Mate hand crank Near me & guide pullies up to the bow I bolted the pulley bracket there The anchor Lifts up & down nicely. I have another solid pipe anchor in the stern corner. 4 of line to the rear pulley. No crank. I just use a cleat I added. I do have a big fluked anchor if I get caught in a storm & need to beach the boat. Done that more than 1 time.. Know when to run it up a non windy beach & set the anchor in dirt or to a tree Untill the storm ends. Far safer.

Choporoz Did you also only break the Bail Springs ?

Perfect use of their Lateral Lines. Good call OK.

Because I can DOMINATE the poor creature.

Mitchells. 400s. Now 3 ultra lights. 2 for guests to use.

Makes no difference to the fish or me. 4# braid. for everything.