Robeng

Bridges, shoreline for bone fish>>>have a great time. Love that place. >>>Envious.

Definitely drop shot. As a foot note, would love to have a nice bass blow up on a top water. Gonna try lighter tackle too. Lastly, break my personal best of 4.25 smallie.

watched a guy last year with his wife cut in front of everyone in line, people started yelling at him. They were quite old, so I was going to cut him "some" slack, but still I dont think this was his first time. Still, he proceeded. But what he forgot to do was raise the motor and as he pulled forward, SCRAPE on the cement ramp. Karma.

I have the elite 5 hdi combo-2013. Though, I have not done a side by side comparison to H'bird, my processing speed seems very quick. I talked with a BPS associate who says unless you get the $2k true CHIRP transducer, I would not see much difference from mine. He advised not worth upgrading to CHIRP. I must say though, there are some nice featured Hummingbirds. But I paid under $500 for mine in 2013 and it was on sale last week for $299 in the 5inch size. I advise to check them all ut in the store and see what people say here and through out the reviews on web.

Lake St Clair, St Clair River, Detroit River, to mouth of Lake Erie.

I have the Lowrance elite 5 hdi combo without CHIRP and like it very much. The Humingbired Onix looks real good too. also look at fishfindersource.com and the fishfinders.com and the gpsstore.com and bestfishfinderguide.net and justfishfinders.com and portablefishfinderreviews.com Those sights kept me busy for a while. good luck.

I also have same unit---elite 5 hdi combo. I would leave on shallow and auto for now. You can adjust later. Best is to spend time on water-not fishing-and play with controls as you pass over weeds, soft bottom, hard bottom, etc. I plan on doing more of this once water opens up and Ive had mine one season so far. Also try adjusting sensitivity up and down to get rid of some of the surface clutter. Most say sensitivity should be 60-70%. I cant recall where mine is set at right now. Also, if your transducer is too close to a motor or wired to trolling motor battery can be an issue. Placement of transducer to just skimming water or just below surface is important. I plan on wiring my finder to its own battery as leaving it on can drain the starting battery somewhat. Lots of good articles out here on what you are looking for. Search elite 5 or Lowrance, or transducer. Wayne P. on here is very knowledgeable about electronics and associative. Best to you.

liked reading this for sure. Thanks guys. Convinced me to try them. I can see it now......

I'd recommend Lowrance higher end units. Gen 2 Touch. HDS - 8 inch - just under $1k. Check them out.

Get Lowrance elite 5 hdi combo as they are dumping since introducing the more expensive CHIRP technology. An associate at BPS told me that he learned at their BPS University where all associates go to learn about new products BPS will sell, that to get real CHIRP quality, you need a real CHIRP transducer for about $2k !! Anyone heard this?

buy an elite 5 hdi combo (gps, sonar and down imaging) right now for as low as $299 as they are dumping them cause new ones have CHIRP. The price includes the dual transducer. Check out available frequencies for it. Some are offering free cover and SD card with map. BPS had them at that price. They were $500 in fall of 2013. Good unit. Has mapping capability with Insight Genesis feature. Can load one micro SD card (like Navionics) with adapter for slot. Sonar down imaging overlay feature. Back tracking. Comes with built in maps but not real detailed like down to one foot or tight ridge lines. Navionics card does better. OR buy the Elite 4. $199. good unit. all from Lowrance. Though I must say the Humingbird Onix looks real good to me. ( I dont have any iPilot type trolling motor). Hope that helps

Livingston lures worked right out of the box on lake st clair last year. Next outing nothing--but not too much was biting that day wherever I went.

Ghostshad. Per Mr. Horton it is a Plano spinnerbait box. Nice guy.

Timmy Horton started a new store on web called Profound Outdoors. www.profoundoutdoors.com But, I dont see it on there. I'll ask him on his facebook page.

Lost a Gold Zebco 33 to Lake St Clair when it was a brand new gift from my bride at the time. Wave hit and slipped out of my hands...yes, you watch it sink and can do nothing. lesson learned. (at least it wasnt an expensive setup - still it upset me to lose that gift and she has since departed this planet)

Will be interesting to try one. Last year was the Livingstons.

Good to see all the replies. Thanks to everyone for sharing. Nice to know I can expect Field and Stream to have a good selection. I agree on TW on the Internet-usually decent prices. Also the Tackle Outlet Store on web sometimes I find has good deals. Next week temps looking good to warm up and not freeze in garage to start getting things ready for open water. Anxious? YES!

I used a couple of Livingston lures last year and out of the box>>BAM! Repeatedly caught fish that particular day. Next time out...nothing on that lure. Anyone try the new Shadow Rap from Rapala?

Get good at a few types of lures and presentations before jumping to the next lure. It is so very tempting to keep buying new baits every time the latest one is released at ICAST or a tournament or I see on WFN. Go slow. The ton of baits will perhaps develop over time. Just enjoy yourself and gain confidence in each lure type and presentation. Have fun.

Itchin for open water Fishin!

This coming week there is a Field and Stream store opening near me in suburb of Detroit, MI., and is managed by Dick's Sporting goods. Anyone have one of these near them? (note it is not affiliated with the magazine of the same name) I'm curious to go check it out when it opens to see what they carry, prices, etc. From newspaper last July, 2014: They announced they will also be opening Field and Stream stores in Columbus, Ohio and Cary, North Carolina in September 2015. They already have stores in Pa and Ky. (In same article Gander stated it has or will open 20 more stores across USA in 2014-2015) Michigan is an outdoor paradise with lots of stores to choose from: There is a Dick's across the street from the upcoming Field and Stream and a Dunhams down the street. Gander Mountain is a little drive and Bass Pro is about 20 minutes. Cabelas is over an hour away from the tri-county area of Metro Detroit. Personally I like BPS and some shops on the web. I like Cabela's too, but is a long drive. I also checked out a discount store with buyouts, over runs etc., called Ollies. They had some fishing and hunting gear. The fishing gear was some tackle, lures, and a few rod choices. So, waiting on Field and Stream store to see what they offer. Only 10 minutes away. Let me know if you have one near you and what you think. Thanks

too funny "Keeper"!

pretty funny there "freezin" Made me chuckle here in Michigan.

2 stroke--4 cylinder oil injected 1991 Mercury 40 Hp electric start with power trim (check fluid levels). Maintenance every year with lower oil change and gaskets, keep gas tank full during winter with stabilizer, take off prop and grease spline for storage, fog carbs or plugs and turn engine flywheel manually, run propylene glycol antifreeze (purple stuff for (-60F) thru it for storage, flush motor with clear water after each outing, --its 0 degree F. outside right now and garage is 20F--FYI. I change NGK plugs often and impeller every 2-3 years. Lubricate electrical, and metal linkages under cowl, wipe down outside of motor housing. I stick with Mercury products-oil, gear oil, etc. Original engine. gets about only 25 hours per season due to my schedule. Still has great compression in all cylinders. Tighten engine bolts. Do most myself. no issues. Hope this helps.

I pulled a 6000lb Starcraft camper for 10 years with a retainer clip to first "grip" No issues. The boat hitch has a locking pin with key.