Lund Explorer

And that's just the first of what looks like 10 articles on the subject.

Gosh, don't ask me to try to find the story as it is 15+ years ago. Anyhow, two guys fishing on Lake Wawasee in Indiana had their boat hit by lightning while trying to get back to their launch site. As best the investigators could tell, it hit the gas engine, traveled up the throttle cable, into driver's right arm, and out his left foot. Both of them were blown out of the boat, but the rider was able to swim over and then drag the driver into the boat. Gas motor was shot, but the 24 volt trolling motor, on a different electrical system worked and was used to reach the nearest shoreline where a cottage owner called EMS. Driver of the boat lived, but lost his entire right arm to the shoulder. My advice. I don't care if it's upwind, downwind, or crosswind. Get to the nearest shore as fast as possible and take cover away from any tall trees. No fish is worth being nominated for a Drawin Award.

Did Justin win the best "helmet head" award? ;D

If it was up to me, you could have him back! Modano at 40 is past his prime and needs to take up playing golf. We need a new stadium up here a lot more than somebody destined to play on the fourth line.

After all that's been said, I'd be more concerned if I unbuttoned a big one on the first cast. :'(

First of all I think I like Rich Rod in AA! Thanks for the post. Just curious, what weight do you use when TRing? I normally start out with a 1/8oz sinker, but will up size to a 1/4oz or 3/8oz depending on he amount of wind. The key is to stay in contact with the bait. Toss it out and let it drop all the way to bottom. When you pick up on the line, you should be able to just feel the bait. Now just be prepared in case a CMU fan decides to post! :-[ Thanks for the help. I guess I need to get some patience and start fishing a lot slower. Why the sad face ? Who knows you may actually become a better angler by following the great advice you got here. That long face is probably because that deep slow fishing can seem a little boring compared to pounding docks. Dock fishing always seems to require some goofy sidearmed cast into an impossibly tight spot. A good cast, even when it doesn't produce a fish is still a miniature victory of sorts. But in the long run, the real victory that counts in tournament fishing, takes place at the weigh-in which is where deep fishing seems to get you there more often than the dock pattern. BTW, would this be a good place to make a confession to Sparty? That Lund parked in my garage is...... GREEN!

First of all I think I like Rich Rod in AA! Thanks for the post. Just curious, what weight do you use when TRing? I normally start out with a 1/8oz sinker, but will up size to a 1/4oz or 3/8oz depending on he amount of wind. The key is to stay in contact with the bait. Toss it out and let it drop all the way to bottom. When you pick up on the line, you should be able to just feel the bait. Now just be prepared in case a CMU fan decides to post!

This pretty well sums it up. In Sams post he mentions the requirement of having an "escape" route. Arizona and Florida statutes have the Castle Doctrine which does not require you to flee from imminent danger. You may stand your ground in your home or in public, provided you abide by the above rules of engagement. Remember, even if you are within your rights, you will undoubtedly be sued by the "victim" or their family in civil court for shooting or killing the perpetrator. You will probably win the case, but it will cost you plenty monetarily. I possess a CCW and carry at all times, but I will only draw under the direst of circumstances. A guaranteed route to a very long prison sentence is planting a weapon on someone after a shooting. And never bring a non lethal gun (paintball etc.) into the equasion. The fleeing perp sees a weapon ,draws his own, and successfully defends himself because you produced a non lethal gun. If you draw a firearm, only do so with the intent of destroying your target. The rules I posted where what I learned as a military policeman (USAF) back in the early 1970's. I would think rules #1 & #2 would be allowed for any civilian. Rule #3? Probably not so much if you don't have a badge. I'm not sure if Michigan requires you to try to escape first, but I do know that term escape also means to be out of range of the attacker's weapon. If the perp is armed, that range stretches out pretty far. I'll agree on planting a disposal. We called them "No Deposit - No Return" guns. Sadly they are fairly easy to get your hands on one.

I would tell you the secret Sparty, but first you'll have to drive to Ann Arbor, crate up RichRod, and ship him out of state! ;D Seriously, you need to start spending more of your non-tournament time getting out on to the deep weedline. I'm a long time dock fisherman, but I know that the better fish are deep this time of year. I made the move 100% this year, and I've been having more luck than I ever did pounding the shoreline. T-Rig a 7" power worm, and start looking about 16'. The only big difference is relying more on feel than sight. Once you've slowed down, the bites will come. Go Blue!

It may have changed since I got taught the use of force rules, but we had three qualifications. 1. To save your life. 2. To save the life of another person. 3. To prevent the escape of someone, who if given the chance could harm someone else. PS - We had a fourth rule that didn't really fit into civilian life.... 4. To prevent any unauthorized person from getting at the nukes we were guarding.

Seems like there is a lot of advice and differing opinions so you have a lot to think about. I'll simply add this: If you use a card you must be disciplined and mature. I was not and got into trouble. It took years to fix. I quote Speedbead because I personally think Dave Ramsey has a lot of good things to say. I would suggest you read his books and check out his TV show on FBN before you make your decision. Even if you chose to go the credit card route, I would still suggest you read Ramsey's books.[/quote] But be prepared to write a check, because the last I knew, he didn't accept c/card orders!

Send me some Maine Lobsters and I will send you some Spiny Lobsters, but you are going to have to spot me some extra Maine Lobsters, cause Spiny is so much better ;D Maine Lobsters...... I'm in Michigan! Okay, who's from Maine that wants to trade lobster for some fresh walleye fillets? ;D

Been there, done that. I got over it by trying to duplicate what the other guy was doing. And its never a bad idea to simply ask what they are doing differently, as sometimes the change is very subtle.

I always go with a game plan set in my head. Call it the power of positive thinking. The problem is staying with it too long if things don't work out.

When can all of us Yankees start pm'ing our shipping addresses? ;D

Forget the pounds of thrust needed..... How long would the shaft have to be to for a bow mount trolling motor on that beast. ;D

AMEN! I would rather ask my wife how her day at work went than sit glued to a TV just to find out what the "river" card is.

That's not the word I would have used. The sad part is that this person is not alone. The piers at both Manistee and Ludington gather up more than their share of them each year. But hey, it's a great big lake, so they'll run full throttle at night, in the fog, in just about any conditions. The worst part is that people simply need to go to the marina, check in hand, and they're handed the keys to a boat (and technologies) that are more than they can honestly handle. You said it perfectly "qualified operator". There's many of us up here that think its long beyond the time that all boat operators should be required to become educated and pass a test before being allowed to operate a watercraft.

NO! But I'm pretty sure it will be showing up on craigslist soon. Did you want me to "pm" you with the listing if I find it?

Not sure about you guys, but everytime I turn on my Lowrance GPS, I get a little message, most likely thought of by a lawyer, that says something along the lines of "Don't use this GPS for navigation!". Of course you have to click OK to proceed. Well, we just might be getting a second little warning soon if these guys are any indication. Tip #2? "If you decide to ignore warning #1, you may set a waypoint to mark the boat launch. We recommend you also mark another waypoint 1/4 mile in front of the harbor!" It seems that when you are running full throttle, at night and in the fog, you really don't want to travel directly to the boat launch. As evidenced by the picture below taken Sunday Morning @ Manistee MI.

Usually, you'll see a bigger temp difference than just the couple of degrees you're seeing, but it is possible as so many thing determine the depth where a thermocline forms, if at all. It may have to do the the length of time you left the probes down. Or, you may have to drop them deeper as 30' seems rather shallow. Not bass fishing related, but the thermocline in parts of Lake Michigan (for salmon fishing) is approach 90'-120' this summer.

If you're looking at a school of "fish symbols" on your screen, there's a pretty good chance that they really aren't fish. Go through the menu on your unit and see if you can turn off that function. Then start reading the source material you can find about operating fish finders. This site has some good information, and I'm sure that Eagle's website or your owners manual will too. Another good source could be looking through youtube on how to videos. I've been using a number of different depth finders over the years, and I don't ever think I caught a bass that showed up on the screen.

Seagulls, we call them "Dump Chickens", are the number one reason you should always carry a pair of leather gloves in your boat or tackle box.

I've been fishing the great lakes (Michigan and Huron) for a number of years and for all types of species. These lakes always seem to be going through changes year to year. This year just happens to be on the extreme side of warm. It probably provides the perfect reason why you should be keeping a detailed fishing log. At some point in the future, we'll see this type of thing happen again.

And how is your's going?