MickD

I now have my Mega SI 9 with the second transducer as Humminbird recommends and the Mega transducer set up as close to further north's setup as possible, and it appears to be working well on SI at all speeds. The Mega transducer is toward the center of the boat, so lower than the second one. I may not have needed the second transducer. However, I notice two things, which I have to figure out. The SI works fine on most views, but on the combo view I would like to use, I get a good looking return on the left side, but one that shows much deeper water on the right. (The digital depth reading appears to be correct.) The SI image is not asymmetrical in the SI full screen view and at least some of the other views. I can't figure that out yet. Since it is view sensitive it cannot be that the Mega transducer is being blocked by the second transducer. If it were getting blocked I would think it would be an asymmetrical image in all views. Second, I go by docks with it and they don't look anywhere as detailed or prominent as in the advertising screen shots. I see the bright spots from the vertical supports, but barely. Still a lot to learn about these units.

Light threads on dark blanks are very tricky. Not only the CP has to be strong and well applied, but the wrap has to be very tight and packed well because any slight gaps will show as splotches. Some builders go to the trouble of painting the area under the wraps a color similar to the thread to minimize this.

Come on folks, this isn't rocket science. Just keep checking in to their web site. If nothing shows up, there is no sale. If something shows up, there is one! Man. . .

There is no doubt. This is it. Get him the weight that he can cast easily, put a white pork rind or grub on the back, and go for it. Good for you , Roger! All the suggestions for spinnerbait variations, spinners with trebles, etc, will just get snagged. If not getting snagged is a priority, this is the answer. You can cast it onto the pads, drag it, and the bass will kill it. Just be sure as suggested that you sharpen the hook and make sure the weed guard is bent so it's just above the hook point.

You can spool it with whatever you want. Use the drag to control the stresses to what you consider reasonable. However, I don't think 16 pound test mono will perform very well. Most likely will tend to coil off the spool. If you want to go over about 10 pound test, I recommend doing it with braid. 15 pound test braid casts beautifully. You may want to use leaders, but many go straight from braid to the lure and do well. Use a black marker to make irregular "camo" marks on the last few feet. With braid you need to be careful of what knot you use, palomar and uni with many loops are good knots for braid. Test the knot before fishing.

Themocells work if you are stationary, will little breeze (mosquitos, I don't know about black flies). Deet works too. It's a great destroyer of the bite and anything plastic or rubber it comes into contact with. And it keeps bugs away. Sounds like there are many options that don't included Deet.

You need to get this resolved properly to prevent your getting stranded due to no starting battery power. The low voltage shutdown means the unit is not getting proper voltage, and depending on your setup, that could mean your engine is not getting robust voltage either. I think you are right on the edge of not being able to start your engine. You have a trolling motor on that battery, too? If so, I think you are playing a risky game.

Very nice job. It should work great. One thing I noticed on your other pics is possibly a photo resolution issue, but it looks like the red wrap on the first Microwave guide is splotchy. If it is, it is likely due to one or more of the following possibilities: Not enough penetration of color preservative? The thread should be saturated, then the excess taken off with a paper towel. Only one coat of color preservative? I use two, both allowed to dry overnight before the next step. Not waiting for the color preservative to completely dry? If you don't give the CP time to completely dry, this can happen. If CP is done right the guide wrap will look very close to the way the thread looks on the spool, with no variations in color, and will look really brilliant (the reds). Looking at the photo again after blowing it up, it really looks like something is not quite right, with the area under the foot looking dark and a few circuferential light appearing threads. I use flex coat CP and flex coat lite wrap epoxy. If you purchased all from Mudhole, you may be using their CP, which should work fine, and their wrap epoxy, which I know does a wonderful job if one is patient enough to let it cure a couple days. In my experience it is the longest to cure of the epoxies. That is not a problem, just a fact. You should be proud of this build. It is much better than my early builds, and you will get better with every build.

There is one case in which the science of the line takes precedence over personal preferences, and that is fishing surface lures like a Chug Bug. FC sinks so readily that it adversely affects the way the lure works, so I always use a neutral buoyancy line, usually mono, for surface. Braid is about the same density as mono.

Oops. Thought you meant butt knobs.

Mudhole.com, http://www.winngripsfishing.com/dealers/

My 2D is outside, and since it is outside, it is naturally above a SI Mega transducer mounted so that it is close to the level of the water coming off the back of the boat (at speed). Since the 2D is working OK now, I will leave it alone for now. I'll lower the SI Mega to start close to your location and go from there. I have other obligations this week, hope to get back on the water next week. Thanks for your help.

Thanks, I'll start there with mine and see how it goes. Yes, I understand that boat differences will affect it, but think your spot is a good one to start with. It is going to be shallower than mine was originally installed, and deeper than the Humminbird location. Something near it has a chance of working, IMO, since it appears that what you are getting at speed is a fully wet underside of the transducer, possibly without the high turbulence that my deeper original location probably had. The Humminbird high location doesn't have a chance of working since it will be above the water coming off the bottom of the boat.

Thanks, I'll start there with mine and see how it goes.

Good for you, thanks for reporting. Can you tell me the approx height relationship of the transducer bottom surface to the boat bottom surface? Is the digital depth reading from the SI transducer? You should go to Humminbird and put on some seminars.

OK, this solution will not be popular, but it works. Kids, long one piece rods, how to have both travel well without hurting the other. You need a mini van, not a truck. Cobble one of the ceiling rod holders on the headliner, and your in. Your friends will be impressed by your courage.

Whatever the specs, make sure the rods are not free to move forward enough to bump the tips into a bulkhead. If that is the case, they may be broken in transit. Been there, done that.

I have forgotten to wear mine, but seldom. I most always wear mine. Auto inflate, light, free movement, almost like not wearing one. Think of it this way, wear one so your family can easily find the body. It's a real pain in the butt to have to drag all over a lake looking for the body.

I find ice fishing rods to be the most challenging because they are so limber. Wrapping is very difficult unless you have a setup with moveable supports for the blank so that two of them can be very close to the guide being wrapped. Same for the tiptop trim wrap. I have a friend who is a very good builder with good equipment who builds a lot of ice rods and does very well selling them. He does really neat ergonomic handles/grips which set his rods apart from the usual big box store ice rods. Since the big box kice rods are so cheap I was really surprised at his success with custom ice rods. I think it speaks for the need with any rods you plan to sell to have features not available in the big box stores. I followed a guy out of Dick's today with his new purchase, a Shakespeare casting rod and reel + some plastics. Total bill, about $80.

I agree that all that is necessary and desired at speed is 2d depth. Not SI at speed. But you won't get that from the mega transducer according to Humminbird. It isn't even in the water at speed if it is mounted according to Humminbird instructions. And mine was mounted so it WAS in the water at speed, and it didn't read the depth at speed. The digital reading started at the true depth and as time at speed increased, the digital reading just kept increasing so that it read 99 feet in 8-15 feet of water. If you get it to read by tweaking the height and position, good for you. I am interested in whether you can do it, so please check back in after you tweak it. Humminbird might be interested too because when you talk to their techs, they will tell you that you need the second transducer. The 2nd transducer and Y cable is the robust solution as the signal for depth comes from that transducer, is "Y'd" into the unit with the Y cable, and the unit automatically reads the digital depth reading off that unit, no switching required. The solution works fine. That's what I have working now. My only worry is that the second transducer may "shade" the SI transducer since it is mounted lower. I don't have enough experience since installing to know.

Since you didn't weigh it, it can be anything. I think it may be a little heavier than previous estimates. 4 + a few ounces?

From Humminbird.com support: " Side Imaging technology generally works best in speeds up to 10 MPH. This will vary depending on the boat hull and the location of the installation. Compact Side Imaging transducers like those that come with the 899ci HD SI are more conducive to faster speeds due to the smaller size. While the standard 2D sonar built into the Side Imaging transducer will work to much higher speeds, high speed readings with the transom mounted HDSI and MEGA SI transducers on faster boats are often limited by the turbulence that occurs around the back of the boat. The HD and MEGA Side Imaging transducers are especially sensitive to this, due to their size, so we suggest the following solution. The MS SI DB Y connects to the XP 9 20 (for all Side Imaging units, except ONIX, ION and SOLIX) and the AS 14 SI DB Y which connects to theXP 14 20 (for use with ONIX, ION and SOLIX). Both of these are Y cables that connect a dual beam transducer (for inside the hull mounting),and the Side Imaging transducer (mounted on the transom) to the unit." Let me translate: "Side Imaging technology generally works best in speeds up to 10 MPH." What this means is that "Side Imaging technology does not provide depth readings above 10 MPH." Talk to a Humminbird tech as I have and that is what they will tell you. It is proven by the Humminbird-recommended transducer mounting height which is above the boat bottom surface, which puts it out of the water at speed. There is no possibility that a SI mega transducer can give depth readings at speed if it is not in the water. My transducer as originally mounted was in compliance with your 5th point-it was definitely in the water at speed. And it would not give depth readings above 6-10 mph. Your whole message is in conflict with what Humminbird says are the facts. To get depth readings at speed you need another transducer and a Y cable, about $100 + installation. Let me know when you get your mega transducer to give you depth readings at speed. I am very interested, but not confident, you will ever get it to work. Neither is Humminbird.

I doubt very much if you need a new reel. Do as suggested and service the pawl and worm. Because the worm wore out prematurely, it indicates you are not paying much if any attention to maintaining the reel. I would send it to DVT and have him bring it up to snuff, then when you get it back, put a few drops of oil now and then onto the worm and pawl (this is the most demanding area of the reel for lube, and I do it probably 3-4 times a season) , the reel grips, and into the reel on the bearings and other moving parts. I should have mentioned that the pawl can stop working properly if the screw on the pawl housing has backed off a little. The pawl loses engagement. Be sure that is not the problem. If it is, you may not even need a new pawl/worm. I also would like to mention that a properly maintained quality reel will last a lifetime. I have a Calcutta 150 that is about 20 years old and it works as well now as the day it was born. Try to keep them as clean as you can, don't bounce them around banging into things, avoid submerging them, don't let ANY sand get to them, and lube them regularly but not excessively. Your kids will enjoy using the reels that dad used. (Unless they become obsolete, then they can put them into display boxes in their offices.)

If used in salt water , rinse it, not submerge it, after every use. If fresh water, just wipe it with a damp cloth to get the crud off it. Unless the reel has been submerged, I would not take it apart. The Stradic has a lube port, just put a little reel grease (any brand except the red stuff) into the port at the end of the year. A drop of oil, yes gun oil is fine, sewing machine oil is fine, 3 in 1 is fine, into the moving pivots like reel grips, bail pivots and rollers, spool clicker mechanism, and that's about it. In a couple years you might want to get some drag grease and put a little onto the drag washers. The reason I recommend not taking it apart is that the new reels are so complicated that you might not get it back together properly. If it needs taking apart, send it to a qualified service person. Regarding the rod, if used in salt water, rinse it thoroughly after every use. Do not compromise on this. If used in fresh, just check the guides for trash and possible ring breakage now and then (right away if you're breaking line at the rod!), and clean it with soap and water at the end of the year, putting on a coat of auto wax if you want it to shine. If a cork grip, you can wash it with a toothbrush and soap/water to freshen it up. After that, to keep it looking good, use U40 cork seal on it, one coat only. Do not use the cork for a hook keeper. If the rod has none, use the frame (not the ring) of the first guide for a keeper. Or add the Fuji keeper.

Mudhole probably has the best selection of materials and information in the form of videos/web sites + kits. I suggest doing a lot of reading before starting. A kit is a good place to start as you have it pretty well defined and the options are limited. If you don't use a kit you have to decide on guides, which reel seat (style + size) , which cork or EVA components, what materials to purchase, etc etc etc. Everything you get will be compatible, the right sizes for each other. Build the kit, see if you like building, and if you do, you're more knowledgeable on where to go from there.