I’m not a fan of Jefferson either. Their Ocean stuff is a crossover for scotch drinkers. If you like scotch you might like Jefferson Ocean.

Basil Hayden is a little hotter, probably from more rye in the recipe. If you like that spice you might want to look at Redemption. I’ve tried a couple of their’s and found both to be hotter. Currently half way through their $25 bottle of regular stuff and it is a little hotter than Basil Hayden. Tried their longer aged high rye version first and it was not for me. Finished it anyway.

My go-to are George Dickle and Woodford double cask.

Buzz wrote:

EEL, I don’t think its appropriate for me to speak for them on this question. However, I think you got it in your head that they are something other then a Lobbying Group. These types of groups operate at about 70,000 feet. As they grow into the organization they want to become, they’ll let their grassroots members know what type of support thy need. This year dollars for the MN Fishing Hall of Fame and Hatchery were a focus. By the way the Hall of Fame needs donations and a guided trip with Gary Roach is on the table. They are on the verge of closing visit

Holy Carp! Sorry I missed this last month.
Grass roots runs at 70,000 feet?
Just wait until those at 70,000 feet tell us what they will do with grass roots money?

Grass roots wants representation of the hot button issues. If they won’t touch them, what is the point? Feel good initiatives? What does that change? I won’t donate to feel good initiatives and legacy funds for HOF member’s retirement.

MN-Fish can stop pretending.

crappie55369 wrote:

the two most expensive open water rods i have are Fenwick HMX. I think i maybe paid $70 a piece for them. To answer one of your questions i would probably classify anything over $100 as expensive and anything under $40 to be inexpensive.

I could see where if you were doing certain types of finesse fishing the rod can matter a lot but as others have mentioned if I’m casting crank baits or trolling bottom bouncers just about any old stick will do IMO. I do find that i enjoy a higher end <em class=”ido-tag-em”>ice fishing rod however. I have a few Thorn Bro rods that i love as well as a TUCR and i definitely prefer them to some of the cheaper ice rods i own.

Wait until you try the HMG.

I’ve slowly been moving up to just over $100 for rods that are held in hand where I want to feel everything that happens.

Forgot about the Lightning rod. My first was 20 some years ago and wow was that better than the cheap stuff I was using before it. Think I had two. Then came some custom deals through a friend. Don’t even know who made those rods. Which lead me to the HMX. Five years ago I found the HMG. Combined with a Supreme is about as good as it gets for me. Have three with Supremes and fourth with a Revo and really like them. Still have a couple HMX in the boat but they are now relegated to bobber rigs.

I am sure it gets better but I think $120 is my current ceiling for open water.

Leadcore, bottom bouncers, general trolling rods, I’m good with some $60 to $80 combo that is on sale.

Wow, I don’t really fit here.

Overrated:
UglyStick (partially based on this thread) Maybe they have changed. I haven’t had one in 15 years. At that time it was horrible. I lost so many fish from poor hooksets from fishing with that noodle of a rod.
Bobber fishing. Fishing is an action verb. I rarely bobber fish and am never physically anchored while fishing.
Yellow see through beer. No thanks. When I want water I’ll drink water not imitation water.
Gin.
Shanty beers, or fruit infused beers. Just why?
Frabil Trophy Haul nets. Anyone what to buy one? Heavy and awkward.

Underrated:
Hazy IPA’s. I’m on a citrus hop adventure. It’s not the pine cascade hops for those looking for something different.
Barrel aged anything. Sign me up. Especially maple syrup. Even better, beer aged in a barrel that aged whiskey and maple syrup. Yeah, it scared me too.
A display on a trolling motor remote. Can’t fish without it.

We don’t typically get storms that blow like that. At least I’ve been lucky enough to not remember seeing such a storm very often. I was also on Vermilion the day of the big boundary waters blow down and that was a similar experience. The differences being the boundary waters blow was higher winds and you had more warning that it was coming. If you were in an area with a view of the horizon could see it coming. If you were behind trees it snuck up on you.

For the blowdown. I was on an eastern section of water and had plenty of time to see it coming. In contrast, my dad wan tucked behind an island and didn’t see it coming until he heard distant thunder and poked around the island for a look. It was as downpour by the time he got to the dock.

I did not see the ML storm coming with as much wind as it brought. But I did have enough forewarning to get my boat on the trailer. So I lucked out. No one in that resort had seen anything like that before. One person commented that something like this has not happened in 20+ years of her being there.

I’m starting to think I’m the commonality between storms like this.

Jon Jordan wrote:

I think one of the big issues with this one is the lake level. We are up at least a foot over normal summer levels. Many docks were not set up high enough to allow for the tide or “slosh” when she blew in. Lucky it did not last too long.

I’m hearing no injuries. Just broken stuff. Good news! Had that hit on a Fri/Sat evening at 7:15, there would have been a lot of people out there fishing. Me included….

-J.

Didn’t last too long? It blew for almost a half hour straight of sustained winds. I guess 50mph for about a half hour. The lake came up a good three feet plus waves running even higher in Wahkon bay.
The cool part was that the wind blew for about 10 minutes before the rain started. It started as a light rain so I stood on the deck watching the skies five more minutes until the heavy rain started.
It was pretty intense and relentless for a while. The whole park was a mess.

Here are a couple pictures from a marina in Mille Lacs Island Resort yesterday morning. I haven’t checked for an update today but as of last night, one boat was still missing and the Sheriff’s office was looking for it.

Attachments:

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   IMG_20190716_4165-1.jpg
   

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   IMG_20190716_4165.jpg
   

slawrenz wrote:

I think the more important question to ask is where is the wind coming from on the day you want to fish. This can make a huge difference on this lake. I fish there every weekend and even though my boat is big enough, I pay close attention to the wind. My favorite site to check is : IWindsurf. Its not always right but I find it helpful.

There are actually quite a number of flats reasonably close to shore on the north end, as well as a couple of nice reefs. If you have a wind out of the north these should be quite accessible with even a smaller boat. Just be careful and pay attention to the weather/weather radar.

In addition these is a point near the garrison landing, and there were still fish on the first break along the north shore last weekend.

This.
More than any other lake I’ve been on, you fish ML where the wind will allow. If you don’t want to travel much by boat, then plan to trailer to another launch that will protect you from wind.

Before going out I look at how the wind is affecting the lake to determine the plan for the day. Planning any earlier is often futile.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Let’s flip this around and say that your dog is affected by DCM. You wouldn’t be upset? Just because your dog is doing well doesn’t mean that it’s a non-issue.

I always find it interesting how defensive people get about what they feed their dogs.

Feed grain free if you want, but I think the FDA has a duty to make this publicly-known.

If my dogs die of DCM at 15 I’m fine with attributing their end to old age.

The rest of that I agree with. Feed them what you want. Ours eat grain, usually oatmeal as surprise snacks in their dishes.

I’m all for studying things. Where did I say I wasn’t.
I’m against clickbait journalism causing people to grab their pitchforks before there is even a study. I’ll wait for the study. By that time, we’ll be on our next dogs and decide what to feed them then.

Amazing, the most most popular dogs, goldens, mix breads, and labs, had the most “complaints”. Maybe because they make up the highest portion of the canine pet population? :rolleyes:

I file it under Sloppy clickbait journalism. Show a real number, like how many goldens per 1,000 on a grain free diet contracted issues compared to how many goldens per 1,000 not on a grain free diet contracted the same issues, then publish that proportion.

The number they published means nothing.

The actual story says, “ we do not have a measure of the typical rate of occurrence of disease apart from what is reported to the FDA.”

Wait until the study is concluded. My guess, their first assumption, raised awareness of illnesses, aka reporting bias, is the cause. “FDA has observed a reporting bias for breeds like Golden Retrievers due to breed-specific social media groups and activities that have raised awareness of the issue in these communities and urged owners and vets to submit reports to FDA.”

We have 12 and 13 year old GSPs that have been eating Fromm from the beginning. One has had a heart murmur for most of her adult life with no ill effects. Oddly, a heart murmur has a similar symptom of light coughing, while each year at her annual checkup the Vet comments how strong her heart sounds.

Dutchboy wrote:

New mower can be had for $100 go get one.

Not recommended. I bought one of those the first year we had a place on ML. Gave it away at the beginning of the second season. Bought a new mower for home and brought the (now) 14 year old Toro up there.
This Spring the 14 year old Toro started on the second pull, with last year’s gas still in the tank.

Get a new one for the home a bring the old one up. You will be way ahead of the game.

chuck100 wrote:

I would think it would turn over if it was a kill switch issue.A low battery would at least get a click out of starter solenoid.Iwould check for power at the starter.I’m guessing it’s bad starter or the shift linkage is out of adjustment.

The kill switch will keep it from turning over. I’ve had that happen out on the lake. Six miles out and ready to head in at the end of the day and nothing. Motor won’t turn over. After a bit I figured out that somehow the kill switch had been triggered. Flipped the switch and away we went.
Felt pretty silly about that for a while. I still hear grief about it. “Is the kill switch on?”

OP, you have already heard a lot of good advice.

I have a 2014 Merc 150 4S. These motors drain batteries when they sit idle. Opening weekend my alternator died. We fished as long as we could without turning off the motor. Back at the dock, with a battery below 11.5 it would not turn over but fired it back up using a jump pack.

My take, if it wouldn’t turn over with a jump then something else is probably wrong. I’d start with resetting the computer by disconnecting the negative post for a few seconds. Also start with a fully charged battery reading 12.5v – 12.6v at the posts.
If that doesn’t do it, I’d skip all the other stuff and take it back to the dealer. Might be a starter solenoid, might be a wiring issue, might be a bad switch somewhere, who knows. I’d let them figure it out.

Also, your description of the starting procedure sounds correct. Turn to run and let the fuel pump pressurize, then turn to start and let go. From that point the computer will take over and run its own starting routine.

If you look at the labels on the wiring, the bottom battery listed as TB1 has a negative sign on the label of the red lead. I’m not sure why anyone would do that. It is confusing.
I’d probably put a tester on the other end to see what is going on, and confirm the setup at the plug.

Lifetime license? I wonder how close that comes in under 3,000 pounds.

Estimating here.
1,100 – 1,250 lbs dry weight for the boat, depending on model of Pro-V
500 lbs for the motor, give or take
400-500 lbs for the trailer.
120 lbs for fuel (20 gallons * 6 lbs)
150 lbs of batteries (50 lbs * 3)
40 lbs of trolling motors?

That’s already 2,310 – 2,560. That leaves room for about 500 lbs for other stuff, coolers, anchor, tackle, rods, whatever. Might come in under the wire, or it might be worth having it weighed just in case.

Based on my hour meter, I put about 25 to 45 hours a year on it. High year was 50 hours. It’s a newer, ’14, four stroke with less than 200 hours.

Based on my experience, a well maintained four stroke with 1,000 hours wouldn’t bother me one bit. An un-maintained four stroke with 400 hours would scare me.

Sadly, there are probably more under maintained motors than well maintained.

ClownColor wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>bigcrappie wrote:</div>
Lowrance guy for years never had that problem. Its not me its you LOL

same

Thirded.

It always amazes me each spring. Put it away everything working fine. Pull it out and find a list of things to repair. Really it is maintenance that should be done periodically.

Came out of storage this year with a dead live well pump and weak trolling motor power.
The live well turned out to be a disconnected spade connector. Cut it off, crimped on another. Back in business.
The trolling motor wiring got new breakers, sanded clean brass bars between the breakers and the wire connectors, sanded clean connectors, one connector cut off and replaced.

I’ll still be out there Monday morning too.
Then head home.

Thanks for this warning. I had no idea this happened. Updated HDS Gen 1s last night.

I got to it last night. The motor uses a negative ground that leaks back through the hull. Learn something new all the time.

Jon Jordan wrote:

From Star Tribune Jan 2018:

http://www.startribune.com/clearer-mille-lacs-water-stirs-questions/468221373/

Clearer Mille Lacs water stirs questions

As light reaches deeper into the lake, walleye numbers decline.

By Tony Kennedy Star Tribune

January 7, 2018 — 11:46pm

The sharp decline in the Mille Lacs walleye population that began in the late 1990s has coincided closely with significant increases in the lake’s water clarity, new research by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has found.

Someone needs to remind them that correlation is not causation. Neither is coincidence.

What the stories suggest is that the clearer water may have caused the fish to move, affecting the DNR’s netting surveys more than the real population.

Maybe this is the first step in the DNR starting to understand that possibility.
Remember, when seconds count they are only minutes away, in the DNR’s case, years behind.

The wind forecast has come down some. Starting to look better for people on the south side. Still not so good on the north. South wind only gusting 20-25 on Saturday. That’s 10mph less than they were showing earlier this week.
Gusting less than 15mph in the wee hours of the morning Saturday.

I might take Monday off to catch a little bit of the best day of the weekend.

Huntindave wrote:

There is a whole wealth of information available about the difference between “grounded” and “bonding” in regards to boat hulls.

Suffice it to say, If you short a metal wrench from the aluminum hull of an aluminum boat to the positive post of the starter battery, you WILL get, at minimum, a major spark.

Do you have a marine radio?

I’ve not heard of there being a circuit through the hull. You should measure 0 volts between the hull and both the positive and the negative battery terminals. I’ll have to measure mine tonight.

Get out your volt meter. At the battery you should read 12.5v on a fully charged battery without the motor running. With the motor running it might jump to 14.5v as it charges the battery.

Turn on everything that is normally running while you are fishing, radio, depth finder, graph, live well, lights, etc. Measure at the fuse block and the battery. If the fuse block measures lower than the measurements taken at the battery then you need more wire, either lower gauge or run a second line up to a second fuse block and split the load.

Fishing is a way of life in the True North

If that were true, there wouldn’t be an opener, or closure. The event is only there to generate marketing.

It usually doesn’t matter in our use because the boat isn’t grounded however it is good practice to connect the positive first, then the negative. Electrons flow out of the negative terminal and are attracted to the positive polarity, input.

Inversely, disconnect the negative first.

munchy wrote:

When I had the cast grates I used them flat side up and never had an issue. They were very easy to clean as well, just a light scraping and brushing was all that was needed. It also supported the food better, things like burgers would occasionally sink down into the thinner grates and when you go to flip them a good portion of the meat would be cut off and left between the grates.

It might come down to what you are cooking. I might try flipping the grates to do steaks or chicken versus burgers flat side up. Just to see how it works.

tindall wrote:

These are gas grills. The stainless set was probably added by the previous owner and has worked fine for me. My only thought was that the cast might cook differently (or better).

They could be the originals. Webber makes gas grills with stainless grates. The Genesis line (middle line) is available with either stainless or iron. I think the Spirit comes with iron. The Summit line comes with SS.

I hope the wind forecast is wrong, or changes. Currently forecasted to blow all day. The forecast hasn’t changed from yesterday.

Saturday morning (3am) SW wind blowing a steady 16 gusting to 38mph.
Switching to West by 7am, at 13 to 28mph.
Ending the day (9pm) from the NW at 9 gusting to 25mph.

Sunday it lays down a little, NW 10 gusting to 20mph for most of the day, calming in the evening for a nice Monday.

Hmmm, question two.

On Cast iron, flat side up or down? The grates are triangle shaped.
From the picture above they are flat side down. I’ve been using them flat side up. According to Webber, they are designed to work with the flat side up.

It occurs to me that the flat side down would make better grill marks (thinner) on the meat.

Edit, I use stainless on the kettle and cast iron on the gas.

I thought they gave them to everyone. You didn’t get one? Hmmmm.