Haven’t done leadcore plus keel weights behind boards, but we pull flasher flies on 10 leadcore setups behind Church boards with no issues. The Church boards have a adjustable lead weight on the bottom of them that you slide forward or back, depending on line and lure weight. Makes the boards nose up or down to track better in the water.
I just bought a 55 terrova with ipiloit link and it came with a puck. (Heading sensor) it was packaged separately in its own bubble wrap, but I think it was zip tied to the motor cables.
I agree, I’ve tried both and much prefer the Performance lead core. 5 feet per color is good rule of thumb.
A relatively inexpensive way to get by with the 30 horse would be to get a large diameter, shallow pitch prop. It’ll allow the motor to run at higher RPMs. That will help with getting on plane.
I have a 16.5 Lunker II with a Merc 25 hp 4 stroke. It’s a heavy boat for a 25, but bought this set up for fishing lakes with HP restrictions.
After some experimenting, I found a prop with an 8.5 pitch worked to get on plane, 2 big guys, full live well at about 20mph.
Dad and I found some nice action off the break around Deer Island. 2 and 3 color leadcore with #5 jointed shadraps was what worked for us. Mix of walleye and sauger. Biggest was a 20″ eye along with some fatty saugers.
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We have a group of 7, fishing portables and staying at Red Lake cabin, we’ve been here since Sunday and conditions are tough. Most holes we pop are gushers, and flood the ice creating about 3 inches of standing water and slush.
We have found some good ice that doesn’t flood, but it is on an old plowed road where wheelhouses used to be. Its been our only saving grace so we can at least fish. We’re set up in 10 fow on the break line.
Fishing has been pretty much an evening bite, from 3 pm to sunset. We did pick off a couple at sunrise but real slow for most of the day.
We’ve caught 15 keeper walleye ranging from 15″ to 21″
Released 2 short walleyes, 2 pike and 1 perch.
It’s been red Lindy flyers and Tumbler spoons on the jigging rods and Demons below bobbers. Seems like they fish prefer smaller presentions.
We use the M18s at work, every time a new battery pack is plugged in the LEDs come on to show the charge level then turn off after a few seconds.
They also turn on every time the trigger is pulled, so maybe there is something in your trigger that is making contact, keeping the lights on.
NOAA marine weather forecast is what we rely on when fishing lake Michigan. Gives you wind and wave conditions. Any Westerly wind around 15mph is very manageable, Any Easterly wind, even 5-10mph can build waves real quick. Forecast for Milwaukee waters this thurs and fri is waves less than a foot. Should be nice. Good Luck!
The Cabelas rods will have enough backbone to run lead as you described, I run the same rods with lead and inline planers.
Another very affordable rod I use are Diawa Wilderness trolling rods paired with Cabelas DM reels. They are a little stiffer, but work great. Get mine from FishUSA
I just heard on the radio today that Polaris has a recall on their sportsman 850 and 1000s, something about a heat shield melting and causing fires. Maybe worth checking out…
http://www.polaris.com/en-us/company/article/polaris-recalls-sportsman-850-and-1000-atv-due-to-burn-and-fire-hazards
I have that exact same motor on my duck boat. I hunt the river right up to the end of season in early December. Always freezing cold and usually breaking ice. I do what everyone else has said, get as much water drained out as you can. I’ve never had any problems…yet 
With how you’re describing it, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Cabela’s depth master series rods and reels. Very economical and if you have a problem they can be returned with no questions asked. I troll for both walleyes and salmon with them and have never had an issue. Diawa Wilderness trolling rods are also very inexpensive and bulletproof, they are the workhorses of all my salmon set-ps.
I use #90 18″ store bought ones. I agree that they won’t see or be shy of a wire leader, but fluro leaders outlast wire leaders by far in my experience. All it seems to take is a snakey northern to kink, twist and ruin the wire ones. I also had many pike in the 15-20 pound range completely inhale my bait and fluro leader with no issues. I’d trust my fish of a life-time with one, but just my .02 cents.
65# Suffix 832 HiVis yellow with 18″ 90# fluro leader
We’ve fished Kenosha the last 3 years in May, we’ve always stayed at the La Quinta on the other side of town towards the interstate (Pleasant Prairie). Nice place at a good price, plus a huge parking lot. About a 10-15 min drive through town in the morning to the ramp, not too bad since we like to stop at a gas station anyways for coffee and food. Plus if the fish are in Illinois waters we’re in a good spot to head to Winthrop Harbor or Waukegan instead.
If your boat is 25 hp or less, no need to go all the way into Canada. We have had some of the most excellent big Pike fishing on Basswood in the BWCA. Best part is we’re the only ones up there actively seeking out big pike with heavy tackle and lures and catching them. Pic is from last June 44in 18 lbs on a glide bait. We’ve seen much bigger follow right by the boat.
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I was checked 3 separate times duck hunting on P4 last season, very friendly and never an issue. Every time by the same CO, I was starting to think he had it out for me. Sure keeps a man honest, but I never had anything to worry about.
My family has a cabin on Fish Trap, I fish it a few weekends every summer, however, I have never ice fished it. We have always had better luck on the East side for crappies and walleye, but I will say we have caught some fish between that shallow finger and the south side of that island in your picture. There is a nice weed line that drops off into deeper water, I’ve pulled cranks there and usually find a couple walleyes and all the hammer handles you could want.
We just got back from Red last night, group of 8 fished Sunday night through Wednesday night, southside. We had excellent luck fishing the break line, 6.5-9 fow. Never had to go too far out. Everyone that says you have to go 3-4 miles out is full of it… be on the break line at sunrise and sunset, get away from the crowds and you’ll have no problem icing eyes.
Very cool to watch, I love seeing those kings pull you around 
We just fished Port this past weekend and saw someone trolling in a Kayak and we thought how cool that was to see. We have hard enough time getting them landed in a boat!
X2 polamar, very strong and easy to tie
A swivel is a must with the 832. Whatever size is just small enough to fit through the levelwind. I tried tying a Willis knot with the 832 when I first started using it and I couldn’t even do it. The stuff opens up like a Chinese finger trap so the other line would just poke through. I used a simple uni knot and had problems with kinking and breakage of the lead.
I use 832 on 6 different set ups with swivels on the backing and leader for coho and king salmon and have caught multiple 20+ lb fish with no problems of guide damage.
I used to fish with Fireline all the time, then I switched to Sufix 832 and what a world of difference! It is much smoother, sensitive and much easier to tie. I use it on a lot of my set ups. 10 lb test on my walleye rod to 80 lb test on down rigger rods for salmon.
Some buddies and I got the day off work Wednesday so we headed to hoksila. We fished all day along the MN side, focusing between the hoksila landing and the lake city marina. We trolled #5 cranks on lead in about 16fow and found a nice pod of fish willing to bite. Caught 7 nice eater walleyes 16-19″ some saugers and a bunch of shorts. Also a PB sheephead weighing in at 14 pounds. Bright colored cranks were best with purpledessent being the hot bait!
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