What do you think made the other anglers so mean?

I had a day on Lake Koshkonong when that bait was on fire! The bite was slow except on that color.I’ve tried it many times since without a fish.Go figure!

In ’86 a bought a used boat.Mounted next to flasher was a PH monitor.At the time some fishermen believed there was a preferred PH level for fish activity.I think Larry Dahlberg was prompting the idea but I could be wrong.That boat was equipped with a Color-C-Lector,also.The best part of the Color-C-Lector was the Color-C-Lector baits that filled bargain bins,that I bought and repainted.

The first time a replaced the impellor on my T-8 I ordered parts from a dealer.The second time I bought parts from the local NAPA store.The price was much less and were at the local warehouse so delivery was next day.The NAPA parts were re-packaged OEM.When the motor continued to overheat,NAPA supplied the T-stat that the certified Yamaha tech said didn’t exist in my motor.

There is some wood in the boat.I believe the transom is solid wood not plywood.The splashwell is plywood sealed with a tuffcoat type of material.The deck to the sides of the splashwell is glass.The carpeted cover over the pump/battery access is plywood as is the back-side of the front T/M compartment.These are not parts out the hull.I did redo the rear cover but not the front.It was a cheap and easy fix.I think the stringers are wood sealed with glass but I’m not sure.The floor is a glass composite.The storage hatches are aluminium.I believe this info is correct but a call to Tuffy will verify.I could be wrong on the transom.It might be a composite.
Wood is not always a bad think in a boat.The type of wood and how it’s sealed makes a huge difference.My Tuffy is still as solid as the day I bought it.It is usually covered but never garaged.Before the Tuffy I own a Lund Pro-V.It was 5 years old when I replace the floor,7 years old when I replace transom.Prior to the Pro-V I owned a Lund Pro Angler.It was 5 years old when I sold it with a rotten floor and cabinets(not sure about the transom).The wood in the Tuffy has outlasted the wood in two Lunds and still shows no sign of deterioration.

The ’99 1760sc I purchased new is still rock solid.I splash it 75-100 times a year and never baby it.I,ve experienced no hull or transom issues.The only negative I see is the livewell pump location.They’re a pain to get to but that’s partially do to the fact that I moved the T/M batteries to the back to provide more tackle storage at the deck.There’s a lot of storage in this boat without sacrificing floor space.
As others have stated,the ride is outstanding!I was at a on Lake Winnebago when my Tuffy was new.It was it’s first voyage on big water.Another fishermen approached me and commented about my Tuffy.He said he had the same hull and asked what my old boat was.I answered.He then said”This will be hard for you to believe.If you get hurt or wet in this boat you’re going too slow!” It was hard to believe but he was right.

BWB,I’m not the young one,I’m his old man.Did very well on Sunday no where near the fiasco in the middle of the lake.Your secret weapon was not effective that day but a different one was.All the fish were of much better then average size.We fished boardless.We’ll probably be back this weekend if we don’t do ‘bago or the bay.

BWB,good luck with your new secret weapon.Is there any chance that you found that weapon at Harbor Rec?

Z-man,I tried to send you a PM but think I failed.Did you get it?

I never made it up there in April but have fished out of the Anchor 7 or 8 times since.I’ve trolled only with excellent sucess in size and numbers.

Here’s a heads-up guys.There’s a hazard in the lake between Blackhawk and the Thiebou.It appears to be a large stump and not floating.The coordintes are N42*52.595’W88*57.129′.I’m in Illinois and don’t know what authority to contact.It needs to be gone before somebody whacks it.

I had no place to put the snow except in front of and around the boat so no mid-winter lift for me.Instead I sink lower into mid-winter depression

Rogues are my favorite for pitching jigs.I use the sp663 for 1/16oz. and the sj663 for 1/8-1/4.The sj663 is the rod I like best for pitching jigs on wingdams. I’m in Il. and haven’t seen one in a store for years.If I found a couple more I’d buy them.I can order them but the manufacturer gets full list price plus shipping.
When I bought my Rogues they had warranty program similar to Loomis and St.Croix.They since changed the warranty and I am stuck with 3 rods that they probably will not cover.Shipping a 7’long tube is not cheap so I haven’t gambled sending them back.All 3 rods broke due to operator error.

It’s July! What’s going on that’s more important and could be more devastating to the resource?Perhaps making sure everyone has a licence or someone doesn’t take a 14.90″ walleye is more important.What was the outcome of last years fish kill on Puckaway? I looked but found very little.You’d think the DNR would have gotten a wake-up call.

While we’ve never caught a lot of fish over 22″,a few were caught in the past.Until this year we made only 5or6 trips to Koshkonong each year.This year with the home water closed or no-waked,my sons and I probably made 50 trips combined and never saw a walleye bigger then 22″.I just caulked it up to location and timing.We did catch more fish in the 15-20″ range.
A couple years back I spent some time watching the netting operation on Carcajeau Point.During the 2+ hours I was there many bins of live fish were placed in bins and driven away.At no time did I see any evidence of the presents of the DNR.One would think they would police such an operation with such an opportunity to take fish worth much more then carp.

Z-man,what about Red Wing? We fished Sunday.It was tough.A couple boats ran way up river and broke up shore ice.The river was therefore clogged with ice flowing down stream.The fish were not scattered through out the channel.They were in tiny spots which were often below the midst of an ice flow.Still,I’d rather fish then sit in front of the tube and waste 3 hours watching football(even while we lead the division).I have never winterized a boat so now I wait for a break in the weather and it’s off to pool#4.

Thanks for the kind words,guys.Tailpiping and crowding other anglers goes against my grain so I was really upset with myself when I learned I was the subject of an unsportsmen-like conduct discussion.
Z-man,half our limit was caught pitchin.It’s my favorite way to fish so that’s what I’m set up to do.All the fish were main channel orientated so vertical is probably a better method.We’ve been unable to establish a shallow water pattern in that stretch of river but we only fish it in the fall.Maybe one exists and we haven’t found it or it’s farther upstream or in the river leaving the lake.
Broadwaybob,what are you fishing out of?

I’m the owner of the Tuffy you had to work around.I’m sorry if I hindered your,or anyone elses, ability to drift down-stream.It as not my intention.I didn’t realize there was a problem.The crowd had thinned out and I thought all was OK.Next time I will be more considerate.I prefer to pitch jigs then fish vertically.While it might have appeared as such,I did not chuck jigs at passing boats as a move of defense or defience.Hundred of hours logged on the very busy Fox Chain in Il.has taught me boats traffic sometimes wakes up lethargic fish and triggers strikes.Again,sorry if I caused any problems or ruined a beautiful day on the water.It won’t happen again.I’ll pitch my jigs away from the crowd and go with the flow shoud I join the pack.