Boat
Enjoy a day on the water fishing in comfort. I am currently running a 2013 Lund Impact 1775 single console boat. 17'-9" long and 96" wide. Very comfortable and seats up to 4 people. It's powered by a nice, quiet 115 HP Mercury 4 stroke outboard. Minn Kota trolling motors on the bow and transom provide precise boat control while fishing. This has been an extremely versatile boat. Large enough to provide plenty of elbow room for fishing, yet small enough to be launched on some of my favorite smaller lakes that have difficult boat landings.
Electronics
Catching fish is often easy once they are located. Locating them is much easier with good electronics. I am currently utilizing a top of the line Humminbird Helix 10 Mega SI DI. The use of GPS, 2d color sonar, Down Imaging, and Side Imaging make our time on the water more efficient. If interested, I will gladly share my knowledge of sonar and GPS set up and interpretation.
On the left, 2d color sonar reveals a group of fish close to the bottom in about 22 feet of water. The screen on the right shows a map of the lake zoomed in to pinpoint our location with GPS.
Side Imaging reveals a man made sunken fish crib along an island shoreline. These structures often offer some great fishing once located. The crib is in the center of the zoomed area. The black line to the right of the crib are sonar "shadows" that give us an idea of how tall the structure is.
Side imaging reveals a group of sunken tires on the right side and a small sunken boat and fish crib on left. These images are obtained with sonar while moving, not with an underwater camera.
Down Imaging shows us this tree, submerged in 22 foot of water, with crappie scattered among it's branches.
It's time to drop a line!
Rods / Reels/ Tackle
I have a nice selection of quality rods, reels, and tackle on board that you are welcome to use. You are also welcome to bring your own, if you wish. I proudly feature high quality graphite rods from Lamiglas and St.Croix. Spinning reels by Shimano and Pflueger. Baitcasting reels by Lew's.
Most of my guided trips utilize techniques and baits that can be presented with spinning rods by casting. Typically using 6# to 10# monofilament line or a 10# braided "superline" with a fluorocarbon leader. This is a very versatile set up that is our workhorse. I can teach anyone to cast this setup in a few minutes...so no worries if you have no experience!
I am proficient with many techniques for Bass, Pike, and Musky that require the use of bait casting equipment utilizing level wind reels. If you are interested in learning how to use bait casting equipment I'd be glad to get you started.
Although motor trolling can be effective on our waters, I don't troll much anymore. There are special regulations to follow on many waters limiting a boat to 2 rods total. I prefer to keep the fishing experience more hands on, with you casting and detecting bites on your own. If you have physical
limitations and would prefer to troll it can be arranged.
Another nice musky landed on a medium action spinning rod using 8# monofilament line while fishing a Walleye jig. No, this doesn't happen every day, but often enough. Catching nice fish doesn't always require a stiff rod and heavy line. It's all about balancing your lure and bait size to a suitable rod/reel/line combination.