GreenwaterJon
Forum Replies Created
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Thanks for the report – I’m sort of stuck with departing from Eden Isles (at least for now – until I finally get the old trailer in roadworthy condition), but it’s helpful to know what kind of habitat the fish were in. Those are some gorgeous trout, but the way – hope I can find some tomorrow…
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Excellent report – thanks!
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Wow, awesome report! South Florida has some beautiful trout, too – remembering a snook/tarpon/permit trip out of Islamorada, fishing Florida Bay when our guide just stopped and started blind-casting a topwater – and got slammed on every cast, gorgeous trout, 18”-22”. Said he could smell them, not sure how that works, but the fish were there… Good to hear how the LAFB principles work elsewhere, too.
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No worries on the iOS app, boss… I’m an iPad and iPhone user, but am perfectly happy with this website. I don’t use Facebook, so wasn’t getting anything from the LAFB Elite community until you opened this excellent site. Can’t wait for the book! (I have some fishing buddies who really NEED some sort of rational system to help them catch more fish – still relying on what worked once before, a new magic lure, some vague – and often incorrect – advice from magazine articles, etc. I be happy to buy a few copies for them, and myself…)
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Thanks for posting this link. The LDWF comments seem credible, and don’t appear to be an easy “do nothing” decision-avoidance tactic, so I am now more optimistic for the year ahead.
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Time will tell – I will be doing catch-and-release, and will probably focus on outer coastal and offshore fishing this summer…
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Welcome, Roy!
I’m Jon, live in Eden Isle and probably fish the same general areas – glad to have you here…
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The Ulterra seems like a fiendishly complex machine, and Minn Kota doesn’t have an ‘official’ belt replacement procedure for owners. (They REALLY want you to go to one of their Authorized Dealers or Service Centers, who undoubtedly do have a written procedure from the manufacturer). As a result, there is some crazy stuff on the internet on this topic. One dude took the lift actuator assembly COMPLETELY APART, and spent 15 minutes of video time trying to get it all back together. Another guy cut the control head wiring, removed the head and pulled the lift actuator completely off the motor shaft – for no obvious reason. A third guy did a three-minute video on how he STAPLES the broken belts back together.
Anyway, I got it fixed – and the lift mechanism runs smoother and more quietly than it ever has. I did this without removing the control head, opening any sealed assemblies, or touching any wiring. I didn’t have to remove anything from the unit apart from a few screws. The whole process took about an hour, but I’m confident I could do it in 30 minutes next time. Please feel free to contact me if anyone ever breaks a belt and wants some input on how to get it going again…
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I had a look at the Bates reels online. They do appear to be very good in terms of design and materials, but the price point is about $150 above what I was expecting. If you do get one, I’m sure we’d all be very interested in a review…
For what it’s worth, I converted from Curado to TranX about three years ago and am extremely pleased with them. The Curados are outstanding reels (I had a couple of the original Curado-B series, one DSV, and three Curado E-series reels), but the TranX have better cast controls, a somewhat better drag, and are the most saltwater-proof inshore reels I’ve ever owned. I have the TranX 150, two TeamX 200s, and one TranX 300…
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Thanks Devin,
I appreciate the report. All the little East Biloxi Marsh throwbacks swarming the outer bays this summer are coming in for the winter, evidently – I fish the Biloxi Marsh often, and have caught very few keepers all year. I do love this area, though – my trolling motor belt should arrive today, so hopefully I may give it a try soon myself – probably in the far northwest Malheureux Point area, just because it’s usually much less crowded…
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Welcome!
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Wow!
So – I hadn’t planned to fish, but left Eden Isles (at the crack of 11:15 am) on Wednesday for the same reason; light winds, clear skies, huge outgoing tide, etc.… I followed a boat out onto the lake and saw that they were off to fish the bridges, and wondered about that as I turned east toward The Rigolets. There were some great catches on the bridges back around Thanksgiving, but I figured the trout had surely moved on by now – and then I saw my water temperature gauge reading 62-63 degrees, about the same as Thanksgiving week, and started to second-guess that idea. I had a fairly good day – boated 14 specks and a few white trout, caught a 19” hammer on the very first cast, scouted out some new spots – but now I’m kicking myself for turning left instead of right coming out of Eden Isles. Congratulations on a truly epic trip!!!
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Well, I have my son in town who wants to go and we’ve had a couple days of warmer weather, so I’m planning to start in the Eden Isle canals, then some of other nearby winter refuge spots – Lakeshore Estates, Salt Bayou, the Treasure Isle lagoon, Geoghegan Canal, etc. We are expecting N to NE winds tomorrow – 5-10 mph, not too strong, but maybe enough to drop water levels and move some redfish from the ponds into the little bayous that drain them. I may try that later in the day, will report back soon.
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Thanks Devin. Yes, this is exactly the reason I originally ordered the boat with the Terrova model, which does everything the Ulterra does – except the auto-deploy and stow, but won’t leave you wondering how to get the thing back onto the mount when it inevitably breaks… However, I gave in to the desire for convenience and this is the price to pay, I guess. The maintenance for the Ulterra is time-consuming, also – clean and lubricate the belt every trip, grease the ends of the pivot pins, check the little actuator switches, etc. – I’ve done all that, but even so, you STILL face the possibility of mechanical breakage. I also carry a fairly large collection of spare parts and keep the emergency stow procedures always close at hand. I appreciate the link, and just finished ordering the replacement belt from Northland Marine, so that has been helpful, thanks!
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Yes, the boat lives on a lift out behind the house, so my fishing trips all begin and end at my back door and I’m limited to fishing areas that can be reached from Eden Isles. (This is still a huge area, and I have made journeys up to 170 miles round-trip in the summer, but these are very draining – both physically and financially…) I hope to have my trailer back in road-worthy condition by springtime and expand my horizons in 2025.
On the other point, if I DID somehow outfish you on this one single day, it’s honestly only because of what I’ve learned from you. When I returned to Louisiana a couple of years ago I considered myself a good angler. I had decades of experience with bass fishing and with both inshore and offshore saltwater fishing. I was very good at the craft: casting, knots and rigging, lure selection, presentation techniques, boat handling and navigation, all that stuff. I also had some knowledge of fish habitats and behavior. But I had no idea how to use the various information resources to put together a trip plan, only a vague understanding of the life cycle of trout and redfish, didn’t really understand how seasonal changes affected them, was always mystified by tides and currents in the marsh, etc. In other words, I didn’t know what I didn’t know… Thank you for showing me how all the pieces fit together. I know it has helped me catch more fish, and is more satisfying to approach fishing from a basis of knowledge and understanding.
