Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2018 Some pics from the past 2 weeks. Trip had ups & downs with tons...TONS of rain, and the worst part was the lower unit of my motor locking up on me on the 2nd day of the trip. You have no idea how hard it is to row a 1000lb boat against a 2.5mph current 1/2 mile until you have to do it by yourself one night So only had the boat for two days of fishing on this trip. Was bummed about that because I was gonna have Bryon come up to fish with me as well as my buddy Mark but that wasn't in the cards this year. Good thing is I have been fishing the Au Sable for over 40 yrs now so I at least know where to go for spots wading in to get nice fish with the two handed spey rod which makes longer casts from thick bankside wading easier to still get fish on the fly. Just took a lot more hours of work to get them though. Lots more pics to come later still. First one is the big fish of the trip, a 20" smallie. Lots more pics to come as I get a chance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2018 NICE !!! Sorry to hear about the gear case problem. Are you going to attempt to fix it yourself? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2018 I'm considering doing it myself Mike. I know taking it to a marina would probably run a good $1200-$1500 or more so I'm thinking about just dropping it down and seeing what gear/shafts are screwed up and replacing them myself. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave G. 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2018 That really sucks about the boat. Nice smallies though ! You reminded me to check my outboards lower unit oil before we leave for Maine next month. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2018 Yep check them often. I actually checked mine very recently and it was full. I'm thinking a seal must have just went though and leaked it out quickly or something. Nothing worse than flying full throttle 50mph and all the sudden having it lock up, felt like someone jammed on the brakes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave G. 0 Report post Posted July 27, 2018 Yep check them often. I actually checked mine very recently and it was full. I'm thinking a seal must have just went though and leaked it out quickly or something. Nothing worse than flying full throttle 50mph and all the sudden having it lock up, felt like someone jammed on the brakes! You just never know with boats, tough environment. We bring a kicker motor with us to Maine though, the lake is too big and rivers too rocky. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spiralspey 0 Report post Posted July 28, 2018 Nice smallies, I bet they put a big bend in your two hander. Rain, what rain? It looks awfully sunny in most of those pics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bryon Anderson 0 Report post Posted July 28, 2018 Beautiful smallies! Such a bummer about your boat -- I hope you're able to get it back up and running without it costing you too dearly. Bummer, too, that we didn't get to fish together as planned, but there's always next year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 Did you get a chance to look at the boat/gearcase, yet? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 Steve ... if you see this, when you pull the drain plug on the gear case ... you've got problems! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted August 2, 2018 That's actually exactly what I had Mike, shavings on the magnetic plug. Haven't had a chance to touch the boat yet, been so busy working 12hrs days in the shop trying to get caught back up on rod orders. Probably have a few weeks of 10-12hrs days till I am able to get back caught up enough to do anything. Haven't had a chance to upload anymore pics either. Finally got a few more here, there's more to come when I get time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave G. 0 Report post Posted August 2, 2018 Steve, maybe you can pick up a unit with a destroyed power head but good lower unit for some sort of reasonable money. Especially if it's off season by the time you can get to it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted August 2, 2018 Yeah if I do it myself I don't plan to rebuild the case I have. I'd just get a good shape used one offline. Been looking and found a number of complete and tested units for it that range from about $500-$700 range. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave G. 0 Report post Posted August 2, 2018 That sounds fairly reasonable as marine stuff goes LOL. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted August 3, 2018 Not bad considering. I know for sure if I were to take it to a marina it would be a minimum of $1200-$1500 most likely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites