Fishing Michigan

If you you like to spool braid on your walleye and salmon reels at home, here is a little trick to help you get the job done.  An important factor in using linecounter reels is that  you have the same amount of line on each reel.  That way if you are using (for example) all crawler harnesses for your trolling spread and one rod continues to go off consistently you can adjust all the other reels to the same depth with confidence that they are going to be the same.

In my case I was spooling two reels up during the ballgame today, and I wanted to split a 300 yd spool of 40 lb Power Pro between them.  Key here is to convert the number of yards you want to put on, to feet.  So 150 yds, comes to 450 feet of braid.  

Attach the braid to the spool with a piece of tape, set the counter to 000, start spooling until the counter reaches 550 ft on the counter.  Then attach your mono backing, in this case I had a spool of 15 lb Big Game left over from last season.  Use a double uni, or back to back uni knot to attach the two lines.  The bigger the line that you use, the less you have to put on, thus its cheaper to do.

Once the line is attached, reset the counter back to the three zeroes and start reeling.  Fill the spool the rest of the way with the monofilament and keep track on the counter when you have finished.  Once you are done,  fill your second reel by tying off the mono to the spool, and use the first reel as your filler spool.

Now, you go back and fill your first spool again.  This time you know exactly how much mono to put on.  When you reach that mark on the counter, attach the braid, and see how close you come to emptying out the spool of braid.  You are either dead on, or will just have a few feet left over.

Inge is still my Tiger, Cabrera will be worth the investment, Ol’ Gene in the 3rd base coaches box still has to work on sending players, and Leyland still needs to develop a hook with his pitchers.

Inge had a helluva throw from center to nail a guy at home, Cabrera had a homer, Maggs gets thrown out at home, and the pitchers seemed to stay in just a little too long.  One thing I noticed last year, and it seems like the trend is going to continue this year is that Leyland used his “closer” in the ninth inning during tied games.  Granted Bauptisa pitched a heck of game for an inning and 2/3 rds, but why call Jones your closer if you don’t save him for close situations.

Final thoughts, nothing like a good “Chicago style” chili dog  on opening day and its so early in the season, I will cringe tonight listening to ESPN, but its just the first game.  Good things ahead if the bullpen comes together.

For as long as I can remember my heroes on any Detroit Tigers team, always played 3rd base.  It wasn’t because it was the position I played, I caught in little league.  It all started with one player, the original A-Rod, and maybe the Tigers first everyday Latin player.

When I was a kid during the early 1970’s Al Kaline’s career was ending, and so were the seasons of those magic teams of McClain, Northrup, Stormin’ Norman Cash, Gates Brown and Jim Stanley.  My Tigers, to borrow a phrase of the present day promo’s, were Willie Horton, Tommy Verizer, John Hiller, the Bird and of course Aurelio Rodrequez at 3 rd base.  I think it was because I have always identified with those go to work type athletes who beat all the odds and just stand up straight and play the game “the right way”.  Who better than Aurelio who looked like he had a brand new glove for every game?  I found out later that he applied black shoe polish to give it the new glove look.  As a grown man in his late 30’s I cried a bit when he died tragically while sitting down to a meal in Mexian Village by an out of control car a few years ago.

Although I had never seen him play,  I even liked Geogre Kell as an announcer on the television over Mr. Tiger himself, Al Kaline.  I respect Kaline beyond belief, and even got to see him play as a child, but Kell always had my attention.  Maybe it was the Arkansas drawl,  or the way he talked about his family and revered his wife,  cannot explain it.  No offense to Mario and Rod, or Paul and Ernie, but these guys were my announcers.

As the mid 1970’s passed and Ralph Houk was replaced by Sparky Anderson, a little chaw chewing 3rd bagger was recommended to the big club by then minor league manager, Jim Leyland.  Tommy Brookens is just one of those guys who had a so so bat, and it seemed like every year the club brought someone new in to take his place in the lineup.  Every year number 16 took his place at the corner.  I am so glad that he is with the organization again and managing in the minor leagues, wouldn’t be great if and when Leyland steps down, that it is Brookens who takes his place?

As the 80’s slipped away,  Travis Fryman slid into place in the position.  With maybe the best arm on the throw to first in the organization’s long storied history (tied with Inge at least),  he played on a team of heroes.  I admit, the teams were forgettable, and besides Fryman, I can really only think of Mickey Tettleton and Cecil Fielder who were on those teams.  Wait, that little guy…Tony something, number #4 I think,  Tony the Tiger,  see…I forgot his last name.  This was also the heyday for collecting cards, anyone need a Fryman rookie card?  Or Upper Deck first year?  All told I have about 200 or so.

What was the organization thinking letting that guy go?  To bring in the much injured Dean Palmer, who got the same amount of money Travis was asking for?  I’ll never eat Domino’s pizza again, thanks Tom.  To let him go to Cleveland just made it worse.

I admit, after that I kind of quit watching the Tiggers for a while,  then Alan Trammel came back to the club, along with Lance Parish and Kirk Gibson.  Its a shame Mr. Illich was not spending his “dough” back then, those guys deserved better.  I thought it very fitting that Jim Leyland paid “Tram” the tribute of setting the stage for these  players and their success back in 2006.  Trammel started it,  but Brandon Inge is still my Tiger, even though he’s not at 3 rd anymore, but he will be in centerfield in a few hours.  The guy did it all and do not even start with all the errors.  Just because the guy went after balls that no other player at that position could reach, a few of them had to be just out of his reach where he still got leather on the ball.  How many highlights over the past few years did we watch of Inge diving into a camera pit, dugout or front row to get a ball going foul?  I freely admit to the batting average not being there,  to the frustration of some of those awful swings for a 3rd strike.  Maybe it was the 22 yrs of futile teams, and the magic of 2006, but this is not the same player at the plate.  Hopefully he stays with the team, would much rather have him with us, than against us stealing hits.

Miguel Cabrera starts today in less than two hours.  Must admit that my enthusiasm isn’t there for this player, maybe its because it meant the end of Inge at 3rd, maybe its because I never saw him play down the road for the Mudhens in Toledo.  I know the guy is going to play well for this club, too many people who know better than me, say its true.

Just maybe in October, there will be another bonfire in the backyard after an Ida football game.  Maybe the same guys like Mero, Woelmer, Lassey, Whitaker, Golembieski and Meyers will be there watching the game on TV.  Maybe there will be cheers so loud that the neighbors turn on their lights to see whats going, just like when Chet Lemon made a catch over the fence back in 1984.  We’ll be a bit older, 24 yrs later,  I won’t have a pulled “leg” muscle all wrapped up after playing Blissfield and just maybe I will have a new Tiger at 3rd to cheer for.

Its time, got the dogs ready, for Opening Day.