You could also Dremel a slot for a flat screwdriver

Maybe try a little PB Blaster.. 

My case doesn't even cover the charge port, haha.  I do rinse my phone with everything else after a saltwater trip, but usually don't take the case off for that.

I've seen rubber plugs for the charging hole, for various plug types. My camera lens is under the back glass on the phone, so I'm not too worried about that.

The speakers are probably the most vulnerable part, TBH.

I should also mention, I use a Google Pixel 6 - not exactly out a lot if I break it.  I think I spent more on my FF bundle than on my phone, haha.

I rig 1 J-hook by the noses and 1 treble by the belly near the rectum 

Hey Sonny, that's what I usually do too. What size hooks do you use? 

How are y'all rigging up large live baits? Thinking 12" size smelt, croakers, or macks.

Been talked about a lot - plenty of options out there for live bait setups. I usually use a three way with a spreader, about 12-15" dropper for the weight, and about a 3' leader to the nose of the bait.

Yesterday I used a some croakers, about 12" long, rigged on trap setups. 1/0 or so octopus hook for the nose, hard tied, about 10" or so from a #2 short shank treble.

One of the baits got absolutely shredded, in between the hooks. Had to be a ling - it gave that dead weight, then a dive or two to the bottom again, and then came off. I pulled the bait up and it had teeth marks 1/4" deep down both sides, right in the middle.

Not gonna guess as to how big it was - I never saw it - but it wasn't small. It left a rather large bite mark in a bait that was about 12 inches long.

How do you guys rig up to ensure that is a fish landed vs just a torn up bait? Should I just run bigger hooks?

Quote from: SpeedyStein on September 06, 2024, 06:31:23 AM

I wear these exact booties now, with my wetsuit. 7mil. No cold feet, ever!  If it is warm, but not too warm, I wear a 3 mil sock and Crocs.

Could just wear Crocs over the dry suit socks...

I should get a pair of Crocs to try, that would be dual purpose  . I also wear wool socks in the drysuit, my feet have never been cold.

Crocs are awesome! I have the All-Terrain Crocs, with little fish on them, haha. Real talk though, they are super comfy, and make great wet/dry shoes.

Quote from: Blue Jeans on September 03, 2024, 12:39:26 PM

Will glue the transducer inside the hull. It is a composite boat. Already have a Scotty mount for the head unit. Thanks for the recommendation. Cheap and available works great. Guess my only requirement is being able to plug in the way points for the 20 fathom line.

You need an SD card slot to easily import the 20-fathom line, which consists of 239 waypoints along the coast. You will import it as a trail.  You only need to manually input 2-3 waypoints for most fishing spots.
Paul

This is the downside of the cheap Garmin Striker 4 - no SD card slot. Need to manually enter everything, and even then it only shows up as waypoints, not as a line. Does anyone know if the CV version is different?

So far though, this hasn't been an issue for me. I really only fish Pacifica and very occasionally Capitola - you gotta go a long ways out to get deeper than about 70ft at either of those launches.


As for mounting the transducer in the hull - duct seal has worked very well for me. Holds in place very well, is removable if needed, and is cheap and easy.