*ebijack-  Please Welcome our host tonight RALPH MUCCILLI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*ebijack-  clap clap clap
*river king mi-  welcome ralph
*Jenn_WI-  welcome ralph
*Driftr-  Welcome Ralph !!!!!
*Driftr-  Welcome Ralph !!!!!
*Driftr-  clap clap clap
*Ralph Muccilli-  Hello and welcome to my 6th attempt at being a cyber angler
*Jenn_WI-  lol
*Ralph Muccilli-  So what do you wanna talk about tonight?
*ebijack-  ralph, i read your new article on walleye central about
fishing shallow, how did you find the mind set to fish that shallow
*Ralph Muccilli-  I guess it's a throw back from, gulp, Bassin
*Jenn_WI-  how shallow, what type of water?
*Ralph Muccilli-  And, walleyes on Bago can be really shallow, that
was my first experience with 1 foot of water
*Ralph Muccilli-  The article Ebi mentions is on my pro page, river backwaters
*ebijack-  ralph, ( good article in the walleye central mag too!)
*Ralph Muccilli-  Thanks Tom
*ebijack-  ralph, how often will you spend time fishing water that
shallow when others ARE catching fish deeper
*Ralph Muccilli-  The article is titled Skinny water and Tradin Paint
*Ralph Muccilli-  If the fish are there, you know pretty quick Tom,
the hard part is knowing when to leave them
*Jenn_WI-  where's your fav . water in wisconsin ralph......and why..
*Ralph Muccilli-  I think having faith in your presentation and
some history with shallow water helps
*ebijack-  ralph, do you try trolling a shallow/deep pattern to
check that water out?
*Ralph Muccilli-  Fox River in Green Bay, Lots of quality fish to
catch in my favorite ways
*Jenn_WI-  and what are you fav. Ways
*Ralph Muccilli-  Jigging and casting to the fish, shallower water.
*Ralph Muccilli-  But trolling bite can be very hot too
*Jenn_WI-  oh do you mean at de pere?
*Ralph Muccilli-  I will troll an area as I scout it for the first
time, I like to move to find fish then key on them when I do find them
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yes, From Depere out to the mouth
*Jenn_WI-  ok....got it then...
*Ralph Muccilli-  I spend relatively little time at the dam
*ebijack-  ralph, what are some of the first things you do before
reaching a lake for a tourney
*Jenn_WI-  what tourn. are you in now ralph
*Ralph Muccilli-  Pour over all the maps and fishing reports I can find
*fisherman-  Ralph do you troll the shallows while looking 
*Ralph Muccilli-  Right now I am keeping an eye on the bite up at
Little bay de Noc via, e mail, message boards and phone calls
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yes I do fisherman, as much as I like to cast and
Jig, you gotta cover water to find them
*ebijack-  ralph, are finding walleyecentral to help you in your
contacts for tourney waters
*Ralph Muccilli-  If the fish are scattered all over a flat,
trolling will usually fit the bill
*Ralph Muccilli-  I have found lots of usefull info and met many
great contacts here
*ebijack-  ralph, who are your sponsors
*Ralph Muccilli-  I also want to point out ,I use the same approach
when out for fun
*ebijack-  and how much time do you spend working on new sponsors
and time working for sponsors you have now
*Ralph Muccilli-  Ranger Boats, Mercury, Bayshore Resort In
Gladstone, UP Prop repair, Bait Rigs, Car Quest in Escanaba,
M*W Marine In Hales Corners WI
*ebijack-  what boat are you running ralph..620?
*Ralph Muccilli-  Lowrance Electronics, Big Jon Trolling Sysytems
*Ralph Muccilli-  I think I got them all,
*fisherman-  Ralph did these sponsors seek you out or was it the
other way around
*Ralph Muccilli-  I run the 620 with a 225 Opti on the back
*Ralph Muccilli-  I pretty much was friends with them all first,
and I perused all of them. I believe in all the products I represent
*ebijack-  that's good to hear ralph
*Ralph Muccilli-  Max brought in Car Quest, and I met Pat that way
*Dan (MI)-  Bait Rigs has great stuff Ralph
*Ralph Muccilli-  I am very pleased to be on their team and friends
with Joe and Tony
*Ralph Muccilli-  I have known them since they started
*Jenn_WI-  what's carquest....
*ebijack-  ralph, do you travel much to do shows?
*Ralph Muccilli-  Auto Parts stores, they are a nationwide chain,
but I am affiliated with the Escanaba store
*Ralph Muccilli-  I get my boat Batteries there, among other things
*Jenn_WI-  cool
*Ralph Muccilli-  I travel some Tom, but have a busy schedule, next
year however...
*ebijack-  ralph, do you have any plans on fishing more or other curcuits?
*Ralph Muccilli-  I am sort of semi retiring next year, from full
curcuit competition
*Ralph Muccilli-  I want to fish a few different sanctioned events
on new waters
*ebijack-  ralph, you going to write more articles than fish tourney's?
*Ralph Muccilli-  I am still gonna be around though
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yes thats the plan, also looking into a couple of
book ideas etc
*fisherman-  Ralph what circuits are you doing this year?
*Ralph Muccilli-  gotta take some time to find another good partner
*ebijack-  ralph, how many years have you been fishing the mwc
*Ralph Muccilli-  I am doing the MWC this year, it is my 11th year
*Jenn_WI-  holy cow 11 years
*ebijack-  father time of the mwc eh ralph...:)
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yeah, I figured out I am one of the longest
running fisherman on the circuit
*Jenn_WI-  have they changed locations much ralph
*Ralph Muccilli-  Not yet
*Ralph Muccilli-  There is talk of divisions and new water next year though
*Jenn_WI-  might be diff. next year
*ebijack-  ralph, what's the best thing to come to tourney fishing
since you've started
*Jenn_WI-  yep we talked of that at the last advisory council meeting
*Ralph Muccilli-  Oh Jeez, let me think
*Ralph Muccilli-  Probably the advancements in the boats
*Ralph Muccilli-  When I started I had a 16 foot glass boat with a
50 on it and everyone thought that was a big motor
*Ralph Muccilli-  There has been so much though, techniques, lures
and on and on
*ebijack-  ralph, do you think you'd ever go back to a non- console boat?
*Ralph Muccilli-  I contemplated real hard over the 617 in the
tiller model, nice boat
*ebijack-  what made your final decision ralph
*Jenn_WI-  don't ya think tiller has its advantages sometimes?
*Ralph Muccilli-  But there is so much room in the 620 and the 619,
that the space of the consoles has no bearing anymore
*Ralph Muccilli-  Besides, I gotta run the big boy! 
*Ralph Muccilli-  LOL
*ebijack-  :)
*Jenn_WI-  lol
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yes, I think tillers do have advantages, such as backtrolling
*Ralph Muccilli-  I also have a rule, My tow vehicle cannot cost
more than the boat!!!!!LOL
*Jenn_WI-  lol
*ebijack-  ralph, how do you try to handle a tourney day when the
wind whips up above 30 mph
*Ralph Muccilli-  Hide behind an island........tee hee
*Jenn_WI-  lol
*ebijack-  :)
*Ralph Muccilli-  Actually , I try to use the wind to my favor, if at all possible
*ebijack-  well, fishing greenbay, i know you must have a back up plan
*Ralph Muccilli-  As a case in point, last year at little bay, the
wind was real hard out of the north and we had 6 to 8 footers
out at Driscoll
*Jenn_WI-  really
*Ralph Muccilli-  If the wind was out of the south, I would not
have gone out there
*ebijack-  ralph, do you put out socks and drift?
*Jenn_WI-  and so what did you do in 6 to 8 out there
*Ralph Muccilli-  Too rough to have fun in or fish real effectively
*Jenn_WI-  is that the one a boat went under in
*Ralph Muccilli-  We trolled with the wind and caught small fish,
we should have stayed up at Black bottom or the river mouth
and put five solid fish in the boat
*Ralph Muccilli-  Well, I did, until I lost the darn thing last
sept, gotta get a new one
*Jenn_WI-  lol
*Ralph Muccilli-  That is a good point though Tom, you have to be
able to fish effectively, and I have a big enough boat that I
can do that if I have to
*ebijack-  ralph, do you prefer to find a river to fish in than a
lake..bad weather or not?
*Ralph Muccilli-  If I could pick only one place to fish the rest
of my life, I would probably pick a river
*ebijack-  because.......
*Ralph Muccilli-  lot's of reasons, I like the lay of the land, the
methods I love work well all year, I think I understand them
better than open water fish
*ebijack-  ralph, do you prefer a mudline in a river or clear water
*Ralph Muccilli-  Even when the weather turns ugly there is always
some protected water to fish, that holds fish
*Ralph Muccilli-  I like slightly stained rivers best
*Ralph Muccilli-  More for the ability to conceal me from the fish
and the fish have more ability to move about
*ebijack-  ralph, do you ever anchor in a river or only use your
electric trolling motor
*Ralph Muccilli-  I anchor on certain situations, but prefer to
hunt from the bow
*Ralph Muccilli-  I am more comfortable up there and really want to
keep my boat, exactly where I want it
*ebijack-  ralph, how do you use your electronics in shallow water
*Ralph Muccilli-  If it is someplace I know, I just watch the
depth, in clear water, I dont even turn the depth finder on
*Ralph Muccilli-  When on the bow that is
*Jenn_WI-  ralph do you ever fish the lakes around waukesha
*Ralph Muccilli-  I have also found the GPS on the bow of my boat
very effective on big water or when drifting
*Jenn_WI-  do you have gps at console and bow?
*ebijack-  ralph, do you also prefer a high resolution lcr on the
front as well as the console
*Ralph Muccilli-  Cut my teeth there Jenn Waukesha and East Troy areas
*Ralph Muccilli-  I have an X-85 on the dash and a 160 GPS and the
160 GPS on the bow
*Ralph Muccilli-  I will probably add an X-85 up front next year too
*ebijack-  ralph, do you believe you need higher than 400 watts for
shallow water?
*Ralph Muccilli-  The 160 has the equivalent of an X-65 built in
and I find it adequate on the bow, but would still prefer
higher resolution and power there too
*Ralph Muccilli-  Not for shallow water Ebi, but i work from the
bow over mud flats and such too, weeds are another area where
you want a little more power
*ebijack-  ralph, how do you adjust your lowrance to read fish in the weeds
*Ralph Muccilli-  Have I missed anyone so far?
*ebijack-  don't think so ralph
*Roy G (PA)-  you are doin a great job ralph....
*Ralph Muccilli-  Honestly, most of the time I simply turn it on,
however there are times when a will go into manual and mess with it
*Ralph Muccilli-  If I am looking through the weeds, it is nice to
be able to dial in the locator
*ebijack-  ralph, were you ever a flasher guy vs being a lcd guy?
*Jenn_WI-  what do you mean ralph
*Ralph Muccilli-  Same with deep water, dirty water of fish sitting
REeeeeaaaal tight to the bottom or a drop off
*Jenn_WI-  do you mean zoom in or adjust something or? ..in those cases
*Ralph Muccilli-  Sometimes the fish will be buried down in the
weeds, in the sparse roots, and it is kinda cool tom look for them
*Ralph Muccilli-  Mostly, when the weeds are real thick, it is hard
to get an accurate bottom reading
*ebijack-  did you cut your teeth on a flasher and find it hard to
switch to a lcd
*Richard-  I currently have a Lawrance LMS 650 A
*Ralph Muccilli-  Sometimes finding that patch of bottom that is a
little harder than all the rest is the key to finding the fish
*Ralph Muccilli-  Very hard tom, this is my first boat without a
flasher of any sort
*Ralph Muccilli-  My last boat had two flashers and a Stand alone GPS
*slickster-  Ralph, Im 15 what would be a GPS you would suggest to me?? 
*Ralph Muccilli-  Jenn, I will adjust the sensitivity, gain, etc as
needed. I also will be zoomed in at least 2x when looking for
eyes on structure
*Jenn_WI-  ok i have to play w/ that adjusting more and learn that better
*Jenn_WI- 
*Ralph Muccilli-  Hey slickster, I would probably recommend a hand
held to start out with, unless you plan to only use it on a boat
*Richard-  anyone ever use Leadcore line ?
*Jenn_WI-  just when in the boat w/ someone once richard...don't
know it really
*Richard-  OK
*slickster-  any specific brand??
*Ralph Muccilli-  I have used leadcore from time to time, with mixed results
*Richard-  I am going to try it this weekend.
*Ralph Muccilli-  Lowrance or eagle are my recommendations
*slickster-  does eagle make lowrance??
*Richard-  I believe Lowrance makes Eagle
*slickster-  ok
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yes, Eagle is basically the entry level
technology/brand and is more user friendly to newcomers
*slickster-  i knew it was one of those
*slickster-  does anyone know if eage/lowrance has a website??
*ebijack-  lowrance.com
*Ralph Muccilli-  I run about a 10 foot leader usually with
straight lead and a little longer with spliced
*Jenn_WI-  that is how you're supposed to use that powerpro slickster
*Jenn_WI-  mostly mono then powerpro after it has that on it
*Richard-  does a person need to run a leader Z?, or just break out
some lead, and tie it to a swivel ?
*Ralph Muccilli-  I suppose you could run it that way, but If you
are in clear water, the line will show up like steel cable would
*Airwave(OH)-  The leader keeps the action in the bait I feel
*Ralph Muccilli-  I would agree there too airwave
*slickster-  ok i will explain my question better
*Richard-  what type of leader do you run ?, and do you run it tied
directly to the end of the line - 
*Ralph Muccilli-  I use Trilene 10lb XT for a leader and tie right
to the lead if I am splicing it in
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yes you can slickster
*Jenn_WI-  yes but you don't need to fill the whole spool w/ powerpro
*Richard-  I use powerpro slickster, and have never had a problem
destroying the eyes with it.
*Ralph Muccilli-  However, you may want to back the spool with
mono, about 1/2 and then tie in your power pro
*slickster-  will it wear out my eyes on my rod?? i have a Fenwick
EagleGT
*ebijack-  are there any more questions for our host tonight?
*Ralph Muccilli-  Your rod should be just fine
*slickster-  ok
*Jenn_WI-  thanks ralph
*Airwave(OH)-  I agree Ralph -no trouble with guides
*Ralph Muccilli-  The problems with the guides were on much older
or really cheap rods
*slickster-  thanks for the info guys. i should back it up with
mono though right??
*ebijack-  great job ralph!!!!!
*DonP (Mi)-  Good luck this year Ralph.
*Richard-  Ralph....., do you use a backer on the spool with leadcore ?
*Ralph Muccilli-  No slickster, I mean the 19.95 combo from the
local discount store
*ebijack-  I'd like to thank our hots tonight RALPH MUCCILLI !!!!!!!!!!!!
*Jenn_WI-  see ya in a couple weeks ralph....gotta run
*slickster-  thanks for the info ralph
*Driftr-  Thanks Ralph
*Ralph Muccilli-  Yes Richard
*Richard-  OK.
*Ralph Muccilli-  Thanks again for having me
*Driftr-  clap clap clap!!!!!!
*Roy G (PA)-  thanks ralph...for your time and knowledge
*ebijack-  thanks ralph!
*Ralph Muccilli-  Slickster, keep an eye on the message boards here
and post as many questions as you like, you'll be amazed at
all the help you'll get