ChadMillerFishing.com

Welcome to Chad Miller Fishing!

A new year is upon us and I am anxiously awaiting the ice to come of to get back out on the water.  Be sure to ceck out the site throughout the Spring as I will continue to update a few of the projects I am working on in the offseason.

UnderSee Explorer

This year I will be working with William Burlison who engineered the UnderSee Explorer products.  Originally they were designed for Oil and Gas exploration companies who needed an underwater mapping product to explore the ocean bottom.  William is also a sport fisherman and realized that this simple mapping software could be used all over the country for fisherman.  In my experience, most of the larger more fished lakes have good mapping already produced.  But I fish a lot of smaller lakes.....and I always wanted a way to produce a map of my own to use when fishing these lakes.  UnderSee Explorer is the answer and I am very excited to begin using it this year.  Take a moment and chekc it out!

UnderSee Explorer

2012 Offseason Projects-Prop Selection

This past year I did a lot of experimenting and research with different props to determine which prop I should be running.  As many of you know, I run a 620 Ranger powered with a 225 V-Max 2 stroke engine.  As I evaluated the performance of the boat, I took into consideration what I feel are the key points: Elevation, RPM's, Speed, Control (Venting), and Hole Shot.  My goal was to improve the performance in most of these areas.  

In the past, I have run either a 21" or 23" prop on the motor depending on what elevation I was operating in.  Back in the Midwest, where elevations were almost always below 3,000 feet, I could get away with the 23" prop.  I like to run my engine so that at max speed, I am running about 5600 RPM's.  The 23" prop would run at 5500 RPM's so this gave me the most speed whithout over working the engine.  The downside to the 23" prop was the hole shot....it dogged a bit getting up on plane and would sometimes vent on sharp corners. With the fishing I was doing, speed was my number 1 concern so the 23" prop was the ideal set up.

When I brought the boat back out to Salt Lakce City, the performance changed drastically.  Because we are at 4500 feet in elevation, the most RPM's I could get out of my V-Max was 4800, which as many of you know is no-mans-land for these engines.  Even when I moved down to a 21" prop, I still didn't feel I was getting the best performance as the RPM's at max speed would run around 5300 to 5400.  My best option was to drop down all the way to a 19" prop.  With this change I was able to get my RPM's back up to 5600 and realized the additional benefits of a better hole shot, better control, and no venting.  The downside is that my top end speed dropped a few miles and hour.  Because the benefits far outweigh the decline in speed, I will stick with the 19" prop here in Utah.  One side note, I went with the 4 blade versus the typical three blade on the 19" prop.  It seems that the bite and control of the 4 blade was much better.  When doing any type of recreational activities (pulling a tube or skis), this bigger engine had to get to a higher speed to plane out.  The 4 blade prop allows me to plane at a much lower speed allowing for a much more enjoyable, and less scary experience.  

Prop selection is not an exact science and I would still advise everyone to test the props on your particular set up to determine which one is best for you and your fishing style.  When testing, load one or two people in the boat, all of your gear, and run on a full tank of gas.  This will give the most accurate "feel" for how your prop is going to perform.  Also, time your hole shot three times and average these times together to get the best number for a comparison.  Do the same and run from 0 to 30mph, and also run at top speed to se where your RPM's are running.  If you do this, you will almost certainly find the right prop for your rig and be much happier with your boat's performance.

Chad Miller Custom Rods

Looking for the perfect walleye rod?  You've come to the right place!  I spent years testing equipment and never was able to find that series of rods to meet the stringent demands and unpredictable conditions of walleye fishing.  Frustration and a desire to improve my own techniques inspired me to design my own line of custom rods that complement each unique situation encounted by walleye fishermen.  This year I am releasing a line of 10 foot rods I have been field testing for pulling bottom bouncers for walleye and they have quickly become my favorite rod to use. Be sure to check them out!  Chad Miller Custom Rods

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