All Activity

Ohhh I could use some of those come May 1st!

Oh god, I can attest to that, 10 incher's would make a excellent meal, those were the days.

In the mid to late 80s we would fish Simcoe specifically for those smelts. Some of them were dandies! And TASTY! Doug

Rick, that was an unfair TEASER! 😉 How about some details? Doug

So I jumped in with both feet and bought this just now on ebay. Yes it's a lot but it was the best dollar value per pound that I could find.

There is no fast and easy answer. Most importantly which Etec engine... Many of the 1st gen engines were actually very good and there are many on the water with lots of working hours logged and minimal problems. These engines are actually very economical to operate. They require a 3 year or 300 hour service but other than that all you need is good fuel and Etec XD-100 oil. However there are some that were not great and had problems. As with all outboards proper rigging is critical for good reliable operation. Particularly fuel delivery and electrical systems. Correct propping is also very important because these engines do not like to be lugging or to be over reved they need to run in the reccomended RPM range at wide open throttle which is necessary for any outboard but critical on these Etec's. My 1st advice is make sure your getting a really good deal on that boat with the Etec. Even though it might be a really good engine you need to treat this as a super low value engine they all have very poor resale or trade in values and as such you shouldn't pay much for it. There are some really good buys on Etec powered boats because those engines are not in demand or very desirable. In other words buy the boat and trailer then pay a low amount for the engine leaving enough room for you to consider budgeting for a repower down the road if this Etec doesn't work out. The second piece of advice is to make sure you have a good marine tech or mechanic that is experienced in servicing and maintaining that engine. They are not difficult or complicated but there are not many that like to work on them. Personally I have had good luck with mine but I do my own work on them. There are problems with all makes in terms of getting certain parts but overall original Etec parts can be a bit more challenging and in some cases it might take a while to get. Hope that helps a bit.

A big feed of smelts is always great

I could not get parts for my 2003 9.9 evinirude, so I could not have it charge my battery so I bought the lesser stator so it would run and I sold it

I read Red Fisher's book and it was quite entertaining. My uncle worked for Mercury motors and he would have to keep getting new motors for him because he would damage them on sholes. They eventually had to tell Red that he needs to stop damaging the motors or they would have to pull their sponsorship or something like that.

Any members here run a evinrude etec? Looking at a new to me boat and found one that I like. It has a late model evinrude etec. I’ve always owned mercury 2 strokes and never had a problem. I understand evinrude is no longer in production but brp will continue to make parts for them. Just looking for opinions on the etec.

You're making me hungry Brian. It's been a long time since I had a fresh smelt from Simcoe....or anywhere for that matter.

Big Trout bait can be good eating too. Ya done well.

😆 Yesterday was my first outing on the ice here . Lots of bait, no whities . Was getting lots of tag hits on my larger blood worm for whities, so this morning, I tied up some smaller ones for the high hook . They worked great. Just enough bait to chow down on for a lunch snack. So so scrumptious 😋 20250125_082331.mp4

Yes it was a great day. I ended up with 37, thanks to you donating many decent fish to my pail. I froze 6 meal portions for us and it was perfect timing because our freezer was down to our last bag of fish. My version of the Simcoe bugs where definitely a hit with the perch yesterday. As I told you since I started using them 30 plus years ago, I always have 1 rod rigged with a bug when I'm chasing perch on Simcoe. Good luck Cliff at making bugs like the one I gave you to copy. They are very easy and fun to make. I hope we can hook up again this season to enjoy another day on the hard water.

Had an unexpected opportunity to hit Simco yesterday, turned out CPH was planning on getting out for the day and we were able to hook up. What a great day, we did really well, no idea how many fish we caught but it was plenty. I only kept 10 nice sized perch and 2 herring. I'm not sure how many Steve took home but his pail was a lot heavier than mine. I started off with some of my favorite go to presentations while Steve used some of his own creations, both were catching fish but I can tell you that artificial out caught live bait. So now I plan on spending today making some more grubs for future trips. it's always so satisfying when you catch fish on the artificial baits. We talked to other fishermen in the area, and from all accounts, we did significantly better than most that relied mostly on minnows! So in summary: a great day fishing with great company, some new lessons learned and a nice feed of fish, how can you ask for better than that😊

I have purchased beef tallow from a store out by my cottage called All Canada BBQ in Kingston. Not cheap...about $30 for 2lbs, but I strain and re-use several times. I've also found it in some independent butcher shops. Also, If you know someone in the food/restaurant business they can order it wholesale from Sysco. However, as Smitty says, it's relatively easy to make your own. Nothing beats fish & chips fried in beef tallow. The french fries are incomparable to using any other fat or oil.

A friend owns 3 McDonald's franchise's in Oakville. In Canada, McDonald's only uses Canadian potatoes. The insecticide "Montitor" is not approved in Canada. McDonald's certainly isn't "health food" but the ingredients they use aren't as bad as lot of these social media posts would have you believe.

First go at pickled walleye

I get the suet trimmings from the meat dept for my bird feeders all the time and I'm going to start rendering them down in a slow cooker and filtering them for my tallow. I see women on line now selling their grass fed, triple rendered, double whipped tallow for skin creams now. Technically suet was always considered to be the hard fat from around the kidneys but that has expanded to be any hard fat on the animal from the organs ,loins and brisket. Your best bet might be to talk to your local butcher and see what he does with his trimmings. Wouldn't surprise with the growing popularity of tallow that meat cutters start charging for it. On a FB smoking meat group I'm in many of them slather their cuts of meat with tallow and then wrap them to keep the meat from drying and and keeping it tender.They mostly get their fat from trimming whole briskets. EDIT: Speaking of MacDonalds fries this came through my feed yesterday. You'll never want to eat them again. https://www.facebook.com/docofdetox/videos/2784759428362371

I totally agree with you on animal fats . I failed to mention that my deep fryer for the last two decades has been only Lard, I'd love to try Tallow but I've not ever seen it on my go to store shelves (anyone know of a source?). As for Bacon fat, who in their right mind would ever throw that away.

Totally agree about seed oils, my feeds have been loaded with articles about the inflammatory damage they do to the body. I don't use any of them. Olive oil, Avocado oil. coconut oil, butter, ghee and animal fats like tallow and lard are the only ones recommended to use anymore, they are actually what our bodies are meant to use. Stay away from refined oils containing omega 6 fatty acids that have been linked to inflammation, heart disease and obesity. Again it all boils down to the almighty dollar as cheap super refined oils like canola that was originally used as a machinery lubricant have invaded everything we eat, even supposedly healthy whole grain breads. Until 1985 Macdonalds used tallow for all their fries and then cheap seed/vegetable oils were used and they had to add all sorts of other ingredients to try and improve the flavour but they never could match it. I save all my bacon fat for frying along with butter and I'm going to start making my own tallow. I take a tbs of olive oil in my daily morning shot along with 1tbs of ACV, 1tbs pure lemon juice, 1/2 tsp raw honey and 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper. The oil also helps with the fat soluble vitamins D, E and K I take each morning.

That is way more than just a "nice permit" holy moly

Oh man !!! love the Pics and updates !!!!! 100% this Saltwater game is addictive lol! Already online scouting off the grid saltwater locations for next year .

I've been to Cozumel twice...both times fished a day with Nacho, and then DIY on the North Beach. March and April are good months to go anywhere in the Caribbean for fishing. Cold fronts (and wind) don't creep down that far south any longer, and temps aren't ridiculously steamy yet. Enjoyed Cozumel, however I keep getting drawn back to Belize...quantity and quality of fish, variety of species, and unlimited DIY. Probably the best place on the planet if Permit are on your bucket list. I also find the atmosphere a lot more chill (no big all-inclusive resorts) and the people super friendly... My nephew with nice Permit from last winter...

Yes I've been out with Nacho but mainly the son now Alberto the last few trips down. Turned into a good friend and we keep in touch year round. He has a fishing trip wish to go for steelhead so we've been talking the last year or so. Last trip was 4 hours on the flats with spinning gear and we quite at noon after too many bonefish and small cuberra's to count and then spent the afternoon drifting the north end beaches. Tons of jacks and bonefish in the surf and had at least 4-5 shots at permit. They left me heartbroken and then my son catches a3 lber at the end of the day blind casting. Can't wait to go back maybe in March as the winds Dec-Feb are nasty