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Leah and I took her guest into town today to get her on her way home. Lakeland's houseboats were coming in at the same time and while wishing our guest a safe drive home I kept looking at this guy on the street beside his jeep and boat on a trailer and he at me. He finally said "Wayne?" and walked over. Chris took the high road, shook my hand and apologized for the nonsense that the two of us got into a few years ago and I reciprocated and thanked him for same. A great but short meet up, but was good morning as life is way too damn short for grudges!

Went to fire up the big chief and it kept blowing the GFI. Not sure what was up with that. Could not see anything wrong. Off to wally world for a single burner. Dang,marked down from 39 to 14 bucks. Home and in it goes. I really like the way it put a good heat and I can control it. The only thing is,it has a temp shut off or something. Once I figured it out,it was all good.

My plan was to wake up,tie half an order then hit the river for a fish and get me a silver smoker. Then home prep and finish the order. I could not have scripted this any better 😆 I am happy ,customer order out.

Nice zz top pics.

Too far for the OP but if anyone in the Kawartha area needs repairs for Shimano fishing products they have a repair facility in Peterboro just off the 115. I've dealt with them several times and their service is 2nd to none.

thanks for the info on Kenny's. Aikmans is a real PITA to get to. Is there anything up towards barrie?

For sure, the Lexa is a great option as well. One of my favs is the Revo Winch LP that i've had for almost 10yrs but I'm not sure if its made any longer. The point is that a good solid mid-line reel is all you need. That and a good seasonal maintenance plan and you're good to go.

$70 USD.. yikkes but now i gotta get one.

I’m gonna tell you outright, any reel you buy, make sure it has a power handle. I tried without and gave up basically immediately. crow and bill, check out the diawa/nishine Bessie it’s a musky sized spy bait made by as you know one of the best lure makers on the planet

Not sure what price you can find an Abu 7000 for (seems to me about $300 cdn) but this Daiwa is a good deal imo for the same price, and will be easier to cast with. MagForce casting controls and low profile. Will do everything you want for many years to come... Curado 300 is also a good option if you prefer Shimano...it will be a little "lighter duty" than a 400 series reel. Tranx is the ultimate Shimano Musky reel but that's a hefty jump in price I'm smiling at your comment "the last Muskie outfit I buy"....I have a basement full of fishing gear that at one time I bought because I thought it was "good enough"... but of course something shinier, flashier with better technology came along (and I had more disposable income) and now it sits gathering dust...was the "good enough" a wise investment...hmmm...in hindsight maybe not...but that's me

The reel I primarily used for casting large spinnerbaits was a Calcutta TE 400 and with a power handle on it and it absolutely does make a huge distance.

Longer rods will cast further, are easier to work baits (jerk and glide), provise more leverage to drive big hooks home, and are easier to do a figure 8 at the boat.. 8'6" is probably the most preferred length. Keep in mind they're almost exclusively one piece...in terms of transporting. There are a few with a telescopic butt section. One of the advantages of a low profile reel like a Curado or Lexa, compared to a round reel like the Abu 7000 or Calcutta is the balance and comfort in your hand...lower centre of gravity and weight. If you're mostly trolling...no big deal...But if you're casting all day, there is a difference. Make sure you try them in your hand before buying. Many folks also prefer a single power handle (as opposed to twin paddles) for more cranking power.

If you find yourself down Hamilton way "Kenny's Reel Repair" can fix you up while you wait.

Abu 7001. It will do it all.

Aikman's in Mississauga

Here's a wire soldering tip that's useful for every joint, but especially handy for hard to reach joints. Use a technique called the Western Union splice. Look it up on Google. Wire joint is mechanically locked together before soldering so as long as you can get the iron in there you can solder it. You don't need to hold it as it won't come apart. With a bunch of practice and a couple of burns you can solder a joint with one hand, upside down in the underside of a dashboard as you lay in filth. Boy I miss being in the trade, lol. I will also add that the Western Splice also leaves a very smooth easy to shrink tube joint. Not a big ugly blob.

Don't cut off your old plug straight across. Stagger the wires so you don't end up with a big clump of splices all in once place. Cut the green wire 2" from the plug, the yellow one 3".. brown one 4" and the white one longer than that. Do the opposite with your new plug and this way your trailer harness won't end up looking like a python that just ate a gazelle.