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Simcoe whities snatch this blood worm tie. I run it 18" up from my bottom bait.

Well I made the jump into LiFEP04 batteries after smothering myself with information. I think I have a learned a few things I can pass along to the average fisherman who is in the market for new batteries for their trolling motor or house battery setup. First off - Yes I know Dakota Lithium seem to be the standard in fishing... there is also Battleborn, Relion, and Millertech which are all high end batteries all over $1000 CDN. I would assume there is a reason these batteries are 3X the price of some reputable budget brands, but for me those aren't really options. Probably has something to do with cell grade (which is a whole other can of worms). There is also middle of the road companies such as Amped, or Ionic who also get great reviews but are in the $6-700 range I narrowed down my list to 3 brands who all get good reviews across several fishing and off-grid forums as well as Youtube which are all approximately in the same price range - $400ish AOLithium Power Queen Li time These brands seem to keep rising to the top of budget category. My first choice was AOlithium with built in Bluetooth connectivity but they are currently sold out and I am impulsive. So I went with the Power Queen 12V 100ah on sale at the time for $319 a piece. Bluetooth connectivity to monitor battery capacity was important for me though as when a Lithium battery dies it dies and not being able to re-deploy an Ulterra trolling motor is an issue. So I bought a device made by a company called Victron call a smart shunt. The devices monitors your battery system and its health. Whether its 12, 24, or 36 volts. You have all sort of historical data such as number of cycles, average charging amperage, average ah draw, etc. Not necessary in all scenrio's but more info the better imo. Another option the Power Queen batteries do not have but others do (Li Time Trolling motor edition) is low temp charging cut off. These batteries do not like being charged when its below 0C and it can ruin the battery. So if your boat is outside all fishing season, this is something to consider. LiFEP04 batteries are more like mini computers then a conventional battery. Inside they have a BMS (Battery management system) which is essentially a brain that will protect the battery from over charging, over current, shorting (no more welding wrenches), high temp, and low temp by shutting the battery off if it senses any of these issues. So with that in mind... they can also be a bit more finicky than a standard Lead Acid or AGM battery. They also make 24 and 36 volt single batteries instead of wiring multiple batteries in series. Lots of pro's and con's there to read about. My setup is a 24 volt system for the Ulterra and then a house battery for all of the electronics. I decided to go with 2 100ah group size 31 in series for the trolling motor and then a mini 100ah house battery as I have a compartment size constraint. My 4th battery will stay a standard AGM starting battery for the motor. They do make LifeP04 starting batteries but they are expensive and there are not many companies that make them at this time. Out - 2 group size 31 Nautilus XD AGM's - 103ah - 71lbs each 1 Group size 24 Nautilus XD AGM - 79ah - 60lbs In - 2 group size 31 LiFEP04's - 100ah - 25lbs each 1 Group size 24(ish) LiFEP04 - 100ah - 19lbs Current price to purchase - AGM batteries - $1701 plus tax LiFEP04 - $1157 plus tax My AGM's lasted 8 years and still have life left so I was able to sell them. I have no complaints about those batteries... made heavy duty.... but that is a 133lb weight savings, 15ah gain, and over $500 cost savings. Will they Power Queens last 8 years? Jury is out on that as there are no long term reviews on these types of batteries. They claim they will, but we will see. Lastly are chargers - Multi bank chargers with the a Lithium setting work great. I opted to go with a 24 volt onboard charger as cell balancing may be better across both batteries when in series. Again this is something I will monitor. Below are a couple of pictures.. wiring will be cleaned up a bit but wanted to make sure everything is in working order. Trolling motor setup with charger and smart shunt House battery compartment Smart Shunt app main page Hope this helps Cheers BM

I grew up cottaging there. Can't put a number between 1-10 to it as in your youth catching is a blast. Haven't fished it in a few decades now. However I still have family there and they really enjoy the boating.... And yes they fish...

Lots of great deals happening the next few days Don't miss out! https://grimsbytackle.com/blogs/news/big-spring-sale-wed-march-20-sat-march-23

Like I said...a head scratcher. My 100a AOLithiums came with Bluetooth built-in, BMS and use "Class A" cells. 8 year warranty. Currently sell for $399. The 100a Dakota, 11 year warranty. Currently sell for $943. $544 for 3 more years of warranty ?? I'll buy another AOLithium after 8 years and still be ahead. Is there something I'm missing in the Dakota technology ? Is it just because Dakota spends a lot on marketing, like sponsoring the pro Bass tours ? Anyone with an explanation ?

The mangy Canines have taken over from the Raccoons in my neighborhood. At least the Coons were nocturnal, so if you put your garbage out in the morning it was usually safe. The Coyotes make their rounds during the day ahead of the garbage truck, making a mess curbside....and yes it's illegal to discharge a firearm within the town limits.

Another Ontario right of passage growing up. Whether it was L Ontario, Simcoe, Huron, Niagara R. it was the same drill. The only thing was the fights that broke out over someone crowding their spot.

Only tried smelt fishing once many years ago at the mouth of the Rouge River under the railway bridge...got lots and spent half the rest of the night cutting the heads off with a pair of scissors and running my thumbnail up the belly to remove the guts...I bought them ever since...I think they were from Georgian Bay...Bigger and tastier !

40 odd years ago we were fishing the Whitby pier when my Dad tripped over something and fell in the lake. It was a cold night so he was wearing a heavy coat and darned near drowned before we were able to pull him out. He had dry clothes in the car but he'd lost his wallet when he fell and we couldn't find it in the dark water. Probably an hour later another fisherman scooped it up with his net and came looking for Dad and returned the wallet with everything still intact. I've always remembered the honesty of that guy.

LMAO, The good ole days. Hours spent cleaning, and it wasn't just mudder. We all pitched in. No sleep til they were cleaned,bagged and in the freezer. Thank goodness it was only a one night affair.

The local Centra store has frozen bags of them. I have seen bigger shiners then whats in those bags.

When I was a kid my dad took me to Parry Sound for smelt, there was so many you could barely lift the net out. Later a buddy and I smelted Simcoe near Brechin, we had to work it but usually got a bucket or two. Now both locations have no smelt. What has happened the smelt? Where can you get smelt now?