David Chong

I've been playing with the Daiwa Zillion for a couple months now, feels awesome! Can't wait to burn some spinnerbaits with it! Cheers, Dave

Cisco, great points and that's one of the reason why we work with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization! Many of these kids come from single parent households! And everyone is right, it's not about shoving fishing down every kids throat but it's about providing them an opportunity to at least experience it so that they can decide if it's for them or not! CTFO, great ideas, we're actually working on some projects along that line! It's all a matter of getting government or corporate support! JPD, Kudos on the kids' ice-fishing days! Competitiveness is part of human nature & nature, period! At what level is again an individual choice! We'll have the boat on the water soon! Cheers! Dave

Frank, You know my take on kids & fishing! We have to take every opportunity to take a kid fishing! Especially kids who would normally not have a chance to do so! That's the reason that I organize an event every year on opening day up in Orillia, the Fish Hard! Dream Big!-Big Brothers/Big Sisters "Take A Kid Fishing" Day! We arrange for a group of tournament anglers/TV hosts to take Big & Little matches from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization out for 4 hours of fishing. The kids get to come in and weigh in a fish just like the pros do, it can be a perch, bass, pike, rock bass whatever, we have prizes for all categories! If you could see the smiles on these kids' faces, it's amazing, they love it! We also make sure that we send everyone of them home with their own Daiwa fishing outfir and a whack of tackle so that hopefully they keep going fishing! Extreme Angler TV will be out to film this year's event so watch for it next season! As for the competitive issue, every child is different, not everyone is a Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky or Kevin Van Dam. If a child enjoys the competitive side of the sport then encourage him/her and nuture that interest! If not oh well, the great thing about fishing is that you can enjoy it on whatever level you wish. In a canoe, in a river, on shore, in a tin boat or in a high-powered bass boat, each to their own! We're all anglers, here there's no point in judging others because it's not the way you enjoy fishing! Some on the hottest young anglers on the tournament trail these days started when they were very young, Barry Graves, Laura Bates, Cory Johnston and his youngerr borther Chris just to mention a few! If you're lucky enough to be a pare,nt there is absolutely no better way to spend quality time with your child then fishing! It is the best! We as adults sometimes get too wrapped up in the pressures of everyday life that we forget to stop and catch the odd fish here & there! Fishing and competitive fishing is going to change drastically over the next few years in Canada! We have the Bass Pro Shops in Vaughan, there is a Cabela's opening in Montreal we now have the WOW factor! WFN is going to provide a lot more media coverage, it is a exciting time to be an angler, competitive or not! The best thing that we can do is support each other as fellow anglers! We'll see you on the water soon! Dave

Nice Trip! The Cabela's in Dundee is great been there a few times! Good choice on that 997c SI unit! You'll love the side imaging! Cheers, Dave

Spiderwire Stealth on my baitcasters & Fireline on my spinning outfits! Looking forward to trying the new Spiderwire Ultracast, apparently it is virtually impossible to get a wind knot with it! Cheers, Dave

Granted, sometimes it's the luck of the draw! Competing against and knowing most of the guys on CFT Super Series tour, I can tell you that there are not many slouches! The competition gets tougher everyday and I think that your chances of not learning anything is somewhere between slim & none! Somedays, you might learn what not to do as much as what to do! We look forward to seeing anyone who has any interest in competitive fishing on the tour this summer! Cheers, Dave

I have one of each combo and can't describe to you how incredible they feel! They feel so good that you almost don't want to get used to handling equipment that fine! The baitcasting outfit weighs 9oz., yes that's both the rod & the reel! I can't wait to throw a jig all day long with this combo my elbow going to be thanking me big time! Cheers, Dave

Steez is a (new to North America) Daiwa rod & reel line-up! Un-believable equipment but not for the light in the budget crowd. The baitcaster has a magnesium body & weighs in at an incredible 5.5 ozs. No problem casting with these all day! Check them out on the Daiwa site! http://www.daiwa.com/ Cheers, Dave

Hi Minnow, Daiwa are available thru BPS & Cabela's down in the States but I find with most reels that you are better off buying up here! They are available at BPS-Vaughan, LeBaron's, JB's Fishing Depot, Rock'n Reel etc. No one can argue with Shimano's service, it is definitely top-notch. Daiwa is working on it's repair issues hopefully there will be an annoucement soon! Cheers, Dave

The Stradic & Energy are both good reels. I've own & used them all at some point! Daiwa as far as I'm concerned makes the best spinning reels. Do yourself a favour and have a look at the new Daiwa Tierra! They sell for around $129.99 mark phenomenal reel! Unbelievable for the $$$ Eight bearings including CRBB's, Digigear design, Air Bail, Sealed water-proof drag system & Twist-Buster line twist reduction. It also includes a spare aluminum spool! BTW, nobody makes a better drag system than Daiwa! My 2 cents, Dave

This was on the way to blast-off at a Everstart event on Vermillion Lake in Minnesota!

I've had them on various vehicles and not on others! Never had a problem with the vehicles that had them, had a couple of close calls on the ones that didn't. Not sure if the whistles were the difference but for the cost of them why not? I have them on my current vehicle! Dave

Absolutely phenomenal! All class acts! Kudos to all involved! Again as stated by other members, please let us know if there is anything else the rest of us could do! Regards, Dave

D, unfortunately, we're located in North York at Yonge & Finch! We do passports in 5-10 mins. If there are any other OFC members who are in our area and need a passport, please mention the site and we'll give you a special price! It has been absolutely crazy with all the new regs. Thanks, Dave

Great cause, my friend! Happy to be a small part of it! Bass Talk 2007 will also help kick start this year's program with hopefully a larger donation than last year even! Cheers, Dave

Ohiofisherman, You're absolutely right about those baits, I used to use a lot of Poe's crankbaits and maybe 1 in 10 was magic. Another thing about Lucky Crafts is that virtually everyone is the same out of the package so your odds have just gone up! If you look at the engineering of some of the Japanese baits there are some great features such as sliding weight system to give extra distance to your cast and also to help the bait start diving quicker. Lucky Craft jerkbaits have a balancer built-in which causes the bait to roll/rock side to side when stopped sometimes this can be the triggering mechanisms when the bite is tough! When the fish are on you could probably throw a popsicle stick with hooks on it and catch fish, oh that would be Suick!LOL Good luck! Dave

Rapalas are great lures, always have caught fish and will always catch fish! I started fishing Lucky Crafts about 10 years ago and have won a lot of money over the years using them. Are they worth the money? Each individual has to answer that for himself. What I like about them is the fit & finish, the consistency, the action and oblviously the fact that they catch big fish! It would be similar to comparing a Japanese vehicle to a domestic vehicle. They both get you from point A to point B, but you're going to pay more for the Japanese vehicle. There are always people who are Chevy, Ford, Toyota or Honda people. It's something each person should figure out for themselves. The Lucky Crafts are on sale at BPS during the Spring Classic so it's a good time to get one and try it for yourself. Cheers, Dave

Either the 797 or the 997 would be a great unit! I like the size of the screen on the 997 and can take the new Navionics Platinum Cards! Are you in sourhwestern Ontario? If so check out Joslyn at Angling Outfitters in Woodstock 519-539-5494 for some great pricing! Cheers, Dave

I've lived in Thornhill for over 20 years and have had a 17-21' boat parked in my driveway for probably 18 years. None of my neighbours have never commented on it. If there is a by-law then I think that the only time that they would act on it is if you had a complaint! Good luck! Dave

Jeremy, There are all kinds of quality baitcasters out there, check out what BPS might have at their Spring Classic! Remember probably the most important side of baitcasting is in the set up! Get your reel set up properly and it will be a much more enjoyable experience! Dave

Nautifish, No problem! BTW great voice! Cheers, Dave

Davis, You're absolutely right! Hope that all goes well for your son! The Hospital for Sick Kids has always been one of my favourite charities! Dave

WAY TO GO! I've always loved and admired raptors and birds of prey! I hope that he/she recovers! GOOD JOB! BE A HERO! Cheers, Dave

Sirfish, Depends on whether you need the additional things that the S9000 will provide for you! 1/ 9.0 Mega-pixel. Better if you're planning on poster size prints or you crop tightly often! 2/ 35mm equivalent 28mm-300mm 10.7X Optical zoom More wide angle less at top end better for landscapes/senics! 3/ Tilting 2" LCD display. Useful for shooting in unusual positions or over people! 4/ Use of xD or CF cards. Versitility, CF generally less expensive and available in larger capacities. These are the biggest differences! Fujis generally are great value for the money! Hope that this helps! Dave

Nautifish, Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have and whenever you decide on what's best for you we'll see if we can help you out! Lots of web sites with reviews out there! Cheers, Dave