Tomcat

Thanks guys - very helpful.

I would appreciate anyone providing me a web site address that permits the viewing of satellite images of Ontario and Quebec. Like many here, a group of us are scheduled for a trout fishing trip 25-27 April and we're concerned about whether or not ice will be off the lakes. Thanks in advance.

Hi Sean: Thanks for sharing your outing. Dinner looked scrumptious! Jay

I fished Ogascanan in late Sep 2000 for 4 days. Brad and Ginny are great hosts. Cabins were satisfactory and the lake has lots of structure. Bathymetric maps are avaiable for the lake. Its a beautiful spot to pass some time. Unfortunately, we didn't do very well because of very bad weather (cold, rain and 3 to 4 foot swells throughout the 4 days). The 2 hour drive into the lodge with our SUVs wasn't a problem in 2000. However, I fished Kiwissi in late Sep this year (traveled the same road) and the road was a slow drive even with SUVs. Recent trip reports from guys going to Ogascanan can be reviewed at http://www.kipawa.net/ Just do a search on Ogascanan

I'd personally recommend a Labrador Retriever. Due diligence will go a long ways towards ensuring you get the kind of dog you want.

Great roundup presentation for 2012 Drew. Thanks for sharing your passion. All the best in 2013.

Thanks so much Mike for sharing your trip with Bill down the Sutton. Awesome reading and viewing! I can only guess at the hours required to put such a story together - thanks for doing that.

Truly enjoyable!! Your story telling and pictures compliment one another wonderfully. Thanks for sharing another northern adventure Drew.

Another great report Mike. As a 70 year old fisherman, I feel quite lucky to be a member of this board and to be able to live wilderness adventures vicariously through your reports/videos. Thanks for sharing.

Great report (as usual) Mike. Outstanding spec pics too. Thanks for sharing.

Four of us are planning a walleye fishing trip into north western Quebec in late Sep. One place we're looking at is Camp Coucoushee on Lac Kikwissi. Does anyone have any relatively current information about the walleye fishing, the outfitters boats and motors as well as the accommodations? Thanks in advance.

I’ve followed this thread from its inception. And it has been a continual “Wow, do you believe how well this girl is coping what has been thrown her way”. Just outstanding!! I just had to express my sincerest gratitude for sharing this with the board. I’m in awe of the whole family!

My water bill includes a sewer surcharge (117% of charge for amount of water used) as well as a charge for water for fire supply (approx $5 for 2 months). In order to make our annual municipal tax increases more palatable, our municipal government transferred the charge for fire supply water from general taxes to individual water bills (more smoke and mirrors). My actual charge for water used is $1.32 per cubic meter (or $1.32 for every 264 US gallons).

After perusing this thread, I compared my typical average daily electricity consumption before the installation of a smart meter to my average daily consumption after installation of the smart meter. Guess I have to count myself lucky because my daily consumption has remained fairly constant. The only difference is what I pay for the juice. Consequently, we try to relegate high power usage activities to off peak times. For comparison sake with Billy Bob, my last 1 month heating bill (natural gas for a high efficiency furnace as well as for my hot water heater) was $71 (actual gas supply charge was only $28), last water bill for 2 months was $131 (actual water charge was $58) while my last electricity bill for 2 months was $160 (actual charge for electricity plus HST was $96).

Hi Lew: I've been wearing a Mustang inflatable PFD (model MD3153) since 2006. Similar to other comments, it's so comfortable to wear, you hardly know you have it on. That is the best thing about these inflatable PFDs and consequently, you wear your protection. I had to install my first re-arm kit this year ($65) (they are good for 5 years). The award-winning MD3153 Inflatable PFD with HIT (Hydrostatic Inflator Technology) is Mustang Survival's top-of-the-line inflatable PFD. Designed for serious users with exclusive technology that enhances safety and minimizes maintenance, this is our most popular inflatable PFD. The Hydrostatic Inflator Technology offers reliable inflation in a low maintenance design that will only automatically inflate when submerged in 4 or more inches of water and not inadvertently due to rain, spray or humidity. Exclusive to Mustang Survival in North America and maintenance-free for 5 years or until inflated. LeBaron's catalogue quotes a price of $225. LeBaron's price for Mustang model 3053 (different technology - auto bobbin activation) is $185 Regardless which model you end up with, I'm positive you'll be satisfied.

I have a 2007 15 HP four stroke Honda. I winterize it myself and store it on a stand in my unheated garage. In mid Aug, I put some fresh gas in the tank, got out the muffs and started her up. I ran it for 30 minutes to ensure I had burnt off the fogging oil that I had sprayed into the cylinders during winterization. Then I put in a new set of plugs for an upcoming fishing trip and ran it another 10 minutes. Transported the outboard in the back of my SUV for 8 hours to the fishing destination. Installed it on the outfitters boat and it wouldn't start. I checked the fuel line for a possible air lock - not the problem. I changed the fuel filter just in case - not the problem. I opened the carburetor drain screw and tried to push gas through the carburetor - could not. I concluded I had bought some dirty gas and the jets were plugged. Put my outboard back in my vehicle and rented an outboard for the week. Took my outboard to a local Honda dealer after I returned home. They called a couple of days later to say they couldn't find any problems. The mechanic checked the plugs and turned the engine over with the plugs out "to clear the cylinders". Can anyone please tell me what that means? He then hooked the fuel line up to new gas in the tank, checked the fuel filter and flushed the carburetor with gas (open drain screw and squeeze fuel line bulb). My outboard started first pull. The mechanic concluded I got some dirty gas in the little town before the outfitter destination. Anyone have any suggestions as to what else may have happened? Thanks in advance.

Couldn't agree more. I use a rechargeable 51 amp-hr deep cycle Gel cell battery to power my Lowrance HDS-7. I can get a week of fishing without requiring any recharging - pretty handy when there's no electricity available.

Before you buy a battery for your PiranhaMAX 160: 1. Establish what your battery power requirements are (i.e. do you want to be able to use your PiranhaMAX 160 for hours or for days without recharging or changing batteries); 2. Find out from Humminbird what the current draw per hour of operation is for the PiranhaMAX 160 Lets assume the current draw is 300 milliamps per hour. Then for 10 hours of operation in a day, you would require 3000 milliamps of power. If you were on a multi-day fishing trip, a 7 amp-hr battery (7000 milliamps) could run your PiranhaMAX 160 for approximately two 10 hour days. Connecting 8 D-cell batteries in series would provide the 12 volts required as well but with a capacity of approximately 12000 milliamps (almost 4 days of operation) for a lot less $ than the cost of the typical 7 amp-hr battery ($25).

Thanks for sharing Mike. Pictures and videos much appreciated. Great spot for your clan to spend some quality time together. Do you have any fall trips planned?

Great story telling and pictures that take the report over the top! Thanks Drew!

Another outstanding trip report complimented with great pics and videos. Certainly an added bonus was the 3 generations on the trip - and watching your two kids enjoying themselves so much - Wow. I've got two grandsons, 4 and 2. While I have to wait a little while before I can plan similar trips with them, I very much look forward to that time. Thanks for sharing the adventure Mike.

I bled walleye for the first time during a walleye trip a week ago. After catching and dispatching each walleye, I bled it for 20 minutes in a 5 gallon plastic pail half full of lake water. Then the walleye went into my cooler on ice until I got back to camp. My observations The eventual filleting process is definitely a lot less messy and the fillets are much whiter. We were unable to discern any noticeable taste difference with walleye not bled from the other boat.

Outstanding report and pics. Thanks for making the time to share the trips experiences on this forum.

Could not be happier for Jen, you and your family. Thanks for the updates.

Sure puts a broken spark plug in perspective. We'll keep Jen and your family in our thoughts and prayers this summer.