Doctrt

When you're running batteries like I do (like most don't) in high winds, run pretty much constantly, from 5 am to 9 pm, output is everything. Typical deep cycle batteries just can't stand up to this type of use. If I can spend a hundred dollars more and be sure that it's going to push my boat when I need it to, I think that's money well spent. Thanks for all the responses guys. T

The Costco in Ajax doesn't even have the Kirkland deep cycles in yet.

I'll have to check Costco. Thanks guys.

Hey Guys, I'm looking for an Optima (1125 mca, 900 cca, 75 ah, 155 rc). I need a second one for my 24v trolling motor and the Nautilus batteries just aren't cutting it. I've found that the one Optima I do have holds a charge for a very long time. Any suggestions on where in the eastern GTA I can find them would be appreciated. I know the have them at BPS but I'm located in Whitby so the further east the better (btw, none at Sail). Furthermore any suggestions for comparable batteries would also be great. Thanks guys. Tim

Thanks Fisher. I sent you a pm.

Hi Guys, I'm heading to Jamaica for some fun in the the sun and I always like to do some fishing when I get away to these places. I've fished Mexico, DR, and Cuba before from shore (with limited success), and I usually go out on a charter (where I've always had good luck). I'll be staying at the Gran Bahai Principe in Runaway Bay. I know there have been similar posts in the past, but I'm looking for advice/info that is recent or specific to this spot. As always, thanks in advance. Tim

Thanks for the info Art. Have you heard anything about the Massanutten?

Hey Guys and Gals, This weekend, I'll be taking the family for a trip to Virginia. We'll be staying at the Woodstone resort at Massanutten. I don't know much about the resort or the area as far as fishing is concerned, though I do know there are quite a few rivers in the area. I believe the main ones are the Shanendoa and Beaver Creek. Any info regarding the fishing in the area or the resort itself would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Tim

Any ice left around the edges? Or should we being a dinghy?!?

Heading up tomorrow with a few buddies to do some laker fishing on lake Joseph. In the past we've had good days, great days and the odd poor day. I was just wondering if anyone has been up there lately, and if so, how has it been thus far? Thanks in advance. Tim

Thanks to everyone for the responses. Lots of great info. I'm leaning towards the Sierra 1500 with the crewcab but lots of good things have been said about the F150. I have heard some negatives about both the 4.8 302 in the gmc as well as the body of the Fords. I'm not sure if anyone can confirm these rumors or not. I don't pull a big boat so I don't need to oversize the engine. That being said I do like the 4x4 in the trucks and I don't think I'll ever go back. Fuel economy is important but I'm coming from an 8 yr old Trailblazer so it can't get much worse and it looks as though it's a wash between the GM and the Ford. Thanks again for all the great info and I'll keep you up to date on my progress. T

My trailblazer has just about had it so I'm looking to buy a new truck this year. I'm focussing on the Sierra 1500 crewcab, as well as the Dodge Ram and F150 in the same class. I'm assuming prices may come down towards the summer as the 2012s come out. I'm hoping incentives improve like they did last year. I've got two small children and do a lot of fishing, trailering a small boat. I figured this would be a great place for advice. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Stern Rules! Bababooey! Now available on your IPhone!

Hey Carol. Hope all is well. I use a 12 v sealed lead acid battery to run my fishfinder and GPS. They're very inexpensive (30$) and more than do the job. They're easily charged with a homemade charger (use an old 12v. cell phone wall charger with a very low amperage). For your trolling motor, I would recommend an Optima. I've heard great things about them and I'm in the process of getting one. You'll pay a little more but you won't have to change them every few seasons. One thing I can tell you is the charger is very important. Since I changed to a devoted onboard smart charger, my batteries do much better than they did with the old motomaster. Good Luck. T

Anyone????

Hey guys. I was thinking of renting a camper and taking the fam (1 and 4 yrs old girls) camping for a few days in August. Do any of you have favorite provincial parks? Keep in mind, I'd like to fish but with the camper on the back, the boat stays home. My first thought was Elora Gorge (Browns on the fly), but do you guys have any other ideas? Camper rental recommendations would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance. T

Update- Well, I think I've taken this boat as far as she's gonna sail. I've hardwired everything together, soldering and heat shrinking all connections (green, yellow, brown and white) on the truck side. What I'm left with is working signals, running lights and still only the left brake light coming on. I've actually solved the problem with the brake + right turn resulting in the left turn signal coming on by doing this. In fact I did notice both brake lights coming on properly but only for a minute. It's clear now that the ground on the truck is faulty somewhere along the line, but grounding directly to the truck frame didn't solve the problem. I think this is as far as I'm gonna go, but I still welcome any suggestions. Thanks again for all the help. T

This is what I have. I've actually isolated this from the 7 wires upstream of the RV plug. Like I said, the three wires (blue, red and light green) are not used. When I plug the other 4 into the LED tester I get a good left turn, a good right turn and good running lights (back and orange/side). The problem is when I hit the brakes, I get only left brake light - on the tester as well as the trailer, so the problem has to be in the vehicle. Is it possible that the front end of the ground could be as corroded as the back end was, or did I eliminate this as a possibility by grounding directly to the vehicle and getting the same result? I like the idea of the fuses. I've only checked fuses under the hood. I'll have to look and see if there are any more under the seats or dash. Still confused, but I appreciate all the suggestions. Thanks again, Tim

Hey Guys, Hopefully someone can help me with this because I'm about to pull my hair out. Let me start out by saying I think the problem is in my vehicle (an '03 Trailblazer) and not the trailer itself. I've grounded all the lights properly directly to the frame (ground away the paint) as I know this is usually the problem. I went to Princess Auto and picked up a trailer light (four way plug) tester. After bipassing the entire 7way hookup (RV) and going straight to the wires upstream of the harness I solved some of my problems but here's what I'm left with. Right signal - fine. Left signal - fine. Running lights - fine. Brakes - only left side goes bright. Further to that, when I press the brakes with the right turn signal on the left turn signal blinks. Now to me this sounds like a grounding issue as it doesn't make a lot of sense but the ground wire is clean and even when I connect it directly to the frame of the truck, I get the same result. One more trip to princess auto, and I get a 5 to 4 way converter hopefully will solve my problem but I'm not sure what to connect the fifth (red) wire to. I do have a thick red wire on the truck left although I think this is auxillary power. I also have a thin green wire - back up lamps and a thick blue - trailer brakes. At this point I'm very confused. Please help!!

Thanks for the help Vin. I did what you said and you were right, it was pretty obvious what my problem was, a small plastic piece on the back of the cord wheel was ripped to shreds. I assume this is what engages the fly-wheel, but I'm not sure why it was damaged. Nonetheless, does anyone know where or how I can get a replacement part for this Strikemaster Auger? Or better yet, does anyone know how to avoid this problem in the future? Thanks again. T

Just ran my new Strikemaster Magnum up at the bog. Two holes, no problem. Shut er down for a few minutes and decided I wanted the holes a little closer together. When I went to start it up again, the pull cord had no resistance. I pressed the decomp button on every pull and everything seemed fine, but now it seems that the pull cord isn't engaging the rest of the motor. Any ideas?? Help Please!! BTW fishing was slow other than a few good sized Crappies. Thanks in advance. T

Happy New Years to everyone! I'll be heading to Puerto Plata on Sunday and I'd like to try my hand at some fishing while I'm down there. I was in Cuba a few years back, but I didn't have much success at catching anything bigger than my hand. I hope to get into some Baracuda or something similar if possible. Has anyone had any success at fishing there from shore? If so, what should I be using? I'll also consider doing a charter if I get really desperate. I'm staying at the Riu Mambo. Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. T

I got the greenlight on a new power auger for x-mas. Now I just have to find one. Any leads on good brands or deals. I saw the one in the BPS flyer but not really impressed with the price. Thanks in advance. T

We bring our fish up very slowly and the all swim away stong.

Anyone having luck with good size pics in the deeper water of Stoney? 50-80 ft. Gonna try sunday if my cold settles down. Sometimes its like shooting fish in a barrell (50-100 fish days) . Ice fishing lures tipped or just vert jig raps. Burliegh is good, as is hurrican pt, if the winds cooporate. Lastly, yellow triangle by elephant rock. With all that info I hope to get a report. They may not be there yet. Hope to hear back. T