eye-tracker

Take a look at the lenses and what you want to shoot in the future. Camera bodies come and go, but your investment in lenses will keep you tied to manufacturer for a very long time. Also try to purchase full frame lenses as the trend in digital SLR is full frame sensors and I figure in the next 2 to 3 years Canon and Nikon will have all their cameras equipped with full frame sensors. I have been shooting full frame digital SLR for years as I came over from the 35mm crowd and had a huge investment in Canon L Series lenses. I also recommend a beginners camera class in Digital SLR so you have an idea of what all the functions are on a SLR camera. If you use only auto functions you are better off saving your money and staying with a point and shoot digital as SLR cameras will take out of focus or very shallow depth of field images if you do not understand the mechanics of photography. Happy shooting! -sheldon

I use to fill a sketch book a week, but now I spend most of my time sketching on the computer with Sketchbook Pro and a Wacom Cintiq 12WX tablet. Wish I had the time to draw... -sheldon

The new HDS line have many new features and a built-in broadband sounder so in many situations you are actually saving when you consider the cost of an external broadband sounder. HDS units will need a software patch that allows the Navionics charts to work. It takes time for Navionics and their hardware partners to develop and test a solution for new innovate technologies. Everyone that uses a computer has to download and install updates as technologies, features and hardware change. Many of the GPS and Sonar units today are no different than a computer. I am glad a company like Lowrance allows me to continually update my units as they offer software enhancements that provide me with better fishing features. -sheldon

The HDS units should arrive in Canada some time in February. I will be running the HDS big screen units this season so I am looking forward to all the great HDS features. -sheldon

As you can tell from the following post I like my Lowrance Sonar and GPS units. I need a sonar that can quickly tell me what fish and bait are doing bellow my boat, I find that Lowrance has a excellent product that shows everything in the water column. I love the fact I can run at 55mph and mark bait-fish and set way-points on my sonar screen to later pass back over the fish trolling. When jigging up walleye with their belly on bottom the Lowrance also gives excellent target separation and in my opinion has one of the best transducers on the market. Here is a screen shot (I record all my sonar logs SD card every trip out to play back later at home and take notes etc.) from Bay of Quinte when others around me where marking very few fish because they had their Lowrance noise reduction turned on, sensitivity turn down or had another manufacturers product. As you can see in the image the active feeding fish is the horizontal line that is moving with the boat... Also Lowrance just released their new HDS units yesterday that have built in Broadband Sounder and High Definition mapping, so for more information visit High Definition System If you have any questions about Lowrance HDS or the present units just send me a pm and I can answer your questions. Happy shopping and enjoy fishing with which every unit or manufacturer you choose. -sheldon

Was a great day out on the water, lots of chatter on the radio but it sounded like many where fishing 50 feet down. A majority of our big fish came high with reef runner 800s only 45 and 75 feet behind the boards. -sheldon

I try not to comment on this stuff as I am a business man and a corporate executive, Honda and Toyota announced today they also want a Provincial and Federal bailout...so much for only the BIG 3 Look this is going to be the hardest times many North Americans have ever seen as many have paid into corporate pensions, these will also disappear when the companies go under. I think if the government offers any bailout to any company the Officers (CEO, COO, CFO, CTO etc.) of the company should be fired, made to pay back all bonuses and be replaced with regular waged government workers to manage the company and our tax payers bailout money. This has all happen by greed and thanks to North American Corporation laws that allow company executives to get rich off the markets and share holders - all at the expense of employees. Lets hope corporations can keep going, we just need some new laws to prevent this from happening in the future and the first place to start is publicly traded companies and new corporate laws. -sheldon

Thanks Sam...it was a blast fishing with you, you are always welcomed in my boat. Most scales would have had that fish at 10lbs -sheldon

Hey Sam, I forgot to mention to you I got a quick weight on the scale before releasing and it was 9lb 6 3/4 oz. Nice fish for mid October. Good fishing and hunting this fall... -sheldon

Hey Shawn, Great to see you getting into the fall action. Best of luck this week chasing that cash. I would love to get out and fish for myself but I am guiding all week Keep the reports com'in. -sheldon

Hey Badger, Great news to see you are still catching some fish, gald to see the crank colours and locations have paid off for you. Good luck again this weekend, I will be out on the water this weekend with a group, as I am running a walleye school on Quinte to introducing a few anglers to big water techniques and equipment. Chat soon... -sheldon

Hello Gerritt, I like to run co-polymer line as it has the perfect composition for trolling. I has a little bit of stretch so you do not rip the hooks from the soft tissue on walleyes mouths and has a very then diameter and excellent strength. My line of choice is the P-Line cx premium in moss green in 12lb as it has the same circumference as 10lb mono line. No tying floro leaders and no problems with the line slipping in planner board clips. Good quality 10 to 12 pound line is all you need, I have never had a break off or lost boards in the last five years of running P-line, as an example over the past few weeks on these same line setups I have landed a 20 pound chinook and 36" musky and numerous 10lb class walleye. Have fun at Quinte... -sheldon sheldonhatch.com

Hello, I just came back from fishing a Professional Walleye Trail tournament on Wabigoon Lake in Dryden. During 6 days of practice I caught well over a 1000 walleye and many nice pike. Every point, island and mid lake hump you stop at holds fish. -sheldon

If you are looking for the Dye sublimated shirts check out Gemini Sport Marketing. I get all my XDS shirts from them...they have a great online gallery. -sheldon

Wheel locks are a good option...

I go through 4500+ crawlers a summer and have tried almost every solution mentioned. In the past few years the best I have found is the FRABILL FAT & SASSY WORM BEDDING in the large cribs or the 1050 Habitat V Worm Storage. The bedding is clean and will not stain your boat or hands when fishing, I found dirt was a disaster and moss caused mold problems. I have over 1000 crawlers in my worm fridge right now and they are very happy in that sassy bedding as it includes the food and you do not have to add water. I mix up each crib once a week and they will last the full summer with no mold. Mold and warmth is you big killer...so keep an eye on your stash or you will loose them all. Good luck... -sheldon

To save me typing all this over again and sounding like a broken record - check out how these guys tie spinners as they fish for a living. Spinners 101 Forgot to add the knot I use...it is a quick snell that I like using in the boat, you can tie spinners fast once you get the hang of this simple snell. -sheldon

Art that is a great snell to learn and it is very strong on most hooks designed for a snell. I have hundreds pre-tied for live bait rigging, bottom bouncing and to use with spinner harnesses. Let us know how it works for you this season. Fish On! -sheldon

I am sure you can snell directly to you line if you peel all the line off the reel every time you have to pass it back through the eye of the hook. Many do tie a snell direct, but I always use mine in a leader configuration as it is faster and quicker to have a bunch pre-tied. -sheldon

Great weights as always on Erie, one of my favorite spring locations. Don't forget walleye does not close on Erie so you could be out around the islands right now. It is all the pro's pattern as the co-angler is not allowed to offer any advice about the fishing, locations or techniques and the boat weight is carried forward to the next day by each angler. Congratulations! -sheldon

Well no single favorite for me, as I let the walleye tell me what they want as every day or hour can be a little different. I usually start with a bait-fish pattern of beads and blades that mimic perch, sunfish, smelt or alewife. I always start off with a holographic #3 blade when working structure while pulling bouncers, on open water I will start with a #4 and move up as high as a #6 or #7 blade. Some days I will run tandems or singles in willowleaf, colorado, hatchet, chopper or indiana. I prefer to use facetted metallic beads that have a natural reflection like bait and never use the glow as I have yet to see bait that glows. I always pull crawlers behind my spinners as walleye just can't seem to resist the action of a crawler dancing and rotating behind a spinner. Once I start to catch some walleye I start playing with bead colours and reflection until I dial in the best pattern for the day. I have found that sometimes on pink bead in the right position can make or break a great day of fishing. The beads are the most important part of a spinner harness as the blade is mostly vibration and the beads colours/pattern are always in view by the approaching fish. I tie all my own as the day passes in the boat, which gives me unlimited options while I play with beads, blades, hook placement, size and colour to dial in the bite. Crawlers and spinners are the number one producing bait for me from spring to fall when fishing walleye on most every body of water I fish. -sheldon

I have only ever fished professional walleye tournaments, so I will give the pros and cons of being an amateur/co-angler in this type of event as they have many similarities. PROS: - get to experience tournament angling in a tournament boat that many can only dream of owning - make long runs to fishing spots and see how much water is covered by tournament pros - operation and navigation of a boat - fishing techniques and areas that hold fish - tournament strategies - small amount of money invested compared to fishing on the pro side CONS: - physically demanding runs in rough water. Some days a pro may run 40 to 50 miles in 4 to 5 foot waves to get to fish. You need to be in shape and be able to take the rough water conditions. ( A good pro will always take into consideration their co-anglers health and safety) - if you get sea sick try to stay away from Great Lakes tournaments - many pro anglers are there to win a tournament and not talk all day in the boat about work, or life events. Once you have a good bag in the livewell most will start to talk and joke around a bit more. I feel the pros out weigh the cons and it is an experience you will never forget. The blast off in the morning is always an adrenaline rush as the boat wakes make for a very interesting take-off until the driver finds clean water. Have a good time and enjoy the experience... -sheldon

This one is a personal preference and everyone uses different setups. It will come down to how you like to jig and how fast you are at setting the hook on the slightest pick-up. For me it is 6lb and 10lb flame green fireline as it does not wrap around the eye at the tip of the rod like braided super lines. Also the flame green line allows me to see a pickup before I can often feel it as the jig is dropping and you get a small amount of slack in the line. I tie direct and never use a leader because I believe if a walleye will pick up a chartreuse jig with a strange hook and a chunk of strange plastic on it the last thing they will worry about is some colored line. BTW if it is a tough jig bite...a jig will not be my choice of baits. Lindy rigs, slip bobbers and slow death is the way to go when the fish are not picking up jigs. -sheldon

Wendel, Warm the vinyl and surface up with a hair dyer so it is warm - it is going to be difficult as you need to get the aluminum to stay warm. Use a soft plastic scraper to get under an edge and then slowly remove while heating with a hair dryer. Once you have them all removed spray on Go-Gone and let it soak into the glue residue for 5 to 10 minutes. Then use a soft cloth to rub off the glue. Once complete rinse down with water so no go-gone is on the surface. If you have any oil remaining on the surface your new vinyl will fall off after a few weeks. This technique has worked for me over the years as I add and remove 30 to 40 vinyl logos and text items from my truck, boat and motor every season. Take your time and as I mentioned it is a difficult time of the year to do out-side as the metal surface will not want to stay warm. Good Luck, -sheldon

I think I understand your pain - I have owned many welded boats with out a single crack or failed weld. I have also owned riveted boats and only ever had one that popped about ten rivets because I had to make a run in 8 footers when I was caught on Lake Erie in bad weather. Welded, Fiberglass, Riveted - I don't care how they are made. If you beat them up they break. I did not see a single post on this thread where an owner said they had welds fail. I did notice lots of posts of someone knew someone or a friend of someone that had a weld let go. So it only seems that boats owned by friends or other people have problems with the weld. Wendel enjoy your PolarKraft, they make a very nice boat. -sheldon