eye-tracker

Wow... 10th place has an average bass size of 6 lbs and first place is averaging 8 lb per bass. They look like walleye tournament weights on Lake Erie. :clapping: -sheldon

It is great to see this caliber of tournament in Canada for the bass anglers. Best of luck to all the pros and co-anglers this season. If you can't compete in the tournaments try to make it out to the weigh-ins as they are very fun to watch and experience. I am sure the format will be very exciting and I look forward to watching them on WFN. -sheldon

My all welded TUNDRA seems to have no problem on St.Clair, Erie or Lake Ontario as I am passing all the riveted boats while sipping on coffee and wearing no rain-gear So what is the best truck to buy??? It is all personal opinions. In my opinion - select a boat you like, ask questions and get opinions from owners of that brand and make your own decision. Happy fishing in your 'insert brand here' boat. -sheldon

Great Game, we got it for the family for xmas on advanced order. I am a musician and this game lets anyone with a bit of rhythm play along to music. More of a pattern game...but still fun. My six year old son has taken to the drums and can play all the songs on Hard and he also does the singing at the same time while wearing the xbox head set. I have him signed up for real drum lessons this summer thanks to a video game. -sheldon

You always have to tune a reef runner. I have never seen one run 'in-tune' out of the box. The odd kick they make out to the side is what makes them magic for walleye. -sheldon

All boats that have screws and bolts will have them come loose during travel and on the water. A good dealer will make sure all of this stuff is tighten with marine sealant when they service the boat. My dealer has a checklist that they go over for all the boats that come in the shop and loose bolts and screws on boats and trailers is one of the many things they check. Lots of great boats on the market and I will not talk negative of any other manufacturer, but as I mentioned earlier I have seen them all have their problems over the years. Fish On, -sheldon

I have just purchased my 5th Tracker boat and over the years only had a few minor problems, as all boats do. My local dealer and Tracker Boats fixed the problem quickly with no questions asked. I can personally afford to purchase any boat on the market, but I choose Trackers because of the layout and fishability of the boats. I joined the Tracker Pro-Staff last year because I believe in their product - I asked them, they did not approach me. When fishing walleye tournaments I have seen every boat manufactured have hull, transom and structure problems to the point of complete failure. If you push a boat hard it will break no matter how it is made! Take care of your Tracker and it will take care of you for many years of fishing and family fun. Visit the Tracker Boats website and enter your postal code - build your boat, print out the price and take it to the dealer. No Haggle no Hassle Pricing as tracker sets pricing at head office. Happy boating this season... -sheldon

For the precise walleye fishing I like to do, I want detail. I choose to use Lowrance. http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/bassboard/fish...ssage_id=296823 http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/bassboard/fish...ssage_id=296834 -sheldon

Never miss opening on Quinte I will be staying at West Lake Willows Resort and launching out of Picton. Best of fish'n for everyone on opener. -sheldon

I like to use the Gulp 3" minnow on a nuckle ball jig. I also like to add half a second minnow on a 45 degree angle to the jig hook - it gives the jig a bigger profile and also adds two tantalizing tails. The Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) will host the fist ever 'Artificial Bait' only professional walleye tournament this summer. I am pretty sure most walleye will come off Gulp, Power Bait and Berkley Flicker Shads. -sheldon

I launch and load over a 100 times a season by myself so it is second nature now. Pretty well the same system as most of the other posts... Park the boat out of the way of the launch Remove transom straps, check plug (always leave it in), trim up kicker and main motor, grab transom saver Back into water so hitch is still on dry land - hop out of truck un-hook bow, grab 15 foot rope tied to side bow cleat and fasten to dock Back boat in water as it slowly floats off trailer Park Truck Head back to dock hop in boat start engine, un-tie and head out fishing Load... Hook up to dock Go get truck and back in trailer until bunks are under water, then pull out so 1 inch of trailer fender is showing(every trailer is different) Put on emergency brake and hop out Back up boat to allow a straight line at trailer and then drive on trailer - I have six bunks so it self centers and is a peice of cake to drive on. Shut off engine and trim up kicker and main engine Hop out of boat onto dock Tighten down bow strap with winch Jump in truck and pull out Pull away from ramp as not to block anyone that may show up to launch or load Put on Transom Saver, Straps and do a walk around to check tires, lights and hitch connection. Head home Happy fishing this season... -s

Not yet, but I am sure it will be coming after talking with the OPP marine unit. I see it all as a good thing and great safety for clients. The big rumor this year is providing clients with thermal protection in cool water situations. -sheldon

Thanks Polliwogg, I need the commercial one as I guide (Small Commercial Vessel), guess I still need the TC inspector to come out and inspect my boat. Only problem with getting a new boat every year... -sheldon

Big Cliff, Is this the Transport Canada Small vessel inspection plan SVMIP ? http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/CES/Small...VMIP-upto15.htm If so I would be interested as it is difficult to find an inspector in the Ottawa area, not to mention I could spend a day fishing in the Kawarthas. -sheldon

Hey TMH, I am doing fine, I am sure we will cross paths in the fall. -sheldon

One other option is check with area dialup ISPs about bridging 2 phone-lines/modems for a single connection. We did this for many years in remote communities to offer faster connections with very little latency. Most all rural communities have gone to point-to-point wireless as regional, provincial and federal funds are financing new community based wireless broadband. -sheldon

I try to get my wife and children out in the boat as often as I can during the fishing season. My wife may not spend lots of time in the boat with me, but she is my number one fishing partner and supporter as I am away from home at least 2 months throughout the season fishing tournaments. -sheldon

Justin, Chronarch Mg is 5.9oz -s

Hello Justin, With Kistler rods being so light I would figure you would want match them up with Shimano Core or Chronarch Mg reels , as standard reels would just do no justice to the weight reduction of the Kistler blank. Think of it like owning a Ferrari and putting $50 tires on it from Candian Tire. Looking forward to seeing some of your rods this season... -sheldon

I think G-Loomis and St. Croix offer the same type of warranty where you send the broken rod back and for a fee the rod is replaced. With the recent down turn in the USA economy I think companies are noticing there is no way you can run a business by replace product over the counter (Wish I could get a new car when it wont start ). I am sure rod companies could make a rod you could never break - but I would never want to fish with a rod like that. St. Croix warranty program: http://www.stcroixrods.com/content.asp?id=14 G-Loomis warranty program: http://www.gloomis.com/publish/content/glo...nformation.html In my opinion a quality blank made for walleye fishing - not bass fishing - makes all the difference as walleye have very soft mouths and you need a rod that allows a sweeping hook set and a soft fast tip that keeps the rod loaded during the fight, therefore the hook does not fall out of the ripped hole in the walleyes mouth. Also try to stay away from all the MH ML etc. as you can not compare a walleye blank to bass blank or even a salmon blank etc. Many of the companies are now going to power and taper ratings which make it easier to figure out what you need. -sheldon

The simple but effective Mustad Slow Death hook for walleye fishing is going to be huge in 2008. It has been kept quiet for years and now with a hook on the market many anglers will see how a bent hook can take walleye with a simple chunk of crawler pulled behind a bouncer. -s

Hello Rob, The 115 Optimax is a great motor with lots of torque for excellent hole shot and top end. Also another great feature of the Mercury Optimax is you can add smartcraft gauge and use troll control to reduce the RPMs and slow the motor down for trolling. -sheldon

Hello, You need to set the PowerDrive speed at just the right amount of thrust to control the bow. So when the bow moves left or right you will have enough thrust to correct the heading. I often do this when trolling into or on an angle to the wind. Use the kicker to provide transom thrust and a small amount of constant electric bow thrust to control the bow direction. For this type of set up I would recommend at least a 24 volt system as a 12 volt system will drain down quickly when trolling for extended periods. -sheldon

Don't post often, but this is a great way to get all geared up for the new open water season. I fish for walleye and my 2008 rig is a Tracker Tundra 21 Team Edition with a OptiMax 250Pro XS and a 9.9 Pro Kicker. -s

Lew, I run 12lb copolymer line as it is thin and has the same diameter as 10lb test mono. This gives you extra strength, sensitivity and allows you to keep your dive curves consistent with most baits listed in Precision trolling. No need for heavy line, rods or reels when fishing walleye. Have fun and enjoy your walleye adventures. -sheldon