pooch

again, great post. The anticipation must be driving you crazy!

Great post! When I was researching bass boats, bass cat seemed to always come to the top in terms of quality and innovation. You are going to be happy with that boat for many years to come. I love the colours and choices you've made so far. Sweet rig. I'm thinking that boat fully loaded will be unlikely to get past 70 mph. Add full live wells and a hefty fishing partner and 65 would be more likely. Fast enough, but don't want you to be disappointed on the top speed when you finally get her in the water. Fingers crossed I'm way wrong. Empty her out lift and trim it up and 73 is possible. I've heard those hulls are fast fast fast and stable. Did you buy through Upper Canada? Cheers and keep the updates coming.

Have you seen this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fGvsbMZ5SI&feature=related Wow!

Carp through the ice, now that would be nice! My buddy and I have been discussing icing a carp too. I might get out next week to give it a try. Where are you thinking Mike? I might give little lake a try wed or thurs. I might have to invest in a 10" auger... What kind of set up?

For another $50 you can get a Shimano crucial flipping stick. Lifetime warranty, great stick and is one of my favourites. But to keep to your budget the best bang for your buck is Rapala's R-Type. They have a one piece 7'2" med heavy extra fast rod that would be good for flipping. Not sure how much but I'm guessing it should come under your budget. I checked one out a month ago, and I was impressed. Med heavy extra fast is what you want. Good luck! Only 5 months til bass season!

My first purchase would be a bait caster and some braided fishing line. I guess I'd need some lures too, so my next purchase would be a spinnerbait, crankbait, swimbait and a jig. That should get me into a bass or two come summer. The best purchase I ever made was a boat, motor and trailer combo. Nothing like getting out on the water...

What is the best winter pike lake within 1 hour of Peterborough? For size and for numbers. Let's hear your thoughts!

Great info, thanks. I just purchased a Humminbird Ice 45, and I'm thinking of returning it. I like the idea of seeing what's passed by your bait when you weren't looking. Anyone using a fish finder with GPS and maping chips? Any problems?

Look for a book titled Bass Madness by Ken Schultz (2006). He does a very good job of discussing the history and evolution of bass tournaments in the US. His take on the scene is very cynical, but does provide clear cut arguments to prove his points.

I've had a cottage on the lake for the past 6 years, and I have fished it a lot. I have written an article about fishing on Cordova, and it should be published in a month or so. I'll shoot you the link when it's made public, hopefully before your stay there. The #1 game fish in the lake would be smallies #2 walleye and #3 pike. Some impressive smallies in there. I've never caught a crappie in Cordova, but never targeted them. Perch would be the most abundant forage followed closely by rockbass. The waters are tea-stained in the spring and early summer. You are in for a treat, it's lightly pressured by anglers and a fun lake to fish. It has a little bit of everything for structure. Have fun, let us know how you make out. Tight lines, Andrew

Great looking boat Lew. Congrats! New season, new boat. The anticipation must be unbearable!

I agree with Dave, great product. One recomendation I'd make is to buy the biggest one you can afford, within reason. Larger ones seem to hold tighter than smaller ones.

Depends on the software you want. See Link below http://www.navionics.com/DocLibrary/plotterfacts.pdf

Colson captures emotional first win at Wheeler National Guard pro seals $125,000 victory by a single ounce 29.Mar.2008 DECATUR, Ala. – Those who do not believe that bass tournament weigh-ins can be exciting should probably tune into Fox Sports Net on Sunday May 4th at 11 a.m. EST to watch the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Series Eastern from Wheeler Lake, easily one of the most emotionally-charged weigh-ins the FLW Series has ever conducted. In the end, a teary-eyed Ramie Colson, Jr., of Cadiz, Ky., clung to his first FLW Series career victory by a single ounce. The dramatic roller-coaster weigh-in actually began when Oklahoma’s Brad Hallman stunned the crowd with a 19-pound, 5-ounce catch – easily the biggest limit of the entire tournament – to jump from 7th place firmly into the lead. Then, Colson, who started day four in second, approached the scales with his fish. Tournament Director Chris Jones announced that Colson needed 17-1 to tie and 17-2 to take the lead. After Colson placed his final keeper into the tank, his weight came to 17 pounds, 2 ounces, beating out Hallman by an ounce. Colson then delivered a particularly moving and personal story about taking his 10-year-old son, Ramie Colson, Jr., wipes away the tears after an emotional week.Douglas, to the family’s preacher over Easter weekend to privately discuss the meaning of Easter where Colson and his son shared some special time together. That experience brought perspective to Colson’s fishing week and the memory brought tears to Colson’s eyes on stage, tears which continued when he was handed the winner’s trophy and $125,000 cash. “It was a very special week in my life even before I got here,” Colson said. “I want to thank God and my family for that.” From the beginning of practice, Colson never figured he was on the fish to win the Wheeler event. “At best, I figured I could catch 8, 9 maybe 10 pounds per day,” he recalled. “The biggest fish I caught in practice was a 3-pounder – that was it. So I had no reason to believe that this (win) could happen.” But as Colson’s tournament week developed, the fish in his primary area in First Creek began to grow. He checked in weights of 11-10, 16-4, 14-2 and today’s 17-2 for a four-day total of 59 pounds, 2 ounces. Ramie Colson, Jr., needed every scale on this kicker fish to beat out Brad Hallman by a single ounce.“Today, when I caught my second biggest bass, was the first time I thought I might actually have enough weight to win one of these,” he said. “But then I listened to Brad weigh-in that 19-pound stringer and I knew I was done for; I was going to finish second because I figured I had about 16 pounds. “When Chris took his hand off the scale and the display read 17-2, I couldn’t believe it. Seeing that number on the screen is something I’ll never forget.” Colson’s trip to victory lane was no cake walk. As many anglers noted during the week, First Creek, located on Wheeler’s lower end, was one of the most popular spots on the lake for FLW Series pros. “At any given time there were 20 to 30 boats in there,” Colson said. “But what I noticed was that a majority of them were fishing shaky heads and the ones that were throwing jigs were fishing pretty fast.” With that in mind, Colson began to creep his 5/16-ounce War Eagle Heavy Cover Finesse jig along the bottom. The jig was teamed with a Zoom Superchunk, Jr. (green pumpkin purple) and tied to Berkley 15-pound test 100% fluorocarbon line. He fished the jig on a G-Loomis 7-foot medium-heavy rod. Colson shows off his winning jig: a 5/16-ounce War Eagle Heavy Cover Finesse Jig.“To make myself slow down, I sat back in my seat and pulled that jig over every rock I could feel, occasionally hopping it just slightly,” he said. “Mentally I just blocked out all the other boats around me.” In time, Colson learned that with a large degree of patience, he could out fish the shaky headers and bank burners with a slow methodical approach. “I mainly targeted small rock ledges and transition banks where the bluff banks turned into smaller rock,” he added. “It’s really just classic Tennessee River fishing in the spring time.” Culling error costs Hallman win Brad Hallman of Norman, Okla., rallied with the tournament’s biggest catch on day four weighing 19-5 to finish runner-up.In the runner-up position by just an ounce, Brad Hallman of Norman, Okla., settled for second with a four-day total of 59 pounds, 2 ounces worth $45,292. Though Hallman had a dream day four and weighed in the glory limit of 19-5 when it counted the most, it was a culling error on day one that will likely haunt him for some time. Hallman was using numbered buoys to cull his fish. And at the time he thought that “#4” was his smallest fish, so he culled the fish on the #4 buoy several times up to 2-1/2 pounds. But when he got to weigh-in, he discovered, to his horror, that buoy #3 still held a puny 12-inch keeper. “That cost me the tournament, no doubt,” Hallman lamented. “It’s one thing to have them come off before they get to the boat, but to have the winning fish in your possession – about a 2-1/2 pounder – and then release it because you think it’s your smallest fish is altogether a different matter.” “But I’m not going to dwell on the negative,” Hallman recanted. “I’m glad Ramie won it. I had a good week here and I had an awesome day today. In fact, I had some things happen today that really made up for some of my misfortunes earlier in the week. I got a couple of key fish in the boat that were tangled up in cables behind boat docks. So to come in here today, weigh-in the biggest limit of the tournament and finish second is still satisfying.” All week, Hallman relied on a Berkley Power finesse worm fished on a shaky head and a 5/16-ounce Eakins jig teamed with a Zoom speed craw. Hallman was skipping his lures to the back of marina docks located in a backwater area about 35 miles upriver from the launch site. Morehead third Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., finished fourth with a four-day total of 56 pounds, 9 Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., shows off his big smallmouth on day four.ounces worth $36,234. Morehead’s final-day stringer of 16 pounds, 9 ounces was anchored by a monster 5-1/2-pound Lake Wheeler smallmouth. Morehead spent the week fishing one lure: a 3/8-ounce hand-poured finesse jig teamed with a Zoom Superchunk, Jr., tied to 15-pound P-Line. He fished the lower end of the lake around the dam the first two days and then moved back near the launch site the last two days. “I was mainly targeting rock shelves out in about 3 to 5 feet of water,” Morehead said. “Earlier in the week, they were out deeper off the rock ledges, but as the week went on they seemed to have moved right up on the shelves. “I’d cast to the bank, drag that jig out until I felt rock and then just shake it,” he added. “Today was just incredible. I probably caught over 50 keepers.” Combs fourth Keith Combs of Del Rio, Texas, finished fourth with a four-day total of 56 pounds, 3 ounces worth $27,175.Keith Combs of Del Rio, Texas, finished fourth with a four-day total of 56 pounds, 3 ounces worth $27,175. When compared to other patterns in the top 5, Combs was the odd man out, relying solely on crankbaits instead of jigs to catch his fish. His two primary crankbaits were a Strike King Series 3 and a Lucky Craft RC 1.5. He fished the two crankbaits along rip rap ledges in a marina near the launch site. “The biggest key for me was getting that reaction bite,” he said. “I could not make those fish hit jigs and worms like the other guys. They wanted that crankbait when it deflected off something.” I order to enhance the deflection properties of his crankbaits, he fished them on light lines of 8- and 10-pound test Trilene monofilament. “The deflection was everything to my pattern,” he added. “And light line is critical for achieving a really hard deflection. Heavier lines prevent the bait from fully glancing off cover properly.” Morgan fifth Rounding out the top 5 was Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., with a four-day total of Rounding out the top 5 was Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., with a four-day total of 55 pounds, 13 ounces worth $18,116.55 pounds, 13 ounces worth $18,116. Morgan’s primary weapon all week was a 3/8-ounce War Eagle Heavy Cover Finesse jig teamed with a Zoom Critter Craw in green pumpkin purple. He tied the jig to 14-pound test Gamma fluorocarbon line. Morgan also targeted rock ledges and “shelves” located just off Wheeler’s rocky banks in about 5 feet of water. “Day two was really my survival day,” Morgan said. “That day my jig bite died I had to resort to cranking flats in the Elk River with a Mimic crankbait and a Strike King Redeye Shad. Other than that, everything else pretty much came on the jig.” Rest of the best Rounding out the top-10 pros in the FLW Series on Wheeler Lake: 6th: Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., four-day total of 54-9, $17,211 7th: Lonnie Oneal of Valdosta, Ga., four-day total of 50-7, $16,305 8th: Scott Lunsford of Calhoun, Ga., four-day total of 46-13, $15,399 9th: Jake Deeds of El Dorado, Ark., four-day total of 46-12, $14,493 10th: Bob Izumi of Milton, Ont., four-day total of 42-2, $13,587

Hey guys, From what I can tell it looks like there are 2 main bass clubs organizations in Ontario, the BassMasters and the Canadian Bass Anglers Federation. There may be others, I just don't know of them. I don't think you can go wrong with either group. Look into their local "chapters" for a club closest to you, and go to a monthly meeting. I joined the Kawartha Lakes Fishing Club (affiliated with the CBAF) last year, and I had a great time. We get together once a month in Lindsay to talk fishing and organize some club tournaments. Great group of guys, two of our members won the CSFL Bass Classic last year on Lake of Bays. For each club tournament we pair up a boater and non-boater to fish for the day. It's a great way to learn some new techniques, and see if you like tournament style bass fishing. Check out the www.cbaf.ca website and look for a club closest to you. I think all the clubs are looking for a few new members. I maintain the website for the Kawartha Lakes Fishing Club. We are presently in a unique situation where we have more boater's than non-boaters. If you are interested send me a PM, post a question on here, or check out our website at http://www.freewebs.com/kawarthalakesfishingclub/ Cheers, Andrew

Hey Bill, I owned a Garmin 520s, just sold it Sunday on eBay. I used it all last year. I still have the BlueChart g2 Vision chip - Lake Ontario to Montreal. Nice unit if you just fish the Trent system and great lakes but outside of those lakes, you are out of luck. The 3D imaging (Mariner's Eye and Fish Eye) is more marketing than useful in my opinion. This unit was not compatible with Navionic's chips and for that reason I am looking at Lowrance or Humminbird. Looking at a Humminbird side imaging unit, just trying to find one for a decent price! Here's a link to the http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2visio...?RegionPK=24750 maps available for the the new Garmin units. See if they cover the water you are going to fish.

Now that's a name from the past. Takes me back to the old wild west OFC days!

I picked up one of the 2 man frabill trekker portable huts. Great deal. Thanks to OFNrs for highlighting the sale. There was one jiffy auger left at the Lansdowne ptbo location at 3:00 pm Friday. I had to summon all my will power not to take it home too.

I tape most of my fishing shows and noticed a couple days ago, that the TSN Sport-fishing show was bumped, when a curling game went over their time slot. Now I have nothing against curling, or curling fans but why is it that TSN will cover curling for 3-4 hours at a time, and the max coverage they'll give to a fishing show is 30 minutes? I'd love to see a 3-4 hour Bass Tournament on TSN. I know that WFN has plenty of fishing tourney's, but not all cable subscribers get WFN. There has to be 10x as many people that fish in Canada vs people that curl. Is the quality of fishing tourney coverage that bad, or just not interesting? Thoughts?

Hello, I had a few questions for any journalists out there. Freelance or full-time, newspaper or magazine. PM me please. Thanks!

Lew, I hope to see you on Friday. Not sure if I'll be there by 2:00, but if I am I'll find you guys at the refreshment stand. Cheers, Andrew

Interesting answers, thanks! I have this discussion a couple times a year. I find it usually boils down to each person's definition of a sport. Most definitions in dictionaries online and off line classify sport as having 3 factors; it must be governed by a set of rules, it must rely on physical abilities, and it must be in engaged in competitively. My thoughts: If you are fishing in a tournament, then yes definitely a sport. If you are out in the boat alone or with a bud, enjoying the day and competing against mother nature, then no not a sport. Are pro tournament fishermen athletes? IMO absolutely Yes. I began fishing bass tournaments last year. Before that I would not have classified them as a sport, or pro tourney anglers as athletes. But now I do. It is as much a sport as golfing, bowling or racing.

What do you think?

JB Weld!!! I used it 4 years ago on a small hole and it is still holding strong.

Heard through the grapevine a huge musky was boated over the weekend on the St Lawrence, anyone got the details and pics? I'm trying to locate a pic from a friend of a friend of a friend... ...proving difficult