Lukasaurus

I picked up a bar fridge yesterday for $20. I am hoping to stock up before the marina on Nipissing opens up at the end of May. I will be out tonight picking. When I was young I used to bend over while picking worms, now I am on all fours with a head light. My back isn't what it used to be.

Thanks for the heads up. I just ran out and I really don't want to pay the regular price.

You have a great spot there, very nice.

I'll be starting mine up today. I picked up a new E-TEC 90 HO last year and took it up the the French river where it stays in the water at the marina till fall. When I got there last spring I launched the boat, loaded it up, idled through the marina. When I gave it some throttle it felt like it was in guardian mode, it ran very rough with low rpm's. So I idled back and got on the phone to the marina where I bought the motor and they were at a loss to what the problem is. As I was on the phone with them I flagged down the resident marine mechanic. At this time my stress level instantly went through the roof, the boat is all loaded, I have my Wife and dog in the boat and all I was thinking is I would have to unload the boat, pull it out and trailer it 6 hours back to where I bought it. Well the resident mechanic got on the phone with the guys where I bought it, they talked for about one minute then the mechanic told me to start it up. Well that thing ran for about 3 seconds then the mechanic handed me the phone and with a half grin on his face said we don't need this anymore. I wasn't sure what was going on but I said goodbye to the other guys and by this time the mechanic had the cowling off and said can you hear that, and I said hear what, he said you have 1 cylinder not firing you must have a spark plug wire off. He reached down and attached the spark plug wire and it purred like a kitten the way it should. Boy I have never been destressed so fast. Ended up after I got the new motor, I took it somewhere else to get a new Lowrance elite 9 TI installed and they must have knocked off the spark plug putting the cowling back on, they had to get under there cause my Lowrance is connected to my E-TEC and my trolling motor. Plus these guys left my power on when they installed my Lowrance and drained my battery. Anyway I learned my lesson and I will be starting up my motor BEFORE I go up next weekend. Oh and I phoned up the guys where I bought the motor and assured them they were in no way at fault, plus I took up gifts and thanked everyone at the marina for their help and especially the mechanic for all his help. That whole experience was stressful and embarrassing, I don't want to go through that again.

I had the exact problem with a 14 foot Lund. I have a friend with a machine shop and he welded a piece over top of the nose piece. We had to build up behind the nose piece to make it level. When we removed the original nose piece which was screwed on, we realized that it held everything together and we figured we should leave it and put a piece on top. That nose piece was really hard to get back on after we took it off, lots of tension there. I only had the boat for a couple years but it worked fine for the 55 lb. Minn Kota. When I first approached my friend about this I thought we could just screw or weld a piece behind the nose piece but my friend came up with this idea. The only problem was we lost the handle on top that is used for pulling it on to the trailer, not a big problem but it was a pain cause there's nothing to grab hold of.

Sorry for your loss cliff, Llori and I have you and you family in our prayers. That one afternoon with you and Sue left a lasting impression on both of us, your hospitality was greatly appreciated.

That's quite a set up you have there Kevin, a fishing machine. I am leaning towards getting a couple more Lund brackets and seeing how it goes. If I start using dipseys or go after musky I might have to look into something more sturdy. I talked to Dave at Trojan Tackle and they have some real nice stuff. If I need to beef up my outfit or need anything custom built I will be giving Dave a call. Thanks for all the feed back.

Bought a Frabill 261 last year for perch fishing and just love it. You push the free spool button and your small perch jig free falls to the bottom, you have to stop the spool when you hit bottom or it will keep spinning and you have a mess on your hands. These are great reels, and no line twist. I picked up an Eagle Claw this year, looks to be the exact same reel with a different finish. Thinking about getting the Frabill 371 for lake trout, I love the free spool and no line twist.

PM sent Trojan.

I picked up a new to me Lund that has the track system. It came with 2 unused brackets. While I was searching to buy more brackets, I came across some threads on this and other sites that talk about these brackets. It seems the majority of people with this track system don't have much confidence in these brackets, some have said they have broke. I would really like to use this track system to keep the boat as uncluttered as possible. Can anyone tell me where on the bracket they break. Is it the pieces that are inside the track, or the part that you mount the rod holder to. I was thinking if I can modify them to strengthen them up I could still use these for trolling and not just use them to mount a cup holder. The boat I picked up is a 2004 20.5 foot tiller drive Alaskan with a 2014 90HP Evinrude Etec. I wanted a boat with more room, and boy do I have it now. I am in the middle installing a bow mount trolling motor and downriggers.

OK, thanks guys. I guess changing line is not the answer. I will have to make some other changes to increase my odds.

I have been hearing about lead core line and dipsy divers. What makes lead core better than downriggers. Would the lure have more action using lead core? If so, would a longer lead from the cannon ball not work the same? That's why I was thinking of using a fluorocarbon leader with a longer lead, maybe the cannon ball was spooking the fish.

Hey Guys & Gals, I need some advice on using Fluorocarbon as a leader while trolling for salmon in Georgian Bay. Years ago when I fished the clear waters of Georgian Bay for salmon, I caught my fair share of salmon using downriggers with spoons and body baits with14 lb. mono. I took a few years off from fishing (I took up archery), but the last couple years after being back at it, and using the same tackle, line size and trolling tactics have produced very few fish. I know the numbers and size of salmon are way down compared to years ago, but I thought I would have more success than I am having. Well after many hours of poor success I FINALLY realize I have to change my tactics. I am thinking the first thing I should change is use a fluorocarbon leader since that water is really really clear. I was thinking of 14 lb. mono main line and a 14 lb. fluoro leader. How does that sound? Any suggestions on a knot to tie the 2 lines together with?

I have a 16' tiller with a Bimini. I got it so my my wife could get out of the sun. I installed it above her seat, the top is only 6 feet long so it does not cover me at the back. I find it a pain to fish around. It was very easy to install, easy to take off and back on. I only use it when my wife is in the boat. It's worth every penny, happy wife, happy life. I ordered mine from the place below, the price is good and only $9 shipping. http://www.kapscomoto.com/SearchResults.asp?Extensive_Search=Y&Search=bimini&Submit.x=22&Submit.y=17

I have a MKA-21 composite quick release bracket on my Terrova trolling motor. I want to use the motor on my small 14 foot aluminium as well, but I don't want to buy the whole bracket at $80. All I need is the puck. Does anyone know if and where I could get just the puck without buying the whole bracket? Thanks.