charlesn

Auto door locks and auto ignition are safety features. Some ladies (and maybe men too) feel safer with them. The keys locked in the truck with the engine running while at a launch ramp happened to me at a tournament and luckily due to the less than tight tolerances of the vehicle, a friend was able to pry the door open enough to jam a stick down and press the power door locks. Not sure what I woulda done if that wasn't an option. Also, this used to happen to me a tonne (or so it seemed) when I had manual windows on my GMC Sierra. Sitting there in the left lane, someone pulls up on the right side rolls down their window and starts asking for directions or whatever. Couldn't reach over and undo the window with my seltbelt on so I had to resort to pseudo sign language that looked like I was an out of work Mime or something. Not a huge deal, but a pain when I could've simply helped a fellow traveler out if I had power windows. I will never get another vehicle without power windows or door locks.

I'd tell them to keep their boat and take your money and run. If they are going to do this to you while you're still in the process of buying a boat, what are they going to do when you need service/upgrades or whatever? Also, the rec boat industry is in trouble, might be a bit harsh, but let these dealers that wanna treat their customers like that feel the pinch or even go under. Plenty of really great used values out there for that kinda money. In this economy, that is a LOT of disposable income.

Reminded me of the Tyson ear biting. Guy was expecting to beat/dominate an opponent, the opponent was doing better than expected, so the villain (Tyson/Badr) resort to unsportsmanlike conduct so that they can say they lost by DQ as opposed to "getting beat fair and square". The first foul (throw/trip) was heat of the moment, the stomp was pre-meditated, the comments afterwards the clear sign of a sore loser.

Not lazy dude, we got busier. How can you expect me to eat, drink, shave, send text messages and flip off the people who honk over my liberal use of multiple lanes and also operate a manual crank window at the same time? BTW, I've been in some nice trucks (Navigators, Sequoias, Escalade) as a passenger and though I could never afford it, if I could I would, and that's sorta the right of those that can afford it in our society, isn't it? Charles

Bought 3 boats from the states, got 3 recall letters from the trailer manufacturer for the cost of a phone call... $350 is gouging robbery, straight up.

My 2008 Silverado has only 2400 kms on it. But it has been flawless to date. I really really like it. Even still has the new car smell. It tows my 20' bass boat like a dream and I just feel like a man again and not a soccer mom. haha j/k I'm just curious what would happen to us that bought a new vehicle if the big companies go under. Our warranties are kaput I guess? Or maybe whoever picks up the pieces will still honour the warranties? Charles

The only thing I don't believe is the 3.5 foot waves, people always exaggerate the size of waves. lol just kidding. Incredible fish. Good on him for the release. Don't need the FBI forensics team to tell that that is one honking giant of a musky! Charles

I go down to see the circus clowns once a year. The most shocking one was the volleyball net. Gee, I wonder what a discarded volleyball net is doing here at the side of the river during the salmon run. lol Sad.

I was very impressed with how patient Brock was. He didn't bull rush or try anything too crazy. The finish was awkward and not exactly pinpoint accurate striking, but I guess when someone of that size hits you, even glancing blows are damaging. The punch caught him behind the ear on the top of the neck. You don't see a lot of knockouts to that area, but as Randy said, "that's one big dude". Brian, the rugrats are fine except for runny nose. Cold season. If you recall in the fight, Gonzaga had actually set Crocop up with some punishing kicks to the body. If you watch, Crocop flinches down to block the body kick and Gonzaga throws high instead. Gonzaga can definitely kick that high, he's a much taller bigger fighter. I think if they fought 10 times, Gonzaga would win 7 of them if not more. Crocop is a blown up light heavyweight. Gonzaga is a true heavyweight and as we saw last night, the new wave of heavyweights is upon us. Charles

Dude, are you saying Gonzaga was actually not trying to kick him in the head? Sorta like how Randleman was not trying to punch his face off? Maybe, just maybe, Crocop drops his guard once in a while and gets caught. There is no fluke to it when a person dominates a fight (and Gonzaga WAS winning the fight before the KO) and then finishes it with a vicious head kick. A fluke would be winning by KO when the fighter piledrives himself into the mat while trying to slam an opponent and knocks himself out like Mark Kerr did a few years back. Or like when Shogun's arm popped while sprawling against Coleman. Give Gonzaga credit. I've seen every single fight Crocop fought in Pride and the UFC. Crocop is a straight up phenomenal striker and good fighter. But he got caught. No "fluke" to it whatsoever. Charles

Couture has two chances I figure, slim and none. He has no submission game. Name me one person he has finished by submission. GnP is all he has, and maybe he was a more decorated wrestler once, but he'll be giving up 40 lbs effectively on fight night and he's old an rusty. I just don't know how he can win. Lucky punch or Lesnar gassing, that's the only way I can see him pulling it off. Then again, a lot of people said that about BHop versus Pavlik and BHop dominated. Then again, Couture has risen against the odds before and manhandled way better strikers and bigger fighters in Gonzaga and Silvia. If he can withstand the opening moments and bull rush, I think Lesnar will fade and make a mistake. His cardio is touted as unreal and whatnot, but I don't know that it has ever been tested. I am afraid there will be a lot of lay and pray if it doesn't end in a quick stoppage for Lesnar as neither fighter are much at finishing. I hope I'm wrong, Randy Couture is a legend and an inspiration and I'd love to see him fight a strong jiu jitsu fighter like Big Nog or even Mir. Charles

Thanks to all for the suggestions! Will try them out. Charles P.S. Hammy Hamster was awesome! lol

OK, this may seem like a trivial thing and may not be possible due to copyright laws and whatever, but I figured I'd ask where there appears to experts on just about anything and everything. I own 4 Wonderpets DVDs. There are several episodes on each disc that are "favorites" of my daughter and also several that she won't watch for whatever reason. Is there a way using software and a DVD burner that I can merge them all on to one DVD for long road trips and also to prevent me having to always get up and change/find discs? I bought the original DVDs, so I'd think it wouldn't be a copyright issue, but who knows. Thanks, Charles

Takes guts to step in to any full contact fighting arena. To do so against a bigger and more experienced undefeated professional says something about your bro. Much respect to him. Charles

Ya, cell phone talkers are bad but ladies doing their makeup are worse. Just this morning, I spilt coffee and powdered white sugar from a donut when I had to downshift to pass her on the shoulder as I saw four car lengths of unoccupied road between her and the next vehicle. Dang inconsiderate women drivers.

Hey Copper, are you sure that scratch didn't happen when the u-bolts came loose due to the negligence of the marina? lol j/k I'm surprised that wire made it home, but at 20 km/h you aren't likely endangering anyone, but probably annoyed a few. They'll get over it. It's easy to judge from the comfort of an office or home. It's something entirely different when you're in the moment. I know because I've been there, done that. With a friend's trailer as well as my own. You do what you gotta do to limp home and deal with it then. I've had my share of dark cloud moments, but when I look back on them, they are just more memories for my fishing scrapbook. If every trip was flawless and perfect, you wouldn't really appreciate those days that are special. Charles

Maybe a long kryptonite chain like for bikes to fasten the boat to the dock. But I guess enterprising thiefs will have something that cuts through that like butter. But if you want to prevent the joyrider from messing with your boat, it would probably work. With my luck they'd probably take the whole damn dock too. lol Charles

Is there a senko colour that a bass or pike will not eat? lol Charles P.S. The answer is no. I own 30+ colours and have caught fish on every single one of them. It's the ultimate "no-brainer" of a bait. Quinte this weekend is going to be a bit busy and pressured though, there is a big tournament going on with potentially 100+ boats that will have also all pre-fished for a week. I would recommend elsewhere for this weekend if you have a choice as you "might" (you also might not) find it a bit tougher than usual under these conditions for bass.

Geoff look at it this way... If you decide after a year or so that you don't want it, or if you needed to firesale it in a hurry, you'd still get $3500 out of it in a heartbeat because it's a Lund with over 100 ponies, so there's not much risk to you. I'd say it's a good deal and every 15 year old boat will have issues, but that's part of the "fun" of boat ownership. Charles

More salt usually means a heavier bait, a faster fall, but also a less durable bait. E.G. the senko. The Yum dingers and other imitations often have less salt and are thus more durable and last longer. And they're cheaper too. Yet I still only buy the originals out of simple confidence as Raf and Jen have said. I use em until they fall off the hook or more often until a WGSF grabs the tail and won't let go and steals the bait. Surface salt is to catch anglers not fish. Think about it, what happens to salt on your hands once you dip them in water. It washes off. Same with a bait. Charles

Rondeau is sheltered, but St. Clair can get Ugly. The more boat you have the better out there. $20,000 is quite a lot. You could find a LOT of really good used bass boats in the 19-20 foot range for that amount in the states. I'd say definitely look for a used boat in the states and get the most bang for your buck. I've bought 3 and it was not much hassle at all and the dollar is stronger than it ever was for my purchases even though it is a bit down from where it was. Also remember an older boat can still have many many good years left in it. The Tritons and Rangers have lifetime warranties on the hulls for a reason. The hulls last and last. There are a few threads on here that discuss what to look for in a used boat, they are a good starting point. In the end though, it's about what you want. Good luck, Charles

Maybe it's not that we're getting worse, but could the difference from 84 to now also have something to do with a lot of the less industrially developed countries getting to a point where they can focus on athletics? I would look at China foremost as an example since I don't recall them being such a power in so many events back when I was a youth but now they are world-class in just about everything. Australia has a big advantage over us since they are bred from the biggest and baddest of the criminals of the British empire... lol JUST KIDDING! I mean sure India has precious few medals for their population, but what percentage of that population lives in poverty? How many of them care that they won their first medal in boxing ever? How many of them would trade that medal in a millisecond for a bowl of rice for their kids? Sure I'd like to see Canada win some more medals, but I'd rather they put money in to our economy or towards getting the gas prices down because in the long run, whether Canada has 50 medals or 5, it ain't putting food on my table or fish in my livewell or really even affecting how much I love my country. Charles P.S. I'd write more but I have to go eat a Big Mac to make up for misfish to preserve the Law of Conservation of Mass.

Not to pick on Rich (please take no offense) but I somewhat disagree with all three of his points. lol Not saying I'm right and he's wrong, just that I disagree. You're bound to hear from the disgruntled and as one of the more popular (and entry level priced) boats, Nitro will have its detractors, but in my opinion, there is NO perfect boat. There is not even a BEST bass boat. There are good boats and okay boats. Nitro probably falls into the okay boat category. As long as the manufacturer is still in business, you probably have at least an okay product. Boats that are truly bad (like Sprint for example) quickly go out of business as they did. I am a fan of Triton and Ranger both, but I have more friends that have had major problems with Tritons than every other make combined. I have 2 close friends that have had their Ranger's sink. I myself sank a Champion and a Lund. Stuff happens. As far as the GPS on the bow... Incredibly useful, I personally can't live without it anymore. I feel blind without it. With the new networking systems, you can also save a waypoint from the bow and have it save to your console unit. When fishing any non-visible cover/structure (a boulder on a hump or ledge for example, or maybe a weed edge that has a bend or irregularity to it) you can drop a marker buoy and get invaded or you can drop waypoints on your unit and have it to yourself. Even something like docks, sometimes you're so focused on the fishing that you don't remember which dock you had found fish on. But the waypoint will help point it out or at least dislodge some memories. Also if you turn a fish or lose one in a big expansive weedbed, it's nice to know the general vicinity and I have gone back and gotten that fish later in the day thanks to the waypoint. As far as fuel economy, every test I've seen in Bass & Walleye Boats on the motors has them just about on par for fuel economy. In the bigger units, the fuel economy is even worse for example on the Verados versus the comparable HP Optis. At least the last tests I saw indicated that the difference was insignificant enough that it would take a long while to make up the purchase price difference. Charles

Having ridden in several of the smaller Nitros, my experience has been very positive. Maybe not top of the line, but not as bad as their reputation. I think most of their major issues are with their bigger boats that get used/abused in the big lakes at high speeds. I think the more HP you have, the better built the boat needs to be. And every manufacturer puts out duds. As far as motor, for a bass boat, there is no question, 2-stroke all the way. Weight affects a bass boat's performance a lot. It's like carrying an extra battery or two for no reason. The low end punch for holeshot is better and in general, the top end is way better with a 2-stroke. They've compared the DFI engines with the 4-strokes and the emissions and gas mileage is very similar. Why pay more for a heavier worse performing motor. If you look on tour, there is about ZERO representation from 4-strokes. It is just too much of a performance disadvantage at the moment. Then again, you might never want to fish a tournament or have it perform at the very edge of its capabilities. I guess you know best what your intentions are. For trolling and quiet smokeless performance on a pontoon boat or a little tinner, the 4-stroke is awesome, but if you're going to get a bass boat, I have a feeling you're going to want it to perform. Also, be careful about 1 footitis. I started with a 16, HAD to go to a 17, then to a bigger 17, then HAD to go to a 19+. I have a decent 20 foot bass boat but I still check the boat trader for a gently used 22 footer. lol It's like a sickness. If you're looking at buying new, I'd say instead to consider a used boat so that you can get more boat for your money and besides, as a first boat, you're going to ding it up eventually and that hurts a lot less when the boat already has "character"... EIn boating terms, "character" means scratches, gouges, chips and stress cracks... Good luck. Charles

Hey Bri, I think I found the weight you lost. It's in mah belly! Can I have your fat-guy clothing? lol I love the Bowflex Commercial where the skinny dude talks about how he gave his fat guy clothing to his fat friends... nice guy. Congrats on the weight loss. I lost 15 lbs on the weekend, three 4 lbers and a 3... Charles