charlesn

Hello Young One,

As someone that has swamped three different boats for three different reasons, I'd say that for that amount to get in the boat, you have a serious leak or got swamped. My used first boat, the dealer had removed a transducer and not bothered to silicon the screw holes. I would leave the boat in the water over night and by the morning the bilge would be filled, but never above the battery trays. I left the drain plug out a few times, and the water would come in much much quicker. I hit a log once and cracked a strake, again, the water came in much quicker. I hit something once and crushed the bow, separating from the rivets in the top liner and water would rush in while running at full plow, but not when at rest or on plane. Lastly I hit a log and blew a grapefruit sized hole in my fibreglass boat and was filled to the gunnels within 5 minutes barely making it to an island.

I have 2 1500 gph bilge pumps (auto/manual) in my boats. But if the hole is big enough, they simply can't keep up.

For your boat to fill up like that, I'd guess you were repeatedly swamped or the drain plug was in the livewell overflow or something like that or you have a bigger leak than you think. I recommend drying her out and then filling her with the hose as some have recommended and see if the water comes back out. Then do the same with the livewells. If the boat is watertight, then you probably got swamped.

Sorry to hear about your troubles and I hope you get a resolution you can live with.

As far as demanding a new boat... Good luck with that...

They say the two happiest days for a boat owner are the day you pick her up and the day you sell her... BOAT - Break Out Another Thousand...

Peace,

Charles

I think the reason they waited until he accepted the prizes was that no crime had been committed until then that was worthy of legal prosecution.

As much as I'd love to see him receive vigilante justice, I guess in the eyes of the law it was just $800. To me it's more than the money because it gives yet another black eye to tournament anglers. It's a big part of the reason I believe that Pro/Am tournaments are the way to go. Awful lot harder fetch fish from a cage with a stranger in the boat, especially when that stranger is randomly drawn and could be a RCMP officer, MNR employee or whatever.

Charles

That was JPD on his way to do some crappie fishin'. He called me from the road to tell me how nice it felt to be driving to a fishing destination while I was chained to a desk with no hopes of fishing for a week or so.

He is a cruel man with a pretty boat.

Charles

Do they have point deductions in the UFC? I know in Pride they give yellow cards for inaction. Not sure I've ever seen a point deduction for stalling in the UFC. How would Tito's lay and pray technique be effective otherwise? lol

Werdum looked terrible. I think Arlovski's leg kicks took their toll on him and Werdum never did enough to press the action and fatigue Arlovski enough to get a take-down.

Pride's guys are certainly lacklustre since coming to UFC. I always thought the Pride guys were better overall, but it doesn't seem that way outside of Anderson Silva so far.

Heath Herring, Mishima, Werdum, Gomi and Cro-Cop all have lost and Rampage didn't look great either all up against middle-of-the-road UFC talent.

Charles

The past 8 months proves beyond a doubt that in MMA, any top level guy can be beaten by any other top level guy. Well except Fedor. But I'm only counting non-cyborgs. lol

Hughes gets annihilated, by GSP who gets dummied by Serra who barely squeaks through a lacklustre TUF.

Hendo loses to Kazuo Misaki in the Grand Prix Semi-Finals and Kazuo gets dominated by Paulo Filho who withdraws due to injury and then Kuzuo goes on and wins the GP beating Denis Kang. Then he gets dominated by Frank Trigg who subsequently gets viciously knocked out by Robbie Lawler a journeyman who fell out of the UFC after several losses. Hendo then goes on from a loss at 182 to destroy Wanderlei Silva at the 205 weight cut off.

Thierry Sokodjou meanwhile comes out of nowhere and destroys 2 of the top 5 ranked 205 lbers in the world Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona.

Yet imo, this destruction of Cro-Cop by Gonzaga has got to be the biggest shocker.

Wow. Gotta love it.

Charles

It's a tv show, of course it's all about ratings. What show isn't?

I too heard Tito didn't show up because of the risk factor (he could conceivably get hurt or injured) and it being an exhibition he was getting paid enough to fade the risk.

But it wasn't a "fixed" outcome similar to WWE. Dana White was an amateur boxer and based on Ortiz's stand up skills (or lack thereof) it could have potentially been very embarassing for Tito and that might also be part of why he bailed.

Charles

This is an exhibition boxing match that was supposedly a stipulation that Ortiz demanded in order to return to the UFC after his initial contract dispute and his time away from the UFC.

I wouldn't get too bent out of shape over this.

Charles

Terry, last year I had 2 drop shot rods made for me by a custom builder on shikari and st. croix blanks. They are both revolver wrap (the guides start on top of the rod and end up on the bottom) baitcasting rods and I fished them with Chronarch MG 51s last year. Loved the rods, the reels I just couldn't get used to reeling a baitcaster left-handed so I sold them off. Will try MG 50s on em this year.

I haven't noticed a line twist problem on spinning with the 7'2" Crucial and a 2500 Shimano reel, but I do find it just more enjoyable to fish a baitcaster.

Charles

Brian,

I think that a show like that could take place, for example in the parking lot of Bass Pro, but it will take a LOT of time, money, organization, partnerships and angler co-operation. After last year, I will never say never, because 3 years ago, if someone told me I'd be fishing on Lake Simcoe for a $100,000 first place prize and $300,000 in total, I woulda had a hernia laughing so hard at the person. Now it seems like it might not be something that will be an everyday occurrence, but could be something we can build towards and see again in the future if not exceed.

I personally prefer the "hot seat" idea that B.A.S.S. is employing. Basically the leader of the event sits at the front corner of the stage as anglers come up and try to "knock off" the current king of the hill until there is the last man or woman standing. It's kinda nice to see the thrill of victory and agony of defeat all at once.

I also agree with David. We Canadians don't give ourselves enough credit. We are a proud nation with the outdoors as a very big part of our heritage. We can build something "elite" or "premier" up here. It has to be done the right way with a solid foundation and a business plan that makes sense for all parties. It needs the right leadership. I think it can and will happen in my life time. I certainly hope it does. But even if it doesn't, it shouldn't be from lack of trying or belief in ourselves.

Charles

I'm pretty sure it must be rigged. But don't worry, it's only rigged against me! lol

Like Rick said, there's not much benefit and HUGE risk for a massive reputable on-line site to rig anything and risk their company. Also consider the sheer speed of on-line. You probably see 4 times as many hands per minute playing 1 table, and most of us play at least 3 tables at a time. Due to this we see a ton of hands, and some brutal beats and crazy flops will happen.

I think a poker tournament involves more luck than a fishing tournament, but just as luck is a component in a fishing tournament, skill is VERY MUCH a component in a poker tournament.

Charles

Skeeter99,

The CFT had a 115 series and a 1-day series in addition to the Super Series. The low entry numbers were not just in the Super Series, in fact, the Super Series was by far the best attended circuit of the 3 that the CFT ran last year with 71, 121, 51 & 72 pro entries (an average of close to 80 per event) versus an average of 45 or so in the 115s and about 55 in the 1-days.

WFN was an awesome partner and opportunity for the Super Series last year. WFN covered the series and handled the production. They did not pay the CFT anything, however they did have significant operating expenses and invested heavily into the production and it showed in the best tournament tv coverage that Canada has seen by a wide margin.

Fliptheslop,

I agree with most of your post. However, I believe the CFT was a special case for WFN. There was a partnership between the two. I don't know all the details so I won't speculate, but I do know the CFT did not have to pay for the tv coverage this past season.

For those wondering how I know this stuff, I was very very involved in helping out with the series on a volunteer basis and thus was privy to some details not necessarily made public. I cared very much about the series and watching it expire has been a painful experience. I hope that like a phoenix, something positive will rise from the ashes. I believe it will.

Charles

I am saddened by the news. The thing is, I can totally understand their decision as the business model needs to make sense. From what I heard, operating losses in the 6 to 7 figure range last year so the prospect of more corporate bleeding due to lack of support was enough to justify the cancellation. But anytime a vacuum is created in a market, the demand will find a supplier. That's free enterprise and the hope is that something new and sustainable can come out of this.

From a selfish point of view, sure I would like to have seen it continue, but it wasn't my wallet that was taking a beating. I'm glad they are going to offer full refunds and I hope they do revisit in 2008, although I'm not certain what could change in the meantime to make it viable. I am extremely thankful to the CRK Marketing Group for taking a chance and investing what they did in to the tournament industry. It was unprecedented and greatly appreciated by many of us. Last season's Super Series was incredible and something I will never forget and always cherish the memory of even though it ended with my boat sunk and me stuck wet and shivering on an island. lol

For those that were planning on fishing the CFT 1-days or 115s, there are more than enough 1-day choices (Bassmania/CSFL, Essex, Cindy & Dean Franklin SW Ontario circuit, Top Bass, Renegade, Quinte Fishing Series, and clubs and special events like Emerald Isles, Stoney FireFighters, etc) out there for those that wish to fish 1-day team events. All series have their pluses and minuses. Please do not give up on the sport. Be positive and good things will happen. It's like the stock market, there will be tumbles and downturns, but things will get better.

For those of us that prefer the multi-day pro/ams, I guess we will have to wait and see what opportunities arise, but there will always be clubs and message boards around to try to get new people involved and enjoying this great sport. We need to continue to be ambassadors to the sport and to always stay positive.

C'mon sunshine and warmth, I need to get out there and fish!

Charles

Awesome, thanks for the good news or hope at least!

Charles

Thank you for your concern and advice. I am a wussy fair weather fisherman. There is 0% chance of me going out on the ice. I have fished 1 time on the ice in 36 years and that was plenty for this lifetime.

I'm wanting to drop a boat in the lake so I'm hoping and praying Garyv is right and the wind will help expedite the ice removal from Simcoe.

Charles

Was wondering what the Simcoe experts thought about this extended cold snap that is coming. It looks like the storm will be followed by a several days of low single digit highs in the GTA. Presumably that means sub-zero temps for a pro-longed period up in Lake Simcoe country. I think I read on here the other day that there was still 18 inches of ice on the lake. Does this mean we're looking for ice out in like early May or can it still happen in April?

Thanks,

Charles

Yeah, it was on the flyer. I was sure it was a misprint, but a couple lucky friends that live close by got there on Friday morning, confirmed it was true and bought out retty much the entire stock.

Charles

I've got one that beats even Charlie Wray who I agree was by far the worst for Canadian hosts.

On a recent Roland Martin show, he was fishing for goliath grouper using live 5 lb amber jacks for bait.

He made it a point to smear Megabass fish attractant on the LIVE FISH. bwahahahahaha

Now come on. That has GOT to be the worst and most blatant false promotion of a product ever.

I remember back when TNN (before it was Spike) showed a bunch of fishing shows, there was one hosted by Orlando Wilson. Every third word was Spiderwire/Mitchell Spidercast, but he would often be filmed fishing with a Curado. He was also hawking the spinning reel once, and it kept having bail closure issues. I can't believe he kept it on the show, talk about hurting for material.

I don't think it's easy to do what those guys do, but I think they should give the viewer a little more credit than they do.

Charles

I've tried TUF, PP, Stren Superbraid, Gorilla Braid and the original Spiderwire. I have to say I like the Stren Superbraid the best. The price at the recent Bass Pro Spring Classic was sick, $15 for a 300 yard spool. PP is $22-24 / 150 yards. And the Stren stuff is better manageable. There was a batch a few years ago where Power Pro produced some junk, or perhaps it was a knock off. But because of that, I go with Stren. But if PP were the cheapest, I would go with that. I think most 65 lb braids are pretty similar and will last a long time.

Charles

that is just like kevin vandam who won the bassmaster classic in pittsburgh a couple years ago sponsored by strike king big time, but ironically he was not getting bit on strike king baits and pulled out a old smithwick twitchbait **competitor bait** and won the classic, but when in interview it was all strike king

 

it was documented by a camera crew who asked him what he was tying on in the last few hours of the final day

troy

Skeeter99,

I think you are thinking of George Cochran. He was caught blatantly lying about using a Strike King product when he was using a Lucky Craft Pointer. He won an FLW event on Lake Guntersville in March of 2004 I believe. He later apologized and said it was bad judgment to do so. He then got caught lying again when he caught fish on a Berkley Power Tube but said it was on a Strike King tube.

KVD was sponsored by pradco (Bomber, Smithwick, etc.) for a long time. I've seen him talk about Rogues and Bombers too. My first really good jerk bait was a Bomber Long A Signature Series Van Dam model. He's not one to jeopardize his reputation to lie about what he is using.

http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?ID=1432

That's the archived article where he talks about how his own designed bait wasn't the right one for the fish and why he used the Smithwick.

Charles

Great job,

About all I would add is don't ever go back for "just 1".

Smoking 1 cigarette a day is still smoking. 1 becomes 3 in times of stress and next thing you know you're buying a pack because you "feel bad about bumming" and then next thing you know you're right back under its spell. I'm not a smoker nor ever have been (thanks Dad - major lung surgery due to smoking when I was young) but have seen this happen with co-workers and friends.

I love Art's thought. Put $10/day away (a pack a day habit) and you got yourself a $300/mth boat payment!

Charles

Yes, with the 225 Pro XS bad boy that was on her and all the "trimmings" it was $55,000. The base price is $48,000 with standard 225 opti.

That was their flagship 21 footer, they make smaller models.

Charles

The Legend bass boat line is different than the Legend aluminum line.

Baysville Marina on Lake of the Bays had a beautiful Legend at the Toronto Sportsmans Show. Gary Yamamoto is sponsored by Legend and it is a John Storie boat (Champion, then Cobra, then Legend). Storie is known for building great riding bass boats. The best riding bass boats in the industry usually.

Had a chance to check out the Legend, it was very nice. I will consider it for my next boat.

Charles

regardless of make, i think for that price, if it is all that you say, you can't go wrong.

Sounds very reasonable.

Charles

A lot of great tips. One I would add is to learn to back down using mirrors. I learned by looking over my shoulder and it was easy when the boat was on the trailer. I thought, hey this ain't so hard. Then when it came to taking the boat out, I learned that watching just the trailer over the tailgate for a short dude like me is very very difficult. It was like backing up using "the force" like Luke skywalker. I was lucky not to hit anything and it took a brutal amount of time and corrections. I learned to use the mirrors and since then have done some pretty fancy slalom backing down of congested ramps and find that taking her easy is always a good thing. You can't jackknife a trailer at 10 kph, at least not while paying attention.

Good luck and enjoy.

Charles

Brian is correct. That is the rule for 2007.

Charles