beaser

I agree with The Jay a whole bunch. Crappy service can ruin your day not to mention wasting your time. I will make my feelings know and I will take things up the ladder until someone acknowledges the wrong. I'll also go out of my way to reward excellence. A letter may well go on their record whereas a comment may be forgotten quickly. It's nice to "make a friend" while shopping for something you enjoy. You can tell whether or not it's Bull or real enthusiasm. A good sales associate can always tell when someone just wants to be left alone. In defense of the pimpley face kid from crappy tire, he's been put there by supervision and most likely without much training. Granted some don't deserve a job but there is a door at the front of the door and you can leave and go elsewhere. You can rant, beat on, jump up and down but some will never get the big picture, they continue to breath and take up space but little else.

Next issue I have is salmon bait and technique so far as river fishing goes (from shore or a dock) Tying a roe bag on a hook and looping it seem a no brainer. The videos speak of "puff balls" and other small float aids but would it be ok to use a sliop float with the depth set to keep the hook off the bottom? Could I use the single and double hook bait spinners like the ones northland make. they have a dual hook version with a small float (Baitfish Float'n Spin Harness ) These are laberled as walleye spinners most often. I'm currently playing around with some woollie buggers rigged to a slip float as well. Some of the plugs seem less likely to snag on wood, bedsprings and weeds, I'm contemplating changing some of my spoons to sigle hook from treble. I know some loss is enevitable but I like to keep it to a minimum I lost a spoon today, thankfully nothing expensive and to put things in proportion it cost considerably less than a 32oz mug of ice cold nectar of the gods. I may have mentioned that among other things I have 3 tears on my rotator and a torn bicep on the right arm. I was afraid of looking like a tool with my new 8.5 ft convergence. My fears were unfounded and after a full day I was able to get up from the river bank more nimbley than I have been able to move in about 5 years. Between photography and fishing I'll be a whole lot better off I hope. I really appreciate the help, I do keep the flow of information going. As I learn I will also help and things I do know I will always offer any assistance that I can. Beas

So the issue is how do we ask the question or pass info along? One forum has a hidden thread, to gain access members require a minimum post count. The other would be to PM then answer. I had a question that pertains to 2 river locations. I can appreciate the importance of controlling how our information is used and exactly who benifits from it. I did a full days recce today looking for river access for salmon. I drove all day and it hardly seems fair for a lurker to cash in and maybe even cause the site to be over fished.

Splain please? This hardly makes sense and your post is very cryptic. Because we're new doesn't mean we are idiots or like being spoken too as if we were. PM me if you please. Will admin weigh in on this as well.

Yes, over 65 or physically impaired (cripple sticker) . I was really chuffed to find that I received an extra discount for Ontario Parks admissions with the cripple sticker. What burned my ass however are the multitudes that use a pass that belongs or belonged to an impaired relative. The dick wadds actually think they have the right to do so. All an MNR officer has to do is match the name on the back of the impaired permit with the persons ID and they're busted.

I went down to the "Big Smoke" (TO) and stoppped by the Dundas St LeBaron. I bought a Shimano Convergence 8'6" medium, a Shimano 3000 Sahara a rod case. It was close to rush hour so I had a look at Sail (just off Hwy7 and Weston). I bought 300' of 20 lb Power Pro and the reel holds 230 meters so I asked the salesman for a spool of mono so I could back the reel, he kindly used some of their bulk to back it and put half of the spool of Power Pro on for me. I have to say that service at Sail was uncommonly excellent, the staff were eager and friendly. The original sales clerk had to run and another sales rep took over. He wound up giving me some pretty good ideas for some outing with me and my grandson. I picked up some wooly buggers, the grandkid will be pleased. The pricing on lures was better than bass pro and close to Lebaron. Great selection

I looked at a shimano convergence 8'6" and 9 ft,both 8-12 lb line at tromblays in Orillia today. Anything longer is really intimidating. Looked at a Sedona reel as well. I appreciate the help very much.

Thank you for all of the input. The line question is pretty much answered. I'm still unsure of the rod and reel matchup for the new rod.

Todays TV's are all HD. 720P is all you need but i usually go for 1080P cuz I',m a gear slut and usually it's really not much more cost.. Blue ray can use 1080P as can PS3 but the HD converter from the cable or sat providers only use up to 720P. The set top box outputs in 1080P but the source is still 720P at best. If you want to you can up convert old VCR tapes to 1080P. P stands for progressive scaN. They usually have interactive feature videos to show all of the bells and whistles. HDMI inputs are very necessary and you really need about 3. Cable box, DVD ot blue ray and a spare. I use A Western Difital media player for some of my photographic work. You never know whats around the corner. Plasma are getting blow out the door right now and they aren't a bad set but they do run hotter and they do take a bit more power than LCD or LED. I belive LED runs cooler and mat be brighter. (a whiter back light) I echo the chorus. You can't go wrong with samsung. I've had one for 5 years now. My sony is 10 years old but LCD rear projection and old technology. My daughter owns 2 samsungs and my son has one. There has been absolutely no problem. Buy the middle range Samsung. Each model range varies from basic cheap to over abundance of bling. Usually there is a set right in the middle that does the job without being rediculous. Find a site that does a full comparison of features. Look at the sets you are surveying side by side and be aware, the video they play on the sets is designed to make the set look good. Sony and Sharp are premium sets but both have base models. Panasonic has always been reliable as well. When I buy another it will be Samsung. Good Hunting

As I mentioned before, I am getting back into fishing after a 40 year hiatus. My grandson wanted a fishing setup so I bought one for myself as well. I bought a fenwick eagle 2-8 lb light rod and a pfleuger president xt mod 30 (9lb max drag). It's a nice light rod but can be a tad limiting. Ok, I'm a gear slut that needs an excuse Today I bought a Fenwick 6'6' HMX 6-17lb med heavy rod and an Okuma Trio 30S reel (max drag is rated at 18). In hind sight I may have gone a tad heavy on the rod. The reel is a definite keeper. Any thoughts on this? Options are lighter to a medium (8-12) Longer I have done searches to no avail. Pary of my reasoning to buy the extra rod was that I had heard that the salmon in the nottawasaga can get a tad large. and I have far too much time on my hands and I'm a gear slut (did I mention that ) I bought the rod from crappy tire on a price match from sail and drove to lebarons for the reel. The 30s is a high speed retrieve (6.2:1). The feature set is fairly full for a $75 reel, the max drag is 18 lbs (which is high for a model30) and I had also checked with a warranty tech to see if there were any outstanding problems. My second choice would have been the Pfleuger Supreme ( also a 6:1) In that I haven't owned a fishing pole in 40 years the current fishing lines are foreign too me. I had done full research (eenie meenie minnie moe) and planned to buy some Power Pro then the guy at lebarons said to get NanoFil. I figured I'd ask here or consult with my ouiga board this evening. I bought the first rod and reel at Tromblys in Orillia and just asked the saleman to put on a good braided. I'm normally more inquisitive. I'll try a few more searches on line for spinning reels, but if any one of you kind people care to educate me I'd be obliged. Beas

A gun boat on steroids! (It's still a ship tho) It's about 40 ft shorter than HMCS Iroquois. Looks like 3 propulsion systems Oyvey

Photographers (amateur or otherwise) find the setup info valuable.

I'm Bryan from Barrie and I'm just getting into fishing (again) Two weeks ago I bought my grandson a fishing rig and I liked the feel of the equipment so much I bought a rig for myself. It's been years since I fished and so I scoured the web and found this forum. I'm 67 and haven't fished since I was 28 but I do remember the absolute serenity that I had experienced sitting by the water with rod in hand. My grandson wanted a rod so I dropped by Tromlays Tackle Box in Orillia. I bought Sebastien a Pfleuger Xion with a medium action rod. I left and drove home. The next day we were at a bar-b-q close by Tromblays so I skipped out and stopped in to look at a rig for me. I wound up getting the Pfleuger president XT with a Fenwick eagle light action rod. Not knowing my asp from a hole in the ground I had the spool loaded with 8lb braided (250 meters, oyvey) I'm a gimp but a fiesty one and I do manage to get around. My main passion is photography and I carry a canon 7D with some pretty heavy lenses. I manage with a battery pack installed. The batterypack gives me a second control location for the shutter and fucus so I can hold the camera in a vertical configuration. I have a badly torn right bicep and rotator. I have arthritus in both hands, elbows and left shoulder. I have had my knees replaced a few times and suffer from chronic pain. I can get around and cope but it is emabarrassing at times. A boat is out of the question so It'll have to be shore fishing. I figured I get some 0 or #1 mepps spinners and a few small spoons and do some recconaisance. Two amazing pluses I have found are that as a cripple and an old fart I do get some decent discounts. I get to fish for free and I get into parks a very reduced rate. For the past month I've spent a fair bit of time with a long lens and a tripod at a few conservation areas resulting in some very exciting shots. I had posted a pic of a duck on the photo forum. Ihave about 500 or so frames to work at but the thrill is being outside and close to nature (again) Now I hope to combine the camara and the fishing rod. I had stopped at the midhurst MNR office and had a nice chat with a conservation officer and he did give me some locations to scout. Tomorrow I'm planning on a visit to bass pro to buy some lures. Any suggestions? I figured some Mepps, little Cleo's or other small spoons. I'm not even sure what I'll be fishing for but there are some old standards. Any suggestions would be sincerely appreciated:worthy: The wife retired 2 weeks ago and she's been pretty good about it all. i'm sure she'll accompany me and she can read her book while I fish. I have to get a few smarts before I go out with the grandkid. Having lived up north when I was younger I do prefer clean, fast water as opposed to stagnant cess pools. I know it's out there but accessing it is another matter. It's absolutely amazing at how far tackle has come. For the money the equipment feels well balanced and fairly well built. The braided line feels like sewing thread besides mono. I was used to the old bait cast. I'm glad this thread was started, just what the doctor ordered. Glad to be here Bryan

$300 will get you a very capable "Point and Shoot". The better P&S include Canon, Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus and Nikon. The most popular of the P&S cameras has been Canon but every manufacturer has some standouts. I own two Canon DSLR's and some very pricey L lenses but if I was to spend 300-400 it would most certainly be a Fuji. Dollar for dollar they have a pretty good bang for the buck. I bought one for my daughter and even as a certified gear slut I was very impressed. The color, contrast and clarity was amzzing and it was easy to understand. I tend to fat finger anything small yet this was an exception. Keep in mind that for the past 50 years or so most prints have been made using Fuji optics. Fuji glass is good stuff. In fact most point and shoots have plastics lenses (shudder) Nikon and Canon have some of the best lenses on the market but not in the range we are looking at. Many professionals carry a Canon powershot as a backup. In the right hands they do a standup job. Sony is another excellent camera. Sony wrote the book on CCD (image sensor) design and production, they also recently acquired Konica and Minolta and have a working relationship with Zeiss optics. Nikon does have some decent POS units but they seem to target the DSLR market. At the base end pretty much all DSLR's and the kit lenses are similar. The Canon and Nikon shine at the mid and higher end and that end is pricey. Nikon and Canon have a full and diverse lineup, that's why pro's and serious amateurs settle for little else. With either brand , lenses are made as a universal fit. The 70-200mm L lense that I bought for my Canon D30 5 years ago now fit on my Canon 7D. That lens is superb and the resulting picture will be as sharp on any one of the Canon camera bodies. The same universal fit is true of all Nikon lenses. In fact in my opinion there isn't much difference in either lineup. I've owned 35mm as well as medium format and been involved in photography since I was 12 and I'd be proud to own either brand. With me it was a matter of what lense was available at the time I bought my DSLR body. Once you get started on that slippery slope you really want to stay with the brand. A decent Nikon or Canon lense can cost well over $1000 dollars. Sony has been late to the party but has a decent start into the prosumer DSLR and mirrorless cameras. They do not have as diversified lineup as Nikon or Canon but are making inroads. There is a third type of camera that sony has done an excellent job with and that;s the mirrorless canmera. You can interchange lenses and it has a larger image sensor but it is smaller and less complex. I like to blow up my prints to rediculous dimensions(20x30) and I demand razor sharp images and I don't mind spending the bucks but if that isn't of any great importance, you most likely would be happy with a full featured point and shoot. An excellent place to start your search is http://www.dpreview.com/ They have an excellent side by side search feature http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras Most cameras use an SD or micro SD. My advice would be to take a blank memory card to the camera store and take a few frames in each camera that you have a look at. When I bought my latest lens, that's exactly what I did.

Not many people in Ontario that don't know of Hazel. The lady is a legend!