bigbuck

I finally splashed the boat on Saturday morning after my fishing partner slept in 45mins. We hit Huronia Bait for some suckers and launched in Honey Harbour. Sunday was the pike tourney so we definitely didn't want to be there then. From what I heard, there were almost 60 boats registered. We worked a few promising spots but with a Northeast wind, fishing wasn't great. I was 1 for 2 with live bait and my cousin got skunked fishing artificials. 6lb northern graced the pan for Sunday lunch after my wife ran the Mississauga half marathon.

Make sure you get enough. I'd check to see if the API service rating is the same between the original Yamaha oil and the stuff you are buying from CT. If the rating is for example SM on the Yamaha oil and the oil from CT is SM or SN you'll be fine.

Check your manual or contact Yamaha. You don't want to blow that engine because of improper oil for lubrication.

I'll be up in HH this Saturday as well. I guess they are a bit deeper than usual. That's why it's called FISHING and not CATCHING guys.

Whichever one feels better to you. They are both nice reels and it's a matter of preference. There are Shimano guys and there are Abu guys. Enjoy whichever one you buy.

That sort of thing is for F1 racing engines. Lining up plugs!! Ha!! Tybo, good on you bud!!! Get'r running and the fish await.

Wear proper clothing, cover all exposed skin with Muskol and you will be fine. The bugs will cruise around you but won't be biting. Its all about preparation folks.

Owner has the final say. It's his property. No offence, but I wouldn't let anyone hunt on my property, you don't know who the yahoos are so why take the chance. I've chased hunters off our farm years back and was threatened. So, I'd do target practice with my 300 WinMag every time I was up and that scared all the game off for a couple of kilometers around.

Read the regulations. You can't go fishing for fish that are out of season, don't even think about trying. The MNR will confiscate all of your gear and you DON'T GET IT BACK!. Be patient, fishing season approaches quickly.

Get a big bobber, a 3-0 or 4-0 quality hook, stick the sucker under and thru the dorsal fin (middle upper fin), set your depth and dunk it and wait, when one takes the bait, count to 10 or even 15 before setting the hook (a buddy of mine lights up a cigarette in prep for the fight). It's a very very good technique when fishing from shore in the early season (up till the end of May or so). And pike fishing isn't that great in the Kawartha's other than Canal Lake. You need to go up to Lake Muskoka, Lake of Bays, Lake Rosseau for some decent pike. Georgian Bay is good too (Honey Harbour or Pointe au Baril) but you need to know the spots and the water if fishing from a boat. The local bait shops can be invaluable for that info.

I'd imagine that most of the outpost type lakes in the north would hold decent numbers of fish to keep the kids occupied. It will be an adventure for them that they will remember for years to come. Make sure you bring a portable fishfinder, they are invaluable in finding depth and structure, as for finding fish......... that's up to you.

Now now Fishgreg, a lot of Hosers still call them Pickerel. My father in law who was a hardcore jigger and rigger never, ever calls them walleye. He's from the 'Peg and nobody calls them walleye up that way. I'd agree with Rice Lake, easy 2hr and a bit drive from the Hammer, lots of places to stay and tons of fish. That said, I'll be up in Honey Harbour visiting my fave spots for pike and 'eyes.

50lb fluro leader hasn't let me down. A 7ft MH rod with a fast tip should cover most basic techniques. 30lb braid spooled on a 3000 size reel will do ya fine.

West Marine has a decent selection. Cdn Tires line are low end cheapies. Spend the money on a decent pump, it's an extra $50 or so to have no worries. You get what you pay for.

It's CHILLY out there!!! Walking the kids to school this morning wasn't fun with that cold wind.

Nice way to christen the new boat!!

Check with local tire shops. They will have to mount the new rubber anyways. Just make sure you get the correct load rating AND ALWAYS CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURE BEFORE HEADING OUT and make sure your bearings have grease in them and you shouldn't have problems.

Congratulations on the addition of your next fishing partner!!! My two girls are 6 and 7 and can't wait to hit the water with daddy for some bassin'.

Justin, check out Iboats.com. There is a section in the Forum for Johnson outboards. There are a few knowledgeable gurus on that board that should be able to point you in the right direction and you may be able to get the manuals for it there as well.

What viscosity and specification does your lower unit require?? Brand doesn't matter too much.

You'll notice it. It is almost like having an extra person in the boat. But, if you need some battery juice, there really isn't a way around it. Don't sweat it too much and just enjoy your tinny's new found capabilities.

While towing a fairly heavy load, nothing will get much better than 15mpg other than a three quarter ton diesel. If you want to tow, you have to pay for fuel, that is the bottom line. Any of the midsize suv's should be able to do the job for you and shouldn't be too bad on gas while normal driving. Good luck, you are searching for the holy grail of tow vehicles, great fuel economy during towing and when not pulling a load.

A couple of the gurus from Iboats don't recommend it for a stabilizer. I defer to their knowledge, they've been boat techs for over 30 yrs and know their stuff. As for ethanol, it doesn't pull moisture out of the air. The biggest problem with water mixing in the fuel is a bad seal on the gas cap on boats. That's straight from boating tv a couple weeks ago. They did a segment on ethanol fuels and basically said just run it like normal and put in an additive at the end of the season. Its here to stay and more and more fuel docks are pumping it. Its not great, don't get me wrong, but its the new reality so learn to work with it.

It's good stuff. For a 4 stroke, run it at the beginning of the year to clean out the fuel system and engine. I wouldn't use it as a stabilizer, there's been tons of discussion on that in iboats. Use Stabil or the like at the end of the year. Ethanol isn't as bad as it's made out to be, it does act as a solvent and actually cleans out the fuel system in engines, the problem being with older boats and engines built pre 1999 or so is that the fuel lines are not ethanol resistant and it eats the fuel lines. All the new lines are ethanol resistant so with older motors, you may need to replace your lines.

Jeez, I'm late on this one. I would have said pick him up at 7am, take the 401 to DVP to Don Mills Rd South, left on O'Connor to Woodbine, right on Woodbine (only way) down to Danforth, Left on Danforth to Main to Giffin Mack. (I grew up down there so Iknow the area well).