bigbuck

Gotta love our Banking System!!! They 'hold' your money for a few more days than it actually takes to clear a cheque which is pretty quick these days since it's all electronic. Your money gets used by the bank to fund mortgages etc... on a day to day cash flow basis. Basically, they are making money off of yours during this time while you get nothing for it other than a headache trying to deal with them. My advice to you is to talk to the nearest bank manager, move the account over there with the understanding that cheques won't be held for an inordinate amount of time.

IT'S A JOKE!!! The provincial gov't can't seem to figure out what they are going to do with these stops. I've been to one where just the restrooms were open and there were no restaurants or gas to be found. Thousands/month in lost revenue multiplied by how many stops??? This may sound like a crazy idea but invest a few dollars in these stops and we the taxpayer who ultimately own these places will actually turn a profit. Novel concept I'm sure for Mr. McGuinty's boneheads. To think, I actually voted for this guy the first time around. STOP THE BLEEDING!!! Engage in profitable ventures and we'll be ok.

As far as I know boats over 10hp need to be insured, I could be wrong however. Needless to say though, I would get the insurance, at least liability because if anything ever does happen out on the water, I would not want to lose my house, savings, etc...

Marc, great read. There COULD be a 70lb'er in GBay, you never know for sure. There have been 1 or 2 8ft tall human beings, pretty much freaks of nature, a monster musky cruising the depths at that size will probably never be seen but we don't know for sure that it does not exist.

I'll second Starbrite Hull Cleaner, mix it 4 parts water to 1 part cleaner, spray on wait a few minutes, quick brushing, hose off. Good as new.

You'll definitely need to register the boat and have liability insurance for it since it has a 75hp motor on it. Any boat with a motor larger than 10hp needs to be insured. That's why there are tons of 9.9's out there. As for fire theft, damgage, etc... that's up to you but for a 20odd year old boat, it'll only be a couple of hundred bucks a year.

The higher end Quantum rods are nice, Tour Edition PT. In all honesty, you can't go wrong with any of the top shelf rods/reels. I believe that if you buy good equipment, you'll only buy it once, cheap stuff will end up being replaced pretty quick.

Congrats on that little beauty!!! I've got 2 of my own that are growing way too damn fast!!! They always outfish daddy but that's ok by me. Sleep whenever you can and make sure your missus does too otherwise she'll just break down on you.

I did the exam up at the booth in Honey Harbour a couple of months ago and I agree that it's pretty much a joke but after some thought and seeing the boneheads out on the water who have absolutely NO CLUE of rights of way, safety equipment, etc.... and after speaking to a few of the OPP officers in the area, it at least hopefully leaves you knowing who has the right of way (which, by the way is like a car at a 4way stop sign, the guy on the right has the right of way) and in channels, the bigger vessel has the right of way or sail boats under sail power have the right of way. It's a big issue with me because I'll tell ya, I've almost been run down by guys in their big cruisers blasting through no wake zones and have almost been run down from the port side by guys just blasting around recklessly. There should be a more formal licensing process because as we all know, boats don't have brakes on them.

If you're looking for St Croix, check JBs Fishing Depot by Pearson Airport. They probably should have the rod you want in stock. As for reel, a Stradic in 2000 or 2500 should be awesome for your setup. The Loomis Walleye Series rod is really nice but a bit pricey. I find that the really small reels (1000) size are too small and don't balance nicely on the rod. I used to have a BPS Walleye rod in 6ft Med with a Quantum Tour 20 reel. Awesome setup that caught quite a few fish but it is now on the bottom of Georgian Bay after the kids knocked it into the water on me. I still want to cry when I go by the spot where it went in.

They are nice, that's for sure. I love my Curado 300E and my next muskie reel will probably be another ABU.

Well, Happy Anniversary to you and the missus Lew!!! May you have another 43 great years together!!

Welcome back!! I hear you with not wanting to come back. My wife and kids spent the whole summer up at our trailer in Honey Harbour. My boat is still in the water and if you want to hit HH, give me a ring.

Save up another 100 bucks and you'll have many more options available to you, around 200bucks for a baitcaster, you can't go wrong with any at that price point. Whether it's shimano, abu, quantum, etc... You do get what you pay for when it comes to reels, spend a bit less on the rod and more on the reel, you won't regret it.

Bottom line, how much do you want to spend??? I used to have a Winchester 1300 pump with the long barrel and a rifled barrel and I loved shooting it, the slide would come back a bit after each shot enabling a quicker pump for the second shot if necessary. I get another in a heartbeat if I found one in good shape. I have an 870 in 20 guage that is a really nice piece. As for the Benelli, it's all about cost, how much will the shotgun cost you along with a rifled barrel?? An 870 for $400 odd is a great deal and not too big a pill to swallow especially that you are new to hunting. If you don't enjoy it, you'll be stuck with an expensive wall decoration. You could spend the difference on good boots, a coat, gear, etc....

Hopefully it'll be a lesson for these boneheads. As for the Marina, they will have to re-think their security arrangements because 1 or 2 boats is bad enough but 52!!!!! Shameful, any damages should be picked up by the marina in good faith otherwise there will be 52 customers looking elsewhere for slips/storage.

I'm hoping to get my boat back in the water on Saturday and do some fishing in GBay. Sunday is trailer close up time so my days are numbered.

Spend as much as you can afford. Cheap suits are just that,they will last 1 or 2 outings then fall apart. Spend the extra dough and you will get much more enjoyment out of it.

Hey, not so fast!! Fall is my fave time of the year. We're cooling down but Sunday is supposed to be a balmy 18 so I guess possibly a last cruise around the 30k islands in G Bay.

Yeah, I hate fishing with my wife as well since she usually kicks my arse all over the place too..........mind you, I spend all my time unhooking her fish for her so I do get to fish less but that's no excuse. Nice report and welcome back from the Pearl of the Med.

Someone should send our PM an instruction booklet, let's see..........Page 1: Insert foot here (huge mouth)..............

I see you're using my favourite jig, the chartreuse/orange northern ontario special. You can't get that colour combo down here and I know it's deadly on the northern lakes. NICE shore action!!

Using the RV stove, water heater, toilet etc... is a great idea. They are all efficient, only question, what do you do with the waste water??? As for deep frying the bird, you are looking at about 45 minutes for a 15lb bird, in and around 3 minutes/lb at 375deg oil. Good luck, deep fried turkey is great.

My sincerest condolences. Jeez, we've had a lot of family pass away over the past few months around here. Take care.

Wayne, enjoy your family bud. You never know what is around the corner so live for today, put a couple of bucks aside for tomorrow but don't wait too long to do the things you dreamed about your entire life.