Old Ironmaker

As above, thanks guys. By the way Admins I love the new format. Especially being able to get notification to see new posts to a thread. Johnny D

I picked up of Kamics last year, they come above the calf and draw strings keep them water proof. No model name just Kamic Canada. Good aggressive treads, and removable liners. They are toasty and dry and a good value. I think they were less than 100 bucks, actually I'm positive because I wouldn't never pay more than that. Al's shoes in Simcoe On. Not very fashionable with my Citiot Armani suits.

And don't set up under trees with limbs covered in ice and or snow.

Did it when visiting family at around 12 yrs stupid and my cousin had to get his Eagle Scout badge by sleeping outside one winters night. Stupid me said I would join him. After about 30 minutes I almost tapped out then I came up with the brilliant idea to bring the big hairy Collie into the tent. All I can suggest is to bring a big fat hairy Dog, of the canine variety.

I may know or have met your Father Akri. And yes, we Canadians do it the right way. And encourage other nations to follow our lead. Our environmental emission standards here in Ontario are some of the most stringent in the world and we should all be very proud of it. But try telling that to a laid off worker in manufacturing and the up to 10 workers that support a single job in manufacturing from transportation to sales.

Didn't we all have one at one time? When the Fish ID came out it was something out of Star Wars. Imagine it will wake you up when a fish is below the hole. I still have my portable B&W Eagle Ultra Fish ID. It takes 2 @ 6 volt batteries. Circa 1993. I still have it and it works too. I still have a Lowrance sonar complete with paper graph, early 80's I would guess. That would look great next to your Lowrance in your new Man Mansion Dave. I'll will it to you.

No wonder I came up with it.

A similar system as used by pier fishermen all over the world. Sometimes the water is 25 feet or more depending on the tide below the piers. You slide the fish over the open net and pull the rope and the bottom closes. 30 foot net handles are rare.

I hear you Geoff, we have to do our part. What irks me is with this Global economy we have to compete with it just isn't a level playing ground. I have visited Steel Mills all over the world. What costs us in the millions to put in place and run environmental controls to reduce air and water emissions as well as maintain the health and safety of the workers and the local community there are countries like China, India and Iran that doesn't have them nor are legislated to have them. I once asked a Chinese representative attending an AISI (American Institute of Steel and Iron) meeting in Hamilton how many Blast Furnaces are running in China? He said he didn't know because some backwater areas have furnaces to produce Pig Iron for their own local community and ship excess to market using technology from the early 1900's. The main producers as well do not have many emission controls in place. They have been talking about a Global excise tax for these producers including Brazil to make it fair, I forgot Brazil, that's been part of the G- whatever talks for years, it's all lip service. They don't produce Coke in Brazil, metallurgical Coke, the black stuff not white. They burn charcoal. They get the wood from the rain forests. Imagine how many thousands of acres of rainforest is felled to make Iron every year. The last numbers I saw Brazil out produced Steel in Canada by 80 to1. There is a global environmental impact from loosing these forests as well. Many of these countries operating and labour costs are often far less than 50% of ours yet they sell in the same Global market as us. It isn't the high labour and benefit costs of Unionized workers many North American managers blame for market loses it is simply that we can't compete with them at their operating costs. I had better stop now. A quick look showed that China now produces 50% of world Steel production at 808 million tons of finished Steel in 2016. Canada sits in 19 place with 12.6 million tons/2016. Just ahead of Viet Nam and well behind Korea and a few 3rd world countries such as Iran and Brazil. Why make it if you can't profit from it?

Them there are the ones big fella. I'm surprised I don't see more in Ontario. I've seen a few Yanks with them on the Bay of Quinte. They may be hard to find down here. Like I said some find they aren't great for long hikes. I have never had a problem with comfort myself. See guys, The Yukon! I may just have to find a source and flog them here, at OFC member prices of course. I said I paid 50 bucks, a typo, it was 100 bananas!!

A small battery powered hook sharpener. Along the lines of an electric tooth brush or Dremell tool. Small, cheap and most importantly easy to use when the boat is tossing around like a cork in the water and you won't impale the hook into your flesh. Nothing like having the exact lure they want and the hook gets dull. If they exist already please tell me were, I'll buy them all. For any of you guys that need the perfect material for your ice huts/hotels get some 2" thick Sunroom wall materials. Close cell insulation clad in aluminum or a poly composite. A 4'X8'X2" (R-15) sheet might weigh 2 pounds. It also comes in 4X8 foot sheets that are 3 3/4" thick and might weigh 5 lbs each (R-22). The materials are Hurricane rated. The walls and roofs snap and slide together on a track system. Find the wall materials at Temo Sunrooms out of Clinton Township Michigan. Locally Leisure Living Sunrooms out of Burlington may source them from you locally. We made one when I was in the sunroom business for one of our guys, it was 6'X12' and could be moved by 1 person once erected. If it wasn't spiked down it would blow away and another plus is the aluminum material was fire rated as well. I think it came in at around 60 pounds including sliding plexiglas windows. Perfect for a remote hunt/fish camp too. I wanted to go into the ice hut business back then, should a could a, might still you never know. Please don't quote me on exact weight or R value, it's close for sure, 12 years ago.

I have CDN and US Military Bunny Boots, going on 15 years with these things. The Canadian and US military are issued these white things in the Arctic. Not great for long walks but just fantastic to keep warm and dry and that's what you want. If you see them come up on Kijiji or EBay buy them. I paid 50 bucks for mine at the Army Surplus in Hamilton. When you watch all these reality TV shows in Alaska and the Yukon you will see most everyone wears them.

Apparently my 2011 Silverado can run on up to 80% Ethanol fuel. For how long before the fuel system gets pooched I can't guess. They must have it south, certainly not here in Ontario. I must drive an extra 70K to buy Shell V Power for the boat and it ain't cheap. Dairy farmers out here are ditching the Bovine and selling the corn for fuel, better ROI I'm told. I would love to know what the total Carbon footprint is for transporting and processing the millions of tonnes of corn needed to turn it into fuel? I can remember the outcry when we went to Lead free. Same bee ess different century. I can't get Ethanol free gas in town but Tim Horton's has a plug in spot for electric cars there, what a joke we live in here in Ontario. It's not that I don't want to see us further pollute this World but it is us that has to pay and pay now for the sins of our Fathers.

My buddy has the Terrova I pilot. A few years old and had a foot pedal. After a few minutes this spring I was working with it like I had it for years, eezy peezie. a breeze to learn and use. I love that anchor lock thing, love it. I want one but can't justify the cash as I don't fish small areas or structure where one is really needed. If I decide to ditch this long line trolling (not my favorite fishing method by far) on the Great Lakes or go 50/50 the first thing I do is ditch the 15 horse kicker and get me a 100lb er. I call my MotorGuide a hood ornament, never use it. Happy shopping.

Brian, you will need a non resident NY State fishing permit as well as a Passport. Not totally nuts just a little bit nuts.

Can't seem to be able to open them but they sure sound great. Good going JoeyTier. Be safe out this early boys,,,and girls.

We had a neighbour that fed those night rats every evening with bananas by hand. They moved and they marched over here. Dozens of them things. The 12 gauge with the plug out across the bow and they never came back.

Gawwwwwwlee. Amazing singer. You would never expect that voice to come out of Pvt. Gomer Pile USMC. Goober was my favorite. Rip Jim Nabors.

How about one I can't forget. We book with a new guy in Quinte. Leave at 4 or 5 AM from Hamilton and hit a snow squall on the 401. To show how long ago we are on the CB with truckers to find an exit without a jackknifed trailer on it, it was bad. Got off past Port Hope and highway 2 wasn't any better, no 4X4's then we're in my 78' Dodge Ram. Finally find this place at 09:00, how we found it I will never know, only NASA had GPS, maybe. Talk to the operator ( a basic single outhouse behind his parents farm) and he says OK lets go, then he turns to me and says "Buddy do you mind driving the sled ? I'm still hammered from last night." To make it any worse not a single bite all day until we hit the peelers in Trenton.

That where Lew developed that friendly smile.

No wonder people think ice fishermen are daft. All these stories sound very familiar. More can happen in 1 day icefishing than a season on the water. Fished out of a hut off St. Williams. A storm comes through about 3PM, no way they are coming out to get us in white outs. Long story short we ran out of wood around 5. It's cold. I tie line to buddy and he goes to the hut 25 feet away, as if it would hold a 200 lb man. He's gone for 15 minutes, I'm yelling for him. 10 mins latter I hear him yelling open the door, he has the other hut door with him to burn. Picked up at 8 PM.

Back in the mid 80's I organized a trip with several cousins and Uncles from the US of Italian decent to Bear Creek Cottages on Nippising . Uncle Pete made a pot of tomato sauce, onions and hot dogs, my least favorite thing to eat. He brought tomato puree not sauce and ended up with gallons of the crud. We had to dump it the last day and he dumped it on the ice behind the hut over a hole. When Dan came to pick us up it looked like a murder scene. He stood looking at it and didn't ask a question. I asked Dan what he thought it was he said he didn't want to know but he was going to have to make a head count. The last time we had ice on Erie my wife and I rented a hut for Perch. I just baited her hook and was tending to the stove when she said "Fish on!!" seriously woman, 60 seconds in. As I looked down the hole there goes my Xmas gift, expensive Oakley's, bye, bye sunglasses. I jigged for an hour trying to get them back until the current took them away. If I had my dollar store sunglasses on it would never have happened. Of course she was the only one to catch fish that day. Of the many trips those 2 things stick out in my mind. Good times I miss.

You all have 3 degrees of separation from the recently diseased Charles Manson. A 1st cousin in California was his jail guard in L.A. when first arrested, everyone here has third degree separation because you sort of know me.

About 14 years back for a few days 2 white Wolves walked out on the ice and laid there all day sunning themselves and only moved when the Sun did, that was cool to see and rare. Not just 1 but 2. I couldn't get a good pic. These 2 were twice the size of a big Huskie. If I had film for my 35mm I could have shot them with the big 200mm telephoto lens. Now I keep a roll in the 35mm on standby. Those I phones are OK for taking close ups or selfies which I hate but not like a real deal 35mm camera. I showed all the boys at the marine shop today and they also were in awe, thanks again Chad.

When I was hitting the gym sometimes twice a day we fished the Niagara. You had better be in good shape. Today I would need a chopper to get down and back up. We did both, drift and bottom bounced. I don't know why you couldn't do both. It won't be very crowded this time of year I would guess. Easier fishing is on the other side at The Art Park. Stairs, what a novel idea. You will need to get a NY State licence that you can get online and be able to cross the ditch,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,legally. Putting a Toon in there would be fun to watch you nut. The best thing fishing there was you never knew what you had on the line from a big Laker, a good sized Smallie or a Steelie. I even caught a Perch once.