DanD

When I had my boat I always used the electric for positioning; thinking it’s much quieter and that the main motor would scare the fish. Well the first year we went to the West Arm we hired a guide for a half day; just to get a feel of the place and the thought of hitting all those prop loving shoals; he could show us where not to go. That young guy never shut his motor off once; he just let it idle and kept bouncing it in and out of gear forward or reverse to hold our drift and reposition the boat. He also kept us on the pickerel all morning, in as shallow as 7 or 8 feet of water. I couldn’t believe it, this old headshaking, smoken and snorting old 2 stroke, didn’t seem to bother the fish at all. After that schooling from the guide I rarely used the electric other then when we were really shallow and there was a chance of the prop getting hit. Dan.

There’s nothing in the world that makes you feel as good as watching your kids succeed. I’m right there with you Bob; we’re off to Ottawa this weekend for my daughter’s law school graduation ceremony. Hey would your son be interested in a blind date with a 26 year old lawyer; just saying. Dan.

Thanks for the reply. My friend isn’t much for the internet so I thought I’d ask for him and I’ll pass this along. I probably should have gone along with him; he seems to have a horseshoe up his butt when it comes to these last minute trips. I asked for pictures this time thou; wanted to see some proof to back his claims. LOL Dan.

I can understand your reasoning for wanting a slip at a marina; like you said jump in and go. But mooring a14 footer is kind of a waste because they are so versatile and easy to launch. Then there are some extra things you’re going to need to make sure the boat and its contents stay safe. One would be a good quality automatic bilge pump, something you can have some faith in that it’ll come on during a rain storm while you’re in bed at home. A good mooring cover, too keep prying eyes off of your stuff and to help keep the rain out as well. Transom/motor locks, being a 14 footer you likely don’t have much more then a 20-30 horse motor; they can be carried away very easily. Then what’s the security going to be like at the marina; a 14 footer could easily be floated out without to many people noticing. You didn’t say whether you have a trailer for the boat; but if you do, where are you going to store it; your laneway? If having the boat at home is being a pain space wise what about a storage facility; where they rent outside storage space? The boat will be out of your way, on dry ground and likely inside a security compound. Yes if thieves want it, it doesn’t matter where you store it; sad. I just looked up U-haul and they offer a canopy covered 10X20X99 for $45.00 a month and you can likely find cheaper places then U-Haul to rent from. A lot of the towing (automotive tow truck) companies have large compounds that most times sit half empty. You might be able to strike up a deal with one local to you? Dan.

Here’s a copy of the safety check list that renters and renter must go through, sign and is kept by the renter as proof of competency. As long as the renter (or your buddies friend) has it with them there shouldn’t be an issue if they were stopped. Now if there were something to happen I’m not sure where the liability would fall? I’d be making a call to the insurance broker. Dan. http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/marinesafety/rental-boat-safety-checklist.pdf

Has anyone here fished or know what Kapikotongwa Lake (Kap Lake), is like for fishing? A friend of mine is heading there for a week through Arctic Watershed Outposts; but I haven’t been able to find any reports on this lake; here or googling? They fly out of Nakina and it’s only something like 40 miles North West of and thought there would be some form of fishing reports, other then what Arctic has to say on their Web site? The pricing is pretty good, just over a grand for a week; but if it’s a hard lake to fish, it could explain why? My friend and his group have never been there and I think its kind of risky just going by what the outfitter has to say. “Oh yea the fishing great; but you should have been there last week” Dan.

There’s also a small chance that the smaller diameter tire will affect the ABS & traction control. The controller monitors wheel rpm and is calibrated to your vehicle; knowing that the original wheels cannot accelerate or decelerate past a certain point without locking or spinning. If this threshold is passed you may experience false activation of the system. Being that there’s only one size difference you may not notice this; but there is a possibility. Dan.

Hey Ryan. I have that prize table donation I promised Dan Bouck and I plan on bringing it down to my trailer. I’ll be in Normandale (Hidden Valley camp) as of tomorrow till Monday and I don’t mind going for a ride to get away from the chores I’m suppose too do down there. You’re not far from Dear Creek from what I gather; if so send me a PM with your address and directions. If this weekend is not convenient no big deal I’ll keep the donation at the trailer until we can meet up? We still haven’t pinned down the sponsor that wanted the letter; but if he doesn’t come through; Cathy and I will and that’s a promise. So you can forget about where the burgers and dogs are coming from; they’ll be in my freezer, waiting for you. Dan said something around 150-200 of each? I’ll have to miss this year’s event; my one brother (another cancer sufferer) and I will be on route back from the Attawapiskat River and our week’s stay at Eddie’s camp. I wanted to be there this year and help out where I could but I'm not missing this trip with my brother; it mybe his last; frigging cancer. Dan.

Good to know; I've always bought the three year anyway so I won't have to deal with this yellow card thing. Thanks everybody! Dan.

That’s what I thought but this guy had a petty convincing argument and got me thinking. Thanks for the reply. Dan.

Sorry if this has been asked before but I did a search here and got something like 20+ pages of threads. So yell at me if you want but here’s the question. My outdoors card expires Dec31/2013, the last time I renewed (2010) I also purchased a 3 year sport fishing; so I think I’m all set as far a licensing goes until the end of 2013. A was just talking to a guy that is saying no I must now have the yellow card to accompany my still valid outdoors card with the 3 year (imprinted) sticker? Is this right or am I ok until I need to renew? Dan.

If the mice are clearing the bait without tripping the trap; go get some of those sheets or tray sticky traps. If a mouse even slightly touches the sticky surface it won’t be going anywhere. A couple of things I don’t like about the sticky traps are; they don’t kill the mouse you usually have the honor of doing that. Or when you find a mouse stuck to it they’ll have chewed through one of their appendages trying to get away; not the most humane thing; but these traps work when you have mice that have figured out the spring traps. Dan.

Yea what an innovative man he was; a chicken farmer that went on to build race cars that beat the Ferrari racing team so bad that Ferrari packed up and said they didn’t want to play anymore. A good friend of mine built an AC (kit) Cobra; other then the glass body he did his best to replicate a true 427 car. I had the privilege of wiring that car for him, using an original wiring diagram; talk about simplicity at its best. The first three gears from a rolling start was like being put into the seat with a 5 point seat belt harness two sizes to small; you were pined to the seat back. It was only after my road test that I realized I didn’t even have the seat belt on. It was just plain old nasty HP and unbelievable traction that gluing me to the seat. There were only two things that the G-force generated by this car couldn’t hold back; the smile on my face and the pickle in my pocket. Thanks for the memories Carroll Shelby and my buddy John for building his idols car. Dan.

3M makes an excellent finishing compound called “Finesse-it” Part number 05928. This stuff is great for buffing out small scratches and getting oxidation off most any type of finish and it leaves as good as any wax shine, after it is buffed off. Most automotive body shop suppliers should have or could order the stuff. It says it’s meant to be used with a buffing machine but I’ve used it number of times with just good old elbow grease and it works pretty good. Dan.

To a lot of people (New Canadians and some old) when they’re out there fishing, hunting or whatever illegally; they don’t consider it breaking the law unless they’re caught. The fish are free for the taking and they are going to take until they are told by someone with authority NO. It was/is a way of life for them “back home” too skirt the law and get what they wanted because that was the only way to get anything. They don’t pass up on anything that is free; because wherever home was there weren’t too many freebees. If you’re brought up with generations of this kind thinking; it is going too take a few generations for it to change. Search back in your own family tree and find out what your great great great grandfather was doing in regards to conservation and how many generations it took for you and your family to have the mind set you have now. Is it right no, but it is human nature; get what you can get today because there might not be any tomorrow. Sad but it is how some societies have had to live and it will take time and enforcement to educate people that no really does mean no. Dan.

Sitting in your car in your driveway is your “private space”; but once the wheels touch the street you’re now on public common area and must follow the laws, whether we like that law or not. Take the seat belt law; yes I know and respect the fact that they do save lives, in an accident. But how does not wearing a seat belt impair your driving or make you a danger to other drivers. My point being you can’t call the interior of your car your priate space and a cop or anyone for that matter can take a peek through the window. Come to think of it isn’t there a law about tinting the front and rear windshields; because the cops can’t see in, if they are to heavily tinted? Dan.

It is a good idea installing brakes, you’ll like them during heavy braking; but you’ll also need to maintain them. This would mean a couple of inspections, cleaning and adjustments a season; maybe more if the drums have seen a lot of water. Not that electric brakes are that troublesome but they were never meant to be submerged in water and then sit in a parking lot soaking wet for 8-10 hours while you’re fishing. I would also suggest that you buy a system that the internal metal components are made from corrosion resistant material, such as galvanized or stainless steel. The shoe friction material is not a metallic composition but organic and the actuating electromagnet should be of a type that is ok to be dunked. You may regret buying a cheep system like what you’d find at Princess; due to rusting and seized actuators; the electromagnet becoming inoperative due to water intrusion; corroded internal windings or the rust blowing the magnet apart. Why organic material shoes; metallic friction will rust very quickly and possibly lock themselves to the drum; yes even after only a few hours while you’re out fishing. Nothing worse then having to drag a trailer tire into the ramp, so that the weight of the boat will hopefully break the wheel fee. One other down side of electric or any boat trailer brakes; be ready and willing to sit at the boat ramp waiting for the brake drums to cool before launching. Hot to the touch drums (as in almost burning fingers) and cold water don’t mix; not without warping the drums and turning then egg shaped. Just a few things to check and think on before you have them installed. Dan.

We fished it about 10 or 12 years ago; out of Marsh Bay Resort; which is down river from Latchford. Lots of different water and structure, decent numbers of walleye, pike and bass; but we didn’t see much in size. It was good though because my son at the time was only something like 8 or 10 back then and he was catching fish. The part that impressed me about Marsh Bay itself was that even though there was quite a few cottages/homes along the shoreline; there were still a lot of wildlife mixed in. Beaver, muskrat and otter, were a common sight, which I thought was a good sign of a healthy waterway? Watch out for the deadheads some sections of the river are loaded with them, especially in the shallower areas and back bays. Dan.

Thanks for the replies. Frank the guy that sells the tackle through Amish Outfitters called last night. I guess he’s fishing a charter or tourney out of St Catharines next week? He said he’d mail the roll-up to me after he’s on this side of the boarder; which will save me about half the shipping and be a bit quicker to my door. I thought that was pretty good of him; he could have just sent it from his home and not be bothered with the extra leg work. Now that I’ve got that on its way, the search for a relatively inexpensive (but reliable) graph with rechargeables is next on the list. Don’t need GPS options in the finder; I still have my trusty handheld; just want a somewhat accurate structure and depth. Any suggestions? You’re likely right fishlogic; I don’t need to fill the roll-up; but that one lure I’d leave at home will be the one my brother has and it’ll be the producer. I love my brother to death but I can’t let him out fish me; sibling rivalry lives forever. Dan

Yea that would work Roy; thanks for the suggestion. The roll-up would still make life easier; I think anyway? Dan.

We’ll be going up to Eddie North’s camp this July and I been looking for ways to cut some weight out of my tackle; actually my tackle boxes. Right now all my spoons and crank baits are in a couple of the "special mate" spoon boxes. Great box with the file cabinet type of dividers but the box is a bit bulky and it must weight at least 3 or 4 lbs empty. So I been looking and calling locally with no success for these roll-up spoon pouches. Has anyone seen them at their local tackle shops? I’ve sent an email to the people at Amish outfitters, they have the style I want; but I haven’t heard back from them yet. So if anyone knows where a couple of these are hanging; possibly in a corner of a tackle shop, please let me know. Here’s a picture of what I’m looking for; all the others that I've found on line only hold a third of what these will. Thanks.

Don’t know if this helps or not with me being in London; but I can get you a Goodyear Marathon in a load range C for $115.00 each cash & carry; plus tax. Throw another $11.85 in for install and valve stems. A load range C tire is a 6 ply tire, rated for 1360lbs @ 50psi. The only thing about the Marathon tire is that they are pressure fussy. To get the best life out of them you must keep a close watch on their pressures; keeping them as close to max (50psi) when the tire is warm or about 48psi cold. Don’t know if this is just a rumor or not; but the MTO are supposedly going to start checking trailers, making sure the tires are rated for the weight being carried? Dan.

Great story Mike, always enjoy your posts. This one brought back some of my memories of people I met as a kid and only realized after they passed away what I missed by not keeping in touch with them. One man especially was our neighbor when we lived on the farm out near Delaware. The farm backed onto the Thames River and there were miles and miles of trails alone the river’s edge. There was nothing better then going horseback riding though these trails with him; listening to all his stories of his adventures when he was young. Even thou I was only 12 then (1972) I knew a lot of the tails he told were exaggerated ones; but it didn’t matter they were good stories. We’d take our poles with us and a saddle bag with tackle; ride for a while, stopping at the different spots that looked like it might hold fish. Make a few casts and then move on if there was nothing hitting. We’d be gone all day but it only felt like an hour or so; only realizing how late it was when Mom would meet me at the door asking where the hell I was all day. All I’d have to say was, I was with Jim and it be OK. Thanks Mike. Dan.

I did kind of the same as stonefish, with tilting the motor all the way up; but I made up a drain hose that I could wind into the oil drain hole. I can’t remember the size of the drain plug thread; but I went to a local bolt supplier and picked up a bolt the same size about an 1 ½ inch long, Cut the hex head off and then drilled a ¼ inch hole through its length. I then attached a 3 foot long hose to the hollowed out bolt. With the engine tilted up remove drain plug, thread the drain hose into the hole and then lower engine; no fuss no mess to clean up on the lower unit. As for the oil filter, like everyone said get a bunch of rags. Dan.

Yea the Pilot is not a bad vehicle; I have a number of customers that run them. That being said I have had two of them blow out the transmission coolers. What happens is the transmission’s cooler coil in the radiator develops a leak and the trans fluid and anti freeze mixes. If not caught in time it wipes out the transmission. What both of my customer’s complaints were was that there was this milky looking pink liquid coming out of their coolant over flow bottle. The one Pilot needed a transmission rebuild; the anti freeze attacks the glue that holds the clutch material to the clutch plates and they blow apart. The second vehicle was caught in time that a good flushing of the rad and trans fluids and then installing an external trans cooler (by-passing the original trans cooler in the rad) and so far it seems Ok? There’s no preventative maintenance that can be done or warning when this happens. I’ve been recommending external coolers for all my other Pilot owners; that still have the original rad. Do a google search and you’ll get all kinds of hit on this. As far as Honda’s rep, well it’s not as shinny as it use to be with more and more issues being found and reported; instead of being conveniently hidden at the dealership level. What I mean is problems that were repaired, (through hidden campaigns) without the vehicle owner’s knowledge; look at us, are cars are great. There are some they haven’t been able to hide; like the cracking engine blocks on some of the 1.8Lt Civics, causing an external coolant leak. Just had one of them here at the shop last week and I guess it’s quite common from 2006 on; where there’s not just one place that they’ll crack but four. Yes the manufacturer is fixing it buy replacing the block; but the techs are told to salvage as many of the internals during the fix and stick them into the new block. All you’re getting is a new empty block; filled with used parts; parts that by rights were never meant to be disturbed once put into service. This repair does solve the leakage issue; but I bet it also shortens the overall life of the engine. If I were one of the fortunate owners of a cracked block Civic; the FOR SALE sign would be on the windshield before the tech even had the engine out of the car. Dan.