lew

I've also used Compre musky rods for quite awhile with no issues, but a bud once bought a St. Croix Premier musky rod and it snapped on the very 1st cast. Guess there's flaws with all the brands.

Couple very nice fish there Tom, well done. Lower Buck is one of the prettiest lakes in this area and one I used to fish alot, but sorta got away from the last few years. Looks like I should re-visit it again

Just for comparison, here's some pictures of fresh bear tracks I just took a few minutes ago out in front of my house. You can see the toe prints but no sign of claws. And here's some fresh poop mixed in with the tracks so I'm assuming it's also from the bear. We had alot of rain here yesterday so these tracks were probably made early this morning before any cars obliterated them.

Very nice !!

Marvins put on a few pounds in his old age so the birds may have a problem lifting him now, but we do keep and eye on him when the eagles are around. One of the neighbors did tell us recently though, that their cat went missing and they figure it was grabbed by a big owl they'd seen in the area several times. There was another bear right at the end of my driveway this afternoon and he may be more of a concern to the dogs around here than the birds. There's at least 4 that live in the bush behind me and they get seen all over the place at all times of the day and night.

That's my Dad and brother with me at the family deer camp north of Barry's Bay. Sorry for the hijack Mike

I used to wear them too Mike, but much lower than yours, course it was about a gazillion years ago....1959 I'm the funny looking kid on your right with the axe at my throat

That would be the famous Handlebarz dood

The islands at the east end of Lovesick ??

hahahahahaha

Your right Roy, we've got lots of those turkey vultures around here too and there HUGE. Seems like whenever little Marvin is out in the yard there's even more circling overhead

Beautiful fish indeed. Do a figure 8 after every cast on every body of water.

Seems every year we get more Bald Eagles around the Kawarthas and fortunately, there's at least a couple that I see regularily around here. Today these 2 were quite low and spent about 10 minutes circling directly above the house and I was able to get a few pictures with my point & shoot which unfortunately, just couldn't zoom them in close enough. Sure wish I had Joey's camera today. I don't know about anyone else, but to me, these bird are just plain majestic and it sure is nice to have them around. Hope you enjoy these pics

I think Ralphies upset Paul didn't let him crank in that 1st fish Joey

If only you were right Cliff...if only And Mercman, my birth certificate say's I'm getting old(er) but I'm still definetely a kid at heart

Just finished reading thru this entire story once again and it truly was an adventure of a life time. The run-in the polar bear is something neither of you will ever forget but it must have been an incredible thing to actually experience. I've been close to polar bears myself, but they were on the other side of the steel fence at the Toronto Zoo and that was scary enough Once again Bill & Mike, thanks for the incredible story and pictures !!!!

That was my 40' Crestliner Rob

Wonder what she looks like now, 10 or 12 years later ??

These were the ships I sailed in back in the 60's. 1st one is HMCS Provider & 2nd is HMCS ANNAPOLIS Alot has changed in the nearly 50 years since I signed up.

I just drove by there an hour ago but if I remember correctly I don't think you can actually purchase anything from them, but I could be wrong.

The TE is an excellent reel but not really suited for cranking in big baits like Double 10's For those type of baits I use a 7000 Abu.

I use the Great Lakes/Martimes for most of my fishing Greg, but use the HotMaps Premium for the West Arm and have found several inaccuracies and mistakes with it. 1st off, it doesn't cover the waters west of 64 but I don't think Garmin does either, but I find on the Hotmaps several of the navigation buoys travelling down the channel from 64 to the big lake are marked the wrong colour on the map. The buoys are marked green on the chart but in reality are actually red. If your travelling after dark or in fog and go by the charts you'll be high & dry on the rocks. I also find Jennings Point is probably 1/4 mile off on the map compared to where it actually is and I know of at least a few rocks that aren't even marked. There's a reason they tell you not to use these charts as your sole navigational aids. For the most part though, I like the Navionics.

Yup, once the new railing is installed the patch will be pretty well hidden.

I used the slurry coat that you suggested and the product that they recommended was Quikrete Quick-Drying Cement. Supposedly it's specially made for exactly the kind of repair I was making. http://www.quikrete.com/productlines/QuickSettingCement.asp As of 10 minutes ago, the repair patch was still in place

That right there would make the trip worthwhile Bruce