lew

It probably IS a bargain Pete and I doubt anyone would dispute that, it's just that Ryan was asking for opinions on the combo and a few of us gave our honest thoughts on it. I don't profess to be an expert on fishing gear but after 35 years of musky fishing I have a pretty good idea of what's a good set-up and what may be a better choice. I was just trying to offer some thoughts and help him with his question.

Dan, I remember an episode on 60 Minutes a couple years back where they talked about this exact same thing. It talked about big name tire stores selling new tires that were infact often 7 or more years old. I think they said tires should be replaced after a maximum of 7 years but I may be wrong on that number.

Ryan, the Shimano Compre is an excellent musky rod and not overly expensive. It may be worth your while to have a look at them. I sold off all my St. Croix's and replaced them with Compres. I also use Calcutta CT's & TE's and their as good as they come. The TE is pretty spendy at close to $400 but the CT's are cheaper but still a great reel. I don't think they make the CT anymore but whatever they replaced it with would be a good choice. Not trying to spend your $$$$ for you, but just offering what in my humble opinion would be a couple decent choices for you. And once you buy them, they'll give you many many years of excellent service.......guaranteed !!

I've always been a Shimano fan but have tried a few Abu's over the years. I wanted a hi-speed reel for burning bucktails over the weedbeds and picked up a C-4 a few years back. It burned itself out after one season and went in the garbage can. I wanted a relatively inexpensive back-up reel for guests to use and bought a C-5. It was good for the 1st year then started to go down hill and eventually gave up the ghost. Aikmens wanted $170 to fix it and it then also went in the garbage can. I use alot of large jerkbaits and needed something to take up the line fast so I bought an Abu Big Game. It lasted for 2 seasons before exploding on a cast and then became my 3rd Abu in the garbage can in about the same number of years. My bud bought a Fenwick musky rod that snapped on a cast after only a few weeks. Fenwick replaced it with another one and that one snapped on a hookset the 1st time he ever fished with it. Nuthin but junk......

I've got a big boat Phil, bring all the fish'n poles you want and we'll have a blast as always. Check your PM's and we'll set it up.

Just my dimes worth Ryan, but if your gonna be fishing for muskies I'd stay away from both the Abu and the Fenwick. The Fenwicks are well known for breaking farrrrr too often for no apparent reason and the Abu quality has gone way down hill in recent years. Do yourself a favour and spend some extra $$$$ and get a quality set-up. If your only gonna be fishing for muskies the odd time you may be OK with that rig but if your looking to do it more seriously it could be a poor choice. Again, just my opinion.

Actually Phil, I'm getting a bit tired of working around here everyday, so c'mon up and we'll forget about the stumps and just go fish'n

I forget exactly John, but the KeelShield for my Skeeter was around $200 and I had to install it myself. Their certainly not cheap but should protect the glass if I decide to beach it for whatever reason.....hopefully.

Thanks for the comliments on the property guys. Forgot to mention there were also 2 wells that he had to drop the trees thru besides the other things just to make the job more interesting

I had a couple very large poplar trees on my front lawn that I decided to have chopped down before they came thru my roof, so I called a local guy who I've used before. I always enjoy watching someone who is an expert at his trade and this guy is no exception. He arrived at 8:30 this morning and was gone in an hour. There was a very narrow space that these trees needed to fall thru so as not to damage some other smaller trees on either side and he dropped them like a seamstress threading a needle. The man is definetely a pro. I hafta admit I was holding my breath until it was all over Once their on the ground he cuts them into manageble lengths about 18 - 20' long then uses his boom to load them on the truck and haul them away. I took a few pics. And when they were all done the place was clean as a whistle and you'd never know they were even here Just thought some may find it interesting.

Fantastic stuff Marty, I was waiting for your report. Dawson is such a great little guy and it's excellent to hear he's gonna be a regular on your trip now. Can't wait for the report when he hooks into a monster musky I see Tony's still driving that awesome bass rig too !!

After reading a thread this morning about someone having a flat tire on his boat trailer, I thought I'd throw this out there for anyone new to towing a trailer. 1st off.....ALWAYS CARRY A SPARE FOR YOUR TRAILER The wheel wrench for your tow vehicle may not fit the lug nuts on your boat trailer and if so, you'll be stranded on the side of the hiway even though you thought you were prepared. Be sure to carry the proper sized wrench for your trailer wheels. It's a good idea to loosen the lug nuts & re-tighten them once in awhile to be sure they don't become siezed on the wheel over time which could also leave you stranded on the side of the road. It's also a good idea to carry a flat piece of wood incase you need to jack up your truck or trailer on soft ground. It'll keep the jack from sinking into the dirt as you crank up the vehicle. Check the tire pressure on your trailer tires before EVERY trip. I carry a tire guage, compressor and a couple cans of the aerosol puncture sealer in my truck. I also increased the length of the compressor plug wire by 25' so it can reach the trailer tires without having to remove them. And be sure your trailer wheel bearings are in good shape & lubricated Just a few thoughts that may help a newbie out. Anybody else got anything to add ??

Sounds like you had a tough trip and good to hear you finally got everything fixed up, but I never could understand why folks tow trailers without a spare tire 10 minutes to change a tire and your on your way again.

They spent the weekend here at my place a couple months back too Paul, then we vacationed with them at Lakair a few weeks ago along with another couple.

I've never met Bob Devine but he posts some extremely good info on this board to help people out and if I was looking for a guide down that way he'd be my 1st choice for sure.

That's the problem Jer, I'm always pushing Shimano musky gear cause I think it's the best there is, but I don't get a darned thing for it

If I was in the market to buy some new fishing gear, electronics, a new boat, motor or whatever, I would NEVER buy it because some dood on a TV fishing show said it was a good product. Nothing worse than seeing their shirts, boats & trucks plastered with the sponsors name while their standing there telling me these are the best products on the market. We've even got members of this board who have a list of their sponsors in their signature and I've seen them on here pushing their sponsors products when someone asks a question about what gear to buy. If I'm looking to buy something new I'll ask the members of this board....(the non-sponsored ones).... if anyone uses it and what's their honest opinion about the item, NOT somebody who's payed to say it's a great item. But for what it's worth, with the exception of one reel, ALL my musky gear is Shimano

This is Marvin who's been my best buddy for the past 14 years. The absolute friendliest and most lovable little pooch any guy could ask for and he's well known by many OFNers over the years. His whole purpose in life is to make as many friends as possible He luvs a boat ride Will swim 23 hours a day if allowed Shares his food with anyone who's hungry He's a busy little guy who needs to take a break every now & then And alot of long time OFNers will remember this picture from a few years back when me & ole Marv came in 2nd in the Toronto Sun's Father & "Son" look-alike contest with our matching OFC touques....thanks to Terry

Not many things can put a smile on this ole kisser HH, but the purrrrrrrrrrrrr of a Yammy is one thing that can fer sure !!!!

I don't want to be in a commercial but I DO luv my Yamaha

Gonna be another gorgeous day !! If your fish'n today, good luck, If your goin to work today, I'm sorry to hear that.

Fred, do you remember the one red buoy in the big bay just east of Memquisit with the white jug about 50' away ?? That's one of the red markers that shows up as green on my chip and if you were travelling at night or in the fog and going by the GPS and passed it on the right as you would in that direction with a green buoy, you'd be right up on top of the rocks and probably tear the bottom outta your boat. As you say Fred, "not cool on that lake" GPS units are good, but you've still gotta know what the heck your doing or you'll be in BIG trouble.

I've got a feeling your gonna come out of this OK Geoff.

My dad spent 5 years in the Navy during WW11 and then I was born right after in 1946, so as I was growing up I always heard Navy tales as most of Dad's friends were ex-Navy as well. I knew from a very early age that I would follow his footsteps and joined the Navy myself the same day JFK was assasinated, Nov 22/63 I spent the next few years sailing the oceans everywhere from Trinidad to Norway and alot of places in between, then when I got out of the Navy I joined the Fire Dept in Toronto, which was another dream of mine, and spent the next 32 years as a fireman. It was a fabulous career and it's a great feeling going home at the end of the day knowing you've been helping folks in trouble and making their lives a little bit easier. I retired early when I was 53 and have spent the last 10 years enjoying life to it's fullest. We're now living in a beautiful home in the country, driving a brand new truck and hauling an almost new boat around wherever I want to fish...life is good If I was to repeat my life all over again, I would do EXACTLY what I have already done. My wife & I have had a wonderful life...with a few very sad exceptions...and I would recommend the Military and Fire Dept. to anyone. University degrees are definetely an asset when job hunting, but not always a necessity when searching for a successful and rewarding career.

Good to see you made it home safely Fred. It was great to finally hook up with you for a day on the water and hopefully we'll do it again next year. Looking forward to my own trip to Memquiset in a couple more weeks.