lew

When I'm trolling for muskies I have DownEasters mounted either side of the boat on the hand rails near the stern. I also like to troll a bait directly behind the motor in the prop wash but unfortunately the transom on my Skeeter doesn't have enuff room for that so I had to come up with another plan and I definetely didn't want to drill into the fiberglass to mount a bracket. The boat came with a 30" high, solid aluminum tow bar that screws 12" into the rear deck, but seeing as I don't ski I figured that would make a good platform for the rod bracket. I went to the local dock builder to see what he had and came up with this bracket......perfect I fastened pieces of wood to to either side of it to give the DownEaster something to grab onto, infact I countersunk a couple spots for the thumbscrews to sit in and gave the whole thing a coat of Tremclad. I then used the set screw to fasten it securely to the towbar and I think it's gonna work perfectly. It'll put the bait right where I want it behind the prop and I can easily adjust it more if need be. Anyways, that's the way I wasted my day today If your a musky fisherman and like to troll you may find this interesting or even give you some ideas for your own boat. If your not a musky fisherman you probably found this whole post very boring and for that I apologize

Global news reported this story and according to their report, the MNR will be killing this bear when they find it.

Just yesterday I planted a garden in the backyard for my wife, only 150' from the edge of the woods. Perhaps I'd best not show her this post

My 1st thought was, if your renting a cottage in a beautiful area like Bancroft, why on earth would you want to go into town and sit in a bar at night ?? Go fish'n in the dark or build a bonfire on the beach or sit on the dock and look at the stars. Winter when it's snowin & blowin is the time for sittin in bars

Be interesting to know what led up to the attack ?? Did the guy accidentely come on the bear on a trail or in the bush and surprise her, or was it an un-provoked attack or ..... It be good to know any further details if you have them.

Seeing as your not gonna be there Pete, maybe someone will be interested in renting your Jumbla for the Invitational I'll also be missing the g2g this year, but will be heading up to Lakair the following week for 7 days.

I've had to go down to the city a couple times lately and can feel my blood pressure rising by the time I get to Oshawa

I'm still always up around 3 A.M.Jer, but these days I spend more time just reading the different boards rather than posting.

I've been busy around the new house since moving in the beginning of March and now that the nice weather is here, I've been working outside most of the time. We planted a vegetable garden yesterday plus we've put in lots of flowers and a couple trees. Best part of country living though, at least for me, is the quietness of the place. I've got a mile of bush right behind me and wander thru there most days just taking in the sights. Just me, the deer, turkey's and Mr. Bruin, although I haven't met him personally yet. Often hear the coyotes late and night or early morning too. Most of the neighbors head south for the winter so it'll be even quieter when the snow flies. We live near the end of a 12' wide dirt road so there's almost no traffic 'cept for a couple neighbors. Still strikes me as funny when someone just parks in the middle of the road and walks up for a visit. I worked outside for 3 hours yesterday and never saw a car go by and about the only sounds we hear are the birds chirping and the odd boat running up Clear Lake. Then to top it all off, we were sitting on the front porch last evening and a couple go by in a horse & buggy, make a u-turn at the end of the road and head home again. Ya gotta luv that Reminded me of the good old days in Toronto when I was a kid and we had everything delivered to the house by horse drawn wagons

You definetely don't need an expensive rod like an Avid for trolling for muskies Vinnie and you can get way with far less. I use the Shimano Compres and their excellent, but many guys are even using the TDR's and are very happy with them for a fraction of the price.

I've always preferred cable steer MinnKota's myself but to each their own, but as Roy said, both MK & MotorGuide put out quality products. As for the PD foot controls, it seems like they've been a source of problems from day one and no matter what fishing board you read you'll see posts from guys having trouble with them.

Your a lucky man Will, it coulda got real nasty if that tire had blown coming down the hiway. I have a feeling your just like me though and keep a close eye on tires, both their condition and pressures. Far too many guys just hop in the truck and drag the trailer to the lake without ever giving the tires a 2nd thought, then wonder why they blow. I'm with you on the booster cables in the boat too. I also carry them and have helped out a couple stranded boaters plus I was even able to give myself a boost from a deep cycle when I left some switches on over night. Oh ya, nice fish too

The gill cover on a musky makes for a very solid handle to hold onto and the bigger the fish, the better grip you can get. Slide your fingers under the bottom of the cover and all the way in being VERY careful not to touch the gills. Put your thumb on the outside and press in to give give yourself a solid grip. Don't worry though, she can't bite you, although the gill rakers inside can cut your fingers but it's usually just minor and nothing to worry about. If you want to take a picture of the fish, keep hold of the gill plate and put your other hand under her belly and hold her horizonal. Keep a solid grip on her though because they'll often start to thrash and you don't want to drop her on the floor of the boat. I was holding a fish one time to remove the hook and she thrashed so hard I dropped her but in the process she somehow sliced my hand open for 8 stitches, so just be careful. Take a fast picture then put her back in the water, keeping one hand on her tail and the other under her belly for support. Once she can stay upright by herself, take your hand away from her belly while still keeping a light grip on her tail and she'll take off when shes ready.

Good to see your long drive paid off Roy and everybody had a great trip....gotta luv Quinte anytime of the year. Sure gonna miss my annual trip next weekend.

Yup, that would definetely be classed as a successful day of fish'n. Good stuff guys !!

My last boat came with a Walleye 1 for the cranker and a pair of OMC batteries for the deep cycles and all 3 were excellent batteries that never failed in 8 years of hard use but I changed them up just in case. My new boat also has a Walleye 1 for cranking and the 24 volt bowmount uses a pair of batteries called "Deep Cycle Marine & RV batteries made by Crown Batteries in Ohio. Never heard of that brand but after 1 season they still work but I spose time will tell IMO, the secret to long battery life is to charge them completely after EVERY trip with a quality charger and keep them full of water. And for what it's worth, in my many many years of owning batteries, I have NEVER used anything other than good old tap water to top them off and my batteries always last a long time.

Absolutely fantastic story & pictures as always Mike. Great to hear it all turned out so well for you boyz !!

$1500 is definetely a good chunck of change, but I don't think it's much when you consider your moving up 6 years with the Evinrude. I've had a few Johnsons over the years and their an excellent motor, but even though the Johnson your considering is still new in the box, at the end of the day it's still a 6 year old motor. I've never owned an Evinrude but have heard good things about the E-Tech Obviously the choice is up to you, but if it was my $$$$, I know what I'd be doing with it, but then again, I drive a Yamaha Anyways, best of luck with whatever choice you make.

That just plain stinks Dan !! I absolutely hate thieves and love to hear stories about them getting beaten or even killed by the homeowners when caught in the act. Some piece of garbage attacked my Mom about 10 years ago, broke her nose and her hand, plus all kinds of scratches and bruises when he threw her face 1st into the sidewalk so he could steal her purse. If I could have caught him I would have done everything in my power to either kill or cripple him and I would have worried about the consequences later. I hope you get your car back Dan, but we all know that even if the coppers catch the piece of crap that took it, the courts will probably let him walk anyways.

Thanks Dan, me & my motor will appreciate those X's, there's enuff hidden surprises on the West Arm without the water being down a couple feet. Perhaps I'll leave my nice shiny SS prop at home and bring the rubber one instead

Dan, were at Memquisit August 14 - 21, how bout you ??

Yup, that's it, the Lowrance was on the wrong setting...at least that's what I'll use for an excuse !! basketclam & Bosh, sounds like maybe we should plan a Clear Lake g2g seeing as were all close together. Bosh, if your In-Laws are 90 degrees left of that pic, they could be my neighbors as that's exactly where I live too.

I normally cruise at about 30 MPH Bruce, but every now & then it's good to blow the cobwebs out

From things I've read on different boards Roy, those things are excellent but you need to keep the bow strap tight until the boat is actually in the water to keep the boat from coming off the trailer too soon I'd hate to see you in one of those boat ramp blooper videos

I don't do alot of fishing before musky season opens, 'cept for a bit of pickeral and this year I've been busy around the new place, so haven't even gotten out for them yet, so I decided today would be the day to get the boat wet and look for some fish. I put the boat in at Youngs Point and decided to go for a long fast ride first. I cranked it up and averaged around 50 - 52 MPH for the next hour and just really enjoyed being on the water again. I ran the length of Clear Lake then basically covered most of Stoney too just taking in the sights. I ended up over at Burliegh Falls and did some fishing around the fast water, but nothing was happening there. I ran back down into Clear and trolled around for a couple hours but nothing was doing except for one largemouth. I was marking a ton of fish all through the water column and the weeds were really healthy and plentiful. The water was clear and between 55 & 57 degrees F Anyways, not much of a fishing report but it sure was nice to be out on the water again.