lew

Well, 1/2 ways anyhow Wayne, until it sprung the inevitible Cracker leak and went to the basement

If it's the Nashville BPS your heading to you may want to change your plans. Evidentely they received alot of damage from the recent flooding and lost most of their inventory. Supposedly shut down until around next Christmas.

People come and go from these boards all the time for many different reasons and I couldn't even guess how many great members we've lost from OFC over the years. Some leave quietly and just slip out the back door while others make a big deal of it and write long rambling good-byes. Some come back after awhile and others are never heard from again. Sad to see some leave and good to be rid of others.

I was wandering thru cyberspace and came across this comparison for tow vehicles and thought it may be an interesting read for anyone with a truck for a tow vehicle or anybody in the market to buy one in the near future. http://www.trailerboats.com/output.cfm?id=2497141&sectionid=318

Steve, I spoke to the boyz from Trojan Tackle at the Musky Odyssee last year about making me up something to sit on top of the tow pole and they said they could come up with something but it would cost me about $150 They do excellent work at Trojan but I like to putz around and try to come up with things on my own. I already had the tow bar & spare DownEaster sitting here, so all it really cost me was the $10 for the dock bracket. If it works that'll be good, but if it doesn't for whatever reason, I'm only out a couple $$$$ Be good to see what you come up with for your new boat.

Headhunter, that tube is actually solid aluminum and built for towing water skiers so it'll be more than enuff foor my application. It's actually surprising how heavy it is, probably close to 10 pounds. Alumicraft, that's also a great set-up you have and very similar to the one Dax made up for his boat. Do you have any issues with the plastic rod holder while dragging very large baits ?? Be good to see your custom camera mount when you get it done too. I also used a Ram Mount to rig a camera holder but just bolted a cheap plastic bowl to it. I used a U-bolt to hold the Ram to the grab rail. With the Ram it's very easy to point the camera any direction, then just set the timer and drop the camera into the bowl. I seldom take fish pics anymore but it's nice to know the holder is there if I ever need it.

Thanks folks Larry, I know exactly what your saying and had the same thoughts myself but I'm pretty sure it'll work with no problem. The rod position is easily adjustable left to right and up and down and where it is now is just where I put it for the picture. Anyways, it's just an experiment and we'll see what happens. Dax, definetely enjoying the garage and with over 1000 sq. ft. there's plenty of room to store the truck & boat plus use the workshop too. You rod set-up is basically the same as mine, any problems with it sofar ?? And Wayne, the garage is propane heat, should be nice for putzing around out there all winter long.

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.