lew

Marc, are you referring to the Perfect Angler from 4 or 5 years back ?? Fun times fer sure and some hilarious stuff back then !!

I think the worst thing a person can do in his lifetime is to have a dream but never carry it out, and then regret not doing it for the rest of time. We've all had friends and loved ones go to the grave never having fullfilled their dreams. A fella I worked with dreamed for many years of sailing across the Atlantic alone in a 21' sailboat but kept putting it off, and then finally at about 50 years of age he said to heck with it all, took an extended leave of absence and took off on his dream. He was successful in his trip and had fullfilled what he'd always wanted to do and said it was the best decision of his life and would have totally regretted it if he hadn't done it. As pikehunter stated........."Who says that we all have to conform to the wife, 2 kids and a mortgage lifestyle?"........ and there's alot of truth in that. Take the trip to New Zealand, have a wonderful year down there, and then pat yourself on the back for having the guts to do what so many other folks never do and regret for the rest of their days. Life is too short to be stuck working till your dying days. And don't ferget to send us a postcard now & then

I've never had much interest in steelheading or even river fishing in general, and when I see some of those pics of the guys standing shoulder to shoulder it just blows my mind. Even reading some of the threads around here where guys are talking about hooking a fish and then tangling lines with the guy beside him while they fight it makes me wonder how anyone could really get into it. I feel like I'm being crowded with one other person in the boat with me in the middle of a lake

You've got that right, forrest !! John runs a quality shop with an excellent inventory and his customer service is 2nd to none. I've been dealing with him for a long time now and have never had a single issue with anything, infact I've bought 2 rods & a reel from him in the last month alone. If anyones looking for an excellent "Mom & Pop" type of shop, go have a look. And BTW, the "Mom & Pop" is only an expression cause John is young enuff to be my son

All the best to ya Steve !!

Just to wander off topic slightly, but still with Japanese cars...... First off, I've been buying GM products almost exclusively for about 42 years and have had everything from Covairs to Rivieras and enjoyed them all. Recentely though, I've been doing some work for Honda and spend my days travelling around Southern Ontario in everything from Civics to Ridgelines and can't believe what an excellent vehicle they are, including the quietness, the smooth ride, the fit & finish and everything about them......... Top quality fer sure !! Can't comment on the servicing or warranty work as I have nothing to with that aspect of it. This certainly isn't an ad for Honda as I have no stake in anything and actually doubt if I'd ever buy one, but just offering my personal perspective on my only experience with Japanese vehicles. I've never really heard any negative things about them and I'm starting to understand why.

Deano, I wish it WAS just the birds but unfortunately it's the slobs in their cars that go to these places and are just too stinkin lazy to get off their butts and walk to the garbage cans. The part that really bugs me is that these parks are all over Toronto and folks use them to just get away from the city for awhile, a nice place to go for lunch or supper or just for a walk. These parks are huge and in alot of cases you'd think you were miles away from town, rather than being right in the middle of it all. So they go to a park just because it's so darned nice and then just toss all their garbage out the window. If they want to eat in a filthy place, they should just stay in their own homes, cause I imagine that's what their homes look like too. Dang, and I was in such a good mood until 5 minutes ago

Like we do several times a week, me & Ole Marv headed to Ashbridges Bay (Toronto, Lake O) this morning before sunrise just cause it's such a beautiful place and a nice area to watch the world waking up. The Good part is always the sunrise Guess the critters can't read The bad part is the beavers that are trying to eat all the trees, this one is about 24" wide and I spose the city figured they'd better cut it down before it falls on someones head. This is only one of about a gazillion cormorants that are taking over the area And of course the UGLY !!!!!!!! Ashbridges Bay Park is a gorgeous area that's enjoyed so many people like me, yet we've got these pigs that think it's just another spot to throw their garbage, even though there was a garbage can only 100' from this spot. Oh well, the good folks far outweigh the bad, and me & Ole Marv will be down there again tomorrow morning to catch another beautiful start to the day

In my opinion, there's your answer right there. Getting your rig moving is one thing, but more importantly if you say the brakes are crap, I don't think I'd even consider pulling that boat with it. It won't be a pretty picture if you need to make a quick stop somewhere and that big heavy boat just keeps on pushing you straight ahead The trailer brakes may be up to the job, but I think the brakes on your truck are just as important and they should all work together.......at least in my mind anyways.

That's a real mess out that way Sam and it's a shame to see it happening to folks, but it's good to see people like you, Pete and all the rest who are volunteering your time to help out any way you can. Hope it all works out for everybody.

Only if you take us to your secret spot on the French, Marty, you & Tony always blurred your backgrounds to keep us lurkers in the dark. You showed me & Adam once but it was hard to keep track at Warp 7

Thanks 2 Tone, that's good to know and I'd definetely reccomend that battery to anyone.

My 2 deep cycles for my troll motor are OMC batteries that I bought way back in 1999 and are still working flawlessly and powerful, and still hold a charge for a very long time, even after all those seasons, and I'd buy them again when needed but I don't even know if they still sell them. I got them at Boatland Canada on the 115 The cranking battery for the big motor is called a Walleye.1 Marine Starting that came with the boat (Crestliner) and is also original with no problems, but I have no idea where to by them now or if they're even available either. Sure hope so though cause my good fortune won't last forever.

I was talking to Kevin on the phone on Saturday and got my usual spot booked. He says there's still ice on the lake and they'd just received another 5" of snow, but he promised to have it all shovelled out by June We also talked about setting up another fish fry over on Tombstone on the 20th and he's all for it. Entry fee will be one pike and a BIG appetite

beautiful

Anyone who's been around OFC for awhile knows Ole Marv, he's been hanging around here as long as me.

I just wish I had a dollar for everytime we've had this EXACT same discussion on this board over the years Honda vs Merc Tiller vs consol Chevy Truck vs Toyota truck Left hand retrieve vs right hand retrieve 3 months from now we'll have the same discussions with the exact same opinions. Ya gotta luv it

Thanks for the laffs guys & gals That's definetely a true story but I was just hoping to lighten the mood a little bit as things have been a tad testy around here lately. We actually got 3 fish that night but that one was the most memorable. And Mr. Eh, you already know the answer to your suggestion for punishment

I was just reading iceguys post about the tourney angler jumping in the water to grab a fish after his line snapped, and they said he didn't break any rules cause he kept his hand on the boat at all times. It reminded me of a musky I got several years ago under similar circumstances, but I've often wondered if I broke a rule. It was back in the days before I used a net to land muskies and always just grabbed them by the gill plate to bring them in. It was very late at night and we were casting large spinner baits in shallow water when I got her. I had her right beside the boat and was holding my rod high to keep tension on the line, and just as I reached down to grab her with my free hand, the hook popped outta her mouth and she started to take off. Without even thinking, I grabbed for her when she was about 3 feet away and taking off in a hurry and darned near fell outta the boat, but I was able to get her by the tail and haul her back into the boat for a picture. 'She was a thin fish and not real long so I don't know why I went to so much trouble for a picture, but maybe it was just a reflex action or something . Anyways, I originally hooked her legally, but she managed to escape, and I then more or less caught her again by hand without using a fishin pole and I've always felt what I did was against the rules.......any thoughts ??

You've done a great job of customizing the pontoon Urban, it's always good to see a plan come together and now your finally getting some fish in it too. Great stuff

We've had a couple tornadoes hit around our trailer park over the years Paul, infact I just missed one by about 15 minutes one time. Right after I went thru a small town....Cavan near Peterboro....a tornado touched down and destroyed a stone house that totally disappeared, then ripped the brick steeple off the church across the road. Scary suff, but everyone got outta that one safely.

Thanks for that Mike, it made for an excellent early morning read !! Good of you to help out the new guide and show him a few tricks too

Excellent write-up Raf and good of you to take the time to help out the folks trying to find the left handed reels.

I'd stick with the C3 & go with the 6501 too. It's a very dependable reel but basic and no frills around the edges but will serve you well. Sorta like an old Chevy with no power steering.

I agree with tinbanger on this one, they're a good investment even if you think you may not need one and it sure won't hurt anything to have it. One big bump in the road and your motor takes a bounce, it could cost you far more than the $50 it'll cost you for the bar. It's probably one of the cheapest pieces of equipment I have on my boat.