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Always nice when you can meet up with someone in person who you only know thru a computer screen. Here's a few of those beautiful Lakair cedarstrips.....definate works of art !! Not much on the market these days that compares to them as far as workmanship goes. Nip, I knew you and your family manufactured cedarstrip boats up there, but didn't realise the ones at Lakair were yours too !!

You can see the storm building in the background but it hasn't gotten too nasty just yet. As soon as I released this fish, I ran back up the lake to my trailer but the rain started before I arrived and was really heavy. About 10 minutes later, just as I got inside, a bolt of lightening struck a horseshoe peg only 150' from my trailer, and blew out my satellite dish and receiver, then destroyed the TV in the trailer just behind me. My dish is grounded but the bolt was too powerful I spose. Starchoice was good though, and replaced the dish and box.

Here's something interesting FOTB, I thought I remembered reading an article recentely that the 25 pounder was being questioned users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/nature/walleye.html

I'm just speculating like everyone else, but my $$$$ goes to either the Larry or Georgian Bay. After seeing some of the fish that Marc gets in his boat, plus some of the ones reported from the Bay, I think it shows the potential is there for a true brute. Personally I'd hate to see someone purposely kill a giant just to get the record, but it would actually be nice to finally see an end to sooooooo many years of arguing, name calling and bickering.

mrpike, if you enjoy gorgeous scenery, fabulous fishing and laffing all day with a bunch of great folks, your definetely going to the right place

Maybe have a look in Auto Trader magazine (boat, bike & RV) as you'll often get a good deal on a used hitch and save some $$$$. I listed a Class 3 off my 2001 Dakota 2 years ago and sold it the 1st day.

I received my new copy of Outdoor Life today and they have listed their choice of the top 7 bass baits ever, in their own opinion. I had to scan it so it's not really clear but the best I could do. Everybody will have their own opinion, but what do you think of their choices. Top of page Best Upgrade......Terminator T1 spinnerbait Bottom left...best range, top to bottom of water column when properly weighted F-11 rapala Bottom right....best action....Yamamoto Original Senko Top left...Most influential.....Bill Lewis's Rat-L-Trap Top right...most versatile.....Lunker City Slug-go Bottom left...Most innovative....Buck Perry Spoonplug Bottom right....best presentation....Lindy Rig X-Treme

My bro-in-law also has an older Sea Monster that leans way over to starboard , but it's a fairly narrow boat and I'd assume that's the reason. My Crestliner is wide and doesn't lean at all when under way.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the warm weather.....bring it on

You've got some good lookin baits there Kenny and they should work well for you. On the other hand, I don't think that 13" Grandma will ever catch a musky, so if you want to ship it to me, I know of a place where I can dispose of it for you

Great stuff Rick and I'm happy to know I was 1 / 252 of the record

1st off Kenny, I'm no "man mountain", and if you ever call me sir, I'll ignore you The 7000's are easy to cast, they just take some practice. The Abu C-3 is a decent reel and will probably work well for you. It's a good caster and also has a clicker and can be used for trolling. The C-4 is basically the same, but is geared faster, which is OK for burning smaller baits, but with the higher gear ratio, it makes it more difficcult to crank in larger baits. The different colors on the reels aren't for decoration, they identify the different models. I can't comment on those 2 particular Shimano reels as I've never used either model, but I'm sure someone else will know something about them. If your interested in Shimano, I'd hightly recommend going up to the Calcutta. It's a whole world ahead of the Abu's, but is going to cost you alot more $$$$ but would certainly be in your best interest. Their an incredible reel and well worth the money. Musky fishing is very expensive, so just buy a bit at a time, as you can afford it, and build your collection slowly. Alot of folks start out wrong and buy up a bunch of baits before they find out what works in the areas their fishing. Ask questions of the folks that fish there, and find out the best baits for those particular waters. Nothing worse than having $500 worth of lures that are no good. Take your time and enjoy the experience !!

I think alot of us are familiar with that spot Phil, there's alot of props on those old tracks

There's also Rearies (sp) out in Scarboro. He's on the south side of Kingston Rd, east of Morningside, but at least he would be accessible by TTC for you. It's a fairly large store with a big selection of baits and he covers most of the species, and I'm also pretty sure he carries live bait, but you'd have to check on that one. I've always found him to be quite expensive though, at least on musky baits, but it's another option for you to think about.

It seemed like they mostly removed the marker buoys where there were a red & green close together, and they would remove only one of them. They would remove a red from one spot, then further up the lake, they would take out a green one. You can still usually see where the channel is, at least one side of it, but now in the narrower sections you won't know how far away from the markers you can go, so if your not familiar with that particular spot, you'll need to hug the visble marker pretty close to be safe. At least that's what I saw in the areas I frequent. Supposedly a cost saving measure, as now when the crews go out to reposition them, they don't have as many to move

Kennyman, it's good to see you taking an interest in musky fishing, but if I could offer an opinion, I'd suggest you go for a longer rod. Those short heavy rods are a thing of past, and you'll find casting heavier baits much easier with a longer rod. I'd suggest at least 7' or even longer if you can accomodate it in your car......I find 7' 6" works very well for me. It sounds like you want to keep your costs down, so I was going to suggest a Pete Maina musky combo from BPS....rod & reel for $200 total, but after re-reading your post, it appears you want a left hand reel and the Maina is only right hand crank. The 7' 6" Shimano Compre musky rod is excellent and not overly expensive and would be well worth your time to look at, and far superior to the 59" rod you currentely own. The Abu 6501 would be a great starter reel for you, very reasonably priced but built strong and will last you many years with basic care. The only draw back is rather than a thumb bar, it has a release button on the side plate, but you'll get used to that very fast. I'd also suggest you exchange the 50 pound Power Pro for 80 pound. If you get a back lash with the 50 while casting large baits, it can snap quite easily and you could end up losing a very expensive bait. As for the Abu 7000's, while they are indeed a very large reel, they make an excellent casting reel, but just take a bit of getting used to because of their size. I'm certainly not trying to make up your mind for you on anything Kenny, just trying to offer a few suggestions to make your musky fishing a bit more enjoyable for you. Nothing worse than trying something new, with the wrong equipment....good luck

Sorry to hear your dogs not doing too well Doug, that's always tough.

Sure will be nice when the soft water season opens.......

I've posted this one before but I always liked the way it turned out considering it was just a fluke. I was running down the lake wide open early in the morning doing about 75 KPH and as the sun popped up over the horizon, I just held the camera up over my shoulder and clicked the shutter without even turning around. Luv the way the water sparkles off the water droplets.

I'll be there when the doors open Jeff, with a smile on my face and a pocket full of $$$$ If this years Odyssey is anywhere near as good as the others, it'll be an incredible day !!!!

Famous last words Your all primed for those Ottawa slimers now Jamie, I'll see you in a couple months !!!!

Thanks Glen, we haven't seen too many softwater pics around here lately. Our turn is comin soon though

Marvin, on the other hand, is an absolute swimming machine. I've had alot of dogs in my time but have never seen a pooch before that enjoyed the water as much as he does. When were up at the trailer, we take him for a swim every couple hours and he just luvs it. We could throw stick in the lake for 12 hours straight and he'll keep on chasing them. I like to get in the lake with him too, but we almost have to hog tie him to get him outta the water

Sounds like you've got a great year ahead of you TJ with lotsa travelling around. Don't forget to send us the odd postcard

I've used an air mattress in the tent for years in May & September, and even though it never get's bitter cold that time of year, we've had it drop below the freezing mark the odd time. I have a very good sleeping bag rated for about -15 C but I always fold a quilt under it and have never had a problem with it being cold. Two years ago I purchased a Coleman double size mattress, and find it far more comfortable than those folding cots, that I used to use. One thing I've always found the best is to get an oversized sleeping bag. Mine is 40" X 80" and it makes all the difference in the world as far as comfort goes. Nothing worse than being all cramped up inside a skinny little 32" bag. I also wimped out 2 years ago though, and bought myself a nice little Coleman catalytic heater for the tent. Kinda nice on those cold rainy nights.