Tom McCutcheon

I can't believe that the markers were removed so early. The locks are still open to navigation until thanksgiving. I live on Pigeon Lake and the levels are reduced after Thanksgiving by the Trent Severn Waterway Commission and the markers are removed by the Ministry of Transport or Coast Guard. I will check them out my next trip up the lake, and let everyone know. You never know someone may have decided to save some kids salary and layed them off early.

10 to 15 minutes from the Gannon Narrows bridge. Just make sure you stay in the marked channel when you go thru the chute heading into Buckhorn at the top end of Chemong. Tom.

Don't worry about the jealousy of others Tony. Congratulations. We put a fish into my old boat that was 33.6 back in 91 durring the Star derby. At that time that was a small fish but hung on to win us about $150. worth of lures. Now it seems a lot harder to break the 30 lb mark and you have definately worked for it. Tom.

Now we got ya... Your gonna miss her.

Thanks.... too bad about the bear. Not the first one I have heard of or seen this year.

If you are fishing in most of the Kawarthas please be aware that the Hammer Handles you are talking about will more than likely be small Muskie. At this moment only a small percentage of Kawartha Lakes have Pike in them, Balsam being one of them. Please release any Muskie which you catch and good fishing. Tom.

Thank you sir for removing those little buggers. Keep up the good work. Muskies Canada Kawartha Chapter is going to be helping the MNR with a trap net study next spring on Balsam. We are also going to be doing some sein netting throughout next summer to study the Young of The Year Pike and Musky. This will be an ongoing project and we will keep you posted on the results. Tom.

Like Fisherman said. And add on these steps. Drain the crank case oil and replace with new oil. Drain the gear lube and check for water in it (milky colour) and replace with new. If the motor has an air filter now is the time to replace it. The same with fuel filter or water seperator. If the boat has a built in fuel tank add stabilizer and fill. A full tank prevents condensation from forming and the stabilizer prevents the fuel from breaking down over the storage period, if just a portable tank emty it into your tow vehicle. Check your prop for wear and tear and also check for fishing line wrapped around the shaft. Check the trailer bearings and hubs, grease bearings. When you park it for the winter block the trailer axle/s up so the tires are just off the ground. Take your battery/s out and top up the fluids and top off the charge. Then maintain the charge every so often over the winter. Store them inside on a wooden bench if you can. If you do everything in the fall it is just a matter of launching and turning the key in the spring. Tom.

I have visions of a cat sitting at a desk at 3:00 a.m. while his captors sleep writing that..

I know I printed: "white to junk. black to neg." Don't know what happened there and who would screw with a post. I'm out of here. Tom.

When I had my bigger boat set up for big lake fishing, I used a power bar with a 5 amp. circut breaker in it wired to the charging battery, (white to junk. black to neg.)This I would use for the downriggers. I could plug four riggers into it if needed. If I remember correctly each downrigger had it's own circut breaker also,... just in case. Tom.

What an adventure!!!! Reminds me a little of a trip I did back in the late 80's. Lots of numbers of walleye mixed in with some large northerns. One of the highlights was a day trip drifting a river for large specks. Enjoyed the read and pictures immensely Tom.

This is a known spot for Muskies and will also have walleye and bass around it along with lots of panfish for the kids. It isn't too far out of Big Bald into Pigeon but can be a little treacherous without any electronics. Be careful when venturing out of Bald, narrow channels and lots of small islands and hidden rocks. Cheers, Tom.

Hey Mike; I can't help you there cause I have never fished it But you can try giving Ron Reyns a PM on MCI. I know he has covered it quite a bit as recently as two weeks ago. Good luck. If you get any Pike while you are there KEEP THEM FOR A MEAL.... Tom.

My son is a musician on cruise ships. He has been doing this off and on for almost 10 years. Believe it or not one of his biggest complaints about cruising in the Carribean is it gets boring after about 3 months. Now don't get me wrong, he has been all around the world, several times, and he loves his work but he finds the smaller islands in the Carribean to be too confining and repititious and has to come home for a vacation. By the way DITTO on the Canadian accent. Tom.

That didn't take long... We are doing just fine Rich. How about yourself. I finaly broke that 50 inch mark a couple of weeks ago. Tom.

HA HA Rich... We got your money now and one of Prime Minister Harper's Buddies from out of country is now fishing under your name. Two months is nothing, you may get it before the snow flies.. Tom.

Is this new or used? Dealer or private? Either way, you want to water test it. After that and it's back on the trailer check the lower unit lube for signs of water, check for any water in the bilge (leaks in hull), check all lights and switches (breakers) on the boat, have the battery (batteries) checked and tested, make sure all fittings and hinges and screws are tight. Go over the trailer, lights, coupler, springs, tires and bearings. Trailer has to be licenced by OMT and the boat has to be registered if over 10 horsepower with Transportation Canada. As far as insurance, that is up to you, but highly recommended to have liability at least on it. It doesn't take much of an accident or injury anymore to reach a million dollars. I am sure I have left some items out and others will add to this. Good luck and enjoy your ride Tom.

Good one Drifter.....

Too bad Sgt. Cam Wooley from the OPP has retired. He would have just loved to have seen that rig on our highways. His reply "I've seen everything, now I can die and go to heaven" Tom.

Always better to be safe than sorry. There is an old fram oil filter quote "you can pay me now or pay me later" Pay a little premium or pay a large settlement. Tom.

If you want to keep the premiums down, I would only put just liability on the boat. The trailer should be covered under your car insurance when it is connected to your vehicle. Depending on what other stuff is on the boat you may consider a theft rider also. That will increase the premium a little bit. Tom.

What a great community!!! The offers of rides and encouragement are genuine. Hang in there, and take up a few of these offers. All it will cost you is some fuel and a bunch of smiles.... Tom.

So sorry for your loss Wayne My condolences to your family. Tom.

Muskies Canada has been working on reintroducing Muskie into Lake Simcoe for a number of years. This could be a good sign that they are healthy. When they get released the fingerlings are about 8 to 10 inches long and will generally take about two years to reach 24 inches. After that there isn't too many predators around, large enough to bother them. Tom.