Tom McCutcheon

No problem Wayne. I am sure we will see you sometime at one of our meetings. Tom.

Don't need your cards Wayne, just you!!! Tom.

According to Dave Ness (Trent Severn Waterway Engineer) There was a lot of water in the snow pack in the Haliburton Highlands this winter. That all has to come thru the Trent. Yes they have been holding the flow back in the Tri Lakes, in order to try and prevent major flooding in the Ottonnabee River and Rice Lake. I heard on the news to-day that the water MAY have reached it's crest and should be receding slowly this week. My dock is floating also as of Tuesday. Had to throw an anchor on the ramp to the dock before it floated away. Hope it all lands back on the piers when the levels drop off. Tom.

If you are useing in-line planer boards, they will tend to go to the back and behind the boat. If you are useing planer boards attached to a mast, the boards will stay where they are tracking and your main line to your rod will be attached the fish; YOU HOPE!!!. If they don't release you will quite often see the planer board line with a bow in it leading towards the back of the boat. Hope that helps some. It all comes with experience. Good Luck Cheers Tom.

Black is'nt so bad, gunky could be a problem. Don't forget you are burning a gas/oil mixture. Gunky might mean a mixture adjustement. Like others have said. Change the impeller then refill the lower unit with 90 weight gear lube. Tom.

My best memory is when I became hooked. It was back in the mid 50's when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I was staying at my Granny's for the summer and my Uncle Jack and one of his freinds were going fishing and asked if I wanted to go. I said OK but I needed a pole. No problem. They gave me Gramps old 4 foot steel pole and an old level wind with dacron line. We went out to a country road and parked near a bridge. My Uncle set me up with a hook and worm with a red and white bobber and said " just sit here on the bridge and let the hook float under the bridge" they then set off upstream through the bush. It wasn't very long when I felt a tug on the line and started to pull in the line. I also started yelling and screaming. The next thing I know is my Uncle and his freind are crashing back downstream through the brush and water to see what all the commotion is. They arrive back to see me standing on the edge of the bridge and road with a fish of about 10 inches hanging from the end of my rod. Uncle Jack says that's a beauty trout and shakes my hand. We take it home to Granny's and she shows me how to clean it. She then showed me how to fry it in butter and so as to not waste anything Jack says "don't forget the tail. Make sure there is lots of butter and salt on that. Tastes just like a potatoe chip." And it did. I was talking to my Uncle Jack last summer and reminded him of the story and it brought a big smile to his face. He is almost 80 and I will turn 60 this spring. I have loved fishing for over 50 years thanks to him. I wish I still had that old rod and reel. Tom.

Lew; I think you will be fine with the 2 bank MK, like Slick said. Unless you have a 36 volt trolling motor. Mikes boat is charged with the 2 bank MK and it works well. If I'm not mistaken he is running an 80lb 24 volt Minn Kota trolling motor with the built in transducer and we can go roughly 2 to 3 days depending on wind conditions before it needs to be plugged in. Mind you we don't use it all day, we take time out to troll also. The batteries are fully charged overnight (9 or 9:30pm till 6 or 7 the next morning) Your main motor will charge your cranking battery. Go to the Minn Kota booth and talk to those guys. They will lead you in the right direction. Then just find the best deal possible. Tom.

What grt1 said. A few years ago I had the cable snap completely while we were out on Lake Ontario in a pretty dense fog. It gave us no warning that this was going to happen. We had to be towed about 5 or 6 miles into Bluffers. Thank goodness for VHF radio and GPS co-ordinates. I ended up replaceing the cable and buying dinner and and a box of beer for the crew who towed us in. The fishing was great that day and those guys broke it off to come to our rescue. Don't try and fix it, bite the bullet and replace it now.

Ron; I know that both you and Jerimiah have been working on this diligently for quite some time. When the forms are out I will be adding my voice to the record. Tom.

Lew; we would really enjoy your company. I am sure you could add a lot to any one (or two or three) of our meetings. Meely: our meetings are once a month and all you have to do is come out and enjoy yourself. You can PM myself or Ron for more info as to where and when etc. Tom.

No problem GBW; Now you and others who were'nt sure know.

Read ther exception. It says "Trent River from the first dam (number one) above Lake Ontario upstream to lock 9 (Myers Lock) at the head of Percy Reach." No where does it say all of zone 17.

Tough looking project.. Good Luck No matter how good it looks when your done I would hope that you are up front with the prospective buyer and tell him what the hull has been through. Maybe show him the before and after pictures and tell him about any of the things that may have given you troubles bringing them back to life. I would be worried that the stuctural integrity has been compromised Your a better man than me for even attempting this, obviously mechanically inclined. Tom.

If I'm not mistaken; the fuel stabilizer is added to help eliminate the build up of crud caused by the unburnt portions of ethanol fuels. It does nothing to help or prevent moisture in the fuel. That is an alcohol additive. It also is not a storage stabilizer. Those are two different products. That being said we use the ethanol stabilizer every tankful and regard it as cheap insurance. As has already been stated it is only mixed 20 to 25 ml. for every 40 litres of fuel. Tom.

My brother has the 522C on his boat on the dash. It is a great unit and very easy to use. However he is probably going to put it up front and get the X27C or X28C HD just because they are larger and easier to read. Have never used anything else other than Lowrance or Eagle. Tom

Cliff; let me know what you decide, I am very interested in how you make out. My mother recently passed and she had a Samsonite Overnight Case "Treasure Chest" half full of coins. Some of these are pre WW1 most are between 1930 and 1968. I have them in my possesion now and am trying to determine how to receive fair value for them for her estate. P.S. I am located just on the east side of Pigeon Lake, not to far from you. Tom.

Tomorrow at 2:00 pm west end of the causeway between Bridgenorth and Ennismore on Chemong Lake. If you are looking for something to do before the game come out and support Ron and Jef as they jump into the water to raise money for Muskies Canada KTD (know the difference) signs. Just FYI there will be a static display of antique snowmobiles on the ice nearby for those who are interested. Tom.

Good luck!!! When are you going? From what I understand April and May is the best season for the big ones. This is something that is on my Bucket list. Tom.

If it's about the size of a Pigeon it is likely a Sharp Shinned Hawk. They are known to hunt near bird feeders and take smaller birds and mice. Tom.

Just a question on the tops. Does it interfere with a GPS signal if the GPS you use has an internal antenna?

What are you building Dax?

Bring your appetite!!! Probably rain gear and warm clothing. It can get chilly in the morning I bet. Most of the shows I have seen from out there, the clients were all wearing survival suits which I believe were supplied by the outfitter. Check with the outfitter they will tell you what you need. Congratulations, catch a big one. If you tie into one of those halibut bring your muscles and a masseuse.

Hey Dax; check with Mike, I think he has the chip at his place from when he updated his unit. I thought you were going to put that unit on the bow and get a new unit for the dash. Tom.

In 1986 I was on an overnight on Simcoe and stepped in a large crack on the ice. Broke my leg in three places and shattered my ankle. Needless to say the operator (Floyd Hales) was very concerned and worried about me. They were careful with my leg and ankle while they drove me off the ice and to the Dr. in town. He said I had a choice; either go to Orillia and have it set there or drive home (London) and have it done there. I chose the latter. Floyd picked up the rest of the gang and refunded partial payment. The boys bought a box of painkiller (beer) and placed me in the back seat with the painkiller. By the time we arrived at the hospital in London I was feeling no pain. Moral of this story is..... 1 make sure of your footing 2 bring someone who knows first aid. 3 when the fishing gets good in the evening don't do something stupid. Enjoy your experience, it was not the first time on the ice overnight for myself or my friends, the night bite can be the best there is. Tomfoolery

Beats; years ago I sharpened an old table spoon in order to just scoop out the cheeks. Still works well whenever I get a chance to use it. Tom.