Tom McCutcheon

Sure looks like a Hybrid to me as well. Another good indicator of the differences between a Hybrid and a Muskie would be the number of pores on the lower jaw. The Hybrid will have no more than 5 indents along each side of the jaw. A Muskie can have as many as 9.

LOL there goes the neighborhood....

Let us know how you made out... We are heading up to Totem Point just after Thanksgiving for the week.

Just another word on the subject. Please be advised that there are very large Muskies in the bay and the chances of hooking into one are definitely real. I don't want to preach and I don't mean to sound like a Know It All, but please use care if you get one and take some extra time to make sure it swims away healthy. Out of water for only a few seconds for the horizontal hold photo op. Good luck and have fun.

My understanding is that water levels are down a bit from previous years. Watch out for new shoals and rocks. Harold at Wolseley Lodge will help you out as best he can, but the usual structure will still prove to be your best bet. Weed edges, shoals and rocks with deep water adjacent for Pike and Muskie. Weeds and weed pockets, rock humps and flats for walleye as well as current areas. If walleye fishing in weeds, don't be afraid to use heavier jig heads and rip them through the weeds. Bass I can't help you with.

Thanks for posting that James. Perhaps some of the negative comments can be put to rest.

Thanks Dan.... The diaphragm will be my next option.

Just for my own information, can you describe in more detail exactly what it's doing/not doing? I have a 2007 135 Opti with starting running issues which no one seems able to diagnose or fix. It will start, but won't continue running until after the third or fourth try. It's done this for about the last 5 years. Almost like it's not getting enough fuel, but everything has been cleaned or changed out. Battery is good with 1000 CCA and just under 14 volts reading prior to turning it over. New hoses and vacuum ball, new fuel/water separator every spring, correct fuel with Stabill added every fill up. Just wondering if it could be the same issue as yours. ​It always starts eventually, but I am more concerned with the amount of times it has been turned over and it wearing on the starter.

Have you adjusted your GPS settings to Lake Huron/Georgian Bay? Sometimes, depending on how new the unit is, all you need to do is open the card door, remove the Navionics card and reinsert it. It will reset automatically.

PM sent

The only additive I use is Stabill. 1/ Stabill marine all season long to combat the ethanol in most regular octane gasolines. I know I could use Shell Gold or whatever it is without the ethanol, but there is still a chance of moisture gaining access to the fuel at some point. 2/ Stabill marine storage additive for the winter layup.

Must be my aged memory thing kicking in. Thank you.

I think you can use the stainless screws, but I recall somewhere reading or being told to that stainless and aluminum are not compatible and will react against each other chemically??? Can some one else confirm that or am I mistaken? Am I thinking about aluminum and pressure treated? I know that a lot of the hardware (cleats, eye bolts for tie downs etc.) on most boats are stainless, but are they coated or protected from contact with the aluminum?

Ol'e Iron....I think he made the trip from Barrie to Orillia by boat.....which would explain the 2 hour drive home against the weather....LOL Although I hear ya on the highway drive as well.. Been there and done that a few times myself on a Hwy 11 parking lot.

That girl got some serious air.... 9.5 out of 10 Future gymnast in the making.

Try looking under insurance recoveries? Sometimes a motor is written off because of lower end damage, but the cover might still be OK.

Shawn and James of Advanced, are two of the very best in the world at what they do. They charge as much as they do because of that. When a client spends upwards of 50 to 75 thousand US dollars to travel to far away lands for a controlled trophy hunt, they don't want Billy Bob from Skeeter's Taxidermy doing the mount. I don't agree with the idea of trophy hunting, but it is allowed, and most of the operators are legal and obey the laws of the land. Just my opinion, so don't shoot me and hang me on the wall...... LOL

WOW.... I would expect that these will find their way into somebodies man cave, and that person/s will make up some lies about how he/they took them down. I am sure the boys are insured for this, but my question is "how does insurance cover a trophy set of antlers for the hunter who bagged them?"

Heavy winds must have went just South of us then. Lots of rain on the East side of Pigeon, but no wind damage around my area.

Bait...... Have a great trip Lew. and say hello to your old boat.. We will be heading up to the French (Wolsley Bay) just after Thanksgiving for a week and the temps should be good again by then. In fact each year for the past 4, we have had at least one day with snow and sleet during our stay.

Do you want to borrow a couple of Bass and Walleye rods Lew? Just kidding, I know you have the utmost respect for your targeted species.

I'm glad someone other than me mentioned the warm water and high mortality rate of Muskies... Personally, I put my Muskie gear away three weeks ago. I don't have a problem with folks who catch one at this time of year so long as they realize the fragile nature of the beast and release it in the water without the obligatory out of water photo op. Most will recover, however as Akrisoner stated some won't no matter what we do. A few years ago, in mid summer, I personally spent about an hour with a fish wading in shallow water holding it up right, until it swam off on it's own.

I was fishing Cameron Lake on Saturday...left the muskie gear home because of the high water temps and targeted Walleyes. Fished mid lake humps that topped out at 4 or 5 feet coming out of 20 to 30 feet. Used 1/2 oz chartreuse jig heads with white 4 inch twister tail grubs. We caught most of our fish between 10:30 and noon. 8 or 10 fish and kept 2 in the slot. There are spots on Buckhorn with similar structure, as well as through the Gannon Narrows and into Pigeon Lake.

X 3 for the cedar on the bunk replacement Pete. I chose Western Red cedar because it did not have as many knots in the wood. A little more expensive, but I think worth it. I also used marine carpet, but when I stapled it on, (stainless staples) I made sure I left about a 1 to 1&1/2 inch gap down the center strip of the underside. The bunks I replaced were rotted and the carpet was overlapped and stapled on the underside, which I think hastened the rotting process.

That was the whole idea of you getting the Cardiff, correct? Your just getting started and didn't want to go really expensive yet. Like I said, I used a Cardiff initially, but realized after a season or two that I wanted more versatility. The Cardiff will suite you just fine, but it is not built the same as the higher end, more expensive models. Until you get comfortable targeting Muskies and want to get into specific rod reel combinations, go with what you have. You will find that it is a middle of the road reel and capable of throwing average size Muskie baits. I wouldn't want to bring double 10's in or throw pound bull dawgs all day with it though. Ambassador Record is also a middle of the road reel. I think around $200. give or take.