Tom McCutcheon

Seems to me I have heard this question asked before

Those French River folks are always looking at ways to gain more American Dollars...LOL. Two flat trailer tires on the same trip would suggest to me that the tires were ready to go prior to the start and should have been replaced then. Not saying it couldn't happen.

That last one has been thrown at the camera....LOL First one looks legit though. Cameras are funny things when you mess with perspective.

Speaking from experience......you also don't want to be at the side of the highway with a flat tire and the vehicle jack won't fit under the axle or frame because it's too close to the ground. Bought an inexpensive scissor jack at the wreckers for $5.00 and keep it in the kit when trailering along with Lew's proper lug wrench.....

What a lot of knowledgeable guys do, is mount a spare tire and wheel complete with new hub on the side of the trailer. You just never know when a bearing (even properly maintained) is going to let go. I know it's more expensive, but peace of mind is priceless.

There is a shop in Port Credit, close to the Promenade Marina on Rangeview Rd. called Extreme Tire Garage. They have done work on boat trailers for people I know and do good work. Not cheap, but quality.

Along with the broomstick, have Diane dial the first two numbers of 91-------1

First off, nice fish and well done from a canoe. Congratulations. The fact that it probably towed you around a bit on the light tackle rather than you trying to horse it in on light tackle along with the fact that it had time to revive while heading in to the dock likely made it easier to release. The size limit on Balsam and the rest of zone 17 is 44". Raised from 36" in 2010. A CO has every right to present you with a ticket, (at his discretion) for not immediately releasing an undersized fish. Just because you only hold it for one photo would not get you out of the ticket with some CO's.

Did you ever think of putting your thoughts on paper for publication? Your way with words and explaining a tranquil way of life have opened a lot of eyes and minds in the last little while. My own understanding has been changed regarding the rice situation on Pigeon Lake. Miigwich as well.

Geeze.....I read that wrong and thought you said "painted".....I couldn't figure out what they were and where they were going to be installed until I re read your comments....

It would be nice if some folks around here (both white and native) would take the time to try and understand each others thinking on the rice situation. For now it has kind of gone on the back burner, but I believe it will smoulder until next years growing season. It's a shame for sure.

I like your sense of humor....

I really hope this does not escalate into something that can't be stopped. The duck blinds out in the lake have been in the same location every fall since I have been here (just over 10 years) I am sure those hunters are not going to take too kindly to someone harvesting their decoys along with the rice. OOPS....SORRY DIDN'T SEE THEM, WON'T CUT IT.

It's just hard to understand for the folks like me who have lived with "Fluffy" their whole lives. Even though "Fluffy" may have been a Shepard, Pyrenees, or Aussie (who's nick name is Walmart because she greets everybody at the door) If that's the way the dogs have been raised and are used to that way of life, so be it. I am sure they are loved the same as our southern companions. Perhaps even more so. Glad they came home safe.

I just googled RV Forum and came up with this Cliff www.rvforum.net Click on RV Forum Community and go to the New Comers Corner.

10 years of muskie stocking with some very negative results in the early years. Each 10 to 12 inch fingerling was implanted with a micro chip prior to release.Since 2007, the numbers stand at about 10,000 fingerlings in total reintroduced. Some of these if they survived, should be reaching maturity. There have been incidental catches reported, but no verification (DNA or micro chip number taken) to substantiate if they are indeed from the restocking program. This past spring several pairs of adult fish were caught in the MNRF traps while surveying for spawning walleye. These unfortunately were found to be Kawartha Strain muskies and not Georgian Bay strain and quite possibly may have migrated in from Balsam. There are a number of volunteers actively looking for these mature fish to hopefully get DNA samples and numbers from the micro chips. I am told that the Fleming Hatchery is at capacity (2 to 3 thousand healthy fingerlings) for release this fall. If you wish to adopt a muskie fingerling you can make a donation by visiting the MCI website.... Adopt A Muskie Program. And now back to the original post about Moon River.

The area seen from the aerial photo is just a little further north than the entrance to the bay I am on. The rice extends south for about another 1/4 of a mile and is extremely thick. Entrance to our bay used to be approx. 100yds wide, now it is just wider than 20 feet, and filling in further each week. Mr. Jones makes some valid points, and no one, especially myself could argue the persecution of natives in the past. However that occurred a number of generations ago and I was always taught that you can not change what has already happened, but you can change what you can do now and for the future. Nothing gets fixed unless you have open minds on BOTH sides of a negotiation table. Perhaps if Mr. Whetung had asked for guidance prior to operating his mechanical harvesting and reseeding, we may have been able to come to a better solution than just going ahead with his selfish plans and screw everyone else. I am sure there would have been some opposition to his enterprise from some cottagers, (I am not that naïve) but compromises could have been reached.

No registration numbers needed for a 9.9 or less, all you need is the ownership (bill of sale) and your boaters card, insurance is not mandatory, but recommended.

I have to agree with Sinker, wild rice makes excellent cover and waterfowl do love it. However the location where it is being harvested and reseeded is a long way from the local reserve. The reseeding has literally plugged a number of navigable channels and choked off the mouth of bays so there is very little turn over of fresh water. Whether it turns over from wind/wave action or runoff from nearby small feeder creeks, the bays are becoming stagnant and breeding grounds for mosquitos only.

Pretty civil until now.......

St. Croix makes the Muskie Mojo and it is a nice purple/mauve shade..... and a lot less expensive than an Avid or Legend

So what your saying Steve is that the areas that are being planted with rice now are the same areas that sustained wild rice years ago? These same areas that were meadows and cedar bush lots? What James is doing is harvesting in a non traditional method which allows him to harvest more profit in a season. He has decided on his own to expand his crops.

I live on Pigeon Lake and when I bought my waterfront property (small bay off the main lake) in 2003, I could see clear out to the lake from my dock. Bass, panfish and the occasional muskie could be caught from my dock. In the last four years since the rice has choked off the mouth of the bay, the water flow is now minimal and the water is almost stagnant at my dock. There is very little oxygen left and the spawning beds which used to be prolific, are covered in silt. This all due to the planting and mechanical harvesting of rice. I have a problem with Mr. Whetung's statement that we all hate them. I don't have a problem with natives harvesting rice the traditional way, from canoes. When we have to put up with the constant roar all day long of an air boat equipped to harvest rice, and when he plants said rice in areas where it never was in the past, I have a problem with that. This has only just begun to heat up.

That's a beauty fish and that's also the way it was done years ago for the obligatory picture....We have come a long way since then but the memories and stories remain . I hope your girl friend keeps those memories close. Thanks for sharing.

Just another possibility other than training missions Lew. They could actually be checking farms and bush lots for Grow Ops. I have seen them low over the fields and bush around Pigeon Lake in the past with the doors open and scanning equipment aimed towards the ground. Neat just the same.