akaShag

Colour me jealous..............but what the heck is that first photo? Doug

More thoughts to answer Cliff's questions: I have driven this (legally, I think) along the side of the road. It takes up a LOT more room than an ATV, and with the tracks on most shoulders would not be wide enough, ie you would be driving partly on the road and/or partly in the ditch. You will almost certainly need a bigger trailer than you have for an ATV. They are a fun rig to drive, and if you like attention when you pull in to a Canadian Tire or LCBO parking lot, for example, most times you will have somebody come on over and ask you about it. And they are PRICEY. But then so are snowmobiles these years, and where I live the snowmobilers pretty much have to go someplace else to drive their sleds. HTH Doug

with and without tracks

Fisherman sent me an e-mail asking, somewhat incredulously, if I bought another Argo. Guilty as charged. Then I went looking for this thread. (You could have sent me a link, buddy............) I did own one many moons ago, an 8 wheeler with the so-called Super Tracks (extra wide). It cost me several hundred dollars for every kilometer I ever drove it. But I am not in any way mechanically inclined so could not do any of the work it needed. I did fish out of it a number of times. It is very bow-heavy and if you have two men in the front seat you don't have much freeboard. Unless you put a kicker motor on it, your propulsion is just the tires, so excruciatingly slow. I did have a motor bracket, AND a bilge pump! With the tracks yes you can go just about anywhere, but once you are stuck, you are well and truly bogged. I got bogged in slush about half-way up the hull one time, and that was a very exciting adventure indeed. The young lad (Drew) that runs a tackle shop in Owen Sound still has nightmares about it...😉 There is no suspension, just the tires, so it is not a smooth ride over bumps and obstacles. This is the case both with and without the tracks mounted. BUT!!!!! they FLOAT, so if a person is ice fishing and goes through the ice, you are not going to drown. You may die of hypothermia, but the bodies will be easy to find. The new models are a huge improvement over the old ones, much less inclined to break down. You can mount a winch both on the front and on the back for gnarly spots, but of course there has to be something solid to hook up the winch cable. I decided to buy this new one because of the safety factor for ice fishing, and because it is VERY handy around my hunting property. I can generally drive right up to a dead deer and just lift it into the back end. Cliff, I don't really believe this is the rig for you, but by all means if you want to drive one, come on down to Kingston and be my guest. Doug

Thanks for the read! Doug

Yes, a boat for sure. I have set prawn traps for spot-tail prawns in a bunch of places off the coast of Vancouver Island. SIX BUCKS A POUND, you are making out like a bandit!!!!! Doug

I was introduced to clam digging this summer in Miramichi Bay, and it was the high point of my summer vacation. We looked for the holes in the sand, then dug with our hands. It was hard on the hands, for sure, lots of gravel in with the sand....... Cliff, are you catching those prawns/shrimp, or buying them? Doug

Your non-resident general fishing licence (NOT salmon) costs a pittance, and is known colloquially as your "troutin" licence. But when you look at the water that you can actually FISH, just about all of the streams and rivers are designated waters and you cannot fish there. In 2019, season for trout opened 15 May, not sure what the 2020 opener is. As Sinker says, cod is not open then. You might want to give up on your fishing plans. I was there this past summer and in four weeks I found ONE brook that I could fish. And I caught nothing but rocks. It's a nice enough place, but honestly there are lots of places in Canada that have friendly people, good food, funny customs, and lots to talk about for somebody who is not from there. Make the best of your trip, but don't expect fishing to be a big part of it. Think ICEBERGS, lots of ICEBERGS, more than you will see just about anyplace else. Doug

Every job has its ups and downs, its good and its bad. Kind of like pretty much everything in life. But pretty much everybody knows when it's time to move on, and good luck to you. Best not to live life with regrets. From one of my favourite songs: Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption I planned each charted course Each careful step along the byway And more, much more than this I did it my way Doug

Nope, winter looks like this:

another test

That looks AWESOME!

You DO know that you don't need a fishing licence, right? Doug

No cabin fever there, and you're not down here in the banana belt!😉

I think most of us are getting cabin fever down here in the south, as opposed to the Great White North. I was out this morning on a favourite "first ice" spot, and about one-third the way to the fishing hole I was on 2.75 inches of ice. It was good clear ice, but there was a pressure ridge between me and my intended spot...................and we turned around. Plus temps forecast for the next while, it might be February before we get on to the ice down here. Doug

But you have a suspicious looking face...........😉 Doug

That was worth the read, thanks Smitty. Bigger coyote = bigger target......... Doug

This week's project is pork tenderloin bacon. I made this once before and posted it here I believe. Bacon candy! 🤤 Doug PS) Found it, posted on 23 Aug 18, page 116 on my page view.

back to ketchenany again..........I remember when you posted that a while back, and OIM remarked on it. Do you have a "root cellar" underneath the front porch, where you hang them?

Those are very good looking sausages. If you can make a fresh sausage that well, you can for sure make salami, summer sausages, etc etc. Doug

back to ketchenany............why do you use the string bags on those ones? Doug

Have a look at SALUS........................

I use the coarse plate for grinding the meat, and no plate or blade for stuffing, just the sausage attachment. I did have one batch of summer sausage that was too fine a consistency, it was more like liverwurst. That one if memory serves me I used the medium plate and the binder/cure was really sticky - the meat hung on to my fingers like balls of snot. It tasted fine, but the consistency wasn't right. That one was Canada Goose breasts I am pretty sure. The meat has to be properly prepared for the grinder as well. If the grinder has to work too hard you will end up with a finer grind. HTH

If Fisherman and misfish are giving you advice I reckon it will be right on the money. BUT............ It's not that hard to make it yourself, and you can be sure that what you put into the sausage mix is what you are eating....Even a hand grinder can cut up your meat, and you can mix it by hand, and it is possible (but sub-optimal) to stuff the casings by hand. Buying an inexpensive electric grinder, with sausage stuffing tubes, will give you years of use if you are gentle with it, and now you can make your own burgers, fresh sausages (cased and country style), pepperettes, salami, and so on. Hi Mountain makes decent kits if you go that route, or you can buy all of the supplies from Halford's in Edmonton. https://www.halfordsmailorder.com/food-equipment-and-supply Doug

I think most of us who have been ice fishing for years, or decades for many of us, have had at least one experience where we went through the ice, or somebody with us did so. Being prepared for that eventuality is what separates good stories from bad ones. I have the opposite problem from my old buddy "Fisherman", the one piece suits don't fit me because of somewhat (ahem) shorter legs. I bought a Salus set of bibs a couple seasons ago, and LOVE them. http://www.salusmarine.com/productcat/coats-suits/ AND they are made in Canada: http://www.salusmarine.com/information/made-in-canada/ I have several floater coats (and a full floater suit) and my preferred top is a surplus "parka, naval shipboard" made by Mustang. It is not hugely warm, but I wear layers, and it IS flexible. Some of the older floater coats were like wearing a couple sheets of plywood. Doug