Lunker Larry

There is one very strong argument for supporting first nations at this time. That is the defeat of C45. Hidden in C-45 is the makings to remove all the environmental protection agreements so strongly promoted in the 70s for the protection of our lakes, land and waterways and basically trash treaties. C-45 protects about 5% of lakes/rivers for some reason and regarding fish, it only refers to those that are economically beneficial. So basically a mining, drilling, oil or gas industry can do whatever they want to the remaining 95% of your waterways. It used to be the industries had to provide an environmental plan for any proposed projects. That will no longer be the case as it has been turned around and it is up to us to argue against those projects. C45 is the worst bill to come out of our govt yet and was developed specifically to simplify and remove what the oil, mining and gas industries state as impediments to development. It's all about money. At present first nations and us share the resources that many of us take for granted. The first nations and us are having the rug pulled out from under us. Idle no More has turned into a hodge podge of issues for first nations. They originally stood up against the implications of C45. I strongly back their defiance of this bill. I don't back Chief Spence (?). I think that's idiotic. It's like a child holding their breath until they get what they want. The govt can't give into something like that. I know she means well but she's not a hero-she's an idiot.

I agree with your comment on the environment. The way natives talk about spirits and mother earth reminds me of my teenage hippie days in the late '60s. All spacey and they talk like a 1950s western. Give them ownership of the land and once they start cashing in on it, all that will go up in their holy smoke. I have a lot of respect and empathy for our first nations, and I firmly believe that previous govt's had their head up their ars in dealing with them, but I strongly believe that in recent history they have been let down by their own leaders more than just the govt.

Clear and not busy....but it just doesn't look....finished

The same thing almost happened to me. Had a half dozen trout on the ice in Gander, NFLD. Me and my dog were fishing and watching a spaniel run around steeling peoples fish. When he started coming towards us, my dog Max got up and steered him away about a half dozen times. The spaniel finally gave up and left. Max came back and laid back down. I never said a word the whole time. What a great dog he was.

Vinkula spoon with chartreus stripe and minnow head

Years back I bought an aquarium pump, hose and aerator stone at Walmart and it cost me around $12. Use it all winter in my garage here in Ottawa. The odd time when it is really cold I have to break the ice off the stone, but other than that, it keeps everything alive. Spend a few bucks and relieve your anxiety. Too easy!

Ref the comment made earlier on gloves. I use the nitrite dipped gloves. They're cheap and you don't get torn up from gill rakers and such. Also gives you a better more confident grip on the fish. I get mine at Princess Auto when they're on sale for about $3. SAIL also had them in a big bulk bin for a few bucks a while back. Very worthwhile having. Saw them in the dollar store today for $2.

I was posted on the Queen Charlotte Islands back in the early '70s. Used to fish sea run steel head in the rivers using roe. The common practice was to just cure it with salt. Salt one side, leave it for a day or 2 (depending on how thick the roe slab is), flip it and salt again. Cut it into blocks and freeze it. Used small circle hooks, cut a chunk off and packed the roe around the hook. The rivers were usually very high and running fast when the steel head started in Dec/Jan. Some of the rivers we were fishing over the tops of the brush we were sitting in in the summer. The roe stayed on the hooks and milked beautifully. Those were the days: fresh sea run steel head, dolly vardin and cutthroat trout.

It even has that huge european/scandinavian pike photo. Boy that fish gets around.

Just a quick comment that if you're going to fish big muskie, it may be better to get a more fin friendly net. I had the same problem with my older Frabill and just upgraded to the newer mesh net. Great fish by the way.

If it is still under warranty, don't go fiddling around with it. There may be a known problem with an immediate fix. Playing around with it yourself may violate your warranty or take an easy warranty fix and turn it into a real headache. About the only thing you can do without violating your warranty is the plugs. Easy enough to narrow down the cylinder if you want to but don't go changing coils or the like. Good luck. Motor issues really bum me out.

I use Marine Stabil in my 75 Yamaha, wipper snipper, chain saw, 50 Merc big foot, lawnmowers....everything and have never ever had an issue. Everything runs smooth and clean and starts up in the spring like I turned it off the day before. It keeps the gas fresh and your engine water free and your engines and carbs clean. All you need for your engines in my opinion.

I think the truly amazing part of this story is that this person was first; stupid enough to post the fact he was breaking the law and secondly; that he thought it was OK because he wanted a fish fry for his family. Either too much time in the Texas sun or too much mercury in his system from eating all those fish.

The problem is Ethanol attracts moisture and you get what i believe is called phase separation. Methanol gets rid of moisture e.g. gas line anti-freeze

80lb minimum. Think when you're trolling at 5mph and a muskie hits the bait at about 30. You need the shock strength. Same as if you snag up at those speeds. Power Pro is excellent but don't overlook Tuff Line. A lot cheaper and I have never had any issues with it at all.

In regareds to eating muskie, being an apex predator the MNR lists them as toxic in the consumption guide so it's not a good idea. With the spread of pike throughout our waterways, tiger muskies are becoming more prevalent meaning, pike will eventually displace muskie in those waters. Pike spawn 2 weeks before muskie and they share the same spawning areas. Both species are canabilistic so with the pike hatching first, muskie become a food supply.

Great to see they`re starting to bring attention to earthworms. Most people don`t realize that they are an invasive species and not native to Ontario or Quebec. The Pleistocene glaciation eliminated worm fauna from the soils of Ontario and Quebec. They`ve been introduced by European settlers since the 1500s. They get spread around because they are a popular bait and now more so with being promoted as composters. They are really damaging our forest ecosystems, threatening many forest plants including trilliums. It is a big problem especially in Southern Ontario. You just don`t see the undergrowth of forest plants and new trees anymore. This is due to the earthworms mixing the soil and eliminating that top mulch of leaves and such that those plants needed to germinate in. Earthworms are not addressed in any of the fishing regulations, etc.

This has been my planned trip: http://greatriverfishing.com/

If the battery is boiling it sounds like it is fried. The charger battery is unable to accept the charge but the charger doesn't know it and keeps on pumping juice to it causing it to boil.

Could you be overcharging the battery? My Marcum says to charge 2 hrs for every 3 hrs of use. Although the charger is very low ouput (500 mA or 1/2 amp) it can damage the battery if left on for extended periods of time after the charge cycle is complete.

Had the same problem with my Lund. Bought a couple of rubber carboy corks from the wine making store, inserted a nut and bolt/washer through the center, inserted it in the overflow from the outside and tightened up the bolt. This squeezes the rubber cork nice and snug. Painted it black to match the boat and voila. Now if I could only keep the rain from getting in. Larry

Contact them through their website. I'm sure they will provide you with the necessary info.

Hey Dax. I'm in agreement with old dried out grease or too heavy a grease on the starter. Had the same problem on a 30 Evinrude when we got into the fall fishing. Sprayed the hell out of it with WD40. At first it spun like crazy and didn't engage but once it dried out a bit it worked perfectly from that point on. Cheap and easy to try the next time it happens. Good luck. Larry

Without a doubt, either a battery issue or a bad connection. I would suspect a bad connection if this was an on again/off again problem before.

I used to use them quite regularly for smallies but for some reason, maybe a few slow days of no action on them, they fell out of use. Might clean the rust off some this summer and see what transpires. I have both Rapala and Cotton cordells baits, and tended to have more successon the Cordells. No rhyme or reason other than maybe the size, colour or rattle. Ref Japanese lures. You'd be hard pressed to sell me on that idea. I've fished the north where we would toss our silver cigarette paper out and pike and trout would hit it. I have a friend who used to make spoons out of....well..spoons! And they worked as good as any manufactured bait.