Beavertail

Gotta be mom's homemade cabbage rolls and fried potatoes with a big dollop of sour cream on top....just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

That's the Cadillac for sure....I guess the price reflects that too. Think I'll stick with my $20 homemade (Chrysler K- car) smitty for now.

Not so sure a wolf will eat another dead wolf carcass. Same goes for coyotes...I've seen coyote carcass's that are left untouched for weeks by other coyotes where if it was a deer gut-pile it would be gone overnight. They are both intelligent animals and must know it's not healthy to eat your own kind.

Most guys that shoot wolves/coyotes do it for sport and possibly the pelts...'predator hunting' they call it. Don't know anyone who has tried eating either though.

Yup, I'd say stickle-back as well. Neat little buggers.

IMO you don't need the most technical, expensive model for ice fishing.(steep, technical terrain or thickly wooded areas are different) Just something to keep you afloat on deeper snow in the open. I use mine on Simcoe occasionally and for rabbit hunting all winter long and would stick with auminum frame/polymer decks for ease of maintenance. I don't like using mine in slush though, I think they make walking more difficult as they generate a lot of ice build-up and end up weighing twice as much. I'd look for a model with a simple buckle system, hopefully one that is not affected by snow/ice build-up. Nothing worse than dealing with a finicky system when your hands are numb and freezing. I move around a lot so end up taking them on/off multiple times per day. Also, if you weigh 165 with no gear, get a pair rated for at least 180-200lbs(which will be your actual weight once you are all geared up) One last thing, if your hands are free a pair of ski poles helps a lot.

BTW, David Suzuki hunts deer!?!? Holy, who knew?

Great read Chris, thoroughly enjoyed reading it while sitting at work this morning wishing I was deer hunting instead, thanks.

Now THAT would be tasty roadkill!

Nice report and congrats on the new PB pickerel...it's nice when things pay off after sticking it out like that. I always wanted to try Point Au Baril in the fall, I didn't realize it got so busy. Used to spend some time up at Sturgeon Bay, always had a good time up there.

Here's an excerpt from the CBC website - "We luckily don't live in an authoritarian regime with a government that can monitor all our actions and movements and communications. It needs to have good grounds to interfere in individual lives. So that means every now and then, somebody, somewhere, somehow may slip through the cracks." Unfortunately some of the things that people like most about our country also leaves us wide open for things like this to happen. And with a population of 35 million there is bound to be some wackjobs out there. It's almost impossible to prevent something like this from happening, sad but true.

Sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers...my new hero. How many lives did he save today?

Thanks for the feedback guys. This raises another question for me...so if the gas motor doesn't seem to affect the bite in shallower water, what's the point in using side planers for suspended walleye? Are they more skittish in open water? I'm new the walleye/boating scene, excuse my ignorance.

Looks good to me although I'll admit I don't know much about sleds. I DO KNOW that it beats the hell out of walking and dragging your ice fishing kit onto the ice! Good purchase.

For you walleye guys out there....which do you prefer? I do both when bottom bouncing but prefer to back troll since that's where my fishfinder is mounted. Always wondered how many fish I spook with the gas motor though, especially in shallower water? Always curios about what others guys use and open to better ideas or set-ups.

Yeah, it was a good read. Wish it was around when I first started steelhead fishing, probably would have saved me a lot of fruitless time on the water! I gotta say, I'm still fairly new to the forum here, and I'm continually blown away by the amount of knowledge and experience shared by the members....it's pretty amazing.

The mechanic at the marina asked the same thing, but no. Store the boat in my garage 24/7 between trips.

" Did you by chance have the impeller replaced recently? " I didn't replace the impeller this season, haven't even touched the bolts all season. Not really bolts I check for tightness on a regular basis either, something you just don't think about. I will now moving forward.

The reason I'm asking is because my bolts loosened off on my lower unit the other day while on the water. I've been using my boat all season with no issues (haven't touched the bolts). I'm just trying to figure out how this could happen. It ruined a weekend trip and nearly cost me losing the whole unit to the bottom of the lake. I use a transom saver and can't think of any other reason...

I was wondering if any members use them and what your thoughts are, pro's and con's. Any chance they could cause your lower end unit bolts to loosen off after trailering down the highway for a couple hours?

Great report. I grew up watching Italo's show, still one of my favourites. Never met the guy but only hear nice things about him, seems like a class act.

Thanks for the input guys, I may as well keep the 25 for a few more seasons. Not enough gain and too much to give up by the sounds of it. If I could put a 40 on it, now that would be ideal. In the future I will definitely have to start a new thread "how to talk the spouse into letting you buy a bigger boat!!"

Thanks Mike, appreciate it. Those are really good points to consider. I definitely like the fuel consumption and quietness of the 4-stroke.

Hey guys, I'm thinking of swapping out my 25hp Yamaha 4-stroke for a used '99 Yamaha 30hp 2-stroke. Just wondering if any members have experience with this motor. I like my 25 but it seems a little underpowered for my boat (560lbs rated for 35hp max), especially with 2 or more people on board. I was wondering about reliability and low speed trolling - which I do quite often. Would I gain much top end/hole shot or would it not be worth it?

Looks like a dinner plate, nice fish.