Fishnwire

The 70 amp start feature is for starting a car with a dead battery. You don't want that, obviously. There's no point charging a 12 volt battery with a 6 volt source...regardless of the amps a battery can never charge to a voltage level higher than the source voltage...so forget about the 6 volt setting. If you're not in rush, it's better to charge a battery slowly, than rapidly. Use the two amp setting when you can. Make sure the auto feature works right, and that the charger shuts off when the battery is fully charged. Otherwise you can cook the battery.

Top water smallies at the camp north of Sudbury. I really can't wait!

The easiest thing is go in to the MOT and tell them you built a trailer from scratch. - Trust me...if the trailer was ever registered they will want to see that registration.

Rods are usually not guareenteed against angler error. If you closed the car door on it...don't expect them to replace it for free. I know I've damaged some Loomis rods and took them back to where I bought them. They shipped them back to Loomis and Loomis shipped the replacement items to the shop that sent them out. One time they agreed it was a manufacturer's defect and I paid just shipping, one time they determined it was my fault...I had to pay shipping and the "cost" of the rod...which worked out to less than half of what a new one would have cost. One time they had discontinued the model of rod I sent them so they sent me the closest thing they had...a rod worth a lot more than the one I sent them. Good luck.

Thanks guys. I know my input voltage is good, so I guess I'll return the unit and try another.

I bought the 400 Watt inverter from Canadian Tire a couple weeks back when it was on sale. I hook it directly to a 12 volt marine battery at camp. The problem I'm having is that when I plug my lap-top in (About 75 watts, no more than 100) it trips the inverter. There's a green light on the laptop's power supply (in line on the cord) that comes on for a half a second or so and then goes out. The fan on the inverter keeps running and doesn't indicate that it is tripped on the little LED display, but I have to turn it off and then on again if I want to work with a different peice of equipment. - First of all, I'm a licenced electrician, so I'm fairly certain I've got it hooked up right and I still remember Ohm's law from trade school...the math holds up, I'm not exceeding the device's output rating, of this I am sure. - The manual indicated that the inverter will not supply a load if that load's neutral and ground are internaly connected. I checked the laptop with an ohmeter and it seems OK, but perhaps while energized there is an internal connection. I can't imagine why this would be the case, but unless the inverter is faulty, I can't think of any other explanation. - Anyone have any experience with one of these? Should I bother returning it, or is that as good as it gets? Any input would be appreciated. - Thanks folks.

What? You guys don't just use a big rock from the shoreline?

I've asked my wife to repair pants with a broken zipper and she told me to just buy another pair of pants. She said she can do it, but it's a fair amount of work and buying a new zipper makes it almost as cheap to just buy another cheap (that's all I wear) pair of pants. - I'm not sure how much your bag is worth and/or how attatched you are to it, but in today's throw-away world, you may be better of just to do that. - If you really want to get it done, you could try a place that does boating apolstery...seat covers and other leather/vinyl work. I'm sure anything is possible for a price. Good luck.

That's kind of what I'm doing now, Shaker. It works but is a bit of a pain in the butt for various reasons.

I wrecked the suction cup for the transducer on my Humminbird 565 portable. I checked the Humminbird site and you need to order a whole kit with hardware and parts that I don't require, but of course, have to pay for, just to get the suction cup. Also, I'm sure there will be shipping charges, which I'd just as soon avoid. - This particular suction cup has a tapped hole which accomadates a bolt which holds the transducer, so it's not like any suction cup will do, although if I could look at a few, I might find one that I can work with. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could lay my hands on a suitable replacement? Who sells suction cups? Anyone go through this before? - Thanks.

I've got a humminbird 565 portable which I use summer and winter. The first year I used it through the ice I was disappointed with the results and almost bought a ICE55 or Vex, but I played with the settings (zoom, top and bottom limits, sensitivety, etc) and discovered it works great. - I only paid about $300 for the thing at Crappy Tire a couple years back.

I've got a couple hundred dead D and AA batteries. What should I do with them? I'm fairly certain the shouldn't go in the household trash, so I've just been stockpiling them for a couple of years in bags in my shed.

I had one show up at my camp last summer. It's in the middle of no where. He spent a whole afternoon getting in there, and there are only two camps to check. It's funny that some of you folks are indicating you rarely see them in more populated areas where there are many anglers/licences to check. Maybe if they spent less time quading into the back bush and more time on the piers they'd have a more effective presence. Maybe I'm just saying that because I don't much like having my privacy interrupted by a guy in a uniform. I suppose they often find some of the biggest violations in remote areas, so maybe it's worth their while. The thing is that I was actually guilty of an infraction and he let me off with a warning. Not that I minded, but you'd think after all the time and effort he spent getting in there, he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to hand out paper. - Obviously, I have no complaints with the CO that visited me that day. However, when I was younger my friends and I had a couple of run-ins with a certain CO who seemed to have the attitude that if you’re in the bush, you MUST be doing something illegal. He was unpleasant to deal with, to say the least.

Who knows all the detals of what happened? No one will. What really sucks is that a working person died while on the job. No matter what you do for a living, you'd almost certainly rather be somewhere else than at work...to go in and do your job and not be able to go home at the end of the day is a tradegy. I hope it doesn't turn out that something could have been done to avoid this tradegy, but if that's the case it won't make it less of one.

My buddy kept some little crappies in a 60 gallon tank for a winter. They stayed quite healthy, but they showed zero colour and markings and were the most boring fish to watch. They just schooled up in a corner of the tank most of the time. It is my understanding that smallmouth bass are closely related to the cichlid group...I bet a half dozen two to three inch smallies in a heavily planted/structured tank would be awesome.

The funny thing is that when I got out of the hobby, despite the $$$$$ I spent on the stuff I had to practically give it away. If I ever do get back into it I'm going to buy all used because I have seen some amazing deals out there on some pretty awesome equipment. There are always lots of guys who are getting out of the hobby and just want rid of their gear.

I've goten away from the hobby for the last couple of years, but I used to be quite passionate about tropical fish keeping. At one point I had 17 tanks on the go. Most were breeding or holding tanks but I had a few nice display tanks that I miss from time to time. If I thought I'd ever be happy with a single tank I'd set one up, but I know that for me one leads to two and on and on. Also, the money spent, time occupied, living space taken up and occasional leaks and spills became a sore spot with the wife, so I just don't bother. I was wondering how many other fisherman have dabbled to one extent or another with fish keeping. It seems like a each is a natural extension of the other. Also, has anyone had success keeping native species of gamefish, and is it even legal to do so?

I tried some little power tubes. They didn't want them. I also tried some Chubby Darters and a little Rapala jigging minnow. All they seemed to take was a shinner deadsticked or jigged a little and then held motionless. I tried just the heads but had no success. I guess some days they just ain't interested.

My finder has a real time sidebar mode. I can tell by watching my bait signal as I jig that I'm getting an accurate, responsive display. There was a guy there with a Vex who put less fish on the ice than me. I appreciate the suggestion, but my hardware is not the issue.

I was fishing on the lower French yesterday and today for crappie. We got a few but the bite was not on. I had my fishfinder and often marked fish, sometimes two or three at a time, but I rarely could get them to bite. They were definately responding to the bait...if I raised or lowered it a bit they'd follow, but just seemed to stare at whatever I put in front of them, and I tried just about everything I had. I got just as many fish on my deadstick without the aid of sonar as I did trying to coax graphed fish. In years past when I didn't own a sonar unit and the bite was slow, I just assumed there were no fish around. Seeing those bars on the finder and not being able to hook them is pretty frustrating. What do you guys do when you are marking fish (crappie in this situation) but they refuse to cooperate? On a side note, We fished for walleye at last light last night and I got two but failed to mark either of them on the fishfinder before the struck. I was bouncing my jig off bottom and they slurped it up without showing on the finder until they were hooked. It's funny...I marked fish I didn't catch and caught fish I didn't mark.

My dad is a beekeeper. Is there any chance you'd sell me one of those so I can give him one. He'd get a real kick out of that.

First of all, let me just say that you are 100% correct. Stern DOES rule. I download shows and put them on my MP3 player so I can listen on the ice. Even when the fishing is poor I'm entertained. Are you wanting to buy a sonar so you can use it in the summer? If not, I would look at flashers. I've heard good things about the Humminbird ICE models...buy the best one you can afford...you deserve it. The Vexilars are also good and lots of guys like their Marcums. It's basically a Ford/Chev/GM thing and comes down to preference. I've been using my Humminbird 565 which is a portable LCD fishfinder I bought to use from a boat. It works OK but often I have a hard time seeing my jig or spoon, even with its so-called "flasher mode". I'm definitely going to pick up a true flasher when my wife isn't paying attention. Flashers are made for ice-fishing and fish-finders are made for the boat. You can use either one in either application, but they are slightly different tools for slightly different jobs. If you will only be using it through the ice, like I say, have a look at flashers. I've seen some guys using a model called "Showdown" made by Aqua-Vu. I have since heard that Marcum is now making it. It is a flasher but it's display is a vertical LCD. Everyone I've talked to who has it loves the thing, and they are under $300, but I'm having a hard time finding one. I believe there's some delay in getting new models to market because Murcum just took over their production. Like the other poster said, when you mark a fish on the flasher/finder and reel up to it and get a hit, it is really cool...and quite addictive. After a while you don't take your eyes of the screen. Have fun.

Hmmmm.... My wife is pretty good and knows how important fishing is to me. She's more accomadating than some other guy's wives I've met. That said, if I requested that kind of treatment I'd go thirsty and hungry and have a cold truck with no gear in it, of this I am sure.

If I could figure out an effective way to use top-water baits through the ice, I might like winter more...ice fishing is fun though. In Sudbury the ice season is almost four months, so it is a big part of my year. Still, I prefer the summer. God, I wish it was July right now! A couple of times my buddy and I fished for crappie in the summer and fall from the docks of his marina but "winter style." We'd use our ice rods (just one per guy of course) and vertical jig for them with a flasher unit. It was fun to get a little taste of winter fishing in shorts and a tee-shirt.

John... I'll give you $120 for the Calcutta...that's nearly 10% profit right in your pocket! Think about it.