SlowPoke

1. don't forget to put the plug in. 2. don't forget your license/operators card. 3. don't leave your boat keys on the bumper, drive to Lake St. Clair, turn around and come home. Got home and retraced my route. They were found and left at the gas station where I filled up.

I just picked up a lightweight setup today for walleye but the reel may be of interest for you... Shimano Stradic CI4 1000FML & St. Croix Eyecon ECS63MXF The reel weighs nothing and is silky smooth.

Wow, that's quite a feat! Congrats!

Well done Mike! I might try to get out Saturday depending on when I get back Friday. Sunday morning is out, dropping the girls off at the airport but maybe an afternoon fish is in order.

Having a rough day? How about trying something like this: Welcome to the board and thanks for your contribution. We look forward to seeing an introduction; tell us a bit about yourself and what you like to fish for.

Thanks! Every time I've had it out I get some nice compliments and I'll never get tired of hearing them.

We could have used John and Greg in the boat today!!! Congratulations guys; you worked pretty hard for that honour.

I have a 2012 Ram 5.7 quad cab with 6000 kms so I can't say a lot about reliability at this point. It handles towing with ease and probably the most comfortable truck I've been in and I've owned Suburban's, Tahoe's, a full size van and a mid size van for towing. The ride is nothing short of amazing and it has plenty of power. Highway Ttowing fuel economy is abysmal averaging around 11-13 iMPG while highway driving without a load will get you about 18 iMPG. City driving is ranges around 12-14 iMPG. IN MY OPINION... The Ram is the best looking truck on the market right now with the best ride. Mine is fully loaded and I really enjoy it but all I need it for is towing the boat. I'm not sure it would make for a great daily driver/commute vehicle.

Thanks for all the comments and compliments! I called the shop on Monday to see if you could make it for Tuesday but I guess you were still at your summer resort. We have to get out sometime! They can't get into too much trouble while they're sleeping! Don't complain Mike, you'll be wishing for the next 45 appointments to go as fast! All the fittings and adjustments are a nuisance but it'll be worth it. Yep, just finished refurbing the other one and was considering a new motor when I came across this one. A deal I couldn't refuse and I didn't even need a lottery ticket! I made out okay on the other boat; quick sale without advertising it and got what I wanted for it. The driveway would have been pretty crowded with the old/new boats + the old/new trucks and my wife's car!

NICE FISHES!!! Well done!

I was looking someone to go fishing with me today and everybody had lame excuses; work, dentist etc. Only my family had the decency to be honest and just say "we don't want to go". Well my oldest daughter, Hannah felt sorry for me that I'd have to go fishing alone so when I was going to bed last night she said she'd come with me. I said "okay but do you think you'll be up that early?" I woke up around 5am, got dressed and figured I'd check the weather before waking her up. She was already awake LOL! We loaded the boat and set out around 6:15 for Lake St. Clair. She had a couple short naps along the way. We got to the launch and she realized she was wearing the same thing when I bought the boat and we took a picture of her then, "Mean Mugging" Since then we bought the truck and here's her "Mean Mugging" again We launched in the river and I could tell the lake might be a little bumpy by the ripples on the water. Hannah captivated by the camera letting the boat rub the dock LOL We tried for some bass and walleye but the chop was a little heavy so we packed it in and went muskie hunting. On the best of days muskie hunting can be a little boring for a tired 17 year old so Hannah stretched out for a few more naps. We had a brief strike, a "drive by" as I like to call it on a blue and silver Super Shad Rap. I checked the lure and redeployed. Not long afterwards, the reel starts peeling! I set the hook and handed it off to Hannah. I knew it was a nice fish and coached her a little but she seemed to be doing all right. Hannah doing a good job turning the fish. Although she considers herself "Tank", she's not quite ready to hold a fish herself. I told her there's nothing to it and gave this one a kiss goodbye. I should probably reconsider kissing fish with teeth like this. I took a measurement in the net... nose to fin, 24" and fin to tail 22" for her PB 46. When we released it, it went belly up so we circled around and got it again. I had time for another measurement in the water and it went 46". After about 15 minutes upright I could feel the tail throbbing and I looked away expecting the big splash. Off it went and we watched it for a few minutes until it dove. When I got home and looked at the pictures, it didn't look like a 46" so I zoomed in and measured my hand vs. the scaled image. It measured 46.18" to scale but it sure doesn't look it in the picture! A short time later we got another strike on that same setup. I fought it for about thirty seconds before it shook loose. I didn't have the same weight or battle as the first one so we weren't heartbroken. We packed it in at 1:00 and headed home. "Tank" is tired!

http://www.northriverboats.com/

Open seat for salmon or muskie tomorrow - August 7. I'll be leaving from London and heading east or west, not sure yet. Muskie trip will be to Lake St. Clair with some early bass and walleye fishing followed by muskie trolling. No muskie gear necessary but bring bass/walleye gear. Salmon trip will be Lake Ontario from Oakville harbour. No salmon gear required. Either trip, I plan to be off the water early afternoon.

I use the Salty S-17 bolt-on. Hard to find but I much prefer them to the clamp on style.

Roy, were you on the water last night around 7:00 near the JC bridge? Joe & Art, enjoy your stay!

Trailer tires can withstand higher sidewall heat and flex. Your boat trailer has very limited suspension travel otherwise you would need shocks. The tire absorb the little bumps while leaf springs absorb the nasty ones. Sidewall heat is also generated through sway. Not just swerving from lane to lane but any correction in the steering wheel will cause trailer sway. Even when Billy Bob is motoring down the center lane impeding traffic, the trailer is still going to sway a little. It's really exaggerated in a poorly set up trailer, overloaded trailer and tow vehicles with a long overhang.

Don't even get me started! Especially after a 1348 km day!

*Note to self* pick up some Koppers Live Target Dock Spiders

Great report Dan! I'm glad things unfolded smoothly and the fish were happy to see you.

That is the primary advantage and here's two more to think about; When things go awry, (lines crossing) it's usually the dipsy that caused it and you can untangle fluorocarbon and reuse much easier than with wire. Also, a fluoro leader will provide a little shock resistance and you can run without a snubber. I also think fluoro has better stretch and recovery characteristics than mono. When you stretch fluoro, it seems to shrink back slowly and with less distortion. I've noticed this when making cheater rigs with mono and now I just use my muskie leaders.

Agree 100% I run 19 strand Torpedo wire to 40lb fluoro, no snubber on a Daiwa Heartland 9'6" with a Torpedo roller tip. This setup has eliminated all of the hassles in running wire.

Roy, in the future perhaps you could warn us of graphic images. There's more Marc there than I needed to see

The hooks will still tangle in coated mesh(beckman in my case). I always have a good assortment of hooks on hand and just cut them if I can't remove them in a short period of time. You can buy a lot of hooks for the price of a replacement net.

I like the flush fit too. Another thing I like about the Flex vs. the G2 is the buckle for running 2/3 open. The G2 has a D-ring mounted with one steel rivet that will rust and does not provide a strap while the Flex has a plastic buckle with two painted mounting screws and the strap. If I was really fussy, I might swap those out for stainless screws.

I'm happy with mine so far, it's been 15 minutes. lol There's no drilling required for the drain tubes, holes are already there. The seals are a little lumpy because it was folded up for shipping but they will flatten out quickly in this heat.