SlowPoke

$149US at Cabela's... the link is in the original post (click on "item description") -Brian

Navionics Gold+ Eastern Great Lakes Region: Item Description I ordered this chip hoping it would cover all the areas I would like to fish but this is the first time I've heard of the Gold+ line. Whilst googling I noticed some results showing it discontinued yet the Navionics site boasts "New XL9 coverage for the price of XL3"... this software stuff is confusing. Just when I had my Garmin GPSMAP76 all figured out and I was prepared to buy BlueCharts, I decided to go Lowrance. I hope this is the right chip! Feedback? Stay tuned for my "Treats in the mail Volume III" thread. -Brian

I hope you saved some for the rest of us! Wow, I hadn't planned on going back to Port D for a while but I may... maybe... what are you doing on the long weekend? -Brian

I voted no. Part of the reason I joined this forum was for the reports. Active members sharing advice, techniques and good ole fish porn. I am of the opinion that; -if a person recognizes the spot (s)he's already been there. -if you want to protect your spot, take care not to reveal too much. Restricting images will do nothing to keep poachers away nor will it clean up the shoreline from inconsiderate anglers. Can we even quantify the damage caused by these 'revealing' images? Of coarse not. Because it's plausible, it doesn't mean it's a problem. I think restricting images is a knee-jerk reaction for something that may or may not be a problem. -Brian

Have you ever been fishing with no boats in site on a calm day just minding your own business and your boat gets rocked by some 'where the hell did that come from' wave? I'm not talking tsunami, just a 1 footer out of nowhere. Imagine that same wave rolling into shore and coming back out. This puts the boat inside a swell and prone to the follower. It's too hard to rule out being swamped and Young One will have to find a serious defect to persue compensation. Young One; My deepest sympathies, I just can't imagine walking down to the dock and seeing that. As others have said, a third part evaluation is the way to go. Document everything and don't do anything yourself. -Brian

Good job Goran!

I know squat about marine engines but here is my thought process... -This engine has an electric fuel pump? -The pump primes on startup but nothing afterwards? -There is no fuel return line to the tank? (bypass flow) It sounds from your description that there may be a sensor in the FI unit that controls the pump on demand. On startup it would likely default to pump fuel to pressurize the system for say three seconds and then rely on the sensor for futher instructions. If such a sensor is faulty it would likely idle drawing off low pressure until the line runs out of fuel. My guess is that the pump is fine but whatever controls the pump is not working... maybe a fuel pressure sensor unit dohickey? -Brian

Great report and worth the wait. I'm glad the day turned around for you... persistance pays off. -Brian

Hi Art, I'll take a bottle. I was going to say two but if Wayne and Lew have some left over it must go a long way. Would you like me to send you money now for it? (PayPal, Money Order, Cheque, Check ) -Brian

Try a search on it... a handfull of threads and lots of replies. Click here --->Search "Smartcast"

Beauty fish cc & bly! Cliff, are you wearing beer store headlights on your hat? I was looking a set but wondered if they were worthwhile. -Brian

Terry put a 115 Mariner on his new boat?

Since it's not my money I'll say Michelin LTX I love the ride, good mileage tire and you get what you pay for. I opted for Hankook's on my Astro at half the price and I didn't know if we would be keeping it. The Hankook's are way better than the Goodyear's they replaced. Good budget tire. Bridgestone Dualers are nice, Cooper Discoverers are okay (a little hard and noisy)... both of which I prefer over Goodyear LT tires. If I were outfitting a light truck my top considerations would be: 100% On Road, all season: Michelin LTX 80% On / 20% Off Road, all season: BFG AT/KO 20% On / 80% Off Road, summer: BFG MT T/A KM or Goodyear MT/R I don't think you're looking for an off road tire but I wanted to give Goodyear some credit. The MT/R's are a nice tire... funny thing is, they're better in three feet of snow than they are in 3 inches of snow! -Brian

I began smoking as a result of peer pressure... pretty soon I will quit as a result of same. Smokers seem much less cool now

I don't know if Bottomline will continue to exist. I can't find very many sources for them and none have what I am looking for. From the little reading I did, it appears they were bought out in Oct. 2005 and some models have been replaced by Humminbird units. -Brian

Thanks for your time lundboy - you've been very helpful. -Brian

I don't have time for all my questions lundboy, I'll get back to this thread later. Looking at the Nav maps, what about this one? http://www.navionics.com/Charts.asp?Contin...p;ChartSizeID=8 The one you recommend appears to be the platinum US Great Lakes map http://www.navionics.com/Charts.asp?Contin...p;ChartSizeID=6 Thanks, I'll be back... -Brian

My mind is not made up yet, if someone knows of a comparable unit, chime in... you'll save me time searching. If I go with Lowrance, I think this is the unit I'm looking for... LMS-525C dumb ass High power - 4000p/500rms Dual Freq. 200/50 (included) 480x480 Res. External GPS Antenna (don't know if it's included) Q. Would this be a good big lake/small lake unit? Q. What should I know about mapping software? There are so many options and I don't want to blow a wad on "Hotmaps" if "Nav Chips" are more detailed/inclusive etc. I'll be fishing primarily in the areas Southern and Central Ontario.. Erie, Ontario, Nippissing, Simcoe, Kawarthas, St.Clair and anywhere in between. Q. What mapping software is required to plan trips on the PC and upload to the Lowrance? Q. What level of detail can I expect for bottom contour from the maps? Anybody have a screen shot of Lake Simcoe or something familier? I'm thinking fully zoomed.

The one in my boat is like that but I think a little older... instead of ink and paper, mine has a chisel and tablet. -Brian

Thanks for the input folks. I was leaning towards an Eagle combo-unit but it seems the support for Lowrance is too overwhelming to consider anything else. Are they that good or does Lowrance sponser everybody on the forum but TonyB and myself? I'm going to do some reading and try to narrow it down amongst the Lowrance line up. I will likely post another thread with some questions. Thanks again gang. -Brian

My wife and kids are leaving me for the long weekend and I don't know what to do. They will be leaving on Friday the 18th and returning Monday. Hmmm, what to do.... Lake O, BOQ, Simcoe? Any ideas? Anyone want to hook up? What is everybody else have planned for the long weekend? -Brian

Throwing this one out to the experts... I intend to fish bigger lakes for bigger fish; Ontario, Erie, Simcoe, LSC but I also want plan on spending some time on small water as well. I have an 18' Aluminium Center Console with plenty of room on the console, and room for battery storage (2)front and (1)rear. I have a hand-held Gamin GPSMAP76, An old Eagle Fishfinder w/speed & temp and an old Mariner bow mount electric. Q. I would like to use the old Eagle transducer/speed/temp sensors if possible because being a center console, they run under the floor. Are these older products generally universal plug-ins with newer units of same brand or different brands? Q. My Garmin GPSMAP76 requires BlueChart CD software. Do Garmin sonar/GPS units only use chips? I don't want to buy maps in CD format AND chip format. Can I buy either format and upload from the computer to each accessory? Are Garmin fishfinders any good? Q. I like the idea of the hand-held remote for the bow mount; are they any good, too slow turning, troublesome? I've also noticed some bow mounts with built in universal transducers; is this the way to go or is it better to strap on the one of your choice? Q. Hand held or fixed mount VHF?

We normally order pizza for take-out...

LOL, I forgot about that! You're welcome anytime in my boat! It was a learning experiance for me... your line tying technique will surely come in handy for me in the event that my wife gnaws off the tip of my ring finger. -Brian

Nice painting indeed Pam. As you watch your kids growing up, it's fun to observe them developing thier own personality. Watching the progress of this painting on Pam's website was much the same. Seemingly random strokes of colour coming together to depict thier true personalities. In an attempt to broaden thier taste horizons I sometimes bribe them to try new things. One night at a buffet I offered $1.00 to try frogs legs. Guess who boosted thier allowance that week, Sarah on the left or Hannah on the right? Thanks again Pam, this will be a Mother's Day to remember for my wife and mother-in-law. -Brian