Radnine

Thanks Wild, I read your earlier post (Cabela's Canada) and checked it out. No go.

I had a disappointing thing happen the other day regarding Cabela’s web site. Last winter I purchased one of their Tourney Trail 7’, 2 piece spinning rods and have been thrilled with it (I couple it with a Daiwa Exceler 2500, FYI). I was glad to see that they are on for half price (about $30.00) right now at Cabela’s. I went to order two of them only to find out at check out time that the shipping and handling was going to be as much as the rods! It turns out that they had to come via air only, no other options and that was going to come to almost $60.00 (keep in mind that these are two piece rods)! I am sure that was not the case the last time I ordered. I am guessing that this is in large part due to the price of fuel and the limited delivery options. At any rate, I did not order the rods. Does anyone know of a comparable rod at either Bass Pro or LeBaron?

I have not been to the outdoor boat show. But I have a hard time imagining anything as good as the one in February. The other nice thing about waiting is that all of the 2009's will be out. Most of the boat manufacturers have had layoffs so they should be motivated to sell boats, and the dealers will be anxious to move remaining 08's. Plus it gives you something to look forward to in the winter!

Wow! What great fish. Congrats on the PB and the fishing wife.

Man, I am glad that you can LOL about it. I'd be swallowing my Glock.

If you are in a position to buy, I would not buy until comparing all major brands side to side. And the only place to do that is at the Toronto boat show in February. When you decide on a style and price point, you will find that all of the boats are quite similar in what they and their dealers will offer. That is why I think you need to sit in all of them and compare likes and dislikes. It is worth the wait. Good luck.

Okay, this is my first report on OFC and I am extremely nervous, so be gentle. A buddy and I made it out to Lake Erie yesterday, as for the first time in a while the wind gods were smiling on us. We had a great day that started at 6:00AM to make it to Port Maitland by 6:45. When we arrived at the boat ramp we were slated #8 for departure. The procedure went as slick as a Weasel's privates and we were on the water in no time. After searching for a bit we found the desired secret location (follow the twenty other boats) and quickly Gary grabbed this 3 1/2 lb. beauty. He was using a greenish Yum Dinger with black and red specks that was Texas rigged weightless. A short time later I got this 4 1/2 pounder (the picture doesn't do it or me any justice). I was using a Berkley 6" Gulp worm with a twisty tail in pumpkinseed, regular worm rigged. What a fight, magic! Then we moved around a bit and I nabbed this 2 pounder on a wacky rigged (with O ring) GRN PMP/CHART Yum Dinger We had a lovely visit from the OPP and everyone that we met on the water and at the ramp were extremely friendly. Jim (And yes, I do look like a door knob in that life jacket. I am hitting Santa up for an inflatable)

Now you’ve got me thinking. After years of paying for clubs and re-gripping, Last year I re-gripped my own clubs using a kit from Golfsmith. After that went well I built a driver and three-wood from a kit. They both turned out very well and there is a definite feeling of pride every time I use them. I have not looked into rod kits yet, but if they are anything like the club kits that are available I say go for it. What have you got to loose, especially when you consider what there is to gain. Good building!

Congratulations on getting out of Dofasco while there still was some semblance of Dofasco to get out of. Now lets work on that commute, is Grimsby Tackle hiring?

Hi again, I took some time and found the info requested using the search feature. (http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21422&hl=Lowrance) What a concept!

Hi All, I have a question about my fish finder. It is a Lowrance X50DS. I realize that it is the bottom of the food chain, but I have some questions about sonar use in general. They are: 1. The manual more or less says to turn off fish ID as it gives a bogus signal. How many of you use the fish ID? 2. If you don’t use fish ID, has anyone ever seen a fish arch? 3. How do more expensive (with out getting ridiculous) units differ as far as quality of information goes? Thanks in advance! Jim

Doesn't the Bible mention something about a nut for a nut?

I love meeting OFC'rs. The last one was in the emergency ward at Henderson Hospital in the Hammer. One thing about working out of town, remember that everything that you do costs money. If you were at home you would reach for a newspaper or snacks out of the cupboard and it would be factored into daily life. When you are on the road you have to buy all of those things (while they are sitting at home), including things like entertainment etc. I imagine that you will be staying with your BIL, so the nickel and diming won't be too bad, but just remember to pay yourself and those at home who would normally count on you. How long are you gone for?

Thanks to all! Jim

It was I Hometown. I was doing the Bayfront thing with the family (Will loves the Haida). It was our first trip on the trolley and it was thoroughly enjoyable. The only thing that stopped me from engaging in more OFC chat was the fact that my wife was giving me the “quit yelling at strangers from a moving trolley” look (you know the one). I am glad that you caught the reference. Did I hear you mention something about Saturday? Jim

Hi all, I have a question about Yum Dingers/Senkos and tubes. My question is: after the salt has rinsed/worn off, is the bait still good? I have been using an O-ring on my Yum Dingers and it has made the bait last a long time. But I am wondering when you call the bait finished. I guess (by default) I am asking if it is the salt or the action/colour of the bait that gets the fish. Thanks as always, Jim

So, if the blade of the knife is nine inches long, I am guessing that there was about three inches sticking out of the other side of the fish each time you stabbed it. How's my math?

While I have not been bitten by a Hobo Spider, I have been bitten by an actual Hobo. And I'm here to tell you that that's no picnic!!

It is a Crestliner 1600 with a 60 4 stroke.

Hi All. I don't trailer the boat every weekend, but I was wondering if a transom saver is a worthwhile investment. Any thoughts?

Wow! I feel like I was there. What a great report, and what a great vacation (and what great ambassadors you two are). Jim

[quote Quitting the smokes is a different story. After a few days the physical addiction calms down. The biggest problem, at least for me, was the association of cigarettes with every aspect of my lifestyle. Pick up the phone (light a cigarette), get in the car (light a cigarette), have a beer (light a cigarette), pour a coffee....................well, you get the idea. Change your daily habits and it will be easier. While I agree that there is a perception of association between smoking and these activities, I think that being able to quit lies in the realization that it is just a perception. Ask yourself how the all of the people who don’t smoke do these things everyday. You will quickly see how silly it is to think that they can’t be done without a smoke. The only activity that does need to change is hanging out in the smoking area. You will quickly find that without the smokes, you have substantially less in common with the sidewalk dwellers. I think that attaching negative images to smoking will make it easier to quit, or in the same vein, attaching positive images (i.e.: my clothes stink if I smoke/how great I smell if I don’t smoke) I quit 14 years ago (personally, the logic of the patch system worked for me, slapped it on and never had a craving, still haven’t). And when you do quit remember that the minute you quit, you are a non-smoker, not a smoker taking a break or cutting down. And don’t ever fall into the “I just have a cigar on the golf course” trap, you will be fooling yourself. Clearly you are into self-improvement, good luck, and nice job on the weight loss.

Hi All, I just wanted to write to say thanks to all at the OFC. I recently purchased a hydrographical chart of east Lake Erie, only to discover that I don’t know what most of the symbols mean, and that there is no legend or key on the chart. After fiddling on the internet for a while the idea struck me to search the archives of OFC. Sure enough, I found this gem: http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.p...;hl=map+symbols, and all of my questions were answered. I also recently had a successful fishing trip on Erie using Senko/O-ring/wacky rigging techniques that I learned about on this forum. I write this because I have been guilty in the past of focusing on the few-and-far-between negative elements of forum life, and letting them overshadow the overwhelming abundance of fantastic things that this site provides. In other words, I’ve been a bit of a tool. Thanks again, and all the best. Jim

Roy, I am coming out of my self-imposed exile to respond to your wonderful message. Good morning to you, and continued good health to all. Regards, Jim