CrowMan

Are you primarily a Largemouth guy ? Following the shore line and pitching to cover ? Or you're more Smallmouth, Walleye, Musky, Lake Trout...structure and off shore fishing ? If it's all about Largies...then yes, Fortrex is fine. However, if you're into multi-species (in my opinion) I wouldn't forgo Spot Lock....it's a legitimate game changer and will most definitely put more fish in the net.

Not sure how you fish, but I wouldn't get a Fortrex simply because it doesn't have Spot Lock. I don't know how I could fish without it ..lol. I had a PowerDrive several years ago, the pedal was so unreliable that I ended up taking a spare with me on an extended trip up north. Good riddance.

Some great fly fishing sequences, and beautiful scenery in Montana. Not many flicks about fishing that you can watch with your wife or gf, and she'll like it too...even if she doesn't fish. In fact, she may get a deeper understanding of why we do what we do.. 👍👍

Chillin' on one of the few snowy nights this winter...a snifter of XO, bowl of black, and SRV doin' Jimi..

Not sure what your budget is...but Cabela's has the Terrova 80 on sale for $1999....that's almost $700 off the regular price. Plus compared to used, you get a warranty. However, I believe it comes with the mini-remote (no LCD screen)..if you don't like it, you can always upgrade later. You don't see many used Terrova 80's on the market...and if you do they command a premium price. Mine's been bulletproof, except for a seal incident from my grandkids fishing line...

A subject that I always get nostalgic about. As a kid, I would go with my Dad and Uncles to the Bronte Pier when the run was on. We would leave home after dark and often fish into the wee hours...one of the few times as a young lad that I could stay up late. It was a real 3 ring circus. The Portuguese guys in town went all out...they had motorized cranes on wheels with dip nets on a hoist...crazy stuff. Needless to say, there were always some drunken fights and often someone ended up in the water. One year, we caught an 8lb + Brown Trout in our net...of course as a kid I wanted to keep it, but my Dad (knowing the reg's) let it go...I think I cried..lol. We only kept what Smelts we would eat fresh...my Dad never did think they froze well..."just not the same". Later on when I was dating my wife (she's from Niagara Falls), I would go with my future brother-in-laws down to Queenston to get a bucket or two. Again, a party atmosphere with beer, weed and boom boxes. Once I had kids, we bought a place up on G Bay. I would take them up to the Seguin in spring to create memories for them. Those days are long gone. I still get a feed of them when we go on our annual Steelhead trip up to Superior in early May. Still good runs up there...also see them in the North Channel of Huron and the Manitoulin tribs. We always bring a dip net with us...the Smelt run usually coincides with the Steelhead run. In fact, there's a couple of local diners on hwy 17 that offer them as a dinner special in the spring. There's also a few lakes in eastern Ontario that have a really good populations that I still occasionally fish. On these lakes the cottagers encourage folks to come and fish the Smelt because they have over-run the lake to the detriment of other species. Message me if you're interested. The Cottage Association hosts a Smelt fry every year. The one thing about fresh caught Smelts that is burned into my memory is the smell...for some reason they smell like sliced cucumbers. Anyway enough reminiscing...when the water temps are 42 F or as my Dad would say "when you first start hearing the frogs sing" is the time to go...a bright moon after a warm rain is ideal. The run only lasts a week at most. The photo is from eastern Ontario last spring...they're always looking for volunteers to help clean them...LOL

I ran my boat with lithiums right into November this past autumn. The AOLithium's BMS has a built-in circuit that automatically shuts off the charging if the ambient temperature gets below 0 C to prevent damage to the battery. So I never had any worries about ruining the battery. However, I was skeptical at first if they would fully charge on a cold night....but I ended up always waking up to a fully topped up battery. Now to be fair, two factors why I probably never had a problem. First, I was charging when the boat was tied up to my cottage dock. So, the boat was in the water, and obviously the water temp never got below 0 C, even though the air temp could be well below that. Second, I have an aluminum hull Lund...which surely conducts the warmer water temp to the batteries more effectively. I always left the battery compartment closed....the lid is over half an inch thick, so that at least provides some insulation from the cold air. Not sure if the same would hold true with a glass hull. Worst case scenario, if I was charging on land on a cold night (and not in a garage), I would think running a small electric heater in the battery compartment would negate any worries about getting a full charge. Even a simple old school incandescent light bulb would probably do it. And yes, some lithiums have a built-in heating circuit that uses current from the charger to keep the battery warm for charging in sub-zero temps. That's how it works in my wife's EV, which she leaves parked outside all winter long. Not much of a test this winter, but one night at the cottage we did get down to -22 C...and no problem at all.

Lithiums are great for trolling motors and electronics, but I wouldn't use a lithium as a starter/cranking battery at this point. Stick with the AGM.

Like I said...a head scratcher. My 100a AOLithiums came with Bluetooth built-in, BMS and use "Class A" cells. 8 year warranty. Currently sell for $399. The 100a Dakota, 11 year warranty. Currently sell for $943. $544 for 3 more years of warranty ?? I'll buy another AOLithium after 8 years and still be ahead. Is there something I'm missing in the Dakota technology ? Is it just because Dakota spends a lot on marketing, like sponsoring the pro Bass tours ? Anyone with an explanation ?

Great info ! I have the AOLithium for a year now, and they have exceeded my expectations in every regard. I have heard nothing but good things about the Power Queens too. I'm still scratching my head why Dakota commands such a high price...difficult to justify.

One of my colleagues at the office has a cottage on Paudash. I've been up to his place a couple of times to fish. He's all about the Bass. We got into plenty of both Small and Large Mouth. Some really good quality fish over 20". Also some hammer-handle Pike and Panfish, but nothing else. However, the same can be said for a lot of the lakes in the Kawartha Highlands/Bancroft area. Asking for a number is unrealistic.. 1 to 10 relative to what ?

Unfortunately, after 9-11 they closed down a lot of the best spots down by Pebbley Beach at the Glen.

My grandkid's slingshot often provides a little morning entertainment...

The mangy Canines have taken over from the Raccoons in my neighborhood. At least the Coons were nocturnal, so if you put your garbage out in the morning it was usually safe. The Coyotes make their rounds during the day ahead of the garbage truck, making a mess curbside....and yes it's illegal to discharge a firearm within the town limits.

Granger's makes wash & dwr that's hunting specific, but as far as I know it's the exact same formulation as NikWax. I use NikWax on my hunting stuff too...it's marketed as "fragrance free". You're just re-applying what was on there to begin with..

Amazon and most camping/outdoor specialty shops. You want both...the wash and the waterproofing.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durable_water_repellent It's what makes water "bead" on the exterior layer of fabric, rather than soak in to it. The GoreTex will still be waterproof with out it, but the exterior will "wet out". You're correct...some heat will help bring the DWR back to surface of the fabric. Ironing on low heat works great too. Periodically washing the GoreTex with NikWax will also help keep it breathable by "un-clogging" the porous membrane.

My recommendation would be to visit your local tackle shop. They'll answer all your questions. If you're in the west GTA, I'd suggest Fishing World in Hamilton.

Bay of Quinte in November and December...they don't get bigger than that.

My experience of late with BPS is... they don't carry much inventory beyond the standard stuff you'd find at Sail, Canadian Tire, or Walmart. Most of the stuff labeled with their "house' brand is junk. Their staff for the most part are not knowledgeable at all. And the prices aren't that great. When I look around what people are actually buying at BPS..it's a suburban housewife purchasing a forest print comforter for the cottage, or a backyard chef buying a turkey deep fryer. Not a lot of hard core fishing types shopping there. It's become a "lifestyle" store. I prefer to do business with locally owned shops, staffed with people who know their stuff, and stocked with products that are relevant to the current angling scene. You'll find me in Fishing World, J-Pro, Gagnon's, Peterborough Pro Tackle or Pro Advantage.

Queenston if you don't want to hike. Whirlpool has better fishing but it's a huff n puff . It will be Steelhead this time of year.

I've had a Simms Pro Dry jacket and bibs for 6 years. Still going strong, like new...don't leak a drop, even running down the lake at 40mph in a rainstorm. Water rolls off of them in droplets. Well designed cuffs and collar/hood to keep any leaks out. Very breathable too, never sweat in them. Best rain gear I've ever owned. Most of the time they're stored scrunched up in one of the in-floor compartments of my boat. All I do is, twice a year or so, wash them with NikWax Tech Wash, then tumble dry on low to maintain the DWR. The fabric is GoreTex 3-Layer Pro...as far as I know, there's nothing better out there.

That's quite the investment ! Tungsten ain't cheap.. I'm sure you'll get a nice return on your money once you do your magic.

Some of the older guys on the pro tour think the opposite...it's the technology that has leveled the playing field. Younger guys that understand and have mastered FFS are coming right out of the college (and even high school) circuits and are doing well, even winning tournaments. There are veterans that claim that it's no longer necessary to put in years of learning to acquire the skills and knowledge to be competitive. They say that the technology is a "short cut" and if you put some of these young guys on a lake and they didn't have FFS, they would be lost and have no clue where to find fish. Some of the pros think that because of the dominance of tech, that we will never again see personalities like Kevin VanDam, Rick Clunn or Roland Martin ...anglers that won year after year due their particular skill set and knowledge...and because they became household names it was good for the sport and the industry. All sports need stars to be successful. I don't necessarily agree with all of the above, I straddle the fence. I can understand both sides of the debate. To illustrate the breadth of the divide, here's two quotes from tournament pro's. "If you ain't scopin' you're hopin'" "It's like deer huntin' with a drone"

I don't necessarily disagree Lew, but to be fair, regardless of the electronics, you still got to get 'em to bite...so thinking is still required. It's just that the concept of what is "fishing" is constantly evolving. The good thing is there are no rules...you can use the technology or not or just a little. It's whatever turns your crank. Although in terms of the competitive aspect, there's certainly precedent for keeping a sport more entertaining by limiting technology. Afterall they banned aluminum bats in pro baseball...lol