craigdritchie

About 30 years ago I’m in The Pas, Manitoba, overnighting on the way to a fly-in. We’re staying in this disgusting roach hotel with an attached bar. It’s 2:00 in the afternoon, the place is just packed, and 90% of the people there are already completely hammered. We just gave our drink order when two skanky looking girls at the next table start fighting. And when I say fighting, I don’t mean raised voices and a shove or two, I mean all of a sudden it’s Rocky and Apollo Creed in the 15th round and they’re going for the KO. They’re rolling around on the floor throwing haymakers and landing about half of them, just beating the living daylights out of each other. Bartender and a couple of other guys grab them by the hair and literally drag them across the floor and out the door, as they continue kicking, screaming and pummelling each other the whole time. As he returns, bartender just smiles at us and goes "Welcome to The Pas." Fast forward 10 minutes and the girls are back at the table, they have a couple of beers and they’re sharing a plate of fries and gravy. Turns out they’re the entertainment. Once they finish eating, one girl gets up on the bar with a crappy old boom box, hits play, and starts peeling while the other one goes from table to table to collect tips. After the first girl’s done her three songs, they switch it up and girl no. 2 starts peeling while the first one collects the dollar bills. I coughed up a tip both times, mainly so they would go away. I think these girls had maybe a dozen teeth between them, and you could already see they were going to have shiners and some good bruises the next morning. I remember it being really hot and clammy inside that bar, because even though it was the middle of summer they had this huge pot of something simmering away on a wood stove in the corner. At some point one of the staff went over and lifted this big French fry basket out of the pot, and there stewing away were a couple of muskrats. I didn’t eat a single thing till we got to the lodge the next afternoon.

Daiwa BG is hard to beat for a good quality saltwater reel that won't break the bank. The 5000 series is a good size with loads of line capacity, yet still not too big or heavy. They're simple, solid reels with very good drags and no issues. You can find them for around $200 - $235 Canadian ... with reasonable care they will last for many, many years.

Bill - yes, you do 😀

Hire a guide and go catch baby tarpon. If you hunt around on Google you'll find there are loads of guides in Miami, all of them supply the gear, some will even pick you up at your hotel and drop you off at the end of the day. It's not cheap, but you've got almost a year to squirrel away the Pesos ... put a few bucks aside every week and it's easy to save up enough. A day of baby tarpon fishing is by far the best bang for the buck in south Florida. "Baby" tarpon generally run from 10 to 30 pounds, you get them in numbers close by the marinas (so no long, long rides out to the spots), and they fight like crazy. Imagine catching a whole bunch of adult chinooks by casting swim baits on a bass rod, big difference being the tarpon don't just run, they also jump like they've got a butt full of TNT. Forget about going for big tarpon, it's too much work for a 13 year-old. Tell the guide you're more interested in numbers and they'll fix you right up. You'll also probably catch some bonus redfish and snook too, so it's a great experience that you and your lad will remember for the rest of your lives.

I'm a HUGE fan of Geigertec mounts. They're hand-made in Aurora, Ontario to an absolutely insane quality standard by people who actually fish. The guy who runs it (Tim Fernandes) is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Website is https://www.geigertecmarine.com I like to support Canadian companies whenever I can, but flag waving aside, these really are the highest quality mounts I've ever seen - bar none. Yes, they're expensive and yes, pricing on the website is in USD ... which reflects the fact that's where 95% of their customers are located. BUT ... these brackets will last a lifetime and you'll never worry about having an expensive display bounce around in rough water, or detach altogether (as I had happen a few years back with another bracket). They really are as good as it gets.

Like a boss.

It costs outfitters a lot of money to exhibit at shows. Apart from paying for their travel to the show, and paying for their display space, they also have to pay for a week or so of living in a nearby hotel, and eating virtually every single meal at nearby restaurants. All of this costs money, and since these are often family-owned businesses to begin with, it's hard for them to then start chopping prices on their only way of earning that money back and putting some cash in their jeans.

But isn't that typical Canadiana? We all buy gas by the litre for boats we measure in feet, and describe distance by how long it takes to get there. It's almost a requirement for citizenship.

Mercury didn't release pricing info for its new motors at CES, but it's a pretty good bet they will have that later this month when the Toronto Boat Show opens. I would expect it to be in the same range as its competitors (i.e. $3k to $4k) but that's only a guess on my part. As far as electric aircraft go, some people may have missed the announcement last fall that Air Canada is buying 30 electric planes from Heart Aerospace. These will be used on short-haul flights ... Toronto to the Soo, for example. They're supposed to enter service within 5 years, so that's pretty exciting. Widespread electrification is becoming reality, it's no longer just science fiction that might happen one day, maybe, perhaps, somewhere far off in the future. It's happening right now. This year's CES was a real eye opener, it is amazing how much things have changed since before the pandemic. The number of electric cars, bikes, trucks and boats on display there was unreal.

I was at CES last week and saw the new Mercury motors in person (all 3 models) and I have to say, they're really slick. The 7.5e is available now, with a 20e and 35e model both out by the end of this month. Two more are apparently coming for the end of this year, but Mercury wouldn't discuss further details. The battery, at least on the 7.5e model, loads into the top of the motor and is removable, so you can swap it out for a second battery if you run low. This is a sensible arrangement and given its size, there should be plenty of capacity. I was skeptical of my electric lawn mower when I got it, but it goes a long, long time with a battery not much bigger than what I have on my drill. These are first steps, but it's pretty clear this is the future. I can tell you one thing - when you hit the throttle with an electric outboard it doesn't take a second or two to rev up to speed like a gas engine does. You get full throttle to the prop instantly, so the hole shots are just unbelievable. The motors are also silent, no fumes, no messing around with fuel, loads of advantages. I'm pretty encouraged by what I see.

Well here's another example that doesn't identify any one user. I don't visit this site much these days either (work keeps me busy) but Ive been surprised at the US political ads as well. It really isn't appropriate, regardless of anyone's political views. Perhaps ownership could reach out to Google or wherever places the ads and have a word?

One man's junk is another man's gold, I guess, since an F7 black Flatfish is by far the most effective steelhead bait I've ever used in over 40 years of chasing them. They're also great for salmon, lakers, browns, pike and smallmouth. If I was ever stuck someplace with only 3 lures, a Flatfish would definitely be one of them (along with a no. 2 silver Mepps Aglia, and a 1/4 ounce black twister tail jig).

Johnson Outdoors (parent company to Minn Kota) is in Burlington ... (905) 634-0023. Try giving them a call, I have no idea if they would have parts on hand but if not, they can at least point you in the right direction. Good luck.

Ha! I don't know about the wannabe actuary part ..... but I guess almost 40 years as a writer is tough to hide.

There are three main issues driving up the cost of new boats. That, in turn, is driving up the cost of used ones. First, supply chain issues remain a huge problem for pretty well every boat builder on the planet. Semiconductors, aluminum, plywood, stainless steel, resin, gelcoat, foam for seat cushions, and a whole bunch of other parts and pieces remain in tight supply. As a result, the cost of components and raw materials has skyrocketed. Shipping costs have also increased massively. The cost to ship a container of parts here from China is now 10x what it cost in 2019. Part of that is higher fuel costs, part of it is higher demand, and a big part of it is extra safety protocols to satisfy covid measures in ports, which are all government controlled. Finally, demand for boats since 2020 has gone through the roof. Dealers have very little inventory, pretty well all boat builders sold out their entire 2022 production runs long ago, and most of them are now well into 2023 meaning if you buy your boat today, it will be some time next summer before you see it. No one wants to wait, so that is driving up the cost of used boats. I don't see prices coming down. The reality is that we're going to see a lot of new, wealthy buyers coming into the market over the next several years as aging baby boomers die off and leave their assets to their kids. In the US, they're expecting millennials to inherit more than US$68 trillion from their baby boomer parents over the next 20 years. Canada's economy is around 1/10th of the US, so reasonable to think that here we're talking about $6.8 trillion changing hands over the same period. Even if only a fraction of these suddenly wealthy millennials become boat buyers, it's still going to be a huge number, and that will hold prices high.

LOL ... yeah Chris, that's about the size of it!

Couple more pics for fun.

Grayling are a hoot. As Bill says, most of the rivers in the far north have them. Find fast water and you're usually into grayling pretty quickly. Anyplace where rivers flow into or out of lakes usually has loads of them. Easiest way to catch grayling is with an ultra-light spinning outfit and little spinners .... size 0 Mepps or a little Panther Martin is very tough to beat. Small hair jigs are also good. Don't bother with twist tails up north, they get destroyed quickly and are more fuss than they're worth. You'll catch just as many fish on hair jigs, and they're far more durable. Size matters more than anything else, so nothing bigger than you would throw for crappies. Fortunately, grayling aren't exactly shy, so you don't need to make long casts. To my mind, the best way to catch them is to fly fish with small (size 10 - 14) dry flies (any colour). The way grayling crush floating flies is just incredible, they're some of the most ferocious topwater hits you'll ever see in your life! I'm not a big fly fisherman, most days I can barely make a cast without hooking my own ear, but it's so much fun that's become pretty much the only way I fish for grayling now. It's easy, and it's a riot. A basic 5-weight outfit you would use for stream trout down here works just fine, and if you can cast even 15 or 20 feet then you're good to go. I became completely enamoured with grayling at one point and built a 6-foot, 3-weight G Loomis just for them. It works great - at least until a lake trout comes along (yes, they will also hit small dry flies at times) so the heavier outfit is probably more sensible overall. Most grayling you catch will be around 12 to 14 inches. Anything around 16 inches is a really good fish, and one over 18 is a monster. They fight like a whitefish, except that they're in fast water so it's a lot more intense. When they extend that big dorsal fin in the current it's like someone opened an umbrella underwater, and the fish just suddenly takes off on you. It's not unusual to have to chase the bigger ones downstream, especially when you're fishing in strong currents. Finally, grayling are superb eating fish, especially fresh-caught and fried up for shore lunch. Eat the average-sized guys and release the big ones. This picture is from my first-ever grayling experience in Manitoba, many years ago. We kept two fish for a shore lunch, and I wanted a selfie. With one hand on the camera, what's a guy to do? I will say it was a lot more rewarding about 20 minutes later after the things got cooked. Go do it - those northern trips are pricey but you will remember the experience for the rest of your life.

The Freedom 16 is a really nice boat. You might also want to look at Starcraft's Storm 166 T, which is very close in size but has a different interior arrangement with an elevated front casting deck (the Freedom is flat from bow to transom). The bow deck in the 166 T is perhaps a little bit larger, and the hull has a bit more flare up front so you may find it a bit drier if you're running in a good chop. There's also a 166 T Pro, which is the same boat but with an in-floor rod locker in the bow deck. I've driven both the Freedom and the 166 T, and to be perfectly honest the biggest difference is the raised bow deck in the 166 T. If you spend a lot of time casting, it's something to seriously consider. Otherwise, they're both great boats.

Legend have nice boats. But like all boats, sometimes you see them sold with smaller engines as a way to keep the sticker price down. Here are a couple of things for you to consider: 1. What does the boat weigh? I'm not familiar with the specific model you mentioned, but a 20 foot aluminium fishing boat is usually somewhere around 1,500 pounds empty. The old rule of thumb for horsepower is to go somewhere around 1/10 of the boat's gross weight. If you have a 1,500 pound boat, you'll probably be happiest with a 150. A 3,000 pound boat will usually want something in the 300 hp range, while a big, 8,000 pound centre console will need twin 400s. There are obviously a ton of variables here and loads of exceptions to the rule, but overall, that's a good starting point for powering standard V-hull boats. 2. What is the boat's maximum power rating? Something in that size range would usually be rated for 150 to 200 hp. If that's the case, then a 115 will be working awfully hard to move it around once you load it full of people and gear and fuel. Does it have a carpeted floor? If it does, and you're out there on a rainy day, the carpet will quickly suck up a couple hundred pounds of water, with a further impact on the boat's performance. There's a reason people tend to go with the maximum recommended power. 3. What's the additional cost to get a bigger engine? Normally the cost to go up one or two steps in engine size is fairly reasonable in the grand scheme of things. That's especially true when you consider its effect on resale value down the road. People will always pay more for boats with bigger power, so at least a chunk of that extra cost will come back to you when you sell it - whether you sell it privately or trade it in at a dealership. 4. Where are you planning to use the boat? If you're going to be putting around smaller, more protected lakes then that 115 might be just fine. But if you're thinking of heading out onto the Great Lakes on a regular basis, then you're going to want more power - not just for comfort or to get to the fishing spots faster, but for safety on those days when the weather doesn't do what they said it would. 5. Boats are often sold with smaller outboards to keep the sticker price down, but that could be more expensive in the long run. Engines that strain to push heavy loads day after day usually need more frequent maintenance than engines that push the weights that they were designed for. Buying a smaller engine can save you a few bucks up front, which you just hand over to the service department over time. Long rambling response to your question, but hopefully it gives you a few things to consider beyond just me saying yeah man, I think it's this or that. Regardless of what you do, enjoy the new boat!

It seems like everyone has an opinion on this, or an opinion of the people involved. Putting that all aside, the security camera video evidence is crystal clear. https://youtu.be/KaQwdSekfQg At the 1:35 mark you can see the O'Leary's boat appear, with its lights on. At 1:53, it hits the other boat. At 2:10, the other boat begins turning on its lights. Regardless of who has money and who doesn't, the one thing that cannot be disputed is that the boat Mrs O'Leary hit did not have its lights on. The court got it right, fault lies with the operator of the second boat. Everything else is just window dressing.

Virtually every manufacturing business in the world is having supply chain problems right now. Car, boat and RV dealer lots are empty because of manufacturer's having problems getting semiconductors, plastic resin, vinyl resin, steel, aluminum and, to a lesser degree, marine-grade lumber. When you can get it, you pay through the nose. Some of this stems from covid, some of it (semiconductors, for instance) stems from Trump's trade policies in the US, including restricting the importation of chips from China (where more than 80% of them are made). Most of the boat builders sold out their entire 2021 production run back in the spring, and several are now saying their entire 2022 production run is already gone. Delivery trucks come into the dealership and every boat on them is already bought and paid for by somebody else. Dealers can't get inventory to put out on the lot because pretty well every boat coming in already has someone waiting for it. It's not going to be a buyer's market for a long, long time - at least until these supply issues get sorted out, and boat builders catch up on what (for most of them) is already approaching 18 months worth of back orders. Even if boat sales suddenly tank, that's still at least two years away. Just saying ...

OMC went out of business over 20 years ago - in December, 2000. Even if you can find parts, you're better off to junk the old engine and replace it with an outboard on a bracket. It will work 100x better, use way less fuel, and just be fewer headaches all the way round.

If you're worried about the fuel capacity, Smoker Craft's Excursion 166T is very similar in layout and comes with an internal 24 gal / 90L fuel tank. I've driven a couple of these, they're nice boats. https://www.smokercraft.com/showroom/2021/fishing/excursion/166-t

What I truly can't believe is that there are still people in this country who didn't see this coming. The call-in show I listened to over lunch was just amazing ... all these guys phoning in practically in tears, OMG I can't believe this happened, etc etc etc Once again, I will repeat the fearless prediction for the coming season that I make around this time every single year. Leafs will look great in training camp. Early season holds promise. In first place by Christmas! Start planning the parade route! Starting to wobble by the all-star break. <<< EPIC CHOKE >>> Watching the Stanley Cup final on TV - for the 55th consecutive year. Next year's team won't look a whole lot different than this one. Neither will the results. Sorry boys and girls, but that is the reality of Leaf hockey.