craigdritchie

Wormdunker, Quite honestly, all four brands you mentioned are quality boats with good reputations. In the 14-foot range, I can't say you'll find much of a quality difference between any of those. Assuming you're buying it from a dealer, I'd suggest you consider them equal and make your decision based on the dealership you'll wind up working with. Good pricing is important, but so is good after-sales service. If there's ever a problem with your boat, you want to know the dealer will be able to help you out and look after you properly. Here's a tip - when you buy a boat, make sure the brand you like is certified by the National Marine Manufacturer's Association (NMMA). This organization has strict quality standards, and for a manufacturer to sell boats that are NMMA-certified, they have to pass a pretty rigorous quality inspection (including a factory inspection). PM me if you would like more info on this. Same deal for the outboard. Mercury, Honda and Yamaha are all good engines. I would once again make my decision based on the dealership. Who will be able to fix your motor if you hit a rock and need a lower unit repair? Or need a new prop? Will you have to wait weeks for parts, or will they have them in stock? Does the dealer have full-time service techs, or do they work on snowmobiles for half the year? Between a 15 hp and a 20 hp on a boat of that size, you won't see a big difference in top-end speed, maybe 3 or 4 mph tops. That said, I'd still suggest the bigger engine. It's not much more of a price difference, and you'll have the extra oomph when you need it. Does that help?

I don't know if that's true or not Grimace. I've never heard that myself, but I suppose anything is possible. It always seems that when one company comes out with something new, it's only a matter of time until their competitors also have something similar. Every boat out there probably has a bit of DNA from other brands in it.

Thanks!

G3 is a nice boat. Company is located in Venore, Tennessee, and wholly owned by Yamaha. They're very big in jon boats, and are known for building boats that take a real beating. The V-hull Angler series boats are designed specifically for the northern US and Canadian markets. Yamaha Canada has had a lot of input in the way these particular boats are designed and built. I've driven several G3 models, including the 172, 175 and 185 hulls, and wrote boat tests on these for Boatguide magazine (hit the library and dig through back issues over the past three or four years). No squeaks, rattles, or bumps in any of the boats I've driven. They appear to be well made - good fit and finish, smooth ride, even the insides of the rod lockers and storage bins are nicely finished. Wiring is fully sealed and coded. The 185 series maintain their width for most of their length (meaning they go from the pointy bow to full-width fairly quickly), which gives a lot of casting deck space. They seem to be a bit wider up front than a Lund or Alumacraft, but I did not actually measure this so take it with a grain of salt. The 175 boats are a bit beefier than the 172 series, but fairly similar otherwise. I've never driven one of the 160 series hulls, but have no reason to believe the quality would be any different that what I saw on the bigger boats. I have no idea how they hold their value, because you almost never see one used. Maybe that says something?

Rivers may be miles in length, but at this time of year the sections you're actually allowed to fish might be limited to only a couple of hundred yards. It's impossible to not be overly specific when identifying a location. Beyond that, as Bill notes, timing is a really big issue. Everyone knows that the XXXX river has a steelhead run. But that doesn't mean the fish are there all day, every day. When they are present, they're extremely vulnerable to over-harvest. Remember, lots of people read these posts. I've seen it again and again where someone puts a picture on the internet, and the next day, there are a gazillion cars at the spot. Those fish get hammered, and it's not fair - to other guys who fish there, or to the fish themselves. And, let's be honest, not all of the people reading these posts are ethical anglers who obey the regs. The clowns who go down there at night with nets and grappling hooks to slaughter fish for eggs also read these boards. In fact, it's probably their best source of information on where and when to go. Should we really be helping them? I like fish porn as much as the next guy, but not if it will negatively impact the fish. How about we all post shots from last summer's bass fishing? I'd like to see that now. We can look at the steelhead shots in July, when they're safely back in the lake.

This is my idea of winter.

Couldn't agree more. When I was on Vancouver Island a few weeks ago I fished out of Victoria one afternoon. There, you can only keep hatchery coho (which have the adipose fin clipped) - all wild (unclipped) ones have to go back, no exceptions. This has been the policy for several years now, and as a result wild coho numbers are improving every year. It used to be you caught about 50-50 hatchery to wild fish. Now, it's more like 10 percent hatchery, even though they still stock the same number of fish. It's really helped the wild ones to rebound. If we could get MNR to strip some wild fish at the ladder, stock them in places like the Humber or Don, that don't have much (if any) reproduction, then let people go at them, it would take a LOT of pressure off the wild fish we're all trying to protect. Why they refuse to do it is beyond me.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether the fish are kept out in the lake, or in the river .... in the spring, or in summer, fall or winter. A dead fish won't go on to spawn regardless of where or when it meets its maker. A reduction in overall harvest levels simply has to happen. In my personal view, chopping the limit to three fish, so it's consistent with New York and thus easily enforceable, would be a good start. We will have to see if the Ganny run actually is larger this year, or if we're just seeing all the fish come in at once thanks to the sudden arrival of very warm temperatures. Remember, the last two weeks have been MUCH warmer than normal. Is it really more fish, or is it just all the fish showed up at once? Normally, they trickle in over a span of several weeks. We will only know the answer after they've come and gone. Given that opening day is still 40 days away (five weeks and change), most will indeed be long gone by the time the fourth Saturday in April rolls around.

I wouldn't say the numbers are complete lies, but they are estimates. And, not necessarily accurate ones in my humble opinion. As someone who fished the Ganny a lot during the glory years, I can tell you the number of fish in the river right now is still not even close to what you would see in the years when they had 15,000+ through the ladder. There's just no comparison at all. The steelhead run there is still just a shadow of what it once was ..... sad, really.

Again .... the Sens couldn't even beat the Leafs. That says it all. They will (once again) fold up like a cheap tent.

I don't get ice fishing, even at the best of times. And right now? Risk my neck crawling over wafer-thin ice to try and catch fish species I can't be bothered with in open water? When conditions for steelhead are at their peak? Not too likely!

I don't know if I can be out of town that long!!

There is safe ice up north, if you don't mind driving a bit. Took this photo this morning, showing ice huts on a small lake near Edmonton (where I'm visiting the Edmonton Boat & Sportsmen's Show this week). People I've spoken with here say there's still safe ice, but it's apparently growing very wet and slushy on top. Guys are beginning to pull off their ice huts before they get bogged down permanently. Fishing has apparently been good. I wasn't able to get the camera out fast enough for a photo, but by comparison, Simcoe was pretty much wide open water this morning, with just a narrow band of what looks like very thin ice through the middle of Cook's Bay. Main lake is wide open, and where there is ice, there are many open pockets along the shore. Better get those huts off!

If these two clowns are THAT bloody stupid, I can only imagine what a struggle everyday life must be for them. Honestly ... talk about brain dead.

Yup, north side of Plains Road just west of the Ikea. Nice store - if Steve doesn't have it on hand, he can get it no problem.

Tonyb, I think a lot of stores do try to stock up on seasonal items, but if you know you're going to need specific things, why not just order them well in advance? I do this with Burns Fishing fairly often. For example, late in the fall I might see I'm running low on Drennan floats for steelhead fishing and will need to buy more before the spring season. So I'll stop by in December and order a couple dozen. Steve gets them in from his wholesaler, I go pick them up, and I'm all set - weeks before the ice even melts. When everyone else is scrambling to find floats by late April, I already have mine, with no running around required. Ive ordered all kinds of stuff this way, from little consumables like hooks and split shot, to big-ticket purchases (rods, reels, etc). It lets me support my friendly neighborhood retailer, while ensuring I get what I need. Sometimes you can avoid price increases this way too :-)

Same here. Burns Fishing on Plains Road is a small but excellent tackle store. Steve's a great guy too, which makes the decision to give him my business a no-brainer.

I really should bet on hockey. I said the Loafs would probably finish the year somewhere between 25th and 30th place. Just looked and yup, they're all alone in 25th place. Who would have guessed?

This is kind of old news, but I hadn't seen any reference to it here so thought I might mention the Tracker Boat plant in Lebanon, Missouri got hit by a tornado this week. My understanding is that the building took a glancing hit and isn't in too bad shape. Part of the roof was ripped off, there's part of an outside wall gone and there's some interior damage from the suction effect. Factory should be able to resume boat production in a week or two. I'm told that although the tornado didn't hit the building squarely, it did plow right through the middle of an attached compound where something like 300 completed boats were parked outside waiting to be shipped. The guy I spoke to said they'll be pulling boat parts out of the trees for weeks. That's really sad, and has to be a huge economic kick in the pants for Tracker. A couple of marinas on nearby Table Rock Lake also got hit by tornadoes. Damage to boats, docks and such is apparently pretty extensive. Anyway, just in case you hadn't heard ......

You know Jigger, I thought it was clear as day as soon as Carlyle got dusted by the Ducks. I'm absolutely amazed that in a thread this long, I was the first guy to throw that name out there. Oh wait ...... I mean I AM A HOCKEY GENIUS!!!! Please, everyone, in any future conversations about the Loafs I ask you to kindly address me as "Vito From Woodbridge." And yeah you may be right about Ottawa. But who hasn't denied them? They're the Buffalo Bills of hockey. Bushart - if it's a critical game, always pick the Loafs to choke. Unless they're playing Ottawa in the playoffs. Then bet on the Loafs to win in four straight. Grimsbylander - these days Burke looks like more of a KFC fan!

Saturday March 3 - Loafs fire Ron Wilson and hire Randy Carlyle. Did I call this or what?

It's March 1, coming up on midnight, and I'm in Winnipeg for the Mid-Canada Boat Show. My hotel is pretty close to the MTS Centre, and Jets fans are still going nuts out in the street after they smoked Florida and nailed down - for the moment at least - a playoff spot. It's exciting to be here tonight. This is what hockey is all about. You'd think the Jets just won the cup the way these people are partying. And the Loafs back home in Toronto? Tonight they're 5 points out of a playoff spot, and sitting 22nd place in a 30-team league (some may recall that back in September I predicted they would finish the year between 25th and 30th place. I'm still confident that's where they'll finish). Something has to be done back home. Wilson is dead man walking. So what are the odds of Burke offering the job to his old pal Randy Carlyle? I'll make another fearless prediction and say there will be a discussion, and probably sooner rather than later.

Also same organizer as the Spring Fishing Show - Andy Pallotta.

Not the same difference at all if your home and boat are underwritten by two different insurance companies. The amount of the increase will also be different - unless your boat cost as much as your house.

NEVER insure the boat as a rider on your house insurance. Ever! Clip a rock and that lower unit repair WILL count as a claim on your home policy. They won't tell you that, but it does. There are some good insurers out there who specialize in boats. A couple I'm personally familiar with: MD Marine Insurance, located in Orillia Northstar Marine Insurance, located in Barrie Skipper's Plan, based out of Toronto Harbour Insurance, in Toronto HUB Insurance, based in Oakville Marine Expert, in Brossard, Quebec, and Mississauga, ON There are definitely other ones and I know I'll probably slap myself later when I think "argh, I forgot to mention XXXXX Insurance." These guys obviously make their big profits insuring large cruisers and sailboats, but small fishing boats can cost more than some of the big rigs do, so they insure everything. Whatever you do, just make sure you get FULL REPLACEMENT COVERAGE on everything, so when you hit that rock, the lower unit is fixed and you're all set. If you do not have full replacement, they'll only cover the value of what your used outdrive is worth, and you're on the hook for the difference. The extra cost for full replacement coverage is chump change, but it can save you huge dollars down the road. And yes, most insure the boat for 12-months regardless of whether its in use or not. The value of the boat doesn't change whether its in the water or on the trailer, so why should the coverage?