craigdritchie

Have not fished Beauchene much for specs, so can't really say much. My very limited experience was ok, not outstanding. On the other hand, smallmouth fishing in May is outstanding. For sheer numbers of quality 2 - 3 pound fish, it's hard to beat. Fishing for lakers is ok, though most I've seen were smallish ...... 3 - 6 pounds. They also have the occasional pike and walleye, but there are far better places to go if they are your target species. Accommodation and food are excellent. Boats are simple, but in excellent condition.

This may be of interest to owners of Grew or Cutter boats. I saw Dave Cameron at the Hamilton Boat Show last weekend. Scary stuff. This is copied and pasted from the web ....... One man is dead and another hospitalized following a Monday night shooting incident at the Grew Boats Manufacturing plant near Rockford, Ontario. The Markdale Standard newspaper reports that the dead man is believed to be David Cameron, owner of Grew Boats. Police have released little information about the incident, which is under investigation by the province’s Special Investigation Unit. What is known is that the Grey County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a reported shooting at the Grew Boats plant before 8 pm, and found a 44-year-old employee suffering from a gunshot wound. The man, who has not been identified by police, is expected to survive. As police attempted to secure the property, a pickup truck is said to have abruptly exited the premises and drove past the police before driving over a spike belt and being stopped on Taylor Side Road in Georgian Bluffs Township. At approximately 9:50 pm, the male driver is reported to have exited the vehicle and exchanged gunshots with police before attempting to flee on foot. The man, believed to be Cameron, died on the scene.

Pretty fishie. Love lakers.

I hate idiots like this guy, because they drive up the cost of everything. Instead of taking responsibility for his own problem, he tries to cast blame on someone else - in this case a power company. I would bet my last dollar that everyone who lives in that area pays more money for hydro than they actually need to - partly because the power company has to pay extra insurance costs to protect itself against nuisance lawsuits like this one. Or, as NBR suggests, they just ban boat access altogether to reduce their exposure to nonsense like this. I hope the judge not only throws this case out of court, but forces this jackass to pay the power company's legal costs as well.

Nope, this guy did a solo act ..... he was bad enough on his own he didn't need a partner. Ah, the memories! * shudder *

Go to Zellers and buy some cheap hiking boots that are about four sizes too big. They work great and will set you back about $35. Besides that, their rubber lug sole is way better than felt when you're walking in mud, sand, or in freezing temperatures. Waaay better grip. Felt sucks.

Bernie hit the nail on the head - total horsepower being equal, top speed with two 50 hp engines, for example, will be less than top speed with one 100 hp due to extra weight of the second engine and additional drag of the second lower unit. You'll also burn less fuel with the single 100 at wide open throttle, again due to less weight and drag. Prop pitch will be different between twins and a larger single for a whole bunch of reasons. You would also want counter-rotating engines and props to eliminate what would otherwise be positively brutal steering torque. Generally, the only reasons to use twin engines are: (1) safety factor, which is a valid consideration if you often fish several miles from shore (2) ability to troll much more slowly. Shut down one engine .... now you're pushing the same weight of boat with half the power .... you go more slowly (3) MUCH better steering control, especially at low speed. You can literally spin a twin engine boat around in a circle by running one engine forward and the other in reverse .... turn 360 degrees on the spot without ever touching the steering wheel The biggest reason you see multiple engines these days is that the big boats are rated for way more power than they can stuff into a single outboard. Some of the big centre consoles in my Miami pictures have 1,400 horsepower on the transom. Biggest outboard made right now is a 350, so if you want to max out the power, you need four of those bad boys to do it (for what it's worth, those four outboards are still lighter than a couple of huge inboards).

Fishgreg - yeah, they had a bunch of smaller centre console, multi-purpose boats. They call them 'bay boats' .... sort of like a combination centre console / flats boat, but with a deeper hull to handle decent sized swells. Irishfield is right, most of the boats at the Miami show are larger, but there were a few dozen bay boats on display. Ranger and Skeeter each had a couple on the main show floor, as did Starcraft, Edgewater, Key West, Boston Whaler and a few other brands.

It is indeed after 1 pm, so here's the skinny - yesterday Yamaha and Volvo Penta signed an agreement to work together on building a new line of outboards that will incorporate Volvo's fly-by-wire joystick control. You can search Volvo Penta Joystick on Youtube to get a sense of how it works. I've driven it several times, and it's just unreal. The outboard controls will be more advanced than the stern drive system you see on YouTube. Basically, you can walk the boat sideways! Imagine how much easier it will be to dock in the wind, or straighten the boat before driving it onto the trailer. And that's only the beginning. I guess we will learn more in a few months.

For those who enjoyed my picture from the Miami Boat Show the other day, here are a bunch more pictures of floating boat candy. I can't even begin to describe just how awesome this show is. If you like wild fishing boats, it's paradise. The photo from the other day was of some 350 hp Mercury Verado SCIs in a unique white finish. Here are some 300s, this time in orange instead of red trim. My link Yamaha also had some white engines at the show. It looks like Evinrude has company when it comes to white paint. My link My link These are the most powerful outboards in the world, at 557 horsepower each (not a typo - that's 557 hp each!). They're semi-custom made by a company that just calls itself '7' .... built on a Cadillac V8. My link http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/Craig_Ritchie/CDR_0418.jpg More in reality, Honda introduced a new engine at the show .... a 250 hp four-stroke. My link Trolling motors ..... My link Propellers ...... My link But that's enough about engines - what about the boats? Here's a 22 foot Zodiac, with a bunch of horsepower on the transom My link Nice salmon boat .... asking price was $1.2 million My link This 54-footer was on sale! Talk about a discount! My link My link Boston Whaler adapter for law enforcement .... 50 cal. machine gun is optional (though the mount for it is standard equipment) My link Big centre consoles rule this show, with big power to match My link For the Yammy fans My link Lots of nice E-TECs too My link What a hoot! I can't wait to go back next year. Craig

There's never any shortage of boobie girls at this show either, but seriously ... after the first hour they all look the same. It's like going to northern Ontario and looking at trees. I'm here for the big hardware, man! Going for a test ride in a high-tech, electric-powered tournament ski boat later today. It apparently goes 50 mph with no noise, no pollution. And yes, the bass boat guys (Ranger, Skeeter etc) are paying very close attention to the technology.

Leaf fans. Give them a ray of hope and they fall all over themselves. It's kind of like dangling a string in front of a kitten.

It gets better. Can't say anything about it till 1 pm tomorrow, but just got a sneak preview of some new technology about to be announced from one of the big outboard brands. We're talking fly-by-wire with ...... joystick control!

All-time favourite line from a Saturday morning fishing show: "And of course one of the key reasons we're catching these lake trout today is .... my dependable Fram oil filter." Takes 'jackass' to a whole new level.

My job requires me to travel to a lot of different boating events, including boat shows all over the world. This week I'm in Miami Beach, for the Miami International Boat Show, which opens tomorrow (Thursday). Took a quick walk around the Sea Isle Marina this afternoon and saw all kinds of really cool new stuff, including an offshore fishing boat with four Mercury Verados. Nothing unusual about that, especially here in Florida. But wait ..... The Verado 350 SCI isn't a new engine, but these are the first white ones I've ever seen (I'm told they're numbers 5, 6, 7 and 8 off the assembly line, respectively). Merc will apparently be offering some engines in white this year, mainly for the salt water market. I guess they couldn't leave Evinrude to have all the fun by themselves. Cool looking engines, or what? And yeah, 1,400 horsepower is also pretty darn cool. You should see this thing take off when they put the hammers down (boat is a 42-foot Deep Impact). It's impressive,to say the least. Glad I don't have to gas it up. Lots more new stuff to see, but the majority of it is under wraps till the morning. Miami is the biggest boat show in the world. They have everything here, from inflatables and kayaks all the way up to yachts over 100 feet long and costing upwards of $25 million. If you ever get the chance, it's worth the trip.

Nothing puts me to sleep faster than a TV fishing show. How on earth do guys spend all Saturday morning watching these things? Honestly - I'd rather have a barbed wire enema.

"Looks like 'ol Chuck's taking the log to the beaver" Burgess Meredith is my hero!

I'm another big fan of the Daiwa SS 1300 Whisker (as well as the newer 2500 Whisker II). Stradic is a nice reel, but the Daiwa still has a better drag, especially in cold, miserable conditions. It's also less prone to freezing up than the Shimano.

Even better - just take a six-inch length of white braided anchor rope, and fray it with a knife so the end is all frilly. Then twitch it like you would with a Slug-Go. You don't even need a hook - their little curved teeth get stuck in the frayed rope. In fact, 'unhooking' them takes a bit of patience.

Why not support an independent while there are still some left?

It's less of an issue for fishing pictures, since in most situations, just knowing the spot isn't enough. You have to be there at the right time, and that's entirely weather-dependent. Different issue if its your kid or your wife being stalked by some creep. Perhaps thats one feature that manufacturers would we wise to do away with entirely.

There's usually a bunch of 300-series reels on eBay. They're not too hard to find, and usually $10 to $30 range. eBay is a geat source for parts as well, in case you want a spare spool or when (not if) the bail spring breaks. 300's http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_nkw=mitchell+300&_sacat=0&_odkw=mitchell+301+300+reel&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 301's http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_nkw=mitchell+301&_sacat=0&_odkw=mitchell+300&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313'>http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_nkw=mitchell+301&_sacat=0&_odkw=mitchell+300&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 308's http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_nkw=mitchell+301&_sacat=0&_odkw=mitchell+300&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 330's http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_nkw=mitchell+330&_sacat=0&_odkw=mitchell+308&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 It's fun to fish with vintage tackle now and then. Every now and then I spend a day with my old Cardinal 3 .... it's a crappy reel by today's standards, but was once state-of-the-art, and it's still fun to fish with every now and then.

G3 makes an excellent 16 foot Pontoon called the 168. The one I drove had a 25 Yamaha on it - no worries about losing your hat, but for around $15k it was a really nicely made boat. http://www.g3boats.com/Sun_Catcher_LV_168_FC It also comes in an electric version, for lakes with gas outboard restrictions: http://www.g3boats.com/Sun_Catcher_LV_168_FC_Electric

Consolidation is hardly new. Bigger companies have been swallowing smaller companies since the beginning (not just the last 20 years, Whitemikeca). If you dig into the history of fishing brands like Heddon, South Bend, Eagle Claw, Shakespeare and Johnson, you'll find each has had multiple owners over the last 100 years - each one swallowed up by a bigger rival. Consolidation provides manufacturing, supply chain, sales and distribution efficiencies that cannot be matched by independents, which is why it's been the way things work in every industry from fishing tackle to kitchen appliances to automobiles to computer software. On a separate note - Bigugli, if you aren't aware, Genmar went belly up almost two years ago. Some of their boat brands have been shut down, but most have been sold off to rivals .... Brunswick Corp and Platinum Equity Corp bought the majority of them. All of the fishing boats remain in production, just now owned by someone else.

True .... Loafs won, and Ottawa lost. The tie in the standings is broken, and 26th place is all ours, baby!!! Yeah!!! Plan the parade route!