craigdritchie

Chris isn't likely to be of much help if you need parts for a 13-year old reel. Try Aikman's (he will probably tell you the same thing).

The Fox news reporter sounds like the biggest redneck on the planet. Where the heck did they get this guy?

Chris is the Canadian marketing guy for Pure Fishing. For what it's worth, he's also an outdoor writer, tournament angler and all-round nice guy.

Or better yet, one heck of an ice hut.

Mike, You need to speak with Chris Hockley: [email protected] Cheers

The 'Russian steelhead things' are taimen. They're found in lakes and rivers in central to eastern Russia, and can reach more than 200 pounds (though the average is closer to 25). Strong fight, but they don't seem to jump much. Sort of fight like a big laker.

Vertical jigging with big ice fishing lures (Jigging Rap, Williams) also works very well out of a canoe.

Tiger muskie - no question about it.

No safety chain ... apparently no kill switch tethers either, per this story from the Orillia Packet & Times, referring to the previous incident in September 2009: POLICE BOATS DAMAGED IN WEEKEND CRASH A Barrie police officer narrowly escaped serious injury on Saturday when he was thrown from a 21-foot pontoon boat after it hit a wave, according to Sgt. Robert Allan. Officers in the larger police boat, a 27-foot Stanley, were forced to intentionally ram the smaller vessel to bring it to a stop, he said, adding that both craft sustained "significant" damage as a result. Around 5 p. m. Saturday, both the boats were out on Kempenfelt Bay, checking the engine on the larger vessel. "They thought everything was OK and were coming in when the pontoon boat hit a large wave, knocking the officer out of the boat. The boat run on manual unmanned in a circular pattern," Allan said, adding it could have possibly struck the officer. "Because he was wearing a personal flotation device, it's very difficult to dive under the water below the propeller. It was certainly a life-threatening situation," he said. "The bigger boat had to ram the smaller boat to prevent harm to the officer." Allan said there were no injuries, but that both officers were shaken up. The cost to repair both boats was unknown yesterday, but city police will utilize the services of boats from other area police agencies to continue monitoring the bay.

Like most pickups, Rangers have always come with a choice of different engines, transmissions, wheelbases and differentials. All of these affect towing performance. In 2000, 2WD Rangers came standard with a 2.5L four cylinder engine, making 119 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 146 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm. Since the base model truck weighs 3,068 pounds, it will probably feel a bit underpowered with the four-banger. A 3L V6, standard on 4x4 Rangers in 2000, makes 150 horsepower at 4,750 rpm and 190 foot-pounds of torque at 3,650 rpm – decent grunt for its day. The optional 4L V6 churned out 160 horsepower at 4,200 rpm and 225 foot-pounds of torque at 2,750 rpm. Not much more power, but you access it at 1,000 rpm less. That means a lot when towing a boat. The 3L is good, the 4L is much better. As for transmissions, the standard in 2000 was a 5-speed manual, rated to tow less than 2,000 pounds regardless of which engine it was bolted to. The optional 5-speed automatic on the V6’s gives you almost the same fuel economy as the stick, but brings the towing capacity up to a maximum of 5,320 pounds with the 4L and either the 3.73 (most likely in Supercab or 4x4 models) or 4.10 (optional) rear end. Most 3L Rangers, and some 4L models, came with a 3.55 rear end, and I believe regular cab 4 cylinder models had as low as a 3.08. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the more low-end grunt, because the higher gears bring the engine’s power band to you at a lower rpm. That can also mean the difference between pulling a boat out smoothly at the ramp, or sitting there and spinning the tires. Some Rangers came with posi (Traction Lock) rear-ends, but most did not. Bottom line – most V6 Rangers will tow aluminium boats up to 16 or 17 feet without any trouble. I have towed bass boats with a Ranger, but I don't recommend it. Your actual experience will depend on what kind of equipment is in the truck. Good rubber makes a difference in traction, and if you’re really worried about problems at the ramp, I suppose you could talk to a mechaznic about swapping out the rear end for a 4:10 posi unit. You might be able to do that for a couple hundred bucks, plus labour. Fuel economy in everyday driving won’t be as good, but you’ll never get stuck.

Try Brewer Bros., on Guise St in Hamilton. Great spot for boat parts.

Take your chart, stop in at Payne's Marine and have a chat with Mark before you head out. He's a great guy and will keep you away from the prop-eating rocks. Having said that, those prop-eating rocks tend to attract a lot of smallmouth. Lots of happy memories of evening bites on Pop-Rs and Tiny Torpedos ......

American beer ..... kind of like sex in a canoe.

Fuel economy was pretty good, really. The Rangers I've had were all 4x4 Supercabs .... figure about $65 to $70 to fill it, and that taking you about 450 km in the city, and about 525 km on the highway. I could easily drive from Toronto to Ottawa on three-quarters of a tank. That's not exactly Toyota Prius territory, but considering the amount of crap a Ranger can haul and tow, that's not too bad. Maintenance is a non-issue. Do the regular oil changes, and there's nothing more to it. The only repair I've ever done on a Ranger since getting my first one in 1989 was to replace a power steering pump (about $100). The only other service costs were things like brake pads, wiper blades and other stuff you expect to wear out after a while. Parts are cheap and widely available, even in small towns out in the middle of nowhere. I've always found the Rangers drove quite well. Ride is a little stiff, but I like that. As mentioned, the rear end is lighter than an SUV or a car, and those standard all-season radials will spin a bit in rain or snow, especially if you stomp the gas. Good highway tires in summer, and good winter tires (Hankooks) from Oct to April, will make a HUGE difference there. The ride isn't as plush as an Escalade, of course, but Rangers are surprisingly comfortable on long trips. At various times I've driven Rangers from Toronto to Nova Scotia, to Florida, and to BC. The only real issue was always making sure to bring along enough CDs. That, and making sure I had the appropriate fishing license. I've towed bass boats with the Ranger ... no real problem, but it wouldn't be my first choice of vehicle if I did that on a regular basis. Aluminum fishing boats in the 16 - 17 foot range are no problem whatsoever. You don't even know they're behind you.

I've had several Rangers, including a 2000 with the 4L auto. They're great trucks, no issues, very reliable and comfortable. As others have noted, there's basically zero difference in fuel economy between the 3L and 4L engines, though the 4L has a little more grunt at passing speeds on the highway. Any 3L or 4L Ranger with an automatic transmission will easily handle a boat in the 1,800 - 2,200 lb range. Get much over 3,500 pounds and it's time to look at a full-size truck. You didn't mention whether the Ranger you're looking at is 4x4 or 2WD. In either case, you'll find the back end to be very lightweight compared to the Caddy, especially when you drive solo. Spend the money for good tires, particularly if it's a 2WD truck and you plan to use 'unimproved' launch ramps. The factory-spec all-season radials are compromise tires, meaning they don't do anything particularly well.

BRP announced today that it will continue its popular extended warranty promotion on E-TEC outboards through the summer. Conmsumers who purchase an eligible Evinrude E-TEC outboard engine between July 12 and September 6, 2010, will qualify for a five-year BRP factory-backed limited warranty (three-year factory warranty plus an additional two-year B.E.S.T. coverage) on eligible 25-hp and higher engines. BRP ran this promo through the spring of this year, and got a strong enough response to justify continuing it till the 2011 product arrives. If you're in the market for an E-TEC, this would be a good time to buy.

It was caught in Bark Lake and, yup, was hanging in the Kinmount General Store for many, many years. I hope it's still there ..... impressive looking fish .... but it was a really old old skin mount so who knows, it could have turned to dust by now.

The netters don't get anywhere near $13 a pound. That's what the supermarket charges John Q. Public. The supermarket actually buys walleye from fish wholesalers for less than half that amount - say $6 a pound. That's the only way they can make money selling it, given their overhead costs. The fish wholesalers also need to make a profit after covering the transportation and processing charges, so they only pay the netters about $2 - $3 per pound, max. Commercial fishing is a tough way to make a living, especially when you need to pay people's salaries, make year-round payments on a $400,000 boat, keep it gassed up and maintained and insured. Commercial netters have been fishing the Great Lakes - and many other inland lakes - for more than 100 years. Once upon a time, there were no seasons or quotas, and that's how we got in trouble. It's managed far better today than it was in the past, as evidenced by the enormous numbers of walleye in Erie right now, and the very small numbers of other species accidentally caught (as you can see in the video).

Good thing for digital cameras - you'd have to sell your house to shoot that much on film! Pretty fishies.

I have boxes of Bombers, and have never broken or cracked a lip. Never even heard of anyone doing this. Were these baits factory seconds?

The real question is, how much do you want to spend?

I'm pretty old school when it comes to bass cranks. For deep largies, Norman N22s, Bomber Model As, and both Rapala Fat Raps and Shad Raps have always been dependable. I always bring both floating and suspending models in a wide range of sizes and colours, so I can adapt to whatever the fish want on a given day. Wally Divers and Tail Dancers also have their moments, but I seldom use them specifically for bass. I've always preferred baits with a shorter, thicker profile - especially for largies. They're getting harder to find these days, but Rebel's Shad-R (suspending crank made of plastic, but looks almost identical to a Shad Rap) is a stellar bait for smallies. I found a bunch of them in the bargain bin at BPS a few months back .... at $2 apiece I bought about 20 of them. Not a crankbait in the true sense, but Rattletraps also catch a LOT of bass.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!

Take no prisoners, Doc! More vulgarity Another double - fish in the left background also has a lamprey sucking on it No critter here, but what an ugly scar left behind on an otherwise pretty fishie. Too bad. I hate those things.

Clicked on the ARL Fishcam for a minute (click here) and lots of lampreys eating the Atlantics this afternoon. Here's a nice swimming vampire in action: And another: Here we go with a daily double - two Atlantics, two lampreys Nice.