BassMan11

Lots to consider. The new HDS Gen3 units are super nice. Lots of ability to customize and tweak every setting on the unit. But you will pay for that. Close to 5k for an HDS 12 with structure scan. If you don't need all of the bells and whistles you can always look at the hook series as well from Lowrance. You can get a decent deal on one with a Nav+ card if you wait for the right deal. I believe all new Lowrance products are equipped with Chirp as well for their standard sonar. I have owned an Elite 7 HDI, Hook 7, and really liked the units. Only real complaint was the processor had a tough time keeping the map moving smooth on the units at higher speed. But you won't have that issue if you go with the HDS units. Lots of good stuff coming out with the Humminbirds as well though. I think at this point it's a Chevy Ford thing. Good luck.

Nice fish. Thanks for posting.

39 hours. These guys catch some big fish.

Nice looking report. You guys sure do well in the fall on those crawbugs. Beauty smalljaws.

Regardless of how this game finishes. 3 things are apparent with the Leafs. 1. We are going to have lots of speed and skill upfront 2. Our D obviously needs a few more pieces 3. Andersen is not the tender we are looking for. Exciting team to watch though lol!

Heading to the game tonight in Ottawa to watch the boys play. There is much improvement to be made on the D side but we should be exciting upfront. No expectations again this year.... it will be interesting to see what all these young players will be able to do. Go Leafs.

Great report. Looks like you had a great time with your son. You will have those memories forever.

Great fishing report. Great pictures. Great time. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

Looks great Dave. Crazy amount of work for one guy.

Great report. Very nice season so far!

Agreed, can't wait to see the finished product Dave. Looks like a beauty place already!

After 2 (what looks to be) "murders" by police officers and another 10 police officers shot in (what looks to be) retaliation this week, emotions are running high with a lot of people. I fear it is only going to get worse before it gets better. Thoughts go out to all of the victims in all 3 cases. Terrible terrible stuff.

Super cool. You don't see that everyday. Nice work!

And what's the point of being able to turn a normal hunting rifle into a tactical weapon is what again? Why do normal everyday people need that weapon in that trim? I was looking for a hunting version of the AR-15 but I couldn't seem to find one. Dave... don't get me wrong I like guns..... I love going to the range and shooting trap / skeet, and even targets with my hunting rifles.

The easy answer to this are that guns (an item) would be easier to try to control than people. E.g......A religious radical wants to carry out a mass shooting, what would be easier to do? a ) Change his mind on his religious beliefs about something that have been instilled in him since he was born. b ) Make it impossible for this person to buy a military grade rifle legally despite how easily he passes a background check. I know my answer.

Thanks for posting Chris, I have his site book marked as well as one of my morning checks to see if there is anything new. Too bad about Mike not being around here anymore though, even though I am sure some of his reports will be scaled back due to the magazine. Can't wait to read this one.

Thanks for the compliments guys and some other beauty aluminum/tin boats. Keep them coming DanD, I will check the belt when I get home. If I recall it almost looks brand new.

Great report and beauty fish!

After reading Bunk's last post I got to thinking about how far my simple 14' aluminum boat has come since the time I bought it about 3 years ago. After selling my first boat which was a 14' Thornes with a 5.5 evinrude on the back of it, it was onto the hunt for a new fishing machine. The eventual winner was a 1994 Sylvan Sea Snapper. 14' long in length with a 68" beam, a decent floor already built in and some comfy functional seats. A trade in at Bay City Marine, It was exactly what I was looking for for the small to medium size lakes I like to fish. After taking it out for it's initial test run there were 2 things that were became apparent: 1 - It was water tight, not 1 leaky rivet (bonus!) 2 - My 1978 Johnson 9.9 outboard would not be the best fit for this big heavy boat. So the hunt was on for a new outboard. As you can tell from the pictures, it is a short shaft transom an with the max HP rating at 35ph it would be quite a daunting task to find a short shaft motor that size. After a few month of looking I found her. A 1998 Honda 30hp 4 stroke short shaft outboard. It gets the job quite done nicely popping 2 people up on plate very quickly and hitting a top speed of 27 mph. Only issue I have with it is that it is NOT electric start.... luckily she usually starts 2nd pull. Over the next 3 years I have added to this boat essentially making it the equivalent of a "poor man's bass boat". At this point I really don't have much more to add to it. I can just enjoy fishing the lakes around the Ottawa area in comfort. The following are the additions. New front casting deck and trolling motor platform Rocker panel for most electronics with own group 24 battery in the storage compartment. 2 Lowrance Elite 7 HDI for the tiller and bow of the boat w/ram mounts 55lb Minnkota Terrova with Ipilot including onboard 6 amp charger and 60amp breaker. All ran by a group 29 deep cycle under the casting deck. New Wise grey and white seats Pedestal mounted passenger seat Livewell in the front seat with bilge pump ran back to the rocker panel Bilge pump and navigation lighting Space made for Plane 3700 cases New trailer LED trailer lights, winch post assembly and spare tire mount A lot of times I feel like I am putting lipstick on a pig with all of these higher end additions, but quickly remember I can remove them all quite easily and install them on my next boat. At the end of the day I do not have a expendable income to buy my dream rig at this time.. so the SS Snapper will do quite nicely for now. She gets me out on the water and has never been skunked... what more can I ask for? Let's see who else has a poor man's bass boat. Bassman11

I don't think anyone here is suggesting banning guns or having gun free zones. Hunting rifles, shotguns, and and hand guns all have their place as tools in the hands of the average person. But why on earth the average joe in the US needs an AR15 with a high capacity magazine makes 0 sense at all. What type of "work" would you be doing with this tool? That's the part I can't quite comprehend. But as mentioned people are usually pretty set in their ways and have their minds made up on this topic. Can't wait to hear what type of well educated and sensical response presidential candidate Trump has to say about this tradegy.

Terrible tragedy. Senseless violence. I guess the question will come up. Could someone inflict the same amount of damage with a shotgun and a couple handguns? Does the US really need to be selling military weapons (AR 15's) to civilians? Thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected.

Another stellar report Bunk. The fishing portion is epic as per usual, but I really like that boat build as my main rig is something very similar. You can get a decent tiller handle extension at Chandlery in town if the short arm really bother you. I have one on my Honda 30 tiller that works fairly well. Happy hunting

Was in Halliburton last weekend (bad weather). Everything I marked was 50' down suspended over deeper water. Water temp on Kash lake was 52. They all had lock jaw as well. Warmer weather should help you out. Good luck!

hahahaha. Great report. Some nice trout.

Nice haul.