camillj

Smart - ER

Thanks Sinker ... yeah .. I have been fishing this lake for years and really feeling like I been missing the sweetest spots because of noise .. this will allow some nice controlled drifts through some of the shallower bays casting meps and flys to the shore cover

What ... no more Musky Burger's ... guess I'll need a new get-rich-quick fast food restuarant chain idea ... All kidding aside ... last time I killed a Musky was before I knew how long they took to reach the trophy size (and back in the day they were still considered a pest likely to harm the pickeral populations ... seriously, how could anyone want to kill anything that takes upwards of 50 years to reach legal 'table' size ... thats just not sustainable.

Darn .. so I guess I am in trouble now that just bought some (family owned) waterfront property... guess now everyone should feel free to use the road I paid for, and the dock I built with my money and sweat .. and perhaps even nap in the Hammock which hangs between the two trees we planted over a generation ago. Heck ... why not feel entitled to sample the food in the fridge of the cottage which is never locked ... after all its right in the middle of a natural paradise. Don't get me wrong folks, I have enjoyed public lands all my life and hope I will always be able to do so ... but when someone pays AFTER TAX DOLLARS ... especially to the government for crown land - they should have every right to expect their property rights be protected - and if someone is uttering threats about doing harm to them or their property they also have the right to expect to have protection from their government. Any other attitude would require us all to arm ourselves to be able to provide our own protection .. and that is NOT what my Canada is all about.

Thanks .. we have pretty heavy 16' fiberglass boats and most of the trolling will be on a 9.9 hp outboard in deeper water ... the electric motor will really only be for finessing in the back bays (quiet and shallow) the charger is a 10 amp Cdn tire (motomaster) deep cycle 'automatic' charger from the early 80's it worked well for me back in the day when I needed it to run my graph, cb and vhf etc while chasing Salmon on Lake O ... never let me down and seemed to keep the battery charged enough to crank the 40hp evinrude at the end of the (10 hr) day I have been fishing the ZEC without any electric motor for years so I guess if it dies we can make do with the old school (9.9 seahorse running in reverse ... tic - tic - tic ... with the idle set just above stall) ... but I'll bring the charger and throw it on the propane generator just in case.

Ya know ... that guy could be me one day ... (while the law says you can prospect just about anywhere I would absolutely go talk to the owner to see if there was a way to start things off on the right foot) and honest I'm a nice guy I'd definitely rather have a friend working my 'turf' than someone who considers me less than that ... problems happen, but they are normally alot easier to deal with between two people who have developed a relationship based on trust and respect.

OK ... I know I coulda spent alot more ... but I thought this was a great deal and picked one up today for $299 Minn Kota 50lb thrust Traxxis 36" shaft with the maximizer ( to supposedly give me better battery time) ... of course I spent nother $200+ on the 31 battery(which weighs about 100lbs !!!) and the waterproof case for it ... ok ... all you experts out there ...tell me did the right thing ...even if you have to lie to me I threw the battery on a 10amp trickle charger ... do you think I should leave it overnight (it actually already seems to be fully charged) I bought this to take into the ZEC to fish the shallower back bays for Specs ... the thing is we dont have electricity and we typically go in for three to four days so I am concerned about whether I really ought to take a backup battery

Thanks folks ... Lew, they should be around for another few weeks at least ... Between Maui and Lanai was AMAZING (about 25 miles from the big island of Hawaii... definitely a lifetime experience. I didnt post these because we didnt actually catch em .. but for your viewing pleasure here's a link with some nice fish we saw come in ... and managed to steal a photo-opp ... http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151478990145019&set=a.10151478986860019.840400.845145018&type=3&theater http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151478997365019&set=a.10151478986860019.840400.845145018&type=3&theater By the way for $165 I spent a QUALITY 6 hrs (6 AM - NOON) chasing Blue Marlin with a couple of the most seasoned guides on the island (Pier 7 in Lahaina on the island of Maui)... worth every penny ! (and Whales/Dolphins were a bonus for viewing pleasure).

We were "mugged" by a few Humpbacks while in Maui last week ... I got some really cool video as one of them decided to show off right underneath our Zodiak on a 2 hr whale-watching tour ... BEST EXPERIENCE EVER ... if you have a choice definitely go on the Zodiak over the bigger boats .. NOTHING comes close to this ... we had whales playing around us for the ENTIRE 2 hrs ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uooozoV9LyI&feature=relmfu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa7Oc5o0OlQ&feature=relmfu

Welcome aboard ! Do I dare ask the significance of the name ? I dunno ... but I'm gettin some pretty gnarly visuals trying to guess

OK .. at the severe risk of peeessssing someone off I just haffta ask ... have any of you been in the Kaanapali area of Maui and can recommend a good off shore / deep sea .. aka Marlin/Swordfish/Sailfish fishing guide ? (need to know before lift-off tomorrow

Aw Crap ... I guess I need to prepare better ... we paid ours ... Firstly I'm glad justice prevailed for you bud ... for me ... on the other hand .... my wife came home from dropping my daughter off at a friends condo-townhouse ... all pale and lets just say ... cranky .... it seems some smart-arsss cop followed her into the condo complex and gave her a $150 ticket because her licence plate light was burnt out ... we had her car oil change/light checked (at a reputable establishment) less than a month prior ... anyhow instead of giving her a heads up so she could fix the problem (because lets face it we dont ALLL walk round our car evey time we get in it ... they hit her with a ticket and some cockamamy lecture about the law .... and NOW ... we all hate traffic cops ... WELL DONE ... Public Relations classes can now be cancelled because clearly everyone "gets it"

The got some pretty fancy (two wheel) Wheel barrow's now too (just saying) ... could toss some other gear in there as well ... little easier on the back and the one I bought at HH has great big soft tires, sponge handle bar (and a HUGE tub)... can pretty much move 200lb of gear with one hand and still very stable

Wow ... that IS a great deal ! ... I already ordered one off ebay (not nearly as good a deal .. but hey .. its on its way now) - but thanks for the info !

Well ... I guess its that .. or go fishin'

Heh ... guess I have to eat my words now

OK .. lets clear it up ... I'm not totally STUPID ... I left two "wire" contraptions I call rods (which basically are an upgrade to the old-school willow twigs stuck in the snow ....I made them to clamp onto base plates which I "freeze" into the ice beside the two holes inside the hut... they are worth about $2 bucks each (and I have made 10 more for larger GTG's) ... but I leave em in the hut because it is a real pain to set em up the first time and if you go in the hut you just clip on your line and you are fishin in seconds ... I only mention that the rods were gone (but the bases were still there) because that makes me more certain it was stolen not blown away in the wind. I DID lug all my other stuff (although I cant remember if I left 'em a $10 folding chair) And no hawk-eye hopefully it IS NOT dead ... I think there are MANY folks in this group who think the same way (at least I like to believe that).

MONEY COMES AND IT GOES MY FRIEND .. BUT TIMES LIKE THESE ARE ONCE IN A LIFETIME .. JUST THRILLED TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF IT ! GO LEAFS GO !!!!

Hahahahahah ... man .. you have no idea .. I just spat a $200 XO Cognac all over my keyboard .. you are soOOO on the money !

All I can say is this ... look at most river fishermen (and I am guilty as charged) with their 10', 11', 12' + rods .. they are supple and you can easily fight 15 lb rainbows on 4lb line (or less) ... better than any willow whisp ... and they are all 2 (or even 3 piece rods) ... and not cheap .... I personally like my rods in two pieces .. and quality dictates their performance ... the ONE thing about a 1 piece is you NEVER have to fight a monster with a half a rod in the water (unless she snaps)

Well .. all's well that ends well ... I found/bought this one on ebay a few minutes ago .... http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280834188652 ... if you see it out on APPIAN way please use it .... at least that should deter the frigggggen theives

oohhh it so Roy Not even sure how I did it ... think I had a little too aggressive hook set under a bridge ... in all honesty I have never felt any issues with the 2 piece in terms of supple/feel etc ... although I have had to fight the occasional Musky with half my rod in the water ... hoping like heck that I dont get broken off and lose both the fish and half my rod (which is why I understand the usefulness of a 1 piece for big brutes)

Nope .. it was secured with a 2X4 UNDER the ice tied with a rope to the main frame ... and we got up there before the 100KM winds hit Also .. there was no sign of my rods - which were secured to base plates ... but the base plates (which were frozen into the ice - were still there (but clearly hacked up from someone chipping away to get em out unsuccessfully). It is what it is ... and like I said I just needed a little rant ... I'm heading over to ebay right now to replace it for next year ... I absolutely wont let thiefs and jerks ruin my outlook on fishing (or life) ... I like to leave my stuff all set up so when i get there I am ready to GO !!!!! (ok .. maybe I am just lazy)

Only one piece rod I own is the one I bought from Lew, and while I do like that rod for dragging big lures for Musky, I hardly ever take it anywhere else ... just too much of a pain to get in my car ... I have several 9' and 10' rods which quite comfortably go into my trunk and I take em everywhere. By the way .. if anyone's is selling an old 10' or 11' noodle rod (I digress)... I am short about a foot on one of my favourites (Just PM me for a cash offer)

RANT ON If ya happen to see a 4 Man Ice Cube ... with the numbers BR5320 (hopefully they are too dumb to take the numbers off it) ... ask em where they got it I musta told 50 different guys to go right ahead and use it if they needed to when I wasnt there ... just please leave it like you found it ... Jeeze ... you would think they could just use it and leave it be ... got up to Lake Joe this weekend .. thought I had everything all set up and ready to go for a little group GTG and ... the hut was gone ... tooks the rods too I was kinda hoping maybe someone 'borrowed it' and was gonna bring it back .. call me naive and I know .. I guess I should know better ... but honestly I just refuse to let arses change the way I behave ... next year there will be another one right there in the same spot ... hopefully they wont need another more than I do RANT OFF