Dutch

Asking how much you make in any survey is usually pretty standard, but they usually give it to you in ranges, like: a) 0-50000 50001-75000 c) etc I usually just make something up. Asking EXACTLY how much you make lacks couth and is just an annoyance.

Nice smallie for sure!

Did you know there are lakes out there that average those 6 pounders? Just kidding...lol. Great fish!

Biggest area of concern for me would be even compression on all engine cylinders. Ensure a compression check is manadated before buying and ask for the results. Even pay for it yourself - best $100 (or so) you would ever spend for piece of mind. Any other engine issues would hopefully become apparent during the water test. Another area of concern - take it for a good, long water test. Test out at various RPMs for various lengths of time. If you are going to use it for trolling - test at trolling speed for as long as you would usually troll for. You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, why would you buy a boat without taking it for a spin? Inspect the transom to ensure there is no "pulling" at the motor. Any gaps in the wash well. Just look to ensure it is solid. If it's an older boat with exposed wood in the transom, probe it with a screw driver - any penetration, run away, don't walk. Last thing - don't overlook the small stuff. Do all guages work? Put the bow and anchor lights in - do they work? Do all pumps work? On board chargers work? Trolling motor, fish finders etc. Check it all. Last thing - do the trailer lights work. Not an easy thing buying a boat, but if you are thorough, everything will work out fine. Google "buying a boat checklist" - you will get lots of hits.

Fishing For Life - Many of your posts here seem to beg the question that you are looking for conflict with respect to the Salmon spawn. We get it - you think they still bite when they are in the tribs to spawn and die. Enough already - nobody is going to win that debate, so give it a rest! By the way - tiller or console? Geeeessshhhhh..........

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-1...27376--,00.html Or Google - "black fish spots"

Ahhhh...don't go with Primerica....enough said. Point me to any managed fund that has made 12% over the last year, please..... Fund managers don't make more for the investor. Only something like 12% of managers beat the market. A good "couch potato" investing strategy will beat them most times. Don't pay high MER's on mutual funds, they just aren't worth it. Look into some low-cost ETF's through TD e-funds. If you can't stand the volitility right now, go with a GIC or something like that, but not for 3 years. Shop around for the best rates. There is some "good" information at redflagdeals.com on "high" interest savings accounts. Real Estate is a risky market - I would only attempt it if you know the business really, really well. If you have any other debt - CC etc. consider paying that off. Instant return = 20% or so. If you have kids, consider an RESP - Gov't will kick in 20% up to a max. of $400/year - that's like earning another 20%. You need to seek advice from a "fee only" financial advisor. Why "fee only" they won't push mutual funds on you as they aren't earning a commission on them.

Another thing - I don't think that there is too many "independant" gas stations out there that actually "own" the gas they pump. It is far too expensive and a comparatively small business for the "big" oil companies to sell to independants. I would bet that most gas stations are filling up with Petro Canada, Shell, Mobil gas and taking a per litre commission for pumping the gas for the big companies. Come the time the tanks are re-filled (or maybe when they are filled), the driver takes the readings on how much was pumped and a cheque is cut for the fuel, less the commission. I have seen Shell trucks filling tanks at non-Shell independant stations. Just a theory I have.

That's the thing - supply and demand are NOT currently driving the gas prices. Market speculation is. Gas prices are set using the daily NYMEX rates which have been all over the place lately. S&D should be driving the price, but it's not - gas is not following the basic "rules" of economics, which is leading to huge problems in many areas - namely the US. Market speculation in the US and the US sub-prime mess is dragging the entire World into a recession.

Gas prices are set daily based on the "rack" price that wholesalers charge - large companies like Petro Can and Shell. It doesn't really have anything to do with the gas underground in the tanks. Gas is basically replenished in those tanks at one station somewhere in Ontario each day, so the larger gas stations charge the same or similar prices at all their stations. The other stations follow suit to ensure they are competitive as explained above. The rack price for tomorrow will be set sometime today, I think that's how it works. That's why that McTeague website knew it was going up 12 or 13 cents last week overnight. Keep in mind that there are taxes that are included in the price of fuel: Federal gasoline excise tax - $0.10/Litre Federal diesel tax - $0.04/Litre Provincial gasoline excise tax - $0.147/Litre GST - 5% of the purchase including the above taxes, so we essentialy get "taxed on tax." When buying coloured diesel one of the taese is not levied, I think it is the $0.04, but could be wrong. What all this boils down to is that in Ontario all the taxes levied add $0.295/Litre to the cost of gas. It's important to note that a whopping $0.02 of the Provincial $0.147/Litre is forwarded on to Municipalities to do road, bridge and transportation improvements. Quebec - particularily Montreal because of a regional tax, is taxed the highest on fuel - $0.387/Litre. The Yukon is the lowest at $0.21/Litre. Average for all of Canada is $0.31 or so, in Ontario we are below the average. Comparable in the US, there is only $0.12/Litres in taxes. The best thing to do to avoid high fuel taxes is to fill up across the border.

I don't like the look of the "modified V" hulls myself. I like the layout of the Tracker Tournament V18. Not many others out there that are the layout of that Tracker. You may want to consider a Lowe Stinger. Only rated for up to a 90, I think, won't be too bad on fuel.

My wife and I rode out Hurricane Wilma in the Mayan Riviera. The fastest a storm has ever got to Category 5 in history. It came ashore a strong Cat. 4 about 40 k.m. North of us in Playa Del Carmen. We felt the calm of the eye wall. It sounded like there was a freight train and a 747 on top of our room. It just meandered along the coast for about 40 hours. Something I never want to face every again. The destruction is total and complete. The pictures give me goosebumps, and bring back the memories.....

You guys got a lot of fish - great work. How long were you on the water?

Sorry to disagree (not really disagree, just using your option #2) with you CCMT, but here is what I would do: I think you can get on the 407 somewhere just after coming across the Skyway - basically get on as soon as you can coming from Niagara. Get on 407, follow to the very end - the last Exit is Brock Road Continue straight on Hwy #7, this is the highway 407 "turns into" at the end Go past Westney Road, Lakeridge Road, Baldwin St, Thickson, Simcoe Turn Right on to Harmony Turn Left on to Taunton If you reach Grandview after turning on to Taunton, you've gone too far and are past 991. I would steer clear of the 401 all the way, especially if work is picking up the tab. By going the route I explained, it will take you less time and you will drive fewer k.m.

Bug head net Muskol A couple of those glow sticks from the dollar store, you bend them and they glow green Side cutters Needle Nose Pliers Hook sharpener Extra pair of polarized glasses Tooth picks (for making plastic baits float) Finishing nails (for making weedless baits sink faster)

I got this too. It has to be a scam - I guarantee that you will have to eventually provide your banking information/credit card number/ or pay pal info. Just delete it. There's no such thing as free money.....

Great report - good to see a bunch of great OFC's getting together to outsmart a bunch of nice trout!

I haven't caught many pike, actually one so far, so I am no expert and I didn't see the pic before it was removed. What I did do, is search the net for weight calculators for pike. I came across 7 or 8 and they all returned the similar numbers. What I noticed is that the calculators that incorporate girth give a higher figure. A 23" girth is big for a pike that length, so it was a fat fish. The calculators generally returnined the following figures: 13.3# (calculator considered length only) 15.9# 17.3# 21.2# So, based on the measurements the OP posted, 15# is entirely believable. I wonder if the OP had posted only the length/girth measurement whether replies would have been that he caught a 15# plus fish - probably not. Give the OP a break - we are supposed to welcome new visitors......and encourage new posts - with pics even better! Great fish nonetheless.

I was registered - I'm still interested. Please PM me if there's anything that needs to be done.

Good being out on the lake with ya, definitely have to do it again. Nice being up there during the week - not as much boat traffic and the lake was just like glass. That topwater action was the best I've had in a long time - those fish were coming up from 15+ feet and just hammering them. B2K is being a bit modest on that slab - it was 14+ inches and real thick across the back. Biggest I've seen, the picture doesn't do it justice. I'm glad I got my PB pike - nowhere to go but up I guess. We also had a visitor - a young raccoon made an appearance by the patio about midnight and stuck around for about 5 minutes - quite comical, I think people must have been feeding it as it definitely wasn't shy - got within 2-3 feet. Also saw a "flying" squirrel for the first time. All-in-all a great couple of days.

Hey guys - got a new bilge pump put in earlier this year, but haven't had to use it too much. As such I can't speak to whther the problem below just started or has been like this the whole time. Yesterday I was looking for leaks in my boat so I filled it up with a hose. Didn't find leaks, but when the auto bilge came on, I notice that the pump was pumping out water, but just barely. Water was litterally just trickling out of the outlet and running down the back of the boat. I am used to water coming out almost like a hose and "shooting" out of the outlet, just from what i have seen with other boats. When I feel the hose, it feels like there is water in it, but it just doesn't seem to want to flow out the hole. Does this mean the capacity on the bilge pump is too low and I need a larger pump? Not sure what the specs are on the one that is in there now. FYI - boat is 18'.

What were your top 5 considerations when purchasing (or when you bought) a new or used boat? The length/beam, draft, HP rating (speed), ride comfort, set-up, price, make/model, rivited vs. welded, livewell size etc. etc. - feel free to add to the list Right now mine are (in no particular order): 1) Boat configuration (i.e. deep V) 2) Length/Beam 3) Rivited construction 4) Ride comfort 5) HP rating/Speed What are your top 5?

I like the set-up of the Tracker Tournament V-18 - large, high front casting deck, bench seating, high back casting deck. But, I want to keep my options open. Does anyone know of any other boat makers that have somewhat of a "V" shaped aluminum like this? I'm not a big fan of the modified "V" hulls (pretty much a rectangle like front casting deck), like bass tracker and triton boats have. I want to keep my options open as I look at new and used boats. Basically looking for something with a bassboat set-up, but that is rivited aluminum.

Hey - fun tournaments would be great - $20-$30/boat is a good price and gets the competitive juices flowing. As for Rice - don't think I have anything on that week in September, so it may work out.

Haven't had much time to post lately, so I thought I would do a bit of a catch-up. Some nice eater size crappie/perch/walleye from earlier in the season: Above average size Pigeon Lake LM, caught on the flats tossing a moss-boss of all things - great fight, 18.5" and just a hair under 4#. A little skinny, but still a nice fish. Last but not least.....My new '08 Sierra. Picked this up on Thursday night. Runs real nice, ride is firm, but also comfortable. I know, I know, the gas.....I knew what I was getting into and I have $0.40 cents off for 2500 litres to start, so that will ease things for awhile. Here she is, all nicely waxed up: Just need a new matching boat to go along with the truck now. Tightlines fellas.....