DRIFTER_016

I've also had a great year!!!

It started in January with lots of giant ice pike then I went to Florida to battle some saltwater giants.

Then back home to finish out the ice season followed by some open water fishing in the NWT.

Next was 6 weeks in Alaska chasing trout, salmon and dolly varden followed by one last open water trip in mid October for lakers and I should be hitting the ice for the first time since May for some laker action this weekend.

Nope she was full I just filled it up that morning

Super Siphon

Shuld be no difference in top speed other than the fact that a 25hp 4 stroke is about 160#'s in a Merc (others are heavier).

Just something to think about.

Keep in mind that the 4 strokes are a lot heavier than your older 2 stroke.

The 30hp Mercs we had up at the lodge needed 2 people in order to man handle them on and off the boats. They were also bolted on and not just clamped on with the clamps like on your old motor.

What is the max HP rating on the plaquard on your boat?

Remember that if you get a larger motor you may have issues getting the boat to slow down enough if you troll with your boat.

What did you use to re-blue the barrel? I was thinking about doing it.

Cold bluing purchased @ LeBarons.

I followed the instructions and was impressed how easy it was and how well it turned out.

Outers Gun Blue Kit

I refinished my buddies old single shot 410 that he had since he was a kid. It spent a lot of time behind the seat of his pickup trucks over the years and was pretty beat up.

I refinished all the wood with Tru Oil and cleaned up and re-blued the barrel and action. The end result was an old firearm that looked like new!!!

My buddy was most impressed and very happy with the result.

Deadman's switch connected to 3#'s of C4.

You may lose a camera but it won't get stolen.

HAHAHA!!!

Sour toe cocktails in Dawson City!!!!

If you want them in the winter, through the ice on Simcoe would be your best bet.

Or the Niagara.

I saw some real healthy young lasses from Michigan the last time I was at The Alaska Bush Company in Anchorage.

Get it right sparky!!!

That's because you live south of the border, try living up here and getting any service or satisfaction from them. Then wait til they rape you with the shipping charges. Sorry but I'll never buy another Marcus product again.

I've had to deal with them a couple of times over issues with my LX-5 and have nothing but good things to say. I had to pay to get the unit to them but the fix and return shipping were covered.

7D is a nice camera.. My next upgrade will be FF.

FF is nice but I want the reach that the crop cameras give you.

Now if I could only afford a bunch of them big white lens'.

Had no idea they announced a T4i already.

Yep, about 2 months ago it was released.

I'm already looking to upgrade my DSLR to the 7D.

I have used Olympus stylus cameras for my fishing/outdoor activities for 10 years and am happey with them. I also have a Canon T3 for when it's dry.

Which wasn't too often on this years trip to Alaska.

The T3 is a good entry level DSLR. IMO

Good thing you're all stocked up.

This things nasty!!!!

Cat 3 now and gnarly surf.

Check out this Live Web Cam

Michelin LTX best truck tire IMO. Goodyear wranglers are also great

I have Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors on my truck and have been very happy with them. Great winter traction and fairly quiet considering the agressive tread pattern.

Had the Goodrich TA's on my old Ford Bronco and they were pretty decent tires too.

My tire guy here in Yellowknife says the Toyo's are the best AT tire out there.

They will probably be my next set.

Same as captpierre here.

About 2 1/2 feet long and 1/3 way up the side.

It will only be considered the perfect storm if it takes Gary Bettman out. Until then, it's just a big wrong word storm.

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With the way gas prices are, you should of told her it was cheaper to buy a new truck with a full tank of gas then fill up the one you have...

 

Actually our gas prices are FINALLY coming down....down her 10 cents to now $3.99 per gallon....but my son just moved to Virginia and gas there is only $3.23 per gallon and their expecting it to drop below $3...maybe even close to $2.50 per gallon as the weeks go on.

Expect the prices to rise on Wednesday November 7th.

911, is very important,no matter where you are.

Not important at all where I live.

We have no 911 service in the NWT.

Yet we still pay Bell the 911 access fee.

The class action suit should be concluding soon.

I have a couple of cell phones.

1 for work, one pay as you go for my Alaska fishing trips.

I need to keep in touch with all of my homies over there to make fishing plans!!!!

Another great report Dave. Some super fish you have there but my favorite shot is of the ciscoes. To store for winter use, do you flash freeze them on a pan and use as needed? Do you need to salt them or do anything else to keep the flesh firm enough for use as bait. What great pike or laker bait they'd make. Nice.

Roy

I use medium freezer bags and pack 5 baits to a bag and dump them in the freezer.

When I'm going to use them I thaw out a couple of bags and salt them up to toughen them up a bit.

Should be drilling holes in about 2 or 3 weeks.

It was pretty quiet on the lake but we did see more boats than I thought we would.

I guess we weren't the only diehards out.

My Alaska report will be comming soon. Tons of pics to go through and edit.

Lots of fishing was done.

Another couple of weeks of open water would be nice but I would have to change my Alaska dates and that ain't gonna happen. I gotta be there for the peak of the rainbow/dolly varden action.

Our whitefish fishing is totally different than any of the whitie fishing I did back in Ontario.

I still haven't really figured it out for consistency yet. We catch them in deep water like in Simcoe but we also catch them in shallow water like spring fishing in Owen Sound. :dunno:

Each lake is different. Still working on getting it down.

I know the next world record is swimming around in Great Slave.

I have seen net caught fish bigger than the current world record and have hear of a net caught whitefish that weighed 29#'s!!!!

That is double the current WR.

I got back from my annual Alaska trip a week ago today but just had to get one last open water trip in before winter sets in for good up in the North country.

We got to the lake around 11AM (takes a while to get my old bones goin' when the temp is freezing ) Got the old girl started and we headed the 13KM all the way to the North end of the lake to the area I did really well last October.

The forcast was for clouds, flurries some North winds and a high of 2C.

We arrived at our chosen location and tossed out the baits of choice some big old Wolverine spoons and started trolling off the rivermouth. It wasn't long before old esox showed and the game was on. We managed a good bunch of pike again this year but no big lakers were brought to the boat.

My buddy did get broken off and also lost a big fish just out of site though. Either of these fish could have been big lakers the way they battled. We also witnessed a school of lakers balling bat on the surface which was cool. Only seen this happen 1/2 dozen or so times.

We stopped fishing at 4PM in order to hit the river and dip bait for the winter and 2013 season. The ciscoes were in thick and in under an hour we had our bait. Another 1/2 hour of spinner chucking for whities only netted us one more small laker unfortunately.

On to the pics.

Enjoy!!!!

Alaska pics to come.

Thanks man.....got a qoute on the block heater and on board charger from dealer...worth it in my opinion

Don't forget the battery blanket/heater.

A warm battery works much better.

The 4 strokes can be a little touchy in the cold, but if your car starts, so will the sled.

I have a 4 stroke Yamaha and live North of 60*. I plug it in just like my truck @ night when I want to use it the next day when the temps are bitter. It always starts no problem when plugged in. It's usually not an issue until night time temps drop below -25C. During the day once it has been run there are no starting issues at all. People I know who use their 4 stroke sleds out at their cabins here plug them in to their generator for an hour in the morning to defrost them to get them running in the morning on cold days.

The fuel savings more than make up for any hassle of having to plug them in though.

Just remember to order the battery tender, battery warmer, block heater package when you purchase a 4 stroke sled.