DRIFTER_016

Brian

I think you should go with the MinnKota that your wife wants.

I know you really want the maytag but for the sake of your marriage go with what will make the wife happy.

Was it seriously that cold? Most of the pics, Mike and Paul are just wearing ballcaps and several they have no gloves?

'Couldn't be that cold, the river's still liquid!!!!

Mind you our river is still liquid and it was -25 this morning!!!!!

I feel for you my friend.

If you're lucky and the weather holds we'll pay her a visit when you're here in December.

 

Thanks once again everyone.

If not we will have to head south.

Second week of January would be nice, that way I can get some good steelheading in when I visit my folks at Christmas.

Simcoe has some really good outfitters.

I have been out with many there and here's a list of some really good ones.

Bill's Fish Huts

Casey's Fish Huts

Floyd Hale's Fish Huts

If you're looking for these and other Ontario Ice Fishing Outfitters look here.

Scroll about 1/2 way down the page.

Ice Fish Ontario

Now maybe they will do something about the commercial nets choking off the rivers out there.

I doubt the commercial guys bring 1/2 a billion dollars into the local economy.

here's a twin turbo'ed Merc for ya Kemper

 

How's it troll? ?? ?

It would still be a bit of a drive and I have never been there only had friends with favourable reports, but look at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, New York State and a town called Pulaski and the Salmon River, it is probably the closest good steelhead river that remains open as the flow is regulated for hydro power production.

And Big and Little Sandy creeks are there too.

Sweet!!!!!

I'm in the market for a new motor, but it hasn't been the weight that has had me holding off it's trying to come up with $11,000 for a new 90!!!!!

Back in the winter of 2000 I got laid off, I took it as an opportunity to go back to school.

It was the best thing I could have done as I'm now employed with the Govt. of the NWT doing a job I really like in a place I really like. Plus when I retire I will actually have a good pension!!!!

UI paid for 1/2 my schooling and paid me while I went to school (although not much).

I drove to Fort Erie and on the QEW a deer..smaller buck... jumped in front of me, I missed him but the Durango in the left lane did not. The deer was hit hard and came to rest about 10 feet from ANOTHER dead deer...medium sized doe.

On the way back, I saw a car stopped on Sodom Rd and in front of it lay dead a massive 8 point buck. Big and full animal. The Honda actually faired well considering the size of the buck.

The deer are moving and moving quick..be careful. Don't veer off the road,,,it is isafer to brake straight and hope for the best than to veer off and risk hitting a tree or another car.

Not only is it safer, it's cheaper!!!

I hit a 12 pointer back in the 90's and the insurance adjuster asked me if I hit anything else (which I hadn't).

I asked him why he wanted to know and he told me that if I hit anything other than the deer it is considered an at fault single vehicle accident. I was lucky considering the deer did almost $8,000 worth of damage to my truck.

What this means is instead of not having to pay the deductable and not having your insurance rates go up, you get to pay the deductable and get to pay higher premiums!!!!

So keep it in a straight line and jam the brake pedal to the floor.

The only place you can expect to make a living guiding fishermen is on the west coast.

Anywhere els in Canada the seasons just aren't long enough.

If you are talking great lakes chartering you really have a limited window of opportunity unless you are going to diversify and spend your time moving from port to port following the fish as well as changing species as the year goes by. If you are based out of one port you will have a very short peak season. i.e. Port Credit has a seaon that is mostly mid July to mid September for salmon and trout. If you want early seaon fish you will have to move your setup to the western end of the lake for April and May and then head East for June and strat following the fish back to Port Credit. Now that you've found the fish and can catch them consistently you need to get clients. This will start of very slowly, don't expect to be booked solid, if at all the first year. It can take a lot of time to build up a client base plus you have to remember we are in the midst of a recession and people are not spending as much on non essential items like charter trips.

Think long and hard befor you spend your savings on a venture of this kind.

Talk with some charter owners and listen to what they have to say, it could save you a bunch of money and heart ache.

I need to repower my boat as well. I have been fortunate enough to guide on Great Bear Lake the last 15 years and have used 4 strokes from Mercury, Yamaha and Honda. My personal experience is that the Yamaha would be my first choice unless I can save a good chunk of $$$ by buying Mercury. It's nearly $11,000 to put a Yammie on my boat. If I can save a couple of grand by going with Mercury I will as they are almost as good a Yamaha. We found that the Honda's were a little weak in the lower unit to be using them at the lodge. We found that just about any contact with a shoal would demo the gears, This does not happen with the Yammies and Mercs. Living in shield country it's not if you are going to hit rocks it's when and how hard.

So there you have it. I pick Yamaha as #1 unless Mercury is a good bit cheaper. I would pay a $1000 more for a Yammie but no more.

P.S. This I'm looking at a 90-100 hp motor.

Had it happen with a giant Laker while fishing Brookies in Lake Nipigon.

Fought the fish for an hour but was never able to raise it mor than a foot or two off the bottom.

Finally admitted defeat and snapped the line.

Sure would have liked to have seen the fish, I'm guessing that it was in the 40# range.

T.J. there is a real possibility that you may be a few fries short of a happy meal!!!

On another note, when I'm in Ontario visiting my folks at Christmas I'll have to pick up a couple of pairs.

what are you still doing up?

 

A cap is too small, to tell the truth. I need one that fits my huge noggin.

 

 

p.-

He's right Paul, the hat's gay!!!!!!

Couldn't be any gayer if it was rainbow coloured and covered with Rue Paul pictures!!!!!!

Pfffffffffffffft!!!!!!!

That's not ice!!!!!!

This is ice!!!!!!

Took these last week on a business trip North of me.

Still a little on the early side .........Ice is not solid enough to support a Beaver...

 

 

Photo taken at 11:00 am this morning ...

 

 

 

Man that beaver looks ticked!!!

And as everyone knows there is nothing worse than an Angry Beaver!!!!!!

problem is, you can't ban EVERYONE from netting no matter what. some people are allowed to net even if the government says otherwise.

Yes but you can regulate where they drop their nets.

Start by giving the river mouths a wide berth.

That way it will also be good for my favorite fish the Steelhead.

As it is now too many end up in the nets parked at the river mouths.

If the way BC raises it's salmon is the reason for poor returns, how do you explain the poor returns in California, Oregon,Washington and Alaska?

Nice!!!!!!!

Here's some shots I took yesterday!!!!!!!

An alternative to loctight, simply wrap a small piece of 4lb test mono around the screw and put it in to a point where the reel spins good.

Trim off the ends and you're good to go.

That's a great idea!!!!!!

I have a pair of Rocky Gortex boots that I have been using for almost 10 years and they're still kickin'.

G Loomis or tournament drifters are solid reels. They wont break the bank either. I might have one for sale if interested

I agree. I used an original Drifter as my main reel for 15 years and it is still in my collection.

They're solid reels that are bullet proof. Mine has been stomped in the mud and dropped/thrown and bounced off rocks and it still runs like a top!!!

It seems these days if you put a windshield in front of a person they instantly turn into an

One of the main reasons I left Ontario was because of all the idiot drivers there.

I'm a lot happier now, although people here drive a 25 kmh all over town.

It took me a long time to leave my city driving habits behind.

Down there in "civilization" (used loosely) there is an "it's all about me, I'm first" mentality.

Up in the North the mentality is the complet opposite, people look out for others and have more respect for other people.