Drew_10

Jon Bondy, He's a former BASS Elite Series Pro. Look his name up.

I agree, I've done it a few times in a smaller boat with less power. Just stay below the Queenston bridge and be mindful of the currents. Take it slow at first and be safe.

You can use pretty much any soft plastic. Zoom lizards are popular, as are beaver baits. Experiment and try to match the hatch as best as possible. Using a straight shank worm hook as opposed to a wide gap hook will help make your rig more weedless.

If you've had some quality fish miss your topwater lure, there may be some small factor/characteristic about your topwater plug that is keeping these smallies from fully comitting. Try using the same topwater lure, but in a smaller size or colour. Try adding scent or feathered treble hooks. A little change could make all the difference.

Lucky Craft, Spro, Rapala, Bomber, etc are all good. Last year BPS had those same Strike King models for under 5 bucks a piece. Thats when I bought them. The hooks rust and they don't run true. What's the point of saving some money if you have to spend 5 bucks on a pack of trebles and 10 minutes truing the bait every 50 casts or every time you bump a rock. Building a good crankbait isn't easy, and there's a reason rapala and lucky craft cost so much.

Return those Strike King crankbaits and get your money back. They are 100% junk. I bought a handful of them last year. The hooks began to rust out in a matter weeks. Note, I kept them in a plano container with a few packages of silica gel. As well, they are next to impossible to tune properly and none run even close to straight out of the box. You get what you pay for. I love strike king spinnerbaits and jigs, but they don't know bunk about building a hard body lure. Just my opinion.

For those who may still doubt the legitmacy of Wayne's claims, I can assure you that 'rough trailering', or any sort of abuse to the boat on behalf of the operator is not the case here. I have fished with Wayne out of this boat a number of times and he always handles his boats with care. -Drew

Slammers

I wouldn't go as far to say their junk. I've been in a lot of different types of bass boats, and to be honest, I found the ride in a 21 foot sprint with a 225 envinrude to be great and that was on Lake Erie. Maybe not as smooth as my champion, but pretty good. Just because they don't cost as much as a ranger or basscat or champion doesn't mean they're junk. Just do your research and check out the forums on bassboatcentral.com for info.

Anyone want to hit up Balsam Lake this Saturday for some Walleye? I have room in the boat for one and all the gear, just need to bring a few bucks for gas and a good attitude. On the water by 7am, off by 2 or 3pm. Shoot me a pm if you're interested. -Drew

I get it bad. I'm just glad I'm not the only one! Won't be getting much sleep this weekend, too much fishing to do.

Thanks! I got the trailer certified last Saturday and was able to pick up the plate for it today. So on the trailer front everything has been taken care of. Just need to get the boat registered and pick up some insurance (the joys of tourney fishing). I'll try to stop into a service Canada location soon. Thanks!

Hey, I'm looking to license a boat that I picked up from the states a few weeks ago. Any where around the GTA (Richmond Hill, Vaughn) to get this done? Thanks in advance!

Awesome pictures! I was out there today and got a few, lots of bugs too.

Thanks, that helps!

Hey, I know this has been discussed many times before. I'm looking at a boat in Minnesota. Can someone please fill me in on the types of reciepts, bills of sale, and any other documentation that will be required to bring it back over the boarder. As well, what will I be taxed on and what percent? Thanks in Advance!

I have what you need...check the classifieds, i'll bring one to school on monday for you to see!

FYI... I had the opportunity to fish the Quinte Opener with Wayne (Walleyemen) last year. It was an amazing time. Good food, good beer, good friends, and good fish. Wayne know's his stuff when it comes to walleye fishing on the BOQ (and smallie fishing Erie, too), anyone who takes him up on this offer will have a great time. Just follow Wayne to his hotspots and you'll be on fish all day. Maybe some big pike too. PS> Wayne, if you can't find anyone let me know, 3 in a boat isn't so bad hahaha, good luck out there! -Drew

You're going to end up with a ton of different responses to this. If you're interested in seeing what type of CO / MNR jobs are out there, go to: www.gojobs.gov.on.ca FYI: The MNR SEP (Summer Experiance Program) pays 11.25 an hour with 6-8 week contracts. That's where you get your start. Not too many people out there who aren't in highschool or their first year or two of University or College can afford that.

Still frozen from what I've seen, and the water is real lower in the lower end of the lake towards Gamebrige. The ice is thin though so it won't be long. Dalrymple was frozen over a few days ago, so I assume it still is.

Carls' strategy didn't work out too well. Hung out at the back of the pack for the entire race, even loosing the draft at one point, all in hopes of missing the wrecks. He gave it a good run though and came close, good to see him walk away unharmed.

This is an interesting topic. There are a number of different schools of thought that arise. The engine size / horsepower debate, in my opinion, is a pretty obvious target to single out againt many other aspects of fishing that are not so 'green'. For example: Do we really need Rapala Shad Raps available in 20 different colours? Do we really need Strike King Spinnerbaits with multiple blade/colour options? Do we as anglers really need Berkely to make 4 or 5 different types of soft-plastic stick baits? Realize it or not, but these questions I pose are extremely similar to the engine/hp debate. The amount of resources that goes into creating these elaborate product lines that we all purchase is amazing. The engine size debate is singled out because of the non-renewable resource connection (OIL). However, literally any tackle, sonar device, gps, trolling motor, boat wax, etc, requires non-renewable resources to produce at one capacity or another. Therefore, before you judge someone because of the size of the engine they run or the vehicle they use to tow their boat, take a look at your tackle box or your 'smaller' boat and do the math. Do we need 250hp rangers, probably not, but do we need lead weights from 1/32oz to 1oz in 1/16 oz increments? We definitly do not. But we buy them to help us catch fish and to be the best we can. Ultimatley, its an industry. Mercury has found a market for their 300hp engines, and as long as they sell they will continue producing them. In my experiance, some of the most active-minded conservationists are the BASS guys who run the 250's and put in 100+ days on the water. They may run their 'overkill' engines, but in the end they are also the ones (amongst others) who put in the time working with communities and wildlife managers to ensure fisheries are kept in quality condition. This might not always be the case, but more often than not is it. Just my opinion. Good Fishing. -Drew

shoot em