River Rat

for 15's You are down to the IM9 (not sure if offered in a blank but I know they used to be).....or JC's CTS.....I would choose the CTS, no contest. John is a very good builder and the 15ft is his signiture rod. If seen it dressed and undressed and it's a good med nd big water rod. WAY more power than the GLX. The cost will be well under $1000 with hardloys and the fit will be unbelieable. Titanium SICs are he best of he best and will get you closer to that $1000 but will never snap off or crack the inserts...tuff as nails. Side note on the new Kingpin: The Kingpin is not yet offered in a blank or a 15fter......the blanks will be out in the late fall of 09, the 15fter....still working on getting them to see the market potetial. The 13fter is $350 and the 11'6" is $295........2pc, Fuji solid titanium guides (not coated) with sic inserts - 7's to the tip for ice up, line rated 4-8, IM8 matt green grafite with green wraps, no seats just rings and both have a 20.5 inch handle. The 11'6" is lightening fast, with the long handle this is the ideal med and small water rod with torquing power to spare, crisp snap up that float and place it in the tightest of cover. The 13 has a more traditional action througout but the backbone underload was unbelieveable......I have yet to fish them but I'm hoping to get them out Sunday for a trial run. RR

see you there fellas RR

Wow, GCD...spoken like a true economist. You really seem to have a good handle on what's going on up here. Yes, we are all in total envy of the US economy and how the country is managed .....there is an old chineese proverb that says "the tallest nail gets hammered first"......sucking hind teat ? = tortus and the hare ? I have a buddy down there with Crones disease and has undergone many surgeries as a result.....he has medical insurance that he pays every month for but is still somewhere around $500,000 in debt from medical bills with no way out. They take a percentage off his paycheck now and he will never own a house or get ahead. His depresion is what worries me the most. I have a heart condition, had it since I was 9 and I'm 37 now. in the last 28 years I have had over 150 "episodes" that invloved going to the emerg for treatment for my heart.....I had one in the US that cost $4500 for a typical stay of 2hrs to give you an idea of the cost. I have also had three heart surguries and a lifetime ekg's, ultra sounds, MRI's etc. It is very safe to say that I have had a million dollars worth of medical proceedures to keep me alive and try to correct my heart problem. I owe nothing but gratitude for living in a country that was able to foot that bill. I owe every Canadian brother and sister that pays taxes my gratitude for sharing in my burden, and helping me out. I make very good money and pay very high taxes but I cannot complain about that. I live a great life, in a great country and want for nothing. My wife lost her job in the auto inustry. Our government is going to grant her the money for her to be re-trained for a better job in the medical industry....again, thanks to my fellow Candadians for helping us out. Envy ? no man.....just gratitude. The only feeling I have these days is gratitude and thankfulness for living in Canada. Cheers RR

outside sales for survey and construction layout equipment, lasers etc. and grade guidence systems for heavy equipment......also working on float fishing tackle distribution and rep gig on the side. RR

Looks like I'm heading out.....should be a big mess of slush so I'll be guy in waders. RR

Yo Drifter Davey, nice boat...I have the 17 version with a 115 on the back.....I used to pull it with a 2004 Toyota 4Runner Sport with a 4 liter 6 cyl, I had it three months and a guy offered me $3000 more than I paid for taxes inc.......sold the 4runner and picked up a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain with a 4.7 8cly HO in it.....small 8 with 265 horse and 330lb torque........and I put $13,000 in the bank after I cashed the check from the 4runner and bought the Jeep......gas is not an issue, I have an Esso card from work and Ontario is my territory......so is every lake!!!. both cars towed the boat NO problem.....aluminum is light. RR

I second SOLO on the stradic 1000......I still have some old AERO 1000's before they called it the Stradic. Great reels, smooth drag and affordable. RR

......selling stock at a loss and putting it into real estate at a loss is risky business. Figure out what invest you feel will rebound faster ....the stock and funds market or the real estate market and invest in that. Your property value is WAY down and likly impossible to seel now anyway. Your RSP value is also WAY down but really easy to sell. Try to get a handle on what you fell will rebound faster and invest in that. Where will you get the most bang for your injured buck ? RR

I paid off my first house in 8 years (with only 5% down) and dumped money into RSP for a while.....all the rest of my money went to Gucci Shoes and whatever else my wife could buy,,,WE decided to get into a WAY bigger house so I would have a mortgage again, and something that would appreciate in value ( big bass boats traditionally lose money ) .....now my $400K house is worth like $300K and my portfolio is down at least 35%.........so I lost on both sides, you only lose when you sell....this is a set back in your plan. I added 5 years to my over all finacial plan to compensate for this bump in the road. pick the right stock in the next 6 months, that 5 years could be much less. If you sell, you have lost....hang on for a bit and change your plan to accomodate. RR

na you're ok...... RR

I like to use circle hooks to, not sure what brand I bought last time but they were not as enclosed and work great. Zero gut hooks. I run wacky when ever I can. Good way to keep em on and add a color to the bait is go to Princess Auto and buy some large heat shrink tubing. It comes in different colors like yellow, red, white, blue and black. cut it into little strips and heat shrink them on with a propane torch.....holds great under hooked or even better pierced. Cheers RR

1 inch will be fine for the 520, you will need 1.5 for the 7 inch like X27 and the 2inch for the 10 inch models.....My rams work great, 45 Miles per hour in big chop will get them the move but at least they take some of the cusion ....staight gimble mounting puts all the shock from smashing waves diretly into the unit....ram mounts have shock absorbing properties RR

I have a 17ft Aluminum and I put the 80lb MAXPRO with US and lift assist on last year. My boat had a 45lb on it when I bought it but I need that extra power to get in the back country where the frog bite rules!.....I was on a lake so far in the reeds last year that a C.O. came back on a push pole, in a 12ft tinny to see what we were up to.....he had been partolling this lake or years and didn't even know ther was water that far back........we were pounding the toads with the frogs!!!....anyway, cable steering for me all the way but to each his own. That lift assist is WAY too nice man, just flick that cord and let it set down in the water......snap it back up with almost no effort. Great product from a great company.....oh ya, and Joss blew the doors off BPS price. Cheers RR

I have fished lakers more in the Haliburton area and aftr dark all we ever catch is Ling.....and a buzz RR

OMG....Rich summed it up well, but man...there is lots of science involved once you start experimenting and talking to people in the industry. Then you have to decide what line to choose for the proper rod, bait and application....it can get overwhelming for sure. Go to the spring fishing show and talk to the peeps in the manufacturer booths. They can point you in the right direction and work with your budget. This thread could go on forever..LOL RR

any transducer will interfer with the ones around it at a certain distance away and certain depth of water. I run a 520C through a Universal trans. built into my troller, and I have a skipper for the X27 off the back......my cones are dialed in to 19 degrees......my boat is 17ft long, so the trans. are 17ft apart.....now..... each cone spreads out at 19 degrees the work OK till I get out to 25-27 feet of water then the cones overlap causeing interference. If I am alone, I simply turn of the X27 and the problem goes away.....If I have a partner and we are drop shotting over 25ft, I have an ethernet connection so that I can run both screens off the same transducer, so both guys see the same thing so in 35plus ft, you can see both jigs or rigs working the bottom at the same time. for the ice, you simply have to spread out so the cones don't interfer with each other, and make sure those cones are dialed in a tight as you can get them for better detail under your hole. Cheers RR

Bio-degradable baits are great, they are also expensive, and can't be stored along side the conventional plastics in the planos. Still, the benifits far outway the negatives. I keep a BPS binder bag for mine....Gulp works great, Food Source is another company that makes them too and Nories will be coming out with a full line as well in the near future...from what I hear. When the stick bait bite is on, BPS stick o's and economical and work well. When the stick fish get finicky, I get out the super supple dingers or quivery yamamoto's. In lock jaw or open water or deep water situations, craws on rock piles.....out come the bio's. I seldom run bio's in cover because they are too soft (non durable) and reaction triggers the hit anyway.......when the fish are taking time to sniff, I run bio's I still see lots of people throwing used baits in the drink. Likely force of habit more than anything....I'm sure that will get better as word gets out that it is a bad practise. I used to see people leaving the boat launch with stringers of bass to take home, and those siteings are becoming less every year too. It's word of mouth and education. See you out there RR

I have the hot maps chip, good for some kawatrtha laskes and some lakes across Canada.....problem is MANY are left out. Go see Joss at Ang Outfitters and he will show you the chips live Cheers RR

Gerritt, I'm sure Spiels work is terrific....2nd to none, means no one is better. That's a stretch no matter what builder you decide to mention. I sent a PM to Sheffield to avoid any politics. It's always good to research more than one builder IMO is you are going to drop $500 to $1200 on a build. Besides, even if George Bush was my buddy, cousins buddy or active mod on this board....I still wouldn't vote for him, would you ? Cheers RR

I live in Oshawa and I drive to Woodstock for any major fishing related purchase (except for my custom steelhead sticks).......Joss will hook you up and teach you lots......just don't tell him I said that, I don't want him to get a swollen head. Joss will work with your budget so don't be afraid to tell him what you can spend.....if your buddy is looking for a custom build, PM me and I will point you in the right direction. RR

salt impregnating adds density to the bait making it easier to cast long distances and sink. Without salt in the bait, plastic is fairly bouyant. Also, as mentioned that blood taste is the deal. They hang on longer than non impregated baits for sure. Any non-impregnated bait I use gets doused with scent....craw, shad or garlic. Tubes often get filled with scented gel too (works on steelies too) if I'm fishing deep offshore structure or open flats. I keep pre scented baits like the 3x zero's in the bag so my compartments in the boat don't smell like a pizza oven when I open them, but all my salted baits go in the plano boxes. I agree with the color bleed, "you gotta keep em separated"....I don't have pics of my baits simply because, there are WAY too many....you people will think I'm sick!....and you would be correct!!. I took my boat out for a rip in fall with a buddy but without my fishing gear and got another 6 miles per hour out of her on the GPS. RR

90% of my plastics are in those deep compartment plastic boxes, along with hooks, weights, rattles etc. I keep one WAY over stuffed BP worm bag for those scented baits and gulps that need to stay in the zip locks. That bag is like 70lbs man, I am sure I have grown into a 2nd by now. They fit nicely into the deck storage on my bass boat and keep me organized by size, color and bait type etc. Plastics are a sick addiction once you figure them out. Guys and Gals, please do all of us a favor ......please keep a can or comparment, container or whatever open when you are fishing plastics for the garbage baits......please do NOT throw that garbage in the lake. We all lose plastics on hits but when a torn bait is no longer usable, please for the love of fish, keep them on you boat and throw them away at home. I can only imagine how many fish die due to choking on those baits and not to mention, littering the water. P.S....I have made some very interesting steelhead baits with my discarded plastics, glue, spike it dye, and a razor blade....heck, it's fun for the whole familly. River Rat

Mmmm....meat stuffed with meat... stuffed with meat! I've seen Pikeyes before,.... it was a Pike stuffing my Walleye down his toothy snapper! RR

I'll be in the area, worth a look ...see you there. RR

I don't think Profisher25 is fishing bass...are you ? Most of those baits look like walleye or crappy baits. I thank the bass gods for being kind enough to provide me with the Senko, the Fluke and flappin shad, the horny toad / yum frog and the floating worm /trick worm. RR