Canuck2fan

I never got any answers either. I do know that for the most part Shakespeare and Pflueger kept things pretty similar in price but I haven't seen the new prices for next year at LeBarons. I decided when I didn't get a satisfactory answer about the gouging from Shimano to swtich to companies. I have to say so far I am very happy with everything I purchased too.

What a fish!!!! Congrats to the angler on it and letting it go especially. Fighting that thing at night must have been tough not being able to see it go through the motions, which from what I hear is half the fun of catching Musky seeing them dance. As for not getting measurements for some people on here on film, if it bothers you that much folks how about you chip in some coin to hire a full time professional camera crew to follow him around to get all the details for you? I know everyone on here is usually pretty generous why not in this case?

I think a lot of developments that were planned will be on hold. Happens everytime we have a recession. I remember some properties sittings unfinished for a couple years during the 80's melt down. Same thing happened when the markets went bust after 911. It is kind of hard to get credit right now and if you bought land to build and it is worth 15 to 25% less getting new financing using it as collateral won't be any easier.... Also lets face it Fishing and Hunting sales are luxury sales, until you need to buy gear to put food on the table. It has got to be a tough market right now.

Prices for many things are dropping like a stone..... So how can Shimano justify raising prices even more? Not to mention that when the dollar was low before they were one company who shafted us in Canada BIG TIME and when it was at par they did the same thing only worse? I know a lot of members love their stuff but can anyone dispute that Shimano have been price gouging all the way along compared to what you pay in the U.S.A.?

Looks good but at double the price of the Remington gear sold at Walmart it should be!!! Is it really windproof as well as waterproof?

Rich and Sugarpacket- looks like if nothing else you had fun and that is what it is all about. Way to go!!!

First let me say I am huge dog lover but at any time the dog is going to lose if it attacks me or mine. I believe that if the dogs were running deer then they can be legally shot.... and ummm who is too say they weren't running deer when you took them down if they came at you?

So you are saying you get the free shipping deals available only in the U.S. and the percentage off deals too. YOU REALLY are superman then. I get the special offer emails all the time from both BPS and Cabelas but can never get the deals at checkout because I live in Canada. So I order from Lebarons and save the PST...

Interesting.... It kind of reminds me though of a study they did in a conservation park in Africa I read about. The ecologists wanted to study different giraffe groups so they painted the ones they wanted to study white..... Until they did that the lions weren't hunting giraffes because they are mean and way too big. Once they were marked though the lion prides killed everyone because apparently lions look for any difference in any potential prey and exterminate anything with that difference? So I can see P3TA saying if you shoot a moose with a paint ball then the lions here will single it out and kill it first!!!! You know especially the blonde P3TA members like Pamela Anderson.

I lost a lot of weight too and know what you mean..... and before that I NEVER felt the cold. Now I do, and I have to say the Remington Walmart cheapie insulated cammo is the best thing I have ever bought. Waterproof mostly windproof and every inexpensive. I just wear a thermal layer (soon to be upgraded to the moisture wicking kind) Then I use a fleece shirt, a windbreaker hoodie, then the parka on top. For the pants I use cheap long johns a pair of windpants then the insulated Remingtons. -100C boots and I stay out long after the people wearing survival suits are crying it is too cold I can't stay out any longer..... Don't forget a good thinsulate hat too. I have to say with out the wind breaking layer under the Remington I can handle -20 with a stiff wind for about 3 hrs. If I want to fish 6 or 8 though the wind break layer makes all the difference. I can't wait to get the poly under layer for the added comfort.

Just slap a set of 16" mudders on it and give er!!!! It does look cool but being stuck and keel hauling back to shore by hand would really tick me off if I dropped 10K on it LOL

If you really have to use hand/foot warmers buy the reuseable ones from Lee Valley. To reuse then all you do is wrap them in a cloth and put in boiling water for 10 minutes. They do about 50 charges or so and only cost 4.95 or so each. Heck of a product....

I got a snapper suit by Bonica. Here is the website. I can't fit mine into my vest because the lens covers is extended all the time but it does fit into my camo coat pocket easily. They give you just enough on the handle strap to put around your neck if you are wading... I like the fact that it keeps sand and dirt out too and adds a bit of shock resistance too. http://www.bonicadive.com/catalog19.htm

I have used Stanleys paste and for the money there has to be a better solution LOL. As stated nothing seems to really work good once the temps get under -10 or so. I think it is important to keep in mind that if the bite is slow something that will attract fish is better than something that will repel them I have been thinking of using pam but who wants to drag a can of pam around. (although if I could find the garlic stuff anymore in Canada I would try it used to be a killer bass attractant so it might work for rainbow too?.) Lew- your comment about electric heated rods reminded me of a fishing trip with a real newbie. This fella was just a bag of toys this one night we were steelheading. He jumps out of the car first at the this trib we hit and so we yelled to him asking is it froze over? NOPE looks good!!! So the rest of us pile out and start gearing up and he is set up and casting before the rest of us even have our boots on something doesn't sound right but I put on my gear and THEN go check with my light the whole river is black ice on top and his line is sitting on it. So we all grumble a bit about his parentage and head to spot number two. It is open and fishable so we set up and start bottom fishing. He won't leave his line in for more than 3 minutes at a time so his line freezes up constantly. SO no matter what we tell him he just keeps casting and pulling in all the time. Finally fed up with the ball of ice on the tip of his rod he takes his LIGHTER and thaws the tip of his rod..... My buddies and I are looking at each other shrugging about who is going to tell him. When one of my buds shakes his head and shows us the fake bite noose he always has with him. So I distract our lighter using genius while the other guy loops the noose around the end if his rod and steps backs. So in a couple of minutes the guys pulls on the noose and the rod starts bucking like a bronco in the holder. I go hey you got a fish ON so buddy runs up grabs the rod and does a MASSIVE hook set and falls over because he has no line because of course it BURNT off when he was using the lighter..... The rest of us are laughing but to this day even though we showed him what fire does to mono he still talks about the night the big one broke his line off. The problem with an electric rod heater is someone like him would electrocute himself with such a device LOL

When it comes to alignments it is fairly easy to avoid getting hosed if you can do the following first. If you have access to a floor jack and car stands, in about 5 minutes you can save yourself a lot of headaches. Jack the vehicle up and support it properly. Then take the front wheels at the top and bottom and try yanking them forward and back if you feel any movement you have a problem. Same thing from side to side if you have no movement then you know before a shop tells you something major is wrong that nothing is and all you need is the alignment. However if you have movement it could as cheap as a tie rod end or as expensive as ball joints. Hard to generalize here but side to side is likely a tie rod and the up and down could be an uppper or lower ball joint. Any grinding noise is possibly the brakes or bearing..... Brakes don't effect an alignment but the bearing will. The last thing you do is MAKE them write on the work order if the steering wheel isn't perfectly straight you are aren't paying until it is!!!! NOTHING is worse than getting your car back and steering wheel is at an angle. Last year it was going to be a horror for me when I HAD to go our local CTC for an alignment after my dad changed a tie rod end for me..... because our guy was busy till the following weekend. I went in and explained to the service manager that I knew for a fact everything was fine all I needed was the alignment. I told him if the steering wheels isn't straight the mechanic will just have to fix it before I pay so do it and only the alignment right the first time. So sure enough I come back after 45 minutes and the mechanic is telling the service manager I need ball joints and tie rods ends. I said really lets go and see because my dad who has been a mechanic since 1960 and who has forgotten more than you will ever KNOW about cars says I just need the alignment.... Well umm ur uh I was talking about the other silver car like yours out there. YEAH RIGHT. Anyhow I go out and check the steering wheel and it was within about 3 mm but not straight so I made him fix it just for trying his up sell on me LOL. They were just as happy to see me leave as I was to get out of there.

I thought about a camera but after hearing all the horror stories on here of members getting the dropsies with either a camera or phone near water along with knowing my luck I decided to get a waterproof camera. All the brands I checked out were way too expensive for what I wanted and the picture quality not that great so I comprised I bought a refurbed Canon that fits into a weatherproof case. Total cost under 100 bucks takes great photos and I can drop in water up to 12ft deep and not lose my investment..... Anoter big advantage is the canon runs on AA's so never had to worry about finding batteries when away on a trip if the 4 rechargables I carry run out of juice. The company that makes the weatherproof cases seems to be Canadian and they also make snapper suits for some Nikons and other Canons. It was a cheap pratical solution for shooting fish pics now I just have to learn how to catch some fish again LOL.

Boots are simple next Saturday November 29th Marks will be having a 20% off sale grab a coupon off of their flyer for another 10 dollars off 50 and get yourself a pair of wind river or dakota -100C boots. Waterproof at the bottom and very water resistant. They have a small air grate between the sole and liner and your feet will never be cold and they are a lot cheaper than Baffins which I never could find for sale where I could try them on. Gloves are a pain though I have spent hundreds of dollars on gloves... No glove yet exists that is both WATERPROOF, warm and sufficiently thin enough to leave on. I therefore tend to take more than one pair with me. I have an excellent thin glove that came as part of a winter armor system that are not waterproof but fairly warm and they can be worn all the time. The drawback is if you even touch your line they get very wet and soon the warmth is gone. I find that certain wool gloves will still keep your hands warm even when frozen solid as they are not waterproof. It is hit or miss to find them although if you know anyone who ever fished on the east coast they will be able to tell you the type of wool. I bought a pair of 185.00 gortex gloves 20 yrs or so ago. They are waterproof but way way too bulky to wear while actually fishing. Like you can't even reel in with them even though they are gloves not mitts I gave them to my father for Christmas one year to encourage him to keep fishing in the cold. The other problem is he won't wear them, when I asked him why not he said his hands melt in them? I go what the heck are you talking about he goes here you try and them. He was right it was -30 or more with the wind chill and I just couldn't leave them on, my hands after 10 minutes felt like they were on fire. So they get a fail because you can't work the reel with them on and you just can't keep them on all the time LOL. So I take at least 3 pairs of gloves and try very hard to keep one pair dry.... I have heard great things about ice armor gloves for ice fishing but I don't know if you can leave them on while using a float setup.

Raven rules.... I find it to be amazing line for the price. I tried Ande and it just isn't as good although it does cost more.

Welcome I agree with rainbow for the fish as for fishing year round for steel yes technically you can fish year round for them in any of the great lakes.... and for a certain distance up some tribs. The challenge is to find areas free of ice for the entire year. Last year we lost 5 weekends due to ice ups in the area I like to fish. The year before we lost 8... The best way to read the regs is to look at the exemptions, then once you think you know the regs double check with the MNR to make sure or you can try doing so in local fishing stores, but even they get it wrong sometimes LOL.

I am a big Edwards fan but Jimmie seems to have it all in his favor. Cheater Chad will have all sorts of tricks up that sleeve of his. Besides if need be every Hendrick car or Hendrick powered car would just finish behind Jimmie to give him the "historic" 3 in a row. I bet you though that Carl puts on one heck of a show LOL

The type of fishing you might be able to do may change but as long as you can walk 100ft unaided and someone goes with you, you can probably fish till the day you drop. I agree getting in a boat or wading rivers might be beyond someone with severe arthritis. The bright side is that sitting on a pier and fishing bow, perch, bass and salmon though likely something anyone can do well into their later years. I see guys coming out in their eighties all the time to the piers all over SWO. Lastly, the newer technology with clothing and boots means you never have to cold or wet unless you want to be!!! I admit I have to wear glasses now when pre-tying leaders at home for the smaller hooks. For a more than a few of my fishing buddies I have to do all the tying when out for steel but so what? It keeps me practiced up on doing it and if I do the tying I can vary things a lot easier to increase our chances of hitting fish. It is win win they get to come out doing something they still love, I get some great companionship and a bit of help with the gas. Not too mention some of the older guys know tricks that increase the catch tremendously, because they want to try stuff the fish aren't old enough to have seen before LOL.

If I was only going to go one season on them I would consider just going with the Nordics from CTC? Use the same rims that are on the car as buying new ones for just one season isn't cost effective unless you know someone with a similar car who would buy them used in the spring. As for other winterizing tips just make sure your antifreeze can handle the lower temps and that your battery is good shape. Modern cars really don't need anything else even 98 civics LOL. An emergency kit could be life saver too. The most important winter driving tip that is all too often overlooked is to WATCH THE DAMN WEATHER and pay attention to it if you don't HAVE to go out in crappy weather then stay home and post on here LOL

I agree with your theory but in practice with careful shopping you can come close. I have been very lucky and have gotten some rods that were selling for over 300 bucks on close out sales for under 100.... All modern IM-6 or better rods are going to feel light as a feather to any rod 10 yrs old. My 7ft Shimano Bull Whip which retailed for 140.00 fifteen years ago. Weighs 7 ozs more than my 60 dollar 11.5ft Catera. That is one heck of a difference over the course of 8 hrs casting LOL. However my 80.00 11.5ft Swan Noodle Company emerald is 4ozs lighter than the Catera.... The black is 2.5ozs lighter than the emerald... It just gets better and better. I find the most important feature on a good rod is the quality of the reel seat and how it effects the feel and balance of the rod. A good graphite reel seat on a rod can make an average one feel spectacular while a poor reel seat on an otherwise great rod can almost ruin it IMO. Another thing that totally changes the feel of a rod is if it has double foot guides or single foot. You can get a lot of backbone in the lower part by having double foot eyes and leave a tip sensitive just by having single foot eyes for the last 3 or 4. I am just amazed though at the progress of rods in the last 5 yrs. I can't wait to see what we will be fishing with in another 5 LOL

I feel your pain I have had 12 trips now and only two produced fish and that totalled three fish. I have not seen many fish caught on roe either thie year. What gets me is the number of anglers versus the lack of fish and they don't go home either LOL. The comment about the fish shooting up river very early when the water was high is definitely true. I never worry about not catching fish if no one else. If someone is catching and I am not I observe and adapt to what they are doing. The other day someone had a fish on and I copied exactly what he had been doing and nailed two fish that had to swim by over 20 lines to get to mine. A bunch of people switched to the same bait but didn't take the two minutes to retire and adjust how far they were fishing off the bottom.... The toughest part about this fall though has been relearning where all the deeper holes are as the high water this year and even reshaped the bottom of some of my favorite runs. As I keep telling myself while I am out there it beats sitting on the couch at home.

I went out Saturday to a trib had the windy end of the pier to myself LOL. I fished for 7 hrs didn't see a fish caught or even hooked, but had a much better time than I would have sitting on the couch LOL. I was going to go out on Sunday until I was looking at the weather at 3AM. I checked my email and found that two different family members wanted help with some stuff. I did the right thing morally and stayed home to help. Ethically I am going to be mad though when I hear from my friends who went fishing and likely slammed fish all morning LOL