Andy

Anyone else pick up some of the allegedly "only in Canada since Wednesday" Spider Thread braided line at the Sportsman Show? I must admit, I fell hard for it. I thought it was a great piece of marketing. Their flashy shirts, both on the displays and on the ton of sales staff, caught my attention quickly. My son has been collecting fishing shirts, so we were at a disadvantage at the start. The salesman who talked to me like we were best friends was polite, courteous, and very focused on his product. They made you feel lucky to be "allowed "to by one of their shirts for $20.00 if you bought their line. We walked out of there with two shirts, and two spools of line each. My son won one of the spools at the spinning wheel setup. I sorta assumed that it was a Spiderwire product, until I took a closer look at the box, well after the purchase. How is a fellow to notice, what with all the colors, the spinny thing, free stuff, and of course, a couple attractive young women placed in strategic locations? The line may be crap, who knows, but it was worth it for the entertainment alone, especially when my daughter saw my son and I walked around the house wearing the same fishing shirt. The look on her face helped make it all worthwhile. Andy

I got a next-to-new one just like that when I bought my new boat last summer. I wasn't sure where to mount it, as it is fairly large and it would require extensions to one of the cables to reach the cranking battery. What I did is screw it to a large plastic cutting board with a handle and replace the ends of the cables with alligator clips. That means carrying to the boat at the end of the day, which is a minor inconvenience at times. It has worked very well for me. If/when it bites the dust, I will replace it with the a two bank model of the same make, and mount it near the trolling batteries. (24 v) I only have a fishfinder and livewell drawing off of the cranking battery, so I don't think I need an onboard charger for that battery. Like I said, it's been good to me, but I've only had it one year. Andy

I went to the London Boat Show with my son yesterday. I was there shortly after 10:00 a.m. and was surprised at how many people were already there. It just got busier from there. A couple nice tackle displays. Angling Outfitters, Tightlines, and J. B.'s had nicest, biggest booths, at least that's what I thought. Decent deals on reels. I'm a Shimano/Abu guy, but some of those Quantums are beautiful. Unfortunately ( or fortunately?) J.B.'s didn't have the Quantum Cabo I spotted in the left handed retrieve, or I'd likely be looking for a rod for it by now. Or should I save up for an Abu Revo Toro? These are the burning issues in my life. (Life is great!) Most places had the ol' "buy 3 or 4 and get one free" lure thing on the go. So I got five new baits, already sharpened and placed in their proper spots. Lots of boats, but I didn't look at them much , as I got a bigger boat last year that should do me for a long time. I have no idea what prices were like at the show for boats. I was easily able to resist the Sham Wow pitch, although the guy pitching 'em was good. There were quite a few lodges/camps with booths, and I picked up a few flyers, but I didn't spend too much time with them. A nice gentleman handed us a free entrance pass on the way in and helped us save $10.00. If you are a member of the board, thanks! I'll pay it forward. I met Mr. Eh and his pal at J.B.'s, and it was a pleasure to meet him. Lots of friendly folks. I took my son to Tony's Pizza just down the street on Dundas after we left and introduced him to their amazing panzarotti, he hadn't had it before. I love that spot. We met a couple other friendly fellows from the show there as well. Andy

I kind of like the idea of using it in every tank. There is always a chance moisture can get in the fuel during fillups, in rain, or on early cool mornings, particularly for portable tanks with the screw open vent. I bought a large bottle on sale (Stabil) and I'll have trouble using it up. The bottle says you are supposed to use it up in a year or so after it's opened. I'll be lucky to get out that much. It'll cost pennies per tank. That beng said, is it a must have? Don't know. Andy

Jigging down. Swimming, alone or as trailer, up.

15 lb. Trilene Big Game in green, usually around 4' long. Good abrasion resistance and some stretch. The stretch is especially welcome now that I've switched to 30 lb. braid on my bottom bouncer rod. Andy

I think the NHL has to take the high road here and stick to it. Boot him out. He is supposed to be a role model for young boys across the country. Young boys stay up late with their fathers to watch their favorite teams, and they need to spend that time talking about great goals and good hits, not "Dad, what are sloppy seconds?" It's not like hockey needs the attention lately, with the Frost trial exposing the darker side of hockey where booze, drugs, poor attitudes towards women, and poor behaviour are tolerated and accepted as part of the game. Andy

Every town or city has it's own undergound ecomony based on drugs. I live in the country, and there is lots of drug related activity in this municipality. While some of these thefts are kids looking for loose change or something cool to sell for booze or dope, a lot of these thefts are done by junkies of all ages and both sexes. They know what and where they can steal stuff quick to get their next fix. There was an incident in Stratford a couple years ago were a junkie in his 50's stole the small charity boxes left on the counter of a business. A lot of bikes and cell phones are stolen by junkies. Many of them carry backpacks so they can carry a set of bolt cutters and the stuff they've lifted. A lot of them carry knives or homemade weapons for protection from other junkies or from the people they owe money. Be alert if dealing with these asses. They can be paranoid and delusional. They are also brazen liars, and will spin you a very convincing story if caught redhanded. I'm not trying to make you paranoid, just lock up your property and be careful if you come across someone stealing your stuff. Andy

I'm glad you had a good weekend and that you made it there and back OK! It was great meeting both of you, and I hope to see on the water sometime. Andy

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I purchased a relatively new used boat with low hours earlier this year. After a trip or two, I noticed uneven wear on the tires. I had to replace one right away. I took a look at the trailer and was surprised to discover that the axle wasn't bolted square on the frame. And a number of bolts, including the bolts on the rims, were quite loose. Scary, and a lesson learned. Unfortunately, some of us pay more for our "education" than others. Andy

I'll often catch fish where none are marked and I assume it's because they are tight to the bottom. (especially pickeral) Andy

The boat I purchased has a little wear on the front keel. I think the previous owner ran it up on the shore a couple times and nicked a couple rocks with it. I think these keel protectors are best suited for fiberglass boats, but they are supposedly used on aluminums and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these products. They aren't cheap, but I can see how they would prevent wear to the keel. Andy

When the kids were younger, we camped at a number of provincial parks, and our favorites were Arrowhead and Grundy. It's been a number of years since I've been. I do recall we had our bikes up there to ride the trails. I thought the beach was good for a shield lake. (Anyone else notice all the sand in the area when they are working on the roads?) We took our canoes and in the evening had great bass action (small fish) near the reeds across from the beach. There is a second small lake we explored as well. Huntsville is close by if you need supplies. Hope this helps. Like I said earlier, it was one of our favorites. Andy

If you can't easily access the inside of the boat to tighten the rivets, I'd go to Home Hardware and get a set of Mr Sticky's Underwater Epoxy. It comes with two tubes that you mix like regular epoxy. It is whitish in color, but sticks like crazy and is very tough while retaining some flex. I had a tiny leak around the drain for the livewell, I couldn't tighten the fitting anymore, so I sealed it with this stuff. It looks like it will last the life of the boat. Worth a try for about $20.00. I'd clean and sand the area of the seams and rivets as per the instructions, and seal both rivets and seams, assuming you don't mind the whitish color. It's UV reistant and waterproof. Andy

"I thought McTeague was on the public trough to monitor gas prices. Does he really have an official position?" That's a great question. Here's a column with a partial answer. http://money.canoe.ca/Columnists/Leatherda...434211-sun.html

I have a chance to go fishing Friday to Sunday with a friend who has never fished the Kawarthas. I've fished Pigeon with mixed results, fishing mainly the north end. Good numbers of bass, a few pickeral, and a musky or two. (I'm likely the worlds worst musky fisherman.) I've never been to Stony. My friend is mainly a pickeral guy who jigs the shoals on Nipissing alot. That being said, we have the gear to fish for all species. I have GPS maps for both. Which lake would you prefer to spend a weekend at? Thx. Andy

A good point. Dangerous Driving is not just for cars on the highway, it also applies to vessels, boats, sleds, etc. I imagine a criminal charge would slow him down. Andy

Wow, I'd be wild! The two closest calls I've had have both been on the West Arm, in Warren's Bay, but nothing nearly that scary. My boat and another boat travelling at about 90 degrees, I clearly have the right of way, but it's obvious that the other guy has no intention of slowing down and I literally have to come off plane and go at a snail's pace because I'm not even sure if the other guy sees me. In both instances, the other guy goes by full throttle and give me a look like I have a problem. One guy was on old man with a young child sitting high in the bow. They have no clue what they are doing out there, stories like yours remind me to remain vigilant. Andy

Great report, just too many pictures of some big hairy guy. Andy

I use a 6'6" medium Carbomax for all my jigging for pickeral. Probably not the finest jigging rod out there, but I like the feel of it (or at least I have developed a feel for the rod) and I think you'll really find it's good value for the money. Andy

The Mepps spinners will serve you well. A few spinner baits with a little chartruese in 'em wouldn't hurt either. Cast along the flats adjacent to weeds, reeds, and to the rocky shorelines in between and you should see some action. Nothing fancy, just cover water. I was fishing the shoreline, threw one out in the middle of the small bay I was in, and scored a 38" pike. Have a good one, Andy

Lighter fluid??

It's called the "Carter defence" and you'd be angry if you knew how effective it's been over the years. Buddy blows over the limit, but buddy and his friends swear he has only had a couple of drinks . An expert comes in to court and tells the judge that given his weight, a couple drinks would only make buddies BAC a number well under the limit, the judge buys it, and buddy walks. The good news is that there is new legislation is in the works to weaken this defence, so hopefully there will be fewer of these people getting away with it. Andy

I heard this one years ago, and can't remember who said it. "If everyone in the world focused on the really important things in life, there would be a shortage of fishing rods."

Nicely done. I did that a couple of years ago, and seeing your photos reminds me of how hard those saltwater fish fight. Andy