Andy

Hello Bernie. Nope, we left late Monday morning, stayed an extra night. It took a bit to get the quads started a couple days because of the cold, but other than that everything ran well. Hope to run into you sometime, I like to get up there at least a couple of times each summer. Actually, I might have already met ya once before... and if I'm not mistaken, I met your father? at the launch at Wade's Landing one fall. He was trolling Hunter's Bay for pike. I went to talk to him about his beautiful Geisler boat and he said he and his boys built them. My son and I have taken a quick tour of the shop in Powassan where the boats are built, met a couple o' fine fellows. I've also stopped by the dealership in Powassan for parts. Once again, good folks. Andy

Was up there at the opener. Can't remember if there was a coffee maker or not. Made instant. We did have a television, watched the Leafs lose. (I don't really remember the game, but I imagine that was the outcome.) There was a small clock radio as well. My son brought one of those job site radios. The stove top worked well, pots and pans in the cabinet underneath. We brought up a box of plastic utensils, paper plates, paper towels and the like, easier cleanup. To anyone going anywhere up there, don't forget to pack a roll or two of two ply tp....ya never know what awaits you that way, and it will seem like a luxury item at times. Mark is a great fellow, we'll go back just because we appreciate the effort he put out for us. Fishing was a little slow, mainly perch, but the ten of us likely managed around 15 pickeral for the weekend. I only managed two pics, but I did get my PB pickeral that weekend, a 28" by 17.5" fish, a real beauty. High fives all around, and I managed to get kinda wrecked during the celebration. ( I gotta stop letting others mix the whisky.) No pike, which I found kinda odd. Most of the time we used jigs w/ minnows. My son and I did have success on small jigging spoons tipped w/ minnow. We brought up a sled, a couple 4X4's, and couple augers and explored a bit with little success. Windy and very cold all weekend. Hope ya have a good time. Andy

I've had enough, but people have always enjoyed the misery of others. One thing I don't get is where did he find the time? Between practice, tournaments, sponsorships and family, how'd he'd keep any type of "transgression" a secret? I know my wife would know something was up the second I walked in the door if I tried something like that! Maybe he just a has a great "short game".

"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." A quote from another fishing site, apparently made by Gerald Ford. A lot of truth to it. Special interest group squealing for money, everybody a victim needing compensation for perceived wrongs, people who haven't, or can't be bothered, making a meaningful contribution to our society or culture always demanding more in exchange for nothing (ever notice how many people without a pot to urinate in seem to always have a cell phone, a pack of smokes, and a case of beer?), people who believe their rights are more important than the rights of others, along with governments who seem afraid to say "no", make for big, expensive government that has an impact on every aspect of our lives.

Thx for sharing. I bought one of those lures and have tossed it around a bit. I like the way looks and sounds in the water, but it hasn't raised a fish yet. Good to know you had action on it, I'll have to give it more time. Andy

I actually have a couple of "boga" type grippers, but have never used them. I figure that kind of holder, although safer for me, will do more damage to a thrashing fish than my hand. As far as lipping them, it would take a lot of whisky, or the down south equivalent, to make me think that would be a good idea. Or maybe you're just tougher than me. I'd like to see ya try it!

I was wondering if I have the hold down right. I slide my fingers under the gill plate, low and to the front, locking on to the hard, lower, inside part of the gill plate with my thumb sort of lying in that notch between the lower inside and outside part of the plate, bottom of hand resting along the outside of the gill plate. Occasionally, the the fish thrashes about, and when I grab on tight so as not to drop the fish, my fingertips poke through the thin membrane between the lower inside part and the outside edge of the gill plate. Is this normal, and/or harmful to the fish? Or am I to put the thumb pressure on the outside of the gill plate, which would push my fingertips farther into the gill area? I would imagine the fish recover from the damage quick, it never bleeds or anything. I'm going try take more photos of the fish in the net, or on release more often, but there will be times where I'm still gonna want a picture of me holding a bigger fish and getting a measurement. The smaller fish still get clamped from the top behind the gills. Thoughts?

I recently put the SE Sport 300 on my 90 hp Optimax. My boat is a 16.5 ' Starcraft. The boat has a large fuel tank and livewell at the back of the boat, and I felt I was pushing too much water to get up on plane. I have been very satisfied with the results. I'd do it again. I, like you, had reservations about drilling the holes, but I took my time, marked the placement well, and made sure it was in the right place before I started drilling. The template that comes with it is a joke, tho. And really, if you didn't like it, or were selling your boat and wanted to keep the foil, it would be easy to fill the holes with one of those workable metal compounds that are available. A little paint and you'd never know holes had been drilled. I like the SE Sport model because it isn't as wide as some of the other brands. It can be a confusing decision, tho. Good luck.

As far as I'm concerned, $10.00 is a small price to pay for a launch that will get your boat in and out without problems. All it would take is one small scrape or ding on the boat or trailer at a less than adequate launch and I'd curse myself for not spending the $10.00.

The Mustad hooks are a fairly fine wire, and quite sharp. They hold a point well, I've found. The bend is not a factor.

It's my _._. impression. I'm wearing a glove on one hand, too. Just shy, I guess.

I tried them for the first time a couple weeks ago, had great success. If it swims, you can catch it on a slow death rig, in my opinion. That being said, I find because of this, you can spend a lot of time tinkering with the bait, either replacing it or getting it spinning kinda decent. I used the #2 size from Mustad.

It turns out I left one of my nets at the place I was staying, so darn it all, I guess I'll have to go back to that lake soon. I have a little time of work soon, and I noticed the new moon falls on the 18th, hhmmmmm. I did try for pickeral in the evening and picked up a couple, but need more time to figure them out as well. Lots of smallies and rock bass on worm harnesses. I will make a point of trying to keep the rod tip down, I hadn't thought of plunging the rod itself into the water to fight the fish. I did find it a little tricky trying to bring in a nice fish and handle the big net at the same time, I was by myself at the time. I hope to get more practice at that soon.

I thought I'd share my long weekend results and thoughts. Went to a Kawartha Lake I hadn't fished before. I've had trouble getting into musky again this year, still learning the hard way, spending lots of time casting, with not a lot to show for the effort. So many lures, so few fish. Start casting a Suick Friday afternoon (Sept. 4, full moon) a little after 3 p.m. and have a follow in the first five minutes. Soon have a small musky on, but it throws the bait once it's goes airborne. Cool! I've seen two fish in no time at all! I switch to a bucktail, and soon have another small musky throw the bait. What am I doing wrong? I clamp down the drag even tighter (one of those lessons learned the hard way) and soon land my first musky, 32". In the next hour and a half, I land four more musky measuring 32", 35.5", 43", and 39.5 ". My biggest to date had been 34", so a new personal best! I've never experienced that kind of action while musky fishing before, and it could be a long time before it happens again. Around 5:30 pm, the bite turned off, and I didn't see another musky that day. I fished Saturday and didn't see a musky all day. Caught a smaller musky on Sunday, and had a few follows Monday. Tons of boat traffic Saturday and Sunday, so many inconsiderate boaters and reckless jetskiers, it's amazing no one got hurt. Seeing coffee cups and cigarette butts floating in the water was maddening. Lessons learned... 1) I still believe time on the water will put fish on the boat, but I'll be trying to get out on the full moon if I can. 2) The large Stowmaster net I have was some of the best money I've ever spent. It allows you to basically corral the fish while you catch your breath and figure out what you are doing next. 3) When you think you have the drag clamped down tight enough, tighten it some more. 4) I like going barbless. Of the five musky I landed, the lure came free from four of them when the fish was swimming in the net. The other one came out with no trouble at all, and all fish swam away almost immediately on release. You just have to really keep the pressure on when fighting the fish. 5) Even though you may think you have too many lures, and that you only really use a couple of them routinely, you never know which lure may be the hot lure of the trip. I had never caught a fish on the bucktail I was throwing, and it's (for now) my new favorite. Hope the picture of the 43"er comes up OK. I'm 6' 4" tall, btw. Thx for reading.

I was kinda frustrated trying to figure out what's up with the tires, but like ya said, it's a blessing that we saw the problems before a blowout took place. For example, blowing a trailer tire on #11 north of Orillia on a busy weekend could really make a trip go bad in a hurry.

Interesting. I have a similar problem. Bought the boat used last year, after a couple of trips noticed one tire bald on the inside edge. Measured and that side was about 1" back on the trailer frame, looked like it was that way since new. Moved it ahead on the one side, put on a new tire, and this year noticed the same wear on the inside of the new tire, and wear on the outside edge of the other tire. Both feathered too. Took off the axle, measured and found out that the tires were, at the rim, toed out 3/8 of an inch, about 1/2 " at the rubber. Axle was perfectly straight, likely that way since new. Camber was actually pretty good. Brought it to a metal shop and pressed/bent the axle so it is toed in ever so slightly. Hope that does the trick. Don't like the idea of getting new tires every year. If problem persists, I'll likely look at getting a new axle made up. How old is your trailer and tires?

I think it's the Russians. (At least that was what some sorta suggested during the Cold War.) Andy

I just bought a pair of Solar Bats, amber lens. I hope they work out. I think they will be great in the morning and evening. I think the polarization is good, very light, mimimal distortion. I will likely need a second pair for really bright mid day sun. I wouldn't mind trying their greenish moss tint. I have the "Knife" model. I wasn't impressed with some of their styles, some of the frames look and feel very cheap and flimsy. Andy

Well, I just got home from fishing Pigeon from Friday until Sunday. And as far as musky fishing goes, I suck. I fished shallow, fished deep, fished rocks, fished weeds and everything in between with big lures, small lures, single and double bladed spinners, spinnerbaits, cranks, plastics, jerks and gliders and the only musky I saw was one that was casually cruising under my boat. I was talking to two other fellows who were going at it hard, and they found it tough as well. The highlight was a 22" pickeral caught on a Bulldawg. The weather was great, sunny and mild with low winds for the most part. Maybe that could be my excuse. Andy

It seems like lots of lure makers are now putting out double bladed spinners, mainly for pike and musky, but some in smaller sizes as well. Some of the big names in the double bladed spinner business seem to be Musky Mayhem, Llungen, and even Blue Fox recently. (Double Cowgirl, Showgirl, Double Showgirl, Llungen Tale, DC8, 9, and 10, etc.) Even Bass Pro now has their own line of doubles. Do you prefer one over the other, or is it just a gimmick? I've never really fished with a double, and I don't want to buy too many of both types, as they can be a little pricey. Or does it really just depend on how high and fast you want to run them? In my limited experience (tossing them in the pool), the doubles actually seem to run with less vibration, I assume because the shaft is balanced with two blades as opposed to just one. Thoughts? Andy

In my scenario, all I had was the fishfinder, no other electronics wired/tied in with it. It had been working fine, and then out of the blue it started scewing up, likely moisture or humidity during a rain, dampness or storage caused a short in the unit. I wouldn't have a clue what's going on in your boat if both units are starting up by themselves, especially if they share wiring or are linked together. Lowrance has a troubleshooting section on their website, which I didn't find very useful. Here is a link to another Lowrance troubleshooting site, it might be worth a look. One post about one half way down describes exactly what I had, and may be similar to your problem. http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/foru...s=6&start=1 Good luck, Andy

Is it just your fishfinder? If so, is it a Lowrance? Is it making strange beeping sounds and is the screen acting up? If so, it's likely a moisture problem or short inside the unit itself. I had to replace my Lowrance fishfinder last year. It would turn on by itself in the garage or on the water, and do all sorts of weird stuff. Not all the time, but enough to be a nuisance. Worth considering. I have read of others having the same issue. Andy

I purchased one a couple years ago and have nothing but good things to say about it. I paid betwen $600 and $700 for it. The velcro along the sides has held up well. It holds up well under snow and sun. It rolls up to nothing and is completely out of the way when not in use. I would certainly get another one. Hope this helps, Andy.

I look forward to trying it out. I kinda like the Spiderwire Stealth braid, so we'll see how it compares. To be clear, I was never misled about the maker of the line, I was just so impressed with the promotion that I didn't really bother to check who made/distributed it until after the purchase. My wife and I had friends with a display at the show, and they also made note of what looked to be an effective product launch. I was wondering if it is called something else in the US. I haven't read about it on any U.S. musky sites. And I don't feel like I got fleeced, I felt entertained. Feeling fleeced was the feeling I got filling up with gas last year, or the feeling I get when I submit my income tax return, or when I pay bank fees. Andy

Interesting. I will let you know if we like it. I called the 1-800 # on the package and it went to Redwing Tackle, a familiar name in the fishing business. Andy