JTorra

I know you said you wanted an 8-10" inch, but I can give you some feedback on my 6" Swede-bore on the end of an 18V Milwaukee cordless drill...AWESOME. I was stunned at how fast this combo goes through 12" of ice at my cottage when chasing lakers and whities. I get about 20 holes on one battery. Two batteries is good for a full day of run-and-gun fishing. As mentioned, the silence is a huge upside, especially on a quiet lake.(On Simcoe I'm sure you could run a Cummins-powered 36" auger and not raise an eyebrow...) Best part..about 10-12 lbs with my auger.

Thanks Bill..I will be sure to stay home and not even think about being on a river.... You sure are 'tooned in to what is going on.

hmmmm. Where would he find one of those Bill Mike, I`ll send you s few pics of mine along with some input.

Good on you for not letting excuses get in the way...it is easy to let too many years go by without a good trip. Been in that Otter..."I looove the smell of Av fuel in morning!!! Smells like....adventure" By the way, that beach in your fourth picture is a perfectly comfortable place to sleep in early May. (as long as you are wearing seven layer of clothes, a north face jacket, a sleeping bag and a blue tarp! Speaking from experience here...) Nice trip, nice report!

Don't worry Bill...Davey was still calling you names over that one even though he wasn't there...

I just installed these.... http://www.nauticusinc.com/nauticus_pro_troller.html I went from 2.5 mph to 1.7mph at idle. Also had some other benefits such as reduced porpoising and faster planing.

Ughhh...a large Timmies is too much, never mind a "super sized" portion. Admittedly, it is used a a caffeine delivery mechanism that I use when in a jam.

Good for his guiding promo for sure!

If you are going to use your future Rubi to get into back lakes and such, the extra cash is worth it. They are more capable stock than most people will ever need. Will tow a boat fine and they get OK mileage. (You will be in for a shock after gassing the Corolla though) Big lifts and 35's are mostly unnecessary,they just kill gas mileage and drive-ability, unless your are a hardcore wheeler and don't care about those things. I really like that on the new ones you can pop a section out of the hard top and have a "targa" without having to have some canvas-tent soft top contraption flapping around the other 98% of the time you are driving. That said, I have had a few Jeeps and have had more than a few issues... My advice would be enjoy it while under warranty and then sell it to someone who 'wheels wants to modify it.

My brain just melted. Incredibly well written. Amazing images. Thank you very much for that...seriously...

I have a 7 series Humminbird with down and side imaging and I think it is the best "geek gadget" money I have ever spent. I like knowing what is down there, not interpreting my funky old sonar readings. I made a phone call to a friend for moral support just before I dropped $1400 on the finder, Navionics chip and a few accessories and now I am glad he talked me into it. Do it. You'll have it for 5+ years. Break down the difference between the DI and the normal sonar into "cost per use" and it will start to make sense. And yes, it IS that good!

Noy my boat or a Lund or Princecraft ....but saw this on a local trolling-oriented website and it seems like a good deal. Says he is receiving his new boat this week and needs to sell so it could be had for a an even better price, I'm sure 1997 Crestliner 1750 Sportfish. 1997 Johnson 90HP 2 Stroke Oil Injected Main Motor. 2004 Honda 9.9HP 4 Stroke Kicker. Eez Loader Single Axle Galvanized Roller Trailer with Spare Tire. Eez Steer from Main to Kicke.r. 2 Scotty Electric Downriggers (each have 2 rod holders) with 6" Riser slides into two(2) 24" Bert Tracks. 4 Bert Rod Holders. Lowrance Marine Radio(DSC). Lowrance 522lms sonar/gps. 2 Marine batteries with onboard charger and battery switch. 3 Pedestal Seats with one bench seat that collapses for comfort. Custom snap on mooring cover with additional storage cover. Spade anchor and 100' of marine rope. 2 adult Life Jackets. Dock Hook. Paddle. Safety Canister. Compass on Console. Transom Saver for main motor. Reason for selling, upgraded to bigger boat. Asking price: $11500 Any questions, email me @ [email protected]

What's impressive is that there are cottages, not float planes, in the background of most of those pics. Nice work!

Getting dragged into this one.... Buy a new deep cycle battery. Yes, they are about $100. Wait until Crappy Tire puts their Nautilus charger on sale for $59.99 (which they do about every two week during the summer) Add taxes = approx. $180 Annualized, based on the average life expectancy of a deep cycle battery (5 years , who knows how long the charger will last!) this setup costs about $36 a year. The deep cycle needs a proper three stage charge (bulk, absorption and float) to maximize it's life and the CT charger does that just fine. I have found that being cheap can get expensive. The first time you have to cut your fishing trip short, go to shore, drive to find a replacement battery because yours crapped out after one season.....that $40 you saved is going to seem pretty insignificant. Speaking from past experience. These days I run three batteries with an onboard but that was a big $$ upgrade.

I am having ongoing issues with x-raps losing eyes and also cracking and filling with water. Been buying Rap's for 20 years and never had problems in the past. I would boycott them if those slash baits weren't so freaking awesome for pike in a few of my favorite spots...

Guiding was the best "job" I ever had. What a life, huh? Glad you enjoyed it! From your pics it seems that 40"plus fish were rare. Considering Kesagami's reputation I am surprised. Was it a function of the lake or the rookie guide? Seriously though, I have been considering doing a Kesagami trip for a few years and may not now since I have already has some multiple 40" fish days elsewhere. How many really big fish did you see or hear of at Kesagami, Mike? Pics please from others, unless I am hi-jacking this thread...

Well..."in the area" might be relative. If you head 30km north out of town on the logging road to the decommissioned South Bay mine there are a few road culverts connecting lakes that will produce some pretty surprising pike. If you could get a hold of a canoe, there is one in particular that would provide fly-in quality walleye fishing.

Too bad. This is the lake my cottage is on. I guess now I can expect even more OPP presence as a result of this stupidity. Sounds callous, but alcohol was involved and therefore this was all about bad choices effecting others. Feel really bad for the victims...

Also, you'll get a better grip on that port side rod without all the shiny plastic on there.... Nice first outing! Making mine next week.

Yeah...sweet rig. I have a walk-though 16 as my new boat and really wish I had gotten a tiller, like my old deep 14 footer.

Hey bud...nice fish! Think the 798 SI Combo would have picked that one up?

7 week old daughter. 8 month old boat that has been on the water twice. Keep trying to blame it on her but the math doesn't work.

I can comment on this with some authority since I just had a ridiculously well researched, 4 month quest for two vehicles. Coming from a 2002 Grand Cherokee Overland V8 that had to serve as a "wife-mobile", tow rig, cottage shuttle, light trail machine (for back lakes) and moving van, I needed something that was better on fuel, space and reliability. Also It was a toss-up between a Honda Ridgeline and a 4Runner. Went with a 2006 4Runner Sport with a 4.0L V6, due to proven reliability and reasonable fuel economy. I read the long-term owner reviews and people drive them to 400K and love them. Go for a 4Runner. You will not be disappointed. I hate to "brand" one car maker based on personal experiences, but as much as I loved the power and features on the Jeep, it was a constant problem. Too many bells and whistles that Chrysler technology couldn't seem to support quality-wise.

I found this and was equally amazed.....

Yeah! What StoneFly said Mike! Then I'll post about my goose egg for muskie on Balsam...