Golfisher

Thanks guys for the replies. It looks like a packboard is the way to go. I have an old, heavy-duty camping backpack that I can probably modify to carry the motor. If it doesn't work when I get to the camp, I'll let my fishing buddy do the hauling. I settled on Embarrass. I wanted to go all the way to Abamasagi and ATV-in, but my fishing buddy thought it was too far. So, he gets to haul in the motor for wimping out. Great solution for those who have a son, but I got none.

This spring I'll be re-acquainting myself with the shield lakes of Ontario, having missed them longingly since moving to Nova Scotia a few years ago. The Chapleau camp where I and my fishing buddy will be staying has a few surrounding lakes where boats are kept, but we have to haul in a small outboard weighing around 45 lb. I've done this before a few times, but it was always a pain in the butt just grabbing and carrying the motor by the handle and the shaft--and I am not getting any younger. There must be a better way to carry the motor through the trails into portage lakes. Any suggestions? Some sort of backpack? A cart? Strapped to a pole carried by two? Hire a Sherpa? I hadn't been active in the board since moving away, but I've still been lurking around, and will post a report of the trip, which has been made possible in part by Mike and his exhaustive knowledge of fishing camps in ON. That man knows his stuff!

I fished Gowganda the last couple of years, though I stayed at another resort. Back lakes are indeed better than the main lake, especially for walleye, but for smallies and pike, the main lake isn't that bad. I was there this June, and between my fishing buddy and me, we caught around 40 to 50 smallies a day on the main lake. No luck with walleye though. The back lake above the fall, called Hangingstone, is a bass heaven. Literally every cast produces a hit; in fact, there are so many smallies that after a while, you might actually get bored (impossible, I thought, but it can happen, lol). The size tends to be smallish in Hangingston though, and at least for us, all the lunkers came from the main lake. As for walleye, Stumpy is superb. Trolling was a bit slow when we tried it this year, but it produced the biggest walleye, and once the sun began to set, we had non-stop action jigging by the small fall/stream. Getting to these back lakes is a pita, but well worth the trouble/cost. If you decide to give Stumpy a try, take with you some HJs and orginal floating Rapalas for trolling. There are sunk logs everywhere in the lake, so 3 or 4 feet is the maximum depth that you can troll without getting snagged constantly. Deep diving lures are useless in that lake. Perch pattern worked the best for me.

Yeah, 45 rods aren't enough. LOL.

Might get some answers here: NS Fishing

Thanks a bunch!

Pike everywhere, mostly snot rockets, very willing to bite anything you throw at them. I've had better luck with bass at the deeper end of the lake. Takes forever to get there on a trolling motor, but usually worth the wait.

I broke one of my Shimano Compre rods on last week's fishing trip to Gowganda. It snapped while landing a six pound smallie (well, three and half, to be more accurate, but I can dream). I bought the rod a couple of years ago so the receipt is gone. My questions: Will Shimano still provide warranty coverage without the receipt? Is there a service centre in GTA where I can drop the rod off, or should I mail it in? Any charges? Thanks.

That's odd, given how Stradic is considered the work horse of Shimano spinning reels. What were your target species?

The bigger one could easily eat the smaller one for snack. Nice fish!

Two very happy, consenting adults!

No need to open the bail, which means one less step to fire off that cast. I know, I'm that lazy.

Walleye should be in the river, and smallies hugging the shoreline all over the lake. For non-stop smallie action, hit Hanginstone Lake above the fall; that place is half water and half smallies. For walleye, try Stumpy.

On a somewhat related note, why do boats retain their value so much better than a car? A 1993 fishing boat fetches 8-9 grand; with that money, you could buy a dozen 15-year old cars. What's the story?

Thanks SoDa. Mikeh, the one in the classified has a short shaft. What my friend needs is a long shaft. Wait, that came out a bit funny. LOL.

Thank skeeter!

A friend of mine is looking for a Yamaha kicker, around 5 hp or so. Does anyone have a dealer in GTA to recommend?

Thanks guys for the reply. Tony, the boots you recommended are on backorder. Wonder how long I'd have to wait for delivery.

I'm in the market for a pair of waders and thinking of purchasing Cabela's Guidewear Dry-Plus Breathable, on sale for $260 from $280: Cabela's Waders Has anyone had any experience, good or bad, with these waders, or have better waders to recommend in the similiar price range? Thanks a bunch.

That's where I caugh my first carp, unintentionally, on a four pound line fishing for panfish. One of the best and longest fights I ever had.

Great, thanks a lot for the replies!

Hi guys, I've been out of loop for a while and this question might have come up before, but are prices shown in cabelas.ca CDN or US dollar? Also, do you still get hit with duties? Thanks a bunch.

Can you stand up and cast without risking tipping over?

It can only get better from now on.