Gregoire

Looking great, I'm not surprised that Mac can move the ball with a pro prospect at Qb, but I am surprised at how well their D is playing.

An upset would be nice, but not sure what the chances of that happening are.I guess the game just started,

I did some reading on this reel last night and apparently a lot of hardcore musky anglers cannot wait to get their hands on this reel. To me it just seems like the reel weighs a ton, that and the fact that it is only available in a right hand version means I will not be getting one. It does come in two speeds though, which is a nice option.

I used the convectors this summer, and think they are the best value for your dollar. However the Tekota is a better reel in my opinion. Unfortunately they do not come in a lefty, so they are not the reel for me. If is only a reel that you are going to pull out every now and then you can't go wrong with the convector. I know that rapala has put a lot of time and money into developing new products, so they may be worth looking into.

Try Le Baron

I have them both as well. I believe there are at least 2 differences: The sustain has a titanium lined spool, which means the line will come off the spool smother. Also the sustain has a ball bearing on the drag, which supposedly makes the drag smoother. Personally I feel as though the sustain is just a little more refined, and I like the way it looks more as well.

I have a Saros F, a stradic FI a sustain FE and a Pflueger Patriarch. I really liked the smoothness and the weight of the Patriarch, which is similar to the XT, but had an accident and broke some pieces of it. When I contacted pure fishing to order new pieces they said that I could not have parts delivered directly and that I would have to go through the reel repair center. In the past I have encountered problems getting parts ordered for an abu garcia reel. My point is that if you are going to spend 100+ bucks on a reel it would be nice to be able to order parts for the reel if it breaks. Even though shimano's parts policies have changed recently I still think that they are the easiest manufacturer to get parts from. I really think this should come into play when you are looking at buying a better quality reel, as it will last 10+ years if you take care of it. I would go with the shimano for that reason, and as was previously mentioned look for a stradic FI if you can find one. For whatever reason this reel just feels right in my hand.

A very nice offer. I'm surprised no one took you up on it. Good luck on the musky hunt liverelease...i've only gone out once in the fall and returned with a lot of clean lures and nothing else.

The more I think about it the more I wonder if there is a spot on the Larry bear brockville that goes down 200+ feet? I just checked my navionics and it seems like it does get that deep...surprising news to me.

I find it funny that most news stories need to go through vigorous fact checking, yet anyone can send a picture of a big musky and claim it weighs a ton and the paper will print that story no questions asked. Regardless it is a catch of a lifetime, and at least he tried to release it.

check out the guide for eating fish: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/resources/collection/guide_to_eating_ontario_sport_fish/STDPROD_075994.html

I think it also depends on where you will be fishing. If you are on a lake with very clear water like Simcoe or Erie then I would go with flouro. I am of the opinion that the fish in these waters are very sensitive to visible line, especially when finesse fishing. If you are fishing murkier waterways than I would go braid with a 5-6 foot leader, as there are certain advantages to braid that have already been mentioned.

It seems like you could run this rig as long as you are only running baits with single hooks, spinner baits or jigs. I don't think crankbaits would be allowed, unless they were those new sebile snag proof single hook ones.

That has to be the simplest and best flow chart I have ever seen.

I see Wallacio's point here: the regulations are clear. I can only imagine the negative responses someone would get from posting a pic of a 5 pound smallie that was caught in April or May. While I can understand why someone would want to take a photo of an atlantic for the purpose of identifying it if it was caught accidentally, posing with the fish seems a bit much. The analogy of the sturgeon in this case is quite apt. Unless you are doing government sponsored trapping and research there is no reason to be targeting a species if there is no open season. Atlantics are a protected species for a reason. There seems to be only a small amount of fish returning to the tribs every year so an argument could be made that catching any atlantics may severely compromise the population of this fish. Initially I was not sure where Wallacio was going with his posts, but after reading his posts I think he has a valid point. If you know that there is a population of fish that is at risk, why fish in the waters when they are present? If you are that interested in studying the population let the experts collect fish in ways that are less stressful to them and maybe volunteer to help in the data colelction?

I was just thinking about the fact that some lakes have landlocked salmon. I believe these are genetically classified as Atlantic Salmon. If the whole point of the stocking program is to reintroduce a species why not use this strain?

Can we combine this thread with the atlantic thread and have an all out OFC war...which side are you on?

Congrats on the PB!

NIce looking ski. Thanks for sharing.

Great report thanks for sharing

I believe that you fish a lot of the slamon tournaments every year. What do you think would happen to the King population is the stocking programs for them where stopped in favour of stocking Atlantics, which I believe is a possibility right now. Others may be able to provide more information on this, but I believe one of the stocking programs for Kings is being threatened with closure right now.

I was out on Lake Ontario with a longtime guide this summer, and he brought up the fact that an increased emphasis on stocking atlantics may have a negative affect on the derby. Having said that, does anyone echo that sentiment. His reasoning was that a lot of people, especially those that go out on a charter, are attracted by the possibility of catching a 40 pound king. If you replace those kings with Atlantics, which I do not think will grow as large as the kings, then a lot of interest in the derby will be lost.

How can you argue that the money will stay in canada if the products you are buying are made in China. While the profits are going to Canadians mostly, all the manufacturing jobs are going overseas. Walmart has many faults as a corporation, but one of this things that it does well is source locally produced merchandise. Unfortunately in our economy it seems like we need to choose between the lesser of two evils. In my case I would rather buy a locally sourced product from a foreign retailer than a product sourced overseas from a Canadian retailer.

This topic can open a debate as to what companies you support. One poster said boycott walmart, but the average walmart has mroe locally sourced products than many of the other big box stores. Should you buy things from Canadian Tire that are made in China, or should you buy locally sourced products from walmart, even though the have questionable labour management practices? Whenever possible I try to buy groceries from a farmers market, and I go to walmart to buy other consumer goods because I feel as though I am more likely to find products that are made in Ontario or at least Canada.

Thanks for the great report. It was only last year that I got hooked, prepare to get obsessed.