Fisherpete

I prefer gills over crappies too... That being said they are both excellent. And as for crappie keeper size 8-11" is my preference too

You can run a dipsy rod off that muskie setup, but unless you have a line counter reel it will be a guessing game as to how deep your lures will be running. Don't try it with those ugly stiks, they won't handle it.

Try retrieving a twin ten inline with a spinning reel and you will instantly have your answer!

Nice tiger Mark! It's way too late for the keeping pike and hoping it helps them go away strategy - I've had an 11 pike landed and 10+ more follow day while muskie fishing Balsam this year... They are here to stay. 40" pike are being caught. Nothing wrong with a good pike fry though - so eat away!

I'll let you know Shayne - he's just started looking into a Terrova or similar.

Cool, thanks guys. Will pass the info along. If I hadn't picked up a Terrova this year I would probably grab it! Cheers Pete

Friend is going to be selling his couple year old Minn Kota Powerdrive. 60" shaft 24V 70lbs US2 sonar. Any ideas of resale value? Thanks Pete

So got it all done, here are my findings. Thanks again everyone for your help. Had noticed on the last trip out that the bunks were spongy - upon removal found that they were totally rotten. Snapped one in half with minimal effort... Scary! I was suprised that this happened after only owning the trailer for 5 years... regular wood wrapped completely in carpet kept the moisture trapped. New bunks have a nice gap in the carpet left open on the bottom side for the moisture to drain. Cedar 2x4's - nice Stainless staples - nice Spray adhesive - awesome product - did 3 out of 4 bunks Contact cement - did the last bunk with it - not ideal for this project in my opinion, the wait time to get tacky enough to work with properly is quite long (15-30 mins) and when you don't wait long enough it soaks thru the other side of the carpet... Makes a royal mess. Spray adhesive was much simpler. Galvanized/stainless hardware. Did the bunks in the driveway, used a car jack and made a "T" out of short 2x4's to support/lift the side I was working on then inserted a long 2x4 blocked up so it couldn't fall while making the bunk. Worked well.

Aluminum. Won't be using PT.

Thanks for all the input guys. Found the stainless staples at depot as well as the spray adhesive that Simon mentioned. I'm just going to use regular 3/4" ply and put some outdoor paint on it. What I'm making is a removeable pedastal to fill in the gap between my two rear pedestals and make a bigger rear casting deck area - will post some pics later. Took a look at the composite lumber - wow, way too much flex. Grabbed some cedar 2x4's to do the bunks and side guides with. When I do the front deck extension which will be a more permanent and bigger project I'll be going with marine ply or at least epoxying the lumber first.

Thanks Glen - was actually thinking about using normal 3/4 ply, have tons of it in the garage. Boat is garage kept anyhow and does not sit out in the elements all the time.

Anyone on the board in the GTA happen to have a piece of marine plywood laying around that they could sell/trade me? Roughly 28"x20" is what I am looking for... would be willing to take a bigger piece if that's all you have and want to get rid of it. Doing a rear deck extension on the boat. Might do one up front also, would need a bigger piece for that. Also curious what adhesive people have used to attach marine vinyl to the plywood - and where to source stainless steel staples for pinning the flaps on the underside... Also debating the merits of using composite 2x4's for replacing the bunks and side guides? Any thoughts? Too flexy? Thanks! Cheers Pete

Never get a C4 for muskie fishing. Trust me on that one. C3 with a power handle is a decent starter reel though. Hope you didn't take his advice and go with 20lb braid!

I'm sure it was not an easy decision to let her go Lew but yeah if it's not being used then guess it's the right thing to do... I've started fishing the bigger bodies of water like LOTW, St. Clair and the Larry and yes some of the specimens that come out of there can't be found in the Kawarthas - that being said I still enjoy the numbers to be had here and how close it is.

Beauty!

Well checked all electrical connections for corrosion - nothing, everything spotless... Checked voltage at the spot on the starter where it looks like the battery cables connect - same voltage as at battery terminals... Tried jumping it there from battery - nothing... Started pulling the starter, which is a nightmare - looks like you have to pull the whole flywheel assembly first - cracked the first bolt loose and then decided to recheck all the simple things first. Visually all fuses were fine but then decided to take a meter and check continuity on all of them - bingo. One of the 10A was toast!!! I guess the connection from the battery went to the point where I was still getting voltage and then branched out from there to the fuses afterwards. Really hard to see as everything is packed in there pretty tight. Oh well, problem solved. Good thing too because the starters are around $320 USD! Now just have to get the cowling gasket and I'm back in business. Thanks for all the help all!

Yup it's the right thing to do. Pigeon was pretty calm yesterday, not sure how pulling a boat along even with a jetski could be dangerous? And Dave remember we saw a jetski with a guy and black dog on it? Wonder if that was him...

When are we going walleye fishing Mike? Lol... Told you when you broke the streak it would be in style! Congratulations buddy. Absolute giant. I think the OFC leader might be Bunk... humpback 56.5" if I recall?

Always a pleasure fishing with you Dave - you were on fire with those blades yesterday! I was having fun watching you catch the big ones while I experimented with different baits and caught the babies lol. Was certainly not a smooth day operationally - the good camera died an hour in (but at least we got the pics of your 43" first), My knuckle torn open from a hook during a release... I botched a net job (almost 2), and then the problems with my outboard... First the starter goes - ok whatever time to learn how to pull start - then on one of the times taking off the cowling to pull start it the big rubber gasket that goes between the cowling and engine falls off - sinks like a rock. Now what? The cowling rattling around and looking like it will fall off? Nope - ghetto fix - wedge a Timmies cup in the back and a muffin wrapper under the front lol... no more rattle. Rendevous a Lew's place - a pleasure to meet you and the family sir - thanks for the great deals and muskie chat. Fished a few more hours after that but the lake had been thrashed all day by fishermen and boaters and the fish were sulking somewhere. Did catch the smallest muskie I have ever seen on a lure just purchased from Lew - maybe 20" lol! Hey it's a start... 6/7 total, with zero follows - very unusual on this lake - the ones we did contact all ate. As for my outboard - 2005 or 2006 Honda 30hp - maybe a few of the engine specialists on the board can help me figure this thing out and I can swap the part myself. It's not the battery. Will also be testing the starter motor leads tomorrow to see if it's even getting power so I can rule that possibility out (maybe corrosion somewhere?). When you turn the key to start it there is nothing - no click, no hum - nothing. When you turn the key to the on position you can pull start - and the charging system is fully operational (12.8V off, up to 14.6V while engine is running at speed. Maybe I'll try swapping out a fuse or two also, they looked ok visually. Think there was two 10A and two 15A. Pete

Now that is a report! Excellent photos and story bud!

Big spinnerbaits - 2-2.5oz spinnerbait like the Northland Booty Call or Lindy M&G - troll ideally at 3.5-4mph For crankbaits - Shallow Invaders run only a few feet down, have great action and rattle and catch plenty of fish - try 3.5 to 4.5mph And yes trolling regular baits on a short line works well also

I think Tom meant XHF not MHF above (correct me if I am wrong) - and if I was to only have one rod, that would be it. Having a rod that can handle up to 12oz lures will allow you to throw pretty much any baits including plastics (except the giant ones like pounder dawgs and monster medussas). What's your price range? Pete

Haha thanks Mike, it was a fun day for sure. All 3 were built like tanks... would have loved to get some hooks into that sluggish giant, was one of if not the biggest muskie I have ever seen. Had a tough day here yesterday, had two hot follows and landed a 44" by 5:30am, then didn't see another fish for the next 11 hours... that heat just killed me too, couldn't even bear to stick around for the evening window and cancelled my plans for today. I'll get down there soon again and I'm sure I will be the one sliding a net under your fish! Pete

That sucks man, I'll keep a look out in my travels Pete

I'd say the average Kawarthas fish is in the mid-high 30's range. 40-42 is common, 45+ is a nice fish. The size of baits you throw will play a large part in the size average also - my Kawarthas PB is 49.5", and six times I have landed a 48". I've been fishing Muskies there since 2003. As for mounts, and what people consider a big fish - chances are if I was to catch a Kawarthas 50+ that would not be the fish I made a mount of, despite the difficulty of that accomplishment. Comparable length fish from other bodies of water like LSC, LOTW, Gbay, St. Lawrence etc. would be a much heavier fish - and in my opinion a more impressive mount. I consider anything over 48" to be the "big fish" level. My next mount will be when I hit the 55" plateau.