Fisherpete

Misfish, My friend Al who is a Ford nut told me that Ford carries a limited edition "Cabelas" version of their F-150 truck, just like they have a Harley Davidson version. It is done up nicely inside and out and I heard it also has a gun rack!

Lots of good answers here... insure it cover it up with a tarp (boat and motor) lock for motor lock for coupler wheel lock/boot chain/cable thru frame and locked to something secure leave absolutely nothing valuable in it (electronics, etc) The routine of doing all these tedious steps after every trip is a real PITA, but worth it... way less hassle than dealing with an insurance claim.

I'll take 4 please, in firetiger! They would probably work, have you seen the Youtube video of the big musky attacking the chicken carcass that a guy casts out just goofing around? All kidding aside, cute kids and chicks... looks like a fun project.

Hey Raf, you mean the Elite units do not have a 'normal' fishfinding mode, only the downscan mode? If that is true, wow, thanks! That info changes everything... Starting to lean towards the Elite 5 gold (non DSI) @ $548. Colour, GPS, 4000w/500w. Throw a Kawarthas chip in there and it should be a sweet setup...

It is a taxable benefit... but it is also the first brand new vehicle I have ever had, so no complaints! Insurance - covered. Maintenance - covered. Just have to put gas in it and go!

It's time to retire the trusty Humminbird 525 to ice fishing duty only and upgrade the boat to something a bit nicer... I have been drooling over the Lowrance Elite 5 series, but for 2/3 the price, I can get the Lowrance Mark 5x DSI series Same power (500W RMS, 4000W PTP) Same down scan imaging Elite series is Colour, Mark series is B&W Here are the different price points (@ LeBaron) Elite 5 DSI Gold (downscan imaging, colour, GPS, includes Navionics gold chip) $722 Elite 5 DSI-x (downscan imaging, colour) no GPS $560 Elite 5 Gold (colour, GPS) no downscan imaging, no chip $548 Elite 5x (color)$456 Mark 5x DSI (downscan imaging, B&W) $299 The difficulty in choice is that I would really like to have the GPS feature to help fine tune trolling speed... I have a hand held GPS already, but it would be nice to have everything ion one package. Anyone have one of these units? How has it been?

Thanks for the quick responses! I guess the ultimate goal is to have the trailer perfectly level when towing... makes sense, I just never had to deal with getting the bar before - all my previous tow vehicles already came with it. I just found this link: How To Measure Safe Towing Height For safe, comfortable towing, the trailer should be set up to tow on a level plane. Sometimes a trailer's tongue is higher or lower than the ball mount on the vehicle, and a ball mount rise or a drop is required to level the trailer. 1. Measure from the ground to the top of the trailer hitch opening on the tow vehicle. 2. Measure from the ground to the inside of where the ball fits into / top of the trailer coupler. Make sure the trailer is level. 3. Subtract the height of the hitch ball you are going to use from the trailer coupler measurement. The difference in the two measurements is the amount of ball mount rise or drop that is required on your tow vehicle. I am guessing that 3" will probably be just about right.

Well, I finally got my company car... a 2011 Ford Escape. Price was pretty good - free Ok I did have to pay for the trailer tow package, which to my dismay did not come with the draw bar. What kind of drop/rise should I have on the bar? 2"? 3"? I took a look at my other vehicle (2006 Jeep Liberty) and it looks like it has around a 2" drop on that one, but I think the Escape's rear end is higher. Is there any sort of measurement to take from the ground? If it matters, I will be towing my 16' Legend with it, and a box trailer from time to time. Thanks for any help.

Were you fishing on really cold days? If so, this might be the issue... I find with the Fin-Bore that after you drill a hole or two in extreme cold, ice builds up around the blades, and in particular, in the middle of the auger between the blades. This ice causes the auger blades to not dig in and just spin on the ice... it happened to me last week on one of those -20 days. You have to very carefully (not to damage the blade or your hand) get that ice out of there and it should be ok again...

June - ahhhh, the blessed muskie season finally opens. On my second muskie trip of the year, I stumbled upon a lure and a pattern that would serve me and my esox hunting companions well for the entire season, which would see 109 muskies landed. Our best day of the season saw 8 muskies caught in six hours, on a body of water that I had never fished before! The very first one that day was a nice 44", which proceeded to bite my thumb and give me a severe gash... almost packed it in and went to the hospital, but after 45 minutes I got the bleeding to stop, and kept going... 7 muskies later, I was glad I toughed it out! Multiple Personal bests were set for me and my companions - my benchmark now stands at 48", my bud Al at 43", Fishgreg caught his first muskie ever in style at 43.5", my son Nick, at age 11, caught his first muskie (38"), which he soon topped with a 39.5", and he also had a 4 muskie day. I think there were only 3 trips from June to October where we didn't get at least one ski, and one of them was a short 4 hour nightmare in a thunderstorm. I also had the pleasure of fishing a day in the fall with Joey and Paul (Tybo) in their beautiful Lund... we caught a few bass and a pike and I raised one muskie. I think my arms are STILL sore from the amount of casts made that day! Just to round out the species list, a few bass were also caught... as I do enjoy tossing a plastic worm under a dock from time to time. Although probably 95% of all my fishing time in the summer and fall was targeting ol' toothy Esox... Midsummer also saw a boat upgrade thanks to my loving wifey! In 2009 we had joked around that if we had another baby, she would let me get a new boat. Well turned out she wasn't kidding, and I ran all the way to the Legend dealership waving the pee-stick from the pregnancy test high in the air! The Quest for 50", a 16' bare-bones Tracker utility boat which I had customized into a respectable little fishing machine was my first boat ever, and had served me well for two and a half seasons. It was retired and replaced by a Legend 16' Pro Sport, which I named Muskie Whisperer. Nothing too big or fancy, but fishing specific and perfect for my Kawartha adventures. It is really nice to fish from, and I love the wireless bow mount trolling motor... my boat control has improved dramatically, and my 48" ski was a direct result of a perfectly navigated line along the edge of a drop-off! My season ended a touch early, with my last day on the water in 2010 being on October 16th, as wifey's pregnancy drew to a close. The obese 50"er that I had planned to boat this November will still be there waiting for me next year, I am sure... another inch longer and two pounds heavier. October 28th saw my biggest and best catch of the season - the arrival of our new baby boy Tyler, who I am sure one day not long from now will eagerly join Nick and I on our piscatorial adventures.

2010... my season in review. Fantastic fishing, many new friends and a new family member. January - started the year out by perching on Cook's bay. Typical non-stop action, followed by tasty dinners. Didn't catch any real jumbos, but enough 9-11"ers to fill the pan. February - laker and whitey action on Lady Simcoe's deeper waters. Many days spent on the ice with my buddies Lawrence, Marc, Pete and Wayne. These 4 are all hardcore fish whisperers! I'll never forget jumping that big pressure crack to get to the magic spot, and proceeding to lay the smackdown on the dwellers of the deep for the next few hours! Caught my best trout ever, and some nice sized whiteys too. Also discovered that herring are making a nice recovery in Simcoe - often saw schools of thousands of them under my hole. Went out for a day with my wife under the guidance of Steve Rowbotham and learned a few tricks. March - more laker and whitey action right until the 15th... then some painful down time waiting for the ice to melt Early April - panfishing in the canals and marinas. Took my son Nick out and had an unbelievable day catching some of the biggest sunfish I have ever seen... between the two of us we caught over 400 that day. Biggest ones were around 10"! Closed out that day by finding a school of crappie, landed my PB at 12.75" and lost one that was much bigger... Mid to late April - decided to try catching my first channel catfish. Quickly became an addict. Took Marko out in my boat for the first attempt, no cats but he caught a carp and 2 redhorse suckers. I got a white stripe painted on my back. Decided to go out for a day with a guide (Steve Piggott) and learn the ropes, and never looked back from there. Johnny Bass came out for a day, my son Nick had a blast fishing with him. Nick also caught a sheephead, which I have not! Skeeter came out with me as well and got into some real nice kitties. Closed out April by taking my brother Will out and getting him into his first cats. May - a few pike trips, including meeting up with Clive (Mepps) and Jon, from Fishingfury.com. Caught my first Toronto Islands pike. Had a great day fishing with new friends, and trying not to get attacked by Canadian geese. Went out for a day of walleye fishing with Johnny Bass near the end of the month and got into a few.

I get the sport every year... like others have said, just in case you catch a fish that won't survive. And if nothing else, just so I can keep a nice feed of Simcoe perch! Mmmmmmmmmm.... perchy goodness.... ahrarararararrrrrrrr....

The whole point of advertising is to get people's attention therefore drawing attention to their products... which makes this ad a huge success! We aren't talking about any of the other 50 ads in that magazine, or the companies they represent, are we? Btw, my schnauzer comes muskie fishing with me... JUST IN CASE.

Aw man, my secret musky bait from this year has been discovered. *sigh* But the sweater I used was a different colour. (perch pattern) And don't forget, you will need a wooden plank to float the cat on in order to get the full aerial effect from those spectacular surface strikes. When fishing weedy lakes, make sure you use one of those hairless cats to reduce fouling.

I walked out today from Gilford, probably over 100 people out there perching. Fishing was average, caught 100+ in 7 hours but not very good size at all. 4-5" of good ice everywhere I went, another inch or two of white ice on top. Saw a half dozen snowmobiles and a few ATV's out there... after seeing a snowmobile go thru the ice at high speed last year on Quinte (2 older men, and luckily they survived), I was hoping I didn't see another one today, thankfully I didn't. It is scary as hell. Wait another week for the machines people, the perch will still be there!

Hi guys and gals, It's been a while since I have posted, and since I have fished for that matter (over 2 months, yikes!) There are many reasons for this, including some drastic changes at work, but more importantly, because of my biggest catch of the year... On October 28th my son Tyler arrived weighing a healthy 7lbs 5oz! He's awesome... I'll let the pictures tell the story. It's been wonderful having a new member in our family. That being said, I did manage to get out today on Simcoe for some ice fishing out of Gilford! Perching was ok, decent numbers but very small average size. Who cares - it was awesome getting out, and the weather was perfect to boot. 4 or 5 inches of solid black ice everywhere we went, with another inch or two of white ice on top. Saw 5 or 6 snowmobiles booting around, and a few ATV's too... a bit too early for that in my opinion, but that's how it goes. Anyways, great to be back, I'll be posting ice fishing reports as they happen! Can't wait for the whiteys and lakers to start! ps One of these days when I have some time I'll post my 2010 season in review... it was my best ever and one to remember! Lotsa great pics, from ice to panfish, big cats to 100+ muskies... stay tuned!

43.5" added Oct. 14 Hitting the water tomorrow or Sunday for another shot at the fifty.

It has been an amazing summer and early fall of muskie fishing for me, but in years past, October and November is when I typically start to struggle. My summer patterns just don't seem to be as effective as the water cools, and the lake turns over. This week, Patrick and I headed to his cottage for 3 days, hoping to break the fall curse. We arrived around noon on Thursday, and the lake was rough. Overcast is good, light rain no problem, but 25-30k winds are not much fun. Water temps were at 54F. We headed out anyway, and settled into a small bay sheltered by an island. 3 casts and 5 minutes of trolling later, I felt a light tap on the end of my line... was that a hit? Dead weight for 5 seconds... then finally a headshake, and a good one! A short fight later, the ice was broken by this fattie... 43.5". We were pumped! We started thinking that the fall feedbag must be in full effect... this will be a banner trip... etc... etc... LOL. We fished hard, and braved all my usual spots, even if it meant getting pounded by the waves at times. All my best spots produced nothing, so we moved onto some secondary areas, and a few hours later, Patrick had his first of the trip, not a big one by any means, but scrappy and nice markings. Shortly after that, Pat got into another little fella. With the light failing, and us soaked to the bone and sore from getting bounced around all afternoon, we packed it in. Not a bad start, three skis in the boat, and one was a nice one. Friday morning. We awoke to another grey sky... and even worse winds. 30k+, and gusts over 50. Argghhhh... here we go again. 10 hours on the water pounding away produced one lone fish, a decent ski for me that we didn't measure, but was probably 36" or so. Water temps had dropped to 49F in some areas of the lake... 52F in others. Let me tell you, I slept like a baby on Friday night. I was exhausted from battling the elements for two straight days. Saturday's forecast looked better, although the winds were still 20k. We slept in a bit, and were on the water by 11am. The lake was suprisingly busy for mid-October, and we even saw jet-skiers and windsurfers out there! The lake was much more fishable today, and we were able to cover a ton of water, but we struggled again. I caught the lone fish of the day, which is my best pike of the season at 33.5", and a slight upgrade for our team in the OFC tourney by 2.5". We had a good time overall, and had some great home-cooked meals in the mornings and evenings thanks to Pat's dad and stepmom... got to listen to the Leafs improve to 4-0 too... But the quest for the 50" continues!

Those are a pair of beasts!!! Way to go!

Joey & Paul... thanks again for a great day on the water. You guys are tons of fun to fish with, and man-o-man, that Lund is one sweet ride. MTBF and others who are wondering - as far as I know there are only Pike in one Kawartha lake so far, Balsam, and that is where we tried today. I got skunked for skis on Thursday too on another Kawartha lake, not even a sniff that day! At least I did raise one musky today, Paul saw it too, but only a low to mid 30's fish and not very aggressive at all. Joey and Paul are just as hardcore as I am - we spent the entire day casting, not trolling... and I'm sure that we each made the required 10,000 casts to deserve a musky!!! How's the arms today, J&P? I could almost pick up a pen today LOL... Several factors probably played into us not getting any skis today... being Sunday, the lake had probably seen a lot of pressure already on Saturday, and all those boats pounding the lake on Sunday morning from the bass tourney didn't help either. I'm also not really sure what stage the lake is in yet regarding turnover, water temps were 54-55F, and the weeds have already died way back in many of my productive summer areas. Oh well, it was still a great day. I would gladly join you guys again, say the word!

I hear you... been seven WHOLE days now and my hands are starting to shake LOL!!!

Those are the kind of muskies that I aspire to... and you go out and get two of them within a few days!!! Simply outstanding!!!

As many of you have already mentioned, Shane was one of the most helpful and knowledgeable guys out there. I had the pleasure of fishing with Shane once on open water, and a bunch of times on the ice. Here's how I met him - it pretty much sums up what a nice guy he was. Probably seven or eight years ago, LONG BEFORE I WAS ON OFC (lol) I used to frequent the Lake Simcoe Message Board... and one fall, I posted a question on where my brother and I could rent a boat for the day to go perching. Shane sends me a PM moments later with his phone number, and the message "Call Me". I did, and he simply said: "Rent a boat? Nah. You and yer bro get up here and let's go. I'll show you where the perch are in Virginia Beach." I was shocked - it sounded too good to be true! But we went, had a blast, and Shane and I fished together a number of times on the ice after that at some of the outings that board held. He was always the first guy to help out if somebody needed a rescue, and the first to test the thickness of the Simcoe ice every winter. Fishing rod on the ice??? Jigging stick and a Williams, or you are a wuss... You will be missed bud... tight lines up there.

That is one awesome pike. Great girth on her too! Well done!

I would gladly participate in a tagging program... I intend to join Muskies Canada in the near future, maybe I could get steered in the right direction there.