Bill Shearer

Remington 870 and 1100, only held 5. Winchester Model 12 and 97 held 7. Could have lots of fun with a handful of well thrown clay targets and a good shooter. Anybody remember the old Winchester Pro Shooter films at the Sportsmen Show, back in the day? The guy could throw 7 clay targets BY HIMSELF, and then hit every one before they hit the dirt. Very cool.

Elkhounds have; Lots of hair, great affection for the family, super territorial allegiance; don't leave the property as a rule, not as large as a shepherd, great with kids; not too protective in squabbles Neighbours had an Elkhound and it was a wonderful dog. I'm a Lab guy.

Actually I went to the site, and it's only the 12mm and 20mm sizes of TLVSG's that are on sale. Good for those that could buy 10 or more of each, and save some money for builds in the future.(like Spiel ) I was hoping to buy a complete set or two to save for future builds. Oh well! Thanks for posting though!

Those are the numbers from your computer. You need to get the IMG[ code] from the hosting site, for each photo

Ahhh freedom 65!

Passport can get to your door in 10 days, once you have filled out the paperwork. thats all it took for mine.

I will be giving that a try very soon! Obviously I have not had enough of that food group yet! Thanks for posting!

Well done!

The vendors all hope to break even after they count in the show fees, set-up, part timers costs etc. They feel they need to be at the shows for the possibility of getting a larger customer base. But in the end for the consumer there are very few 'great deals'. Figure in your gas costs, parking costs, lunch costs, and buying something you really didn't need. You are better off working with your favourite retailer most of the time, IMO.

two thumbs up!!

Since the profit margin is much higher on clothing than it is on fishing/hunting gear, that's the reason for the placement, IMO. I personally like Sail much more than BassPro in Canada. I find pricing to be excellent. Since they have only been in Ontario in the last two years, the staff is learning as they go. In any of my dealings with Sail, I have not had one issue, and that is what I base my opinion on. I hope you are able to achieve a solution to your issue.

CA does a wonderful job! A little scary the first time, but a very hard and durable finish. Well done Chris! Too bad that it is so difficult to do that finish on a JC style seat! Just too many bumps in the road, I fear. The mental picture of trying to polish that without it being on the lathe brings tears of laughter!!

Kwifish and spinners in the deep slow pools anytime! Osuch a rush when they hit!

Chris is the preferred builder for Kingpin, and both blanks are available through him.

I'll be back! Hopefully in the spring. They do a tent camp out in the boonies for 5 days in May. Of course all the food is trucked in, and maybe even a bottle of Forty Creek! From the photos and the discussion around the table, ridiculous numbers and all the fish are aggressive to anything they perceive as food. Sounds like a hoot!

I was extremely fortunate to be invited on a Steelhead trip to Terrace B.C. by Stu from Kingpin Reels. We stayed at West Coast Fishing Adventures, and were guided by Gil and Gord McKean. Two of the hardest working individuals I have ever had the pleasure to fish with. The extent to which they would go to provide the best chances to hook up with fish was far beyond what I expected. A cold front came in overnight on our arrival, and the first day saw 4” of snow to contend with. The rivers were dropping and clearing the whole time we were there. The trails we used were mere logging tracks, and were lined with 10'-15' tall Alders, which folded under the snow load. Breaking through that for 5km, was a nightmare! We had to stop every 100m to clear the snow off the hood, so Gord could see where to drive. Gil has a CanAm which filled with the remaining snow that was left on the trees. It took an hour and a half to cover the route! The river that the trail led to was a postcard perfect Steelheaders dream! Fishing was tough because of the cold front, but we did manage a few fish. I have to say that walking these high gradient streams was tough on my old knees, but thanks to Ibuprofen and anti inflammatory drugs, I coped. The scenery and fish helped as well! We caught quite a cross section of species on the different rivers we fished. Steelhead to 18 lbs, Dolly Varden to 4lbs, Rainbows to 4lbs, Cutthroat trout to 2 lbs, Bull Trout to 6 lbs, and small whitefish. There were only a couple of Coho caught. The ultra clear water in the streams where we found them made them very wary and difficult to interest in our offerings. For those interested in what bait we used, All the streams with the exception of one, restrict the use of organics. My go-to after much experimentation was yarn, while most of the others used the pink worm. Pink was by far the best colour choice. Beads were not productive, which was very puzzling to me, to be honest. I had taken spinners and Kwikfish, but never had the need to use them. Wildlife in the bush was varied as well. Lots of moose tracks, although we never did see one. A mother grizzly and her two cubs were startled when we were navigating one of the tracks to the river. No time to get a photo, as she took her brood to safety. That was fine with us, since a mother bear is nothing to take light-heartedly. Diesel the Golden/Shepherd cross was our guardian Angel. Whenever there was bear around, he let us know with a deep growl and loud bark. We also saw Golden and Bald Eagles, as well as a beautiful Tundra Swan. Besides going for the great fishing and beautiful scenery, we really wanted to try out the new Kingpin rods. I can tell you they handled the high gradient streams, and all the fish we caught on them with ease. Of interest to many on this forum, is that Spiel was my 'go to' builder to do not only the custom builds for myself and Stu, but also provided the builds that Century Rods in England used for a template on how we wanted the factory rods built. The guides are Titanium/SIC, the cork is flor grade, and all factory rods come with a Kingpin machined brass butt cap insert and winding check. These rods are excellent for Steelhead in any Steelhead environment east to west. The 5-10lb was our first choice to use because of the size of the flows, and the fish that swim in them. I used 14lb main, and 10lb leader the whole time I was there. I never broke off a fish, although many came unbuttoned in the strong flows. The barbless hooks and the rocks took their toll for sure. The 4-8 rods were used in the smaller flows, and provided more than enough power to land any of the fish we caught on them. Here are a few of the 100s of photos we took. The nicest photos were taken by Kevin Diederen, a Dutch photographer, who was part of our group. He is a top notch carp fisherman in Holland, and uses Kingpin reels as part of his equipment for fishing the margins of the lakes and ponds in Holland. A search on Google will provide shots of many of his monster carp caught. Here's a photo of Kevin with a nice hen. Now a word about our hosts. http://westcoastfishing.ca/ Gil McKean and his partner Mandi McDougal run West Coast Fishing Adventures. They have a beautiful home which is set up with accommodations for up to six anglers, and provide transportation and all you will need to get to the rivers each day. Mandi is an excellent and imaginative cook. The 3 meals she provided each day were superb!

Chris has so much talent and expertise when it comes to building a rod, that even though I still might be able to build one, I would never be able to do it as well. That's why he is my "go to rod builder" Perfection is what he attains every time.

On fly-in trips, we always tied a string to a filleted Wally carcass, and tossed it in to the lake a few feet at night. When we were ready to go fishing in the morning, just pull in the carcass, harvest the leeches sticking to it, and we were good to go. Never less than a dozen, and most times more.

This is build #4, that Chris has done for me, and they just keep getting better! He went way beyond the norm, and it's much appreciated. His attention to details, as well as his expertise, dictates that the best he can do is what you get, each and every time. I should add that the reel seat that was turned for this rod, was provided by John Collina, from Caledonia, ON. This rod will definitely be treasured by me for many years to come.

Was a firefighter for 30 years, and had First Aid re-qualifications every 2. CPR was an extra, which I used weekly, on the job. One year my son and I went to a Blue Jays game on the Go Train. While sitting and waiting for the next one, we saw a fellow commuter go from sitting on a bench, to laying on the platform. I went over , and finding no pulse, administerd CPR, till the arrival of the ambulance. Strange thing was this guy came to, and sat up- refused any assistance by the ambulance crew, signed off with them, and then WENT TO THE GAME! Saw him on the way home, as he was on the same train. Bottom line of this for me was that I was glad that I could be of assistance. Very different to me to be using it as a part of my job, than on my days off. Very happy to have had the training. Everyone should take a course! Very happy to not have needed it since, You NEVER know!

FWIW, there are $100 worth of guides on the Kingpin 13'2 pc rod. So $180 for the rod with a replacement guarantee from Angling Outfitters? No Brainer.

I remember the words of a fellow employee, after I whined about a management decision, in a place where I worked for thirty years. If you don't like it, quit! We are non-paying guests here, that are sometimes able to offer our opinions, subject to censoring without justification or prior notice. Just my opinion, FWIW

I was over the peace bridge at noon today. Brown on the Ft Erie shore line, but green in the river. Winds here are still gusty, so50/50 for tomorrow

60 guys crowding the whirlpool this morning can't all be wrong! Yes there are steelhead, browns, lake trout, as well as a multitude of other species in the Niagara. Not hooking up even once? It happens, but rarely.

Anybody who is a real serious steelheader, will know that the options are slim this weekend! However they will also know that the possibilities open up with The weather of November. The clouts that haunt the salmon runs are long gone, and the real serious guys will be there.