MrSimon

You made a good choice. A good friend of mine is one of the senior engineers on the Expedition/Navigator platform ..... he says the Flex is a great vehicle. You will be pleased.

I often sit down and flip on WFN looking forward to watching fishing .... only to be disappointed!! There are some real LOSER shows on these days. That Izumi chick is the worst - its like watching Paris Hilton run around and pretend she likes fishing. I MUCH MUCH prefer to watch stuff on YouTube. Uncut Angling, FishEd, Lindner stuff, Jason Mitchell, Kenora To Minaki Fishing, and lots more. Plus, there are hundreds of guys that post videos of their trips (Like Mike B and others) .... I'd rather watch stuff like that than WFN any day! PS - me and some buddies were talking about this the other day .... we decided sitting around watching TV at night is a huge waste of time - now we go night fishing for Musky once or twice a week. Its AWESOME!!!!

I have the HB 898. I like to split the screen and have the SI display on about 3/4 of the screen and two other smaller readouts on the rest. Its just barely big enough. I think you'll be OK with the SI on the 598, but you won't be able to do any sort of split screen view. And split screen views is crucial in my opinion. I hate having to push buttons to flip between screens. Seeing three at a time is the bees knees.

I believe strongly in following the rules ... even if you don't agree with them. My vacation cottage is on a lake in NY with a similar rule about fishing for bass in the Spring. I follow the rules, even though I don't want to. And I encourage others to follow the rules as well. But, I don't go out of my way to photograph, confront, attack, or sabotage people who are fishing OOS bass. Life is too short to worry about something as silly as OOS bass fishing. If you are getting your knickers in a bunch over guys fishing bass in May, then maybe you need to re-think your priorities in life.

I have a cottage on Black Lake in NY ... just over the border by the St. Lawrence. Pike/walleye opens in early May, but bass not until mid June. The law says you cannot target bass at all until then. Everyone knows in their heart if they are targeting bass or not, but its impossible to prove. Even though this type of law creates a lot of on-line drama, and there are certainly those who blatantly break it ..... I think its a great law. When bass season does open, there is a HUGE influx of boats and fisherman. The lake gets pounded by bass fisherman all summer. If the season were to be open (even C&R only) in early May, all those same fisherman would be there in force to wreak havoc on the spawn. Even though it isn't a perfect law, it is the main reason the lake is such a good bass lake. The law works.

Many years ago I was taught to ignore the concept of "rights" and focus on what personal "responsibilities" I have. I don't have the "right" to harvest game ..... I have the "responsibility" to be a good steward of the resources God gave us and to follow all the applicable rules and regulations put in place by the authorities. I don't have the "right" to travel to Canada and fish .... I have the "responsibility" to be a well-behaved tourist who follows the rules and is a good representative of the U.S. With all that said, certain responsibilities (such as feeding my family) will come above others (such as following game laws). Frankly, I think the original question is silly ..... of course we would all illegally harvest game/fish in order to feed our starving children.

As the post above said, the kids were doing something incredibly stupid, irresponsible, and dangerous. This is a good reminder to parents of teenagers to make it their business to know what their kids are doing, where they are, and who they are hanging out with.

I love Jeeps. I've owned tons of them and have two right now. But, I like the older ones. I just can't stomach spending over $30k for a car .... I don't care how cool it is. And if you finance it, you actually pay like $40k for it. Everyone is different though. Anyway ... the 4D JKs I've ridden in were nice. Certainly not fancy, and not really all that comfortable .... but they definitely do have the cool Jeep thing going on. The Rubicon version has some awesome offroad features that make it a very very capable vehicle right off the showroom floor.

The 5.3L GM V8 is a fantastic engine. And it comes in a bunch of things to meet your needs .... pick-up, Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Avalanche. All of them are excellent tow vehicles and will get acceptable mileage.

It would be great if they would produce a Blu-ray of these films after the fact .... I'd pay a pretty penny for that.

When I tow with my Sienna, I'm not worried about safety .... I'm worried about poor towing performance and excessive wear on the vehicle. On flat ground, its fine. On hills or windy roads, it performs poorly. I had a V6 Explorer that actually had LESS horsepower than the Sienna, but it towed MUCH better due to a heavier duty trans, lower gearing, more torque, and a stiffer suspension.

This sure is a hot topic. Makes waiting for Spring more fun I like Chris. I like his trip reports. I like how he helped me plan my next trip. I also like his honesty. He and his buddies apparently enjoy certain adult beverages when it might not be completely legal .... I won't judge him for that, but the COs might. And I have a feeling that he wouldn't complain about a fine for something he knew was wrong. Its his money and his choice. (I would hate him forever if he was keeping illegal fish though - that's just a line nobody should cross ) Anyway, Chris makes a VERY VERY important point. Things always go a LOT better if you just tell the truth from the beginning!!!!

I just read this whole thread. Entertaining. Regardless of how you feel about COs or how they perform their duties ...... this is certainly a good reminder for all of us to stay legal, no matter where we are. Personally, on my upcoming fly-in, I will make sure my entire group does all the little things properly .... like carry our licenses with us at all times, keep the life jackets sorted properly, zero alcohol in the boats, etc etc etc. Knowing that the COs can and do go to great lengths to check up on remote groups is a good deterrent against illegal activities. I also find it interesting that folks are quick to call for extremely severe punishments for law-breakers, but they turn around and complain that COs go overboard in trying to catch the offenders.

I have a 2008 Toyota Sienna and have towed my boat with it a couple of times. My boat/trailer set-up weighs about 2k pounds. I was very unhappy with the van as a tow vehicle. The trans (not super strong in these vans to begin with) had trouble finding gears and seemed to be working too hard. The suspension is quite soft in the van and you could really feel the boat back there. The engine has enough power, but the gearing in the driveline and the trans shift points make it feel like a real dog. The brakes were adequate, but not great. It would be fine for occasional trips to the local lake, but I won't ever use it for longer trips. Some minivans tow pretty well .... but the Toyotas are soft and the brakes/trans/suspension are undersized for the vehicle to begin with. If you have another option, use it. If not, just be careful and go slow.

I've only been checked once. They were polite and professional, but seemed totally convinced we were drinking. Even after checking through everything and sniffing our water bottles multiple times, they gave us the "yeah right" attitude and even said, "so you guys just drink water out here ... that's unlikely". I appreciate what they do, and I was grateful they didn't fine us for leaving our licenses back at camp. I'm sure they run into all kinds of ugly situations and deal with a lot of drunk liers ..... so I'll cut them some slack if they are a little edgy and suspicious.

That is the exact same setup I run .... couldn't be happier!!

V6 SUVs like Explorers, Pathfinders, Acadias, Pilots, Libertys etc. will tow your set up adequately. However, if you are loaded down with gear and people, those vehicles will bog down on inclines and hills and will get terrible fuel economy. A full size SUV like a Tahoe, Yukon, Expedition, Suburban, Aramada etc with a small V8 will get almost the same mileage (better than the V6 while towing) and offer you more space, more power, significantly better handling while towing, and a heavier duty trans, suspension, brakes, cooling system, and drive train. A three or four year old Tahoe with the 5.3L V8 is a darn good vehicle and will be hard to beat for what you want.

Two of my closest buddies and me were staying at a small fishing motel at a lake in New York. I was in the shower and one guy decided to throw a pot of cold water on me. As he went to throw the water, the handle on the pot broke off and crashed to the floor. He slipped in the mess and reached out to stable himself. He grabbed the shower curtain and fell to the floor in a pile of water, curtain, and laughter. I was left standing there wet and naked. All the while, the front door of the room was open (it was hot with no AC) so the guys loading up their boats got to see the whole thing. Our other buddy (who was cooking dinner) just calmly walked over and closed the front door and went back to cooking like nothing happened.

Yes. Cover to cover. Multiple times. And I still study it regularly. Have you? If you want to know more .... shoot me a PM. I'd be happy to discuss it more there or answer any questions you have about the Bible.

I don't understand why those who oppose the Bible do so in such a vehement and insulting way. Basically, the Bible says: 1. God created us, loves us, and gave us free will to make our own decisions in life 2. We choose poorly and made a bid dang mess of things 3. God provided a way out of the big dang mess through His Son, Jesus 4. If we accept that gift, we are then called to live a moral, responsible life and to love others and to love truth You certainly don't have to believe the story ... that's totally your right. But I just don't understand all the Bible bashing that goes on (even on this site). Its a book about sacrifice, responsibility, accountability, and unconditional love. You can't go wrong with that stuff. Granted ... there are a lot of people out there claiming to be "Christians" that sure don't live their lives according to the Bible. Shame on them. So before you start bashing the Bible, Christians, or religion as a whole .... I'd encourage you to use that "open mind" I keep reading about and do some actual research.

Interesting thread. Al Lindner has a lot of guts to go on national television and talk about his faith in God and belief in Jesus Christ. As evidenced by this thread, its an un-popular stance and he risks loosing viewers, which could cost him money. I am impressed by his boldness. We could all use more of it. Al and Ron both led pretty rough lives for a long time and got themselves into some pretty big trouble. Alcoholism and more. Now they lead good clean lives, run a successful business, and have good family values. According to them, the big turn-around was a direct result of their acceptance of Jesus Christ as the son of God. So apparently religion had a very large and very good impact on their lives. And they are telling other people about it in hopes their lives can change too. Good for them!! As to Al dissing evolution ..... well, he believes in the Bible, and the Bible clearly states that the Earth and humans were created by God, and that evolution is false. Those are his beliefs. Let him have them. If you don't like it, change the channel.

To the original question .... If its your daily driver first, and a tow vehicle second, you need to think primarily about what you'll be using the vehicle for on a daily basis. Do you need to carry a lot of people ... haul stuff ... drive long distances ... impress customers .... etc etc etc? Once you answer those questions, then you can start looking at vehicles that can also handle some weekend towing. You also need to think about what kind of towing you'll be doing. Long distance? High speed? Hills and mountains? Heavy traffic? Depending on all those things, you could be looking at everything from a mini-van to a diesel powered truck. I've owned and towed with a lot of different vehicles .... the one thing I found is that small to medium sized vehicles with mid sized V6s might be rated for up to 3,500 or even 5,000 pounds .... but they don't handle it very well. A V6 might have enough power, but the vehicle doesn't have the wheelbase, suspension, braking, transmission, or gearing to handle the load well. You can never go wrong with a Chevy/GMC 1500 with the 5.3L V8 ... you can get the pick-up or suburban depending on needs.

Bill - don't be so quick to judge the motives of others. Leaving a deer on the back of a side by side on a trailer might not have anything to do with vanity or a lack of class. It might simply be out of necessity or ease. The guy most likely drove the side by side back into the woods and strapped the deer on for the ride out. Deer are heavy, awkwared to move, and bloody. Unstrapping it and lifting it into the truck (which might have other gear in it) could be a waste of time and energy .... especially if you need to move the deer around with the side by side when you get home. Maybe the guy who owns the truck didn't get the deer ... it could belong to the owner of the side by side who is getting dropped off first. Lots and lots of reasons. Maybe they are being stupid and just want to show off or shock people .... but maybe they aren't. Don't be so quick to judge.

Wow, this is a tough crowd! You guys want jail sentences, $50k fines, vehicles confiscated, and public humiliation ..... for what? Keeping a cooler of illegal fish. Come on, those kinds of punishments can ruin lives and destroy families. The punishment should fit the crime. For a first time offender who keeps a cooler full of fish .... a $1,600 fine and loss of license seems reasonable. That's a lot of money and will sting enough that he'll certainly be more carefull in the future. Heck, for some people, that's a year's worth of savings. Its also more than enough money to replace the fish he took. I do agree though that some community service time would be good additional punishment, and any repeat offenses should have heavier consequences. I feel very strongly about resource management and the enforecement of conservation laws .... but you guys are just being ridiculous.

Great advice so far. But you should also check out the G3 V1777. Its just shy of 18', has lots of great storage, comes in tiller or console, and will be cheaper than Starcraft, Lund and the other top brands.