fishinggeek

Sorry to be a pain, but does the stick go into the cavity or above the cavity (against the spine)? Going to try it this weekend if I get a RB.

Nice one! I'm going up your way soon and hope I can be half as lucky with a 19"!

That sounds amazing, but I can't visualize a stick going in the mouth, through the cavity, and back into the head. Can you give more details or maybe a picture? I'm dying to try it out over an open fire.

Cliff, for someone who just got back into fishing, your carp and steelhead reports put me to shame. Good job!

Doesn't the zip ties get a bit clunky and effect the action? Raf, maybe I'll give taking the treble off another chance. You're right it isn't hard, but I just hate changing it. Usually I can't find my split ring pliers and end up using my nails, hurting them, then cursing.

That's what I thought, but how do they work?

Those prices sound crazy, even without a tip! I've never been on a charter, and looking at these prices, I never will. But if the mate gets a modest hourly wage, then a tip sounds reasonable. If the captain is taking all the rewards (as well as the stated risks) then I'm with Roy and will leave the tip out and just give referral or repeat business. That's all hypothetical though. I know I'm not great company, but I wouldn't pay anyone to fish with me.

Danimal, where can I get those hitchhikers, BPS? And BillM, what are zipties and how do I use them?

Are you calling me lazy? From an esteemed muskie fisherman, I'll take your advice and bite my lip every time a snot rocket rips a grub. They always seem to do that when I'm in the grove of casting though, that's why I wanted a short cut. Thanks for the info.

Now that muskie season is fast approaching, thought I'd improve my odds by trying plastic trailers on my inline bucktails. I've seen grubs rigged by taking the treble off first, but this can be annoying where there's a lot of pike. Can anyone suggest any better ways? Can I just hook the grub body onto one of the treble hooks, or use those special spring holders (think they're called hitchhikers)?

I am exactly the same way. For an insurance policy to be profitable, it must be actuarially fair or better, which inevitably means the consumer loses something to buy "peace of mind". By avoiding insurance altogether, we will all be more wealthy, on average.

I use 20 pound mono on a stout bass baitcasting outfit. I usually use lures that are larger than bass-sized, maybe large bass or small muskie sized lures around 3/4 to 2 ounces, so this setup lets me cast all day comfortably. I don't use braid mainly because of its cost. If I had it on, I'd be likely to baby it more than I should. Plus I enjoy catching the odd bass and walleye on it, and I'm not sure how line shy they are.

Good advice here. Mortgage insurance, and pretty much other creditor insurance policies, are often rip offs. You can get much cheaper life and disability insurance outside of your mortgage lender. And if you think about it, because your mortgage outstanding balance decreases over time as you make payments, you are actually getting less and less insurance (for the same amount of premiums) over time, so it becomes more of a rip off as it amortizes. And I believe CMHC insurance does not apply to all homes, or even first time home purchases. It only applies if you have a high ratio mortgage where you have relatively little equity in the home. It does not insure you as a homeowner; it ensures the lender in case you default on the mortgage and they suffer losses after they take whatever action they must (eg. foreclose your home). So if you are paying CMHC premiums, you're effectively paying for the bank's insurance. The larger the downpayment, the less of this you have to pay, and if you pay down enough, you won't have to pay any.

Can't wait til they name an establishment.

Thanks for the info! I use mono only for my spinning reels, but I can appreciate a deal any day.

TL, thanks for the info. I'll still pop in if I'm in the area, with my trusty LeBaron catalogue in hand, but it'll be a quick and cheap visit if I see high prices.

Thanks for the info! I must've confused Gagnon's with another store. I will be sure to stop in (with my trusty LeBaron catalogue in hand) next time I'm in the area. Yes I too heard about how good the prices at Radio World can be. I can't say enough how this board can be good for the price sensitive fishermen.

I hope LeBaron's doesn't match BPS pricing, or else they'll have to raise a lot of their prices! The one item I can think of off-hand that I was surprised to see cheaper at BPS is the Northland rattling/jigging spoon. I think BPS was $3.99 and LeBaron was $4.39. Never asked about price matching at Le Baron because I just didn't buy it from anyone. Maybe it's because you work there or maybe I'm quite unique in this way, but from my perspective there's so much of a price difference on many items that it's laughable. Like GCD said, great atmosphere and plenty to see, but why pay for that when I get that enjoyment for free by just window shopping, deciding what I want to buy, then just buying it somewhere else for less? It really is a no brainer because they're often the exact same item; a Rapala from BPS is the same as a Rapala from anywhere else.

Hear hear! I have nothing personal against or for a store. At the margin, I would prefer BPS to LeBaron because I enjoy the atmosphere more and convenience of being attached to the mall. But their prices are, on average, way out of line with what I can find elsewhere. That's why I only go for window shopping and take my business to the cheapest competitor, which is almost always not BPS. That's one of the reasons I love this board. It makes price shopping much easier because we all seem to be willing to share tips on how to save that extra buck. I try my best to do the same, and I know I've saved a bit of money from this board which I'm thankful for.

Why price match when I should be awarding the seller with the lowest standard price? And at least for me, BPS is out of the way and much farther than good old LeBaron. And good for BPS for contributing to charitable work. But why not lower their prices to match the lowest prices out there (not price match, but standard prices), give us fishermen that much more money, and let us donate these surpluses to worthy causes? I would guess the amount BPS makes based on their price premiums would tower over all their charitable contributions, so wouldn't charities and/or customers be better off that way?

Isnt Gagnon's one of the most expensive stores though? I've only been in there once or twice but I thought the prices were threw the roof. BPS is good for one thing though, and that's the cure for cabin fever! I rarely buy anything there, but it's good window shopping where you can physically examine the merchandise. And watching the fish tank is pretty neat too. And it's not hard to drag the mrs to the mall. And when I find something I like, I just get it from a cheaper competitor like Le Barons, though I'll be sure to use allamericanoutdoors.com for the bigger ticket items. That company sounds like a real deal, and I'm thankful they're supportive of OFC.

I agree the licenses are a tax, but these are public goods and not private enterprises. In private enterprises, the ministries that made the most profits would enjoy the most benefit. But having public goods, the general revenue accounts must be used to the greatest social good. This is why the revenue proportions of different ministries will never be proportional to their budgets. Some are necessary yet do not bring in their share of the revenue. I think an important concept is the opportunity cost of these funds. What is the social benefit that we lose from the next best program if we instead decide to hire more CO's or stock more fish? Do we lose much needed social services, police officers, or prosecutors? It's hard to justify spending more on us fishermen because we're really a disproportionately small part of the population. For example, far more people play soccer in Canada, so wouldn't it benefit the population more to take the revenue from fishing licenses and invest in soccer stadiums? Some people define social good as increasing the welfare of those that are the worst off, as opposed to maximizing the sum of everyone, and this definition would exclude most of us as well. The economics of public finance can be hard to swallow, but I think the bottom line is everything must be prioritized, and sometimes the vocal few (i.e. fishermen) have to be trumped by the greater good.

I've read articles where they use frozen mackerel (not sure if it's spelled correctly), which is also a saltwater fish. Try it and let us know!

Just bring the 2008 Le Baron catalogue with you when you go! Pretty much all the smaller ticket items are cheaper there, with a few exceptions (e.g. I found Northland jigging spoons cheaper at BPS). And I'm sure the catalogue meets these requirements. Not sure about the big ticket items though.

Thanks for the sweet report. Looks like a lot of fun. I got to try that. Fishing those weird hours must be worth it.