Rod Caster

You'll be tapping into some sweet drinks instead.

That is one heck of a sleigh (the yellow one)! Me wantee! Not nearly on the same scale as you, but I spend a good bit of time in Fort Chipewyan in Northern Alberta over several years. There certainly is a similarity when it comes to small, isolated, delta northern communities; looking back, I'm also glad that I took the time to discover the community and be inspired by its natural surroundings, not so much the people, but my job required very little human contact... I just wish I had accepted that boat ride on Lake Athabasca. Enough digression, great read and photos, thanks for posting.

You're leaving during prime time! Looking back on my pics from last year, I tapped March 29th (the run was just starting) and did my final boil on April 21st.

Zero slush.... I wish out here. Awesome little trip Nick, glad you got out with him and also ate some fish

Agreed, I was worried about a short season like Mister G is expecting, so this might be the only way I can hit my target. I have two propane boiling bases, a 1.5x3 Stainless container I found and converted as well as a lobster pot for the final boil. I'll be converting an oil tank to an evaporator this year and clearing an area for a small shack. One step at a time since I have like 200 projects on the go. If you get a chance, can you post a pic of the evaporator/stove? I'm looking for ideas Ya? You figure Spring will hit quick?

Who else is taking part? I'm anticipating a busy Spring work-wise, so I started early and today I tapped 8 trees in a new location (denser maples), I have 4 more to tap and my goal is 10 litres of damn delicious maple syrup by the end of the season. It's only my second year making syrup and last year was a scramble, but I still managed 3 or 4 litres. This year I'm a bit more organized, and I have some good plans for next year! A question I have for the more experienced :Are there any potential issues with tapping too early?

Best moose as supporting actor!

Here are pics from early in the day Slushfest: We got stuck several times...soaked to the bone by 830. Nick on his freedom flyer after crossing a slush hole Warming up in the shack, Chris catches a fleece pike

Slushy for the first two hours. Really bad. I'll post pics when I get a chance. After we warmed up and dried up at Blair's shack, we went back out and did fairly well for walleye (18), one herring and 18 keeper perch...oh, and Nick got a decent pike.

Don't open those emails eh guys! It's easy for them to install malware.... a lot of those emails, it's not about the content, it's just click-bait.

the "localnumber' scam is the one that calls me all the time. I always press 1, then I say YES I have a credit card, then I go along with it, provide them the standard first four digits of a visa card and just make up the rest, or omit numbers or use letters. I just put them on speakerphone and completely waste their time. They are extremely aggressive and the moment they know you are on to them, they hang up or say something negative or huff. I'd love if the cops could make a major bust and actually find the physical location of these call centers.

this forum has a terrible search function. Searched 'Nip'...nothing Searched 'G2G'...nothing Searched 'Blair's'....finally annnnyway.... it's gdam cold today, -32 right now and we have tons of snow on the lakes. I don't think I'll be driving my truck out there.

No road access and no communities involved. The type of spill clean up that never gets third party reviewed There will be a select few companies who will work hard and make good money cleaning this one up.

Decent price, reliable machines, but heavy....mind you, most 2-up's over 500cc are quite heavy. Maybe look for a 440 to 500cc fan-cooled 2-up around the same year? With fan-cooled, you just have to be mindfull of driving in warm (spring) conditions. If you are not fishing back lakes, or breaking trails, I suppose weight isn't a major concern. I always liked the 1995Polaris indy trail 500 (488) deluxe, which is the two-up version.

Almost all the ones staring with "get a job ..." Actually apply to me. But I haven't tried sleeping in my one-man office yet

It was a great fight.! Thanks guys

Ya, I wouldn't want to use a triple in slush, or deep snow. Now if you are mostly traveling packed trails, or lakes, then it would be less risky

The center pistons tended to have oil-supply issues on some of them. It's one of those 'common problems' associated with triples, and from what I understand, moreso on Polaris'. I wouldn't be all too worried about it, just get the dealership to confirm that the oil is sending and you should be ok. Oh, and test the compression on all cylinders before you buy, if the center piston has/had recent issues, you'll find out with a compression test. Google how to do it before you purchase. I had a one-up XLT (1996) and loved it!

1500 is a good price. Gotta watch a bit for the Polaris triples, but overall they are great sleds. I'd buy that

You hit it dead on!!! This is the only piece of advice I give anyone looking to choose a career..."search for the job before you select a program"

Rod Caster googles "Chris Brock ice fishing" and ends up right back here. Thx for the report Skunk, and sounds like a nice winter hobby you have set up Chris!

Great scenery indeed. Nice jon too haha

To answer the topic question nothing

Joey, my Wife and I slogged it out on a slushy, stocked back lake. We all got wet and cold. Luckily I brought the 2-man eskimo and propane heater, so she stayed warm and happy. After a couple dozen 3" perch, the tiny jigging rap I was using to cause a perch-rucus ended up calling in a nice Rainbow! I was a happy customer, especially given my poor record for inland rainbows.

ugh, that sucks man! Moving a sled by hand is never done in a comfortable position. After learning the hard way, I try to properly set my body prior to pulling/lifting my sleds. Joey, don't worry about the cc's, just get a two-up