FrankTheRabbit

Just wanted to chime in on my experience with the rest of you. My beloved cork handle Crucial met its last fish this past fall. Broke while bringing a bass in. I made the trek to their Peterborough office May 16, filled out a form, and received a brand new replacement today. Quick and painless and they made sure to bubble wrap the butt end and tip in a rod tube. The only thing it cost me, was time to get there as they covered the cost in shipping it back to me. Like many others, I am certainly impressed with their warranty.

Hope I don't sound like a broken record, but you guys do an amazing job every time. I hope to be able to see the stuff you guys do in person down the road. Keep up the great work that you guys do. Always hope to get some pics for our newsletter. Whenever you can bud! -Eugene-

Don't have any prior experience with this current CVT, but from what I've heard, they're kinda sloppy or feels like a rubber band? I think it has been redesigned from the previous model and it does provide better fuel economy compared to their manual transmission counterpart. Not perfect by any means, but at least there is a benefit in that regard. The 2.5L NA puts out 170hp and their 2.0L turbo puts out 250hp (has a modified CVT to handle the increased torque demands). On our test drive (the 2.5L version), it seemed fine. Granted, it was just a regular road & highway test, with short bursts on the accelerator. So anything beyond that, I wouldn't know how good or bad it is.

Anytime NAW. There's so many little details that I'm leaving out between all three vehicles. I felt all three vehicles had excellent visibility all around. I've had a 2009 Dodge Journey and that had terrible blind spots, so I'm basing my experience on that vehicle. One other interesting little thing I found on the 2014 Forester. There are these side panels, at the bottom of the doors, that flare out and run to the bottom of the chassis. The idea behind them is so any kind of mud/dirt/snow/rain/etc will run down and drip away from the frame so you won't get your pants dirty. I thought that was a small, but clever feature. Let us know what you think of your test drive…maybe I missed out on some things too.

Coming off of a company lease on a 2011 Rav4 base w/AWD. Racked up 87,000km from Nov 2011 and it's been a great vehicle for all seasons, especially during winter. Not bad on gas...I got about 9.0-9.7L/100km on highway driving and would get around 11-12L/100km city driving. No major problems, but regular maintenance was done at the dealership. Some of my favorite features were the front windshield defroster, sliding & reclining rear seats, and being able to drop the rear seats for extra storage from the back. Some things I didn't like were the seats (they are OK, but got tired tushes on long distance drives), the audio system, and the swinging rear latch. For the new vehicle, we narrowed it down to three 2014 choices: Forester, Tiguan, and Rav4. Tiguan was small, but had a comfy ride and required premium fuel. Great features for the Trendline w/4Motion. Heated front seats, fog lights, good rear seating space even with the front seats fully extended. Forester was great all around. Quiet and confident drive. Lots of features with the 2.5i Convenience pkg. Has a ground clearance of 8.7", which is higher than the Rav4 (6.3") and Tiguan (6.9"). Their asymmetrical AWD system is legendary, great fuel economy with their CVT (slightly better than the 2014 Rav4), and huge trunk space 2115L with seats folded down. A nice feature to have is their Xmode, which also includes hill descent control with their CVT transmission. Rav4 was a nice surprise. Compared to the 2011, it drove more like a car. The ride comfort was noticeably improved and cabin noise was also reduced. Highway driving can yield over 600km per tank, which is improved over our current model. Lots of features as well and their sound system has been much improved over our current Rav4. We have narrowed it down to the Rav4 and Forester. It's difficult to ignore the reliability and service of Toyota, but the ride height of the Forester and its solid AWD might be the deciding factors for us.

You're totally right! It's a win-win for everyone involved. It's so evident that kids have a huge interest with this program and I wish the program all the success in the world. Helping kids to understand and for them to see it first hand is a great way for continued success!

Always look forward to them Richard!

You guys do an awesome job Richard! Looking to receive some photos for this month's newsletter! Send them to me whenever you can! Thanks! -Eugene-

There were some deals to be had. My wife picked up a liner & merino wool sock combo for $10, picked up a pair of Baffin Chloe winter boots for $90 (Amazon sells them for $134), and I picked up a Zippo hand warmer (which doesn't seem to work...). Aside from the Zippo hand warmer, it wasn't bad. Despite just being a no-tax event, some of their items are priced lower than other retailers.

If it's wetting out too quickly, after applying the cleaning/treating products, it might be time to send them in for warranty. If the manufacturer won't honour the warranty, Gore will definitely honour their materials used for the jacket/pants. I had that happen to my jacket and I sent it in, they ran a few tests, and I received a brand new jacket. In cases like this, you do get what you pay for.

Cool. Thanks for the confirmation. Much appreciated.

I just broke my Crucial rod that I've had for years. Unfortunately, I don't the receipt. Would I be able to get over the counter warranty from Sail or Gagnons or etc or do I call up Shimano, ask for a RMA and send in the rod? Thanks.

Like with everyone else has mentioned, if you're in the tourist areas of Montreal, English will be perfectly fine. The locals are appreciative if you throw in a "Bonjour/Salut/Merci". Been living in Montreal for about a year and hands down, if you enjoy eating, you will not find a better place to be in. Schwartz is the standard, but if the line up is long, Main's is located across the street and is just as good. Personally, I find Schwartz a bit dry...great flavour, but dry. Main's has a good moist smoked meat. Also, right beside Schwartz is a Portuguese rotisserie called Coco Rico. The last time I ate there, I got a quarter chicken, quarter rack of ribs, sides, and a drink for around $12! Not only was the price great, but it tasted so good! Also, depending on how you are arriving, if you are passing through Ile-Perrot, Smoke Meat Pete's is stellar and they have a blues band playing every evening. Poutine is another awesome treat in Montreal. La Banquise, located in the Mont-Royal area, is open 24 hours and is simply amazing. Since it is your 25th with the significant other, you will really enjoy the dinners at any of these restos: Garde Manger (heard lots of good things about their lobster poutine), Joe Beef (really creative chefs who are passionate with their food...we ordered all apps and were very satisfied), Au Pied de Cochon (need to reserve, at least, one week in advance), and Nelson Jardin (get a patio spot if possible and order up a great French onion soup) just to name a few. I've taken a few groups of friends for a weekend jaunt and it's definitely not enough time to do everything. I'm sure you will have an amazing time. PS: If your accommodations are within the MTL area, consider taking the Metro. It's quite convenient and it will get you to 95% of the places in Montreal.

So Kevin, NUMA glasses help you catch smallies? ha. I'm definitely gonna check out the NUMA glasses. Thanks for the helpful info regarding the shades. Your site is also awesome! Keep it up!

I use 20lb PP with a Pflueger spinning reel and I also get a birds nest from time to time. I don't know what causes it, but if I don't catch the mess soon enough, I end up getting a much bigger nest! I haven't had any irregular breakages, just the birds nest issue.

Sufix 832 ain't bad and can be had on sale sometimes at Canadian Tire for $14, regularly $23.

One of the many I've had since I've been here. Courtesy of Blackstrap BBQ, located in Verdun. The accompanying stout ain't bad either.

It's been a while since I've last seen him, so better to contact him directly. He doesn't bite.

I second Ah_long's reel service. I just hope he never moves from the Markham area!

1044228_10152943554190411_1896857363_n.jpg Your friend in the ball cap, holding the smaller fish...an atlantic or pink??

Stellar catch there! Nice to see some big fish up in that area.

Indeed, the mighty St Lawrence has an amazing fishery! Awesome fish!

So this is where retired 9-man players hang out. hah... Nice pix Nick. -Euge-

Nicely done there! As they say, variety is the spice of life!

Always enjoyed your pics and vids. Thx for sharing.