sconceptor

Hey, Just wondering what preference is usually give to reel size? I am thinking of a 1000 series Stradic FI. Typically, I buy 2500 series. I used 1000 series with a guide last year, and he said the feel is increased, you save a little money, and save on wasted line. It makes sense. The rod I'm matching it on is my new custom made wedding present 6'6" St.Croix Legend Extreme medium fast. I'll either be jigging for 'eyes or tossing tubes/senkos for smallies with it, and won't really need lots of line. The 2500s make sense on my 7ft rods, which I might be trolling with or casting crank baits with. I have one 4000 for when I might fish for carp or salmon off the pier(fish that make large runs, and you take huge casts for).

I have a 04 Shimano Symetre 4000 which is on the fritz. It starts to knock and reel heavily every so often. I tried to relube it, but it didn't help. Only thing that fixes it, is put it in reverse for a few cranks and it goes back to normal. Any clues on why that would happen? It's a nice reel to have on the go this time of year, when chucking heavy spoons of the end of the piers. I'm not sure if Fletcher's up in Shallow Lake would be able to fix it. He's a little busy these days with the derby going on, and I'd like it back the same day to save on the driving. Hope to get some help. Thanks a lot!!!

Check out this guys website...... http://www.jakubvagner.cz/en/news check out the pics in the photo section of those wild looking catfish species, huge eel like gar things, and huge Russian steelhead things..... must be a wild life he has!

Explorer!!!!!!! Try either the 05's for around 12-14grand. It's the last year of that model and is good reliable vehicle. The 06's were a model change and have some issues, make sure the transmission is in good shape and you'll be ok. 07 models are very nice and improved upon, but not that easy to find for 20grand or less. Honda or Toyota, you're either looking or at least 5grand more, or a year or 2 older than the simular Ford or GM vehilce.

Terry, I think you read the article, but you don't like the facts. North America over produces corn. Some years we can't even give it away. Food supplys are not decreased due to ethanol and grocery costs don't go up due to ethanol. It helps farm economies with their ablitiy to sell to ethanol plants. When groceries cost more, look at the price of a barrel of oil, and chalk it up to that! Ehtanol costs are comparable. In ten years the gasoline is going to be much more valuable than ethanol, so what are we going to be paying at the pump then? Today E85 in the US is 22.5% less expensive compared to gas. If you had a flex fuel truck in Minnisota, what would you buy, E85 for 60$ or gas for like 75$ a tank? Studies typically show 30% reduction in carbon footprint field to pump for ethanol versus gasoline. New Yale University study show's it's more like 49% to 60% reduced. Also it's getting better all the time. Ethanol from corn is just the beginning, and new technologies and productions sources will make Biofuels a fuel of the future. Corn stocks/stover, algea, switch grass, sorted municple wastes, other agricultural products typically grown on poor land. New enzymes, new technologies and progressive thinking will all improve Biofuels.

before you bash ethanol too much, read this globe and mail article. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/green-driving/news-and-notes/is-ethanol-a-scam/article1599406/ Ethanol or BP?????

I'll be there the weekend before your group. We'll find some fish and will share advice if you send me a private message. Hopefully I can post a trophy pike photo or two to get the group even more primed.

Please respect the pike.....catch and release the big ones!!!!! 40 to 48lbs....not true...20lbers for sure......let them go, let them grow, let them blow (reproduce)

Good job, Good post!

Is nobody sharing secrets about what's in their boats/vests/boxes? Ben? Dr. Sal? Others who do well a lot of the time? Is scent application a tournament secret or just something the Izumi, Mercer and others get paid to endorse?

Purple is a fanastic colour to use!!!!!!! I prefer it over pinkies. After steel is done, I like it on my walleye trips. It's a colour walleye see better than most, especially in the dark or stained water. Lure's with just a touch of purple do well a lot of time. Read a few pros agree, purple is one of their fav colours. Rapala has a few colours with a touch of purple, Reef Runner, a walleye target bait company, also has a lot of purple(Eriedescent a fav). One of my only good days off a pier for salmon, I switched from the classic blue and silver cleo, to a glow green cleo, and finally to a purple black knock off cleo. The purple and black got nailed twice, with not success on the others. Purple should be a colour in your box, right there with perch pattern, chartreuse, white, fire tiger, shad, black, and copper.

Was just thinking about my use of scents for steelheading. It's about the only time I apply scent. I do like using Berkley products in the summer for bass and 'eyes as I like the scent of their products. However, I don't apply scents to my lures or jigs like I do when I am after steel. I use Mike's trout scent gel, the red one. Used it for 2 years now, and feel it gives me an advantage and confidence. It was recommended to me by a quality steelheader. Solopaddler, do you use stuff? BillM do you use stuff? I imagine both you guys have dropper bottles of your home made roe scents that you add a drop on every 10th drift or so. Steve, do you use scents when guiding? Other guides or pros or experienced fisher persons on here, do you use scents on lures to help out? I've got some worm scent gulp alive spray, but it's never made it into the boat yet. I figure I'll have to give scents more of a shot, this year, after realizing home much I like it for steelheading.

I like the Earth Roamer..... Someday, I'd love a truck with a camper on it, for some sweet fishing trips! Imagine towing the boat with one, launchin and camping all with the same vehicle! No cabin's to rent, no family trailer to tow, no tents in the rain or cold of May or October. If I did purchase a truck, I'd likely be after a decent camper.....

What is your ideal family and recreational/sport vehicle? I'll be in the market this fall, and am keeping an eye out now and starting research. Past 2 vehicles have been Ford Explorer's and my friends work at the Ford dealerships in town, so I trust their service. I've had no issues with my Fords! Considering mileage, I might down grade to a Escape. Considering my size, I might want the size of a Explorer for comfort. Escapes aren't necessarily roomy. I require a hatch back, for my 1 piece rods(or 2 piece 13footers), and it's easiy access. I require something with enough power to tow a 15foot aluminum boat, trailer and a few hundred pounds of gear, on about 800km road trips a few times a year. I require it to handle a logging road in Quebec, 80km takes 2hours. Worse than the ride into Biscotasing. Likely having a child in the future, so room is important to the Misses, and she'd prefer something economical. Considering all this, I think I'm looking at an Explorer again in the 2006-2007 year range. I might consider a F150 crew cab, but what do you do with the 1 piece rods, if you don't have a locking cover for it and the boat doesn't have rod lockers?

No more double tap on the back arrow to get there.....nice.....i like the new set up!

Dale, I take it you've been to TommyBoy Yahama/G3 dealership in Owen Sound sinces it's right close to you. What did you think? Seem like good deals on some ATVs. I asked how much spring tune up on my 2002 25hp 4 stroke Yahama would be and service said around $300. I thought that was a little out there. My boat is from Grand Bend, Southwest Marine. They might be worth a call, they sell Yahama and Crestliners? I've tried to email them, but no response in 2 days, so who knows about them. You're putting together a sweet ride!!!!! I love the tillers, but little experience with a side console. Slow trolling them is so nice, and the extra space comes in handy(carrying all the cases of beer for the guys on a week long fishing trip at a back roads lake). You'll be rocking it up north on those phenomenal lakes with a motor like that and the size of your boat. I need to head up there someday for a week or more!

Winner, Winner, Walleye, Dinner........Spincast with their first response gives some handy info with a link. Thank you. Others your posts are valuable too. Much appreciated. Now to wait, to hear from the dealership or to give them a call, to find out if they already switched over the licence registration for me and how I should proceed with obtaining the copy for my boat

I bought a used boat last year off a dealership. I believed they were sending the registration paperwork to the government. Is it true that the ownership change needs to be registered with the government? I didn't recieve anything in the mail, so I questioned the dealership the other day, but they've not got back to me yet. Is this registration the paperwork required by officers when they search a boat? All I have now, is my bill of sale copy. If I need to register the boat's licence number to myself, it will be a drive to K/W to wait in an government building to fill out some forms. At least I'll be able to shop at some of the fine tackle stores in the area.

Just read the new Ontario Out of Doors article by good old Gord Ellis, about rough water boating. I have a few questions. What does happen to the boat if it does roll or flood? Does it become neutral bouyant like a canoe, or sink like the Titanic? I have a 14.5ft Princecraft Resorter DLX, which is rather bouyant and made to highest of standards. I also wonder this, for when rivets start to leak in 20years, and it's docked in rain and taking on water. Do they just become bouyant and rest semi submerged? Anybody have experience rolling or flooding a boat in rough water, or can tell a friends story? I've found Nipissing to be the worst for 14-17ft boat ranges.......love to fish it, but shallow water kicks up nasty. The big lake(Huron) which I live along scares me, and I wouldn't be out on it very far without a good forecast(not that I fish it much).

Just bought a pair of IronMan at Walmart for 28$....thought they were decent, dark shade. I really liked my Bolle H20 with the floating strap that had swivels on the end to hook onto the frame....no bulky strap, just a loose thin cord with some floats. Ran over them with the Exploder this fall when the fell out the passenger side after the wife to be got out of it. Lenses broke, but the frames still fine. Going to contact Bolle to see if I can get a new pair of lenses. Pros: high cost= better quality!!!!!!!!!, can get 5 pairs or so of decent cheap ones(30$) for the price of a good 150$-200$+pair Cons: high cost can be lost just as easily, cheap pairs scratch more easily, can be less comfortable, can break more easily..... Walked by a Sunglass Hut the other weekend, and dreamed of picking up a new pair of higher end polarized.....but couldn't swing it. Maybe check out BassPro sometime, where there's a wider selection of prices 10$ on up to the high end Oakleys. Maybe find something around 100$?

never mind about the Mike question....I looked at Abu's website....Mike Iaconelli, pro bass fisherman, has switched. I've never like Abu much.....bought a few when I first got back into fishing after college and want my first casting reel(Eon) and a musky reel(C4). Not very impressed. Rather spend the extra 100$ and get a Curado or Cardiff or Calcutta or Chronarch!!! Stradics are sweet too. Maybe if I bought the highest end Abu I'd be more impressed, but since I've switched to Shimano, it's going to be a tough sell or a great deal for me to try......I'm not even impressed with my Quatum PT Energy Burner from 2years ago, when the old model dropped 100$ or so......would've thought the same quality as a curado or chronach but nope......

Mike, who, switches to Abu???? Where does tackle tour get the babes to hold the tackle and pose for reviews, they need more photos.....just like beer commercials!!!!!???

Thanks for the help guys! I think I'll wait to find a HT tip up, and as for style, I'll wait to see the prices. One that will sit on top and cover the hole would be good on the trips with the buddies.....as the beers might interfere with keeping the hole clean. If not, a folding model of a decent price would be fine. I doubt I need one of those windless jigging tip up sets. If I ice fished more, I'd likely own one of each. Can't wait to win a lottery and buy a few cottages. One on Nipissing, one on Lake of the Woods and one around Midland or Woods Bay, and I'd fish my brains out. If I'm not paying much attention to the tip up, a friend has an alarm but it never went off, so I don't know how effective they are. Do you guys use the alarms and what do you think of them? Those door stopper spring set ups look interesting, and I do remember seening them used on Nipissing. I doubt I'll make one any time soon, but others checking things out definitely will. The 8" auger will be fine, and keep my hopes of a big fish up. I young enough and in decent enough shape to have a little harder work drilling the holes. I think I'll be fine.

Owen Sound Crappie Tire(CT)...not Port....carries the Red Wing Flourocarbon

True that about Port CT....needs a big update and the town needs a few more things, like competent police who'll pull over some traffic that race through the town or build a by pass of the town(dam bad drivers in the area) The Hydro 500 every day is crazy and rarely do you see anybody pulled over. Also a 24hr grocery store would be nice......KINCARDINE is much better, except not as close to the Geen...but in between the Maitland and Geen is okay. I'm a transplanted Kincardinite in Port...... Owen Sound Port carries RedWing brand flourcarbon tippet line...which is very nice!!!! I like it the best and always thought I had to pick it up in the city, but OS carries it and has a decent selection of fishing gear. Not as good as North Bay, but pretty good.