woodenboater

Sorry to hear about your donation to the Grand River My next point and shoot may be this. not cheap but would rock for fishing or canoe trips. http://bit.ly/oFJABK

bloody hardcore, I salute you sir !

Not pointing to this specific case but I think we should be aware of and fight for issues beyond our own borders. We need to help others in their battles if we are ever to expect/hope for outside help in our battles. There may come a time when there's an issue, oh let's say the Mega Quarry for example, that has no effect whatsoever on someone in another province but they see this as a bigger picture issue where Ontarians could use the support of others. Could be us today and who knows who tomorrow kinda thing. If people outside BC didn't care, then Clayoquot Sound might not be what it is today and MacBlo may well have cleared it outright. I believe fisherman, as people benefitting from the outdoors and also giving back to it, need to offer our support (not blindly of course) to those seeking to protect the environment we work/ play in.

Interesting thing about cc and online payments. Years ago when I was phobic about using my cc online, I relayed this information to the csr on the phone. They told me that they appreciated that but they were going to turn around and go online to finish my transaction anyways. So now I make sure I'm on a secure site and every now and then, cross my fingers. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to spot (I check my bank acc'ts online) and dispute any fishy transactions and a good cc company will monitor your usage. I've been called by my cc company asking about overseas transaction while travelling in Australia. Made me feel good someone or some software was keeping an eye on things. So basically, if you're on the phone with a sales rep, chances are, your deal is being transacted online so you might as well cut out the middle man and do it yourself.

agree with Wayne, look at the fine print of your electricals. Most are dual voltage and do away with the need to get a step down transformer but you may still need adapters for the outlets however. btw, I thought an OFCN member recently went down to Cuba ? they would have up to date info.

I think you may have Kickingfrog on this point if you are indeed at the speed limit. There is however, the law and what is courteous. Taking up the middle lane, as I see it from my years on the road, forces drivers to either go inside or outside to pass and this can be unsafe if you have twitchy/nervous drivers around you. If the right lane is wiiiide open, I'll take it and set the cruise. As a rule, I don't take the middle and stay there the entire trip. have fun in Sin City and make sure you hit Battistas Hole in the Wall

My guess would be Salus had made them to order or this is a stocked special order vest for srts etc.. Every time a manufacturer makes or mods a pfd, they're made to jump through so many hoops it's a wonder they even bother. This vest is a bit more than a rescue vest that you or I could buy at a shop.

Several friends who are moving water instructors wear Salus products and they have nothing but good to say about them, I believe they're a Cdn company as well. I was looking at some of their vests but settled on Stohlquist, who also make rescue vests. These appear to be made specifically for rescue technicians, similar to North Water Rescue gear. That price is pretty accurate going from my experience with professional grade vest and in fact may be priced on the low side.

It'd be bold to keep something they don't need and the fire dept does.They're probably keeping them as a "souvenir" which if so, is totally off in my books.

Moonlight Bay Cottages on the French is a nice place. You've got a decent set of water to explore going upstream and down. Not that far from Sudbury if the family needs a break or you need to refresh supplies. Nice beach to spread out and soak up the sun if people are into that. If you go to Wolseley, beware the rocks there in low water, real prop busters if you don't know the water.

Last time I was in Alberta, I was absolutely floored by the winter drivers there. 130km on the highway with numerous black ice patches, with cars in ditches everywhere. Then there were the drivers passing those slow movers hauling prefab homes to the Fort, with "inches" to pass, on the same icy roads. in the dark. In this case, it seems if there wasn't a centre furrow, this accident might not have happened. His tires dug in and...

Wasn't trying to call you out Mike and I'm not judging you, just making a remark about the comment. but yes, a pm mighta been a better way to go still a really horrible accident and it started so quickly.

No offense Mike but 'bananas' is not the appropriate term I would ascribe to this accident. I think it's safe to presume that at least one person died in this accident and but for the panel van he bounced off, the truck would have ended up in the ditch. Tragic yes, bananas, no.

Reading all this, I have no idea how spending money in the states, tax free, is helping our economy. The cynical would say this is a covert way to keep wages low, if our dollar can be stretched then we don't need proper, fare wages. Kinda like shopping at the Big Blue store with greeters. People can cross border shop with fewer taxes, but at what cost to our communities ?

^ This. Can only hurt border towns even more.

yup, not going to be any moving that table over to make room for aunt madge. massive beams for the seat, tree must have been impressive.

Tbh, I've never really heard the knee chest thing applied to whitewater paddling except for going over drops. A lot depends on the speed of current and depth of water. If it's only a foot or two, I have no probs/issues standing up and have done so on trips. I also paddle with people whom I trust with my life and they trust me with theirs. Anything waist high and over, yes, you're getting into troublesome territory with foot entrapments. Trees, trunks and limbs and such are another matter and are more of a worry to me than foot entrapments. Getting caught in a sieve/strainer can and has killed, so avoidance is the primary goal if one encounters a tree fallen across a fast moving river. Of course, the above may not neccesarily apply to wading on a trout stream or river but understanding river morphology is important for safety and for understanding where your finned prey like to hang out. Sorry I've strayed OT from waders and safety

No experience with waders and air but I do with drysuits. If one forgets to 'burp' their drysuit, then much of the air in the suit could end up trapped below your pfd. Not a good thing as it means the air will bring your feet and legs up, exactly what you don't want to happen. Before I get in my canoe, I wade into waist deep water, crouch down and pull back my neck seal a bit to let the air escape. Kinda makes for a cling wrap but it expels most of the air. Pretty well all my paddling friends do likewise. So I'm guessing air in waders and a very tight belt *could* do similar but that's just a guess. and yeah Doc, most fisherman aren't going to go over a pourover/drop, I was kinda on a roll typing things up and couldn't stop

and if one finds oneself about to go over a small drop, let's say anything over 7 feet, tuck when you go over for the same reason as above. When I was learning oc boating, we called it the holy s^#t position feet up pointing downstream so you can use your feet to push off any rocks that decide to impede your progress. And if you find yourself in swift water, angle feet AWAY from the shore you want to aim for and make haste. If the water is squirrely, barrel roll your way past tough eddy lines/fences. And if one finds oneself heading downstream through wave troughs, time your breaths at the peak and breathe through clenched teeth so you minimize water intrusion. lastly, I know it's not something waders will bring with them but I consider a waist worn throw bag as good safety equipment. Salamander makes a very slim one that I love for whitewater. Used properly, could make an event unpleasant vs scary.

yep, what John asks. Came from life of corporate Blackberry and then moved to corp iPhone (not much choice). For pure business, BB wins hands down. Keyboard: while it may seem a minor thing, is HUGE diff for those who actually need to bang out clean sentences. BB battery life is much better than iPhone battery life. small things like the tally light that lets you know when you have messages, being able to assign individual tones/alerts to contacts so you know when an important email or call is incoming. If you're a consumer of media, yeah, the iPhone, and probably Galaxy will be better. More apps ( if that actually means anything to you). I do like the map on the iPhone (shows traffic conditions, red for pooched, green for smooth sailing). iPhone camera is way better than BB as well. Sorry, I know I've compared the iPhone instead of the Galaxy as that's what I have experience with and presume the Ace will be similar to the Apple product. For me it would boil down to what your intended use will be for the device.

Actually, once you get used to the tumpline, it's quite a decent way to carry heavy loads. By pulling on the tumpline , you can take some pressure off your forehead every now and then if needed. Once does tend to march along a bit bent over however Happy trails, you're going to like your Ostrom !

I'm not tjsa nor do I stay at Holiday Inn Express but Frost River and Duluth are fundamentally different in how they're meant to be carried. While Ostroms can be used with a tump, they're really meant to be used with the shoulder straps and waist belt in conjunction with the internal frame set up. Frost and Duluth are imo, not going to be the most comfortable with heavy loads unless you use a tump as the main weight bearing point. You can carry a ridiculous amount of weight with a tump but some people just can't used to them. I use tumplines if I need to haul a couple of heavy packs over the carry. All will last a loong time and canvas and leather will get better with age, esp the leather shoulder straps. I believe the enduring popularity of the canvas packs is due in part to the tradition of their use in the BWCA/ Quetico PP. That and the fact that they just look so damn nice. My money would be spent on Ostroms, try and catch him at a canoe show to try them out and have a chat with them.

thanks Sinclair ! Just gotta decide on Curado E7 on ebay or new Chronarch at Lebaron. Then I hafta match it up with a stick...sigh

Looking at getting a baitcaster this year and this thread has been extremely helpful. Have one kinda OT question though. If I could only get one reel for cranks and spinnerbaits, would I be better with a high or low ratio ? I'm a lefty looking at Curados or Chronarchs. tia WB

my last word (ha ha) The fire dept report stated "...that there was not evidence of good judgment being used by the fishermen when they went out on the ice..." Personally, that's all I need to know. Also from the same story, and for those who may not have actually read it... "The township adopted a fees and charges bylaw two years ago to deter people from taking unnecessary risks on the lake, but it had never been enforced." Perhaps things will change next season if an example has been set and if not, they shouldn't whinge when the get a bill.