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Instead of spraying the area make up some "sweet baits" for them to enjoy while you are fishing then remove them when you leave. Mix 3 tablespoons of boric acid with 1 cup of warm water, and ½ a cup of sugar should make an appropriate solution that can either be put in a shallow dish for ants to get to or soaked up in cotton balls and set plastic around the nest. They will go back to the nest with the bait on them & kill there buddies in the colony.

I didn't read where you stated the make & size of motor (of course my eye sight sux ). Most outboard's (non-electronic) fuel pump housing is connected to the fuel line coming from the tank. There's usually the fuel filter then the check valves then the diaphragm. Plus there's a few gaskets. It would be a good investment for you to buy a repair manual that's for your specific make of motor. Replacing the impeller isn't that difficult. The hard part is putting it back together.

To see if it's a fuel problem, disconnect the fuel line from the carb, pump the primer bulb to see if you have a good flow (be sure to put the end of the hose in something to catch the gas). If the flow is good then crank the motor over to check the flow again to see if the fuel pump is working. If the flow isn't good when doing that then check the diaphragm in the fuel pump. Any small hole or crack in the diaphragm will give you problems. If you replace the diaphragm replace the check valves while you are at it. To clean the carb it's best to remove it to clean it. If you don't want to go through all that try putting some Seafoam in the gas. That stuff works great for getting carbs clean & removing carbon build-up. Another cleaner you can try is Valvtect De-Carb or Carbon Free. The Valvtec stuff cost twice as much as the Seafoam but it works great as well. Most auto places should carry Seafoam. If the problem isn't fuel related then it's probably a bad power pack, rectifiers (not on all O/B's), or ignition coil.

Awesome job.

I like brighter & lighter colors early in the season & dark colors late in the season.

A friend of mine had a Lowe 175 FM, which is the same boat as the fish & ski but without the walk through windshield. It's a good boat as long as you don't plan to take it out on the big water. My buddy had his out on Lake St. Clair in May of '07 & ended up with 5 cracks in the bow from running across the lake in 1 to 2 footers. All the cracks were on the welds.

Nice job painting those jigs. Did you use a fluid bed to paint them? I just started painting my own walleye jigs this year with a fluid bed. Using the fluid bed uses less paint & gives a nice even coat. I use a heat gun to get out any imperfections then put them in the toaster oven to cure them.

I wouldn't recommend FL Crystal to anyone. That line frays something awful. It casts good but that's about it. The other super lines are more sensitive and thinner in the same test rating.

What? The highest price I've seen in the Detoit area was $3.69/gal. I paid $3.52 last night.

I just bought a 25 HP Merc 4-stroke from Cabelas Bargin Cave. I never thought I would buy a 4-stroke but I couldn't pass up the deal I got. A new 2006 (display model) for $2,425 US. New retail is $3,400. So far I love the motor. It's quite, runs so smooth & it sips gas compared to my old 2-stroke.

That's a sweet boat. Congrats. That's my dream boat. You are a lucky guy to have it.

If you're using it on St. Clair & Erie then I would stay away from welded boats. I know 3 guys that have/had welded boats (Lowe, Crestliner, & Tracker) that got cracks at the welds last year. Welded boats are bad news on the ruff water that you get on St. Clair & Erie. Welded aluminum doesn't like vibration or flexing. Boat companies went to welding because it cost them less for labor compared to a riveted boat. When you look at other riveted boats of the same size as that tracker you will notice that the riveted boats have a higher HP rating. If you don't want to spend the $$$ for a Lund, look into Alumacraft boats. They are an independently owned company & you can get any brand motor that you want with it. I've been looking at buying the Dominator 175 or Navigator 175.

LookinforWalleye, What size & year is your Navigator? How do you like it? Hows it ride in choppy water? I've been thinking about upgrading to a Navigator 175. Here's my current boat. '86 SeaNymph 145 FM, w/35 HP Force.

My favorite fishing shows are: 1. Linder’s Angling Edge 2. Getting Hooked (I can only watch it online because we don’t get it here in Michigan) 3. The Bass Pros Another new show that started this year is Hook n, Look with B.A.S.S. pro Kim Stricker (on Versus). The show has a lot of underwater action with fish hitting the lure, fighting one another, spawning, how they relate to structure, etc. Kim also has 2 excellent DVD’s on smallmouth with a lot of underwater shots. Hook n' Look

Nice pike. Does a person need some type of license to serve food on the ice? I'd be a little concerned with the sanitary conditions with them not having running water to wash their hands & what not.

I was about to say I was in until I seen it was for ice fishing. I've been trying for the past few years to get my buddy to take a fishing trip up there with me but he keeps backing out. If you plan a summer trip up there send me a PM.

Abu Garcia Record is an excellent casting reel for musky. Cabelas sells flouro leaders made by Spro. Leaders

That's a nice score except the Fireline Crystal.

I wonder how much they charged the people to attend that seminar?

Looks like the spotted musky (Great Lakes Musky) in Lake St. Clair.

Nice fish Greg. I'm glad to see walleye caught in Simcoe. I read an article a few years ago that talked about how bad the walleye population had declined in Simcoe.

That sort of thing happens more than you think. I'm a tax compliance auditor for the State of Michigan & the amount of sales tax/income tax fraud that is practiced by convenience stores & gas stations is atrocious. When I’ve visited in Ontario I’ve witnessed the same thing as you. Sometimes when that happens it’s a disgruntled employee that ends up pocketing the money. There’s no record of the transaction so their register doesn’t come up short. I think any government charging tax on the purchase of used cars/trucks/boats etc. from a private party is unconstitutional. Another fine example of double taxation.

Here in Michigan the catch & release bass season starts April 26th. The regular season opens May 25th except on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River, & the Detroit River, which starts the same as the Ontario bass season (3rd Saturday in June I think). I'll be hitting Lake St. Clair for some C&R Bass first thing April 26th.

If you'll just be fishing small lakes then aluminum is fine. If you are fishing big water then fiberglass is the way to go. Last year I switched from fishing the small inland lakes to Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, & Lake Erie. I fished with several guys from another fishing site in an 18 foot Lund & an 18 foot Ranger walleye boat & I'll take the Ranger over the Lund. The ride in the Ranger was 10 times smoother & drier than the Lund. I liked the inside layout out of the Lund better but the ride is what sold me on the Ranger. I'm in the market for a new boat & I've found very little weight differences between fiberglass & aluminum boats of the same size. I've been looking at the Alumacraft Tournament 185 (1680#), Ranger 1860 Angler (1750#), & Stratos 385XF (1890#). The Ranger & Statos are 3 inches longer & 1-2 inches wider, have a deeper inside dept & rated for a higher HP. If you do go with aluminum stay away from welded boats if you'll be on big water. I know 3 guys that had cracked hulls in their welded aluminum boats last year while riding on Lake St. Clair (Lowe, Crestliner, Tracker boats).