Bernie

Art, the next card will be for a boaters license .

No, no turnover. Not a lot of fish to speak of either. If there were as many in the French as there used to be why would they travel many miles to get them now? Sorry Raf, honestly wish you were correct in your judgment...but you are not.

Hiya Wayne, good to see you on again. I will have to wait to get home before I load those videos. Looking forward to seeing them.

OK, until this point I have remained somewhat silent about the Nipissing debacle. I pretty much live on the lake on an island here and have done so for 53 years. I pay attention to what goes on. I don't fish as much as it is so frustrating now. Sorry to upset anyone but the truth needs to be heard at some point. Nipissing has a fairly large surface area(873.3 km2). While most of this area can harbor fish of most species, pickerel stay mostly in areas of feed, rocky shoals, sandbars and weed beds. These are the areas where the fish are easy to target, especially with the use of modern equipment such as sonar and GPS. Yes, sometimes you see reports of a member here doing well, but believe me, there was a time when it was easy to do, even without the use of fancy gear. Just go to your favorite spot and catch dinner. The lake has had fisherman on it for over a century and the numbers have been sustained for a good many of them. In recent years ice fishing has seen a significant increase in the numbers of fish huts located on these areas. But this has taken place after the most significant decline in fish numbers (according to me and my experience, not on the "experts"). Summertime fishing is a mere fraction of it's past. Even on long weekends on the main lake you have to look hard for another boat. There was a time that netting did not take place at the south end of the lake as it was too far to travel and there were enough fish to sustain the small amount of nets that were used near the reserve. But an increase of nets soon brought the French River fish population down and they soon started in other areas. Netting is usually done at night. Treaties were made in a time of no motorized equipment and technologies. Why if times have changed can we also not change the context in which these agreements were made? They have a person who "looks after" fish populations and they report all is well. This person is paid by the natives? Fox in charge of the henhouse the old saying goes. What really gets me is each Spring, the natives have a "moratorium" and stop netting for a couple weeks. Thing is, the ice is breaking up and it is difficult or impossible to net anyway, but it creates a feel good story in the local newspaper. Netting in oceans is depleting populations there, how can we reasonably expect that a small freshwater lake can sustain it? Ok, you asked for it, there it is in a nutshell.

As a kid, over 40 years ago, there were a lot more people fishing. Tourists were everywhere, fishing lodges were always full. Yet the fishing remained excellent. About 10 years ago or so, something changed, I will let you figure out what. Now the fishing here is dismal in comparison. And don't believe what the so called expert reports say. It's a crock of baloney. If the present trend continues the fishery will be over for everyone on the lake.

Ha. I noticed the stats went up on the poll after the win last night. Win one game and they make the playoffs. Sorry guys and gals, my optimism has gone to almost zero after years of cheering them on. I refuse to believe or support them anymore until management actually proves they want to win rather than make money.

I have long been a fan of Lowrance/Eagle but I am disappointed in their platinum map of Nipissing. Some islands are completely missing on the map. So what about the shoals and rocks, are they there or not? Can't trust it. I have a Garmin Rino hand held with the actual chart of Nipissing on it and is very accurate. Just too small to see at speed. I must say that my Lowrance LMS 5200C has a very good sonar though, very pleased with that. I am going to investigate the Garmin combo unit for next summer.

I know of a couple of good talented fellows that are scamming the scammers. Keeping them on a string of convincing emails. I have seen the results. While the dollar amount isn't large it is given to charity. it's funny as hell to see how they do it.

Yer kinda a handy guy aintcha? Good thinking there fella. Make the trip to the other side of the lake next spring Randy and we will try it out.

Well written report Rich, the pictures are good too. Too bad the weather and the fishing didn't cooperate well. Glad to hear your Dad is doing OK. There is always next year, hopefully the water levels will be back to normal. Nipissing did come up about 4 inches this week with the last rainfall.

Glad you found it Brian. For replacement brake line I am now using an iron free material. It's easier to work with as well, bends and flares great. It's a little more money but it is a final fix.

No debate? OK, if you say so JB. Some minds are too closed to listen anyway.

I'm not sure Johnny, care to enlighten me?

Nothing to collapse Brian. Brake lines are all under pressure when applied. There is a devise called a combination valve mounted below the master cylinder in the brake lines that may have shut off the flow of fluid to prevent further leakage Brian. Not sure what year your F150 is. There will be a single line that runs along the inner part of the frame on the drivers side to the rear. On F150s the line usually lets go between the fuel tank and the frame. This is due to the moisture staying in that area longer. Sometimes the fluid leak will trace itself along the fuel tank and be difficult to see.

Brian, the fluid is going somewhere. Look closely at all the brake lines, sometimes the fluid can hide itself in framework and will take a while to run out. Have someone depress the brakes while observing under the vehicle. If that is OK then check at the rear drums (if it has them) and backing plates for wet areas. It may have developed a leak at the wheel cylinder. Next look at the calipers for a piston leak. Although it still could be a master cylinder I doubt it. Usually in a hard brake application it is a rusted brake line or a blown hose. While I am at it here folks I might as well remind you all to have your brake lines inspected, especially if you live in an area where road salt is used. We are replacing brake lines in vehicles that are rusted out that are only 4 or 5 years old. It could be manufacturers are using cheap line but I think it is more likely the liquid road salt that is now being used in Ontario.

Congratulations Joey and Paul. Very happy for the both of you.

I think maybe I will troll for muskie today.

Probably more important to change the filter than the oil. When filters get plugged the oil bypasses the filter element inside it. Then you end up with unfiltered oil being pumped through the engine. Many rebranded oils are now being made with specific additives being added into the oil to suit manufacturers. All oils are not necessarily the same, use oil that has specifications your manufacturer specifies. Just because it is 5w30 (or whatever it calls for) doesn't mean it has the proper rating, such as SF, SG, SJ and so forth. So make sure the oil has at least the minimum requirement specified in your owners manual. As with motor oils, many oil filters are not the same either. Cheap filters often will use filter material and bypass components that are not as well made. Take a new quality filter and a cheap one and feel the difference in weight. I only use quality filters (usually made by WIX or Purolator and rebranded for others)

That sucks G. I'd love to catch them They must know you are asleep at 8 PM too.

Thanks for the advise Dr. Joe. I think there are a couple of shriveled up lemons from the May trip in the fridge. There may be some vitamins left in them. Think we might be able to get some florescent pink marshmallows that glow in the dark for the next trip?

I was....15 years ago. Will that help? Now I operate an auto repair shop.

Hey Joe, thanks for the cold. At least I get it now and not in hunting season.

Thanks for the fun guys. Always a good time. Thanks Joey. Next sheephead I get I will cook it to see if the seagulls will eat it. They don't eat them raw. How good can they be if a seagull won't eat it? Them marshmallows worked pretty good Great job on the report Cliff !

Some good advise has been given so far. A shut off vehicle uses energy from the battery. Clocks, computers and normal battery discharge will drain a battery in a month. A car battery is not designed to be drawn down in charge, each time it happens it takes life out. Also an alternator is not designed to charge a dead battery, it is designed only to maintain a state of charge. You can damage the alternator due to overheating it. Always charge a dead battery with a charger. Also check the drive belt to make sure it isn't slipping as a hard working alternator takes a lot of energy to turn. With the vehicle shut off, doors closed, all accessories off and at rest for 20 minutes the drain on the battery should not be more than 25 to 35 milliamps. I also suspect it is the battery itself that is faulty but some quick tests could prove that wrong. NEVER disconnect a battery when a vehicle is running.

Kumho KW19 are a very good tire for that purpose. That's what is on my wife's Caravan and many of my customers. Tougher than a Blizzak for tread wear as well.