Steve

It should be mentioned on this thread that Rapala always stands by their lure quality, replacing bunk lures without question. Their 2004-2005 Rapala Taildancer Production lures had some major paint flaking/chipping problems, but because they are a decent company, they got it fixed by 2006. Good Job Rapala!

More pictures of quality Rapala Components....And neither this lure, or the one pictured above, were caused by Salmon.....they were Trout! (salmon, i can understand lure manufacturers not making their hardware suitable for, but trout.....)

i use spinning reels on my rigger rods (personal preference) therefore i generally need all the line on the reels i can get.... because of that reason, i use 30lbs test, 8lbs diameter line, and attach a 8' flouro lead in 20lbs test as a leader. hope this helps. most folks will tell ya to use mono on your rigger, but if your using smaller reels, its nice having 30lbs test strength, with that small diameter.... heed the advice about setting your line deeper into the clips, as braid will come out easier than mono.

the thing I've personally noticed that puts luckycraft above rapala, well above rapala, is the quality of their split rings and treble hooks. you'll find, if you walk down the pier at bronte, or any north shore pier in teh fall, when the coho salmon are hoppin', the folks that are chucking body baits, Rapala's have to get their hooks and split rings changed..... Lucky Craft Dont. If your fishing for bass or walleye, its not really an issue.

charles, you were 100% correct when referring to the characteristics of a front wheel drive car. I launched my boat with my lumina front wheel car while i watched pickup trucks with no weight in the back slide all over the place....just like you mentioned. I'm sure ANYONE on here who has launched on the NIagara River in the winter has witnessed the same.... I felt really silly after waiting half an hour for a 1500 sized pickup to get their boat outta the water, only after putting 10 guys in the back of the truck....then i would pull up in my car, get the word "ya better be careful, you just saw what happened to me and my truck", then pull up, drive the boat onto the trailer, and because my front wheels were on the top of the launch, above the grade, i would just drive right up.... Had i had rear wheel drive, i would have been like all the 2 wheel drive trucks, and spin my rear wheels, that were right at the water's edge.... So yes, charles, what you observed is 100% dead on.

i should note, now that i read you have a gas outboard, most of the area's i listed above dont permit gas motors.... paddling or electric only.... however, you should have a gander at hamilton bay.....there has been some fish caught there in the last few years.

that is the perfect sized boat for the area's i mentioned. do u have access to an electric trolling motor for the back? thats too bad about your father not joining you as much.....my pops is my first and favorite fishing partner. maybe after he sees you bringing in the biggen's, he'll change his mind..... oh, and definitely stop into bills bait on upper james just before you go down the access....they have some serious local fishing experience, and will definitely get you onto some fish....

how big of a boat do u have? within half an hour of hamilton you have: Binbrook Conservation (tons of crappie, few bass and pike, but catch and release on everything but the crappie) Waterford (tons of ponds to play in, has some very large bass) Valens (pond with panfish, small pike, and decent bass) Montsburg (pond with hammerhandle pike, and some monster bass) Shades Mills (bigger pond with some nice smallies and small pike) Jordan Harbour (have to go in via the lake, but once in, tons of fun!) But your best bet to get into great fishing is to venture out onto the grand river, dont expect much your first six or seven trips.....but once you learn it (keep going to the same area, and learn it well), you'll find its some of the best fishing in Southern Ontario. What makes it good is you have to learn it, which keeps out the 'fly by nighters'. Have Fun!

its great that you got into a few lakers on the big pond.... we obviously made the wrong choice in going shallow....we fished water 12' to 30'.... didn't see or mark a thing.... soon my friend, Soon!!!!

i assume you were the guy trolling the river with the riggers until you disappeared into the lake? we left the river not long after you, into the lake towards weller. all our luck was in the river though. nice chatting with ya!

I suggest in the 80 dollar range a Shimano Clarus 8.5' medium-heavy.

Thanks Man! Yes, i put myself in a little debt, (paid 1/3 cash up front, 2/3 loan), but its the first time i've ever been in debt....i've always paid cash for my purchases (first lumina and boat).... I'm a little nervous, but excited at the same time.....no more worrying about if my vehicle is going to be able to pull my boat out of the water...... after sliding backwards into the niagara river in the Lumina Car....i knew it was time for an upgrade, lol. Congrats again on the purchase!!!!

great choice! Love the Colour i picked up this girl today. 03' Yukon SLT.

My boat faired ok last year for Walleye. I'll save you pics with my ugly mug, however, here's some guests holding some quality fish. Nothing beats getting a long time walleye guy onto their first 12+ pound fish.

I frequently backreel when fighting big kings off my rigger reels. i use Okuma Avenger 65 sized reels off the riggers, which are great spinning reels for riggers, however, i often find myself backreeling as i have as i dont have much trust in okuma drags. great tool for fighting big fish.

now 17lbs, thats a good'in. you wouldn't have a pic of it would ya? i've never seen a quinte fish that big. (unmounted) biggest i saw pictured in the last few years is the 15 lbs'er posted on this page right now..... what was the info on the biggin? length? girth? musta been a beaut!

i think that depends on what your going for....or what you consider 'worth it'? i'm heading there friday, i have a few larger purchases to make. its much better than the sportsman show, thats for sure. i enjoy meeting a lot of the great lakes distributors, and chatting with the folks who make our industry tick.

the guide to eating fish will allow you to keep crappie out of there for consumption, but have a look....they aren't the cleanest...i wouldn't be giving them to young children your your pregnant wife. it was only a few years ago that Binbrook was coated with sludge due to all the farm runoff that surrounds Lake Niapenco. That being said, smaller crappie are supposed to be ok to eat..... Btw, all other game fish are catch and release there. You might get lucky with a decent pike or walleye.

Holdfast, Consumer Reports rated the 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe a consumer best buy. So, its not just all about the imports.

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life...and the rising costs of a simple fishing trip, its easy to forget what fishing should be all about.....Smiles and Friendships. I took a step back in the year 2006, and simply had FUN! Here's some pics from 2006 highlighting some bright smiles and great friendships Here's to great friendships and tight lines in 2007! (time for the leafs game)

that was really sweet. Thanks for posting that. Neil is my favorite musician, and i had never seen that video before....made my day!

There are a few things about lucky craft lures that set them apart from most other cranks. They Will Run True at Fast Speeds Their Trebles and Split Rings are Top Notch (i use them for salmon without many issues) They can be ran at an ultra slow speed, and there is still some pretty good action to them many are weighed for long distance casting Are they worth the money? Probably not worth filling a massive box full of them. But they have found their way into my mix of tackle.....for staging kings off bronte, a friend of mine did very well with them.

listen to solopaddler, he speaks the truth. a frontier is not even a g loomis made blank.

It all boils down to if someone really wants to know where your fishing, they'll find out. I mean it doesn't even take pictures...just being part of an active board does it. You can be careful as you want, like CCMT, however, all it takes is reading his posts outside of fishing reports....chatting about his daughter with crazyhook, the beans were spilled....intentionally? of course not. as soon as someone makes a post, even without pictures, your opening up a chance of having your fishing spot fished.....

I know your busy right now, but thanks for taking the time to give us an update. Try your best to be strong right now. You have a great son whose strength is unparalleled. Take it easy my friend. Steve