kennyman

AHHHH. Very good to know. I caught a bunch of bass right there on what I thought was the last day (Sept 30th) before the change. So for that little stretch and I believe up to 500 feet past the bridge you can still fish AND use live bait???

Don't really know what to say,other than I feel for you. It's terrible when these things happen. Just surround yourself with people who love you and loved him and remember the happy times that you had with him. Count your blessings and be thankful for all the time you were lucky to have shared with him.

With that kind of luck it sounds like you had me with you LOL. Could've been worse. At least you hooked into a few.

Paris great for fishing. Now the area from the dam to the high level bridge is a sanctuary until November 1st. Your pic is just past there isn't it?

If it was welded properly there will be no problem. We (family shop) just sent an aluminum racing cylinder head (BBC) away to be welded and you should have seen it. Just nasty!!! When it comes back it will function perfectly on a 1200 (at least) horsepower motor. That is the beauty of aluminum. Less weight and completely repairable. Had that happened to a cast head it would already be in the garbage. Just check to see if it was done correctly (maybe by a welding shop?) and you'll be fine Cliff.

Wow, that is fantastic Cliff. Nice to see you get your first big one. I'm still a big muskie virgin. Someday I'll pop that cherry and I'll be smiling just as big as you bud, Nice going. You are becoming one deadly angler!!

Awesome day Rich. Looks like you had a blast. Love the colours on the MONSTER gator. I've only caught one little gator all year. "Me thinks me needs a bigga one". Nice going bud.

Muskie bait eh??? Is that like a waterskiing hampster???

I'm no pro, but my favorite lure is a Storm chug bug. Caught bass,panfish and even walleye on that one. Conditions have to be calm for me to fish a chug bug. In the river with current I'll throw a mepps #3 chartreuse/black, a blue fox #4 perch patterned or a spinner bait, usually white/chartreuse. In the pads I'll throw a weedless #2 hook with a worm weight on top and a purple ribbon tail worm (approx. 5"). In the Long Point back bays I'll throw a Cordell Ripplin Redfin blue/chrome or any perch patterned lipless crankbait. I have quite a few Rapalas, but I haven't got them to work as well for me yet. I've had mild success with a HJ-5 (silver), but I'm still figuring them out. I think it's more operator error than anything.

Since I was researching this topic and came across this great article I thought I'd share it with ya'll. Here's the link http://www.utoronto.ca/ski/water/faq/btdrivetrain.html . Happy reading.

Brantford here too. I had no idea there were this many members from Brantford and Paris. Very cool.

That is awesome (mom tubing LOL). I had an elderly gentlemen come in the store a couple years ago looking for parts for a 427 big block chevy (it was NASTY too... easy 500hp!). Curious, I asked him what he had this in and he said a flat bottom boat, then proceeded to go grab some pics out of his truck of him standing this thing right up. I was shocked. I asked him how fast he had it and he replied 104mph. I grinned from ear to ear and asked if I could shake his hand. Boy, I hope I'm like that when I'm in my eighties.

Thanks guys for the great detailed answers. Some of you took ALOT of time in responding and it's greatly appreciated. Sorry I took a little longer to reply this time. I came down with a nasty cold yesterday and am under the influence of Neo Citron right now. Thanks to everyone here I learned a fair bit and can hopefully make a better,more informed choice. . I guess now (thanks to you guys) I'm leaning towards either an 80's bowrider with an outboard or a 16 foot aluminum with a decent outboard. I guess a Starcraft aluminum bowrider with a good sized outboard would fit the bill very well. Anyway, thanks guys. IF anyone out there has more advice/suggestions please don't be shy.

Hmmm, that does sound like an incredible combo. Only $500 in maintenance?? WOW!! You gotta like that!!! What model of Starcraft is it? Is this just like a utility boat or finished? Console,floor etc? Just trying to get an idea of what power versus weight is required to pull a skier or tube. 35mph is definetely respectable too. All I'd ever need. Thanks Sinker.

This has entered my mind, but the bowrider would be great with the kids. I still haven't completely ruled it out though. Anyone else have anything to offer?Please voice your opinions. Inboard or outboard? Why? What the best of the era I'm looking at? Worst?

The banks win both ways on that one. You should have tried to buy it back ten seconds later. They would have charged you $20.80 to get it back LOL.

My favorite is a Northam Fishing perch patterned, but I switch to my bright orange in murky water or a cheap black one at night. Wish I had the new "Rattlin Black Perch" spinnerbait I just found on their website for that. AND it's a Canadian company.

Great guys. This is exactly the type of information I need. I wasn't really thinking about how much water the I/O would draw. I was taking into account the depth of the hull etc. and I was going to stay away from the really deep boats, not just for the clearance,but for the ease of fishing too. I was thinking that with a fairly shallow hulled I/O you could just trim up and sneak around the shallower areas. This is exactly why I posted this question. I would have thought myself that an I/O although a real pain in the arse to work on, would be more reliable. On the flip side I had no idea an OMC was "death". One of the boats I noticed for sale (and kind of have a crush on LOL) is a 1980 Caravelle bowrider that has a 120 HP, 4 cyl OMC Stringer Stern Drive. He claims the lower unit has less than 50 hours on it since rebuild. I guess it's still unreliable?? Next thing. If you had to pick an outboard of this era, what would you buy?What HP? Are some known for being bulletproof (like my little 9.9 Evinrude)? Okay in response to some of the posts. Mike The Pike. I have a Buick Roadmaster station wagon (350 engine) that I tow with so powerwise it's probably okay, but I probably wouldn't want to submerse the back of it (like I've seen pickups do when they go a little too far).Are they (I/O) that much heavier?What? Maybe 200 pounds?As far as a brand new, I'd love one (drool,drool) .... but I'm afraid,that's not in the cards.Cliff- I don't have a trailer, but if you're interested in a very reasonable tinny setup,let me know.. Jedimaster- You're boat looks awesome, but maybe a little hard to fish out of with the wraparound coming so far back and then the sides behind that are tall as well. Looks really sporty and I guess if you fished mostly from the front it'd be okay. Very "sexy" though. Besides $4000 is out of my price range. Tip upesox- Can I ask you what I/O has been so reliable for you? Fifteen years is a pretty good record.. Keep the responses coming guys. The more opinions the better. I don't want to buy something and regret it later. Most everyone here has a boat and has gone through a few to get to the one they like. Let me know what you like/dislike about any of them. Thanks,Ken.

Sounds like outboards are more popular here. What about reliability? Mileage?I mean in a perfect world I'd be getting a newer four stroke, but reality suggests if I go outboard it'll be a two-stroke again.

What a beautiful looking fish (the bass ain't bad either). Thanks for posting. Did you get her on the North,South,East or West part of the bog?

I'm really wanting to upgrade from my twelve foot tinny and 9.9 Evinrude (I'll post it here for sale soon) . I had the wife and my two kids in it on vacation and it's just too small to fish out of. So, I've decided to look for an older (80's) bowrider. That way, we can fish out of it and use it for a little fun for the kids (ages 9 & 12) as well. My question is that when I'm looking I see very similar boats (in the $2500-$3500 range) that look like they'll suit my purpose fine, but with completely different drivelines. Some have a normal outboard (anywhere from 70-150 HP- usually Mercs) and other have an inboard/outboard setup (usually 110 or 120HP with an OMC drive typically). What should I buy??? I'm looking for opinions??? What would you do??? Why?? Thanks guys.

I'm soooooo jealous!!! Way to go. Beauty fish slowpoke!!! Someday my day will come (fingers crossed). I just hope I have a camera ready.

I am far from a genius when it comes to fishing, but IMHO, live bait is live bait and there's nothing better in clear water. Now, in murky water, you may want something with a litttle flash (or colour) to let them know you're even there. I've caught on both, but to me live bait (usually minnows for me) is hard to beat. As far as plastics go I seem to have the best luck with the Gulp orange and brown twister tails (anywhere) or a ribbon worm in the pads for largies. That's just what works for me (wife and kids too).

ICK!!! I can't imagine eating the gobies. The feel like rubber coming off a hook. Did you eat any???

I'm going to say 107. Can't wait to get me "Muskies Suck" book LOL.