Gator

Got one already or I'd jump on it. You're right, best cam out there.

One idea I've heard is to move the youth hunt to the Saturday and Sunday prior to gun season, then use a traditional Monday opener for the rest of us. But I'm guessing that DEC realizes having people in the woods shooting at the deer WILL cause a change in their behavior, and that this would lead to a greatly reduced harvest (since ~40% of deer are harvested on opening weekend). Since hunting is a management tool (right??) DEC won't allow this to happen. The fact that it is happening Columbus Day weekend is tacit recognition that there will be an impact. I truly believe that if you have to bribe a kid with his own hunt to get him/her into the woods, then I don't want them there anyway. The kids I know who hunt don't need incentive...just another example of the government trying to micromanage EVERYTHING. I'd like to incentivize them staying the he!! out of my life. And yeah, I've got an eleven year old daughter who "hunts" with me, so I'm not just some old grump protecting his turf. Like Chris said above though, this is just my opinion, and, like armpits, everybody has them and most of them stink

I agree with Landshark. It seems like there's lots of issues to fix beyond the scoreboard. Although I've got to admit, the computer/projector/white sheet combo at the Shootout was pretty slick, and relatively easy to set up, to boot. A good friend of mine once told me, "Don't sweat the petty stuff...pet the sweaty stuff". 'Nuff said.

What a crappy day...I'm in the same boat, with a lab that's nearing 13...any day now I expect to be in your shoes, the signs are there. It's a tough thing to go through, but hang in there. You've got a lot of brothers here on the board that feel for you.

20 lb Flea Flicker is what's on our rigger rods. The 30 lb twists too much, IMHO.

I've spent my entire life a Bill's fan. I marched halftime at one of their games back in the early '80s. And over that whole period, there was one brief foray where the fans had a real team to cheer. My entire life...I guess hope springs eternal. Maybe they'll turn it around. I'm so tired of saying that, it makes me want to puke.

Tony Childs at Eyefull builds spiral wrap rods, but they're expensive compared to your off-the-shelf stuff. I haven't seen any of the major brands sporting spiral wraps. If you go the custom route, you can get whatever you want made...Batson, Lamiglas, MHX blanks, etc... I built a couple of spiral wrap rods this year, but didn't notice too much difference in the few times I ran them. Supposedly they have less tendency to twist. I am fast becoming convinced however, that 7' rods are the way to go. So much easier to set and work around.

If you decide to go with the Down East, give me a shout. I have a pair of track mounts that we used on the boat, and we universally hate them. Having the butt of the rod sticking into the cockpit is a kiss of death for your "you-know-what" when you go running for a rigger rod...they're just the right height We have both Berts and Cannon on the boat, both in the track, and I think that the vote goes to the Cannon for now. I can't speak to their durability, since the Cannons are new this year, but they are easier to move up and down with their one-handed pistol grip. The other issue that I have with the Berts is that on hard turns if the wire pulls enough, the inside rod holder can ratchet up into a vertical position on its own. Scared the crap out of us the first time it happened! Not a dealbreaker by any means, but the difference between brands when it comes to rod holders is measured in millimeters...they're all pretty good.

Wish I had the recipe. It was one of those "mixes" that I got as a present one year, I think it came from Maine. You added fresh corn, potatoes, cream and whatnot, along with smoked salmon. Got to tell you, if I could remember where it came from I'd order a bunch of it. That was the finest chowder I ever tasted.

I have frozen it vacuum sealed, and it's okay but loses some of the texture. Still, it worked fine for mixing with cream cheese and in corn/potato chowder.

Is this L. Ontario memorabilia? Was one of these the rig that Kurt used to catch the 34 lb slob? Do they come with the patented Gambler lake trout mojo? Inquiring minds want to know

Well, it wasn't the worst day ever, but it sure wasn't on fire either. We started our troll right out in front and just kept heading West in 85-105 fow. The marks got better as we made it past Devil's Nose, but a couple miles past Eagle Harbor the traffic from the Oak scared us back East. We were four-for-six with two of us on board running two divers, two riggers and a copper down the chute, pretty much all rigged with some version of white flasher/SD. Two kings, two nice steelhead and two hard rips. The temp got colder the further West we went. This may have been the last trip of the year for us, except for a brief foray to calibrate the new Raymarine X-10 autopilot that's being installed. For those in the marina, just a heads-up: Bruce told us that due to the low water, all boats have to be out by October 1st.

Wait a second? There's an option to wearing the same shirt three days in a row? I only take one pair of clothes and just burn them when I'm done. Of course, I don't get invited on many fishing trips anymore...

Tuna Tom has some instructions on his website...parts, step-by-step, etc...for at least one model reel. I think that his intent is to demonstrate that it's a complicated process, but, hey, why not give it a go, right?

Since screws are fairly inexpensive, I'll most likely try the thumb screws first and keep an eye on them to make sure they don't back out. Most of the use they'll see will be flat water, since it's for my 17' Lund (Gator's Den) rather than Nothing but Net, and if there's an issue with loosening, then I'll go the socket route. Triple S uses the socket for his mount and I know it works well for him, too...maybe I'm trying to "save a couple of seconds" lol, and probably over-thinking it to boot.

Anybody have a source for thumb screws to attach a Big Jon planer board mast to the mounting plate on the boat? I know a buddy that uses hex head bolts, but I'd rather be able to do it by hand.

Remember that you're going to need curtains for at least the front and side of any non-glass enclosed hardtop that you add (more $$$). Frankly, we have a hardtop and it makes very little difference in terms of "storage" on our Wellcraft. I do like the rod holders up top and the ability to mount our planer reels there, but I think that Great Lakes Planers makes some stand-alone arches that incorporate both of those things, and that may be a cost-effective solution at ~$1200.

I see that somebody bumped it from the top...nice run though! I finally watched the video and fell out of my chair laughing at you guys. Or maybe with you guys

Wasn't there a behemoth near 40 lbs that was caught off the Niagara maybe ten years ago? On a jig too, if I'm not mistaken. That's the only other one that I can remember (which isn't saying much...).

A couple miles West of Sandy Creek, just past Hamlin Beach State Park.

Our own Kobe Catcher is not too bad at snagging the silver fish, either His king was leading the Orleans derby for awhile, and I think it will end up 3rd or so, and he was the top amateur boat in the Sandy Creek Shootout behind Yankee, Rebel, and Trout-N-About. Not bad company to be keeping... If he ever moves up from his beloved 22' (heretofore known as "Chicken Coop"), watch out!

The CG 90 DR is the heaviest rod in the Lamiglas "Classic Glass" lineup and may be suited to pulling Dipsy Divers as well as downriggers. However, that's really a matter of preference. Mine would be to run the CG 86 MHC on the downriggers at this time of year and the CG 82 DR earlier in the year. I don't fish these rods, but have heard very good things about them as well.

The CG 90 DR is the heaviest rod in the Lamiglas "Classic Glass" lineup and may be suited to pulling Dipsy Divers as well as downriggers. However, that's really a matter of preference. Mine would be to run the CG 86 MHC on the downriggers at this time of year and the CG 82 DR earlier in the year. I don't fish these rods, but have heard very good things about them as well.

Yeah, that is the only knock on the Saltists, the position of the linecounter. I have no idea why they went to such a goofy setup when the old 47s linecounters were fine. I guess I don't notice it as much now as I did when the reels were new, and it never bothered me much to begin with, but a few weeks ago I had a bruise on my wrist and I certainly noticed it on that day. I managed to get mine for $125 from a vendor off ebay this past winter, but it was a funny thing because the vendor is one of those places that are almost always more expensive than anywhere else. They only had the cheap price for about two weeks...I think during that time a couple guys from here took advantage of the tip that I posted. I've never seen anything even close to that price since then. You won't regret buying them. We've been slowly switching over and a couple of other guys (Silver Fox and Gambler for starts) are doing the same. Don't get me wrong, I love my Tekotas too, especially since having tournament drags installed by Tuna Tom, but you shouldn't have to put a different drag system into a brand new reel, just to get it near what you consider acceptable....

I'm insured with State Farm and when stuff got ripped out of my truck they cut me a check for something like 80% of replacement value immediately, then the rest when I provided a receipt that I'd actually replaced the stuff. No complaints. Also, no experience with any other companies...