Great job Mike

Mike W wrote:

Pool 2 contest is only a couple weeks out. Hope somebody is finding some better fish. I predict its going to take atleast a 25″ average to win.

Last year it took almost 26″ avg to win. The big ones were hungry that day.

I have a 16′ 1998 Lund Alaskan with a 40 hp Yamaha. Been running a 10 micron fuel filer since day one and I have a ton of hours on that rig with zero issues. Not sure what BK recommended but a Yamaha 10 micron fuel filer is what Yamaha recommends. I’d go with what Yamaha recommends if I were you.

I keep mine is in front of the motor where the bilge pump and battery are, which is out of the sun. Let me know if you want me to take a picture of it.

My brother has a 2002 carbed tiller. Never thought I was a dog. Hasn’t had many issues with it. I think just the starter. I would imagine the newer ones are even nicer. Honda makes pretty good motors.

buschman wrote:

We will be back to defend our 2nd place title..

Buschman, you guys are due to win it all…I wouldn’t even think about 2nd place.

K. Palmer
M. Sexton
M. Burch

Looking forward to it. Great to see familiar faces again.

I hope Dave brings those White Castles again before take off. They were great.

blank wrote:

The improved spot-lock came out in 2017 with the Bluetooth models. If you’re looking to buy used and definitely want spot-lock, don’t bother looking at anything without Bluetooth since the spot-lock is a night and day difference between the Bluetooth and non-BT models.

I’ve got the older non Bluetooth version maybe 2014. Mine works just fine. Maybe not as precise as yours but works fine.

I bought my 4RUNNER in Nebraska of all places from a Toyota dealership. In my case I found it $5k cheaper for a year old vehicle than around here. Plus it was certified so I got all the warranties and Toyota Care transferred over to me. By coincidence a week earlier my boss found a used Subaru in Phoenix and drove it back. His was 5 years old and he wanted it rust free.

mike carroll wrote:

vinegar and water worked, thanks man

2X. Water and Vinegar is all you need. I’m sure the windex wouldn’t hurt. Takes hard water stains off your motor too.

The Alberto is good but the FG might be the best. I’ve tried both but the thing I like about the FG is how slim it is. I like to tie a 15 to 20 foot leader and bury it in my spool. I don’t even notice it’s there.

I’ve recently learned to tie it by putting tension with your fingers and really keeps the coils tight like the guy in the video. Much better than holding it in your teeth to get tension like I did before.

As a note – This is not an easy knot to master. The Alberto is much easier but I’ve seen those unravel on me more than once. Most likely from too many wraps.

I can’t comment on 832 but Nano vs. Power Pro it’s a no brainer Nano is the winner…A few comments below:

1. The wind knots with Nano virtually disappear
2. That weird sound going through your guides when you cast doesn’t happen with Nano.
3. It casts 20% farther than Power Pro (I’m sure 832 as well).
4. It doesn’t twist as bad as Power Pro (I’m sure 832 as well).

As far as tensile/knot strength I found if you go up in test with Nano it really helps and you don’t notice any performance difference. For example, I would normally use 10 lb Power pro and now use 12 lb Nano and it fixes the issues I listed above. Also, the best knot (by a long shot) is the line to lure double uni knot. Beats the Nanofill knot (a double polamar) in knot wars every time. Easy to tie once you get the hang of it. If anybody thinks they have a better one let me know and I’ll test by tying two jig heads and seeing which knot breaks first. Have yet to see a knot beat it with any line (mono, braid, flour, etc…). Too bad it was never featured in the old Berkeley knot war segments. Try it and your knot strength issues with Nano might just go away. I can tie it in 1/8 the time this guy in the video does.

Buschman – How may hours do you have on your 2005 F75?? I have a 2002 F40 with maybe 1,500 to 2,000 hrs on it and it runs like new. Those Yamaha motors last a very, very long time.

I recently brought mine into Hannay’s to replace the prop seals (which weren’t bad after all; bad drain plug gaskets instead) and they said mine should go as long as I take care of it and do proper maintenance. Other than running low on oil, those mid range Yamaha’s are hard to kill.

My recommendation is getting an F40 instead of an F75…That way we can beat you to all the spots during the P2 Hawg Haul.

Kidding aside, I think you guys will win the tourney this year. You guys are due.

Mike W wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>kwp wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike W wrote:</div>
I have a new chainsaw Im itching to put to work on that ice. Just wish I had some waders to get out a little deeper. Couple hrs tops and that will be open. Just need a big enough spot to get the boat turned around and bust ice with it to the channel.

I think you should bust that up Mike. You can check EBay for neoprene waders. Should be able to find boot foots for under $50.

Ill put a post up monday if I get it open.

Hopefully, a full report with lots of pictures

Mike W wrote:

I have a new chainsaw Im itching to put to work on that ice. Just wish I had some waders to get out a little deeper. Couple hrs tops and that will be open. Just need a big enough spot to get the boat turned around and bust ice with it to the channel.

I think you should bust that up Mike. You can check EBay for neoprene waders. Should be able to find boot foots for under $50.

Metro Gill 10”. Caught a couple that big

Just don’t fly one over an airport

woody-1961 wrote:

I have tried to going to Lunds website with no luck, besides if I remember everything has to go through a dealer anyway. So any help on this is really appreciated ..Thanks

Going through a Lund dealer/website for 13 year decals/graphics will be a complete waste a time. Even contacting Lund (now Brunswick) will also be a waste a time…Been there, done that with a 2002 Lund Pro V.

The problem is they don’t inventory those older graphics if you want them to match the current year of the boat. Plus, the “Lund” brand has been sold and changed over several times and they don’t have good records of older suppliers and artwork.

The challenge is finding someone who has the actual Lund decal artwork of the decals you are looking for. Yes, any graphics shop can make decals but they need artwork to match your boat or they will want pictures/measurements to get it close. Again, been there, done that.

Try StraightLine Graphics in new York Mills. He has a lot of the actual Lund decal artworks for older models he can exact match. Be patient with him and you may have to leave a message but he was able to 100% match the decals of my older ProV at a very reasonable price.

https://www.straightlinegraphics.net/

Nice video…Looks like somewhere around 50 mile.

I was finally able to join the 30″ club last weekend

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tegg wrote:

First real outing I’ve had in the McGregor area. Two of us hunted for about 4 hrs this Sunday. Hit a mix of woodcock and grouse coverts. Had an equal amount of flushes between the two birds with 16 a piece. 32 total flushes without a dog. Getting quality shots was a different story. I did have a nice overhead left to right swinging shot to end the day.

Those are some really nice Woodcock Tegg. They look like giant Canadian Woodcock too.

Maybe the Walleyes are a little tired from the contest last weekend

Here is our 129.25″ total. We didn’t catch a lot of fish but just caught the right ones. Special thanks to Jon for putting this on.

Dave – Those white castle burgers were sure tasty and took the chill off before take off

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Keep checking eBay…There’s a brand new insulated size 10 boot foot Hodgeman right now on eBay for about $50 with shipping.

Keep in mind you might want to upsize your wader size by one for some extra socks and more circulation to keep your feet warm.

tharms wrote:

Hello Jon. I know your rules are set but I’d vote for allowing us to fish another hour longer say to 3 pm, then get to enjoy 7 hrs of fishing. Just a thought.

I like the as-is 6 hr format. Start at 8am and fish until 2pm. Gives us time to eat, meet, and greet plus be home not too late for other Saturday night activities.

My vote is leave as-is.

Kendall P, Matt B, and Marty S are in.

Thanks for taking this over this year.

I also have an older (3 years old?) version of the Challenger jacket and like mine. No complaints.

Not sure what you will use it for but Simms makes many wading jackets that are shorter in length for wading. The Challenger was not designed as a shorter wading jacket but for use in a boat.

rubberduck wrote:

How far up into Canada is that?

We were about 450 miles North of the US boarder into Canada. Fly commercially into a Native Reserve and then boat/portage another 4.5 hrs to camp. We were in an area of Canada call the Taiga where the Boreal forest and Hudson Bay lowlands meet.

queenswake wrote:

We are transitioning to becoming like how they are on the east coast or Gulf. Big fiberglass boats that are too big to put into the garage, are more expensive to buy and maintain, and harder to handle.

You forgot about all the bigger upgrades that go along with bigger boats (electronics and extra batteries) and 2 ton pick ups required to tow them.

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mojogunter wrote:</div>
I am surprised everytime one of these posts come out, and how many people have issues with what other people own for a boat, and if or how they are paid for. Worry about yourself and if you are happy and comfortable. Stop with anxiety of what others have and most likely you will end up being happier in your own lives.

Not my problem. No anxiety here. What people own, do, or give consideration to has zero affect on me. Other than driving up market price on certain items. That becomes my issue with people. Not what they own, but the inflated price they pay

Last Spring at the Boat Show I remember talking to a local boat dealer and asking him about any 16 or 17′ boats on the floor. I got the deer in the head lights look. He then said “boats that small will need to be special ordered with really long lead times because nobody wants those anymore”. Not only are prices being inflated but also boat manufactures are only building them bigger and bigger.

A few more pics sent by our guide…

I’m just amazed at the color of these fish in this river system.

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