DaubsNU1

@Further North, we originally were going to stay in one of the outpost cabins to be closer to fishing areas...but being our first time at that location, wanted to be cautious. Most of the lakes Brother and I fish around home are 5 MPH, no wake and not large. Running for an hour each way was kind of a nice change from our normal fishing patterns. @warefisher the biggest pike hit on buck-tails and spoons. My Brother threw the kitchen sink at them...even made a few "franken-lures" to try. We did catch some on different lures, but the majority were on big 1 oz. spoons or buck-tails. The crazy thing was walleye...we were catching them on big spoons with 12" steel leaders(!)

@TnRiver46 we ate ALL the deviled eggs...but the rest of the food? Brought home probably 1/3 of what was in that fridge. Fresh walleye and eggs for breakfast...yum! Wildfires were not what I expected. It's not like what you see on TV in California with walls of fire, quick moving. Most fires were small and smouldering...then a big pine tree would ignite and flame up...then die down...and move on slowly to the next. Lots of smoke though.

I watched a ton of Olympic coverage growing up. Pretty cool stuff! Have not watched much lately...I don't watch much TV at all. The lone exception is college football. I would be interested to see Olympic equestrian coverage. Wife and I visited Europe last September, and took a bike tour through Versailles. Tour guide said they were already gearing up for Olympics...will be interesting to see if we recognize landmarks we saw in person.

My Brother has always wanted to fish Canada but never got to go. I have fished Lac Seul three times over the years with friends...took my Dad the first year. Brother could never make the trip, always had work commitment. Life changed and a Canada trip looked promising...but where to go? About two years ago my Brother got to talking with an old college buddy (Gary) who had been fishing Slim's Cabins in Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan since the 1980's. Big pike & nice walleye on the Churchill River system. Brother spent the next two years picking his Gary's brain on lures, locations, water hazards, what to bring, what to leave home, the drive up, etc. The information share was priceless!! On Monday, 22-July-2024 we packed up his truck and Lund Alaskan and started the 1,200 mile journey from Nebraska to Saskatchewan. Do you think we were excited?? The wife's deviled eggs are legendary...and we needed a good supply! And yes, we ate them ALL! First leg of the journey was 11 hours of drive time...stayed at an Air BnB in Mulvihill Canada. Just north of Watertown South Dakota we passed the last hill...it was table tip flat through North Dakota and most of Manitoba. In Winnipeg my brother said, "look, there is a hill...no wait, that's a landfill" : ) Day 2 was 8+ hours of drive time...the last hour and a half was on gravel, wash-board road...not fun, but we did not care! I think we brought enough food and water. Cabin was great, right there at main lodge and ramp. Full kitchen, microwave, wifi, etc. Very nice accommodations! Boat on the water that night for a quick fish...so we actually fished 5-1/4 days First full day started off with some challenges. Forest fires were causing some haze, and the lodge had to evacuate fishermen at an outpost cabin (Brother and I were staying at the main lodge). We boated through some thick smoke, but the wind was good and we eventually had clear skies. That first morning we tracked our route carefully using the Humminbird's, OnX Maps, and Navionics, and kept the Garmin InReach with us as emergency backup. Gary and the lodge owners marked the underwater hazards, and "falls" we had to boat through. Once we had it all mapped out, traveling from the lodge to our fishing areas was a piece of cake. About an hour boat ride one way. Beautiful scenery!! Brother's goal was to catch a 40" pike...which he did! This fish was 42" and weighed 18+ pounds! About thirty minutes later he boated this 44" fish! Two Master Angler pike in less than an hour! I managed this nice 40" pike We caught enough walleye to eat...did not really target them much...they actually hit on daredevil spoons!?!? Caught 20+ fish over 30" Weather was generally cooperative...overnight low's in the lower 60's...highs the first few days were in the 80's. Day three started off with rain, but cleared up. Day #4 was windy and ride back to the cabin was rough. Day 5 was beautiful. At the end of Day #5, our last day...we stopped to hit a bay and weed lines that Gary had recommended. Boated this nice 35" pike and called it a trip. Great way to end the adventure! We are already planning our next trip!!

I have two of these in my boat. Had been using similar from Menards, but they rusted. These are stainless and worked well on recent trip to Canada chasing pike.

My Brother had a huge Pike swim right up next to the boat, inhale his 1 oz. spoon AND the 12" leader, and snap his 40lb braid like it was nothing(!) So he moved to the 18" leader...and another huge pike did the same thing with his favorite bucktail...gone!

I subscribed to a BUNCH of magazines through the years, 4 Wheeler, Four Wheel and Off Road, Super Chevy, Hot Rod, Wildfowl, DU, Bassmaster, Maxim, etc. At one point I was cutting out articles, categorizing and filing them.

Just got back from the trip. WONDERFUL! No major issues. Just a few things to add to the list. Great time! I will sort through picks and post a report in the next few days.

I love the preparation. Getting the boat set up just right. Selecting the rods for the day, making sure they are in good working order, then rigging them up with the lures / techniques to start the day. Planning out drinks / snacks, etc. Making sure the truck is ready to roll. I love being first at the ramp, launching before daylight...moving silently across the water, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I love that first cast...hearing the line peel off the reel...the first ker-plunk of a buzz bait hitting the water....the gurgle as I retrieve. I love the thrashing of a bass hammering the buzz-bait...wait just a second...now set the hook! The pull on my line...the fight. I love lipping that first fish of the day. Admiring God's creation. Thanking Mr. Bass for the dance...and slowly releasing back in to the water...the gentle pause, then the quick kick as the bass heads back for cover. I love the "tap-Tap-TAP" of a t-rigged plastic worm bite. I love watching the sunrise over the water. I love the pheasants cackling in the distance. I love the whistle of Mallard wings as they pass overhead. I love the slap-slap-slap of Canada goose wings as they struggle to get airborne. I love the peace and quite of nature at sunrise. I love it all.

I am very similar to @gimruis when boating my fish. @Mike L I do use a fish gripper for pike...I got hooked once...never again.

Congrats @ol'crickety!!! Indy and Ranger approve!

Good set of long nose fishing pliers Cuda scissors Mustang PFD (great suggestion from @A-Jay) Fish finder cleaner Ram mount for your phone

I don't watch cooking videos...but I do watch a crap-ton of videos on automotive repair / maintenance, small engine repair, ATVs, above ground pools, welding, boat, etc., etc., I try to be selective and seek out YouTubers who know what they are doing...not the shade-tree mechanics just posting for giggles. Saved myself a bunch of $$ and headache with a starter replacement on the old Accord. Youtuber recommended a certain length ratchet extension, and attacking the problem from the top of engine...vs. bottom (as some others had). Worked out well.

@gimruis little Air BnB north of Winnipeg. Long first day...then 8 hours on day #2

@gimruis, we are looking at ~19 hours of driving time. Breaking in to two days of driving. @Susky River Rat, HA! There may be an adult beverage, or THREE on this excursion : )

Brother and I are headed to the Churchill River system in northern Saskatchewan in one week. We are primarily targeting pike, but will be looking for some walleye as well. Brother's good friend has done this trip to same lodge for 20+ years. We have a pretty good idea what will catch fish, and what to bring...friend even shared tracks through the river system, marks/pins to fish, etc. This is a drive in, self guided fishing trip. Driving brother's truck and pulling his Lund Alaskan 1800. We will be staying at the main lodge...our cabin has electricity, running water, kitchen, Wifi, etc. Here is my list so far...what am I missing? Thanks! Daubs o Brother’s Truck o Spare key o Three 5 gallon spare gas cans, filled (no fuel stops on last leg of trip) o Rain-x windshield ü Oil changed, tire pressure checked, all maintenance completed ü Rock-tamer o 1800 Lund Alaskan and trailer: o Boat license and registration o Watertight flashlight o 50 ft rope, o bailing bucket o whistle o First Aid Kit o Ibuprofen / aspirin / Tylenol o Mustang PFD’s o Spare prop for Mercury 90hp o Bring my Ulterra and remote as backup o Bring spare Helix 9 as backup ü Re-pack trailer wheel bearings ü Check bearing buddies ü Check tire pressure ü Check wheel nut torque ü Oil and filter change on Mercury 90hp ü Lower unit oil change ü Bimini top ü Large pike sized landing net ü Jaw spreaders ü Gator grip ü Bubba electric and standard filet knives Fishing: o Polarized fishing glasses, low and bright light o Casting and spinning rods and reels o Spare reels, two of each o Extra line, braid and fluorocarbon o Rod tubes o Pike tackle-box o Walleye tackle box o Pliers and braid scissors o Screen cleaner and towel o Wet wipes Bring: o US Passport o Purchase fishing license before leaving home o Truck sunglasses o DeLorme InReach o Garmin Rino GPS o Battery brick o AA batteries o Chargers for phone, Ulterra, etc. o Cold medicine (night and daytime formulas) o Pillow o Lever Soap o Bug spray and Thermo Cell o Rubber boots / green Boots o Flashlights and head lights o Stanley and Yeti’s o Sun hat, buff, and gloves o Long sleeve sun shirts o Shorts o Long Pants o Long socks o Waterproof hikers o Tennis shoes o Water shoes o Cooler weather gear / insulated o Folding chairs o Gore-Tex coat o Gore-Tex bibs o Gore-Tex hats o Frog-Togs o Ear plugs o Sunblock o Coolers and Food

Could not agree with you more!! NOPE!! Getting up there is one thing...getting back down...something completely different...and probably more dangerous.

State record LMB? I dunno...if caught on my home lake, there would be a strong desire to take a few pictures and measurements, release the fish and keep my mouth shut. The home lake opened in 2018 and was catch and release until 2023. Pressure has increased exponentially since then. State record LMB on another lake...maybe. Is there a potential financial gain? State record walleye...you bet I'm keeping and turning that one in. Most of my buddies are die-hard "eye" fishermen...and to have bragging rights over them all would be PRICELESS! Now if we are talking world record LMB, SMB, walleye, pike, Musky...you darn toot'n I'm keeping that fish and reaping all the benefits possible! Knowing my fishing skills, I probably have a better chance of winning the powerball vs. a state record anything 😅

Well 200k is much better than 90k! Interesting on the DEF consumption. I seriously considered the Baby DMAX in the summer / fall of 2019...heard they were knocking down close to 30 MPG (heck, that's what my Accord gets!) Decided against it, since that engine was very new and thought maybe they were still working the kinks out. The 2019 L5P and Allison 6 speed were tried and true. I didn't want the new 2020 HD's with the 10 speed Allison. Worked out well...a year later the wife suggested we get a 5th wheel...This weekend I'm putting the Lund behind the 5th wheel and headed to the lake. Good times!

Ranger is just 2-1/2 years old....and will NOT stop retrieving. Pretty sure if I kept throwing the ball/bumper/anything....he would literally run himself to death.

@TOXIC, yea it hurts to drop $7k on a repair. Is there a way they can defeat the AFM and bring the cost down on that fix? I believe there are programmers that can disable the AFM feature. Be careful on the Baby Duramax. I believe the timing chain needs replacement at 90k miles...and it's a "pull the engine" kind of maintenance. Hmmmm....

@TnRiver46, yep, young pups. That's some serious miles on the Honda Fit!! I am hoping to get 250k out of the old Accord...it's a 2005...wife purchased from an elderly couple with 48k on the odometer. My 5 year old Duramax has 50k....I'm hoping to keep it another 12-15 years.

@GReb I try to do all my own maintenance, and change oil every 5k miles regardless of what the engine oil life meter says (most of the time it reads 50%+). Got 140k out of my last 2500HD Chevy with the 8.1/496 Big Block. My Accord has 129k, and wife's Outback has 107k...both run great (knock on wood!). I'm probably going to start changing oil ever 4k miles, maybe back down to 3k miles. I can do an oil change for roughly $35, and that's with full synthetic and a good quality oil filter. The Duramax is about $75...I'll continue to change oil every 5k. Ever other oil change I swap out the diesel fuel filter and the Allison external filter. Again, cheap insurance. @TOXIC my brother had the AFM lifter fix on his truck...thankfully it was covered by extended warranty. That's one of the reasons I went with a 3/4 ton and the diesel...and I got the old school Allison 6 speed transmission. Good luck!!

@ol'crickety, your canoe is the absolute PERFECT watercraft for the marsh! I wish we had more places like that to fish here in Nebraska. Please keep posting pictures and fishing reports. Love it!