Lithium batteries for the trolling motor. I have the “Li Time” brand which has performed flawlessly for me over past 2+ years.
Wife bought me 4 boat bumpers which are shaped like a number 7. The top part rests on the gun wall to provide much better protection than traditional round bumpers based on their design.
Finally, I purchased a tackle caddy from Railblaza to fit in the gun wall track system of my boat. I like having tools off the boat floor and a small plastic box of commonly used fishing tackle which fits inside the caddy.

I own a Stihl and have been very, very happy with its performance over the 3 years I have owned it. Regardless of the brand you buy, I suggest buying from a local dealer who can service your chainsaw.
Just my 2 cents.

I have owned my Litime batteries ( 2 of them) for a year now.
Used extensively a few weeks ago on Lake Sakakawea.
No complaints at all with their performance and I would definitely buy again.
Their on-line reviews & great price point convinced me to buy this brand.
My friend has Battle Born which he is pleased with as well. I just didn’t want to spend that kind of money.

I bought my first socket set in 1977 and bought it from a local catalog house. I was proud and showed it to my dad who was a machinist at Western Electric. He just shook his head and said we’ll see how these hold up. Sure enough it wasn’t long that the case fell apart, and chrome started to come off the sockets. He then gently told me a cheap tool will end up being the most expensive as you’ll end up replacing it again.
After that incident, I became a big fan of Craftsman tools. I always bought on sale and took care of the tools. These will end up being passed down to my #1 son. The Craftsman corded electric drill is 38 years old and running strong!
I have bought some basic tools from Harbor Freight – pry bars, rubber mallet, etc. Been happy with these, but I don’t use them a lot.

It’s a good thing that people have the right to decide on whether they want a union or not. I myself am not in a union. My dad was a union member – IBEW – and worked for Western Electric for over 40 years. He said the unions help establish the middle class in America.
He would also say that how the company treats the employees was just as important as the union – maybe even more so. W.E. treated the employees well as management wanted to attract and keep the best local workers. Near the end of his career at W.E. he would often wonder out load if the union was really necessary at W.E.
That’s how well the company treated the employees.

Appreciate the mention of hunting in Oklahoma – certainly closer to me than Texas! Would you share with me the ranch you went to?

Hunting – never hunted for anything in my life but wild boar hunting in Texas sounds quite interesting to me. I need to take a hunter’s safety class in preparation of this adventure.
Fishing – Alaska for coastal fishing of Halibut. Photos of a friend’s trip there this year has smiles on everyone!

I own a Warrior Sport model – just over one year old.
Incredibly well built boat and I have never been in a situation where I felt unsafe in the boat.
Other fisherman always have the same comment when they see my boat at the boat ramp or on the water – “that boat is built like a tank!”
Had to wait for like 15 months for mine to be delivered. Salesman at the dealership said Kingfisher dealers are assigned so many build slots a year and once these slot are taken, the customer will have to wait or go to another dealer.
In my opinion the boats are worth the wait.
Happy to answer any questions you have – just send me a PM.

Ken:
Any plans to fish Lake Superior in July or August?
I don’t live far from you – Rhinelander

Here are a few lures that come to mind:
Creek Chub Pikie
Lazy Ike
Hulla Popper
Heddon Sonar

I have a Yamaha 150 hp and the two props that came with the boat are black in color. Dealer salesman said that any outboard larger than a 150 hp motor must have stainless steel props. Something to the effect the larger outboards will actually bend the prop blades.

I suggest joining your local YMCA and then set up a workout schedule which you can & WILL follow. I myself go 5 days a week early mornings. Each location has fitness advisors that will help explain & demonstrate the machines. If nothing else, walk on their indoor track for at least a mile.
I’m also going to see a dietician tomorrow morning which I hope will guide me on what foods are better for you and which ones to avoid all together. The first steps are always the hardest!

Just yesterday I purchased a Frabill Conservation Net which has coated / knotless net. An in-law uses this brand on Lake Erie and swears by it. I also saw a fair amount of these nets on the Detroit River a week ago.

I too hard a hard time locating 1 oz jig heads at Cabela’s and other local stores. Ended up buying these on Amazon – unpainted. Thought it would be fun to paint the jig heads using powdered paint which I purchased from Harbor Freight.
Nice way to kill a few hours when it’s cold outside.

David Anderson wrote:

A friend and I went to the Sport Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center yesterday. Has this show ever gone downhill. First thing I noticed was the size, it has dropped from using the full space (4 halls) to 3 as well there are no exhibits in the hallways or side rooms. Of course the show is down to 4 days. Still some good exhibitors yet you can tell the number of smaller guys have really changed. I’m sure that Covid changed everything yet some vendors I talked to stated that they were questioning whether they should have come or not. I guess it’s just getting too expensive for the return on their money. For some, It’s still keeping their name out in front of their customers. One has to question it when Plant’s and Things, an outdoor furniture retailer, is one of the largest exhibitors. I remember when it ran 2 weekends and I would go twice during that time. Oh well, I still enjoy talking to the resort people, got some issues answered with my Lowrance setup, and bought some delicious horseradish pickles and cheese.

I grew up in the Chicagoland area and I noticed the exact same thing happening to “our” outdoors show. In the beginning, the show ran for 10 days and was very well attended. Our group would go twice to pick out two lodges to go to that calendar year.
As time went on, lodge owners we knew said this show was just too long and cost too much. As lodge owners’ repeat business grew, they said it just didn’t make sense for them to attend.
I myself noticed the decline when show booths were sold to totally unrelated vendors: candy & nuts, replacement windows, insurance agents, even a booth selling horrible black velvet painting most of Elvis.
I’m afraid the internet has changed shows forever. At least it was fun while it lasted.

We used to go to an Ontario lodge and the owners wife would have me pickup a bottle of rum and a carton of cigarettes for her. I was shocked when she told me prices of these items in Ontario.
We never bought any booze at the duty free shop – selection back home was much better and prices were fair if you bought on sale.

Fortunate enough to have been to Maui twice. This doesn’t make me an expert of course. Great memories to be sure from the trips.
I would avoid two things on the trip:
1. Road to Hana – too long of a drive for what’s at the end of the drive.
2. Mama’s Fish House – WOW on the prices!!

Enjoy the trip!

I agree with the comments above:
Cabela’s had products fisherman from the north would use
Cabela’s Guidewear rain suits were absolutely first rate. After many years my rain suit is in great shape. I hope to never have to buy a replacement rain suit as I don’t want to spend close to $400 for one.

All three of my kids played hockey and enjoyed the sport. They would play almost year round what with a summer camp and 3-on-3 games. They tried other sports when younger but seemed to gravitate towards hockey.
I told all of them that when they no longer wanted to play hockey, that was fine. However they’d have to fill in that time doing something else – and playing video games was not an option.
2 of the kids went on to be referees and I was proud of them for doing this. They also enjoyed earning money – a portion of which was theirs’s to spend how they wanted.

All three of my kids played hockey though not at the high school level.
I agree with you about the speed and skill level of high school players.
It is truly something to see.

We have a Habitat For Humanity store in my town under the name “Restore”.
I’ve seen a used dishwasher and a stove in there so perhaps there is a similar store near you.
Facebook’s Marketplace is also an option – just join local websites to reach the right people. Since moving into my home up north, I’ve used Facebook to get rid of items we no longer use but still have plenty of life left in them: kid’s wading pool, upright freezer, filing cabinets, etc.

My thoughts are the purchase process – new or used – has to be similar.
When I crossed the border with my new boat last year, I presented the certificate of origin and purchase receipt. Border guards spent a while making sure the outboard met our EPA standards and the trailer met DOT standards.
I did not pay any Canadian taxes as it was in export item. Taxes I paid were to Wisconsin offices of DNR, Dept of Revenue, and Motor Vehicles.
If you are doubt, a shipping agent could help you for a fee of course.

With regards to researching trucks on the internet, I used Cars.com and Autotrader.com as these 2 search sites had many filters which narrowed down the list of trucks having the features I wanted.
I decided to buy my used truck from a new car dealer and read reviews on the dealer. I just felt “safer” buying from a new car dealer. My search would only have trucks under 50k miles – plenty of life left in them.
I had to explain to the salesperson that we are going to finalize the deal over the phone and that I would be walking into the dealership with a check for the total amount. Not going to buy anything for the truck in the finance office.
Many places “fought” me on this approach but I’d have no buying leverage at the car dealer if I was hundreds of miles away from home.
Dealer where I bought my truck had the finance guy say they normally don’t sell cars over the phone – rather finalize deal in person. He further said I negotiated my purchase very well.

When I bought me retirement truck, I decided on a Ford F-150.
As this has been the best selling American vehicle for many, many years, I felt the “bugs” would have long been worked out of them. I also liked that the body was made out of aluminum so no rust issues. Another benefit of the truck being a top seller was that there are a LOT of them out there to choose from. I found a great leased vehicle in MN.
New truck prices are just too high for me.

Thank you for sending the image of the map. Good to know I’ll not have to buy a map card.
I fish a lake in Ontario that does not have any detail on my Garmin. Just an outline of the lake itself.

Thanks Greenhorn!
What size jig heads for the tailrace?

Trip is se for late July / first few days in August. We will focus on the Van Hook section of the lake. We are thinking of spending another day up there – this day fishing below the Garrison Dam.
y guess is that’s always fish below a power dam feeding on small fish who went through the power turbines.
Has anyone fished below the dam at this time of the year?
Thanks

Full disclosure – I work in the appliances department at a big box hardware store. Consumer ratings have Bosch and Kitchenade as the top 2 brands.
Regardless of what brand you go with, I urge you to consider the following:
1. Get a dishwasher with a stainless steel tub – far less noise than a unit with a plastic tub.
2. A third rack is a very useful option allowing you to place more items in the washer / safely wash items that could melt near heating element.
3. Make sure the brand you go with has repair people near where you live.
4. All appliances come with a one year warranty. While dishwashers aren’t often used on a daily basis, they do work “hard” when washing a load of dishes. An extended warranty can save you quite a bit of money should the unit need service outside the manufacturer warranty period. The extended warranties we offer will refund a third of the warranty cost if you never use it.
Just my two cents.

Pumpkin pie – that the Lord my wife makes a second pie – apple.

I’ve been a member of Walleye Central for several years and agree that their traffic / posts are down in numbers. WC is still a good forum with many knowledgeable people sharing info which is nice. Glad a friend told me about this forum.