Can’t blame the UAW for starting their demands for pay raises along the lines of what the executives have already gotten.

I have an Access cover and it’s held up well for over 9 years. A friend of mine bought a FasTop combination tonneau cover and soft topper. That works pretty well for switching back and forth easily. I’ve been thinking about getting one for when I’d like a little more covered height during ice fishing.

I use a mityvac on my Yamaha and lawn mower. Works well for both.

I have Baffin Icebreakers and I have no complaints. They’re a bit on the bulky side but they’re not heavy. They’re warm and comfortable. They’re not waterproof all the way up the cuff but that’s not an issue for me because I’m generally not getting into water more than a couple inches deep.

PLAYOFFS! I’d just like to see Cousins win a dang Monday night game for once.

I work in manufacturing and we’ve had to make some of the same tough decisions. We can’t get enough parts to make everything that customers demand, so we’re having to make decisions about what to make with the resources we do have. We would gladly fulfill all orders and make more money if it was possible.

Likely had to prioritize components and/or resources toward higher demand or higher margin products. Maybe it’ll come back if the supply chain ever gets evened out.

I’m not a fan of this plan either. It seems like it would have been much more fair and effective to do something about interest rates on student loans, which would at least help those who are just starting to accrue debt. But let’s not pretend that this is any worse than the subsidies we’ve already payed to the wealthy.

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….allegedly

Cisco, Ballzout, Blue Water Fishing Products, Precision Sonar, etc. Lots of products out there, you just have to pick one that does what you want. I have an HDS12 Live on a Blue Water mount. The mount itself was solid but the gimbal bracket had a lot of flex, so I upgraded that with a thicker, sturdier Bass Boat Technologies bracket.

A lot of people definitely don’t know that they are a different species native to North America. Many people in North Dakota actually call them buffalo carp.

A mini track loader like a Bobcat MT100 with a breaker attachment would bust it up nicely. I used one to take out some concrete steps a few years back.

Dan Baker wrote:

The last option I’ll throw out there would be a combo. For example, the Camp Chefs have an option to add a propane sear box on the side.

I have the sear box on my Camp Chef. It is perfect for finishing a steak and also serves as a smallish grill for quick burgers or dogs. It gets crazy hot on high.
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I’ll second that. I have the Camp Chef with the first gen sidekick propane burner. Best of both worlds, and there’s nothing like a reverse seared steak. Low and slow for smoke flavor until internal temp is 120-ish, then finish off with a nice sear on the gas side. Makes it really easy to get that perfect doneness level with all of the flavor.
I bought mine a few months before they came out with the current woodwind models that have all the bells and whistles. Now you can get them with wifi controls and the sliding deflector for direct searing over the pellet burn pot like any other brand. The new sidekick sear box is bigger and better suited to a family-sized meal than the first generation model I have. My old one only fits about 4 new york strips, 3 ribeyes, or two big t-bone or porterhouse steaks. It’s nice to still have gas for a quick cook with brats or hot dogs.

It wouldn’t take much to put a slot in one of the rocket launchers using a dremel and a coarse grit sanding drum. I may actually try that out soon.

You may need to develop a customized mounting method. The Ranger step hulls don’t have a flat surface to mount trim tabs.

The front one reduces the amount of wobble, the rear one has the most wobble and vibration. The choice of which one isn’t strictly related to whether you’re vertical or casting but also whether the fish want a more active or subtle presentation. If I’m using blades this time of year in super cold water right after ice out I’m usually going with the front spot for less active fish.

Brew City is another one that seems to be pretty popular. A friend of mine just got one so hopefully I’ll get to see it in action soon.

I have a Summit pole for ice fishing but haven’t tried to set it up in the boat yet.

We’ll gladly take some of that moisture off your hands if you can get it to western ND. A few more days of 50-60 degree weather and the last of the snow will be gone. Going to be drier than a popcorn fart again soon if something doesn’t come along.

I spoke with Gerry Angell from Denare Beach almost a month ago. At that time they were dealing with heavy snow, and it sounded like ice fishing basically wasn’t happening because the snow and slush was too thick to get around effectively. I’d imagine The Pas is usually similar since it’s relatively close.

I had a 2004 Lund Fisherman with a front and rear livewell. Both were filled by a single pump in the bilge at the back near where the hose connected to the through-hull fitting on the transom. Shutting off the fill for either well was done by turning in a fitting on the end of the hose inside the livewell. I’m not sure if there was a difference on the higher end Tyee. Maybe those had one pump for each livewell.

I’m right in your neighborhood location wise. You can get decent trolling rods at Dakota Tackle. They carry some Daiwa and Okuma rods that will do the job for $30ish. Scheels pretty much only carries house brand trolling rods.
The pro angler series are pretty decent at around $60 each. In my opinion their extreme trolling rods are overpriced. I have 8’6″ medium telescoping rods for the side, which is nice for quick breakdown to go in the rod locker. Something in the 7′ range is probably a better choice if you’re fishing alone, it makes it easier to handle solo netting. 6′ rods are nice for going straight out the back. The pro angler medium power rods are great for sensitivity to see if the bait is fouled when you’re not running snap weights, but they’re a little bit on the light end for planer board duty. Planer boards are mostly a spring river thing to get your bait up into shallower water behind sand bars without spooking fish. Less prevalent on the big lake.

Okuma Magda reels are OK at a cheaper price point around $50-60. I like the Coldwater or Convector series better but they’re more expensive. Daiwa Accudepths are good too. I have some in a smaller size for running braid or mono and the larger size for leadcore. If you’re just starting out I’d recommend going with snap weights instead of leadcore. You don’t need leadcore for the river and a lot of times on Sakakawea it can be a pain to try to stay on a contour with longer line lengths of leadcore out the back. Some people I know will pull cranks with 6-8oz snap weights when they want to really keep tight to contour lines on structure. The Next Bite did an episode on Sakakawea running 2 leadcore and 2 snap weight rods to get the lines staggered and avoid tangling. That’s a nice idea but you don’t need to spend that amount of cash until you decide if trolling cranks is something you’ll do a lot.

I can’t comment on anything related to going out of business, but it’s a virtual lock that they’re seeing some issues related to supply chain. Everyone involved with manufacturing is seeing at least some level of disruption.

There was a company selling fillet blades for reciprocating saws. I thought about trying one out but never took the plunge. https://filletzall.com/

Haven’t used the Bubba. Picked up a Rapala R12 on sale at Scheels this winter. It works really well and seems to be a lot faster than the older Rapala lithiums.

They’re apparently still around. https://www.iceaugermachines.com/

There haven’t been any official reports of intoxication that I’ve seen, just speculation. It was previously stated that the man was in his mid to late 70’s. If that’s the case he wouldn’t necessarily need to be drinking to want someone to check in just in case a heater failed or some other issue came up. It’s also pretty common for folks that age to need to get up to pee in the middle of the night.

queenswake wrote:

If you’re going to pull behind a sled or ATV, Otter. If not, I’d go lighter.

None of the others are significantly different in weight if you’re doing an apples to apples comparison of the most similar models like Otter Cabin vs. Clam Yukon XL vs. Eskimo Eskape 2600. The Eskimo is actually the heaviest out of those according to published specs. The Clam Nanook is lighter but has a much shallower tub.

I’ve had the Otter pro cabin (bucket seats) for a few years. Overall I have no complaints about quality or durability. If I was looking at replacing it I’d at least look over the Eskimo. I think the same size Eskimo has a little bit more head room and fishing space. It also opens up in side step configuration, versus the Otter where you have to move the poles to use the side doors after you get everything extended. It only takes a few extra seconds during set up and take down but it’s an extra step.

I tow a 620 with a 2014 GMC 1500, 5.3, and the 3.42 rear end. It does just fine and it’s a heavier boat than your YarCraft. Sure you’ll find other pickups with more HP and torque that would pull it more effortlessly but that engine is more than capable.

To echo CaptainMusky, compare the HP and torque specs on the newer 5.3L to what we had on 1/2 ton and even 3/4ton gasser pickups 20 years ago.

Some of it depends on what layout and features you want. Tiller, side console, dual console? There are a fair number of models out there and it’s hard to narrow it down to a smaller list without starting there.