FL has a slightly taller spool that allows for longer casts compared to the shorter Ci4 spools.
The FL also has the Micro Module gears with silent drive. By the way this is the same gears as the Shimano Stella’s. Basically better gears built for more abuse. weight 7.9oz (2500 size)
The Ci4 is a lighter reel coming in at 6.7oz(2500 size), due to new lighter rotor, has Hagane gear, and X-ship.
I would imagine that most of Shimano spinning reels will have the Micro Module gears going forward. Biggest difference between the 2 reels is weight and spool height.
Both reels are solid and should last you a long time. Shimano Stradics are solid reels that will last a very long time.

Cody Bagley wrote:

One more question for you guys,
Are there other boat ramps in the area that are private that you can pay a fee to launch at?

NO…there are 3 main access points where people use to fish the river. Birchdale, Frontier, and Vidas. All but Frontier has a 2 boat access point when cleared out. Frontier is all gravel good for smaller boats. Birchdale most popular and Vidas are both paved.

Odds in my experience is you cannot set a weekend or dates to go and hit it perfectly. Its been 20 plus years for me and thankfully I have been able to drop everything and go when I feel its time. I have done several reports here on the Rainy River, also James has shot several shows that you should be able to find on YouTube to help shorten the fishing learning curve.

Its a great time, my favorite trip of the year which we have turned into annual tradition with a few close buddies.

Yes the lines can be super long like mentioned before, but the fishing is definitely worth it. I like the C&R factor as well. In my opinion, this is a trophy trip, that’s why we go.

Good Luck, if you see 3 guys in a skeeter, having a good time, that’s most likely us! Cannot wait!

bigcrappie wrote:

Can someone get Calvin a razor?

Hey its cold out. My manscaping keeps my face warm. bwhahahaha

tim hurley wrote:

Is a roller trailer better for that rig?

For smaller 16′ boats with single axle trailers the roller is often the only option. Roller trailer is better in my opinion as you don’t need to float the boat to get it off the trailer, you can just push it off. Also when loading its a heck of a lot easier to crank up the boat on a roller trailer. Basically its almost impossible to crank up a boat on a bunk trailer.

reddog wrote:

As a river wintertime fisherman with a Skeeter, that boat looked like a really, really good option for this time of the year. It appeared very stable with both guys in the back and Pat up on the seat. Never fished Ole Miss, but that made me want to.. Nice show!

We had 3 guys plus fishing gear and a lot of camera equipment and this boat popped right up on plane and handled very well. It has a wide stance, which helps with stability also. The 16′ boat is very nimble to maneuver around river debris (ice chunks) and quick to turn on a dime when fishing. Excellent winter river rig.

Sonar was a Humminbird Helix 8 Mega SI and the mount was a Ram Swing arm. Probably the mount we sell the most of here at The Boat Center.
Click on the picture for full view

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Pool 2 is a very special place to a lot of the guys here on IDO or even the old IDA forums. I have learned a ton from this pool of the Mississippi river, has definitely taught me how to be a better angler overall.

I always have a small tape in my pocket when fishing. Never know when a big fish may bite.

Was a fun episode to film.

Great job guys! Looks like a lot of fun

snelson223 wrote:

The Boat Center does sell Starcraft. If your looking for a tiller they look pretty nice.

To echo what Scotty said… We do have the all new StarCraft 188 tiller on our showroom floor here in Ramsey as well as the Delta 168T on the floor. Might be worth a look

C-list is probably best bet, but can’t go wrong with new either. I have seen a few at local ice fishing shows, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Otter Outdoors

awesome buck Will. Great memories!

reddog wrote:

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

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>John Doe wrote:</div>
Cal Svihel “The mx1825 isnt going anywhere.” It’s gone now. That post didn’t age well.

Yep you are absolutely right, the MX1825 is no longer in Skeeters production. Its sad to see as it was a great seller for us here at TBC.

Is the WX 1850 gone from the lineup also? I do not see it as an option on the website..

New WX1850 production stopped after 2016.

John Doe wrote:

Cal Svihel “The mx1825 isnt going anywhere.” It’s gone now. That post didn’t age well.

Yep you are absolutely right, the MX1825 is no longer in Skeeters production. Its sad to see as it was a great seller for us here at TBC.

10″ is my benchmark for a big gill!

Congrats on a beast of a fish Will.

Not that it matters, but the MTT Championship will be going on while you are up there. Lots of good walleye fisherman will be fishing, some fish the river and some fish the lake. Mainly a trolling bite yet, leadcore, downriggers, or long lining all work. Weather is the biggest concern this time of year.
Good Luck, fall fishing on LOTW and Rainy River can be a blast.

You cannot run one screen and show 2 ducers readings on the same page of a HB.
Best alternative is to just leave the bow 10 on full 2d mode and glance at that screen from any where in the boat when running the trolling motor. If you have a console boat the bow 10 will be very close and should be able to see fish or avoid Canadian rocks. I personally like that setup when fishing weed lines or mud flats. That way you know when the bow has started to hit the weeds or fall off the deep edge of the mud for example, it allows you to correct before your lines get buried in weeds or fall off the deep edge. If you are always using the transom ducer often times its too late for you to correct if going forward.

I was at last nights walk off game. Fun game to be at but a few take things I took away.
*Target fields grass looks like crap. Not sure if they have had some concerts before this home stand but the grass at my house looks better. Almost looked like Cave’s bad hop error was due in part to grass? From my vantage point the grass at Target field looks spotty for a MLB park.
*Josh Donaldson is a major league hitter, but to start walking to first base on a 3-0 pitch doesn’t show much respect for the game. I understand frustrations, but you are making $142k/ball game. 1 year 23 million dollar contract. After Freeman hit his homerun, I would have sent a high and tight ball to Donaldson his next at bat.
*Duffy, first base is open to Donaldson, I know the best pitch in baseball is strike one, but don’t hang a mid 80’s mph ball to Donaldson lucky all he did is hit a single. Some of our staff has the same mentality as some of our batters. Pitchers want to strike out a batter just like Rosario wants to hit a homerun. Duffy, work the count, first base is open, see if Donaldson will chase, probably not, but then you have McCann up next who is hitting .260 with a force on any base if you end up walking him.
*Sano, thank you, way to come up clutch. That was a absolute bomba! Wow.

In general, we need starters to go deeper into the game. My main concern is 5-7 inning pitching. 8th Romo, 9th Rogers should shut most games down.

Fun night at target field.

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Messing around with the display unit here at work, networked new rigged boats, and talking to a few HB guru’s. Cannot seem to get the setup you like, to read 2 separate ducers on same screen at same time. I know you can on Lowrance. I have a email out to product specialist at Humminbird to also clarify. Will let you know what I hear.

Have you tried calling lowrance? They are super helpful when stuck on something either on the lake or in the garage pressing buttons.

Lowrance Customer service 800-324-1356…they are closed for the holiday now, but give them a call next week.

My wifes family lives on the “goon”
Mid-July is all reef fishing, typically bottom bouncers with spinners for walleyes/perch. Crappies will be suspended over deep water or buried in the weeds. Need good electronics to find the crappies in either spots. Walleyes its really your choice of real Canadian crawlers or a gulp variety, the both work. Slow death rigs work well that time of year also
I want to try jigging raps on the reefs in mid-summer, but have not been up in July in a few years.
On another note Lac Suel in July was a deep shoreline break that had wind pounding in for a few days for walleyes. don’t over look those areas as well.

I know we are not close to Minnetonka, but we could store the boat at The Boat Center in Ramsey if you need a place super quick. Outside storage.

Drive to port of entry, either Fort Frances or Rainy River port of entry in Baudette. 15-30 minutes you have a RABC in hand. Bring passport or birth certificate and state issued ID and you wait in person for them to fill out paperwork.

Done.

Yes the DWI thing is still very unclear, but you can get a RABC in person at a port of entry like I mentioned above.

The RABC is like $30 US dollars.
For around $70 bucks you can have the RABC (good for one year), Canadian outdoors card, and a 8 day license. So for that price you don’t have to worry about the “line” just go fishing for a fish of a lifetime. Yes plenty of fish on MN side also. The price to get one and clear up the confusion is cheap, the ticket if you don’t have one is a tough one. I have seen it many of times, seen a boat get taken by the Canadian MNR as well. The price is cheap if you want to fish the entire river.

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

The lien holder will not give out any sort of lien release until funds are paid in full. To answer you initial question they will not give out a notarized lien release prior to anyone’s arrival, unless the money is wired from your bank to their bank paying the lien off in full.

Not sure if fish house titles are the same as boats, but the banks do not have titles anymore they are with the seller, if a title is lost and a duplicate is needed, that will sometimes add weeks onto the transaction.

Several ways to go about this.
1. First and foremost create a bill of sale. That is signed by you and seller. This will be the only paper trail of the transaction and holds up a lot better than a handshake.
2. You could ask the seller how much his lien is for, I would want to see a written payoff from the bank because there is daily interest compounded and what your last statement reads is NEVER your payoff until it reaches $0.00. So obtain a written payoff from his bank, arrive in person or have your bank wire the money to his bank to collect lien release. You can then pay the remaining to seller is the agreed price is greater than payoff. Seller sign titles and bill of sale you created.
3. Meet the seller at the bank to exchange money and the bank can obtain a lien release. Then have seller sign titles and bill of sale, you created.

This sounds a lot worse than it is, but it can be a real PIA if not done properly. Best advise if buying used….Create a bill of sale that you and the seller sign and agree on. And never give any money until you have a title in hand. Verify the VIN# on the title to VIN# on fish house.

On a side note….welcome to my world of title issues and lien releases in the boat world.

lindyrig79 wrote:

We are debating right now either 1) play the weather and go on short notice or 2) just pencil in April 11-14 which is the last weekend I believe and take what we get

play the weather and go on short notice. I think it will be a normal year. the flow was super fast this fall and I expect the ice to be less than a normal year. The sun becomes much more powerful in March and it opens quick. A person can get lucky with planning, but to experience this bite at its fullest its best to be available to go on short notice.

I have to look back at notes over the past 20 years of going but I think we should have big boats in at birchdale around March 25-26. That’s a bold perdiction, but I have cabin fever like the rest of you!

More like pitch about 60′ away from the boat and get the net.

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Here a few of my favorite shots on the Lowrance using Side imagine

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Just looking to get the standard 2d sonar? If so any lowrance will work. The 2d sonar is all the same adapters up to the new HDS Live, I believe. The Boat Center here in Ramsey MN has several head units of Lowrance that are discounted very nicely. Feel free to give our parts department a call at 763-450-0400

If you have more questions feel free to contact me at the same number.

Gobbler wrote:

What blades are you to order for replacement,want to pick up spares but it doesn’t explain well on website

Whatever size auger you have is the size of the blades.

COLE BONNER wrote:

what are some do’s and don’ts to this auger. I understand the battery stuff but what about putting weight on it as its cutting so forth. I would like to be able to take care of mine without ruining the head or blades to bad.

Just let the drill do the work. Do not apply weight when drilling, this can lead to binding of the drill.
The 40V is amazing, best part is that any older lazer bit is interchangeable on the 40V. So a old 10″ bit can easily be swapped out for a 8″ if necessary.