Lizardboy

Does this mean you were in the s**t? 28866[/snapback] Ok, Waist The water quality can be pretty ordinary at times

Will do Andrew. Any size to the Trevors Mitch? I was fairly surprised to pick up the EP up on a popper, then again I had a flattie launch itself clear of the water to woof down a popper, this time last year and the water was about waste deep. Lizard

Just thought I'd post some pics of my canoe with seats and sounder now fitted. The seats are the fold down type from whitworths and were around $100 each, they are simply bolted through the existing bench seats. The bench seats had been lowered slightly be the previous owner, so that they now ALMOST sit flush with the sides of the canoe when folded down. The sounder is a matrix 17x which I purchased from Westmarine.com for about $315 AUD delivered, saved heaps as they retail for $587 here according to the Humminbird website, but as some other pointed out in another post I have to deal in feet and Farenheit I know the sounder is capable of downloading software updates, does anyone know whether its possible to get a software update or a chip installed for celsius and metres ? I simply screwed the sounder head unit into the lid of an esky and I mounted the transducer on the electric using a hoseclamp, some rubber and cable ties...thanks to some pics from DaveW posted recently in another forum, they were a great help So I'm pretty happy with it all up, I still have to clean up the wiring a bit and mount some rod and or beer holders though. Lizard

Na mate, there didn't seem to be many trevors about the only significant surface action apeared to be the work of EP's in up against the reeds on the southern bank, but that was pretty scattered. Extasea tells me that things were going nuts with a school of tiny baitfish being boofed under and arround the bridge until ther tide turned. I'm planning to hit it up from the canoe a fair bit other the next couple of months, as I'm still yet to land anything out of the ordinary....even considering a live bait session if all else fails. Lizard

I woke @ 4:30am and poked my head out my window to check the weather conditions... and that'd be right The car had already been packed and the canoe loaded the previous afternoon and I was now wide awake so I headed off to meet Extasea. We got to the Goon and it was just starting to get light, but still and , so we decided to leave the canoe on the car and have a quick flick with surface lures up at the drop off. There was a lot of activity, but no bust ups. Extasea opened the tally with a bream that he finally hooked after it had hit his buggi pop no less than five times. I had larger fish to fry and was skipping a popper along the surface in the hope of tempting one of the Elusive Goon Trevors I had picked up the pace and was cranking the Rebel Pop-R aggressively, pausing for a split second between bursts of a metre or so, when it was slammed, I struck and came up tight , from the aggressiveness of the strike and pace I had been cranking the popper I was sure it had to be some form of goon exotic, and I was getting pretty exited as it started to take drag. The fish went on a few more short bursts but I was getting on top of it a little too easily. I lead it into shallows and we got a glimpse of colour Extasea called EP. It wasn't what I had been hoping for nor was it big at just over 30cm's, but none the less I was stoked I was a pretty worried for EP as it had really inhaled the popper very deeply, but with the aid of my plyers I was able to gently remove it before taking a quick snap and letting it go on its way. Lizard

G'day Lure, Are you fishing for trout....looks pretty cold! Great Rig I'll try to get a couple of pics up in the next week or so. I've just installed some padded fold down chairs...absolute heaven on your back after using the coleman stadium seats! I've mounted the electric on a half wood/half alluminium bracket that came with the canoe, which I picked up in the trading post. Its was a bit awkward controlling the electric at first, because you kind of have to reach over your shoulder, but I'm used to it know. Where do you normally fish? Lizard

Cheers for the replies. Swoffa thanks for directing me to that... great help, cheers!

Have you consudered buying one from overseas? I purchased a Humminbird Matrix 17x from the US ( http://www.westmarine.com/ ) The retail for $589 in Australia, it cost me $315 delivered and got here in 1 week. I was even able to track the location of the Sounder via the internet. As far as I'm aware you don't pay duty/GST if its under $400 AUD. Lizard

G'day All, I've got a Humminbird Matrix 17x and I'm trying to work out where I'm going to mount the transducer on my Canoe....Coleman Vantage. I run a 40lb Minn Kota riptide on it and I noticed from their brochure that Minn Kota make a transducer mount. Seems rather pricey , perhaps easily replicated http://www.minnkota.com.au/product_group.cfm?id=2530&s=1 I'm just wondering whether it's a good place to mount a transducer or would the signal be interupted by the turbulance created by the electric ? I'm guessing the disturbance would be nothing compared to an outboard. Does anyone mount their transducer in this way or know of anyone who does or potential problems associated with it? (Added Later: Swoffa, just read your post and it sound like you are mounting it this way, perhaps you can help) I've considered mounting the transducer within the canoe and shooting throught the hull, but I would have to forgo temperature readings. A suction cup mount http://www.humminbird.com.au/product_group.cfm?id=1763&s=3 or some type of customised bracket attached to the outboard bracket on th opposite side of the canoe are amongst other options I'm considering. Cheers, Lizard

Nice work mate...very jealous indeed! and to think I was stoked catching river bass from the south coast half that size....actually still am, gotta love catching bass on surface lures Lizard

...yeah Swoffa, I tried, but your right, it never did catch on Lizard I can't take the credit for that one, someone tried to start it on s'fish a while back. 23011[/snapback]

Thanks for the replys Guys, Muscle I already had E-bay in mind I'll have a little bit more of a think about it, but will probably go ahead with it. Cheers, Gus

I'm thinking of getting an Okuma Inspira IS20 as a cheaper reel for my secondary bream/bass outfit and just wanted to get a few oppinions on them. I've heard good reports about the okuma Epix, but not too much about the inspira. I use a Daiwa capricorn 2000 as my main reel and have been more than happy with it, but I wouldn't mind trying something different and the inspira seems like a similar spec'd reel, but also a fair bit cheaper. Cheers, Lizard

G'day Fella's, I christened my new canoe and electric with a 62cm lizard from up the back of the lake right on dark last night, it took a slow trolled Ecogear SX40, I was lucky to land it in the end...couldn't see a bloody thing, must have had four or five shots trying to get it in the net...I was lucky the 6lb leader held up and that I was able to retreive the lure that was way down the back of his gob before release....barbless hooks helped me and the fish That 92cm flattie is a corker for the lake, nice to here people are getting a few fish out of the lake lately. Lizard

Thanks Pat, I might give the cushions the cusiions a go, for the time being at least. I've seen quite a few pictures of Coleman canoes with the seats modified by attaching a "School" type chair, I'm just not sure whether they are detachable. As for the sounder I used a suction cup to mount the transducer on my kayak, but I may eventually look to install the transducer permanently by shooting through the hul when I get around to buying a new sounder. Junglejunky...loved chasing those JP's on a semi recent trip to Port Douglas! Thanks for the battery advice...$200 for the charger eh, sound like the charger is very important, although I've heard plenty of people us cheapies. I'll try and track down those brands closer to my hood (Northern beaches) Cheers, Lizard

G'day All, I found a second hand Coleman Vantage in the trading post and drove all the way out to Lithgow on Sunday to buy the thing...bit of a mission , but I was going to buy myself a new one ended up saving myself $400-500 I bought a 40lb Minn Kota Riptide about three months ago and its been sitting in its box, but now I have the Canoe I'll be looking to give it a run this weekend. I need to get a battery and charger first though so I'm after some oppinions... How big a battery do I need...am considering doing some overnight camping trips? I was thinking about 80 Amp/hrs What brands do people suggest and where do oI get them? I'm thinking a Gel batteries may be lot safer for a canoe? I've heard SONNENSCHEIN (80 amp/hr $400 @ Battery world) are the best, but I'm thinking that maybe a bit extravagent for a canoe What are some other quality batteries? would a 80 Amp SONNENSCHEIN provide more running time of use per charge than another brand of gel or normal deep cycle battery or would it just last a lot longer in terms of its life? and if I get a top of the line battery do i need a top of the line charger? It there anything I should be looking for in a charged other than autoshutoff? Also what happens to the Battery and the electric motor if I tip the canoe (assuming the batteriy is fastened)...is everything buggerred? I'm also looking at installing some seats, one of the " coleman stadium seats" (patented 1984 ...or something) came with it but they look pretty crap. Any tips on what seat to use, how to install it...my major concern is that i would need to be removable so it wouldn't get in the way when mounting on roof racks. Any other modification tips appreciated! Cheers, Lizard