Billy V

Christmas is coming - I can arrange to have this sitting in your driveway on Christmas morning!!

tonyb, Most all of the credit here goes directly to Kevin. It was his vision that got the ball rolling, and he's no doubt been the driving force behind making this a reality. He's put together a great format at an incredible time of year in one of my favorite places on earth for us all to enjoy. Personally I'm excited as can be about this event and I can't wait to see the finished product next May.

Some of the things that the committee has planned are just gonna blow the roof off of this event. It's truly going to be a "can't miss" event each spring!

Hank, Sorry to hear about your loss. Condolences my friend. Bill

The composite material used in the new Cannon rod holders is 40% stronger than the previous material. I've never had one of the old Cannon rod holders fail, so I'd be willing to bet that these new holders will hold up just fine. Our summer-long test of them proved to me that they're plenty strong enough for their intended use. And if you need metal rod holders, the Cannon Dual Axis Downrigger mounted rod holders are hands down the best I've ever used: Polar Bear, I don't know if the holders that you have can be retro-fit to the new riggers (my guess is that they can't but I'll still check for you), but in all honesty, the new holders are such a huge improvement that I can't see why you wouldn't just use what the new riggers come with.

No idea what they even are Polar Bear. If you can tell me the make and model I can check into it for you.

The stock holders on the new riggers have dual axis adjustment and are a composite material that proved to be very rugged during our testing of them last summer. They're a big improvement over the previous rod holder tubes.

I have a set of Cannon rear mount rod holders for sale. First $50 takes them. Buyer to pick up in Ithaca, NY or pay actual shipping costs. PM me here or email me at [email protected].

The draw length can be adjusted with new mods in the cams and I'm pretty sure my dealer here can do that for you Ray.

Price reduction. $600. This bow is like new and really needs to find a good home!

Guys, I made a call to Cannon about this today and I was told that Cannon will repair all of your UV damaged power cords at no cost to you. If you've called Cannon customer service about this issue and heard something other than that, please PM me here and I will get you the name and direct phone number of the person who will take care of this for you. Cannon was purchased by Johnson Outdoors 5 or 6 years ago and the new management team is committed to rectifying any problems that were associated with the previous downrigger designs, and they will do so at no charge to you. Hope this helps.

Holy Mackerel, Give the 800# at Cannon that I posted above a try. Those should be taken care of under warranty as I understand it.

My 2011 Elite Pure just arrived today, so I need to let my 2010 GT500 go to pay for it. This is an incredible bow and is in like-new condition with less than 200 shots through it. I will be selling the bare bow only - all the accessories are already on my new Pure. Here's the bow specs: 34 7/8" Axle to Axle 7 1/8" Brace Height 29" Draw Length 70lb Limbs 336 fps IBO http://www.elitearchery.com/products/bows/gt500/ $650. Buyer to pick up locally in Ithaca, NY or pay shipping costs. Email me at [email protected] or call me at (607)592-9012.

Happy Birthday Bob! Hope it's a great day for you.

I never met Duane in person, but we fairly regularly corresponded here via PM. He will certainly be missed. My condolences go out to his family.

Richard, The short answer right from the man at Cannon is to have you call the 800 #. 1-800-227-6433. They'll take care of that for you.

You're too much Has Been. Exploit the fishery???? This is a put and take fishery that is managed for tourism's sake.

Has Been - You don't seriously believe that these reels will harm the fishery, do you? If so, then you really need to strip those electric downriggers, your fish finder, GPS, and your speed and temperature probe off of your boat and just go fly fishing! But then again, as Spoonfed-1 just mentioned above, this is not a new idea and in fact didn't help fly fishermen increase their catch rates and never caught on. But I have to tell you, since I posted this no less than 3 tournament boats have contacted me and asked where they can get them because they see the advantages that I mentioned above and are going to take a look at them and possibly add them to their list of essentials. Has Been - My interest in new technology is because I love this sport and the competition found in tournaments and I'm always looking for an edge. After all, that's what separates the top boats from the average boats - attention to detail and things like consistent speed at the lure, keeping your boat over the fish, etc. - all things that are accomplished using today's modern tools like fish finders, GPS, and speed and temp units. This tool will give it's users a little bit more of an edge just like the equipment listed above does. I bet we switch over copper baits 3-5 times a day during a tournament until we find what the fish want. If these reels will save us 4 or 5 minutes each time we swap out baits, then that effectively gives us another 12-25 minutes of fishing time. 25 minutes more fishing time with one bait may mean the difference between first and tenth place. It's exactly the same thing with electric downriggers. The new high speed electric riggers allow fishermen to swap out baits infinitely faster than the guys with manual riggers, yet there's no public outcry against them is there? And while we're at it, let's talk about the added fishing time my charter customers will get from that one rod when we swap out baits. That additional 25 minutes can make the difference between an average day and a great day. My job on the boat is to maximize the amount of fishing time that my clients receive and to put more fish in the boat. I think this tool will help us do that. Plus I can reel your boat back on your trailer for you with it! Tom - First off you have NO IDEA how I acquired this reel. An no, I'm not going to tell you because my finances and how I earn my living are absolutely NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. I'm really disappointed in that response from you. Secondly, if you go back and read my original post more closely you'll see that I didn't tell anyone how awesome they are. I have no idea how awesome they are because I've never run them. I mentioned very clearly that it had just arrived at my house and that I can't wait to use it at the Niagara Bar next year. I posted this here because I felt that some might find this a useful tool. Two other local Charter boats used them last year and what they've both personally told me is that they're worth every penny. Fact is, one of them has written an article about the merits of this reel and I'm told that it will be appearing in Lake Ontario Outdoors very soon. Finally, I have no control over the pricing of these reels. If you don't want to spend the asking price on a reel that's your business. Carl - I'm sure you're not talking about anyone other than yourself. No one would ever take it that way coming from you, would they? And if I can add an extra 25 minutes of down time to my copper lures on each and every charter as a result of this "gadget", then I'll happily do that for my clients. I don't take back-handed cheap shots at others online and would have expected the same from you. Tom - Battery or plug in. Rechargeable. I won't know battery life for certain until I have a chance to run it, but I'm told by those that have that the batteries last through multiple retrieve cycles. I'm also told by those that have run it and I can easily see when I mess around with the reel here at home that the motor has a ton of torque. The speed I mentioned above is what I was told by those who have a full season's use on the reel. In their words, it's "very strong and brings in a 600 copper in about 60 seconds". According to the specs in the box, it weighs 52.6 oz and has a retrieve rate of 130m/minute although when I've had a chance to play with it the display shows over 150m/minute. So it indeed won't bring in a 600' copper in less than 60 seconds, but darn close to it. It's surprisingly light even with the battery attached. It was purpose built as a kite fishing reel, but is nothing more than an electric level wind reel.

I'm not disabled and I'm not ashamed. Not even close. This reel is nothing more than a glorified electric downrigger. All it's going to be used for is to retrieve copper lines rather than sitting there cranking a slow Penn 345 for 5 minutes. I suppose that those of us with electric downriggers should be ashamed that we've taken advantage of technology in order to raise our cannon balls? Give me a break.

In my eyes it's all part of the progression of the sport Tom. I applaud Daiwa for thinking out of the box and attempting to give anglers an advantage. That being said, this reel is definitely not being marketed to the weekend warrior. It's a serious tool for career and tournament anglers. There were a couple of very busy full-time charter boats using these on Lake Ontario last season. Ask them about their relative worth. Given that both of those guys work without a first mate, my guess is that you’d have to pry these out of their hands. I liken it to any other piece of equipment - if you're a professional mechanic you'll easily spend 10x what I'd spend for tools. All I need is a basic wrench to take that lug nut off, but if I was wrenching on cars for a living you'd better believe that I'd have an impact driver, hydraulic lifts, etc in my garage. If you’re a guy who makes all or a part of his living on the water I see this as just another tool of the trade and Daiwa is marketing it as such. On a side note, I'd definitely want to look at the rules for each and every tournament that I was fishing to make sure that a reel like this is 100% legal.

Did you order them for the reel itself or for the Ballet coupon Hank??

Did I forget to mention the lap dance coupon for the Canadian ballet that comes in the box?

This bad boy just arrived at my house yesterday. They're gonna be awesome for fishing long coppers, especially on tournament days when we need to swap out baits really fast. Imagine pushing a button and then the reel brings in your 600' copper in less than 60 seconds! They will also jig your baits, which I see as an incredible advantage, especially on those days when the fish are negative and need that little extra push to bite. I can't wait to get these things wet next spring on the Niagara Bar! Here's all the specs about them: http://daiwa.com/reel/detail.aspx?id=203

I was just told yesterday that Cannon has now updated their website to include information about their entire 2011 lineup of riggers and wanted to point those of you who are interested in them there for the official word from Cannon. The first pallet of new riggers came off the production line last week and they should begin showing up in stores very soon. You can find information about the Electric Riggers here: http://store.cannondownriggers.com/cate ... ownriggers, and information about the Tournament Series riggers here: http://store.cannondownriggers.com/cate ... ownriggers

She's been winterized, oil changed, and got her annual fall wash, buff & wax job and is now resting in a barn in Sodus. All she'll need in the spring is a quick bath to clean off the dust!