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My Fish Finder Main => General Fishing Discussion => Topic started by: taxid on Nov 22, 2021, 01:16 PM

Title: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Nov 22, 2021, 01:16 PM
What are your experiences? I'm presently researching that for a potential trip up next summer, but would like to know what your experiences are. Didn't see anything about installed marine plywood carpeted floors yet. I've seen at least one reservoir in the U.S. where that they are forbidden in worries about exotic hitchhikers, and are more difficult to steam clean. It would seem Canada should be concerned about that?  And I would think border guards want easy access to all areas of a boat too?

My boat is a 14 1/2 deep v aluminum where I took out the aluminum bench seats, and installed a carpeted floor and swivel seats. It's not easy to lift up the floor but I could make it easier if necessary.


Thanks in advance!

(https://i.imgur.com/TqY3fhim.jpg)
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: rivereddy on Nov 22, 2021, 02:17 PM
I can't speak to the cleaning aspect of a border crossing, but I do remember the need to have all of the insurance documents and title for both
boat and trailer.  We made the trip with a scout troup and one of the dads, whose family owned the lake cabin in Ontario, made sure that each
boat had its own folder with originals and copies of each document.  It really sped things up.

fish on,

rivereddy
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: Mac Attack on Nov 22, 2021, 03:23 PM
I have taken my boats to Canada, both into Ontario and Quebec, for many years and have never had any problems.
Make sure your worms are in bedding and/or cut up newspaper and NOT dirt.
On the way back make sure you aren’t over the fish limits and there’s a pc of skin on each filet for identification.
Have you boat and trailer registrations and proof of insurance.  And make sure you have your passport or an enhanced driver license, and you’re good to go.
No live minnows!!
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: lowaccord66 on Nov 22, 2021, 04:18 PM
Be prepared for secondary.  Also dont be surprised when its harder to get back into the US vs leaving.  It takes a lot of border crossers by surprise.  Im sure this doesnt apply to anyone here but if you have an existing record for virtually anything they will turn you around.  Especially DUI. 

Right now a ton of Ontario is still in a severe lockdown.  I had thoughts of Simcoe this January but am finding it very difficult to find lodging that will have me.
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: Hardwater2 on Nov 22, 2021, 06:22 PM
Nippissing and Simcoe have been on my radar the past few seasons. Been reluctant to go for these same reasons. Hope to get up there one day. Preferably if things calm down….
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Nov 22, 2021, 08:05 PM
I'm surprised they would't be concerned about bringing some exotic on our boats to their pristine waters.

Thank you for the responses.

Yeah I hear you Iowaccord66 on the DUI thing. A friend went up on a Bear hunting trip and one of their party had a DUI decades before. The border agents have all of that stuff on a computer apparently. He had to come up with some cold hard cash or they would not let him in. I think it was a couple of hundred dollars. Almost sounds corrupt if you ask me, but was told it's standard procedure.

On a funny note I went across decades ago to he Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, and the border agent was asking me questions. His accent was so heavy (I don't know where in Canada he was from but it wasn't a French accent) I couldn't understand a word he was saying. He was getting seriously upset at me when I said, "Sir I'm sorry I can't understand you."  Finally the wife jumped in and was my translator!  :rotflol:
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: lowaccord66 on Nov 23, 2021, 06:06 AM
I am very fond of that lake Cecil.  Giant musky and #2 smallie lake in the world (Erie is #1) 

Let me know if you figure out where you are headed. 
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Nov 23, 2021, 09:30 AM
Believe it or not we went up after monster bluegills in the Chetogon Indian reservation area. We did O.K. but unbeknowst to us I found out later people were bringing back a few thousand at a time, and the Native Americans had a commercial gill net fishery going for them in the area, which probably reduced the numbers.

If I can find it I have a picture of a 55 inch musky in he mid 30 lb. range I mounted for a local caught in the Detroit River connected to St. Clair. Obviously sacrilegious to musky puritans, but it was what it was. Both the trip and the musky were at least 20 years ago probably more.
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: lowaccord66 on Nov 23, 2021, 02:06 PM
Some puritans forget fish die...
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Nov 23, 2021, 03:03 PM
Some puritans forget fish die...


Yup!

I have a 52 inch musky pedestal skin mount I'm finishing up that will go into a coffee table. No seam visible. Really rough presently with more fins to be added, apoxy modeling, and painting. Was caught through the ice of all things! Was caught locally.

(https://i.imgur.com/WnuiOkPl.jpg)
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: lowaccord66 on Nov 23, 2021, 04:37 PM
I love it.  Id love a replica of this tiger musky:


(https://i.postimg.cc/2LZSNqCZ/Screenshot-20210121-192424-Photos.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2LZSNqCZ)
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: Stonecat on Nov 23, 2021, 07:27 PM
  Several weeks ago my friend and wife took a weekend trip to Niagra. Passports, covid vacs documentation in hand they tried to visit the Canadian side but were told they needed to pay 240ish each for fast covid tests before they could cross-over.They also weren't sure what it would take to come back. Soooo...they spent their money on the US side.
 I know your post was about boat and gear issues but things are fluid and changing on border crossings.
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Nov 24, 2021, 08:17 AM
I love it.  Id love a replica of this tiger musky:


(https://i.postimg.cc/2LZSNqCZ/Screenshot-20210121-192424-Photos.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2LZSNqCZ)

That was a nice tiger! What was the length?

Our state of Indiana had a tiger musky program for a while but stopped citing poor returns.
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: lowaccord66 on Nov 24, 2021, 09:01 AM
That was a nice tiger! What was the length?

Our state of Indiana had a tiger musky program for a while but stopped citing poor returns.

42 on the dot.  3.5 short of the ice fishing world record.  Im tempted to chase that fish in the hope that its 45.5 now!
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Nov 24, 2021, 04:01 PM
42 on the dot.  3.5 short of the ice fishing world record.  Im tempted to chase that fish in the hope that its 45.5 now!

Yeah that's a big one. I always liked painting the skin mount tigers as they retain the striking bars -- just need to highlight them and a chromish background between them. The regular strain vary a lot and the markings fade out in the dried skin before painting.
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Nov 29, 2021, 04:33 PM
i caught a tiger on loon back then that was around 2# shy of the record.  that was the most beautiful fish id ever caught.  that one had turquois stripes that looked metallic.  i wish we still had some.  i was going to have her mounted.  she rested up on the stringer for a while, then tail walked and broke off.  i was bummed to say the least.  after the fact i realized how much it would have cost and wasnt so sad then. lol

Yeah those taxidermists are rich I tell ya!  :rotflol:

I had a woman call me one day years ago. Was asking how much it would cost to mount her grandson's fish. When I told her she replied with, "That's highway robbery!"  Was having a bad day that day, and found that rather insulting so I replied with: "O.K. here's what ya do. Put the fish in a clear plastic bag and whenever you or your grandson want to admire the fish just pull it out of the freezer." And then I hung up.

Truthfully even as a taxidermist, considering the ease and high quality of photography these days, with just a cell phone, most if not all of the big fish I catch are released and I'm fine with just a photo. And I think it's fine for others too. Of course i have fish in my growing ponds that rival if not surpass what's in the pubic lakes. You've seen my trout, bluegills, yellow perch, and largemouths.

I do get lake people that bring me 14 inch bass to mount and and are besides themselves at the size.  "Yeah that's a nice one!"  :rotflol: I have no problem taking their money since many of them would keep me off their lake if they could.

Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: lowaccord66 on Nov 30, 2021, 07:47 PM
Quotes I got for skin mounts were around 13 bucks an inch.  Not sure if thats fair or not.

What I do Cecil is take the pic then send it to be transposed to canvas and framed. 
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Dec 01, 2021, 03:38 PM
Quotes I got for skin mounts were around 13 bucks an inch.  Not sure if thats fair or not.

What I do Cecil is take the pic then send it to be transposed to canvas and framed.

That's actually below the national average for high quality fish mounts but it can depend on your area's cost of living. National average right now is about $20.00 per inch with some higher and some lower. Unfortuatenly you usually get what you pay for with some exceptions. For anyone on here considering having a fish mounted or a replica, please please look at the work first! We are not all created equal in ability and I've see some work that was so bad it seemed like you had to try to make it look that bad. I've had people bring me a fish of a lifetime to see I could make it look better that someone else mounted, and they were almost in tears when they got it back from the other taxidermist.

That picture to a canvas is really cool. My wife took some pictures in Alaska last summer and had that done. Very beautiful! We'll be doing more of those. The wife wants to get me a better quality camera for that. The one I have now isn't even as good as the wife's cell phone.

Here's a pic of a small lake in Mass (I didn't take the picture) that keeps me coming back. I fished it as a kid just about every day for three years all seasons. Way back in the late 1960's through 1971. Mass was so different back then!

No cottages, no outboards, a small public beach an boat launch. Full of trout and nice panfish. A mini version of Walden Pond without all the people!

(https://i.imgur.com/a43i1y2.jpg)
Title: Re: Driving a boat and trailer into Canada...
Post by: taxid on Dec 03, 2021, 01:09 PM
i caught a tiger on loon back then that was around 2# shy of the record.  that was the most beautiful fish id ever caught.  that one had turquois stripes that looked metallic.  i wish we still had some.  i was going to have her mounted.  she rested up on the stringer for a while, then tail walked and broke off.  i was bummed to say the least.  after the fact i realized how much it would have cost and wasnt so sad then. lol

A nice 40 inch tiger musky mount done by taxidermist Jim Risovi from North Dakota.

(https://i.imgur.com/CF8k9T3l.jpg)