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Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go down to Lake George in New York state to compete at the TBF (The BASS Federation) Semi-Finals, the final step before the Nationals. I was a little disappointed to hear that the event was to be moved from Lake Champlain to Lake George but that changed quickly when we arrived there! It is one of the most beautiful lakes that I have ever fished. Surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains, it was deep and clear with the water a green-blue colour and the fishing was not too shabby either! I had a pretty good event and ended up in 5th place overall out of 68 boaters! I weighed in all Smallmouth Bass and caught them all dropshotting in 30-45 FOW! They all came of 2 different sizes of Z-Man Trick Shots and the Ultra Tungsten drop shot weights were key to maintaining contact with bottom. It was a very "technical" lake and I relied heavily on my Garmin EchoMap Ultra electronics units to locate fish. The Garmin G3 LakeVu mapping with the Garmin & Navionics data was unbelievably accurate, once I figured out the deep pattern, I could literally follow the charts on my electronics and pick out fishing holding locations. It was so much fun, video game fishing for these Smallies, many of them especially on the 2nd day were caught right beneath my boat right off the graph! Other keys to my success was Daiwa gear and my Sunline fluorocarbon leaders which were critical on this crystal clear deep lake. Congrats to all of the top finishers especially the top finishers on Team Ontario, Joe Rodrigues (Boater) & Will MacFarlane (Non-Boater), who will now represent us at the Nationals! During my second day, I even managed to catch my Personal Best Pickerel, Chain Pickerel that it is! The New York state record is 8 lbs. 1 oz. and this one was in the 7 lbs. range! If anyone is looking for somewhere not too far away for a great fishing vacation, I would highly recommend this body of water and hope to get back there myself soon. the drive through the mountains to get there is also stunning! Now here are lots of pics...

I don't think anything's dividing this group Art, just a bunch of guys having a discussion about something important and everyone giving an opinion.....not unlike a bunch of guys having a few beers around a campfire discussing stuff and we've all been there.

what is hilarious is how many gullible people believe so called "scientists" who promote what they are paid to promote for a paycheck. just as many scientist have opposite views and evidence to that which mckenna , trudeau , bill nye(the pseudo-science guy) and greta and the UN preach whats even more incredible is how people want to willingly line up for more taxation and eventual theft of their wealth, land and freedoms..........in name of climate change

Yep no doubt stole her speech, not much doubt there. Father's another hypocrite if you've ever seen pictures of his house(s) and wood burning fireplaces. Especially the one he co owns with an oil distributor...amongst other things!

We are all aware that NASA is at the forefront of tracking the changes associated with climate change right? They are an agency that works with multiple countries all over the world for the purposes of developing science and knowledge related to not only space exploration but also understanding the very planet we live on. They don’t maintain a specific political agenda specifically because canadian, British, US, Russian, Chinese politics all don’t mesh. The work that is done in outer space and by the agency sole purpose is to Complete scientific observation. They are the only type of organization that has satellites in outer space monitoring our planet. Their resume, I would argue speaks for itself? People walking on the moon, Rovers driving around on mars...I’d say their scientists are pretty decent? The government that funds their operations is actually anti-climate change. So can someone please explain the conspiracy theory surrounding the science that the 20,000 people employed by NASA are engaging in? I mean if it’s all lies? As we all know the more people that know a secret the harder it is to keep.

If people think this thread is a blemish for OFC or don't like the arm chair forensic experts and opinions, easy solution, DON'T CLICK ON IT AND READ IT. This story is on people's minds and lips because it was a terrible tragedy and it involves an unlikeable Canadian celebrity, and his story stinks and smells like bull crap. Nobody is saying one person's life is more valued than another's.

YouTube is where I get all of my facts and information from. Michael Scott knows what I’m talking about 1000’s of articles from scientists saying climate change is scientifically proven, one YouTube video comes out about “proposition 2” and the tinfoil hat crowd jumps right on it lol. sounds wayyyyy too much like “the new world order” chem trails, etc etc all great misinformation sspread by the deep hole that is the Internet. blanket statements about “liberals getting more money”...couldn’t possibly be that a group of blatant for profit businesses would lobby or spread misinformation right? Couldn’t possibly be the richest industry in the world trying to spread a little counter information, nah it’s those tree huggers that have it out for us lol.

Got an Airbnb with the Family here in Indian Shores Florida for the next 2 weeks. Got a dock in the back yard so just tossing out some frozen shrimp on a jig head and seeing what I can catch. Mostly catching some saltwater catfish that put up a pretty damn good fight. Had the fun of getting finned by one with my careless handling so spent the next hour with my hand in hot water! Also caught this other fish attached that Im not sure what it is if maybe some members can help? Thinking small mackeral? It put on a hell of a display jumping out of the water. Anyone fish down here and have any tips I can use or what else I can catch? Must admit I'm a rookie to saltwater fishing.

I was at the Barrie Sportsmen & Outdoor Show today to present a seminar and had a great crowd! I’ll be presenting again tomorrow at 1:30 PM if anyone is interested! My seminar is titled “Become a Better Bass Angler!” Nice little show, very impressed with Bradford Greenhouses store, come cool stuff in there! First one to mention OFC site gets a new Yamaha cap!

Hi all, I have begun experimenting with casting for pike and musky, never really gave it much of a go but am learning to like it a lot this year. There are some really nice pike on the reefs and in the weeds this time of year and the muskies seem to be in 2' to 5' in the weed also. Here are a couple of musky I got on film a couple days ago.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-disposable-needle-16g-x-1-pack-of-6 Like David says, most farm and feed stores carry them, and you get 6 for about half the price of a name brand fizzer.

He knows a nurse,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, David The scenery is outstanding

Greg is a great angler & very knowledgeable guide! Glad that you had a great day!

Greta sounded scripted ? , strangely similar, yes it is the the daughter of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJJGuIZVfLM

Had our charter with Greg Klatt yesterday on Balsam and it was exactly what we wanted. We have fished over 10 yrs on Balsam and do OK but if our usual spots and techniques weren't working we were in for a slow day. Basically Greg gave us a Plan B,C and D with great technique instruction and rod and line presentation that is sure to increase our success. Discussions about weed/rock formation were eye opening and can't wait for next year to use this new knowledge. Big thanks to Greg for teaching a few "Old dogs New tricks"!

Okay, thanks, I just drooled all over my tablet lol. That's another one I am adding to my list?

We need to control the name calling or group labeling. If you have facts just present them. We all will have opinions and if they are right or wrong you need to respect them or I will lock this. I think it is more important for us to be friends than any discussion we have over the internet that divides this group. Art

We crossed lake Champlain by ferry from New York to Vermont a month ago and the lake was unbelievably rough with big wind coming straight out of the south. That old boat was rockin & rollin with waves coming over the bow and I was waiting for the tractor trailer parked beside me to end up in our laps. Darned near took me back to my Navy days LOL Real pretty lake though.

It is truly upsetting that worldwide politicians are using climate change as the divisive difference for their election to power.If anything this issue should be totally non partisan and as Greta said" Shame on You". left and right

nice going

I for one never know who to believe...those billionaire climate change scientists or those poor, hard working, not a red cent to their name oil company executives.

The cool thing about saltwater fishing is that you just never know what you're going to catch next! That does look like a Ladyfish, I caught my first one last year! Enjoy!

How about the carbon foot print they make using jets to cross the country campaigning?

Damn just when I thought some of the ignorance in this thread couldnt get more ridiculous.....Hilarious how people believe what aunt thelma shares on that there facebook over what actual scientists and professors who study this for a living and have done years of research and schooling...

Quite normal for the Big Chief, cool temps and wind do not help. Here's how I look at it. My main purpose with the smoker is for flavouring, not necessarily worrying about cooking it, although fish will work in them fine. Whether it's ribs, back bacon, pork chops or poultry it's no problem to finish the meat on the grill or fry pan or in the oven to bring it up to temp. So even in the winter there is no problem with smoke production, which is all I mostly care about. Cheers

“It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” -- Mark Twain

His quack was very low . Low b bar. As for fish, they were there. They be to busy jumping and saying,you cant catch me, me lady is up a mile or two, so got to get my tail in gear. One even popped up to say, we know that missmonster, she has no place here. LOL Went to head to another local and got the warning light. Low air pressure in back tire. Stop,look and yup, a large screw in the tire. Was able to top up the tire and make it back to Barrie. Kal Tire fixed and at NO CHARGE. That is service to get a customer. Guess where I am buying my next round of rubber ? New rubber coming in 2 weeks, with a $200 discount. Ram approved . Day 8 of 9 is close. Another early am blast off in the ram. Time to wrap up the fresh smoke from yesterdays catch. I am sure those I will be fishing with in the morning, will enjoy. The joy of sharing.

Yup, pikeminnow. I actually had my buddy in BC send me their cousin peamouth for ice fishing bait. He caught them through the ice. I use them for pike fishing as they are very durable unlike ciscoes. I can catch several pike on one before needing to replace it. He sent me a 35# box of them. http://www.pikeminnow.org/how-to/how-to-identify-a-northern-pikeminnow/how-to-tell-a-northern-pikeminnow-from-a-peamouth

Reef Runner is correct, the two non-bass are pikeminnows. They're pretty common in parts of the west ... run 2 to 3 pounds on average, I think the provincial record is over 10 pounds though so they can get big. They occupy the same kinds of places that smallmouth do and seem to like jigs and spinners. Fight okay, no jumps but they're fairly strong, sort of like a small lake trout. Never eaten one but I'm told they're not that good.

China, India, and the African continent have no intention of making any meaningful changes, yet they are the worst offenders. When they start making real changes, I'll listen. Til then....nope. I do agree on the population situation.

Paid propaganda by many, don't forget we had a "tropical" climate with Dinosaurs and such and then an ice age. That cycle will continue as the earth, moon and sun get a bit drunk and dance out of unison, just like the "stop the drop" nonsense for Georgian Bay. Water is now over Leah's father's beach retaining wall.

Lots of talk about how to fix climate change but no talk about the planet being overpopulated. climate change is a real human driven problem. In order to fix the problem we cannot continue to grow our population exponentially. Any measures taken are pointless if we continue to grow so fast. We have not surprisingly infested and destroyed our own planet. The only way to fix it now is to talk about neutralizing our growth.

Where dis weather tis morning came from is sumtin I tell yous. My drive up in the petro sipping ram was sumtin else, let me tell ya da story. A flash from the left that looked like a transformer blew up caught me attention first. Then seconds later,this thunderous boom that could be heard with me windows closed. Da lord must of been eat,n dem beans again. Seconds ladder water fell like I have never seen before,he must of had a full bladder cuz this lasted about 5 minutes. Had to pull on the reins and wooo the ram down and sit on the side of the hwy for a bit. I dont know whum was more shocked,me or da ram. I peeps over at my two rod buddies and say, what ya tink byes ? No answer, but I knew they would want to carry on. I guess he was finished with his wizz,so off we headed yonder to our destination with only a few light tinkels and a few left over left cheek sqeeker flashes. The sky seemed to be clear to da north,but we could see it was coming after us once again. Get into tossing the baits for about 5 minutes and bye,if he didnt have to go again. Not even my seal skin coat could handle this pour down. I get in the ram and wait it out. Udders are packing up and heading for higher grounds. Ah aint that a shame I say. Got da whole water to me self. SHAME. Oh the evilness in me.LOL The storm passes,but it has done it,s damage. Water has colored up faster then a black coffee that's had 1 cup of cream added to it, so floating was out of the question. Decide to hook up the missmonster. Oh she be the devil disguise. She looks so beautiful in her fire tiger tighty ,but she knows how to get dem fish to bite. With a swing and landing right in the sweet spot,I call her back. It didn't take her long to have her first victim. This fresh chrome of a lady fell into a trance and latched on. Nothing like the battle of a feisty lady. Up she went,around the sunken log and back around again. She knew she had to make it to safety,so she tried to head back to da bay. I heevhooed her, muttered a few sweet nutt,ns, and got her turned. As she came to the surface,our eyes met, we had a moment. My good looks she could not resist, and swam to me to the safety of my landing net. A whisper from the she devil fire tiger, we tricked another one, didn't we my dear fisherbye. THE END

If it was male the "other guy" would have sounded off! a few choice words at you! Nice catch, smoke away!

Dr Pepper Jalapeno smoked jerky, took it off the internet, some call to heat up the ingredients but I did not, marinated in the fridge for 48hrs. I also did not dry ea strip of meat off, right from the marinade onto the jerky racks and into the smoker. 3hrs tops, I start taking pcs off as they are done. Ingredients 1 2-3 pound beef eye of round roast thin sliced against the grain For the marinade: 2 cups Dr. Pepper 2 jalapenos sliced 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 Tablespoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder Instructions In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients for the marinade. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by half. You should have just over a cup of marinade. Chill the marinade completely. Transfer the sliced beef to a gallon sized zip top bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the meat and refrigerate for 8-12 hours, or overnight. Preheat your smoker or oven to approximately 170 degrees. Remove the meat from the marinade and dry each strip thoroughly by laying on paper towels. Transfer the strips to the grill grate, jerky rack, or cooling rack and smoke/cook for 2-3 hours (depending on the thickness of your slices, some thicker pieces can take 4-5 hours). Check often after the first hour to be sure your jerky is drying evenly. You are looking for jerky that is firm and still slightly pliable, but not soft. If you bend your jerky and it breaks, you've cooked it a little too long. Place the finished jerky in a gallon zip top bag while it is still warm. Don't seal closed all the way. The jerky will steam in the bag slightly and this step will make the jerky moist. The jerky will last 3-4 days on the counter or 2 weeks in the fridge.

Decided to do a solo mission for a few hours today on a local lake. Hit up my late August spot and nada, fish had vacated. Not surprised as that pattern only lasts a few weeks. So I sat at the console and rode the sonar for a bit. Edges, rock piles, flats, weeds, nothing too interesting. I pull up to a spot and I see a few fish swirling. I'm thinking awesome, maybe that late August pattern is back. Nope, these bass were eating flying ants I kid you not. Surface was littered with them and the bass were slurping away. Of course my 4wt was at home so I'm not even going to try and pattern those little buggers out. Although the water they were doing this in was 30+ft. So I'm thinking to myself, these fish aren't staying at the surface this entire time. Then the graph lights up. Wolfpacks of smallies 15-20ft down over 30+ feet. I grab my fav vertical jigging bait and it doesn't make it to the bottom before I get slack and the first big boy is in the boat. Did this 3 more times in the span of 2 mins and then it stopped dead. Moved 50ft and repeat. Any basin at this depth held all kinds of fish. I was finding pack after pack of smallies just roaming around in featureless water. The key here was depth though. 30+ feet? I'd find fish. 25 or shallower? Nada, nothing. Every single pack of fish I'd mark and spot lock I'd get 3-4 then move onto the next. What a fun few hours... I know a lot of guys have a hard time with bass in the early fall. Go deep fellas and use your electronics. If you aren't marking fish, don't fish until you do. Proof is in the pudding. No fish pics, didn't wanna waste any time getting them back down. They were spitting bait and crapping all over my boat though, lol!! The best part about this pattern is that it's not lake specific. I've done this on GPool, GBay, Parry Sound, Upper Severn, you name it.