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Had an unexpected opportunity to hit Simco yesterday, turned out CPH was planning on getting out for the day and we were able to hook up. What a great day, we did really well, no idea how many fish we caught but it was plenty. I only kept 10 nice sized perch and 2 herring. I'm not sure how many Steve took home but his pail was a lot heavier than mine. I started off with some of my favorite go to presentations while Steve used some of his own creations, both were catching fish but I can tell you that artificial out caught live bait. So now I plan on spending today making some more grubs for future trips. it's always so satisfying when you catch fish on the artificial baits. We talked to other fishermen in the area, and from all accounts, we did significantly better than most that relied mostly on minnows! So in summary: a great day fishing with great company, some new lessons learned and a nice feed of fish, how can you ask for better than that😊

😆 Yesterday was my first outing on the ice here . Lots of bait, no whities . Was getting lots of tag hits on my larger blood worm for whities, so this morning, I tied up some smaller ones for the high hook . They worked great. Just enough bait to chow down on for a lunch snack. So so scrumptious 😋 20250125_082331.mp4

You're making me hungry Brian. It's been a long time since I had a fresh smelt from Simcoe....or anywhere for that matter.

Big Trout bait can be good eating too. Ya done well.

Yes it was a great day. I ended up with 37, thanks to you donating many decent fish to my pail. I froze 6 meal portions for us and it was perfect timing because our freezer was down to our last bag of fish. My version of the Simcoe bugs where definitely a hit with the perch yesterday. As I told you since I started using them 30 plus years ago, I always have 1 rod rigged with a bug when I'm chasing perch on Simcoe. Good luck Cliff at making bugs like the one I gave you to copy. They are very easy and fun to make. I hope we can hook up again this season to enjoy another day on the hard water.

I have purchased beef tallow from a store out by my cottage called All Canada BBQ in Kingston. Not cheap...about $30 for 2lbs, but I strain and re-use several times. I've also found it in some independent butcher shops. Also, If you know someone in the food/restaurant business they can order it wholesale from Sysco. However, as Smitty says, it's relatively easy to make your own. Nothing beats fish & chips fried in beef tallow. The french fries are incomparable to using any other fat or oil.

First go at pickled walleye

Fishing shows today are all about anglers playing with their new underwater high tech equipment. you can learn all about a $10,000 sonar setup for your boat on almost all the fishing shows right now. Gone are the fishing shows that teach anglers how to read the weather, the water, the structure of an area and why fish will be in a specific spot. On top of a structure, tucked beside it , suspended nearby etc. etc Now you just fire up a massive array of sonar, up, down , sideways, left right, live action …….. of course you need to spend $5-10k and spend most of the day playing with it instead of fishing. Or you could just pull into an area and kinda know where to cast.🫢