Leaderboard

Don't over think it too much. I'd run braid then change up your leader when conditions call for it. No way I'd run a flouro mainline, the stuff is just awful.

WARNING The high winds have opened Lake Simcoe in many areas, From the 6th line of Oro to 8 mile point is now open. One rescue on the 9th line already. (Photos courtesy of Andrew Pye) Stay off the ice in those areas!

No one looks at my posts anyway Terry! HH

Lol that’s the classic, these southern ontarioans don’t know about driving on square tires lol thats when you knew it was cold the tires went thump thump thump as you drove lol sleds and anything else that you wanted to run had to stay somewhere warm. When the weather broke and it got above -25 below again, everyone was out fishing because nothing ran when it was too cold. My stupid brother nearly died one night, him and a friend decided to go ice fishing, sure enough when they went to start the sled, it was a no go. Just too damn cold. They had an ice shack to stay in but ended up breaking into another shack to get fire wood to survive the night. Said it was the coldest longest night of his life sitting in that shack waiting until the temps rose enough the following day to get the sled running again.

First mistake in sonars, is thinking that they are for finding fish. They are for finding things that fish like primarily. If you mark a fish as well good for you lol

Lol be adventurous. Chop up those pepper slices, saute in butter and then ad in chopped avocado and cook down to soft. Add in fresh minced garlic for the last minute or two and try it like that on your bread with the fish. It's like a custom spread of sorts instead of raw chunks over powering the fish. Cheers

I prefer fibreglass or aluminium between my feet and the water, not frozen water.

Scary stuff David. This has made it,s way across a lot of boards. Plans have changed now as we were going to head off the 6th on the weekend. Plan B is now in effect. Be safe all

Under those river log jams for those big residents

Thanks David, I am going to be doing some of the cooking at a camp I work for guiding, can't wait to throw the rule book out of the window every now and then and offer something different to traditional shore lunch, might be a hard sell as a lot of guests want exactly that, but i'm sure some would enjoy it.

Justin, As you mentioned you are in Ottawa, I would suggest you head down to Paddletales in Winchester if you have never been there. He actually sells the reel Dave recommended and if you buy there, he will 1, spool it with whatever line you want and 2, take you into the parking lot and show you how to set it up. I actually head to Paddletales almost every Thursday night around 6:30 and leave around 9:00 He has a weekly meeting that anyone can attend. Most of us just go to talk fishing with like minded people but if there are ever any questions you want answers too, I guarantee you will get them there. If you are not casting near heavy cover, 50lb braid on your setup will work for frogs. You might run into a little issue of the cover starts getting a little thicker with a medium heavy rod but like stated, that comes down to personal preference. Why you would not want to use braid for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits is 1, personal preference and 2, lack of stretch. These are moving baits so when a fish hits them, you may want some stretch to absorb the shock before the rod completely loads. As stated, I use mono for spinnerbaits, but I use braid for chatterbaits as I fish them around grass a lot and like to be able to pop them out easily should they get hung up. hence, personal preference. Now... back to your fluorocarbon. The only reason I am recommending braid right now is that fluorocarbon is expensive and when you get a birdsnest, you are pretty much guaranteed to kink it and cause damage to the line. Heat also weakens it and tying a not improperly is enough to heat up and weaken the line. Using a bunch of spit or water before cinching down on the knot will alleviate the issue but it takes time get used to it. I am aware of Tactical Bassin and I honestly do not see any issues with what they are recommending above. I typically throw cranks on 12lb. Never used flouro with success for anything else other than drop shot leader material. Now frogs on flouro is a little different because flouro sinks where braid floats so it makes it easier to work the bait. Hope this information helps you out. Adam