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Had a great year last season with tonnes of great numbers. Hammered walleye from a kayak in a super back lake with my dad. Later flipped the same kayak in the middle of a trout lake and almost died of hypothermia lol, was a fun year!

Pictures of some of my favorite mountain lakes. Most are so gorgeous they look fake, but are not. I hope you's enjoy. Maligne Lake, Peyto Lake, Waterton Lake, Lake Louise, Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes where in 1983 while fishing from shore I caught the Alberta record Bull Trout, Alberta's provincial fish, one oz. shy of 18lbs. And it still stands today. Lower Kananaskis Lake, Abraham Lake. I have a couple more that are well worth a gander but as usual my computer decided to take some time off, I will try and post them later.

Hi all, walleye bite went nuts from 7pm for 45 minutes. must've got 20 or so between the two of us....nice evening too .

Almost 12 years since I last logged into OFC. I saw a post of Facebook with some yellow jackets and grey hats and figured I would check out what’s going on in here! See lots of familiar faces, so much has changed since I was 13 years old discovering OFC with my dad, over the last 18 years one thing that hasn’t changed is my desire to chase Muskies. In 2017 I bought what at the time was my dream boat, after a boat accident and a couple boat upgrades later I am now fishing in a boat I could have never dreamed possible. During Covid I was unable to book at Lakair lodge or Memquisit lodge on the west arm of Lake Nippissing, one place on the upper French river was allowing guests so I took advantage, after quickly falling in love with the area I decided I wanted to dedicate my time to only fishing The French / Lake Nippissing. Last season I decided to start guiding, a life long dream that always seemed like a dream was now reality, being paid to bring people out to catch fish??? SIGN ME UP. The guiding aspect was very different, I went from bringing buddies on the boat trying to get them a fish to now needing to get people on fish, the fish cooperated quite well. I just wanted to thank all the OG members of the community who made things so much fun when I was younger, we would have never went to Lakair Lodge/Lake Nippissing without OFC. Here are a couple fish from my season last year: His first musky My GF with a 51” 51 x 26 September whale 51” fall fatty 55” 43.6lb last spot of the season, MAGIC.

Hi all, we have been making ice the last couple weeks, not too far off 'normal' ice thickness for this time of year despite the insanely mild winter, should be a normal(ish) ice out, maybe a bit earlier than the 1st week of May. Took advantage of the extra daylight hours and headed out on Wabigoon yesterday for an hour , supper was great!

In my opinion you want an 80 lb thrust

My wife and I spent the weekend at our daughters place in Mississauga but getting across the GTA on the 401 is always mind blowing with all the morons on the road. Speed limits mean nothing and guys just fly back & forth changing lanes without even looking. Worst I saw though, we were cruising along around Keele St.doing about 110 like most folks when the guy in front of me missed his exit and slammed on his brakes and stopped dead on the road waiting for a chance to cross 3 lanes. I always leave LOTS of room between me and the car in front but I was sure we'd get hit from behind but fortunately everyone behind me was paying attention. I left Toronto 14 years ago and moved to the boonies and now almost never travel the 401 for just that reason. Coming home yesterday morning I said to heck with the price and took the 407 and what a treat that place is, there were practically no cars on the road and it sure was nice. Won't get the bill for awhile and it probably cost me a small fortune but I think it may just be the way to go from now on. Or maybe I'll just never leave the peace & tranquility of the boonies again LOL

A 30 lb difference between cylinders is a sign the motor is starting to self-destruct. The compression will continue to lose as more metal and the numbers become more unbalanced. This is equal to walking with one leg stronger than the other. For now, it might be less expensive to fix it before it damages the crankshaft, crank bearings, and piston walls. After reading your responses, I do not feel that you can do the machine work and ensure the correct tolerances and torque specs are accurate. Anyone can assemble a motor but without experience, the mistakes become apparent when you are not at the dock or home. Just some insight from a person who has been building high-performance jet skis and motorcycles 2 strokes since the late 80s. Congratulations and enjoy your new boat. Art

Hi all, Got out for an hour in front of the house this evening with my good buddy Roloff.

Hi all, Got to our spot around 5pm, usually pick up a couple of whitefish and the odd walleye and pike before the bite turns on but it wasn’t until 7:20pm when the switch got flicked. We didn’t even mark a single fish before that, was getting worried… lol. Once they turned on it was non stop bites.

I wouldn't spend 5k on that. Absolutely no way. Not with that motor.

Hi all, Got out with my pal up from Minnesota for the weekend, it was kind of slow… we were out for a good 5 hours and got 16 crappie, 5 small walleye, a few pike and assorted dink saugeye and perch… oh and it was freekin’ cold , shelter was toasty though.

You might convince a new one?

Well I made the jump into LiFEP04 batteries after smothering myself with information. I think I have a learned a few things I can pass along to the average fisherman who is in the market for new batteries for their trolling motor or house battery setup. First off - Yes I know Dakota Lithium seem to be the standard in fishing... there is also Battleborn, Relion, and Millertech which are all high end batteries all over $1000 CDN. I would assume there is a reason these batteries are 3X the price of some reputable budget brands, but for me those aren't really options. Probably has something to do with cell grade (which is a whole other can of worms). There is also middle of the road companies such as Amped, or Ionic who also get great reviews but are in the $6-700 range I narrowed down my list to 3 brands who all get good reviews across several fishing and off-grid forums as well as Youtube which are all approximately in the same price range - $400ish AOLithium Power Queen Li time These brands seem to keep rising to the top of budget category. My first choice was AOlithium with built in Bluetooth connectivity but they are currently sold out and I am impulsive. So I went with the Power Queen 12V 100ah on sale at the time for $319 a piece. Bluetooth connectivity to monitor battery capacity was important for me though as when a Lithium battery dies it dies and not being able to re-deploy an Ulterra trolling motor is an issue. So I bought a device made by a company called Victron call a smart shunt. The devices monitors your battery system and its health. Whether its 12, 24, or 36 volts. You have all sort of historical data such as number of cycles, average charging amperage, average ah draw, etc. Not necessary in all scenrio's but more info the better imo. Another option the Power Queen batteries do not have but others do (Li Time Trolling motor edition) is low temp charging cut off. These batteries do not like being charged when its below 0C and it can ruin the battery. So if your boat is outside all fishing season, this is something to consider. LiFEP04 batteries are more like mini computers then a conventional battery. Inside they have a BMS (Battery management system) which is essentially a brain that will protect the battery from over charging, over current, shorting (no more welding wrenches), high temp, and low temp by shutting the battery off if it senses any of these issues. So with that in mind... they can also be a bit more finicky than a standard Lead Acid or AGM battery. They also make 24 and 36 volt single batteries instead of wiring multiple batteries in series. Lots of pro's and con's there to read about. My setup is a 24 volt system for the Ulterra and then a house battery for all of the electronics. I decided to go with 2 100ah group size 31 in series for the trolling motor and then a mini 100ah house battery as I have a compartment size constraint. My 4th battery will stay a standard AGM starting battery for the motor. They do make LifeP04 starting batteries but they are expensive and there are not many companies that make them at this time. Out - 2 group size 31 Nautilus XD AGM's - 103ah - 71lbs each 1 Group size 24 Nautilus XD AGM - 79ah - 60lbs In - 2 group size 31 LiFEP04's - 100ah - 25lbs each 1 Group size 24(ish) LiFEP04 - 100ah - 19lbs Current price to purchase - AGM batteries - $1701 plus tax LiFEP04 - $1157 plus tax My AGM's lasted 8 years and still have life left so I was able to sell them. I have no complaints about those batteries... made heavy duty.... but that is a 133lb weight savings, 15ah gain, and over $500 cost savings. Will they Power Queens last 8 years? Jury is out on that as there are no long term reviews on these types of batteries. They claim they will, but we will see. Lastly are chargers - Multi bank chargers with the a Lithium setting work great. I opted to go with a 24 volt onboard charger as cell balancing may be better across both batteries when in series. Again this is something I will monitor. Below are a couple of pictures.. wiring will be cleaned up a bit but wanted to make sure everything is in working order. Trolling motor setup with charger and smart shunt House battery compartment Smart Shunt app main page Hope this helps Cheers BM

Simcoe whities snatch this blood worm tie. I run it 18" up from my bottom bait.

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Just a couple kinda cool sunrise pics over looking the prairies east of town.

Mrs,s and I had a great day at the swap. As always, great seeing you David. Till next year.

I must have bigger squirrels. I screwed two rat traps to the rail of a fence they travel and they completely destroyed them. Next time I didnt screw them down, but put the trap on a tether so they had no leverage. That worked for a couple rounds. I found they can get in the live traps , have dinner and leave without paying the piper. I now put a mouse trap in the live trap. When they set off the mouse it scares the crap out them and they inadvertently trigger the live trap. I discovered that trick one day watching one eat my peanut butter. I wipped the door open and yelled at him causing him to make a run for it. Got him. I;m just tired of having to load them up and drive them out of town 10-15 miles. I used a rattle can on them for awhile to see just how far they would travel to get home. A couple made it 10 miles in no time. I think the rest fall victim to predators while they run around with neon pink tail. lol

I would put my 5K away, and save another 5K for next year. I’d take up river fishing for smallies and salmon and trout for a season. Then I’d find a 16 foot bare hull with a 30hp 4 stroke and put a flat floor in the front if your that type of angler. I spent my first 7 or 8 boating years in a Lund SSV 16 with a 30. I did all kinds of fishing out of that boat, caught all kinds of fish, and towed it all over the province. Did a lot of down rigging out of it on big water too. I would not invest in one of these old tubs. I’ve watched too many guys at the ramp on various opening days praying to no avail that their motor would turn over, or that they wouldn’t have some other problem. And then they try the home repairs because marine mechanics are expensive. I’m a frugal guy, have 3 kids, one I’m putting through university, and 2 more to go. I understand the need for budgeting, but I’m far enough down the road that I don’t waste my money on crap anymore. My time is valuable, and when I want to go, I want to go.

I have owned a 1989 Rangerboat with the original Johnson 150 motor since 1999. The boat was purchased from a friend who took excellent care keeping it waxed and serviced like a pro. Even so, it has had, the motor rebuilt, the flooring and carpet replaced, misc. electrical upgrades and basic maintenance. With that said spring is not the correct time to buy a boat. I would spend the money to have the boat checked over professionally there is nothing worse than finding out the motor is at the end of it's life on an old boat and needs a $12,000.00 motor. Same with any of the other major areas for rot and electrical issues. While you may have to survey 2 or 3 boats it will be the best money you can spend. Go slow and remember the fall is the best time to buy a boat it will be cheaper and you will have all winter to putter and fix it just the way you want. Happy hunting Art

From your description, it seems you were up the Lower Moon River heading to Moon Falls. Yes, there can be a substantial current in that stretch, especially in spring. And yes, Walleye do come in there...that's why it's a sanctuary. There are more subtle currents throughout the archipelago, in neck down areas and channels between the islands. G Bay experiences a phenomena called a "seiche"...it's like a freshwater tide caused by the wind. A prolonged west blow can temporarily raise the water level by over a foot, a prolonged east blow can drop the level the same amount. All this water rushes in and out of the myriad of channels creating current areas...these spots attract predators feeding on the baitfish (in turn attracted by zooplankton) being swept by. If I can give you two pieces of advice....First, journey out and away from the Lower Moon and Woods Bay...it gets pounded. The further you get from the marinas and launches, the better the fishing. Those reefs out by the outer band of islands always have consistently good fishing..On a calm day, go out even further to those offshore reefs...few complaints about slow fishing out there.. Second, a lot of the reefs/structure is smooth featureless worn rock...ignore those. Look for structure that has broken rock, preferably boulders of between softball to basketball size...if there's cabbage weed nearby, even better... Enjoy....there's enough fishing and places to explore in that area to fill several lifetimes.

I wouldn't be worrying about the boat too much, but I'd definitely be doing a compression test on that Mercury 2 stroke.

Crestliners are good boats. It all really depends on the price point though, those black outboards scare me.

Sure, worse case is you slap on an external transducer. Simple stuff.

There is a reason you're seeing 70lb Powerdrives for sale online and not Terrova's.

Have to agree with all above. I had a 46lb on a Bass Tracker 190 (mod v so probably about the same weight as yours) and it was terrible. On calm days, it was fine but with any wind, I could barely troll against the wind. I went to a 80lb terrova which would be a 24V system and it was night an day. When I switched boats to a 19 foot glass, I did not even bother trying to get away with the 80lb even though I knew it would work. I put a 112/36V one on. Spend the money up front now instead of buying, regretting and buying again. Yes, it is a bit more now but it will save you in the long run.

80lb Terrova and be done with it. I assume being a bow rider its a glass boat to the extra power will be nice. You can buy a single 24V Lithium battery but most applications you'll need 2 12V batteries in series. New there is only a $350 difference between a 55 and 80. If you're making the investment, always go bigger if you can.

SO would that require 2 12 volt batteries?

A subject that I always get nostalgic about. As a kid, I would go with my Dad and Uncles to the Bronte Pier when the run was on. We would leave home after dark and often fish into the wee hours...one of the few times as a young lad that I could stay up late. It was a real 3 ring circus. The Portuguese guys in town went all out...they had motorized cranes on wheels with dip nets on a hoist...crazy stuff. Needless to say, there were always some drunken fights and often someone ended up in the water. One year, we caught an 8lb + Brown Trout in our net...of course as a kid I wanted to keep it, but my Dad (knowing the reg's) let it go...I think I cried..lol. We only kept what Smelts we would eat fresh...my Dad never did think they froze well..."just not the same". Later on when I was dating my wife (she's from Niagara Falls), I would go with my future brother-in-laws down to Queenston to get a bucket or two. Again, a party atmosphere with beer, weed and boom boxes. Once I had kids, we bought a place up on G Bay. I would take them up to the Seguin in spring to create memories for them. Those days are long gone. I still get a feed of them when we go on our annual Steelhead trip up to Superior in early May. Still good runs up there...also see them in the North Channel of Huron and the Manitoulin tribs. We always bring a dip net with us...the Smelt run usually coincides with the Steelhead run. In fact, there's a couple of local diners on hwy 17 that offer them as a dinner special in the spring. There's also a few lakes in eastern Ontario that have a really good populations that I still occasionally fish. On these lakes the cottagers encourage folks to come and fish the Smelt because they have over-run the lake to the detriment of other species. Message me if you're interested. The Cottage Association hosts a Smelt fry every year. The one thing about fresh caught Smelts that is burned into my memory is the smell...for some reason they smell like sliced cucumbers. Anyway enough reminiscing...when the water temps are 42 F or as my Dad would say "when you first start hearing the frogs sing" is the time to go...a bright moon after a warm rain is ideal. The run only lasts a week at most. The photo is from eastern Ontario last spring...they're always looking for volunteers to help clean them...LOL

Its also funny because all the brands LIFeP04 battery cells and materials used to make them are coming from China..... all of them. Then they are put together where ever after that with BMS's and sensors... but the "cheap Chinese" battery argument doesn't really fly right now.

40 odd years ago we were fishing the Whitby pier when my Dad tripped over something and fell in the lake. It was a cold night so he was wearing a heavy coat and darned near drowned before we were able to pull him out. He had dry clothes in the car but he'd lost his wallet when he fell and we couldn't find it in the dark water. Probably an hour later another fisherman scooped it up with his net and came looking for Dad and returned the wallet with everything still intact. I've always remembered the honesty of that guy.

Easy peasy you can do it unbolt the head slide it off the pistons get the serial number tell them to bore it out for a new set of over size rings to your pistons now put the rings on slide it back on bobs your uncle 2 strokes are easy and that’s not a complicated motor personally I’d run it for the season the way it is are you very confident with the pressure test seriously rings are not big deal all said and done 500.00 on the high side if you do it yourself that’s with the boring make a nice stand bring it inside or out and just do it get a good tear down manual lots online YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! Cheers Peter BringOnAnotherThousand

I saw this, and couldn't resist adding it to the thread...

Wasn't the injection system a big issue on those? A lot of guys bypass that and just premix before fueling. Still not a fan of 2 strokes. I'd remove that pass side console or even remove both and make that thing a tiller. Tonnes of deck space

I passed on it... will take my time and increase my budget... thank you for sharing your thoughts and wisdom..

^^this post talked some sense into me. Thanks for the wisdom. I’ve already got a 14 footer with a 15hp 4stroke merc with an i-pilot 55 LB thrust trolling motor on it. I fish walleye a lot but now I downrig for lakers on bigger lakes regularly with it and that’s mostly what I like to do these days so I’m looking for a bigger setup with more floor space and capability to keep doing that, but I’ll wait and get something newer thats got less wear. Appreciate the advice!

I cannot comment on the fishing further out as i just have a canoe. I have canoed a lot out on G Bay, mostly in the FR area and I have seen quite a few instances of those seiche flows thru narrow channels. We live on the Notty just off the bay and have seen the water rise and fall at the beach. The water level in the river for quite a few kms upstream also depends on the onshore winds. It took me a while to realize that. I had always thought that the level was solely determined by the flow coming downstream. The level on the bay can change by at least a ft, esp in the fall when we get sustained NW winds. There is an online gauge at Cwood. If you check it out you can see how much the level can change.

I had my auto tilt and trim fail on an 08 ETEC 75...... I could have bought another motor for the price they wanted for a new one. Luckily found a salvage but still very expensive. I wouldn't buy an Evinrude or Johnson now that they are out of the game. As for that boat.... keep looking unless you're getting a screaming deal. It's seen some things. Like the trailer though.

Be careful with evinrude I had a 2001 and couldn’t get some parts for it

All the time, probably spend more time there than anywhere else until it's muskie season. Smallmouth are basically unlimited like Crowman said, muskies are a tough go out there (For me so far, although I raised an absolute giant 2 years ago), it's my go to spring pike spot. Also a sneaky population of big largies. Stick to the channels and go slow if you don't know the area. My Navionics maps are pretty accurate out there when it counts. If I go to a new area I slow way down and keep a look out. I've hit rocks in places I've been dozens of times lol

Yeah I know, you're right Rick. At times it has been a bad winter, -54 for a couple weeks. A few big dumps of snow and more in the forecast the rest of this week I guess I let my imagination get the best of me. I don't think it's because I'm getting old as it's always been that way LOL. Due to a back injury that I'm still waiting for surgery, I haven't been out fishing for a couple years now and it's driving me insane. Some days I'm in a wheel chair and my favorite and secret fishing holes are far from wheel chair accessible. Can't even tend to most my trail cams, I still hold my head high though and keep a smile on my face as I know one day I'll be better and can get out and do the things I enjoy most again.

Lots of Cisco in G Bay...usually mark them right around the thermocline. How do you think the Muskies get that big in the Bay ? LOL

Most importantly I know one thing. It ain’t a fish.

Couple more weeks of safe ice, gotta make the most of it right?

It’s not on the outer edge of the moon because the outer edge is in darkness.

I had an island cottage just off the north channel of the Moon for a number of years. The Bass and Pike fishing is as good as, if not better, than anywhere else in Southern Ontario. I had some submerged rockpiles waypointed out along the outer islands where I could catch 10 Smallies on 10 casts. In the early season, the entire archipelago is over-run with Pike...many of a good size. Musky took a lot of time and effort...but the record Ken O'Brien fish came from right there. Some say the next world record is swimming around those islands right now. Walleye were harder to come by...but they usually were big. Bowfin and Gar also kept me entertained. I would even down-rig for Chinooks in the deep trench off 12 Mile Bay. Yes sir...rocks are everywhere. The charts don't even show 1/4 of them. Woods Bay isn't too bad, but Iron City Bay can be a nightmare for the unexperienced. You don't want to stray off the marked navigation routes without being hyper vigilant. On the plus side, the water is very clear..so with one eye on the GPS and one eye on the water...I was down to maybe one new prop a year...LOL

Multi species, Crowman. I have only recently gotten back into fishing (2 years ago) after spending most of the last several years hunting. Right now, I like the variety. I probably catch smallies and pike more than anything else. I will look for a spot lock.

Some great fly fishing sequences, and beautiful scenery in Montana. Not many flicks about fishing that you can watch with your wife or gf, and she'll like it too...even if she doesn't fish. In fact, she may get a deeper understanding of why we do what we do.. 👍👍

Speaking from experience, You could definitely survive on a 55lb thrust in a pinch but I’d personally recommend an 80 as well. On a windy day that 12volt 55 is going to be an issue. You will need two 12 volt batteries wired in series to create 24v which will allow you to push the 80lb thrust motor. a 55lb thrust will only require one twelve volt battery. There is some consideration there for the fact that the two batteries set up is heavier, and more expensive and the 80lb thrust motor will also be more expensive. All for you to figure out. as far as brands go, stick with minkotta for sure. I’d never go motorguide unless it’s an old motorguide tour cable steer motor. Which for your application is almost most certainly not what you are looking for. a used minkotta terrova will be the perfect motor for you. then you have some decisions to make about whether you want spot lock or not.