Leaderboard

Hi all, Got out for the first boat outing this year, surface temps hovering around 40F. Looking in vain for crappie but we found some decent bass, a ton of hammer handle pike and the motherload of Rock Bass and Perch in one hole in 30'FOW(weird, never caught so many rock bass, even double headers.)

Deer, fox, wolf and bear. This black bear, a good size one of a cinnamon blonde color phase spent fifteen minutes in front of the camera but unfortunately to close to get a picture of his face and never lifted his head once. Just out of hibernation and in very good shape having not eaten for five months or more, and hungry, he was sniffing the ground where I had put some corn the month before which my old arthritic hands dropped and it spilled too close to the camera. Haven't got a picture of a lone wolf (an outcast) for years. I wish it been during day light hours. Sorry Lew, no moose this time.

Sounds like we have similar tastes. Ya Omni used to make all kinds of noodle rods. I remember having a 9', 10'6, and a 12'6 myself at points. Other friends had other ones. Like was said above we used to mostly buy them at Kmart haha usually 80$ish if i remember correct. I remember if we ever broke them which happened often as we were careless kids who lived walking distance to the Whirlpool back than Kmart would just give you a new one no question. I still look for vintage gear alot and almost never see the old Omni noodles, but they must be out there somewhere. I put some fish on the bank just this week with a Fenwick RiverRunner 11' and a Smith n Smith Streammaster. And ya the old Legacy rods and Abu Conolon noodles caught me a lot of fish too in there day until I got a little older and worked and could afford the D&M's or Loomis GL3 and IMX's. I have a lot of the modern gear Exprides and what not where sensitivity is needed and it's miles ahead but as far as float rods and rigger rods go something has been lost along the way and the old noodles are just so much more fun and all I really reach for

Some of you folks may have seen these already, I've had a few more requests since. Some of my favorite pics. The way I put it is some people will see a black bear and wonder if it is a grizzly, if you see a grizzly you'll know it is a grizzly and not a black bear.

I wish I could do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Landed at the lodge 2 nights ago. We've just been doing maintenance on everything at camp. We got a great crew here and thos spring/summer/fall is going...to...be...a....BLAST!

The reason I live where I do CrowMan, it's beautiful around here.

Stoney has always been my favourite for Walleye in the Kawarthas. Lots of structure and some good current areas. And if they're not biting, the scenery's nice...

Heading up to Quebec in 11 days for some trout.....this will be the 1st time staying at this outfitter. Remote cabin equipped with propane appliances including a hot shower... This place caught my attention a while back because of the multi species.....The Lake our cabin is on has native Arctic Char and Speckled Trout....then they give us an itinerary to fish remote lakes each day we are up there......Arctic Char, Speckies, Rainbows, Browns and 1 lake has walleye. I can hardly wait to get the hell up there!!

It was when I fished it 20 some odd years ago... Most of the Kawartha Lakes and rivers have their share of pickerel...

I use Sea Foam for everything, it's clear.

They really aren't.. You've just gotta read them and look at any exceptions for the zone you're fishing.

It was the kind game where a healthy Mathews would have scored.

Mariner and Reilly for the Boston win. Great effort to defend. Lazy. Gotta go.

If only camp work was year round… I’d be up for it in a heartbeat!

Nice work there! I watched a couple of vids on the Seaclear wiring harnesses and it would be real easy to duplicate what they offer for less $$. I just installed a HDS 16 at the helm so now I have that, 2 HDS 12s at the bow and Active Target. I've started collecting components to do what you did ;). 6AWG front to back and Bluesea fuse blocks, and a dedicated disconnect switch. All I need now is time..lol

X2 on kawartha lakes

The blue stabil is for marine use. The big difference is the blue creates a fog in the tank and keeps it from rusting. I have used it for years from a 28ft boat that lives in the water to all of my small engines. Anything that does not get fresh gas within a month gets treated. I like sea foam as well but use it as a fuel improver rather than a stabilizer. Art

personally, id fish the tri-lakes, they had a pretty decent population and spawn of them come through a few years ago. I wouldnt call the fishing for them "excellent" by any means though. Not a lot of places have good walleye fishing anymore.

I have been using Startron fuel treatment for years now in all my gas motors......my 150HP Merc, 9.9 Merc ProKicker, generator, woodsplitter, etc.....

5200 and patch panel with blind rivits is what I did on my duck boat with similar cracks.

Yea I got my first pick of fidleheads in yesterday, just under a pound for now. Back out to check my other spots on Thursday. The ones right up against my foundation are up, that's my signal. Leeks are well up but not swelling yet. This pic is from April 13.

I used the red once, it turned my 2 stroke gas for the ice auger and chain saw into a red jello blob. Never use that crap again. And I'm never going to be the guinea pig for the blue stuff either. Sea Foam, it works, like Franks Hot Sauce for gas.

Howdy smitty55, it is methane gas that is released from decaying plants and also from the lake bed itself. As the bubbles of methane gas make their way to the surface they become trapped in the ice.

I was out at Mt Bridges for a craft and tackle show today and came across an old ghost. Was nice to have a wee chat with none other than Garry2Rs

Thanks for the reminder! So where are those fiddleheads I found the other year??? (I am like a squirrel that forgets where he buried last fall's nuts....) 🙄 Doug

That time of year...Speckles and Fiddleheads. Both require the same 4 ingredients, and nothing else. Butter, Lemon, Salt & Pepper.. Looks like Morels need another week.

And all these years i have been giveing the Pickerel a free day LOL

Zone 12 is the Ottawa River, I believe that's to fall in line with the Quebec reg's on the other side of the river. As you know, weekends start on Thursday night in La Belle Province...

Personally I think that the guy who sized these motors must be the same guy that sizes outboard motors for Legend. I have a Starcraft 168 and it came with a 12V 55lb iPilot and it was under powered for the boat. I since then purchased a new Terrova 80lb 60" 24V

Like you slwndwn, I still have a couple of old Fenwick Rigger Sticks with the twist guides...great rods, but a little heavy for my taste too. Over 20 years ago, I bought two Sage 10.5 ft GSH 3106LB rods. They're essentially west coast style centre pin rods. A little heavier than we typically use here in the Great Lakes. I have used them for exactly that with float reels on trips to the Skeena system, and one especially memorable trip to the Dean. However, the primary reason I got them was to use them as rigger rods here in Ontario. I have Islander Mooching reels on them. The fight with a single-action reel, and the ability to "palm" the reel when a King decides to head for the other side of the lake, makes Salmon fishing a blast. They really won't handle heavy set-ups that well....like Spin Doctors or Twinkie Rigs, and I certainly wouldn't run wire or Dipsy's on them...but for straight up spoons or body baits off the riggers they're perfect. A lot more fun than cranking on a Tekota. Anyway, you may want to take a look at float rods...they certainly have that desirable slow action...and there's a number of models in the 11ft range. An old school 9 to 10 ft noodle rod would also probably be something to look at.. I will say, that if you're using the "baitrunner" function of your spinning reels to let out line when you drop the balls, it can become problematic. Line twist will become an issue. Just speaking from my own experience using a Shimano Thunnus that I own during some offshore salt water trips down south. It's better to just open the bail if you're letting out any considerable amount of line...but then again, it's the same problem when a fish makes a long run.

I bought a omni 7’ spinning rod about 1984 from Kmart. Used it for casting spoons for pike

I'm just having a second look at your photo and something else came to mind. At a few of the lodges/outfitters I have been to on the West Coast, they use a brand labeled "Trophy XL" for their mooching rods for Salmon. I believe it's a local Canadian brand mostly sold in the BC market. They also make conventional and spinning rods. Perhaps "Omni" was their distributor in eastern Canada back then ? Fred's in Abbotsford BC carries them. https://shopfreds.ca/trophy-xl/

Have you looked at the new "Onchor" rods from St. Croix ? Nice sticks...they're replacing the Avid Steelhead & Salmon line-up. They have a 9ft MH spinning rated for 10 to 20lb that sounds like it may fit the bill. Fishing World in Hamilton has a few models on the rack if you want to wiggle one...in fact they have a big sale on until tomorrow. The issue with most spinning rods in that length and power is that they are fast action....and for downrigging you really want more of a slower parabolic action. Having something tied up custom may be your best solution.