Bob

Those little north-country pine squirrels don't have much meat on them. You'd need about 2 dozen for a decent feed but I don't believe it's legal to hunt them. Not much bigger than a chipmunk. Bushier tail though, dress up some hooks.

Just getting started here in the last few days. Looking towards some hard frost in the next few nights, maybe it'll back them off for a few days (fingers crossed). My weekend starts tomorrow.

Un-thawing? Shouldn't that be un-freezing? Just bury them in pickling salt. It'll suck the moisture out of them and stop any bacterial action. When you stick them on the hook and drop them in the lake, they'll reabsorb the lost moisture.

Although water snakes are not considered an endangered species, they are a protected species in Ontario so I wouldn't advise using one for bait. I think that covers most all snakes in Ontario actually. Timber rattlesnakes have been extinct in Ontario for many years and there's no way it's a massassauga. They're much lighter in colour, heavier bodied and like all pit vipers, have a triangular shaped head and the classic sensor pits. Rattlesnakes have rattles and that one doesn't. No moccasins in Ontario and they're pit vipers and would also be heavy bodied with all the other features common to pit vipers.

Is it still running? I had one years ago too and it was a fine motor (noisy) as long as I went over it every second trip and retightened every screw and bolt on it. I thought about loctite briefly but then, if you ever had to do repairs, you'd have trouble getting it apart.

The only venomous snake found in Ontario is the Massassauga Rattlesnake. What you have there is a common watersnake. They can be very aggressive and their bite can hurt but they're non-venomous.

Hey Ryan, how goes? The lakers are still shallow here and pike too. Dead bait will work almost any time of year. My granddaddy used to fish Frenchman's Bay all summer long with 10" suckers and bring home huge pike. Of course, that was a long time ago.

Post your pictures and don't worry about it. In any given group, you'll find those few who, whatever you do, you've done wrong. Nothing wrong with taking a picture and posting it. Be proud and display. The fish was an accidental and went back to the lake. No problem. Don't let the Taleban of fishing bother you. For each one of these guys that will find fault, there are a dozen of us that will enjoy your shots. Enjoy!!

This time of year in this area, I stick to trolling. I run the shorelines in close enough that I can just see the bottom disappearing under the boat. I've had great success with body baits rather than spoons, original floating rapalas, bomber long As and the like. Floating body baits that resemble the shape of a smelt work much better than spoons in this area.

Yes, those mushrooms are false morels and some folks eat them. They call them beefsteak mushrooms and most of them seem safe enough but every once in a while, you get one that has a chemical that's akin to rocket fuel in it. Not worth taking a chance in my book. Some folks eat them for years without a problem, but then they eat that deadly one......

I like a big white bucktail walleye type jig tipped with a good sized minnow. Williams whitefish or sidewinder with some flavour added also has worked for me. Lots of lake trout water in this area.

Just east of Buckhorn near Lakehurst. http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller...sheets/Map5.pdf

Now this is the kind of thing all those global warming alarmists should look at. Doesn't seem like there's any pattern or trend there at all. I realise that this is all a local thing but...... if warming was truly global, you'd think that some kind of pattern would appear wouldn't you? From the 1890s to the 1920s, cooling was the hype. Then from the 30s to the 50s, it was warming. In the 60s and the 70s, we had an ice age coming and then from about 80 on, it was warming. Looking at those numbers, I just don't see it. I lived through the hype in the 60s and 70s and didn't believe it then and I still don't.

I was chucking a big jitterbug into a little bay on a small lake near Golden Valley when I saw a big bass clear the surface by about 2 feet and come down right on top of my lure. I leaned into him and after a fair tussle, I have about a four pound largemouth beside the boat. He had a grip on the back of that jitterbug but didn't have a hook in him, both trebles were hanging out in front of him. I looked at him, he looked at me and he just opened his mouth. I swear that jitterbug missed my ear by an inch. Only time I was almost hooked by a fish.

If you plan to use styrofoam with fibreglass, make sure you seal the styrofoam with something first. Fibreglass resin will dissolve the styrofoam if it isn't sealed.

I always enjoyed Cash's tunes but I saw him in person many years ago and it was painful. He was so wasted, he couldn't find his key most of the time. I was sorry I wasted my money to go and see him. For a personal appearance with no backup, I'd say this kid had him beat by light years. Not sayin' he'll stay that way but he's got it now.

Although it's less than an hour from here, I've never actually fished it. You can rest assured that there are fish there anyway. There's good fishing all over this part of the country. Birch Creek that flows from the lake down to the Spanish River has trout and it also gets steelhead and salmon runs. Speckies in the creeks all over the place and I've even heard of the odd brown in that area but it seems not many target them. There will be some construction on Birch Lake Road this summer, a good friend of mine has the contract to rebuild the road.

I got tagged once at the mouth of Lauzon Creek while fishing off shore for salmon. Storm was way down the lake by mississauga Island and when the rain started, I folded up my gear and headed for the car... didn't make it. Must have put me out for a split second, when awareness came back I was almost on my knees in the gravel and I never heard the thunder. Light of my life was already in the car and she assumed I ducked because of the noise. I thought someone had clubbed me with a 2x4 and couldn't figure out how anyone got behind me since there was no one else close by. Didn't do any real damage but the muscles in the back of my neck were in a knot for a couple of days. Figured it was my lucky day so I immediately went and bought a lottery ticket.... didn't work.

Beautiful! I rode pleasure-class competition MANY years ago and found the hardest part of the whole thing was learning to put a lot of faith into one of the most neurotic creatures that walks the face of this earth. What a lot of fun! Yeehaaawwww!!!

Way back in the 50s, the hot musky lure in the Kawarthas was a rig they called a double buffalo. I guess what goes around, comes back around. Nothing new about double bladed spinners.

http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/10/bellisland.htm Lyrics are with it as well.

Yep, I've been watching that fish cam for years. Won't be long and they'll have it in the river beside the power station and you can drool over all the big steel. After that, through the summer, the numbers of Atlantics are amazing. Then the chinooks and other salmon show up. I happened to be watching one time when they pulled the camera to clean the lens. Found myself looking at clouds and a cleaning rag for a couple minutes.

Even in this neck of the woods, it's hard to get an open block. The whole province is divided in blocks and a license covers one block or area. If a block is already taken, no one else can get access to it. Go to the nearest MNR office and they can show you a map indicating what blocks (if any) are open near you. I picked up a couple of blocks one year and had to drive an hour to get to them to find not enough creeks, lakes or swamps in them to make it worth the drive so I dropped them. It works much the same as a trapper's license, when you hold a license for a certain area, then that area is exclusively yours. Only way to get a trapper's license now is to buy from a trapper who is retiring. Many licenses have been passed down for generations.

We've tried all kinds of expensive stuff for our husky just because we love him and want the best for him. This obstinate character turns up his nose at them all. The only dry food he'll touch is the generic stuff from No Frills. He won't eat canned dog food either but let him see a piece of meat I cook for us (especially liver) and he goes berserk. I buy good cuts for us so he gets some of it. He's 10 years old, healthy and frisky as a puppy and not the least bit overweight. I guess I'll continue to give him what he wants.

Brown ones are immature birds. Both male and female birds turn black with white head and tail when they mature, usually at 5 years of age. There are lots of them in this area and along the North Channel of Huron. At maturity, their wingspan is about six to seven feet, much bigger than a goose. Closest thing in size here is the turkey vulture. Lots of them here too.