Bob

Opeongo in 2 weeks douG? I dunno. We don't have anything opening up here yet. Gonna bring an auger?

First couple of weeks after ice-out are usually slow here because the fish are still scattered all through the water column. End of May you may find surface temps in the 60s but 3 feet down is a whole lot colder than that. We catch lakers in the top 10 feet well into June most years and one of my best producers is a rainbow trout coloured rapala. Our latitude isn't much different from Algonquin. Tie some fabric softener sheets on your belt loops to keep the flies away.

Used to be a few around the Kawarthas. First one I ever saw was at Burleigh Falls when I was very young. I've seen them around Owen Sound and when I worked with a logging crew just north of Pointe Au Baril. There are some on the islands in Mississauga Bay just west of Blind River. I've also seen them in the Port Loring area. If you have an allergy to bee venom, you want to give them room, their venom is chemically very close but stronger. They get pretty thick but not very long, a big one is about 2 feet. Given a strike range of 1/3 of their body length, an 8" boot should keep you safe, also they're designed to strike downwards. They're not an aggresive animal, if you don't bother them, they'll leave you alone. When I was logging at Pte Au Baril, I was skidding logs and always checked my machine well before I climbed on in the morning and I took a good look before I started shoving a choker under a log. There were lots of them there. One of the sawyers had one crawl across his boot while he was cutting a tree down.

I mix corn meal and whole wheat flour with some seasoned salt (no msg) and garlic powder for my base and then get experimental from there.

It's the ME generation! Somewhere along the line, folks acquired an overgrown sense of entitlement. It's not so blatant here but it is there in the background. The thought is there that things should go my way all the time and when they don't, it's time to get ugly. I can do what I want wherever I want and what are you going to do about it?

There has to be a reason why a species would be called pickerel frogs. They don't look like a pickerel so they must be for fishing pickerel with. Worked well for us at Burleigh Falls many moons ago.

Most of the lakes around here have smelts in them so anything that looks like a smelt is a winner. I've found that right after ice-out can result in some slow fishing but if you wait until the surface water hits about 45F, you'll catch them on or very near surface all over the lake. I've caught them here, regularly, near surface right into June and one year, the latest I caught one on surface (or as deep as a floating rapala will troll) was on the 11th of July when you'd expect them down below 20 ft. I was actually fishing for bass at the time.

I've had my best spring laker fishing here towing body baits. Anything that's shaped like a smelt will do. Floating rapalas ainbow trout pattern are especially successful for me. I've had good days with Bomber Long As as well and Ripplin' Redfins often work well too.

Forty odd years ago, we made them out of paint stir sticks, super cheap and ultra light. You'd think them easy to break but they were pretty tough actually.

Folks in that part of the world domesticated reindeer (same as our caribou) and moose is just the largest of the deer family. Wonder how Bruce Moose feels about Bullwinkle's antlers hanging on the wall?

Nice fish!! Your buddy is right, definitely bufflehead. Back in the day, we called them butterballs. Fat little ducks.

I'm sorry to hear he's no longer with us. I hadn't seen him in a long time but I've thought about him now and again over the years. The thought always brought a smile or a chuckle. We fished and partied together and did some crazy things. I won't forget him either.

Heh! That was two wives and a dozen or so jobs ago. A year before I left Toronto for good. I forget??

Yep, we're in the transition zone between Boreal and Great Lakes forest. You can see quite a difference in the bush just driving from here down to hwy 17. Alternatively, you don't have to drive too far north to be in true boreal forest. Pine grosbeaks are pretty common here, we had 3 or 4 families hanging around our feeders most of the summer. The bohemian waxwings have a sort of west to east migration, they breed in Alaska, NWT and northern BC mostly and then migrate east, some as far as the Maritimes. They don't have set migration routes so you never know where you might see them. As stated, they follow the food supply. Guess they liked the abundance of crabapples we had this year.

Casey's?? Is that Casey Creber? Is he still around? I rented huts from him back in the day. What a nice guy. Probably 35 years since I've seen him.

Cedar waxwings have a lighter coloured breast and don't have the colourful stripes at the wing tips. They're also not quite as large as the bohemians. One of the most interesting and tamest birds we see here is the pine grosbeak. One landed right on milady's head a few weeks back but didn't stay long enough for a picture. We've been feeding and watching birds for many years. We do see quite a few mourning doves, evening grosbeaks, goldfinches, purple finches, several different kinds of sparrows, hairy woodpeckers and once in a while, a pileated woodpecker. Most persistent are the chickadees and nuthatches. Lew, you're right, it's costly but provides hours of entertainment.

GCD, I wasn't aware they ranged that far south. Cedar waxwings maybe? Joey, I've been a birdwatcher for a long time, maybe 40 years or so. I could tell from a distance they were waxwings but had to get closer to tell they were bohemians. Funny, I had to run home to get my camera and hope they'd still be there when I got back. Gerritt, they're not quite pigeon size but close. Hope you all had a great Christmas.

Mrs and I were downtown the other day and spotted a flock of bohemian waxwings working over a crabapple tree on the main drag right in front of the mall. First ones I've seen in years and biggest flock of them I've ever seen. Between 30 and 40 birds.

Merry Christmas to all on OFC.

Nice brownie. Looks like maybe a resident. Atlantic salmon ID:Few (2 or 3) large spots on gill cover No red/orange on adipose fin (brown trouts do have this red/orange) No radiating rows of black spots on tail fin, which is usually entirely without spots Reddish brown spots on sides of body except in large lake-run individuals More than 19 whitish gill rakers on inside of first gill arch (the red gill filaments are on the outside of the arch) Fewer than 120 scales in lateral line (brown trouts have more) Spots on head and body dark and light background Pelvic and anal fins usually without white leading (front) edges Nine rays in anal fin

To those that advocate carrying a gun, check the regulations first. I believe you'll find that possession of a firearm in the bush during July and August is illegal in Northern Ontario. In the rest of the province where it's legal to hunt varmints in the summertime, there could be restrictions on calibres. I know these regulations were in place years ago, don't know if any have been changed. Just something to check out.

When was the last time you had a background check, Bob? I don't recall the last one but I've likely undergone dozens in my lifetime. Apply for a job that requires you to be bonded. Apply for a gun permit. Apply for a mortgage loan, there are dozens of background checks on folks all the time. Just seems to me that not enough background checks are being done on immigrants. If there were, we wouldn't have so many criminal gangs here. How many gang shootings in Toronto are perpetrated by immigrants? Bottom line, there should be checks on those that want to come and live here. Make sure they weren't criminals in their home countries before letting them in. I'm not advocating the use of violence or anything like that, but we should be tougher on lawbreakers. Oh yeah, folks lucky enough to be born here that break laws should be prosecuted and suffer the consequences too.

I believe our immigration laws are way too lax. Proper background checks are not conducted on a regular enough basis and our rules once immigrants are here are too soft. Immigrants should be put on notice, if you break the law, you get sent back from whence you came immediately. I don't care if it involves drive by shootings, street racing, simple assault, theft or poaching. If this was the case, they'd learn to read the signs pdq. I'm no racist, immigrants coming from anywhere should be put on these kinds of conditions. Obey the laws or get out.

7' Ugly Stik is fine. Any of the Lake O. tribs should get some kind of run. Fish the river mouths with Cleos or any kind of spoon heavy enough to cast. I've also had good luck with long-cast Rapalas. If the water is shallow, an on shore wind is best. Where I fish, any hard wind from south to west that brings in big waves will have them smacking anything that goes by.

Hey Garry, good to see you back at it. There are still a few of us old timers around.