Master of Bait

Nice fish! I say barred as well. 100 yard chase? Heckuva cast. Trolled? Those ploppers sure produce!

Hey fisherfolk, Quick question about kushog. I’m headed up next weekend for a short/quick tourney with some pals. Bass/pike, 4 fish limit, 100% cnr, heaviest bag overall - just our annual thing for fun. I don’t really know the lake, fished it once years ago. Any recommendations on the quickest way to get on some fish? Really, any intel to save me some time and catch some fish is much appreciated. cheers, mob

These are great questions, and, to be straight with you, I have no idea(!) on all fronts. It was given to me by a neighbour. I'm going to try some of those basic steps discussed earlier and see how it goes. I'm really glad you mentioned 24:1, as I would have run it with the 50:1 mix I currently have in my tank! From what I can tell, the spark plug cables need replacing too. Do you think that is something I can pick up at a parts store, or more of a special order item? Cheers, MoB

Hey guys, awesome feedback, thanks for this. I did the plugs, lower unit oil, sea foam and fuel line, but I didn’t have time for the carb. Anyway, the engine fired up really easily and ripped across the lake. Then.... pow! I’m pretty sure the gears started Missing/slipping. Big jolt and then kept going, then big jolt again, etc. Bummer, cuz it’s a much bigger deal than I had hoped for. I’m gonna try again with this other little 5.5 seahorse. Will keep y’all posted.

Great, thanks guys. Will see how she runs.

Hey guys, I've been working on the motor - all straightforward so far and parts mostly available. Any recommendations on a fuel additive to add to the first tank I run?

Thanks guys - this is helpful, and generally stuff I can handle on my own. Cheers, MoB

Hey Anglers, I hope everyone's having a good season so far. I'm looking for some advice on tuning up my 1977(ish?) 25 hp Johnson Seahorse. It's been sitting in my yard for 5(!) years (kids, moved to Florida, came back). Local marine shops are backed up for weeks. I haven't tested it yet, but feels like I need to do something(?) to it - it was running fine when I last used it. Any suggestions on what I should do? Spark plugs (clean or replace)? Spark plug cables? Change lower unit oil? Carburetor clean up? Any ideas on a place that would stock parts for an old motor like this one, or would I need to order through a marine shop? I'm in the GTA. Appreciate any suggestions you've got. Cheers, MoB

Hey folks, I posted way back about moving to florida for two years and said I'd send you a periodic update to share some fishing tales from south of the border. See the attached link for a report on an overnighter I took this past weekend in the glades. You may need to jump to the second page, since I posted the report as a reply rather than a new thread. http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?245622-Overnight-tent-camping-trip I'm guessing things are in full swing in ontario at the moment. Hope you're all catching lots! Tight lines, Mob

Thanks for the feedback and kind words, folks. Florida has its pros and cons, but there's no doubt that it's a fisherman's paradise. Good point about the piers, Big Cliff. In fact, it's amazing how fishing automatically just kind of connects people. I have a different background and "political inclination" than many of the fellow anglers I meet down here, but none of that matters when we're just kicking around and catching some fish. Fisherfolk down here have been very friendly and helpful with info, etc. I'll do my best to post more pics when I can. I imagine you're all getting pretty excited to get out for some spring fishing. Tight lines.

Hey folks, I haven't posted in a loooong time. Just wanted to mention that I've moved to Florida for two years on a work contract. I've been down here about four months so far and, though I haven't fished a ton, I've gotten out often enough to enjoy some of the local species. Gotta say, the opportunities out here are unreal. I'm in the Tampa area, on the east side of the bay. My freshwater fishing so far has consisted of catching bass in small retention ponds (lots of 3-4 lb fish, largest is a 7.5 lber so far!). As for saltwater, I've mostly been out in a cheapie kayak I bought, fishing rivers/estuaries and adjacent flats for trout/snook/redfish. I've lost all the big fish so far, but caught lots of smaller ones (up to a 6 lb redfish). I've also beach fished for sharks a bit but I'm 0-for-15 or so, so far. I've got the gear and terminal tackle, just haven't had the luck to get one on the sand yet. Still getting used to circle hooks. Will keep trying! Anyway, here are a few pics - they're terrible selfies. I'll try to post an update every so often. Cheers, MoB

Awesome. Thanks for your help.

Right on, thanks a lot for the tips, gents. I'll probably try fishing some minnows out by the government docks. Is there any place to pick up some live bait nearby?

Morning OFNers, Just looking for a suggestion. I'm heding up to the Matchedash Bay (Coldwater) area next weekend and I'm hoping to sneak in a morning of shore-bound fishing somewhere. I've never fished this area at this time of year and I'm not sure what to expect. Would there be any open water at that time? Any fishing to be had in Match Bay, G Bay, government docks, a year-round open stretch of the Coldwater river for steelies? Appreciate any suggestions. Cheers, MoB

Whoa! Nice fish!

That's a given

Hi folks, I shared this pic earlier but it was buried in another thread, so I figured I'd just share it again. It's a shot of a roughly 10 lb striped bass that I caught in New Brunswick during a family vacation back in July. I released this guy and about 10 more up to ~ 15 lbs. It was totally amazing fishing. My wife and I would put the kids to bed at night and grab a baby monitor, then walk about 20 paces down to the water from our small beach cottage. We'd set up two lawn chairs and a small table, crack open a couple of Alpines (delicious NB beer) and I'd light a cigar. Then I'd launch out a mackerel chunk with a couple of ounces of weight on my surf rod, and we'd just hang out and chat. As a school would pass by, the rod would make a move for the water, I'd grab it, rear back, and fish on! It was strictly CnR (I ran into the cottage for the pic but let the fish go, strong) and it was tons of fun. The power and dense muscular weight of these fish is something to behold. We only fished for a couple of hours over three nights after dark. Rising tide was best. There's something about fishing in the ocean that I find just amazing. You never really know what you're going to get. I picked up a skate (small ray), some flounders, and a few other incidentals as well. Tons of fun. Another amazing sight was the bioluminescent plankton we witnessed at the edge of the beach one very calm night. I was sure that I was seeing flashes from dense schools of tiny silver-sided fish but, upon closer inspection, they were microscopic organisms glowing green on and off. Amazing. Anyway, I know it's an Ontario board, but I thought some of you might find this kind of cool.

Thanks for the feedback folks/ Keep it coming! On the topic, how would you target largies in these conditions? I'm thinking deep weedline edges, jigs presented slooowly. Any other suggestions? It's Paudash lake, near Bancroft. I'm pretty pumped about getting out as I haven't fished much at all this year (we have two young kids and we moved this summer, so the season was a bit of a write off). Seems the clear sky and low, east wind on Sunday would make that the worst of the two days, but it's also further removed from the initial temperature drop. What to do, what to do...

Hi folks, I'm fishing the Bancroft area with some pals this coming weekend and it looks like a front is moving in. We can fish one day, sat or sun, and the weather looks like: Thurs: 19, showers, 20 km sw wind Fri: 16, cloudy periods, 5 km north wind Sat: 13, cloudy periods, 10 km north wind Sun: 14, sunny, clear sky, 5 km east wind Then things level out and hover at this temp for a week or so. So my question, would you rather fish Saturday or Sunday? Also, I always find the dropping temps harder to interpret during the fall. Do you see this as a typical cold front situation where the fish shut down, or rather cooling fall temps that are part of a regular seasonal pattern? Many thanks for reading, MoB

Hi folks, I'm fishing Paudash Lake next weekend - competing in a friendly tourney with some buddies. I'm looking for a map (adventure maps style) and I wonder if I can pick something up in/around Toronto rather than sending for it in the mail. Any suggestions? Alternatively, if anyone has sent out for a map, what was your experience like, with turnaround time, etc.? Also, if anyone has any bass fishing tips for Paudash in mid-September, I'm all ears! As a matter of fish porn, I traveled to New Brunswick in July to visit family and caught some striped bass, right off the beach(!), using mackerel chunks at night with a rising tide. Not to worry, I ran inside to take this pic then ran back out and released this guy - he was in great shape. Cheers, MoB

bump?

I would second what Chris said. I've fished out of Noelville, which is near halfway between Nip and G-bay. Unless you're really familiar with walleye fishing in that area I'd say go get some smallies and gators - there are lots! The pics are really tough and you end up pounding the water for a couple of measly fish (although I did luck into a biggun up there). Point is, it's pretty easy to get skunked unless you know just what to look for. Good luck anyway - and enjoy the beautiful country!

Yeah, that was meant to read heading, not heafing....

Hi folks, I'm fishing with some friends, targeting smallies and walleye, next weekend on Lower Buckhorn. Unfortunately it'll be following a fairly severe cold front hitting on Friday. Typically, we can't reschedule our plans around the weather! We'll focus fishing efforts on the Sunday, which allows for what appears to be the more severe post-frontal day to pass on Saturday. I'd really appreciate any tips or suggestions on locating fish. I've read that I should either fish deep or tight to structure, or also to fish under the densest vegetation mats I can find if I target some largies as well. Was thinking about drop shotting or slip floating some live minnows and worms. I haven't fished the Kawarthas much in my day, so any tips would be much appreciated. Cheers, MoB

Hey guys, Thanks for the comments. The Sultan road was great. We towed my tinny using my 2WD Ford Escape and there were no problems. I kept the speed fairly moderate though - 60 - 80 kmh was my range. No point rushing anyway as it's a beautiful route. As mentioned, if it's been dry you'll likely have a nice coat of dust on your rig and also watch for large pebbles as well as the "washboard-like" stretches which cause for a bumpy ride in some parts. The back lakes we fished were in the park, just pike lakes. We spent some time exploring the roads off the Sultan but didn't have the time to get into any fishing on other lakes (next time). The road you mention just leads to a clear cut. Just exploring a bit. Thanks for the plug on my name! Cheers, MoB