Master of Bait

Hey folks, Just a quick question. Thinking of hitting Scugog tonight but it'd be my first ice fishing session this year (and at scugog ever). Anyway, just wondering if anyone can direct me to an area that presents an easy access point to get to fish from shore that is fairly well used (like, where the other huts are). Just don't want to venture out to some isolated patch of thin ice after dark and go for a swim with the muskies at this time of year. Beyond that, I'll take GPS coordinates to all of your hotspots, a free guided trip, I'll use your favorite baits and lures and hog all the fish (just kidding). Appreciate any tips you can offer on getting out thee safely to where others will be fishing. Can I buy minnows in town in the evening or do I need to get there earlier? Cheers, MoB

Hey, that is great stuff - Cayo Santa Maria is awesome. I was there in August and, although I didn't haul them in hand over fist, I saw and had lots of action. Which hotel you staying at? If you're facing the ocean, left of outta luck Cayo Santa Maria down the beach is undeveloped land. A few good cuda hot spots there. Dusk/dawn missions with poppers and spooks across the surface is the ticket. Gimme more details and I'll help if I can. Cheers, MoB

Become a day trader TJ! The wild volatility in the equity markets these days presents an opportunity for arbitrage - HA! Actually, I'm sure you don't really want to do that. Just be careful out there. Resource/energy stocks and associated commodities are SUPER volatile these days - generally not moving based on fundamentals (check out that TSX this week). No one would have thought that big huge firms like AIG/Wamu/Wachovia and the 3 deceased I-banks would be allowed to fail (okay, they were seized, but shareholder wealth was wiped out). Even fixed income securities are going crazy because of what's going on in the credit markets. Be careful with financials, too, because really healthy US banks are not priced at a huge discount right now (massive bank Wells Fargo is near an all time high right now). The truth is, it's a great time to go shopping for deals if you're Warren Buffett. For Schmoes like us, it may be wiser to stand pat unless you have really high risk tolerance levels. By holding out for a while, you'll no doubt miss some opportunities, but you'll also avoid exposing yourself to significant risks to your principal investment. Cool thread.

Really cool. Couldn't get the second link though (need login?). It seems that smallies are really curious fish. Those guys look like they're just checking out your boat. I once had a similar thing happen when a smallie got "mesmerized" by my bright neon yellow painted boat. He just hovered there, up on the surface in 20+ feet on lake Erie. He was so dazed that I was able to slide my hand underneath him and start lifting him out of the water before he "snapped out of it" and took off. Cool stuff.

Nice haul. GPS coordinates please... ... ... ...

Great pics, sounds like a nice trip

whoa....

Hmm... Looks like water quality IS the big issue. Not so much from industrial effluent, as I was thinking, but rather from road run-off and sewer overflow. I'm sure some of the upper stretches are nice, but it's the Toronto segment that needs some work. Have a look: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/t...ent-canada.aspx Cheers, MoB

Great point PatrickG. Never seen srayfish/crayfish remains, but I haven't ever gone into the water either. I have seen minnows here and there but not in great numbers.

Hey guys and gals, Just a post to share some insight and, hopefully, get more insight from some of you. I live at Sheppard and Don Mills in Willowdale and, as some of you may know, the nearby Betty Sutherland trail leads through some absolutely primo Don River Valley landscape in my neighborhood. I grew up here returned to "settle down" here and my daily bike rides in this region are absolutely awesome. You'd never know you're in the city. So here are some of my comments and a question for you. I'll take and post some pics one of these days. Observations: Wildlife: I've seen all kinds of stuff in this ravine and area over the years, including foxes, rabbits/hares, racoons, skunks, beaver, muskrat, marmot/groundhog, all kinds of birds/birds of prey, bats and small rodents, giant banana slugs, large millipedes, toads , garter snakes galore and, most recently, a dead possum (my first sighting), which makes me think these guys are expanding their range northward. This is at, basically, the intersection of the 401 and 404/DVP. If you live nearby, you gotta check it out. Forest: It's primarily (almost all) deciduous and very viney, reminding me of the Carolinian forests found further south. A bit of a rarity in Ontario, so this is another great reason to check out the area, and get off the paved trail a bit. Question: Fish: I remember a post way back of a guy who caught a salmon at Donalda Golf Course (in the Don, near my house). Any other reports of this? I've also read of baby walleye electro-shocked at the mouth of the don years back and I can see carp rising near the lakeshore any time I go down the DVP. Are there any fish in the upper Don (other than maybe chubs)? I know this river got beat up pretty bad years ago, but today, I can't see it being nearly as bad (not that I would eat Don fish). The only thing that seems to be missing, from my perspective, are large populations of benthic invertebrates to support enough biomass of fish and sustain larger predators. I've never seen mayflies/caddisflies hatching in the area in any significant numbers, but I have seen midges. The only thing that I can think of that would keep these guys away is inappropriate substrate in the bottom of the stream or some issue with water quality (which I can't imagine is the issue here). When I see massive mayfly hatches coming out of the lower Grand, which is flanked by urban development and farmland over most of its course and heavily sedimented near the mouth, I wonder why the Don can't sustain them. Any comments or insights on this are much appreciated.

Great fish Cliff! Nice to haul that beast in from shore. You sure it's not an ATLANTIC? HA!!!!!

Hey guys, Yup, both shots are of the same fish. I was solo so I netted him, snapped a shot, he flopped out of the net, I snapped a second shot and tossed him back in right away. No harm, no foul, he looked fine swimming off. Thanks for the contacts for Atlantic Salmon info. Will pass along. Cheers, MoB

Hey guys, That's really cool about this being an Atlantic. Thanks for the Id. Who'd a known? As for the regs, don't panic, the fish was, in fact, released! I usually try to refain from meat hunting in Lake O. By the way, I think I read something once about ministry people asking for angler info on Atlantic catches. Anyone know about this? I'd send them a link to the post if I knew who was tracking catches. Cheers, MoB

Just got back from a nice week-long getaway with my better half. Great trip and, unbelievably, great food at the Sol Cayo Santa Maria, on Cayo Santa Maria. I'd recommend it to anyone. HUGE thanks for some detailed info provided by Crazyhook before my trip. His advice was very useful and helpful. Unfortunately, however, fishing opportunities were limited to the beach area and I only squeezed in a few short sessions during the trip. Other than some small stuff, I didn't beach anything significant. BUT, I MUST SAY, TOPWATER BARRACUDA AT DUSK AND DAWN OFF THE BEACH IS UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE! I went 0 for 4 off the beach, including one that was inches from shore, but the rush of it all was still incredible. Poppers and Zara Spooks did the trick (almost). I think I'll up-size the hooks next time. I saw lots of fish, just couldn't close the door. It just went something like this... Wade into the dark dusk/dawn ocean up to your belly, quiet, rolling waves, perfect wether, empty beach... Cast out a country mile with a heavy saltwater top water lure.... Begin a frantic, super-fast, mad man, arm-aching retrieve across the surface of the water... Whoosh/slurp! The silver/blue/grey back of a 10 lb cuda breaches the surface as the fish clobbers my lure from the side... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drag goes nuts! Fight the fish for a few mins, some cool jumps, and... gone.... Ah well, not much I could do. Anyway, I met some fishing friends and there were some fish landed. Below are some pics for your enjoyment.... Bathroom view Hermit crab Balcony bird Pool Crab Wife @ Sunset Cuban Tree Frog (by the pool) Cuban Friend caught a red snapper... ...Which he gave to my wife and I... ...For a 3rd wedding anniversary lunch! Young british buddy nails a cuda on a live baitfish, he doesn't want to touch it... Fish went into the pan for some cubans Also had a cuda brak us off on the paddle boat All in all, despite catching fewer fish than I had hoped, the trip was FAN-TASTIC! Cheers, MoB

Hey guys and gals, I promised a while back to post a pic when I finally developed a roll from the disposable camera I use. Anyway, that was June, and now I finally have the pics (will buy a cheap digital soon)! Anyway, the fish in question is a salmon I caught while flatlining in 12 feet near shore on June 20th. I just thought it was interesting to see just how cold the water still was at that time. My guess is that it's a coho but, since I took the pics with a disposable, the pics are not that clear. Here are the two shots I got: Also, on a funny note, I caught a white bass and a sucker on the same rapala crankbait within about an hour in the same general area. There's just nothing more exciting than crankbait suckering! Cheers, MoB

Just a quick post of a few pics from a winter trip to the clearwater area back in January. Caught a baby shark and some catfish. Self-photos here so that explains why they're cr*p. Any ideas on the shark species? Motel Cold Snap Beach Shots Crab/Horseshoe Crab Carcasses Saltwater Catfish Unidentified Baby Shark Cheers, MoB

Thanks TJ! We're leaving a week from today. What was your impression of the island? I've been to Varadero once but never the cayos. Mind if I ask the $ on the charter? I'm on a budget and I love the DYI idea so I'll have to see how things go. Also, is this island the type of place where you can walk down the beach from the resort to get some isolation? I want to cast the surf but I want to steer clear of swimmers! Are there lagoons to fish not far from the resorts? Appreciate any feedback. Cheers, MOB

Hey folks, Just a quick Q. Wondering if anyone's been to - and, more importantly, fished at - Sol Cayo Santa Maria (on Cayo Santa Maria, among Cayo Coco and the other keys). Wife and I are heading there in a week for fun in the sun. I've searched the forum and the net and pm'd a few veterans of the Caribbean surf and am coming up with a great fishing plan for the surf, lagoons and hopefully drifting away in a free rental kayak or something off the beach! If anyone has any tips for this resort or this key specifically, I'd love to hear it. Anyway, I hope to provide a great post with lots of pics when I return. Cheers, MOB

Nice work! I'm willing to bet you're going to start paying more attention to those toothy critters going forward! Nothing like a highly desirable incidental. Cheers, MOB

Hmmm.... Looks like a poockerel to me. Glad to see they're making a come back in your parts.

Best smile ever! Great report.

Hey Mike, Good on ya for thinking about this stuff now - some foresight and planning is aways a good thing. I'd strongly recommend you go straight to school. Whether it's community college, university, technical/trades, etc., you just can't go wrong with educating yourself, period. Like many of the guys above have mentioned, the key is finding something that you like to do and going for it - everything else will fall into place. I think the risk of going straight to work is that, A) it's harder to go back to school after working and, you want to be the same age as all the cute girls at school!!! The fact that young folks like you have a lot of options these days is both a blessing and a curse. There are far more options than there were even just a decade ago for chumps like me and that can make it hard to make the ultimate decision. Just do a little research and see what piques your interest. A great place to start is to check out the (somehwat) recent thread on what the board members do for a living. As far as taking out a loan, my belief is that it's the best investment you'll ever make, hands down. OSAP is an Ontario Government-run program that allows you interest relief while you are in school (the clock on interest only starts ticking when you graduate). You could work a part-time job while in school and potentially take care of your loan as you go. Also, staying at home for school will probably cut your costs down by more than 50% (UOIT is in your home town, I believe). I know people who commuted from Toronto to Guelph three days a week to do their degree - saved them a bundle (and still will, even with current, brutal gas prices). Anyway, in the end, I suggest you stay in school. The field of study you choose today will not necessarily lock you in for life - you can always go back like I did. I think that getting an education will stay with you for life, though, and you'll be real glad you went for it. Best of luck! MOB

Hey Victor, I think in your suggested location you picked a good spot! I would definitely go the Simcoe/Couch route if you're targeting those guys, especially the bass. Right between the two lakes is hwy 12. You come off the 400 and go east towards the narrows. It's a little ways, 3-6 licks at least. Past an OPP station, Timmies and I think even Trombley's tackle (not 100% threre)? Anyway, point is there is a free launch that gets you onto the north shore of Simcoe in a little bay. It's been a few years but I'll do my best... As you drive east, you will definitely see the boat launch signs at some point (small, I think brown sign with just a boat launching photo/design). You actually need to turn right onto a residential street as you follow the signs and it's just up ahead. It is on the south side of hwy 12 and before you hit the bridge that takes you over the narrows (if you go over the water, you've gone too far). The launch is so-so but very do-able last time I was there. The nice thing about this location is that you can fish either Simcoe or Couch. Some great smallie action in both those lakes and always a shot at a decent pike. Hopefully someone else picks up on this thread to give you better directions as I am definitely not 100% on this. Just a not of caution also - both those lakes whip up a wicked chop in a hurry. If it's a calm day (10-15 km winds or less), you should be a-okay in your tinbanger. Any windier than that and I would stay away. And watch the boat traffic. Best of luck to you! By the way, after all that babbling I found a post that describes it a bit better. See pikehunter's comment on the link below (post #8). http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9275 Cheers, MOB

Beautiful number.... Love it!

Hey PH, I've been down through DC on that route twice. Stuck in some traffic both times in that loop that goes around the city/state. Pain in the butt, but bearable and not an overly long distance. I think if you can plan your DC pass around non-rush hour times it should be manageable. I'm not familiar with the other routes but I remember we decided on this path because it seemed to be the most direct and the quickest. Just a comment. If MB is a little far you may want to consider Virginia Beach? We've been the last two years and loved it. Affordable "near the beach/across the street from the beach" motels, some entertainment for young'ns (I think a Busch Gardens?), decent state parks around for some awesome hikes through sandy-soil, viny forests that open up to freshwater marshes, a really nice beach with WARM water in the summer, lots of wild dolphins just off shore and... most importantly... quite obviously... a 1,000 foot long fishing pier that provides steady action - bulefish, "grunts"/"spot", whiting, plus some bonus stuff like large skates/rays, cobia, etc. We also went deep see "reef" fishing on a charter last year for $35 each (my wife and I) - great times, lots of flounder and sea bass. Any way, just an option for you. Hope you have a great trip. Cheers, MOB