crappieperchhunter

 

Well, the daughter and I got out for a few hours Thursday evening on 16 Mile creek. The fish were biting. We caught bullheads and bluegills aplenty. More importantly we found a school of big crappie in the 11-12" size.

Now for the crappy part. As we are packing up and loading the car, my fishing rod catches me. Somehow the jig that was set in the hook keeper got stuck deep in my finger and as luck would have it,I did not have my sidecutters in the van. So here I'm sitting in the parking lot with the jig and fishing rod stuck to my hand. Thankfully there was a boy scout troop, 97 Hamilton, on hand and they had a pair of cutters so I could cut off the head of the jig and free myself from the rod.

So I drive home with hook embedded in the right hand, get my fish home and on ice, then run down to the Emerg by 9:30. I am typing this report out now at 3:30 in the morning. The nurses and doctor were a little unsure and hesitant to just push the hook out. For all this hassle they better be the best crappie I've ever tasted.

 

 

Sounds like a 90% great trip to me Bruce. You got out with your daughter and you hammered fish. I'd be good with that even if I ended the day like you did. And I'm sure them crappies with taste awesome

Anyone that disagrees, please feel free to point out a flaw in my idea(Im not perfect im sure there is more than one)

 

 

Don't have a cell phone and have no intention of ever getting one.

 

 

Money is just fluff, I've already won the lottery many times over.

Pretty much how I feel Lew.

The family would be taken care of. That would be my only priority. After that except for more travel, I don't really think much would change.

In order of preference Debbe and I will both take a good burger everytime, with the odd sausage thrown in for a change. Neither of us have every been hot dog eaters. Had the grandkids for an overnighter in February and they wanted dogs. The left over ones are still in the freezer...probably until there next overnighter or until they are thrown out....whichever comes first.

Jeez Beansie where we not just talking about him a month ago while chasing gills and crappie. Used to get out with Steve a lot. He is solely responsible for getting me into carpin. We have lost touch the last few years because of his health but like Cliff we still exchanged the odd email.

A great guy if you where lucky enough to get to know him.

RIP Photoz.

A small fragile lake? Under additional serious pressure from winter fishing? (Pan fish only but you know that). If your going to use science then stick too it, not your half truths and twisted facts to push your agenda.

IMHO all the Kawartha lakes are small and fragile with regards to the impact us fishermen can have on them...and I'm sure that is his point. I'm also sure all Kawartha Lakes close to scugog will get additional pressure now that walleye is closed on it.

And any reasonable person would realize that having an open ice season albeit only for panfish,will also have an impact on walleye. I'm sure lotsa dishonest or uneducated people take them home if they catch some and I'm also sure some die after handling even if released.

I don't know Dave/Fenelon at all. But I see him as someone passionate about the resource, and I have no problem with that. If more where like that I think we would have far less problems.

I heard stories about how some of them operate though, allowing anyone off the street to basically come in and buy. Selling prescriptions with a "doctor" over skype, etc. Some of them were pretty shady, borderline underground operations that needed to be reigned in a little bit.

I think you hit the nail on the head. And shady hurts local business. The one in downtown Oshawa is attracting a lot of shady characters and I'm hearing many many stories about all the below the board business going on. I got no problem with Medical Mary Jane. Just do it right and lets move on. If I owned a business that was suffering because of my new neighbours next door you can bet I'd be complaining....and I'm sure that is what has fuelled this crack down.

My wife works next door to the Oshawa pot stop. I get new stories of illegal activities pretty much weekly.

It has not been set up properly and needs to be done right.

My biggest problem is the waste as well. 140 anglers targeting walleye with only 27 dead isn't going to hurt the fishery. Even if the mortality is double because of die off after release..54 fish isn't going to damage the fishery. Hell I'd be willing to bet that those same anglers fishing on the same weekend but not in a tournament....would probably have taken that many or more home for there own meals.

Just have a solid plan in place to deal with the issue when it arises like it did again this past weekend. Seeing floaters upsets everyone. Fishermen and none fishermen alike.

When I saw how warm it was Saturday I told Debbe they would have high mortality again. Then I went fishing and saw the floaters.

For the fishery it seems like the right thing to do is close it down. But it really is to bad because it has been a well run tourney from the standpoint of how they have made such a great effort at the Beach Park Boat Launch. Our cottage is within walking distance of the launch and we have to drive by it if we are going into town for anything. They had one guy constantly guiding traffic on the road when the boats where coming out of the water Saturday...a far cry from some of the tournament traffic gong shows I have seen in our years there at the cottage.

Well lets kick a dead horse again here. This tournament was in Bobcaygeon again this weekend. Saturday at 6PM I wandered down to a place I shore fish for Bluegills near the Hiway#24 Bridge just before Caygeon. I fish this place all the time from May until October and have never seen a floater walleye. Saturday I walk down and find 3 as soon as I get to my fishing spot and see several white bellies out on the water but can't confirm what species they where but I'm betting walleye.

Brutally hot Saturday. I'm betting the tournament had an unforgivably high walleye mortality rate again

Anybody heard anything?

Excellent report. Thx for sharing. It brought back great memories of getting my daughter out to fish. Something she really enjoyed until she got older and discovered "boys"

Really liked the photo and story behind the eggs on the ladder too. Looks like you had an awesome couple of weekends.

I feel your frustration Dara. Got a 8inch manual ice auger there once. Drilled 3 holes with it and didn't like it. I had lost the receipt but I still had the box it came in with all the packaging and there store address on a label right on the box. Drove an hour to get to the store. Told them my story and showed them the packaging and everything. "Sorry sir no receipt" was all they would do for me. Sold the auger on here for $50...it was an $100 plus strikemaster laser auger....and was done with it and them. Haven't been in the store since.

Found my receipt months latter. It had fallen behind my bedroom dresser

Just reread my response and I realized I made a mistake. The incident I described happened at BPS in Vaughn not at any Cabelas. My apologies for the error. I had not finished my morning coffee yet and my brain wasn't firing on all cylinders

LOL, at least they could see the car? I am guessing that shoreline areas here are not going to have that kind of water clarity!

Water is crystal clear there. If it was 30 feet down you could still see it no problem.

Pretty easy to drive straight past Foodland and right down the ramp there. Many (drunk) men have done so over the years...

So you know the area too Wayne. I still just can't see how anyone could do it. I have had more then a few dinners at the Crows Nest and have never been messed up enough to do that. I mean its a small area. If you are unfamiliar you drive slow and keep an eye out. If you know the area you just know. Can't get my head around the stupidity.

I spent 30 years on the Bruce and in the "TUB". I know exactly where that launch is and I can't begin to understand how this could ever happen. I pray this woman never gets pregnant and tries to raise children.

Edit to add....I always thought the harbour was considered Georgian Bay and not Lake Huron. The write up says Lake Huron.

Some good eats there. Enjoy the fish fry

TSC in Bowmanville is an absolute joke. I couldn't tell you the number of times I have went in there for a good deal I have seen in there flyer and they don't have it. I have never been in another TSC to compare it to....but guessing by the responses in this thread....they all must be better then this store.

Other issues as well. I pretty much leave every time saying I'm never coming back Go in maybe once a year for something now and am still usually disappointed.

My folks had a cottage on a small lake on the Upper Bruce near Tobermory. It even had a creek suckers ran up in the spring from Lake Huron..so fish had access from the Big Lake. The lake had some type of minnows that got to about 4 inches in length and a healthy perch population although I never seen one over 7 inches. For gamefish it had smallies the biggest I ever caught maybe 4LBS and pike. In 30 years I never caught or saw anything but these species.

Excellent report. Really enjoyed that.

Got a bunch yesterday from one of my shore spots on Sturgeon...there was nothing there last weekend though. It should be prime when we are up from May 13-23 for a weeks holidays. The spot Beansie and I got them last Tuesday is always an early spot. Lotsa spring/early summer locations should be starting up anytime now.

A couple weeks ago on 680 news, they said in Canada the average, all in cost to parents, to raise one child from birth to 18 years of age is $275 000.

 

I found that surprising.

Did they break it down at all Chris? I can't see how that would be possible by 18 to be average. I could see it if you add a few years and include 3-5 years of them off to University.

However I have Uber rich relatives that are paying $25,000-$50,000 a year for each of there kids to go to a private school instead of a local high school. And once they got a full license they both got brand new vehicles as well. And I could go on and on. A few from that snack bracket can really skew a survey especially if it is a small group.

Anyway if that's average I'm happy to say raising our 2.... Debbe and I came in WAY UNDER budget

Nice haul Mike. Beans and I made it out yesterday for a few hours and got some crappie but none the size of your beauties. But we caught lotsa huge Gills. Just a catch and release day so I hope there still there for next time.

Those look Beefee Mike. I hear they are a tasty sweet fish. Like Perch? I never have fished for them but wanted to. I caught exactly 1 in my entire life fishing a small quarry in Nanticoke. It was an accident. A pal knew a hot spot at a Marina along Erie. Of course the day we go loaded for Bear there's a new gate across the water, NO FISHING !!!! Maybe someday. I met a couple fishing in up state NY, Muskellunge Lake. They go for Crappie for 4 days every year and hammer enough to give all their kids and grand kids many feeds. Both in their late 70's. They fill buckets everyday and clean fish for 2 hours a day. They pretty well fill at least 1/2 of the camps freezer before they are done. It's the only weekend they fish for the year. They have been going to this lake for 50 plus years, never missed a Memorial Day there. They had their daughter change her weeding date because it was Memorial Day weekend. I hope they are well.

Personally I think they taste nothing like perch and there flesh is not near as firm....it's almost mushy went deep fried...I prefer them baked.

When people are paying $1,000,000 +/- for teardowns in Toronto, the market may be harder to enter than you think.

 

And don't think that the $400,000 condo is a sure thing either. I've heard many horror stories about those places being poorly built with malfunctioning elevators or leaky windows. Often times when that's the case you're as much at the mercy of the condo corporation as you are a deadbeat landlord. Many of those condos were built to outlive their 7 year tarion warranty and not much morIknow

I know the Oshawa market very well and that's the market I was commenting on if you reread my post. We have helped both our kids get houses in the last five years and my son is currently fixing up a condo to flip. He bought it in 2012 I believe for around 140K. He plans to list before the end of May for 240K.....still way under 400K. Plenty of fully detached nice homes in Oshawa for well under 400K.

If I'm fishing an area with crappies and gills I always start with plastic. I let the fish dictate how my day will turn out. If I start getting bigger gills the plastic comes off the jighead and a chunk of worm goes on. In all the years I have fished this way I have caught maybe 3 crappie once the plastic comes off and none of these 3 incidentals where big enough to keep. My experience has always been they have no interest in worms at all. Perhaps my worm offerings are to small for them to be interested in.

A bucket of water with the lid on.

 

S.

What I do in my tinnie when I'm solo so I can get up on plane easier. On good days that same bucket has a feed of fish in it when I return home...so it gets double duty.