crappieperchhunter

I never thought of that...but I agree. I was told 2 or 3 springs ago all the eggs below the dam in Caygeon where left high and dry when they played with the water levels at the wrong time.

I agree it used to be awesome for walleyes. I know I have said this before...but I remember reading in an American crappie magazine years ago...that crappie are a hugh predator problem to walleye fry. And I don't think in is a coincidence that the walleye fishery started to go south at the exact same time the crappie population took off. I honestly believe this is the problem not the fisherman's harvest. I noticed no decline in the fishery at all until the crappie showed up. For the 20 years I fished it before that it was always good. But back to the OP saying the Stewart doesn't even fish. I think anybody who doesn't fish or have a clue about the fishery is in no position to make or force judgement on something they know nothing about.

This spring is the highest I have ever seen the Talbot. I never made it to the dam because I figured it would be a waste of time. Next weekend maybe, but I really don't think so.

X2. I love catching crappie...but if I'm catching both all the crappie get released because the gills are just that much better tasting.

I'm gonna have to get down there sometime Bruce. Nice report

Debbe just got back from Sudbury. She says it was raining real heavy just north of Orillia when she went through and her sis in Sudbury says its pouring up there now too.

I rarely pay to launch....definitely less then 10 times in my life ever. But I have no problem with a land owner charging whatever they want to charge for use of there shoreline. Waterfront property is expensive and so are there taxes and pretty much any marina is strictly a seasonal business...so they gotta do what they gotta do. Absolutely ALL the waters I fish have free public access. So from my point of view more public launches are a non issue and I'd prefer my tax dollars not to be spent on more of them.

Something tells me you won't be getting Christmas cards from any of them neighbors

Was up on the ice for Perch today. Going over the Talbot enroute I was amazed. I have never seen it that high...and there is STILL snow left to melt.

Haven't seen Fay since last fall Beansie. But I'm sure we will when we move up again the first of May. Our Caygeon countdown is on.

HAHA. I remember making that face once when I was carp fishing with Beans. This woman would come along everyday walking her 2 dogs and chatted with us. She enjoyed fishing as well and one day when we asked if she had fished lately she reported that she had and caught a good sized Muskie. Then she proceeded to tell us that she didn't really like the taste of it so she ended up feeding it to her dogs. We both told her she might not wanna repeat that story to very many people in case one of them was a hard core muskie guy

The law is the law and I have no sympathy for any poachers...but I agree with you Mike. Us "locals" that know the spots, what works and can slip out multiple times a week do way more damage then someone fishing during there week's vacation. I have witnessed it for as long as I have been fishing. I don't keep near as many fish as I did when the kids where still at home....but I am never without some in the freezer. All perfectly legal and I am not a hog about it either. If everyone that had a fishing license harvested as many fish in a year as I do the fisheries would be in real bad shape....and I know LOTS of fishermen who harvest way more then I do. It's a complex problem with no easy answers.

Nice looking haul. That maple leaf bottle is awesome

I grew up with my folks having a very small cottage on the upper bruce. Had a wood stove but the cooking lighting and heating was all taken care of by propane unless you really wanted to run the woodstove. Even had a propane fridge which worked great but we didn't use it much...pretty much in the summer only. We went up there 12 months of the year. Dad had 2 100LB propane tanks and they lasted forever especially if you used the woodstove for heat as well. My suggestion would be convert to propane heating and lighting and cooking and keep the woodheat for nostalgia or flip it the bird.

Yep X2

Don't have a clue Dan. And your right I don't stop there...ever. Just questioning a marriot in T-Bay based on a relative who lives in Sudbury....travels the world far more then you and I ever will and never has a reason ever to go that way? Unions IMHO don't ever do a better job. That was the point I was trying to illustrate. You might be right in your opinion for your chunk of the planet but I have never seen that sediment to be true in any business sector I have seen elsewhere.

Not doubting you Dan. But a multi million Marriot in TBay? Who in the heck would stay there? Not necessarily a destination those with big bucks flock too. Sounds like a white dinosaur to me. It's really not even a stop over for anywhere else.I'm thinking word on the street might be a little out to lunch. And sorry.... union quality? I'm in Oshawa. Union quality by our standards means something entirely different from what your are suggesting.

Waterproofing would be a slam dunk no doubt. However in many cases proper grading would eliminate any problems before they exist depending on your soil composition. It's kinda like making snow tires mandatory. 85 % will pay for the 15%....my numbers totally pulled out of thin air not facts... who really need it. Not trying to start a fight, cause I actually support mandatory snows...just throwing it out there for debate.

Had squirrel problems in our attic maybe 15 years ago. My brother uses some type of poison and it has worked for him. But I think it has been outlawed. Anyway I took an old radio plugged into an extension cord and put it in my attic. Turned it on as loud as it would play and left it in the attic for a week. You could barely hear it in the house...won;t bother anyone. All I know is it worked. No more squirrels. One week's worth of hydro to fix a problem is a pretty "green" and inexpensive fix. Pretty sure it would work for coons as well unless they liked the particular station you are playing

Intriguing. I don't watch 2 hours of TV a month but Debbe does. We will have to look into all this a little closer cause I'm all about keeping our $$$ in our own pockets. Thx for sharing this and thx G for chiming in as well. Looks like there is money to be saved here somewhere.

X2. I have a big veggie garden. Coons and squirrels used to eat a big chunk of my sweet corn. Read an article in Organic Gardening magazine years ago that suggested putting a few drops of fox urine on the tassels of the corn just before it got ripe. I was skeptical but I gave it a try and I can assure you it is 100% effective. I haven't grown corn for awhile so I no longer use this stuff. But a small 2OZ bottle used to last me 2-3 seasons. A little goes a long way. Edit: The article suggested that you do this before the critter's got a taste of your corn. The reasoning being once they got a taste the deterrent would not be as effective. You might wanna apply the same principal to your needs if your going to give it an honest try.

Saw American Hustle with Debbe 2 weekends ago. She thought it was OK, I won't recommend it. I like alot of the cast in it so I thought I would enjoy it but it did nothing for me. Also NEVER EVER EVER see August Osage County...EVER. That was the most putrid show I ever sat in a theatre to watch.

Thx for sharing that vtbass. I know exactly how you feel when you say it's the best $6000 you ever spent. There is no price tag on peace of mind.

I use to order direct from them because finding stuff locally was a PITA. However a bait shop near the cottage carries there stuff now. So if I go up on the weekend and talk to Mark he usually has my order waiting for me the following weekend. BTW ordering direct was dead easy....good service... no complaints. It's just cheaper to get my stuff local now.

Bill honestly try the lunker grip jigheads lunker city makes specifically for the finesse minnow and shad bodies. Most times you will be replacing a body that is all beat up before the fish actually pull it off the jighead. I did the super glue thing for years...but haven't since I discovered these jigheads. They also have the sharpest and longest lasting sharpness of any panfish sized jigheads I have ever tried. Only drawback is the smaller sized heads only come unpainted...but after years of using them I have come to realize the fish don't really care.