crappieperchhunter

I read somewhere that they are predicting the average increase in food cost will be around $600 yearly per household. I have always watched the flyers and stocked up on things we use regularly, and I have noticed less deals and higher average prices most of this year. I think that $600 figure will be much higher.

LOL. Happened to me last year Bill. Ice was getting close and someone on another board posted a picture of their group walking out of Tudhope Park. Called my buddy and we went up the next day. There was ice alright....maybe enough for a seagull to stand on without going through😠 Obviously the picture was not taken that week. Not a total loss though as we fished 2 other spots on the way back to Oshawa and ended up with a small feed of perch and crappie. To be clear I'm not trying to make someone waste there time for a trip up. I was just posting to show how late the ice is this year compared to what it was in 2007.

Feels good doesn't it Cliff. This summer Debbe and I where going for our morning walk here in Oshawa and found a wallet on the sidewalk. $55 cash but no ID, however it did have a picture of a young boy and a business card for a police Constable in Kingston. Sure enough we found her on Facebook and the pictures of her grandson on facebook matched the picture found in the wallet. So I sent her a message on Facebook saying where we found the wallet and asking if she could identify the contents. In no time at all she got back to me and said her 7 year old grandson lived on a street that was on our daily walk. He had lost his wallet the day before and the money in it was his birthday money from the week before. She contacted her daughter and told her I was coming over with his wallet. Drove over to her place and knocked on the door and mom and son both came to the door and it was a really good feeling giving the young lad his wallet back. An interesting thing happened later as well. Gramma contacted me on facebook to thank me and she said I noticed one of your face book friends is so and so. I told her yes we grew up together back home in Fergus and our fathers and myself all worked together at Moore Business Forms but I had not spoke to so and so since high school 30 years ago. She said he was her Police Sergeant and mentor at the police force until he retired 2 years ago. It really is a small world isn't it.

Hard to beat that Cliff, enjoy your pulled pork. I buy the whole loins when they come on sale and chop it all up into kebobs and freeze in meal size portions for Debbe and I. We like pork kebobs and have 2 different marinades we use for them and have kebobs weekly. I scored last time they where on sale so I really stocked up or I'd be heading for a value mart looking for the deal you got.

Glad the X55 is still working for you Brian. I got it I believe in the early 90's to take along on our Fly In trips. When we stopped doing the trips it was just sitting in my basement on a shelf getting dusty.

Bored and going through old threads looking for a few things. Found this one and thought I would share. Ice fishing on Dec 10 2007 on Cooch. I'm just hoping I can be on Cooch by New Years this year🥵

I have an old vex I got maybe 15 years ago second hand from a member of this board. Don't know how old it actually is. For my ice fishing needs the only way I will leave this unit for newer tech is if it croaks. It does everything I need it to do on the ice.

Came back from Bobcaygeon yesterday and much of the lower end of Pidgeon was skinned over. With the cold last night I imagine there is even more today and they are calling for -11 tonight. I would not be surprised if some back bays out of the wind might be safe for someone to chip and step there way out for some gills or crappie. However that someone will not be me.

We will definitely have to get together for some Simcoe perching during the ice season if you are not heading south this winter. I'm in 100%.

Yes the weeds have really got bad in the last 3-4 years in my Kawartha haunts. I have a number of shore spots that are not fishable in the late summer or fall anymore. The kids and grandkids come up for visits and we always go for a swim but the water is much weedier and lotsa algae compared to years gone by as well. Even my fall fishing spot on Simcoe is the same. Can't even throw the tinnier in there anymore. Weeds and muck you can't even row or paddle through. Hopefully someone dredges it out.

I would take a feed of smaller pike over a feed of walleye any day. Enjoy your fishing and a good fish fry.

Agreed Brian. I have a Marina on Simcoe I fish crappie and perch latter in the fall, and we get hog rock bass too. Tried them once in late fall...mid November if I recall, and I actually liked them better then crappie. Never really kept many though because we always managed lots of perch which are my favourite. Tried them from the same marina other times of the year and did not like them near as much and I have tried them out of the Kawartha's in the summer and they are garbage, for my tastes anyway.

Just seeing this today Brian, I have been away from computer land for awhile. It is too late to try for this year but I would recommend Fafard Veranda Mix for any of your container growing. Once Debbe discovered it for our Flower pots at home and the cottage we have used nothing else. It really holds water well. The front of our cottage is all windows and we have a 7 foot deep roof overhanging the porch...so in the afternoon the sun just shines in there and the windows reflect heat and the roof traps the heat so it is very common for it to be 35-40 celsius on our front porch in the afternoon sun. And with all this going on our flower pots get watered twice a week during the weather we have had lately but most of the season when the weather is not as extremely hot or dry once a week is enough. Like I said Brian for containers we use nothing else but the Fafard Veranda Mix.. A local nursery here in Oshawa has it every year and I grab two 112 litre size bags, but judging from your pictures I think one bag would possible get you through 2 seasons. However having said that I would also recommend you go with bigger pots for next season. More soil equals more water retention and more room for root growth. I really enjoy tending my veggie and herb gardens and my planters with herbs at the cottage. There is just something I really enjoy about growing food and it looks like the bug has bit you too. Good luck with whatever path you choose Brian.

Well done Bruce !!! Sounds and looks like an excellent adventure. Thx for sharing.

I have never tried it with the tomatoes Brian, but it makes sense. I think I'll have to experiment with that this summer. Thank you for the tip.

Looking good Brian. A little tip for your peppers. Once they start to flower get an empty spray bottle and fill with lukewarm water and a teaspoon of Epsom salts. Shake well and give the peppers a really good spray, soak the whole plant. The magnesium in the epsom salts really helps the peppers set fruit. I have had pepper plants fall over in the garden from the weight of the peppers on them. With good conditions you can easily get a dozen or more peppers per plant.

Have always liked the sail in Oshawa but only with regards to the fishing section as I have purchased almost nothing there except fishing related stuff. The fishing staff there have always been helpful to me. Two years ago I got a rapala electric knife from them and it died before the 1 year warranty was up. The warranty stated that the knife be returned to Rapala not Sail. But they said they would take care of it for me and took my knife and replaced it with a new one free of charge. I hope they get through this. You can never have too many options for supplying us with our outdoors stuff.

Looks good Brian. If you still have problems try leaving the spikes sticking out even further. I put in 10inch sticks and leave at least 4-5 inches sticking out of the soil. Then the furry buggers can't even walk in it.

The squirrels where brutal in our planter baskets at the cottage Brian. Now as soon as we plant something in them I grab a bunch of pencil thick 8-10 inch twigs and basically stick them in the pots wherever they will fit, and remove them as the plants grow. Still get the odd squirrel once in a while but I have lost zero plants since I started doing this maybe 10 years ago.

Been using road worms for over 20 years....once I got too lazy to collect them at night with a flashlight and have never had a problem. I collect them after a rain and they go straight into fresh moss I pick out of my back yard with a sprinkle of corn meal to feed them. Then they are in my fridge until I use them. Generally get used up quickly but I have had them in the fridge for 2 months without a problem, just have to give them some more cornmeal every once in a while. In all this time I might of had a dozen dead ones. Maybe our street here doesn't have any harmful chemicals on the pavement or whatever causes the worms to be contaminated?

Looks good again Brian. Debbe makes awesome raisin bread but I could not find her old recipe. Truthfully she has not made it for years but it is really good. If she still has the recipe hidden somewhere I will send it your way.

I read this and in the back of my mind I hear a line from an old Dire Straits song repeating itself over and over again. "Two men say there Jesus, one of them must be wrong"

Summer of 1980 worked as a JR in a camp at Kiosk in Algonquin Park. My best friend from that summer was a huge Prine fan and played his music all the time. Been a fan myself ever since. Simple from the heart music. RIP John Prine and thank you for all your great stories.

John was a good man. I too read his articles for years. Still use his recipe for doing roe, but never fished for bows with him. However I ran into him every spring for probably the last 25-30 years fishing a favourite shore spot on Lake Simcoe for perch, a fish we both enjoyed chasing. Shared many conversations about fishing and gardening standing side by side tossing perch in our buckets. Last April he was not looking good but I was hoping he would get through it and I'd get to see him again at the "spot". RIP John and my condolences to all the friends and family of a great man.

Same here. My only exception is with a long time fishing buddy. 30+ years ago we started the one person drives then the other buys the coffee when we go fishing. Still doing it when we hook up.