crappieperchhunter

A friend fishes a river on the east side for perch Brian but early season some whitties are always present. They got close to a dozen this week. I'm betting there will still be some in there for the opener. I don't recall that ever happening. Crazy cold wet April we had???

Different spots have different times. We have a spot on Scugog we get crappies from as soon as the lake is ice free. This year it was the first part of April and this spot lasted for a week. My Kawartha shore spot turns on real good when you can see the trilliums in flower in the bush. It is not ready yet but in a normal spring it would be by now. Spending a week up there starting Saturday. I hope it is on by then.

It's the highest I have seen the water in the close to 20 years we have been going to Bobcaygeon and what a change in the last 2 weeks. A bay I fish for crappie and gills had maybe 6 inches of water in it on April 15th. On the 29th it was almost up to the gravel road. A good 3 feet plus rise in water level in 2 weeks. For people close to flooding issues I hope this rain today isn't as bad as they are predicting. Thx Jimmer and Lew for the pictures to give people perspective of how it really is.

When my kids where small we went every year for the kids day. The one year a work buddies daughter won the chopper ride around the area. Neither him or his wife are flyers and I think they where more nervous about the ride than their daughter was. A great event and I'm happy it's still going on.

Debbe uses that cleaner and it does work good. I just scrub with a little comet. I don't know what others are doing to get scratches? We are not gentle with ours and it still looks brand new.

Our flat top is 7 years old Cliff. We love it and will stick with flat tops from now on. Much easier to clean then messing with a burner and cleaning those rings after any kind of spill. Wipe with a cloth and you are done. A flat top also adds counter space to your kitchen, which is very helpful if you have a smaller kitchen like we do.When we bring groceries in we just dump them on the stove top and organize from there rather then trying to fit grocery bags or totes on the counter or having to walk across the room to but them on the kitchen table. We also use the stove top as a work area if we are both in the kitchen. I can get out a cutting board and do meal prep work on the stove top while Debbe is using the counter or sitting at the table. To each there own but we are very happy with the flat top.

I'm jealous Bruce. My ice season is done and it will be a good week or 2 before we can find any open water crappie/perch action around here. Enjoy the fish fry.

Glad to hear your still on the green side of the lawn my friend and it sounds like you have found a gem of a spot in Myrtle Beach.

LOL. Nice to see someone with a sense of humour. I'm in the same boat a bunk. Used to golf tons until right around the time we bought our cottage. Then slowly being at the cottage and fishing or just hanging out there became the norm. Still love the game....but the clubs haven't been out of the basement for probably 10 years now.

My fav Petty song and they did it justice.Thx for sharing.

Never thought of using a straw. Gotta try that. Thx for the tip.

My take. I have a big veggie garden and I have also always bought bigger cuts of meat on sale and cut up and froze into meal size portions. I tried a good food saver unit about 10 years ago and it lasted a year. Maybe I just had bad luck or maybe I used it a way more then your average Joe. Anyway since then I have found that if I take my portions and carefully wrap in saran wrap then seal in a ziplock bag it works just fine. I have had packages of frozen perch get buried and lost in the freezer sometimes for over a year and I know this because I date everything with a sharpie when it goes in the freezer. I find it, take it out and cook it up and it's just as good as stuff that has only been frozen for a couple of weeks. Wrap it in saran wrap carefully and squeeze out all the air and you will get zero freezer burn. I will never spend another dime on any type of vacuum sealer.

Well at least they still got some work done. Things would have really went south if the hole digger took a sick day?

Come on you guys. Suck it up, get your spud bars out and give us an ice fishing report?

No fish....what a waste of time? Just kidding Brian. Those type of days are the best and the reason many of us get out of bed at ungodly hours to spend time outdoors.

Since this topic has moved into pensions I would strongly suggest anyone working and close to retirement look into the option of taking a commuted pension, especially if your companies pension fund is already in an underfunded state. I did this and retired at the end of June. The first week of October I got my lump sum commuted pension in the form of 2 separate cheques. My employer of 36 years has been declining all over North America much the same as GM and they even have a 5 year loan from our government right now to help pay their pensioners. I was truly concerned that someday getting a pension from them would disappear. The pros. I got my money. If the company goes under now it will have no effect on me. The amount I got was the equivalent of 25 years of what I would have received as a monthly pension. I can invest it how I see fit. The cons. Lost all my benefits when I severed my ties with the company. If you have no coverage elsewhere...like a spouse with benefits...or you have expensive medical/dental issues this could be a problem. Do your homework and figure out what is best for you because in my experience you will always do better for yourself then somebody else will.

I agree with this Brian. I ruined a guide this way on my most expensive rod. The worst part was I never found the true problem right away and I repeatedly lost fish and tackle to line breaks until I figured it out. I still use a swivel to help with line twist but I ALWAYS tie my leader short enough so the swivel NEVER enters my guides.

I have just always used a short enough lead so that I don't have to worry about the swivel going into the eyelets. I really don't think a shorter lead scares the fish especially if your after lakers or anything in deeper water. Another option I have used is I tape some black electrical tape around the bottom of the butt of the rod. Then when I'm ready to call it a day or I'm moving I hook my lure into the electrical tape which saves your cork or whatever material is on your butt from getting damaged. Taping it to the very bottom also will give in most cases at least another foot longer you can tie your leader.

Best of luck with all of it. It sure sounds like you have been a busy man. I don't know you at all but you sound like someone who enjoys work and there is nothing wrong with that. My wife and I where going to retire together this year at 54-55. I did but she did not. She still loves her job and going into work everyday and the social aspect of it. Truthfully I think she will work for many many more years. You gotta do what works for you. More importantly best of luck getting out fishing more, because we all know that is the most important?

Yesterdays Courtice paper mentioned that the current agreement actually runs until Sept 2020. I would think that is about all they can fight...but that only buys the employees one more year.

I moved to Oshawa in 1983 and worked in a printing plant right next to the GM south plant. In 30 plus years I have witnessed it's slow painful death. Really surprised it has actually taken this long. Lotsa finger pointing going on, blaming the union, blaming the company, blaming the government. All valid points. There is no singular group to blame IMHO. It's just the reality of manufacturing in Canada in general right now and one magic pill isn't going to fix it either. I feel badly for those affected and wish them the best in moving on.

Agree 100%. 20 years ago I firmly believed that there was no such thing as bad kids...just bad parents... and I had a very heated argument at my sons soccer game once with a fellow parent who was a school principal and said he had seen the best kids come from the worst parents and visa versa. As the years have past I now have seen this for myself and no longer blame all parents for there kids turning out rotten. No matter the circumstances some people just turn out to be low lives. And as Jimmer mentioned mental health can play a role as well which no parent can control.

Perhaps your Erie charter guy should give Simcoe a go then OI? My nephew got a 15 four or five falls ago at a favourite fall spot we fish and I have two other Simcoe perch fanatic friends who have both done it. So I can safely say they exist on Simcoe. I just have not been lucky enough to land one in my 1000's of attempts.

Same thing as every year. A 15 inch perch. Have probably caught 100's by now over 14 with 14 7/8 being the biggest but I just can't get that 15 incher. In 30 years on Simcoe I have had a few that I have lost at the hole while ice fishing that I'm sure where over 15...but they don't count.

My love of the fall is more weather related then fishing related Brian. Just love the, throw a hoody on weather, with no bugs to boot. After the 1st week in October when it got up to 27 celsius we have had very little of the fall weather I enjoy. Most days that had the temps I like had rain or too much wind to get out and enjoy them. This fall we where raking leaves at home, at the cottage and at my folks. Literally had 5 days during the last month that a would call decent days to get out and get yard work done. And now we have 4-6 inches of snow on the ground in Bobcaygeon. Just glad I got the raking done. Now it's back to fishing.