wallacio

Fair enough, I will certainly bring up this issue next time TU comes knocking for renewal of membership.

CRAA's ongoing vocal criticism of TU and the Issac Walton club is ironic as it seems the same confrontational and uncompromising approach with ramming one's agenda through has now been adopted. I submit that compromise is still the best approach for both sides.

The hard work over the years from CRAA is definitely commendable and I can understand the frustration when other stakeholder groups have attempted to block efforts with heavy-handed measures. With that said, wouldn't it be more prudent to drop the rhetoric ie "elitists vs the general public" and attempt to work within a compromise that will see an increase in Steelhead numbers which does not potentially jeapordize the already established Brown Trout fishery above Inglewood ie accept the use of an electrobarrier rather than continuing to lobby for unrestricted access of all migratory fish right to the Cataract? Before the usual responses of "Steelhead and Browns can and do co-exist in other systems" start popping up, let me say that I know that they do however it's already been stated by the CRAA executive that results of studies on multi-Salmonid species competition is far from conclusive. No one can definitively state that the Brown Trout population of the UC wouldn't suffer if Steelhead were allowed to spawn there any more than they can say there would be no effect. The Upper Credit Brown Trout fishery is unique to Southern Ontario - a relatively large system which comfortably allows one to fly-fish, it contains good numbers of wild fish (many of them large) and with a great deal of public access. This fishery is enjoyed not by just a handful of "elitists" but by a large cross section of anglers on a daily basis. I know this because I fish there on a regular basis and it's not just the "Orvis Crowd" up there. In fact, they are the minority as most of them are on the Grand where it's easier pickings. You are more likely to find young guys who are passionate about fly fishing, casual anglers throwing a spinner as well as grizzled "Trout Bums" who live out of campers on the backs of their beat-up pick-ups. IMO this is reason enough to leave it the way it is ie by not taking the risk of changing the population dynamincs by allowing migratory Rainbows to gain access as far as the Cataract. Again, from where I sit the electrobarrier below Inglewood would be the ideal compromise - Steelhead would still have access to the tributaries that they are lifted into at the present time as well as the main stem below Inglewood thus increasing their numbers while at the same time not altering the UC Brown Trout fishery that so many of us enjoy as-is.

Great report...you gotta love those days when you are on top of lots of suicidal Whities!

Nice going guys! I was also up at LOB this past weekend at the cottage with a few buddies. We found the fishing to be similar to your trip...good numbers of small ones around. I also missed a few nice Whities - couldn't keep them buttoned to the spreader. This one looks like it swallowed a golf ball! LOB is definitely a refreshing change from Simcoe...nice and quiet and you can't beat the scenery.

Have you tried tightening the nuts? On rare occasions, they'll loosen and when the blades aren't seated correctly they won't cut. Rookies are the worst enemy of manual drills...if your friend did slam it down (and after you try tightening them) and they still don't cut they are probably done. If so, grab a new set.

Probably the best restaurant in the city (need to be an adventurous eater though and reservations can be hard to get). http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca/ For an authentic Parisian bistro experience: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/montreal/D52113.html

A great first episode Aaron! I look forward to more. Gar are a riot and for a relatively common fish, they are mostly overlooked by anglers. I got out with a buddy this summer to a location that is absolutely swarming with them, including fish that are 6-7' long. Rather than using normal gear we threw in the added challenge of targetting them with fly rods. Generally they won't move very far to strike so accurate casts right in front of their snouts is required and it took me a little while to become accurate throwing big weighted streamers with stiff 9wt. Once I did, it was a blast to do battle with those toothy monsters! Rather than trying to bury hooks into their bony mouths, we used stinger hooks that are usually used for Walleye jigs. The stingers botton their mouths closed as long as you keep constant pressure on them. That said, you still want to set the hook as hard as possible...which means you practically fall out of the boat when you miss one!

Live Smelt cannot be used but with the exception of a few Zones, there is no restriction on using dead Smelt as bait. Massey/LaCloche is in Zone 10 which has no such restriction.

If you are close to Simcoe, you should be able to catch a bunch. The south shore of Kempenfelt Bay is absolutely stacked with big schools of them right now.

IBP = Innisfil Beach Park.

Thanks for the report. The same scenario seems to be playing out all over the lake right now (IBP, north and south shore of Kempenfelt, Oro etc)...lot's of Herring (some quite large) and virtually no Whities to be found. They have to be somewhere - I suspect they are lurking in the main lake where people aren't venturing yet.

Try RBC...we saved a bundle on our house and cars and were treated very well when we had a claim on one of the cars.

At least we got our exercise in for the day bud! The legs are going to be burning tomorrow!

This is true if your aim is to catch as many small fish as possible. I prefer to target the larger fish and it's been my experience that using larger presentations will weed out the little ones. When there are good numbers of jumbos around and the bite is fast and furious, I'll throw on a jig head that would otherwise be used for fishing Walleye and thread on 2 minnows at a time to ensure I target the largest fish present.

This is in line with the info that I've received from two different individuals who have direct contacts at Islander. Basically, the idea of a 5" model is being kicked around but the overall demand is not great enough for it to be an immediate priority.

Look for one that doesn't leak! Seriously though, there is a wide range in price and quality out there. Stay away from the cheaper ones that only use non-durable material on the sides and tops of the pontoons as they'll eventually rip and tear on branches and other snags that you'll encounter on the river. If you are going to stick to the average river in Southern Ontario where you aren't going to encounter Class II (or more) rapids, then you don't need to look at expensive boats that are intended to tame wild Western rivers. Check Kijiji, both Bill M and I bought our boats there for a fraction of what they would have been new. Mine is in the foreground (A Water Skeeter "Backcast") and Bill's is an Outfitter X9. We love them!!!

Riverkeepers/Frogwaters are certainly great reels - I like my champagne coloured one a lot however I thought you might like an unbiased review of the reel. As is the case with most reels with incredibly tight tolerances, the Riverkeeper will foul easily with even tiny amounts of sand or grit. The Notty is my "home water" and even when I'm very, very careful with it I always seem to get that horrid grinding noise (though the Notty is on the extreme of conditions that you'd face due to the vast amounts of sand there). That said, usually a quick rinse with clean water solves the problem and it's not as much of an issue on freestone rivers. In addition, if you do a lot of winter Steelheading (ie when the daytime temps don't get above freezing), this might not be the best reel for you as any amount of snow or water will freeze inside and immobilize it (again due to the tight tolerances). As mentioned, a new and improved run is coming out which may address these issues. You certainly won't go wrong with an Islander - probably the best production reel out there IMHO and it's my go-to reel when the temperatures drop and the snow flies. If only they would come out with a 5" model!!!

I'm glad to hear you are on the mend Mike. I hope to see you "at Church" sometime soon!

All the best Mike.

Hi Mike, I'm really sorry to hear about what you may be facing. I have every confidence that you will beat it and will be back doing battle with chrome bullets before you know it. BTW, I'm glad to hear that you and your buddy found a few! It's a great river huh?

Yep, they have an uncanny ability to make an immediate dash for the trees when hooked. That's just one of the reasons why it's a favourite of mine. Lack of crowds, some of the hardest fighting fish in the province, good numbers even when other rivers are low and clear are just a few others. That said, posted land seems to be more and more prevalent...it's unfortunate that a few inconsiderate individuals who leave garbage and don't respect landowners' property end up ruining it for the rest of us.

LOL - I could tell that you just weren't into following me through the jungle! Ironically there was only a short section that was tough and the rest was wide open. Next time bud.

Nice RF. There are definitely some nice ones around already...here are a few from last week, including a 29" hen that tried her best to get into similar lumber that's in your pic! P.S. - Mikey...you shouldn't have split early on Sunday!