Rizzo

great report! If I can't get out fishing, its nice to read about others' success. sounds like a little persistence (and knowledge of the lake) paid off.

There's always at least 2 sides to a story like this but the media likes to grab the "feel good" side and make the owners look like schmucks. This is just like the timbit caper a short time ago, I'm sure the real reason for that woman's firing had nothing to do with giving away a free timbit...the timbit was the "proverbial straw". Its also important to note she was not fired, and had alternatives (wig). The fact she won't wear the wig sure makes it look to me that she's on a mission to make the owners look bad. Even charitable people aren't necessarily nice.

I'm surprised to see these regs on Balsam. I fished it for musky around 5 times last year and I think I caught incidental pickeral every time. One was a real brute too, about 7 pounds caught on a 9 inch sledge in the middle of the day. Seems like there is a healthy population in there, i definitely caught more eyes than skis!

you have got to be kidding me. I booked the following week for vacation with the plan of attending! Guess I'll be missing this year. Nuts.

Awesome! I've never had it in fresh water, but happens ALL THE TIME to me in saltwater. Usually a barracuda nailing a kingfish. A barracuda will cut a 35 inch kingfish inhalf like its a knife through butter. My favorite though was in the intracoastal...had a stingray about 6 feet across nail a sandperch. Fought him briefly, but 8 lb test is no match for a big ray

crayfish?

what really surprises me is not the little guy in the big guys gills, but the fact that there are people who have never seen this before! Like others have said, its this one and the big (I believe) Italian pike that keep showing up about 5-10 times a year.

ah the cycle of life...one goes out, one comes in. I just traded in my Toyota Celica GTS for my first mini-van (Caravan) a few weeks ago. Congrats on the new truck and I'll see you there in about 20 years!

I would suggest padded gunwales, will be much gentler on the neck should these cretins get fresh with you again

good report, always an entertaining read (too bad about the prop though...I just priced some out today and didn't like what I was hearing)

Lots of guys who wore the number 27...and the greatest Leaf #27 of them all...Johnny Kordic may he rest in peace

drainage ditch in front of my house...put some goldfish in there this spring. Next day I watched the neighbour catching them with a bucket to give his children...so I guess its my neighbour's favorite fishing spot too

I've had a 14' lowe the past 5 years, it has been good to me

As a funeral director I will agree that those are without a doubt burial vaults, but disagree about the "at least 100% profit" comment. I know we don't make anywhere near that amount. In any place where competition exists (ie another funeral home in the town, or the cemetery also sells burial vaults) the profit margin on a vault is around 50 %...now if you're the only show in town...who knows what you might charge (although if you are the only place in town, you're obviously in a small place and burying all your friends and neighbours so that also usually keeps the prices realistic!).

Good luck to you! You're starting in a great spot too. I caught my first 2 muskies in Nipissing (about 25 minutes apart) and have been hooked ever since. I'll never forget that day. It was shortly after my dad died, and I beat my personal best 3 times in a half hour (34 inch musky followed by 39 inch pike followed by 47 inch musky)! Gotta love Nipissing. There are some huge fish there, get yourself prepared with the proper landing/releasing tools. To me, its a sickening feeling to catch such a beautiful fish and then have it die on you if you can't land, handle and release it in a timely fashion. I'll admit I dropped the big one in the boat, then dropped it again while posing for photo and it landed back in the lake, gone like a shot thankfully, probably would've made me cry if it turned belly up...then I did cry when my friend told me he hadn't taken the picture yet.

As somebody already said, the trailer might not make much of a difference. When I was looking for my 14 foot boat I had the same concerns (small garage) and I was informed by a number of marinas that 14's and 16's are often on the same trailer (although I guess the 16 footer would hang further off the back!). I bought the 14 footer because I was towing with a celica. Now that that car is gone, I'll be looking for a 16 foot boat as soon as the budget (and wife) will allow.

So we moved to a new house and I seem to have an infestation of big honkin dew worms all over my driveway in the morning after a rain. Each summer i buy worms to feed the bass off my dock...this is gonna save me a lot of worm money if I can figure out how to keep them for a month or 3. I remember my "opa" used to keep them in a styrofoam container in his fridge but I'm not sure what kind of soil to use (or is it shredded newspaper that's used?), how many worms can you jam in there or do they need their space etc. Why is styrofoam used? Do they need to be "watered" every few weeks? Fed anything? Any tips would be appreciated.

As a kid I used to have a recurring dream where I was catching fish through the grass in our yard

you might call that a fishing oxymoron :D

that's your opinion. For some people it may actually be about catching fish to feed your family...and if you can get that done sooner, you can get back and spend some time with said family.

wow, that thing is revolting. Is there any creature more disgusting than a leech? Well, lamprey are pretty bad, and carp, oooo gross...now I'm gonna get me in trouble with our carp connoisseurs

I suggest you "match the hatch". This will require you to use a purple wiggler for bait, pretty sure the fish have seen plenty of those. Oh yes, make sure its a shriveled purple wiggler, that water is bloody cold (that's always my excuse)

Go away, nobody here likes musky fisherman :D Kidding of course, hope to see some reports of big GBAY skis this summer/fall.

Been around this site for about 5 years now. Unfortunately, with lots of other commitments, only get a few minutes a day most times. Almost always find something entertaining or moving to read though...keeps me coming back! A real sense of family, especially after making it out to a couple of Lakairs, swills, and unfortunately, funerals.

Man I wish I had those shows, they sound great. I have pretty much been turned off fishing shows by the Bill Dance's of the world - non stop commercial (isn't that what the commercials are for?) and drags fish up and down the side of the boat trying to make them look like they are fighting - what a joke, do people fall for this junk?