Rizzo

I want your job :D

Didn't actually catch it, but I had a muskrat follow my bait up and come right out of the hole!

good call! I moved to Barrie because I got a job here. Commute to Toronto would never be an option. When I worked in Toronto I lived in Toronto. I'd rather have a $300,000 mortgage and live near work. Bad on the pocketbook but good on the sanity. And guess what, when you sell that place, turns out it wasn't so bad on the pocketbook after all :D

We're actually finding the opposite. I've lived in Barrie for close to 3 years and we are trying to find a home that is outside Barrie by around 5 - 10 minutes. Prices are sky-high just outside the city. Maybe Wayne means a little further away but places like Midhurst, Shanty Bay, Utopia, Oro, Edgar etc which are nearby are pretty pricey (at least by local standards). Withing the city you can get a pretty nice place for around 250,000 which is great considering Toronto is 45 minutes away, but better yet, Muskokas or some of the Kawarthas are also 45-60 minutes away! Funny thing is, Simcoe doesn't interest me. Other than the yearly ice tourney on Kempenfelt Bay I probably won't fish it much. Apparently I'm missing out on a lot. Maybe someday (if Brian takes me out!!) I'll learn a bit about the lake. Yesterday's front page news had to do with some lost cat...you tell me if that's a good place top raise a family! We are very happy here. Even the whomping of snow we regularly get is bearable.

some interesting tips that hopefully none of us will ever need

Great replies everyone, thanks for all the info

sounds like I've been missing the boat! Next time I'm gonna stomp on my minnows to make them a little less frisky so that they'll lie flat on bottom!

What's your preference when ice fishing for pike, live bait or dead? If dead, do you suspend the bait or lay it flat on bottom? I've never personally tried fishing with dead bait, but hear it can be quite successful.

hmmm...a naked dude running around with vaseline. Definitely staying out of his way

I have a 14' I have been very happy with.

I hear Simcoe is hot right now

the article claims you guys were doing some "tag-teaming" down in Picton. If that's the case I'm glad I'm not a part of that motley crew

mamamia those are some huge pike

Tampa looked HORRIBLE. Their defensive coverage reminded me of how the Leafs often look. You could see plays developing way in advance and the Tampa players gave zero effort

I've had Sorels for about 15 years now, never had cold or wet feet once.

Hey Lew/Squid good seeing you again, and keepinitreel nice meeting you. Too bad you guys had no better luck after I left. On the way back in I spoke to our friend who had some "issues" launching his boat in the morning. He had managed a 32" fish trolling a depth raider in 24 feet of water. Other than that all things were quiet as far as I could tell. Water was pretty murky but fishable (1.5 feet visibility?). Surface water temps were around 40 degrees still according to the old lowrance. Can't believe you guys got checked. I've been fishing there a number of years now and have never seen anyone patrolling.

bump...see you at the marina in the morning. Funny, I'm leaving from Casablanca too, maybe see you on the road

As a newer resident of Barrie I'm not too familiar with the Wellington Hotel, but I loved Royal Thai! Never ate in there, but it was my number 1 take-out option. Saw the damage in person today, sad sight. Just a block or 2 away there was another big fire like Brian said a few months back

there are a few charters that go out of murrell's inlet. Its just south of Garden City which is just south of Myrtle Beach. Friends of ours took a shark fishing charter out of there (which I didn't understand because there are tons of sharks at the Garden City pier...although you are not supposed to target them)

alright, I'm in. see you in the a.m. at the marina

does it come with a guide to cook it for you and a side order of taters and brown beans?

me no understand

I says pardon? Remembrance day ice fishing seems pretty early. I thought I was risking it mid december up near parry sound!

:D ...you know me, if its legal I'm eating it :D

not sure who's coming, but looks like I'm about 80% yes.