Rizzo

Slob of a bass! Congrats. We used to have a place near Parry Sound and I had a few fish like that living around the dock. I would feed them worms by the dozen...then every once in a while put a hook in a worm and tell a visiting kid to dangle it off the dock. Many a happy kid caught a pb off that dock! and a 5 or 6 lb bass on a scoobie doo rod is great fun to watch

I hope they are right! Some bodies of water the muskies do just fine with pike around (think Lake of the Woods, L St Clair etc) but then other places muskies are doomed (think Dalrymple, Canal etc)

I used to catch a lot of Bass at 6 mile lake PP....30 years ago when I went there regularly

well rambled. I have never set a dipsy back more than 225...always afraid I won't be able to trip it and have to fight the dang thing all the way back in!

Personal preference is all. I can catch pike in many many many lakes in Ontario, musky not as many. And typically, once the pike are in, most lakes' musky populations greatly suffer, often to the point of extinction. So as someone who prefers musky over pike, yes I would prefer no pike in the Kawarthas. You really don't have a preference on what you catch? I am surprised by that.

Eat as many as you can! Keep the others and give em to your friends to eat. It saddens me to hear of the thriving pike population in Balsam as I used to love fishing Balsam for musky

haha new world record. Good on you for reviving that fish!

no I count "knock offs"...but since I am only using dipsys I guess they aren't really knock offs...just a screaming drag for a second or the rod bouncing around. Makes my hooking percentage look pretty bad I guess! As far as fish that were hooked that was 5 for 8.

well head over to the south shore. You will catch fish for sure. Was out from 6:30 to 11 this morning and we went 5 for 12. All I did was troll dipsys with spoons...2.7 to 3 mph. We fished in the 120 foot range. Good luck and go get em!

huge. We have a similar rock bass that lives under our dock. Poor bugger gets caught by the kids repeatedly but keeps coming back for more. They affectionately call him "Rocky"...my kids don't have the best imagination

good find!

right on nice work!

ahh the joys of boat ownership!

couple more things...like you I do usually run dipsys around 125 to 175 feet back (the ones on the setting that pulls to the side are the ones 175 feet back). I noticed you run the spoon with a flasher. I sometimes run a flasher with a fly, but when I run a spoon I just run it straight back of the dipsy...nothing fancy at all! Not sure why I do it that way, but it has worked. I think I have been out 3 times this year. The first 2 times the flasher/fly didn't get hit at all, so last time I just went all spoons and that went fine. If you can, bring a friend! Gets more lines in the water (plus its safer too)

cool story...the "it dragged me under" part sounds a bit far fetched but makes for good reading

no offense to the hardcore guys here...but I have found fishing for salmon, lakers and rainbows not rocket science. To at least have some success is not too difficult. I am new to the game as well, just decided to "give it a shot" a couple years ago and I catch a bunch almost every time out. I have no down riggers either...just catch em on dipsys. First tip is DEFINITELY scrap the mono on dipsy rod! I learned that one the hard way. I use 65 lb or 80 lb braid to the dipsy, then have a leader of 25lb mono from dipsy to spoon. The leader is about 8 feet long I would say. Pretty sure the dipsy you have is the one that only goes 25 or 30 feet down. You have to buy the size that goes down 50 feet. If you can get your hands on a magnum dipsy grab one of those as well. They go down to 100 feet. Need a pretty heavy duty rod for that guy. I agree with fish early. Usually go from just after sunrise to about 10:30 am, however, a couple days ago I decided to try the late afternoon bit instead. Turns out that works as well. We fished not too far from Grimsby from 5 pm to 8:30 pm in around 120 feet of water. Went 4 for 7 trolling spoons behind dipsys at 2.7 mph. 4 for 7 is a fairly common result for me, a guy who doesn't have a clue and no fancy equipment. The dialed in guys who have knowledge and gear would do better than that. Keep at it! I also have had success trolling a spoon with 325 feet of mono out, where I attach a 5 oz weight at the top of the leader. I have no clue how deep that gets me but it ain't bouncing off bottom and it gets me fish!

nice! It has been on fire out there

Lake St Clair for musky a few times a year, Lake O for salmon a few times a year, ice fish on the Reformatory ponds in Guelph for dink pike, and any little stream I pass by whenever driving somewhere...always have a rod stashed away in the trunk

nice!

Thanks for that...if we get out I will let you know! Right now I would call it 50/50

Love that lake. Spent a week there every summer with my grandparents when I was growing up. Stayed at Martin's Outlet Park or Log Cabin Point. Probably went for 10 years in a row? This is during late 70's into the 80's. Crap I am getting old. Wish I could remember better...we did catch a lot of fish, but can't seem to recall smallies. And just like you said, good quantity but no real lunkers. One time got around a 10lb pike but all the others were typical snotrockets

Looking to do some exploring by boat in West Grey Township...inland lakes. Type of fish doesn't really matter...shoot even quality of fishing isn't important. Might just be leisurely boat ride with the wife. Can anyone give me some info on where to launch on the lakes up there? I don't have any particular lake in mind...the ones I have heard of by name include Arran, Rosalind, Louise, Williams, McCullough, Wilder...but it really doesn't matter. If you have a suggestion I would be happy to hear it.

wow good price!

absolutely! Hit a bunch of spots in the Parry Sound area and caught lots of pike and largemouth. Did the same when I lived in Barrie...found all kinds of ponds, some only an acre or two....some had pike stretching to 40 inches! I knew of a pond where I had caught a beaut...then saw the ponds being filled in! Tried my best to catch him again to relocate him to the pond across the street. Actually had him on again but unfortunately lost him...poor bugger didn't know I was trying to help him. Next thing I knew the pond had been filled in...big pikey was just fertilizer now

No advice on trailer repair...basically incompetent with that stuff...but congrats on the new boat. Will be a fishing machine for you