jigsnreels

They're bad to the bone. Literally.

Sure is. Nice catch!

Agree. With a firearm, you are taking direct aim at your intended target. I wish I had the same ability to do so with my fishing rod. In most cases, OOS catches are completely random and innocuous occurrences, and no harm is done (and no foul committed, IMO) as long as the fish is released immediately with as much care as possible. The recent sturgeon catch discussed on this board is a good example. Let's face it, if we all felt compelled to lay down our gear and turn ourselves in to the nearest CO every time we hooked something that was OOS, there's be nobody left to go fishing. The issue is whether an angler is intentionally targeting an OOS species, as would seem to be the case in the YouTube videos discussed above. If that's the situation, then I say throw the book at 'em.

Spinnerbaits and curly-tail grubs. They do the job for what we have around these here parts...

Love the pics. Great shot of your dad, that would look nice in a frame for a late Father's Day gift...

It's all about competitive bidding for government services. If Active Outdoors submitted the lowest bid to the MNR for info admin services, and they can do the job as well as anyone else, then they get the contract, and I'm fine with that. After all, we're all ultimately paying for the service with our tax dollars, so if it keeps costs down and keeps our information secure at the same time, then it's all good. We start to get into problems when we see non-competitive contracts go out for government projects, and we end up with things like skate shacks for the Rideau Canal that cost $750,000 each...

I like fishing shows, but I can't stand a lot of the bass shows, mainly because I don't get why a lot of pro bass fishermen act like rock stars. It's just fishing, it's not the freakin' Grammy Awards. Especially that guy (can't remember his name) who screams like a maniac every time he pulls in a nice one. If that guy was fishing next to me I'd smack him with my rod handle. I never really thought about technique, but I guess it does have a lot to do with the gear you're using. My rod has a lot of snap to it, and I can definitely feel it when I've got a good set, so I don't think it's necessary to really crank on the rod like the bass guys do, like you're trying to yank the fish right out of the water. But everybody does it their own way, I guess. Just keep it quiet.

Amazing photos! Those really are beautiful fish.

Always nice when the scouting pays off with a delicious fish dinner. Great pics.

Looks like some fine table fare there. Great pics!

Somewhere within London city limits. Most likely under a bridge.

Forget about the muskie, that pumpkinseed is a whopper! Great report and love the pics!

Great way to spend a lazy Saturday. Nice little rainbow, too!

Pushing 20 for sure. Congrats and great pics!

@bushart - it's a term from Nineteen Eighty-Four. Just seems to me that our democratically elected representatives and their policies are becoming more Orwellian by the day... And I'd be interested in knowing what species that couple released as well, although it's true that it doesn't really matter from a legal standpoint as they weren't released into their native water in any case. Hopefully they were few enough and small enough that they ended up being nothing more than an exotic and tasty treat for the local residents...

You really do live in paradise...

What's next, the Two Minutes Hate?

Great pics! Looks like an epic trip!

Agree. Unfortunately, I don't forsee heavy fines for industrial polluters coming from a government that is currently in the process of watering down our environmental protection laws, muzzling their own environmental oversight bodies or otherwise shutting them down entirely, restricting the ability of non-profit environmental watchdogs to raise funds, and labelling any public entity that shows concern for the environment as "terrorists," all done as a thinly disguised reach-around to the oil industry so that they can be free to build their pipelines without having to worry about such minor annoyances as overwhelming public disapproval or the resulting contamination and destruction of wildlife habitat.

Link is dead.

But then it would never get to play in the lobster playoffs.

I may be one of the last people on Earth who does not own a cellphone. Life is good.

Crappie and other panfish do the same thing to bass nests. And I recall reading somewhere that smallies love to eat gobies, so turnabout is fair play, I suppose...

One of the articles I found stated that the ban was the result of 7 complaints over a three year period. Maybe that older couple are the parents of the Ford brothers?

Welcome back and enjoy your new home. Lots of good water for you to explore there, you'll find your spots soon enough...