charlesn

Best wishes Curt! Little ones are truly precious. Charles

Thanks to all! With the money they've made off of suckers like me, you'd think they coulda made an extension to Ottawa and paved it with gold by now...

I'm planning on heading east towards P-borough tomorrow and was wondering if someone could update me on the 407 East extension. I need to get to 35/115, so I will probably be better off taking 401 there in the morning with minimal traffic at those hours, but was hoping to avoid rush hour on the way back. Can anyone tell me if the eastern extension to 35/115 is done yet? Thanks,

I think you're supposed to hold them by the eyes... Great report.

Since it is your first boat, chances are you will get to make all the "rookie" mistakes that all of us made with our first boats. Buying a used boat is easier on the wallet, plus you get a lot more for the dollar and when you do inevitably smack it around, it hurts a lot less as the "character" marks were already on there. I'd say look for an older but bigger boat. 16' with a 40 HP. Should be attainable for under $6000 and will be a lot more comfortable for 3 people and you will feel safer on those days where even the inland lakes feel a little rough. Good luck and enjoy the search.

I always walked around to the opposite shore and fished for rockies and largemouth. I used to ride my bike there as well Brian. Of course, unlike an oldster like you, my bike was not made out of wood. haha Wish they would let me drop my boat in there...

At the risk of offending some of the previous posters, I'd say to try to catch it without resorting to live bait to make it more of an accomplishment. I think it can be caught, but those bigger fish are opportunity feeders and they do not eat every day, you'll probably have to trigger it. If you catch it at the right time with the right presentation, you can trigger a strike I bet. A fish big enough to comfortably fit most of a 1.25 lber (12-13" fish) inside its mouth is probably pushing 7 lbs. A veritable giant. Maybe try longer casts and baits the little ones are not going to be able to eat like a 12-16 inch worm. I also like the night fishing person's suggestion. I think maybe some of these giant fish eat only at night which is why they are caught less frequently. The ones that eat all day every day usually end up in a pan of hot grease or oil.

You mean we're not supposed to drive like that? Hey y'all watch this!

There are "No Fishing" signs posted on shore in the marina itself, but the rest of the area seems like they would allow it and I've seen people fishing there this year. Did not see any bass or pike in the marina, just lots of bait. Charles

Reading all these reports is almost like being there. Thanks to all for the reports. Congrats Bly on that nice ski!

I think he's referring to Ken Whillans. I've driven by it many times (on the way to Island Lake or Euge) but never stopped in. Heart Lake has bass, or at least it did back when I was a teen and would ride my bike there and fish from shore. Loafers Lake used to have some largies in it to. I was a young boy back then when they dug it up and it filled in. The creek that runs beside it also would have the occasional bass when the spring floods raised the water level way up. Professor's lake has largies for sure. Major Oak pond is tiny but has largies, seen a kid catch a 3 lber out of there. Centennial Pond in Etobicoke has largies in it. Lake Aquitaine as mentioned has bass. Various pools of the credit have both species of bass. Good luck.

Don't run wide open behind the island unless you are a gambler, some deadheads and stumps around just under the surface that could do some damage. It's a good little lake, but it's gonna be chock full of boats (it always is on Canada Day) and when a lake is heavily pressured, finesse techniques can outproduce the more traditional techniques that work better on active fish. Good luck, you'll need it with that line up of good sticks on the water!

Ya, if you're fishing the circuit it can possibly matter, but probably won't with the way the points system is set up. You gotta remember this is always the biggest field of the year by a large margin. 15 lbs won't even register enough points to help really when you consider finishing close to last at a . Also, with the weigh-ins sometimes being as long as they are, guys who have been through it a few times will clear out to give the ones wanting to weigh-in some more time. I'm sure some people also legitimately did not catch a fish and some people missed the check in due to the nasty conditions. I know guys that have driven boats on Erie for years that said it was still kinda ugly getting back to the narrows. I clipped the tops off of 2 and narrowly missed submarining. I was taking them over the front on the troller, which is very rare in a champ. I was in no rush as I only had 3 for like 7, so I can't imagine what someone scrambling to get back woulda done. I heard Dougie and Desforges won on Monday with Graves in 2nd. Man those guys are good.

Most guys not fishing a full circuit didn't bother weighing in if you don't have close to 20 at least as there is no need to collect "points" towards a classic qualification. Probably the case with a lot of the people that "zeroed".

Those incredibly stupid, easy to catch numerous overgrown sunfishes kicked my tail yesterday. It hurts getting outsmarted by a creature with a brain the size of a pea. And no I'm not *only* talking about people who can't see the glory of bass fishing. hahahaha

Rick Rodo sold it to Bill Major a couple years before the series folded/stopped. I heard Bill Major ended up stopping the series because he just got too busy with his other stuff, not that he was losing money or anything. It never went above the 75 HP level. He still had very decent fields in his last season, especially considering the fees were up to $120 per event by then. Back when Rodo started it, it was $60 per event and 60 HP & Under. I think that is a great price point and HP level to make all the guys with even the smallest of boats feel comfortable. I remember rental boats with coolers entered in the events and lots of 9.9's, 15 HP and 25 HPs etc. I started with a 40 HP and was about the middle of the pack in terms of HP. Those days were a lot of fun. I remember 130+ boat fields at Scugog and close to that at Sparrow. As soon as they raised it to 75 HP and started upping the entry fee all the really small boats were gone. I think as you make the entry fees bigger to increase the paybacks, you eventually defeat the purpose of a starter series. It should be a low entry fee low payback event to make it affordable to everyone. Anyone that thinks "I want to fish for more money" has LOTS of options out there. Keep things economical and fun and the guys will come out of the woodwork I bet.

Would love to see that series return, would consider buying a little boat to fish in that series with my daughter in a couple more years. I don't think it was lack of participation that made the series stop, I think the guy running the series just got too busy. Low HP, low entry-fee, low payback fun events on smaller bodies of water would be a great way to introduce people to the sport. That's how I started and how I got hooked. Charles

Oh, another thing, do NOT try to reason with them. It's a waste of breath. They had (at one time) plastered on their home page the fact that they believe if a smart dog and a mentally-challenged young child were floundering in the water and you could only save one, it would make sense to save the smart dog as opposed to the human being. That should about say it all for these kooks.

Here's something to think about. While we all (as anglers) despise having our rights and freedoms challenged and/or trampled on by these animal rights terrorists and their agenda (raising money for their leadership - check out their salaries), many of us will turn around and utilize the same form of ethical projection against fellow anglers that don't live by the same credo or fit our personal definition of an ethical angler. I'm not talking about our united protests against poaching or illegal activities, I'm talking about the marginalization/demonization of completely legal fishing practices such as keeping copious amounts of little panfish in a white bucket or any other container, bow-hunting carp, fishing tournaments, fishing during the spawn, eating a musky, etc. It's so easy to divide anglers, it's no wonder we lose access rights and see our angling opportunities at the whim of any politico looking to score easy points. We fight with each other all the time. When these AR terrorists such as ALF and P3TA are involved, we unite together and the bond (fishing) that holds us together is strong. Yet many lose sight of that and would just as happily prevent another angler from enjoying their passion if it doesn't agree with their favored technique/species/season/area/etc. Think of how strong the fishing lobby group should be compared to what it is. 8 million anglers in Canada. That's a lot of votes and dollars spent each year. I know my words won't change anything, but just something to think about for all of us that have fallen in to this trap.

Agree with you wholeheartedly TJ. If you think about it, why would anyone post anything on here (or another board) that they don't want to sign their name to? And if they were forced to sign their name to it, would some of the inflammatory or racist or other disruptive type of stuff happen as frequently? I'm guessing the answer is that a lot of the crap would go away. Could be wrong, we could just end up with 450 John Smith's instead of nicknames... I also agree that you would lose some users so it is a tough trade-off, but one I have seen as beneficial on some other forums. Charles

Some units are more reliable than others. Bob's Machine Shop seems to be one of the most recommended. Still, you have to figure than anything that CAN break on a boat, WILL break eventually. On a 115, will it be worth the extra money? In my opinion, probably not. I'd say upkeep is easy, then again, upkeep on a manual jack is pretty much non-existent other than making sure the bolts stay tight. It will not reduce the amount of water entering (backwash) in fact, it could make it worse as it extends the centre of gravity out further away. I've never seen wave whackers on a bass boat, but I have had trim tabs and they worked like a charm. Helped with holeshot and you could literally turn the key off at 50 mph and not a drop would come over the back. The boat retained a level rise and level drop which helps with visibility too for a short critter like me. A hydro plate will help you: -dial in the sweet spot for max speed -get on plane in skinny water -stay on plane in shallow water with the motor higher up -get better holeshot by dropping the motor to allow for more bite at start up Trim tabs will help you: -with holeshot -staying on plane at a slower speed -prevent backwash BUT, with a bit a boat testing you can get a good jack plate height and match that with the right prop and be happy. Especially at 115 HP. Also, the cheapest cure for backwash is to remember to feather the gas as you're coming off plane. Charles

I've only been there about a dozen times, but really love the lake. For Pike: -The bait for me that seems to have outproduced all others is a Manns Baby 1-. In fire tiger. I used to fish it without a leader, but got bit off a couple times and started using a leader. I once found one of my baits that got bit off the next day and caught a fish on it after recovery, that was cool. This bait stays above the weeds in May and early June and can cast really far. It's something a novice can troll or you can cast it to targets. The occasional twitch is helpful at times. My best day was 27 pike, with 2 over 5 lbs. The biggest I've landed was an 8 lb 3 oz er. A nice fish for that lake, but there have been some GIANT fish come out of that little pond. For Bass: -The bottom (deep) end of the lake, turn right from the ramp and go past the islands and there are some sunken trees. There is an osprey habitat I think that is off-limits so be careful to stay out of there. I've caught some very nice fish (5+) of jigs in the sunken timber and near the few lily pads. I've gotten some on jerkbaits as well on the edges of the deep pool. -The dam towards Hwy 10. Turn left from the ramp and go to the furthest corner. There is deep water right by the dam and usually slop blown up creating a mat. Done good with worms and senkos and tubes along the rip rap too when the water is high enough. -The other dam sorta straight out from the ramp with a small dog-leg right. There is a rip rap wall running a couple hundred yards. I've caught more fish in that stretch than the rest of the lake put together. Lots of bait collect in that area and that is also where the big pike came from. I like to cover water in this stretch with toad, spook, buzzbait or spinnerbait. There is a rock shoal in the area that is always good for a fish or two. When the water level is high, there is a stump field as well near there that can hold fish but is hard to get back in to in low water. If you don't have a boat, rent a boat with an electric troller. I found that by leaving it on constant at the lowest setting, I could stand in the back and make subtle steering adjustments with my foot. Don't try it unless your balance is good and maybe keep your life jacket on. Good luck.

Interesting, it must be a confidence thing as I have noticed a distinct reduction in bites once a lose a claw. I prefer it on a texas rig, but learning to like it as a jig and chatterbait trailer too. Skeet won the Classic on the Crazy Legs version, Boyd Duckett won the Classic on the regular Chigger. 2 Classics in 3 years. Not bad at all. Great action. My biggest complaint is that pike seem to love it even more than bass and get a lot of slimers and bite-offs. Switch to like a 10" power worm and catch mostly bass. Hey fish-meister, how about I sell ya the one-clawed ones at 50% off? Charles

Amen.

Thank you all for all the kind words. C'mon, 2" and 3" senkos don't count as real senkos. They are more like senkos in training. Devastating bait if it can even convince the mighty WGSF to bite it.