The Urban Fisherman

wow - Fishing with you, Solo, is officially on my bucket list. Cheers, Ryan

Hey Uglyfish - and for anybody else who was wondering.... Here's the link for getting tickets for the Facts of Fishing section.... http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/tor/ticket...cial_events.jsp And a link to Dave's website where you can read up on what it's all about! http://www.factsoffishing.com/news.php?id=60 Hope you can make it! Cheers, Ryan

I saw that rig go by on the road the other day Dano - I wonder if it comes in a 4 stroke version? lol

My local reservoir dude... went friday night as they were callin' for thunder showers on saturday... Lost a 5 + pounder at the side of the boat...it mangled my spinnerbait... That's what I figured...I know all those creeks have natural bows and browns in them.... so no clipping means they're most likely natural fish right? I asked the people from the conservation authority and they said all stockers were clipped. Hey brother - you're welcome for dinner here anytime dude! Kind of a long drive for feed of little inland trout though! haha you'd spend more on gas than what it'd cost to just go buy a few... Thanks dude, I told Averie trout have little teeth but she insisted that she lipped it for the picture lol... They were in the most unlikely of places for that lake... make sure to let me know how you do on my home lake... cheers, Ryan

Hey all, It's getting close to sunday night family movie time so this is going to be short and sweet. Went out and played with some inland bow's, and decided to take a few home for dinner for ourselves and the out-laws. They were all caught on a 1 1/4" Mini Rapala crankbait on my ultralight set up. Lots of fun on the light gear. Also took home a couple small bass for Ginny because she doesn't like trout. Anyways forgot the camera at home so we took our pics before cleaning our bounty... And tonights dinner! Here's my stocker question... 1 fish had what seemed to be an obviously clipped tail? As far as I could tell the other 3 + a few that I let go didn't have any clipped fins? Are these guys natural? I'm not a huge trout angler so just curious.... Anyways, hope everybody had a great weekend... despite the weather. cheers, Ryan

time for a pig-roast! Those things are hogs! Good job dude! Cheers, Ryan

I've got a 55 minn kota maxxum pro on my 15' jon boat / 20 hp 4 stroke yamaha and can run my electric motor with 2 graphs for 15 hours or more.

Hey no problem dude - I hope you caught some giants at the cottage! I know what you mean about turning the clock back, the life of a single dude is a simple one. I used to think I was busy 5 years ago, but now with 2 young kids, a wife and a busy job I realize I was just lazy! haha Thanks Bigugli - I'm sure next years fish-a-thon will blow this years away.....

Poop happens man... so a couple of bigger bass died. They were given to somebody and enjoyed on the BBQ. I don't keep bass myself but when my parents were down a few weeks ago we kept 6 largies for the fryer - and they were darn good! Nice fish Steve and Kelli, and congrats on the win....maybe next time Kelli should do the culling though! Cheers, Ryan

Sure it was your first time on that lake, but I bet it wont be your last! lol awesome fish

Thanks dude. yeah it was fun trying to get it onto the roof of hte xterra without scratching anything... Thanks man - next year we'll double it... We hope to have you next year dude! Thanks Thanks man - I'll give you more notice next year! I don't know if I'd say "quality fishing" lol we caught a ton of fish, but only 1 big one between a dozen guys... thanks man! lol, Jacques - your avatar is hilarious..look at those big pigs! They eclipse you! Thanks man - much appreciated

1) Italo 2) Chronzy 3) Izumi For those who don't know, it's funny because I work for Mercer. In all seriousness, I've obviously fished with Dave, and I've also been lucky enough to fish with JP, and Paul Powis. All three guys are class act dudes. They feed you with non-stop tips and tricks, are always trying to get YOU onto the big fish, and I felt like I was fishin' with one of my buddies right from the get-go with all three fishin' Pro's. I know Paul doesn't host a show, but Dave did a show with him last year and it was complete insanity. I doubt you'll ever find a better great lakes troller. Cheers, Ryan

Well you guys have been dealing with my Fish-a-Thon thread getting bumped up in your face for a few weeks now, and finally, my little idea became a reality, and a great success. Without the help I received from Dave Mercer and his wife, my family, friends, you guys, and some folks from a local board ( stomps long point page ) this could have never flown in such a short amount of time. For that, I thank you all. Wether you were a pledger, a prize donator, someone who helped me organize the event or one of the AWESOME fish-a-thon'ers you should give yourself a solid pat on the back. I'll try not to bore you guys with to many words, and let the pictures tell the story. We all had a GREAT time, caught a ton of fish and raised an astounding amount of money for such a short amount of time, with such a small group of guys... ARE YOU READY??????? Total Funds Raised by the FIRST ANNUAL FISH-A-THON FOR CANCER : $3170.00 Dave Mercer donated a Facts of Fishing shirt, and subway cash cards for everybody who participated in the event... Photo Taken By: Jeff Helsdon / Tillsonburg News PRIZE WINNERS: James Hind was our BIG PRIZE winner, with over $1000.00 in pledges. He won an amazing prize pack donated by Dave Mercer. Over $500.00 in fish catching gear! The big fish prize went to my fishing partner for the day Richard Sims with this EXTREMELY CHUNKY 18+ Inch Largie. Rich won a nice little Shimano spinning rod and a pack of Gulp. The draw prize went to our youngest participant Quinn O'Brien. He took home a Rod, some tackle, minnow bucket and MP3 Player. There's another prize yet to be drawn. A prize for all of those who pledged. We're still waiting for a couple of check's to arrive in the mail so we can do that draw. Except for a few minor glitches, such as Rich's trailer tire blowing out, this event went off without a hitch. I also have to thank my Wife Ginny, and my Mother-In-Law Suzie Anderson for helping me not only with organizing the event, but for doing groceries, getting and cooking food, picking up tables and chairs, wood for the fire and helping take care of the prizes and donations. ..... all while I was on the WATER doing my part for charity...hehehe Please guys, let me know if I left anything out. And thank you once again for everybody who was involved in one way or another. Here's a bunch more pix for you guys to enjoy, and a link to RICH's fishing report for anybody who cares to know how we caught 'em. Feel free to upload your own photo's from the day guys. http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35196 Cheers - until next year.. Ryan

I was wondering where your generous donation was! lol I thought, "well that's odd, JohnF was the first one to hit me with a donation, and a big one at that" I know I pm'd you, but I most likely forgot to add my adress at the end. Ryan Bonin 1262 Nofolk County Rd. 28 RR#4 Langton, ON N0E 1G0 Thanks again guys!

You forgot the fact that Averie PEE'D her pants while we were dealing with the boat/trailer situation at your house...and she was running around nude from the waist down in your back yard! haha Thanks for all the help dude, it was muchly appreciated. As was the case of beer you left at my house saturday night! It came in handy yesterday afternooon! haha My report is coming soon. I'm just waiting for a picture from the Tillsonburg News. Cheers, Ryan

AWESOME report buddy! You did your homework, caught some GIANT bass ( the bowfin are really cool to! ) , and my favorite part is the fact that you took your little cousin out and got her into some fish....not to mention the fact that you were able to put your pops onto some good fish also! I am envious of you brother. Hard to beat two weeks spent like that! You're a good big cousin, big brother, a heck of a son, and a future bass tournament contender! Thanks a lot for the report. Cheers, Ryan

Another Pledge from OFC member RANDINE Thank you for the generous pledge dude! Cheers, Ryan

Hey John! All great advice, grab the little guys behind the noggin, and the big ones under the gill plate if possible. Have some good long nose pliers and side cutters which you already have. Personally I net most of my pike and let them calm down a little in my net ( submersed ) before going in to remove the hooks, but I know dragging a net around on shore isn't ideal. Once you catch a few more you'll get the hang of it. Like anything it's practice....you'll learn how to read the fish and gain confidence in going it to remove the hooks. Also, don't feel like you have to leave all your minnow style baits at home. One of my go-to pike and smallie lures on the Thames (downtown area) was a pink X-Rap, and pink Dollarama Lure. lol Good luck and thanks for the read! Cheers, Ryan

awesome work guys! absolutely amazing!

Good Morning Folks! The fish-a-thon is only a few days away and Pledges are still comin' in! Thanks to my friend, and a guy who taught me a few things about video / film editing FISHNSLED for making the latest OFC Pledge to the 2009 Fish-a-Thon to fight Cancer. Appreciate it buddy! Cheers, Ryan

You're the man TB - I've been away since saturday for work or I would have gotten back to you sooner! I'll shoot you a PM later in the day when I'm out of the office. Thanks again! GBW - also the man... Same as TB, I'll shoot you a PM later in the day. Thank you VERY much for the offer. OFC PLEDGE UPDATE: A big thanks goes out to MUSKYMATT for taking the time to add another generous OFC pledge to the cause!!! Thanks for helping Matt - You're a stand up dude there's no doubt about it! PRIZES We've got some AWESOME prizes lined up! A HUGE thanks goes out to Tinbanger and GBW for going out of their way to donate prizes to the event and cause. And I especially have to thank Dave Mercer and his wife for helping me out with all of this. Without them, I couldn't have made this happen, and they've also stepped up and donated some really awesome prizes and giveaways! I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but the preliminary numbers look as though we'll be far exceeding my initial expectations for this years small event. Let's hit this one out of the park guys! Thanks again for the support OFC, and keep it up. Cheers, Ryan

Back from Vegas. It was a solid 5 days of unspeakably juvenile behavior with Ginny! A big thank you to DUTCHY for adding another OFC Pledge while I was away. ...and another thanks to Rich for taking care of things for me while I was gone. To show my appreciation, I'll be glad to teach you a thing or two about catching bass while we're out on the water next saturday brother! I'll add final details for the event here on OFC by the middle of next week, and through E-mail to those who are actually participating. James, the "powers that be" haven't contacted me back yet to let me know if it'll be ok. I'll let you know for sure by tuesday. Thanks for the pledges and support guys. keep them comin' Cheers, Ryan

Another Pledge for the fight against Cancer! Thank you TJSA! I'm out the door right now... Cheers - and keep it up guys. I'm back on Thursday. Ryan

Another OFC Pledge From Sandbag! Thanks dude - good job steppin' up and donating to the fight against Cancer! Ginny and I are heading to LAS VEGAS this afternoon guys - so Rich said he'd be able to send out pledge forms and such while I'm away. Shoot him a PM if you need anything and I'll be back to bug you guys next Thursday evening. Cheers, Ryan

cudz your pretty jacked.....i better not let my wife see this thread! lol nice fish dude! cheers, uf