The Urban Fisherman

Hey guys, Long story short, I've been using Xplornet Sat. internet (which is completely useless) but until recently I've had no other choice. Now they've got some upgraded towers that can provide speeds up to 5 Megs (so they say) via fixed wireless, but because of some tree lines, I'll need to put up an 80 FOOT freaking tower in my yard. For those of you who are wondering how high an 80 foot tower is, the ones you see strapped to the side of peoples houses are give or take 30 feet, so mine will be more than double that height. Anyways, does anybody here have any leads on possible used towers of that height? Or have any contacts with anybody who puts them up? Or have any of you put up your own towers? The quote I've gotten from the local guy here is just a hair over $3000.00. Also, does anybody here use fixed wireless internet, and have anything good or bad to say about it? The last thing I want to do is drop $3000.00 on a tower and still have garbage internet. Thanks again! Cheers, Ryan

Hey buddy - thanks again for lending me a hand yesterday. I never could have gotten anything done if I was alone on the boat. Just for the record, we were out testing, and working out the kinks in some new Hi Definition underwater gear. The footage turned out awesome, and I can't wait to get out on the water with it again. It's always good times sharing a boat with you bro. Even if you do out-fish me 2.....or maybe even 3 to 1 on your beloved spinner bait. Cheers, Ryan Ps. The 14 bass don't include the Rock bass. They're in a category of their own.

Hey guys, As most of you know I'm one of the Camera Ops. and the editor of THE SHOW. Judging by the responses here, there's really no need for me to come on and try to explain to everybody what kind of a stand up guy Dave really is. I met him through OFC, and after working with him on a couple of short projects, he offered me my dream job. Dave worked LONG and HARD, for many years to get to the point where he's at today. He did it, and still does it today because he loves the sport of fishing, and sharing it with the world. If it weren't for that hard work and time that Dave put in, I'd still be working downtown TO scraping by to support my family. I for one am both thankful that Dave took me on, giving me the opportunity to work in an industry that I'd never have had to opportunity to work in otherwise, and for the fact that I KNOW the sport of fishing will be taken to a whole new level for my kids to enjoy for years to come. The only thing I have to say on the matter of faking and editing things, is A - if it were that simple, I'd be out of a job. B - Do you realize how much harder my job is trying to fit all the fish, tips, and Dave's "incidents" into a half hour show? lol It'd be much simpler, and cheaper to just cut a "regular" show. He wanted to do a show that showed it all, snags, missed fish, back-lashes, hooks in the finger and more, because it happens to everybody....Even the pros. Anyways, I'm glad to see that the hard work Dave puts in to everything he does show's through. His drive to push things to the limit is infectious, and spreads through to the entire crew, who I know appreciate the support we see out there for Dave just as much as he does. Speaking of which, this post is long enough, I better get back to work on Season 3 of Facts of Fishing THE SHOW.... Because let's face it, unlike most of you slackers, we all know my boss clearly know's when I'm on OFC during the work day! haha Cheers, Ryan

wow - awesome photos buddy! I'm glad to see you went out and spent time with your old man! I know he's a happy man because of it dude! thanks for the report. Cheers, Ryan PS. I've got the same shorts brother! They're regulars in my weekly rotation! haha

That's INSANE cliff! Glad nobody was hurt! I can't believe the wind flat out knocked that brute over!!! Crazy! When you're done with the chainsaw can I borrow it so I can cut down any tree's within falling distance of my house?!?! lol cheers, Ryan

Anybody have weight estimate on a fish like that? Mine was 31 inches (same length as my net handle) but it had a pretty solid gut on it to. I've caught a few in lake ontario that were longer, but much skinnier. cheers, Ryan

Thanks dude - I'd have to say my wife in managing them just fine. She was nice enough to take care of them saturday morning while I was out slaying fish. John...er...I mean WOODY - I'll let you know in about 10 years wether or not I'm going to survive.\ Yeah, there's nowhere else to launch really. And they only charge 10 bucks for the day, just like any other launch, but there's a beach, picnic area's, out-houses haha... Yeah man - very nice looking fish for sure...it's the first time I actually managed to boat one from that lake and I'll be going back again soon for sure. Hold in there, before you know it you'll be kickin' back waiting for the bite. Hey Buddy - I've kept an eye out for your reports. Some solid fishin' up where you are. Keep them comin'.

Right on buddy...glad to see you guys got into some fish on saturday! If it makes you feel any better we kept a couple of "eater" sized bass on saturday to! Tonight's menu - Largemouth bass, Bluegill, potatoes and Salad. Great report.

you're welcome in my boat anytime!

easily one of my favorite reports on OFC....ever.. awesome - thanks for taking the time to write it up. cheers, UF

dude you've gotta fix your phone! I was trying to get ahold of you all day friday! ....and don't hate about the map just because you didn't catch any!

So very sorry to hear this news Irish. Condolences from my family to yours my friend!

Yeah brother - they're all like that in that res... Big FAT beautiful carp! haha The largies are usually really clean looking also.

Happy Saturday! It's been a while since I've posted.... nobody bothered to mention just how much more work 2 KIDS are compared to 1!? Boy did you guys drop the ball on that one! Anyways, last night we had a fire in the back-yard and of course myself and my sister-in-law's boyfriend decided to pound back a case of beer..... GREAT idea the night before our planned 5:30 a.m. fishing trip. 5:15 a.m. came way to fast, but I hadn't touched a rod in 2 weeks, so I painfully dragged my butt out of bed, tossed back a couple of Tylenol's and headed down to the road to pick up Jason... Forecasts were calling for thundershowers and high winds so we opted not to fish Lake Erie. The plan was to hit Deer Creek for largies, and BIG carp! My carp spot is at the far end of the lake so on our way down we hit a couple of bass spots, and caught a bunch of these little clones. They were all caught on wacky rigs. My carp spot is a big carp fisherman's heaven and HELL all wrapped up into one. I found this little inlet, which is littered with fallen tree's and the carp group up in there all summer. The problem lies in that once you hook into one, you better be quick, because hauling a 20lb carp out of the wood isn't as easy feat. Anyways, we chummed the wood pile, rigged with 50lb Stren Sonic Braid and corn that was cut from last nights cobs. Within 5 minutes Jason hooked and lost his first ever big carp. He only had the fish on for a few seconds, but that was enough to get the blood flowing! Shortly after I was up, and was able to subdue this beast!!! Dave hooked me up with a new to me Shimano Chronarch / Crucial combo last week, and this brute was my first fish on the new combo. THANKS DAVE! She held out great! The Release Jason was up next, and what an EPIC battle! haha he hooks this big carp, which instantly heads for the deep trees, wraps him around the main trunk and into some branches.... I still don't know how he did it, but he was able to get the fish free from everything and out into open water. You had to be there to believe it.... what an awesome sight. And the underwater release shots As soon as his fish was released the rain started hamering down on us and the carp bite died right off. On our way back to the launch we managed a few more largies, this time fishing Chigger Craws, and though they were a little bigger than our morning fish, they still weren't giants. All in all, a great morning on the water. Jason caught his first ever big carp, and though our bass were on the smaller side, they made up for it in numbers. Time to hang up the sticks until next weekend. Tomorrow - Toronto Zoo with my wife and kids. Cheers, Ryan

I have 2 large drive ways on either side of my house. Last July I spent an entire sunny 3 day weekend, properly sweeping, POWER WASHING, pulling weeds, filling in cracks, and rolling the so called "airport grade" more expensive sealer onto both drive ways. They looked like new for the rest of the summer. This spring, once the snow melted, they looked TERRIBLE. You could see the roller lines, and they're faded from one end to the other. The retired couple across the road from me had theirs done professionally by a company that only swept, they didn't even pressure wash it, but they SPRAY sealed it, and his still looks good as new? So, moral of the story for me, if you're going to seal your driveway, leave it to the pro's. Good luck, Ryan

yeah man that'll work fine, like JP said Dave was rigging them on Knuckle Ball jigs which was kind of cool because they make the claws stick up off bottom.... I've also seen Dave smash largies on them texas rigged with a bullet sinker in thicker cover....awesome baits dude... I like them because they're a bait that'll catch more numbers, rather than just bigger fish....the smaller guys will smash them and keep you on your toes while you wait for the bigger bites... good luck UF

great story dude! Hey my knife case looks just like yours and it's only a couple weeks old!! of course my wife decided to stick it in the dishwasher! thanks for the read... Who hasn't grown up with that knife in their family? I love it. cheers, UF

At the mouth of, and in the first km of the credit river you'd be surprised what you can catch...I've caught the following and know there's other species in there. 1) Carp 2) Sheephead 3) Pike 4) Bass (large & smallmouth) 5) Rainbow Trout 6) Salmon 7) Walleye Do some research and get fishin' and it won't be long before you're laying a beat down on them. Good Luck, UF

I dinno dude, my electric start Yamaha started first push of the button! Haha in all seriousness I'm the wrong dude to answer your question but I'm sure somebody will chime in. Good luck!

Wish I could help you with the rental situation, but I'm new to the area! One thing I can say is that there's still plenty of bay to fish once the sanctuary kicks in. And though the pike fishing is better during the ice out season you can still get them all summer long. There's a solid resident population . Cheers, UF

Thanks again guys! I wish I could get back to each of you for your awesome replies but I forgot about the sleepless nights, constant attention needed, suddenly high maintenance big sister, and recovering mommy. Right now the whole crew is taking a nap while I enjoy some quite time around the house. Supposed to set up the trampoline for Averie this afternoon as long as the weather holds out. Thanks again - and good luck out on the water. I know I can't wait to get out again! Cheers, Ryan

Thanks for all the awesome replies about my boy and advice on the prop guys! My internet is out right now from a storm, so ill get back to you's as soon as I can! I'm just on my blackberry now. Cheers, Ryan

What a BRUTE! My wife Ginny was 90lbs soaking wet before she got pregnant with our second child, and painfully gave birth to an 8lb 1 ouncer on Monday April 27th @ 2:58 p.m. Our daughter was only 5lbs so this was quite the feat. It went so fast they couldn't give her any hard-core drugs, and she took it like a champ! Introducing future fishing freak, Luke Douglas Gaston Bonin. Sorry about all the pics, but we decided he was a keeper so it wouldn't hurt to take so many! I can't wait to get him out on the water with his big sister! In a completely unrelated, but fishing related topic, a few weeks back I took the boat out for a few hours on Long Point Bay. I was cruising along at around 20mph in very familiar water when I struck a sunken ice hut that some jack - decided to let sink through the ice this spring. My wife's cousin is a commercial fisherman in the area and has pulled out 3 himself. Anyways, the incident left me with some minor but annoying damage on the prop. I checked the gear oil in the foot of my motor and it was a-ok, no signs of water getting in, but I'm not sure what to do about the prop? Can I just take a file to it, or do I have to purchase a new one and use this as a spare? I had a couple of tiny dings that were already there, but these ones are a little deeper. Any advice would be appreciated. I already talked to some of the boys on here and they suggested bringing it to a shop out by Whitby, but I'm open for suggestions. Could these dings cause any other issues for my motor in the future (vibrations etc.) or am I ok to let it go for a little while? Thanks - and have a good one. Ryan

I don't have time for a solid reply here dude, but a quick note, you don't need to carry a leather glove and wrap it around your hand to break off braid. Just point the tip of your rod towards the snag (so you're not bending it) and hold your spool, or lock down your drag and the line will break, or straiten your hook. Even with a glove on, I'd never wrap 50lb + braided line around my hand and chance tangling my self up in the line which is anchored underwater. Just my opinion though! Use a fluoro leader in clear water, and strait braid in stained water. Cheers, Ryan

That's awesome man! Congrats! I forgot how small they were when they're born! Haha best wishes for your wife and the little man! Cheers, Ryan