The Urban Fisherman

awesome Cliff! I spent alot of time on the West Arm growing up and that sure does bring back some memories...hard to beat a weekend like that, despite the cold and somewhat lack of fish.... And those boats are SWEET - I'd love to get my hands on one of those! Thanks for the report dude, Ryan

I wouldn't do it! Out of respect for those who believe in that. And because I don't believe I should have to.

lol that's cute man!

Thanks guys - not really much in the way of "fish porn" but it's all I've got for ya's! lol I'm hoping to get her out on long point for an afternoon in a hut so she can stay warm, eat treats and catch some real fish... perch reports have been hit and miss the past week, but I'm thinking we might be able to get out for a day on that family fishing weekend.....I think it's the 14th....here's hoping. cheers, Ryan

Awesome dude! Can you keep rock bass through the ice? I would assume they're open all year? I bet they'd taste good through the ice! Lol

Yorkie's are awesome... you can usually find them on Kijiji for 6 to 7 hundres bucks....much better than the $2400.00 they'll cost you at a pet store in TO.

I've been promising my daughter I'd take her out ice fishing for a while now. The couple times I have snuck out, I'm usually gone and back again by breakfast - way to cold for a 2 year old at first light. Mom wasn't feeling well today, so I recruited Grandma and Grandpa to come help keep an eye on her. It was a cold one, but I wasn't counting on being gone for more than an hour anyways. The point of this trip was to put her on fish, right off the bat. Gotta get them hooked on fishing while they're young, thus the target species..the elusive GOBY. We set up shop in 14 FOW on a sand flat adjacent to some rip-rap. Good little helper... It didn't take long before Averie had her first ever fish through the ice, a solid 4" goby! lol She was pretty stoked about it to! After that it was Goby after Goby for 30 minutes until it was to cold for comfort and we had to head home. Grandpa was having a hard time hooking into those little turbo tappers, I guess Averie and I just have the touch.... So we faked a shot of grandpa fighting one. And the fight is on.... Busted.... And time to head home... Best hour of fishing I've had in a while...even if we were just slayin' little gobies. And man am I ever glad my little girl loves to fish! Doesn't matter if the next one's a boy or not! lol Good luck and play safe, UF

You know what's funny about this post, is that it's caused nothing but fighting and arguing... pretty much what religion of all kinds has causes over and over throughout history, albeit on a smaller scale... Can't we all just respect each others beliefs and get along?

nice fish solo - thanks for the report dude! cheers, Ryan

Dude i'm as close to being Atheist as they come, but if a group of religious budd's from work wanted to say a quick prayer before heading out for the day GO NUTS! As long as it's done within' reason. If you're supposed to be on the clock at 9 a.m. - get there early and do it at 8:15 a.m. Although I think religion is a total load of crap, I still find it interesting from time to time, and respect other people's beliefs.

Maybe saying it isn't a historic event was a little overboard, but the fact is, he's only %50 black, and should be seen as AMERICAN, not black or white. I have full knowledge of history, of both countries, and am very proud to be Canadian. (something that lack's in our country these days) I'm also proud of our neighbors to the south for electing a HALF-black president, but the US, and WORLD has a LLLLLOOOONNNGGGGG way to go when it comes to seeing people as equals. Yes ,this is a step in the right direction, but if Obama had been born with a lighter complexion, and strait hair, I doubt there would have been so much hype. Imagine the headlines " USA elects Black President" but he'd inherited more white physical traits. lol I watched his speech on youtube last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked how he mentioned that his own father couldn't ride on a public bus some 60 years ago. It makes you realize how far we've come in just 6 decades, but I think the American people should stop patting themselves on the back so much and take a look around. When I cross the US border with my best friend (who has a Lebanese background) guess who get's pulled aside? But when I cross with another one of my good friends who's black, noooo problemo. The fact of the matter is, racism is still very much a part of today's society. Hopefully Obama will step up the plate and make his mark on history. Being elected means squat unless you do something while you're in office. Cheers, UF

you beat me to it! I couldn't agree more. I have nothing against Obama himself though, best of luck to the guy, hopefully he does a better job than Bush did.

Glad to hear everything came back positive Will! Like I said, don't let them folks back at Technicolor stress you out to much! Good assistants are hard to find these days... I'm just kidding...as long as you've got Mark around you should be a-ok. Make you sure drag Cliff and Carole out for some hard-water action this winter! They're 1 hell of a couple, but I like to see reports of them getting skunked at least a couple times a year... cheers, UF

Just for the record, every hit I had was a bass, I simply used my higher than average fish senses and pulled my spoon away fast enough so as not to hook into an OOS fish.... Had any of my minnow thieving hits been perch, I'd have hesitated just long enough to hook into it. Someday you to, Rich, might be able to fish with such skill. Thanks for the company dude! Always good times... cheers, UF

Hey brother, IMO - Powerbaits, Senko's etc. can be organized neatly into trays. Gulp, the packaged version and buckets obviously have to stay in their respective packages or they dry out and wither up. If you're concerned about separating "lightly used" baits from new ones, and still having them scented when you use them again, just keep a tray for your lightly used baits, and pick yourself up one of those gulp spray scent containers, give your lightly used powerbait a squirt and you're good as new....AND you'll save yourself a few bucks by not tossing the bait away after 1 use. cheers, UF

What weekend isn't a good weekend for fishin' dude? Nice eyes, a little to far north for my blood, but nice none the less... Thanks for the "eye" candy! UF

Lots of fish being caught right now you just have to find 'em. Like Brian said, lots of dinks hanging around but if you put in the time you'll get a good feed. Personally I'd rather stick to smaller bodies of water because I fish on foot, but the huts are out if you're looking to rent one. My wife's cousin owns Erie Bait Lmtd. in St. Williams so if I hear anything from him I'll let you know. The rest of the week looks like we're going to have cold nights so there's going to be plenty of ice out there. good luck, UF

Long time to see Will! Best wishes from Ginny and I brother! I'm sure it'll all turn out fine. Keep in touch man, and don't work to hard back at technicolor... Cheers, Ryan

Yepp, they had a safe on sale for $600 and I went in over and over it'll be in next month, 4-5 months later I gave up and got one somewhere else!

nice slabs! Hard to beat time out on the ice with your family! Thanks for the report dude! Cheers, UF

The guide and I did go in after it! but by the time we got a picture of Ginny holding the half eatin' bone he had peaced out. Tell me this gore shot of the bone wouldn't look appealing to a cuda! lol Here's some scenery shots I dug up to. What a place man, I'd definitely recommend Emerald Palms for anybody looking to do some flats fishing in the Bahamas!

Thanks Solo - I know I'm a lucky man, at work and at home.... and can't wait for the new baby come april! Hey Moosebunk - I know it wasn't as extensive as your remote reports, but I've got a lot on the go right now so had to keep it short.... I work for Dave Mercer on Facts of Fishing THE SHOW. I just don't want to sound like a broken record so I don't repeat it all the time when I do reports... As I said in my original post, him and his wife are awesome friends and employers. They'll do anything for anyone without asking for anything in return. Cheers, UF

You've got that right Irish! She toughed it out like a champ considering she's 6 months pregnant!

Right on buddy, now you'll have to sell off your inflatable and use your winnings to fix up the new boat. I've never painted a boat before, but I'd think CTC's tremclad rust paint would probably work quite well? Either way, good luck with your new ride. Cheers, UF

Long story short, Dave phoned me up a few months back to let me know we'd be shooting a Bonefish show in the Bahamas, and wanted to know if my wife would like to tag along for the shoot! Better friends and employers you will not find!!! Sunday morning Dave, Myself, Richie (other camera operator) and our wives headed to the Bahama's for 4 nights @ Emerald Palms Resort for some world class Bone fishing. We shot an awesome show, and enjoyed a couple days away from the cold. It was the first time either myself or Ginny had been on a trip like this, truly a trip of a lifetime! Bone fish are hands down, pound for pound the hardest fighting fish I've ever seen. A 6 pounder will spool you with little effort! They just never give up... Ginny was fighting this guy and a barracuda smashed it on the way in, ripping it in half! The next day I did a little bit of surf fishing while Ginny walked the beach looking for shells for our daughter. I was just throwing a powerbait twister tail on a jig, and there was plenty of these little guys to keep me busy. Then reality set in and we had to head back to Canada thursday morning. So friday I spent the day catching up on some computer work, and at the crack of dawn this morning I hit a local reservoir for some perch action. By the time I got bait and a coffee it was 8 a.m. and the fishing was on fire right off the bat. I got 11 keepers before 9 a.m. then it died down and I only managed 1 more keeper and a couple OOS largies by 10 a.m. So I packed it in and was home with dinner by 10:30. First Ice fish of 2009 and healthy 11.5 incher. Most productive bait was a small buckshot tipped with a minnow. Bounced off bottom in 18 to 23 FOW. And tonight's dinner.... Good luck out there and be safe. I found a few spots on the lake that only had 2 inches of good clear ice with 6 inches of slushy frozen stuff on top. Cheers, UF