Douger

hey cliff, no worries, i know you've been busy recording with the band. how's it going?

was at the pier today chucking lures from 2am-9am. skunked.... i fished from off the end to back inside, changing the depth & lures. there was a lot of jumping from 7 - 8:30, some in the harbour and a lot just west of the lighthouse. i was wondering weather i could have done something different, or chose the wrong day to do b/c of the wamer temperatures, or if the bite simply wasn't on during that time. any info would be appreciated.

i bought a $25 Mr. LongArm painting handle at home depot. it extends to 12'. i cut 1" off the end of the handle of my net to get rid of the plastic plug. the net handle fits perfectly on the end of the LongArm. i simply drilled a 2 holes and got some stainless steel nuts & bolts. works well and fits in the car.

nice report cliff. i love the pink stick. can't wait to get my daughter one! take care

i'm looking into getting a hydration pack and was wondering if anybody had any info/experiences (good or bad) to share. thanks!

it's amazing to think that there are so many anglers who care deeply about the sport and species, and then there are these yahoos who are either unbelievably ignorant, or who just don't care, and that we share the same oxygen.

the okuma reel is a good beginner float reel. as for the rod, check out the 13' quantum PT. it's around $120. i was in your position last year and asked around, as you are doing. several people recommended the PT so i picked it up and am very happy with it. the quantum coldwater was also recommended. it goes for around $100. you can find my thread on floatfishing.net called "beginner float rods," if you are interested in what the guys there recommended.

nice report; your second on buckets? does this mean retiring from work alltogether to fish year round?

wicked day with the family. way to go man.

Congratulations, Verno. Glad to hear everyone is happy and healthy. Sincerely, Doug

Monday I'm heading to Joyland Beach area on L. Simcoe with the family. I need some dry firewood and am looking for a recommendation. Also, how can I tell for sure if it's dry? Several times in the past I've bought wood that I thought was dry but turned out to be pretty green. Thanks!

nice pics, cliff. that last one with your daughter & the fish is great. glad the outrigger worked. take care -d-

very sorry to hear of your loss. take care doug

great report, cliff. congrats on the new PB. fall is around the corner. we'll have to hook up for some steelheading. btw, i picked up a salmon rod & plan to hit some of the piers when the salmon hit the river mouths (i guess it's as early as mid-august sometimes). if you'd like we could hook up. hope all's well with the family. take care

007, i have the pentax optio wp, and am very happy with it. it's great for fishing b/c it's light & compact. the picture quality is good. i don't have any underwater photos. a friend accidentally went 10' deep with it (he didn't know it was rated for 1.5m). it stopped working, but they replaced it under warranty and henry's. this is a pic from our trip to vietnam. the original is 1.4mb, so it's been reduced for here. you can click on it to make it bigger. take care

nice work. i just moved near high park this past winter. i haven't fished around here, since i only really have time for the fall & spring steelhead runs. good work on putting in the time to figure out where those fish are!

A friend of mine is taking his 8 yr. old son to a cottage on Three Mile Lake in the Muskokas. He asked me about the fishing there, but I don't know anything. He doesn't fish but he'd like to take his son out to see what they can catch. I can lend him a 6'6'' bass rod & spinning reel, as well as a 5'6'' panfish/crappie rod & spinning reel, but I don't know which type of bait he should use. Any suggestions that I can pass on to him would be much appreciated. Thanks!

i haven't fished for salmon yet, but started fishing for steelhead last fall. that makes me a newbie. however, the guy who is showing me the ropes has been steelhead fishing for 25 odd years and has been using a centre-pin reel since they were invented over in england. he makes his own rods and made his own float reel. so he knows his stuff. i took his advice and started float fishing using an $80, 11 foot steelhead rod with a decent, entry level shimano spinning reel. his motto is "expensive gear catches fishermen, not fish." so my advice would be the same, stay away from the really expensive gear until you're more experienced. in fact, his long-time steelheading buddy uses a $70, 10.5 foot shakespeare rod and a $25 quantum spinning reel. he always catches fish b/c he knows steelhead behaviour and can read water, etc. you can do very well with a spinning reel. i just picked up my first float reel (aka centre-pin reel) and am practicing in my backyard. i'll likely keep using the spinning reel predominantly for the next season or two. a lot of guys who use the centre-pins say you will never go back. they are fun, and offer a more natural presentation. but they do require more technique and patience, and are more expensive, starting at $170. if you find a good tackle shop that has a good selection of steelhead gear (e.g. fish on line at jane&lawrence, natural sports in kitchener, tightlines in pickering, even bass pro, or talk to dave at Al Flaherty's on Dufferin - he's dmasse on this message board), go in some day when they are not busy and spend some time asking some questions. there are good guys in these stores who will help you a lot. also, there is an excellent little booklet on float fishing put out by raven tackle. it explains the basics and has excellent diagrams of rigging techniques. feel free to pm me if you have any questions. take care doug

great report! those are amazing shots of the rainbow & 2-tone sky. i've never seen that before.

My wife has a Honda Fit and I have a Mazda Protege. I have a 13' 2-pc. and can get it in both cars with the seats folded down. There are a lot of recommendations here for 8lb mainline. 6lb is also very common, and that is what I use. As for which brand of mainline, the suggestions above are good. There is also a thread about this if you do a search. Definitely do not spool your line with flouro. It will kink and do all kinds of crazy things. I use the Raven 5.6 lb flouro. and find it works very well. Drennan is also very popular among steelheaders, but is more expensive. Shimano Convergence 10.5 is a great rod for the price ($70). If you are considering using a longer rod, I bought the 13' Quantum PT float rod - $120 - and am very happy with it. I began steelheading last fall, so I'm still a newbie. I did some research and got several recommendations for the Quantum PT. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions. Good luck and good fishing!

tell him congratulations. too many of us decide in favour of material comfort over persuing our dreams, only to end up miserable. your son will look back one day and smile at the fact that he took some time to do what he loved. -d-

hi pete, you'll enjoy spending time here. no snobs. the people are freindly and helpful. take care doug

I need a spinning reel that holds roughly 200 yds of 10lb line (give or take). Something I can use to catch salmon off a pier. I don't need anything fancy, just a basic entry-level reel that's reliable that does the job. Suggestions? Thanks!

-fresh tuna steaks. 2 minutes per side in the iron grill pan with that famous new orleans spice. -boiled baby taters dressed in sea salt, fresh pepper, dill and olive oil -spinach salad okay, now i'm salivating.

great report. the family ones are the best!