Douger

nice, mepps! great pike! nice to see you workin' the thames. makes me want to pack my rod next time i'm there to visit mom!! -d-

I was in England, once. Spent a week in London and spent most of it gettin' down in those totally wicked nite clubs that put TO to shame. So, lakes and rivers and fishing aren't really your strenghts. Every culture has its pros & cons. I was really impressed, for example, by the amount of reading you guys do. Everybody reads! I'd never seen movie-poster style adds for books before. They're everywhere. That also puts us to shame. But we do have it very good here in the Great White (but slowly greening) North when it comes to land, forests, lakes rivers, etc. The thing that gets to me is how so many of us don't appreciate it. It's taken for granted. The Great Lakes are such a treasure, and yet there are libraries worth of research on Great Lakes pollution. I recently heard that each year, the city of Toronto dumps 90 million litres of raw sewage into Lake Ontario. If we want to keep fishing - it has to change or we certainly will end up like England, where fishing is far more excusive.

thanks for the info! i really appreciate it. what is a rattletrap? who makes it? -d-

welcome! if you've been watching for a while, then you already know there are a lot of good people here. take care doug

ahhh, nyc. in new york, you can be ANYTHING you want, and nobody cares. nice.

when pier fishing for salmon, which sizes & colours of krocodiles work well? thanks!

nice work (again!) maybe when i retire in 2027 (but who's counting), i'll be able to get into the groove the way you guys do. can't wait to see your muskie pics.

hi derek, welcome aboard. there are a lot of great folks on this site, and lots of good info to be found. congrats on your new daughter. two weeks ago my wife gave birth to our first child - also a girl. it's been a wonderful experience. nice pics! take care doug

good ol' london! grew up there - 26 yrs. used to catch walleye in the thames when i was a kid. nice report!

nice work!! always nice to see a couple enjoying a great day fishing. the word on this board is that the salmon run later this summer is going to be very good.

nice report. i can't think of a better way to spend along weekend! good luck on the avid anglers (A.A.?) award, bly. ps i'm noticing my messages are getting shorter now that i'm typing one-handed with a newborn in the other.

my condonlences to you and the family. take care.

nice one! i've been wanting fish eugenia but haven't made the time yet. i actually thought of switching from steelead to largemouth b/c fishing in the summer suits my work schedule. but i just can't seem to shake my obsession for rainbow trout! -d-

well, i've never actually fished in a boat. but standing on shore or in a river, it's just a pain to have to deal with an ipod. i have to agree with lesculpjr that the sounds of nature are the way to go. i do however, habitually listen to neil young on my drive home from a day on the water, especially if it involves navigating a country road. nice poll. -d-

Welcome, yellow14, I joined this site earlier this year as a newbie who hadn't fished in about 20 years. This is one of the most friendly sites around, and is my favourite - lots of good folk. Take care Good Fishing Doug

Later this summer I plan do do some pier fishing when the salmon come in. I've been building a stash of glow-in-the-dark Cleo's, but I need some recommendations on a rod. I've heard downrigger rods work well, but all I really want is something entry level - a decent rod at a decent price. Something that will do the job. Any recommendations? Thanks -d-

a very good day if you ask me! gorgeous river. is it the grand?

wicked. you guys are the best.

nice pics, cliff! good luck on the lake! take care doug

very nice report, bly. can't beat a day fishing with the family. hope all is well. take care doug

It's been a while since my last visit to OFC, but I think this counts as an excuse Introducing Sen, born June 19 at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. "Sen" is Vietnamese for "Lotus," as in the flower. My wife was born in Vietnam. Everyone is healthy & happy, and all is wicked. Doug

My actual first rainbow trout, if I'm remembering correctly, was caught in a pond when I was 8 or 9 years old. In London (ON), in the south end where I grew up, there is a forest and a series of 5 or 6 ponds, each the size of a small lake. One of them has a fish & game club, who stocked the pond each year with rainbows. My dad signed us up when we were kids, and it must have been Easter (1980?) because my uncles and cousins were visitng. It was an awsome day for us kids because we each caught at least 3, my little brother being the winner with 6. My rod was a cheap, transluscent-red beauty from the sports department at Woolco. Reel: late 60s - early 70s Mitchell 300. We still talk about that day.

I was up with some friends on the Notty yesterday. We hit the water at 6am. The fish started biting after lunch and were hitting hard! Most were drop-backs in the feeding mode, but there were some late fresh ones too. I managed to get a wicked fighter on but lost it, then when they really started to hit it was tangle after tangle for me . We had an awsome time but I did leave feeling a little frustrated. I began steelheading in the fall. I've been doing my homework and putting in the miles walking the tribs, trying to learn the characteristics of each. With a full time job, wife and a kid on the way, I can never get out as much as I like, which is good in that each day on a trib becomes a special event. Since the fall, I've managed to get a few on, and landed a nice male one wintry morning on the Ganny. Each time I get a hit I get a real adrenaline rush so when I landed my first one this winter it felt like a real achievement. I know it takes time to get the hang of it all, and I'm curious to hear from other steelheaders about their first and thought it would make for some cool stories. Doug

nice report Fang. glad you had a good opener. -d-

nice work guys. with the kid coming soon it's been hard for me to get out. but maybe this weekend. if the water looks good my buddy will take me to some quiet little places on the notty, where i can watch him land a dozen while i untangle lol! hope all is well take care -d-