Billy Bob

A FOUR INCH Rapala fillet knife. That's right 4" blade has more control than a six inch blade and I have filleted Salmon up to 30 lbs with it. But most fish are much smaller and don't require anything larger. I just replaced a fillet knife and you can see why

I already PM you with one lake but I didn't see you were interested in the St Lawrence so if you can find a phone number of Green Acres Motel & Cottages on the NY side it is PERFECT for a family vacation with a provided dock on a nice and quiet bay PLUS a pool. Also have you considered Oneida Lake in NYS. It's really a walleye lake but I'm sure it holds Smallmouth and Largemouth bass. Here are a couple of websites in you are interested in fishing NYS for the above mentioned areas. http://realtravel.com/h-198554-clayton_hot..._motel_cottages http://www.fishoneida.com/ I FOUND the Green Acre Website. see below http://www.swanbaybeachclub.net/accommodations.htm

If you act quickly you can get the Canada Navionics 2008 Premium HotMaps chip for only $99 while they last at Cabela's and other places. Here's Cabela's site with the 2008 edition on SALE. If you scroll down to the bottom of that page you can click on what lakes are included in each card. I purchased the card for Canada in the fall when Cabela's had them on sale for $129 and Navionics had a $50 rebate going on but that ended December 31st. However, I don't see the 2009 card having any more lakes in Canada or at least where I will be fishing so the 2008 card for $99 is the best deal out there. One other thing, if the lake you fish is highlighted it will be in High Definition (HD) (in red) that map has the MOST info you can get on that lake with contours down to 1 foot and includes MANY areas marked like marinas etc..... Bob

I also found this VERY informative hut rental site for Simcoe. http://www.lakesimcoemessageboard.com/huts.php

I copied and pasted this info from my buddies newspaper article. Nice inland ice Solid ice surfaces formed on many water bodies for area anglers this past week from the north end of Lake Simcoe to the south end of Chautauqua Lake. Lenora Creber at Casey’s Fish Huts (705-437-1560) had huts out at Port Bolster last weekend and clients did well on perch throughout all daylight hours. Along with perch, jiggers have come up with an odd walleye from shallower bay areas. “One was a 10-pounder; it would be nice to see the walleyes come back here,” she said. Randy Carleton at Randy’s Fish Huts (705-437-2989) set up last Friday over 28-to 32-foot depths off Port Bolster for a good mix of perch and herring. Herring remain off the limits for anglers. “Whitefish have moved in and one client got a nice one, but [clients see the whitefish] cruise just under the ice holes,” he said. Steve Barber at Steve’s Fish Huts (705-437-1013) set up on 8- to 12-inch ice off Holmes Point Road in Pefferlaw. Barber’s clients have taken a higher ratio of keepers this year, with many measuring well above 10 inches. Cooks Bay at Simcoe offers good ice (averaging 10-12 inches) on the Keswick and Guilford sides of the bay. Early starters head out to deeper waters when possible. Jiggers work 25-foot depths, doing a lift-and-drop twitch for perch. Schools can be found at shallower depths, but the bigger perch hold deeper. Terry Goy at Terry Goy Fish Hut Rentals ( www.utube.com/terrygoy ) worked plain jigs Tuesday and caught perch without an attached bug/grub. “Just about everything works for perch right now,” Goy said, noting the keeper-to-runt ratio is about 5-1. Ice formed well at all Honeoye Lake access sites. South-end bay shallows have been good for bluegills, with a few walleye taken on tip-ups and jigging Rapalas before the front moved through Saturday evening, according to Dan Sharp at Honeoye Bait & Tackle (585-229-2266). Small jigs and waxworms get the most mention. Silver Lake ice firmed north to south this past week. Bluegills outnumber perch takes at the south end of the lake around Mack’s Boat Livery (585-237-5983). Perch schools move, but weekend ice-choppers can get over deeper water now and put on a search for perch. Chautauqua Lake shows ice north to south, but north basin open areas measured less than 3 inches with 3-to 4-inch areas around Mayville Bay. South Basin ice measured 5-8 inches Wednesday morning, with bluegills and perch the main menu for weed-edge jigging. [email protected]

Last July when I was heading up to the French River I was asked several question at the Canadian Custom booth. One was "do you have any firearms or knives". Of course I said NO and was OKed to proceed. But I only got a few hundred feet when I though I have at least 6 fillet knives in the boat and truck. How do they expect you to fish without a knife or two.

If you are going to the Chapleau area you REALLY should look into Air Ivanhoe Lodge. My wife and I did this in July '08. We flew into a all American Lodge on Nemegosenda Lake. This may be just what you are looking for. It includes hot and cold running water, flush toilets and electricity not to mention 3 BIG meals a day. They even have a dock boy to take care of your catch in you don't care to clean all them fish. Even a fish finder (Eagle Graph) is in every boat. Fresh minnow and worms are also included. I can HIGHLY recommend this Lodge and working with the owners George & Jeanne Theriault. They have MANY different set ups from outpost to river only access cottages to American plan by drive in or fly in access. Also MANY different Fly In outpost in various lakes. You will get dizzy trying to make your choice. Here's their website.............http://www.airivanhoe.com/ If you have any questions PM me. Bob

As far as a passport you will need either a passport or a New York State Enhanced Drivers License starting JUNE 1st 2009 or you will not be able to re-enter the US. My wife and I did this a couple of weeks ago and in 10 days we received our new EDL. It cost $30 plus $10 to process. BUT you should have your drivers license EXTENDED for another 8 years and pay the extra before our LIBERAL governor raises the price of driver license as he proposed. It will cost you a bit more now but will pay for itself over the 8 years. Here's the website for EDL's. http://www.nysdmv.com/broch/C159.pdf

Just wash you hands with COLD water and salt. Warm/hot water opens the pores in your skin so use COLD water.

A $1.83 per US gallon here and MUCH cheaper at the Indian Res.

I thought i would of read " Canadian Air Force Downs Commercial Aircraft out of NYC"

I use a wood burning stove to heat my home. If I remember correctly it weighs about 300 lbs and it's one of the smallest ones on the market. The largest logs it will take is only 18 inches but my house is VERY well insulatted and is only a small 3 bedroom ranch with a kind of open layout. I can pack it with wood at 9-10pm and by 6-7am all the wood will be gone but still has enough embers to start another fire in the morning. Can't see how you can get that with a stove weighing under 80 lbs. Also I am burning almost all hickory wood which is much harder and longer burning than pine or birch you will have to use. Today it was 2.5 degrees outside and 72.5 inside with just my wood burner going. This is my stove that I have but without the pedestal stand, instead it has the more traditional cast iron legs. http://www.lopistoves.com/product_guide/detail.aspx?id=208

Good walleye and pike. Also have caught bass by accident as I do not fish for them. http://www.kirkkovecottages.com/

The Navionics HotMaps 2008 Premium cards are on sale right now because the 2009 cards are out. You can save $50 with the 2008 if all your lakes are on it. Here's just one site selling them but if you Google Navionics Hotmaps you will find MANY more. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...requestid=28836

I have limited out MANY times on snags.

I have more fun driving my partner crazy after just casting by asking "did you see that" and he will say "what" and I will remark "ANOTHER EXCELLENT CAST". After doing this a about a dozen times throughout the day it gets annoying but very funny at times.

As a fund raiser the Niagara Rivers Anglers Association (NRAA) does a smelt fry on docks at Lewiston, NY every year. This right across from your Queenston launch site on the river. I believe it's held sometime in April. They will be dipping the smelt right out of the river and frying them up fresh right there. Everyone is invited to partake in the fun of a few beers and all fried smelt you can eat. Bob

Someday when I get bored to DEATH and have nothing else to do I MIGHT read that safety post but I really doubt it.

We ALWAYS cleaned them with scissors but we cut off the head and cut the belly to remove the entrails. I don't think you are suppose to eat the entrails especially if from Lake Ontario.

I just see this on Dirtiest Jobs on Discovery Channel. A Nissan SUV went through the ice in Minnesota where they said about 100 vehicles per year go through the ice. The guy had designed a patented extractor he set up. They said they need at least 9 inches of ice to do it but by the time they got on the site the ice was 33 inches already. They cut two large triangle holes for the divers (one for emergency purposes) and then cut the large hole that the SUV was going to be extract from. Using air bags to raise the vehicle to the surface and then chaining it the to extractor and finally just using a come along to pull it SLOWLY to let the water run out until it raises onto the extractor just past half way up when the extractor tilts and the vehicle is completely out of the lake. Neat way of doing it. But still as already mentioned a lot of labor.

I realize you pay high taxes in Canada but we also do in NYS. Our new Governor wants to ADD another 135 NEW fees and taxes this year alone. Our property taxes are the HIGHEST in the nation and so is our sales tax. It cost me $300 per MONTH for my taxes on a home I outright own. Just one example of Paterson's new nit wit taxes........... tax on non-diet soft drinks. This guy hasn't seen a tax he doesn't like........Oh BTW, he wants to make it easier to get on welfare, like no more personal interviews or finger prints. Ya, great idea, didn't they learn from years ago that there were MANY caught living in NC and having their NYS welfare checks forward to them by relatives. Now you got me started........... SORRY about the rant.... Go catch a fish and be happy.

SORRY, wrong quote. Please see next post Bob

I guess you Canadians really are taking it up the back door. Your gas goes up 10 cents per litter and our goes up 5 cents per gallon. But eh, you do have free health care and that's something we wish we had so what's better.

THIS IS MY LAUGH FOR THE DAY.......... THANKS...

Years ago while fishing Kinzua Reservoir for walleye I unscrewed the cup from my Stanley thermos to pour a much needed hot cup of coffee. Just before I could pour some coffee into it, it slipped out of my mitt covered hand, slid down my leg and went down the only hole in the ice for MILES. Did you ever try to drink HOT coffee out of a thermos without a cup. My recommendation DON'T