Old Ironmaker

3:30 PM, there's snow on my deck here on the shore of Erie. It's not melting fast enough, why, oh why. It's not the shovel kind but it is frozen water regardless. 75F last Saturday, shorts and T shirts. This isn't funny.

Kids John, I know more die hard dope smokers in our generation then all the kids I know. You can tell the ones who partake. Now they usually are smoking with their parents and I know of one family where 3 generations sit around and puff away. A family that smokes together stays together I guess. Maybe Grandma gets the good stuff. 10 days to go, can't wait to start. Going out to the rez tomorrow and buy the nastiest cigarettes I can find there.

Well talk about timing. As I was walking to our beautiful accommodations at Mashkinonje Sunday afternoon I heard a gentleman say " Italo I'm almost ready". As I walked by I yelled to Italo in Italian " What the heck are you doing there Italo? " , something is lost in translation however. Italo is friends with my wifes sister and brother in law in Niagara, it sure is a small world. I bear witness that that gentleman and Regan pounded the water all morning, afternoon and late into the evening everyday straight through the week. I sure have a greater respect for those T.V. guys that you see landing lunker after lunker. It sure looks like heaven but what we don't see is the many hours of pre fishing through rain or shine, howling winds, damp dark overcast drizzle, just plain Canadian cold. Living here on Lake Erie I thought we fished hard, compared to whom? Certainly not compared to Mr's Labignon and Thompson. Congradulations Regan, Goldie and Russell on all your early success and after seeing what you have done and are doing with Mashkinonje these successes will not be short lived. Someone once told me the harder you work the luckier you get. You have a beautiful family and a beautiful lodge. For anyone that hasn't had the pleasure to visit Mashkinonje Lodge you had better get up there before the waiting list gets longer. Now I have a bone to pick Mr. Regan Thompson, we fed Barney all week and I didn't get a sandwich let alone a Lasagne dinner! Can't wait for the show to air, if there is a shot of a good looking Italian dude with a boot lip on staring across the channel wondering when Danny Columby and I would be able to hit the water to get my first West Arm Musky that would be me. That frown turned to the grin of a Cheshire cat as I did get my fish finally Wednesday. Thanks again Dan you sure know your craft and that gorgeous rig of yours was kind to these old crippled pins of mine. See you in the spring Thompson family. We can't wait.

So far a great outcome Brian, new ride and a new life. If you talk to 100 people there will be 100 answers as to what is the best way to quit, most quit experts smoke. They are well experienced at quiting, we quit all the time. October 14 is my quit date, my 60th bday. I've been smoking for 25 years, yes I started at 35. They should write a book about how my noggin works or doesn't work. I quit for a entire year 3 years ago, cold turkey was finally the ticket for me. I was told sometimes it only takes 1 to start up, I didn't believe that, I do now. I want to quit now, again!!!!! that's the key I think. The hardest thing is staying quit. My 87 year old father quit 47 years ago, he says he still wants one occasionally, wow.

Nice ride my man. Nothing beats that new truck smell, well almost nothing. And the feeling of a brand new out of the package new anything, but a truck, even better new. I never bought a new vehicle and I have been killing vehicles for 44 years. My wife(s) had new cars but I never did. After getting some very bad health news my lady was driving us home and we were on Upper James in Hamilton, dealers alley. She pulled into the John Bear GM dealer and told me, " you my dear are getting a new truck ". I did and I love her, my wife too. I got a 2011 in November of 2011 and I wasn't even thinking about a new truck that winter, my 90 GMC 4X$ short box stepside was fine for another winter. But with the incentives I got a full size Silverado 4X4 crew cab with the chrome package and bigger V8 for more than 10K off the window sticker price. The price that Ford and Dodge wanted for the similar models was 8K to 15K more. If anyone is thinking about next year for new wheels shop now, you won't be ordering options and section is limited but the prices can't be beat in the fall. Again, nice ride, love the Black on Black.

I really like your videos Simon but absolutely love watching the puppy watch the fish.

Almost 2 pages for ways to catch a mouse, actually interesting reading and I have no idea why. Get a cat. But not my girls cat. One spring we were having a mouse problem and no way they are going away. I hear munch munch nibble nibble one night in the kitchen. I sneak in and flick on the light, the cats eating out of one dish and mouse is eating out of the other dish. I swear on the lives of my children.

That is a good tip. I use tubes and love them. Try stuffing a piece of Alka Seltzer up the tube. Makes little CO2 bubbles and when nothing seems to work the Smallies turn and hammer them.

Lew, somehow I missed this thread. Man that really is bad news good news. The older you get the more and more it hits our lives and it sucks big time. You and your loved ones are not alone and there is strength in numbers. Prayers from here via G mail, God mail. Hang tough buddy she needs you now more then anytime in your marriage. Just an opinion, do not cancel the Xmas do, get everyone together and help her put it on. Getting ones mind off this during recovery is the best medicine. We are going on 3 years Cancer free here.

It has to be tough, our sympathies.

Up to last week they were still hitting but sketchy at Maitland, but I have not heard from anyone that went out this past week. That doesn't mean they aren't there. We went out twice this week out of Nanticoke and I didn't have to clean a fish. I can tell you for certain that the Jumbo Perch are hitting in 60 feet of water out of Pt. Colbourne, so says the local perch guru, you know gurus. It will be easy to know exactly where this weekend if it is true, just find the pack. Good luck.

Go put the hammer on them Shloim.

Good advice here for you. Make sure you tune those Dipsy's to release when you want not when it wants. Use the #3 setting to get the line as far from the boat as possible, Dipsy's and Lead Core like to get together and ruin a good day of fishing. Especially here on Erie where a Smallie or Silver Bass will make a run across your Lead Core without tripping the diver. There are still reports of fish from Bruce and Burwell, Nanticoke gave us a skunk twice this week. I run 30 pound flouro from the Dipsy to the bait about a foot or so shorter than the rods length. Personally planner boards over Dipsy's any day.

Big Cliff, we are members of the same fraternity.

The family will be filing a wrongful death suit against Stewart and everyone connected to that race based on what the family was quoted as saying today. They contend Steward did intentionally end the kids life. Much easier to prove in civil court down there. As did the Brown family's successful civil suit against OJ. If Tony Stewart moves to Florida he knows it's coming too.

A very wise man once told me " How you get em is how you'll keep em" I cringe when someone says I'll need to get permission from the wife. Shloim it's not to late, you absolutely have to stop looking at you doing something you love by only getting permission to do it. A lot of us out here have many years of service in the field of domestic relationships, hell I've been married for 42 years, 3 different women but it all counts. My future ex wife and I have been together for 23, so I'm finally doing something right for a change, like loving her madly because she doesn't want to change me and she told me off the top "I'm not your Mother". If I don't hold up my part of the bargain it will be future ex for certain. If what you are saying is that perhaps a day out on the water isn't in the budget well that's different, your asking permission to risk going into the red. Fishin ain't cheap. It's compromise my friend otherwise it will be hell, for a very long time, or a short time, your choice.

If you want to measure a fish without a tape hold the head to the tip of your finger and take note of where on your outstretched arm the tail sits. Then measure that distance when you can. A real hard core guy would tattoo measurements to the arm. For some guys that tell me they catch some real monsters they would have to tattoo increments to their legs or higher.

I don't get these lake levels this year. We don't have a beach this year. Usually after Labour Day we have 20 feet of beach. Lake Erie is the highest levels in 20 years. I don't know what is more perilous, low levels or high levels. Shoals and boulders that are normally sticking up 3 feet at times are 6" below the surface just waiting for someone to happen along. At least with lower levels one might see the hazard.

spincast, up to this past winter I just paid Fishmaster Hardcastle in Dunnville to do the winterizing before he shrunk wrapped my StarCraft ( he does a great job by the way). I watched a dozen YouTube tutorials and drove the boys here nuts asking them how they do it. I watched Featherstone Ted do his 90 Merc while I took notes and video taped it. That's it I asked? Yep that's it. I did it myself this past fall under the watchful eye of Obie Wan Ted. Plus I added a few things he didn't do that I saw on You Tube and from reading about this here and on other sites. But I have to tell you I sure was nervous until Spring when I took the shrink wrap off and fired her up. The engine would not start, no way, no how. I was freaking out. Ted came over and started it for me. A tad too much fogging agent. Once she started she has run like a clock all year. Can troll down to 1.8 with the 115.

What's this sound? RRRRRRRRRRRR BOOM, ddddd dd d d. That's the sound of a Yank booting along full out on Lake Colange on the Ottawa in his Ranger with a 250 on it going full out until he hits a rock. We used to sit on the porch of the cabin and bet which boat would loose a bottom end. And that's after we advised them. It's really a sad thing to see and hear, I never would wish it on anyone, it hurts for sure. He who laughs last laughs best so I never laugh at ones peril.

l'll take a PT boat if it means I caught a Musky.

Regan, I have to disagree with you here. My boat is parked at my place and it's about 100 feet from Lake Erie. 100KPH winds would rip anything but shrink wrap off in one storm. My neighbor had his snap down travel cover ripped to shreds. I guess it all depends on the environment. I always run all 3 bait/livewell pumps while pouring some RV antifreeze through them. My last trip I pull the plug on the ramp and drain every drop of water out. I put shreds of Irish spring soap in containers all around the floor, supposed to keep little wire chewing critters out, and she likes it too. If a mouse wants to get in plastic won't stop them. I saw one go into the plug opening one year. Oh yea keep the plug in.

Are you telling me to leave my rig at home Sunday Regan?

Thanks everyone. Dave I'll be going to the Hammer in the morning, I have to go strait to the trailer aisle and put the blinders on for everything else I want there that I don't need. Thanks for the tip.

I have a Wesbar tail light and the bulb needs to be changed. I found what looks to be a sealed unit inside where the bulbs are housed. No way can I get that apart. Question, do I need to change the entire unit that Wesbar does sell. Of course I need it done asap as we are heading north in a week. Thanks in advance, Johnny D