smitty55

I'm coming at this mostly from being a life long gang troll fisherman. My starting strategy for Lakers is the same no matter what lake I'm on, basically inland lakes, biggest water would be Kipawa. Nothing like lake O or Simcoe, which I've never fished. Even then I don't tend to troll "big open water". I like to find structure close to deep water, whether points large and small, islands, and midlake shoals, weather and boat size permitting. Bonus if you find baitfish schools associated with these structures. Even better if you can find a pattern, like on a certain side of structures. Once the thermocline sets up well then a whole different strategy becomes available for open water trolling, but that would be for more local guys for intel on that. Good luck out there next time. Cheers

Nice pics and camp setup. Cheers

Yea your garlic looks at least two weeks ahead of mine, but I would expect that seeing as where you are compared to me in Lanark. I'm curious though as to what benefit you get from growing them in a greenhouse apart from an earlier start? Do they also mature earlier or do you get them bigger from a longer season. Cheers

Got that right Doug. Best of all you can adjust the seasonings to suit. The curing salt I get from the butcher is white so my meat didn't get that red tinge but is it ever good. I vacuum seal it in chunks and it's still excellent.

Yea I never rinse my fish fillets. Just pat them dry and let sit until the pellicle forms, then into the smoker. Cheers

I make homemade Canadian bacon in my Big Chief smoker and it works great. I can get the the meat temp up to 125° and then I finish it in the oven to reach 150°. Sure puts store bought to shame. Cheers

Now that there is the post of the month.

Bill many folks just use a frayed rope with no hook so the gar's teeth get caught up in the rope thinking that it is a legal method, which it is not. Cheers

OK Guys it's time to put this debate to bed. It is ILLEGAL to use rope lures to fish for Gar. I just had a good conversation with the MNR in Kemptville and after speaking about it with senior members it was confirmed Gar MUST be fished for with traditional angling methods of a line and hook as they are NOT listed on page 11 as fish that can be captured by non angling methods. Even attaching a frayed rope to a jig like I've seen posted could well result in a fine as it is fairly obvious that it is actually the rope that is catching the fish, but that could be a subjective call on the part of the CO. So just don't take the chance, use a lure or live bait and save yourself from potential hassles. Also I was reminded that Spotted Gar are listed as an endangered species and must be released immediately, so make sure you can tell the difference. Cheers

Done. Good luck dealing with them, they seem like a place to stay away from. Cheers

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I first saw an electric knife being used way back when I was introduced to Crappie fishing. Pretty well all I use anymore. The one exception would be brown bullhead. A small blade with a good point is all I need. Very seldom need pliers unless the fish has been dead for too long and the skin is dried out, then sometimes it will rip. One cut from behind the dorsal spine at an angle towards the head and then a short shallow slice of the skin along the back. Snap head down and pull directly towards the tail along the body. Done. That's my claim to fame, under 5 seconds for most of the fish. The odd time the anal fin will stay attached but it peels off very easily just using the thumb nail. Most folks cut straight down in front of the dorsal spine but that leaves the big T shaped bone attached like you see them in the store. Cheers

This is what you need to spray all your clothes with. TSC carries it. Do a search and you'll find lots of posts on using it for clothing. It'll last even up to 5 or 6 washings. https://absorbine.com/products/fly-control/ultrashield-ex/ https://sectionhiker.com/treating-your-clothes-with-permethrin/ Cheers

I assume most of you have heard of Dave Sandford, that hardass photographer who takes magnificent pics of a stormy Lake Erie, usually in the fall. I go back just for a look every so often. If you haven't seen them I highly recommend doing a google search, it's well worth it.

Use a vpn and get into torrents, preferably on a private site. Quality hd copies of the latest Star Wars have been out for a couple of weeks now. Cheers

I went on their facebook site. Those blocks are 4x8 and weigh 6000 lb. In 8 hours they got 22 blocks out, but it took 4 hours to get the first one. I was wondering how they managed to get those chains around it at first. One saw width wouldn't be enough, so they'd have to make the hole bigger. That sure is quite the chainsaw. Tks for sharing. Cheers

Neat, they look like they'd be great for carving. Any pics of the saw machine they use? Cheers

Don't just check for voltage, do a continuity check as well. Resistance should be under 1 ohm. Hook up your leads to get a reading then wiggle wires around looking for any changes. Check the handle bar switch first then work from there down the line. Good luck.

My tip of the day lol... I'm kinda surprised I've never seen these leader to line connectors mentioned anywhere. I've used them for ages and they just don't fail. There is no knot in the mainline, just a hairpin turn, compressed in a nylon pressure fit between a shaft and sleeve, and you can add/remove your leader of choice, up to four, anywhere on your line in like five seconds. They make for a good standoff from the mainline and also can be an attractant being white. Check them out, Bear Paw connectors. https://bearpawtackle.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=61 Cheers

Lol I remember those times with OMC 9.9/15 outboards. What I also remember from back then is the best way to do it was to buy the 9.9 and install the 15hp kits. That way the model numbers match the cowling and the price was around the same as buying a new one for a 15. Plus you haven't done anything wrong, just souped up your engine a bit. Cheers

Yep, lots of water out there.

Did it mention that in the instruction manual? Cheers

I've used those type for Whities on Bark lake with those old time tip ups where you set it right on the bottom using small salties for bait and the tip pointing just slightly down. When a fish takes it it does actually tip up, hence the original name. We caught Whities, Suckers and Lakers on them. Each shack came with a can full of small salties. After a few days though fingers got pretty rough from all that salt lol. However I use the two way spreaders on my "tip ups" for Walleye and Perch or even Lakers sometimes. http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/search-results.html?q=2 way spreaders I replace the hooks with a longer snell, which allows live minnows to swim freely . They also don't get snagged on the bottom of the hole like the three way ones do all the time with the long snells. Cheers

They turn to mush once frozen. When salted they never freeze hard. Windshield washer fluid works well as a preservative too but I still add salt for flavour after taking them out of the freezer. Cheers

That's a beauty Speck Joey. Congrats on the PB. We always called them switches, and that's all we use when fishing back lakes since the late 70's. They can be super sensitive when thin enough. I always like to be able to see the minnow swimming at the tip. One of my buds used them for everything. Cheers