smitty55

I was taught how to fish Lakers using lead core and gang trolls with a threaded bait 20" or more behind and it is still my preferred method. I just like trolling and learning the lake and seeing as I spent so many weeks at Kipawa it was by far the best way to explore that huge waterway. Funny enough, even my buds with riggers were still pulling big hammers off the ball and they always produced better than the spoon on a stacker. I've been salting minnows since Quebec outlawed live bait. I would buy a big wack of Emeralds late winter for all our Quebec fishing but sadly that is no more. Sterling you didn't specify for what technique you were using the minnows for but if you are referring to on a leader behind a troll or a spoon then I have some alternatives for you. Gulp minnows do work, what I've done is use two on the treble hooked through the head with the two adjacent barbs, as it seems to track better that way than with three. That same guy that taught me also showed me a little known trick for behind a big hammer. He would actually go to this little lake in the middle of Ottawa at a certain time of the year and catch a couple dozen of a certain size range sunfish from shore. Here's the kicker. You cut the tail off and use that threaded on the leader behind the gang troll. I've used it and it works quite well at times. One nice thing about it is that it usually tracks well with no spin even after a hit or catching bottom. And guess what? You can even legally use a perch tail in Ontario so long as you don't allow any meat fit for consumption to go to waste, so a normal fillet method would leave enough to use. I just found this out from a recent interview I watched that a member of Fish Hawk had with a CO. But don't tell anyone ok... hehe Cheers

A cast iron fry pan also works great for veggies on the grill. I was shown this method well over 20 years ago. I was kind of skeptical at first when he told me about the method but I sure am glad I tried it. Fill pan with cut up potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, peppers, shrooms, carrots etc. Add maybe half a cup of zesty Italian dressing, mix and dot with butter. Grind some fresh pepper over top and spice as you like and then sprinkle well with fresh grated parm. Cover with foil and into the closed grill or use a rock to prop open a bit. Timing is the key, I like things just starting to brown in the pan, usually I'll check progress around the 30-35 minute mark. Sometimes I'll take the foil off for the last 10 minutes. Plus the whole pan can go on the table, serve from it and things stay hot for a good while in case of seconds. You will definitely be impressed. And you won't do it just once I can safely say. Cheers Edit: As for the OP I've got a good story lol. My wife can be a bit blond at times. One of the first times I brought her out to my country home 25 minutes from Kanata we went by a small farm and there were some horses running free in a 50 acre field. So she's all excited and says "Oh look. Wild horses." I rest my case.

Yea I like those rod holders too. I have the 12ft transom model with an old 1.5hp Johnson and that would be handy. So how did you secure the two strips of 2x? to the canoe? It's not like the walls are very thick. Tks Cheers

For sure. I would also suggest that it probably starts up to two hours earlier. Here's another for sure. I first learned to fish Lakers from an old childhood friend in the early 80's using leadcore or copper and gang trolls. I really fell for trolling back then as we explored Kipawa for many years, and its still is my preferred technique. He told me way back then that thunderstorms turn Lake Trout off big time and was he ever right. Even the next morning could still be dead. And it's not the lightning, it's the thunder. Go figure that one eh? I wonder if it happens on the great lakes too for other species? Cheers

Noooooooo!!! Not the whole bottle Doug. You gotta ration it man. Btw last word I got is that the president Garry Janz is working on it with the Crazy Canuck Smoker crew to get some new supplies but don't know when at this point. He's presently out on the East coast for a ride event there so I haven't contacted him yet. Cheers

I know of a Musky guide who not only goes by best fishing days but also makes sure to be on his spots during the moon rise and set times during the day. He swears by those times that the fish are more active. Cheers

Good for them. Even the gals were in on it. Seems strange that they knew exactly how many deer were shot and how many were bucks. Maybe they got one of the culprits to turn.Or maybe the poachers were stupid enough to keep records lol. A two year investigation before laying charges seems like a long time. Were they watching them for that long? I guess these investigations can take a good time to gather enough evidence to make sure of convictions. It will be interesting to get more info after the courts are done. Cheers

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would expect to have to tip a guide who is already making real good money. Now if you feel you're getting an exceptional experience then sure go ahead. So you want to tip him an extra $100 for a total of $500 for a day of fishing when it was bad the first time and now you have to take another day of your time with related expenses. That money could cover your half of a weeks stay at a nice lodge with a bud, which I would find much more rewarding than any one day trip, that's for sure. Now I'm not tight with my coin when I have it but I do want value and a rewarding experience for whatever expenditures I put out. Cheers

Be real careful about bird nests on outdoor lights. Big time fire hazard. Don't even let them get it started. Flycatchers are bad for that too. Cheers

I wish you were right on that one but the times they are a changing. This news from just outside Ottawa around Carp.https://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/7222295-ticks-in-the-carp-hills/ "Ticks are in the Carp Hills. The University of Guelph dragged a Carp Hills property for black-legged ticks last fall as part of a research project about Lyme Disease. A total of 450 larva, 103 adults and three nymphs were collected. The adults and nymphs were sent to a lab in Winnipeg for testing. It turned out that 53 per cent of these tested positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease. The property on which the tick collection took place is right in the middle of the Carp Hills between March Road and Thomas Dolan Parkway. It is believed that this level of infection is typical for the whole Carp Hills area. So those walking in the Carp Hills should take steps to minimize their exposure to these ticks. Ticks live by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. Because ticks ingest blood, they are vectors of at least 12 diseases that affect humans and other animals." Cheers

Yep, absolutely the best. I use the Salty II with the double clamps. They will last forever. Cheers

Not sure if I posted this here already, but Rick get yourself a bottle of Ultra Shield EX by Absorbine. I get it a TSC but any place that sells horse stuff should carry it. It kills and repels many insects. Set apart some sets of clothing for outdoor use. Spray them well and let dry. The ingredients will stay effective through several washings even. So long as you seal ankles and wrists you will have no ticks on you at all. You can also use it on your dogs and their bedding areas for more protection. They say it lasts 17 days on horses. They used to have info for dogs on the bottles too but not allowed in Canada anymore. The American ones still do. http://absorbine.com/products/fly-control/ultrashield-ex/ Cheers

Wow, that I never would have figured that Rick. It is absolutely the easiest and best way to increase your hookup percentage, other things being equal. Even having my bullhead handline hooks sticky sharp makes a difference. Cheers

OI the author of that article was Barry Corbett, with 35 years as a fisheries biologist in Canada. To be specific, he writes that "normally he won't feed while on guard, ensuring that he doesn't accidentally eat his offspring. This self imposed fasting has it's drawbacks, such as exhaustion and even death" Cheers

There's a good article in the latest Outdoor Canada on why not to fish the spawn when bass are on the nest. Not only does it leave all the fry open to predation but also can stress the bass to the point of death as they are already weak from not feeding and protecting the nest for weeks. Personally I'm against it but granted they aren't nesting yet. If they were to open the spawning season to Walleye folks would be all up in arms I would expect. Cheers

Check out Lakeline Lodge on Charleston lake. http://lakelinelodge.com/They manage several cottages on the lake that might be more than you're wanting to spend but they also have several cabins located right behind the marina that might suit your purpose. Kelseys Marina also has cottage rentals. Rates seem to be better. http://www.kelseysmarina.com/cottage-rentals-index-page.html If you've never been there it's a gorgeous lake with good fishing for Lakers, Bass, Pike and panfish. Cheers

So much for global warming around Yellowknife eh? Cheers

Same thing happened last year if I recall. Cheers

Neat video of a Lynx just outside Ottawa. All I can get is the facebook video url so that's all I can post. https://www.facebook.com/JBJONES10610/videos/1812202142433130/ Cheers

Greedy buggers. I don't see any logical reason for a hike of this much. Strictly greed and the government allows it as it increases their tax revenues Cheers

Yep, I buy them from a cutlery shop for a buck apiece. Shortest blade I ever got was around 5", most are 6" or more so they would still need to be ground down further. Plus they have a full size handle which might not be the best for what Mike wants. Cheers

Don't know how big this lake is to check out but I would start by giving a quick buzz around and find the warmest water in the lake. Creeks are a big bonus. So is deeper structure nearby. That warmer water is where the lake's "bioculture" will be the most active with those colder water temps. I will say that I find it strange that if they natives are targeting Whitefish with nets they haven't had more of an incidental Laker catch, or even target them as well. Good luck on your trip.

$130... Hmm, I didn't think the good ones were that cheap actually from the bit of research I did a good while back. Now that I look again I see a 800W unit for under 150. Hmmm... So you're making a big jump from a single steak to a 8lb roast. Are you confident your heater and pump is strong enough? Would an insulated container help? Just wondering... Cheers

Here's my hint of the day for preserving minnows. Some background first. In my case for the minnow to be properly threaded on the leader behind the troll the minnow has to have a firm belly but if you use too much salt the gut shrinks up so much it doesn't work, so it's a delicate balance to use just enough salt to keep them from freezing solid, but not so much that they dry out. Plus you want the minnow straight so it tracks well. I got pretty good at it as every year in winter when Serge had his biggest ones I would buy up to 250 and salt them for our yearly Kipawa trips and other QC fishing. Can't get Emeralds in the summer. First I would give them a good heavy overnite salting. The next day I would drain them well and then lay them flat by the dozen between sheets of uncoated butcher paper ( I still have tons lol) and a light coating of coarse salt over the minnows. Then into heavy ziplock bags for each guy and stored flat in the freezer. Worked pretty well, but is was for a specific technique, although I would throw a used one (no lips left) on a jig for Pickerel the odd time. So back to preserving, Serge had many years back told me a story about some guys from Quebec that would buy a big order from him every winter. No live bait in QC so these guys dumped all the live minnows in a dry cooler and added a jug or two of -45 windshield washer fluid. Said it worked great. So around 6 years ago I decided to try it. Wth right? Well wouldn't ya know it it works freakin great. Minnows are firm and still nicely flexible in the freezer so they never freeze solid. I put the live minnows into the fluid for a half hour. They live longer than I figured. I take them out and lay them out all purty and vacuum seal them. I think they might last forever lol. I have used 2 year old ones that were still ok. Most fish like salt and I'm a big believer of that when it comes to Greys. What I do now is unseal them in the morning and put them with coarse salt in a zip lock on ice. I like to think it still works as an attractant that way. This is the only pic of them I have of them. It was after a freezer cleanup lol so these were at least 3 years old. The bit of liquid in the bag is turning brown. I bet they would still have worked from the look and feel of them. I mean the tails still look perfect. Cheers

I've caught piles of Lakers in Quebec behind a gang troll on salted Emeralds. No more of that though now with the new regs. A guy I know swore he could catch more on salties than live minnows behind a gang troll. He had some secret technique that he wouldn't divulge. I still have no prob using them on Charleston as usually the bait shop is still closed when we get there. Cheers