tonyb

Good point Bitme, except when it's 33 degrees in summer...you will be dying in those and taking them off before you overheat Thus cancelling out the life saving properties of the PFD. The other thing is the level of floatation...I can't remember the exact #'s but inherently bouyant vests almost always have less lbs floatation than quality inflatables. Whatever you decide, the fact that you're making a concious effort about your safety is great.

Marine safety is not an area to compromise. What's your life worth? With that said, here is my recommendation: http://www.mustangsurvival.com/hydrostatic-inflatable-pfd/index.php I wear mine all the time and you barely notice it, in fact, many times I find I'm still wearing it when I go to get the truck and trailer to pull the boat out of the water...doh!

Interesting read, thanks for that. This is the problem with invasive species, there is no roadmap or risk analysis that can be used to determine the future impact on the fishery. All we can do, is go with the flow, and capitalize on fisheries that benefit from invasives before they crash (or not?) Tony

Yes, Gobies have been in Lake Simcoe for a couple of years now. Clearly, the attempt to eradicate them with the use of Rotenone a couple of years ago has failed, as expected. On a positive note, the Round Goby has directly contributed to the world class Smallmouth Bass fishery on Lake Erie. Lake Simcoe fish species will certainly capitalize on this new food source in the same way, at the expense of introducing higher levels of contaminants into fish up the food chain. The reason why...Round Gobies will consume Zebra Mussels, and Zebra Mussels are filter feeders constantly consuming and storing contaminants. Everything is connected Tony P.S. Sculpins are a pretty rare catch as they are not aggressive like Gobies, but here is a way to tell them apart.

Thanks for the shot of good news today, glad to hear things are looking up Kelvin.

That is the correct model Burtess I also used it in the tribs for casting plugs and spinners, and even as my Niagara boat rod, but realistically it is too light/soft in the tip to be a perfect bottom bouncing rod. But, I try to get as many uses per rod as I can and sometimes that means not having the perfect tool for all applications. The butt section is proportionate and doesn't cause problems casting. I know what you mean by that exactly because my 13' rod that I use for casting spoons for salmon catches on my jacket all the time as it has a long butt section.

I was using a 9' St Croix Avid ML that I like to use to toss hardware with, I usually run 6lb mono with it. It's got a moderate action, and probably less backbone than sounds you are looking for though. I've caught some big fish with it though.. (15lb Brown from Bronte pier a few years ago ) Unfortunately, I broke the tip and need to take it in for warranty but I have long misplaced my receipt, so it will probably be a hassle... I am looking for a replacement, so let me know what you decide on. These new rods caught my eye at Cabelas...but no idea what the action is like on them. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Fishing-Rods/Spinning-Rods%7C/pc/104793480/c/104764680/sc/104836680/TFO-Gary-Loomis-Signature-Series-Steelhead-Spinning-Rods/1167701.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-fishing-rods-spinning-rods%2F_%2FN-1102841%2FNo-48%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104836680%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104764680%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNP&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104764680%3Bcat104836680 Happy shopping

I think that's great, kids need to understand the food web! Too many kids these days think that fish come from a box in the freezer section at the grocery store. More people need to understand the ecological connection the environment has to our food sources.

Another great Fishing for Tyler derby has come and gone, and it was a great day of fishing for many. My wife decided to join me for the day, and when we arrived to our spot, we drilled a hole and put the sonar down to check depth and see if there were any fish. Nice surprise, we were marking fish right away, perfect! While she finished her timmies, I had already grabbed a rod with a jig and fired it down the hole. Not 5 minutes later I had our first whitefish on the ice, going to be a good day! While, as murphy's law would have it, as soon as I setup the hut and heater, the sonar screen went blank! The fishing slowed for the rest of the time until weigh-in but my wife taught me a new technique to trigger whitefish that are inactive. She was messing around with the rod, kind of whiplash jigging if you will, mixed in with turbo reeling up from bottom about 40 feet at a time, then dropping back down. Through all of this, I think the fish must have thought there was no way a human is moving the a lure like that, it has to be food! and they would chase it up and smash it!!! That was pretty cool I must say. Also, I learned that the Clam Base Camp Thermal hut's windows are too high to be able to see a tipup from a normal chair height. Going to have to get some bar stools or something lol We didn't catch any on the tip-up but we certainly had some bites, as the minnows were constantly being stolen while the tip-up indicating fish activity below was out of sight. I would have to periodically stand up to check on it, so the lazier I got, the more bites I missed I regret that we didn't get any pictures of the fish on the ice, but here's a shot of the ones we kept. Amanda's are the 2 bigger ones (just under 26") and mine is the smallest one Looking forward to next years event! See you all there. Oh! And I went back to the same spot on Sunday and filmed a web episode with Aaron Shirley. It will be online soon - IN FULL 1080 HD to boot!, and when it goes up I'll let you guys know. We share all of our secrets for catching Whitefish, and get some incredible footage obove and below the ice! and it should turn out to be a great informative and fun show, be sure to watch it. Here's one way to draw attention to yourselves on the ice See you on the water! Tony

Congrats on the win again Joey! Nice to see you and Paul with a bunch of nice fish. Tony

Very nice! I had a good time harassing the gills in chemong this summer, they are great eating and a very sustainable species. Glad to see the Kawartha lakes being opened to ice fishing for panfish.

I seriously don't know how people do it. My wife and I earn a decent income combined and we are so far away from our retirement goal it's rediculous. We save ~30% of our income, no cable TV or home phone to try to keep monthly costs in check. We also installed a very high efficiency furnace and a/c unit and completed the Eco-Energy retrofit program on our 900 sq ft bungalow upgrading windows, toilets, faucets & showers with low-flo heads, insulated front steel entrance door, attic insulation, etc and it still seems that our utility bills are sky high! I think Cliff hit the nail on the head when he said that with all the energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, etc the demand has dropped off huge. When demand drops the cost of supply must be increased to maintain profits. Good luck to everyone, we're gonna need it!

There is no question it is worth it. You have to know your prices for sure, to recognize how much you will save! It's a good idea to have a deep freeze and storage space for the big items like toilet paper or paper towel. I have a family membership as my brother works as a butcher, but I think we would easily get a bigger return by getting the executive membership which pays back 2% or whatever... From furniture to windshield wipers to milk we buy as much as we can from Costco. There are some things you can't find, and produce section is somewhat limited, and if you like something buy it, it may not be there next time you go! but overall it's great. We always spend more than was on our list as there are many prices discounted with the yellow highlighter on the price signs. Latest was Kraft smooth peanut butter 1KG for $3.95 as an example...oh or 5lb propane fill for $3.95 compared to that same price but for only a 1lb cylinders at Can tire. Happy shopping

Tip on Lure selections to help you win the Fishing for Tyler derby I found a nice article online that talks about some of the best lures to catch Lake Trout, Whitefish and Perch the species that can win you prizes at the Tyler fishing derby this Saturday. Of course, sometimes a simple minnow on a hook catches the biggest fish. http://www.fishingsimcoe.com/tackle-talk/artificial-baits Enjoy! Tony

I'll be there with my wife and hopefully I can round up some more friends.

Here's a couple from a summer/fall trip with Aaron a while ago. It was a great dayfor Perch but the Smallie fishing was slow. Perch Smallmouth Tony

Very nice guys! a pre-christmas ice fishing report I actually prefer the LCD sonar readout when ice-fishing. It provides a short window of 'history' as the screen scrolls by so you can show your buddies that big hook that just came up and smashed your jig (or missed it! hehe)

Lots of options...some guys use the Clam Corp Ice Suits - http://clamcorp.com/IceArmorClothing/Outerwear/ExtremeGrayBlackSuit/tabid/336/Default.aspx Floater suits are popular for sure, and safer. But both of these options are going to take you into the several hundreds of dollars range. If funds are really low, you'll save money by going with standard winter clothing...a 2nd hand store often has warm coats for cheap and you don't need to worry about getting fish slime on it.

Steel28...I wanted the same thing and was astonished that they didn't have the waterproof jacket to go with the bib-pants. I picked up my 1-piece Integrity HX at BassPro...so they do carry them there and it might be a good idea to try it on, or at least check out how nice the air-soft foam is compared to other brands, it's a noticeable difference. Happy shopping! Tony

Actually! I was incorrect, it's the other way around. They sell the Integrity HX bib pants (MP4225 HX) but there is NO Integrity HX Jacket! (The Integrity jacket is not waterproof - MC1524 ) Tony

I purchased the Integrity HX 1-piece floater suit (MS195 HX) a while ago and it is the best suit you can buy out there in my opinion. I wanted a floater suit that was high-quality and could be used in all weather conditions, including heavy rain. The problem was that I also wanted a 2-piece floater suit. Be careful, Mustang does NOT make a 2-piece Integrity HX suit. Yes they have an Integrity HX bib pants, but no Integrity HX jacket!...I know, crazy right? I even had to email them as I couldn't believe/understand why they don't have that option. The jacket is the standard Integrity line, not the HX (waterproof) line. The 1-piece is amazing though, it keeps you perfectly dry and warm in the heaviest rain/nastiest weather you can throw at it. A big plus for this suit compared to many other brands is the air-soft foam, it is thinner and way more flexible than anything I've seen or used. It's not anywhere near as bulky as the other brands, or cheaper Mustang lines. at $500 for the Integrity HX suit, it's pricey but is the best suit you can buy if you're planning on fishing in some nasty weather and want to be comfortable and safe. The best way I can describe it is that it's a top of the line gore tex rain suit, with the survival suit guts underneath. Hope this helps! Tony

Thanks for the reminder! I'm due Dec 31st. Plan to renew for the 3-year option again. Less likelihood of forgetting to renew when it's only once every 3 years

I gotta say, you certainly have adequate content for that book judging from the sampling of photos shared here! It really makes me want to go drop a few grand on a decent camera and lens package and take a course to learn how to properly capture the memories and beauty we are often surrounded by when trying to trick those scaly critters with gills into biting our lures. Your photos certainly capture that experience of being outside in the wild very vividly.

I don't see why it wouldn't. However, I don't run snap weights at all for trolling, I probably should pick up a set to see how they fish alongside leadcore or copper in certain scenarios. It could mean the difference between catching a few or a dozen That being said, Leadcore does add a certain property to the presentation of lures, especially spoons, with the minor rise and fall undulations through the water column. I have tried the dive bomb diving weights but it's just another component to remove from the line, as snap-weights are, when brining a fish in. Since I use in-line planer boards exclusively on my boat, that is already one thing to remove from the line, and the dive bomb or snap weight would be a second thing to handle. We all know what can happen when there are split second pauses in a battle with a fish, so trying to minimize that is key to getting more fish in the boat Oh and thanks for the comment on the Perch, that was from Lake Simcoe last fall, my best day Perch fishing ever (and it was captured on film for Aaron's show last season!). The day before that, I had my best day Steelheading ever (a fish every few drifts day!)...a fishy weekend that won't be soon forgotten

A work of art indeed! Another side story to that day that Gman caught the big salmon was that we won big fish prize for about $1000 I think, but even more cool, was that the reason why we won big fish prize was because another team that had caught a bigger salmon that same day decided not to enter it into the Tightline Shootout we were fishing in. That team, weighed their salmon in the Great Ontario Salmon Derby and ended up winning the Grand Prize! Yep, if you remember, that team was comprised of 9-year old Zane and his dad. So we were thankful that they opted out of weighing in their fish as it bumped us up to win Big Fish prize that day, and they went on to win a new Toyota pickup truck! A really cool experience for the young lad and us as well, a true win-win day