tonyb

Good for you for taking the initiative. In addition to all the field work MCI does, there is tons of stuff that goes on behind the scenes by folks like you Ron. The site looks decent and by the looks of it, should be a lot easier to update now compared to the old site. Tony

Thanks wolfville, I thought having the option to go upright would be good for big water but I happened to bump into my buddies old man yesterday who is a Carp pro He said that I would rarely require the upright set-up around here and in the popular Carp spots in Ontario. Sounds like the Stalker will suffice. Golfisher - Amen brotha! Tony

I've heard if they aren't published by April 18th, they are being urged to wait until Jan 1, 2008 to avoid the confusion. Who knows what they will do, I don't even think they know what they are doing. Tony

Pretty in Pink! The rivers are flooding with fresh steelhead, way to take advantage of the conditions! Another stellar report! Tony

I'm no plumbing expert, but from your description, it sounds like a simple sump pump is all that you need. The sump pump that I have at home works with a float switch so it only runs when enough water accumulates to cause the float to turn on the pump. You'd want to make sure the bucket you put the hose in from the dehumidifer was stable as the sump pumps have a bit of a kick to them when they turn on (depending on horsepower of the unit) Tony

Ohh yeah that picture makes it look kind of sketchy. Couchiching looks like it is still frozen over good. Tony

Thanks Victor, I saw the Fox Stalker Pod at Fishing World and it looked pretty decent. I need to review those compared to the Horizon and see what the differences are.. Yes the Shimano rods are 50% off at Fishing World - EXCEPT the Tribal $400 (Of course lol) There are a lot of 2.5lb and 3lb Test Curve rods there still, just not the 2 3/4lb that I am specifically looking for. I will try to support the businesses that represent CAG if I do have to order anything from the U.S. Too bad they don't carry Delkim alarms around here, I like the looks of them and will probably order from Scorpion Tackle. Otherwise the FOX EOS also looks decent. Tony

From Lake Simcoe Message Board: Posted Today. "WEll i was out on it yesterday... But not venturing today.. yesterday was jumping Gaps out there and Not worth it anymore... I had a FLoat jacket and ice picks but really ... Why bother for the few more perch.. Take your kids out spend some time with the wife instead.. open water will be here before u know it! " Hope that helps you decide. Tony

Indeed. That is exactly what Aaron does and let me tell you it's not a cinch with 2 people, let alone by yourself. However, since my wife is pretty much set on a house with a 20' garage, it looks like my only option. My wife continually asks me "Would you rather have a boat and have to screw with it to fit it in the garage? or have no boat at all?" The frustrating part is that when I say "I want to have a boat and a garage that will fit it" she laughs and deep down I realize how rediculous I sound based on our search efforts thus far. Tony

You are right, and I could also use a 6 foot bass rod to catch Steelhead, but I don't. The point is, if you haven't experienced Carp fishing with all the "freaky Carp gear" then you can't compare. I don't disagree that you could catch just as many Carp on any other outfit (If they are close to shore), but similarly, I could catch Steelhead on a bass outfit, it's just not as enjoyable. Like a mechanic, my rods (and reels) are my tools, and I have a specific rod for each specific fishing situation, with some rods being more general purpose (like an adjustable wrench) It's pretty cool using the modern Carp fishing methods though, when I get my set-ups (Yes I am buying 2 - Carp fishing is a social activity ) you should come out and try it. Tony UPDATE: I just visited Fishing World in Hamilton and they didn't have too many 2.75lb TC rods (1 Shimano Tribal @ $400) Also, they didn't have the pod I was hoping to get. It looks like I will be piecing together my set-up from different vendors.

Not an option bigbuck My contributions to stupid tax are quite low, I could try that route (aka Lottery) Tony

Lake Ontario is WIDE OPEN! Tony

Thanks again everyone, there has been some really good info on here. We have spoken with Fernbrook, Valery and Greenpark builders in new home communities in the area. NONE of them are willing to make accomodations, it's rediculous. You are paying several hundred thousand dollars for a home to be built and can't get a garage built the way you want. It's just not a consideration when they go through the zoning process as express168 mentioned. They don't care or want to have to get approval for new ammendmants when the next person in line is just fine with buying the house as is. I'll keep looking... Tony

Now if we could just train our four legged friends to net fish! (That's probably been done too!) Tony

LOL Terry -- yuppie wannabes I call them Walleye around here and in the states, but in Northern Ontario they are called Pickerel (Or you pay more for bait), Quebec - Dore, Europe - Zander Tony

That's the amazing thing about Carp, they are found almost everywhere. I don't think they are in Orangeville reservoir but I could be mistaken. The entire Lake Ontario shoreline has roaming carp, incredible... Some of the more popular spots I have heard about are Hamilton Harbour, Trent Severn waterway, St. Lawrence River (Caught my PB 34lb common carp there) I've seen big Carp in Lake Simcoe as well, but the water is pretty clear so it may require night fishing or different techniques to get the bigger fish. It's very easy to catch them for the most part as they aren't that heavily pressured. A few kernels of corn threaded on a hook with some splitshot would be all it takes to start catching them. Eventually you can get all the fancy carp gear and look like you just got off a plane from Europe Tony

You got it wolfville. You CAN get by with other gear (and I have plenty that is up to the task) but I enjoy the modern carp fishing methods. One trip is all it took to get me hooked! Won't be long now! Tony

LOL so true!

I would prefer to have my boat indoors. I'd hate to leave it exposed to the elements in winter - Not to mention it will need to melt after a day on the Niagara River in December Plus, if I left it outside I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving all my gear in it, removing sonar, gps, trolling motor, etc. another hassle. It really is going to be a needle in the haystack if I do find something that can accomodate our needs. Tony

Yes space is an issue in Burlington area, otherwise I could build a garage on a lot next to the house. I wish that my wife and I could work away from the city but our fields of expertise are in I.T. and close to the GTA is where the jobs are at... Uncle Buck, the plan is Move -- Buy Boat -- Trade Grand prix for Pick-up truck. aniceguy...fitting name, I won't be able to sleep at night unless my baby is secure in my own garage Tony

Need some shades to view those pics! Wow fresh is right! Tony

Thanks for the feedback guys. As I initially mentioned, I know that by adding a swing tongue and angling the boat in the garage can get a 19' boat squeezed into a 20' garage, but it's not exactly a smooth operation, and you must be exact on placement when you back the boat in. (Aaron does this now and I have helped him on numerous occasions, I don't know how the heck he does it on his own, a 19' boat isn't exactly light to push around and manuever by hand) I thought the most difficult part of getting a boat would be convinving my wife that I need something that expensive Turns out now I have the green light, but can't find a place to accomodate it. I have even looked at self-storage options, but for a heated storage unit large enough to house the boat around here you're talking $400 a month! That goes a lot further when you can add it to your mortgage. Tony EDIT: Weedman, I thought about staying in my townhouse and getting a smaller boat that would fit in the garage, but it would significantly reduce the amount of opportunities I would be able to use the boat since I would be fishing primarily on the big water (Lake O., Erie, Niagara River, Bay of Quinte) I even thought about just fishing small inland lakes, but then I realized I wouldn't really be happy with that arrangement.

SPAM! just kidding, some great info and links there. Thanks Rick! Tony

Thanks pigeonfisher, I need to stay in the Burlington/Milton/Waterdown/Oakville area. My wife already commutes to near Toronto Int'l airport for work, if anything it would have to be closer to that. I too found some amazing properties, all ~2hrs+ outside of Toronto though. It's crazy what the cost of housing is in this area compared to outside of commuting range to Toronto. Tony

Thanks for the offer Jen, but I couldn't put anyone else through this headache without being able to offer something in return. Unfortunately, we will be selling our current home privately when the time comes. Tony EDIT: I should explain why we are selling privately. When we bought the house, the previous owners were selling privately. They were so great, and made our private purchase with them a very enjoyable experience. We also saved some money as they had listed it less than other properties in the neighbourhood that were for sale by an agent. My wife and I talked about it and we want to do the same thing for someone else, and pass on that good experience that put as at ease during our hectic first home buying experience.