tonyb

Congrats, what a feeling it must be! My wife and I are saving for early retirement and it will hopefully be along the same lines as your plan, out and away from the city! Tony

GONG! hehehe looks like a fun day in some beautiful weather. Tough go for Wayne, Terry. But a few fish onto the ice and it's easy to forget about those mishaps Tony

Looks like a good time on the ice, congrats on breaking the skunk Doug!....were you finding the fish were real finicky or were you getting a lot of chasers? Tony

It was an awesome day to be on SOFTwater for a change, and not a bad Plan 'B' to resort to the Steelhead...BUT we were really after some Walleye! The poor hook-to-land ratio was almost entirely because of me! I couldn't believe how many fish I hooked, got a couple of headshakes and a run or two out of and they would come off! I lost one fish that was a real beast too! I think Aaron, somehow by doing some Niagara River Sturgeon Voodoo, transferred his fish-losing curse from the past little while over to me I'm going to have to rub some chicken bones together or something desperate...I even broke my own rod tip accidentally, that's never happenened to me before ! Yes the secret is out...if a steelhead you catch in the niagara has garlic breath, you can blame me Tony

The entry fee to prize ratio for the Salmon Derby is better than anything out there today in this province, heck, maybe even all of Canada. Complaining about whether the grand prize is a car or a boat is kind of silly. These are generous sponsors stepping up to the plate we're talking about, to keep this derby alive and we should be thanking and supporting them for doing so in difficult economic times. Another thing to consider is that the market for car buyers is exponentially larger than that of the boat market, meaning a car is an easier prize to liquidate than a boat. Over half of the boat winners in 2009 sold the boats that they won...so the perception that a boat is a better prize is simply not true. Further to that, the derby generously supports net pen projects from around the lake which are run by volunteers for the betterment of the fishery. Not all derbies do this, in fact, most don't. I don't see any reason to complain about this derby as it stands today. Having said that, I do believe that there is room for improvement (e.g. remove exclusive weigh-in rights from the derby, by allowing a big fish to be entered into other derbies that are running at the same time), but we're not the ones calling the shots. Tony

Wow this report has it all! Looks like a good time was had by all, well maybe not Terry Great to hear stories like this about people going beyond what is required for their job in the Walmart Manager, but I have a feeling it is the combined good karma from your group working it's magic. It's even more evident in that monster LAKER! good work landing that beast Lloyd. The other mix of fish helps round out the week nicely, amazing to be getting Pickerel from Laker depths really, too bad about the slot though...senseless waste of a fish in your case because of it, but I do think slots benefit fish populations overall as a general rule. Great report guys! thanks for sharing. Tony

I'm glad to be a part of another successful Tyler fundraiser and fishing day in 2010. There was a really great turnout yesterday, maybe the biggest ever, and as a result there were a lot of fish brought in which was nice to see. You could tell by all the smiles and the sound of laughter that everyone had a good time. Congrats to the big Laker caught by Doug, I think, and also to the guy who caught that massive Whitefish, some real impressive fish guys!! I didn't see the winning Perch but I think it was around 11 or 12"..not too shabby either. Hopefully Tyler continues to inspire those around him and improve with the love and support of his family and 'community' Until next year, good fishing. Tony

Whatever you decide to do...just be sure to have FUN! Tony

Good stuff bud! Nice to run into you and Kyle the other day on the ice Amanda and I managed to get 3 that afternoon after we spoke to you guys, did you get into any more once you warmed back up after running out of propane? Tony

I'm happy to report that there are Whitefish out off Innisfil Park in deeper water (80feet and deeper for me) I've been marking many on the sonar but they are being very, very finicky, patience and focus will be rewarded though! My wife even coaxed one into biting with the help of the sonar Good luck to all this weekend! See you Saturday Tony

I'm too chicken to drive across that big crack in my truck...was going to make a big move and drive around Fox, but decided to grind it out in the big mud flats off Innisfil. First light is never a bad idea, for any species of fish Sunday was an late afternoon bite for me, yesterday a morning bite...you just never know. Tony

Yes, follow all the way to the end and the park entrance will be on your left.

Sounds like a good day TF...it's been difficult fishing inside the S. side of the big crack off Fox.

Looks like a fun day at the show, some funny pics too Looking forward to seeing some of ya's this Saturday at Innisfil. Tony

I love multi-species, so here's a few different fish: Walleye Steelhead Jumbo Perch King Salmon - Cha-Ching! $$$ Channel Catfish Freshwater Drum (Sheephead) Close-up of a 350lb Blue Marlin Barracuda And while I didn't catch this one, it seems a nice addition to the thread Tuna! Best of luck in 2010 for all you hawg hunters out there Tony

Here is a good deal, my buddy Aaron is selling http://www.gettinghooked.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2505 Cheers, Tony

They do not catch esox...keep looking Have you called JB's?

Loonietoon, check your PM

Yes good eye Spiel. Bronte holds a special place in my heart too...I grew up fishing the area from when I was a kid riding my bike there through to today with my boat. I remember one time I rode my bike there when I was a kid and the O.P.P. kicked me off the pier for not having a fishing license, saying I had to be with someone over 18 who had a valid one(of course they were wrong and I argued with them but to no avail)... I remember crying about it as I left and rode my bike home all sad. When I got home my mom, god bless her, was so fumed she called the Burlington Post and of course they ran a story on it with me frowning on the cover page holding my fishing rod... Tony

Yes...so quiet, clean, refined, powerful and reliable...exactly what an outboard should be! It's a very stealthy engine, so much so, that I won't use my 9.9HP pro kicker in shallow water trolling...it's all about noise under the water I am aware, but I just can't help myself. I feel like a trolling ninja! when running the Verado Verado also translates to 'Lucky' in latin apparently Tony

Invest in a sonar or flasher...your success will rise gauranteed. Sounds like you're fishing all the right areas and baits...but you may not be sealing the deal by triggering those fish when they get close to your lure. Sometimes they want it hanging motionless, sometimes reeling away from them gets them in chase mode, sometimes a regular jigging pattern works...you can' t tell what they are interested without the feedback a sonar/flasher provides. It's not always 'fish a foot off bottom with a williams' that works. You gotta change it up if you want consistent success. Tony

I could provide some cooked chicken for food as I work at a food company. I know in the past, burgers and sausages were preferred, but I can get breaded cooked wings, cooked chicken breasts, etc which could be heated easily enough on the bbq, and then people could add their own sauce on the plate. It's great because it's safe (no chance of undercooked meat) Just let me know! Tony

Here is my baby - 'Ripple Effect' 2009 Lund 1900 Pro-V IFS SE Powered by Mercury She's a keeper! Tony

Good effort HF! At least you got to get out and bring some company too, that's what it's all about.

Congrats! TJ and admin team.