Aaron Shirley

Hey Tony, forgot about that steelie at my feet by accident hahaha. Good times. Ron, late November will be a good time for muskies We should make plans now. Send me a PM and let's do it!

We just used the float set-up in the current at the mouth of the creek, although it got rough quickly and it was too cumbersome to float against the waves. I've done well at river and creek mouths and piers casting spoons, spinners, rattlin raps, minnow baits, drifting roe or nightcrawlers (real worms in the spring), and I've caught fish with slip sinker rigs and roe bags with floaters as well. Typically this time of year until the spring is prime for floating roe or artificials in the creeks, but there are usually fish around the mouth as well, expanding opportunities and techniques. It's always a blast having a fresh chrome bullet smash a hard bait

You can almost always find somewhere to fish within a 3 hour drive on small tribs

Yep, BillM is bang on. I mostly use Spawn Net and pack as many eggs as I can into the mesh, typically about loonie sized bags. If I suspect the water will be really dirty and I just HAVE to fish, I'll use brightly coloured Red Wing scarf material and even go bigger. I'll use larger hooks and heavier pound test in dirty water. Also, expensive fluoro leader isn't needed in stained water.

Frank DiMarcantonio kicks my butt and puts on a show for me nailing smallies. I did catch fish too, but he was on fire. I'm not real strong on drop shotting technique, but I'm getting better now. You can watch our day in full 1080p HD on YouTube Frank explains how to tie a drop shot rig in detail and shares his secrets too Enjoy Good fishing! Aaron

I was unsure how Saturday would be with all the rain and higher stained water, but Tony and I gave it a shot anyway. I haven't been fishing a lot lately, as I've been spending time with my family since the addition of a baby girl this summer. So when I do get out, I try and make the most of it and pick my days. Unfortunately, it is rare when I can time the creeks just right to capitalize on a hot bite, as I work long hours from Mon-Fri, then have family obligations at least one day on the weekend. Fortunately, we hit it right on Saturday and after moving around to a few creeks, Tony and I put it all together and had an amazing day crushing steelies under the float I tied up giant brown egg roe bags in pink, chartreuse and peach, while Tony tied up bow skein bags in similar colours. It didn't seem to matter much to the fresh run of chrome, they were crushing our baits and fought like stink! I really needed a day out like this. We hooked over 50 steelies and landed most of them. No tanks, but we got a couple good ones in the 10lb class. The tributaries definitely got good runs of fresh steelhead after all the rain we had, so get out and enjoy the fishing! We didn't take a lot of photos as my camera died in the morning and we didn't take pics of all the smaller fish. Enjoy the ones we did take. I got one fish on the beach first thing in the morning trying out something new, then we headed up river to where the bulk of fish were Good fishing! Aaron

I have been using a triple surgeon's knot to tie braid to fluoro for many years. It is a VERY easy knot to tie in any conditions, very quick and very strong. I've tied them in the passenger's seat of a boat going 50mph in Novemer without a problem, and never have these knots fail. Another good one is the albright, and as Garry pointed out, very thin diameter that goes through the guides well and doesn't collect moss or weeds as badly. It is also a very strong knot, but it is more difficult to tie than a triple surgeon's knot in cold weather with numb fingers. I stopped using the uni to uni knot a long time ago in favour of the triple surgeon's and albright. Better knots IMO for the reason's I mentioned, but the uni to uni is a strong knot if you don't mind the lengthy time it takes or gathering junk on the knot or ticking going through the guides.

Terry, the flasher was about 10-feet behind the ball. I've run it as close to 5 feet behind the ball with good success, especially deeper or in stained water. I find more than 20-feet back isn't good for recording, as everything is too small on screen. I find 10-feet lead is best for clear water, and 5-feet is best for stained water. Anders, you can see the Walker Strike Vision downrigger here with specs: Strike Vision The Strike Vision camera system is built into the Walker downrigger model, so it is only available for Walker downriggers. The Strike Vision camera downrigger does not come with a monitor. You can use a TFT monitor or a camcorder that supports video input. If you have a large boat, you can also use a small TV. Most camcorders do not support video in, only video out. I have been using a Sony HDR HC30 MiniDV camcorder for the Strike Vision up until a month ago when it crapped out, so now I am using my Canon HDV HV40 in standard def mode. Sony HDR HC30, HC40, HC42 have video in/out Canon HDV HV20, HV30, HV40 also have video in/out. There are more MiniDV and HDV models as well as super 8 that have video in/out as well, I just know the ones I listed have video inputs because I've owned them or similar models. I just ordered a nice HD TFT Lilliput monitor from ebay, and it comes with a large pro Sony battery to power it. I got it for a different purpose, but I am going to try it with the Strike Vision and see how it works, as it will be a nice size viewing monitor. I am not sure if the Strike Vision can connect to the Lowrance HDS network or not. Worth looking into, because that would be awesome to have the Strike Vision video right on the HDS screen. The benefit of using a camcorder is that you can record the video, the downfall is the tiny size screen. The benefit of a TFT backlit monitor is the awesome viewing size, the downfall is you would need a monitor with video in and out if you want to record the Strike Vision video or possibly run a splitter to both monitor and camcorder. Some cheap monitors may not mount very well, or work well in sunlight. It would be important to get a TFT backlit monitor for best results outdoors. I have learned a lot about operating the Strike Vision camera system over the years, and I have worked out the bugs to acquire the best footage and cleanest image on screen. If anyone here has a Strike Vision or is getting one, I would be happy to help anyone here with tips for the best outcome. Hope this answers your question without too much confusion! Aaron

FamilyFisherman, I cannot disagree with you! Not my brightest moment, and I got the heck off the water a lot more quickly after that. We thought we had more time to pack up and head in... we were about 3 minutes too late and got lucky. Spincast, the video was taken anywhere from 60 feet to 100-feet deep. Pretty clear for the most part. I've learned that even in clear water, the thermocline has a bit of a stain to it. I have learned quite a bit with the Strike Vision over the years

I just did up this new Strike Vision video: Strike Vision Salmon Vid I always find this type of thing amazing to watch. The behavior of a salmon while stalking a lure is fascinating! Unreal how many follow and don't hit, and some keep coming back multiple times. In this vid, one fish hit, then started to head shake and shook the bait! I wonder how much this happens if we were to combine all our rods in a day. I know that I've seen my dipsy get slammed or hit many times without a hook up, sometimes not even tripping it. If you were not looking at the rod at that exact moment, you would never even know you got a hit! You will see in this video how a flasher without a fin changes direction after a fish shakes the bait, and another time after the ball hits the bottom. Of course, there are several fish hitting baits in slow motion as well Enjoy, Aaron

Solo is right, a rainfall will trigger the staging kings to run up river. Put some time in casting the pier at night and first thing in the mornings, and you should see some activity at most creek and river mouths. They are staging now, and the piers are packed shoulder-to-shoulder with anglers at night.

So true Moemoe. Right day with the right colour and lure makes all the difference! I had a bunch of go-to lures, flashers, spoons, meat etc. Heck, I even had go-to Big Erns on with nothing. Unreal. I thanked Mike for that tip many times I felt quite inspired to "stir it up" on Sat hahaha. Girls like that didn't fish the lift bridge when I was young and single! I fished beside that old grumpy dude that chain smoked lol

GOSD Week 7 This year has been very tough for me to get out, as I had a baby girl the first week of the GOSD. Fortunately, things calmed down enough for us that I was able to get out a few times the last 2 weeks of the derby with the blessing from the wife Week 6 was bad for me with few fish in a quick evening fish, and same for most of week 7. Things changed with my luck on the last day of the derby though, and I had a field day on big matures despite a very slow start. Here are a few photos from a couple of evenings after work in week 7, mostly scenic shots, as I don't take many photos of salmon under 20lbs. Mike with a huge rainbow! The last day of the derby, I decided to stay local and try the lift bridge to Bronte despite the reports of slow fishing. I had the go ahead from the wife to fish the entire day, from dawn to 8pm. This was the only day of the derby that I was able to fish more than a few hours, and I was determined to find matures and figure them out. I started off in tight at the lift bridge and had a good picture. My optimism slowly faded along with the hooks on sonar as I had only boated one 10lb king and lost another after a couple of hours. I was on the horn to a few buds and the fishing seemed slow all around from shallow to deep. At this point I decided to try skinny water... really skinny water from the McIsaac's to Bronte. I worked from 12 FOW to 20 FOW with 2 and 3 core off boards. I tried various lures, but the only thing I managed was a lot of debris from the debris slick toward shore. I love the zoom on my Kodak. Smile, you're on candid camera lol I decided that was a bad idea despite the cold water temps and made a decision to fish from 30 FOW to 65 FOW west of Bronte. Despite finally having a good picture again on sonar with fish checking out my meat, flasher/flies and Big Erns, it was slow. I finally got a good fish at about 12:30 pm on a SD/fly 21' down 20 back off the rigger. Finally, a big mature! It was a few pounds shy of making the leader board, so back it went and I fished with a lot more enthusiasm after that. The next little while was slow, and I changed up a whole lot trying to get those stubborn kings to bite. I tried various meat rigs, various flasher/fly combos, various Big Erns at various depths etc. It was slow. Very slow. I talked to a buddy Mike (Zebra from spoon pullers) and told him that I got a good king and had good hooks, but it was tough fishing. What he told me next would change the rest of my day. He told me try to a specific coloured Big Ern tight to the ball, as it worked great for staging kings. Mike is an expert with Big Erns, and when he speaks about them, I listen... and I'm sure glad I did! He also told me that staging kings like the action with a split ring on the top to attach your line. So I got out the green/yellow ladderback Big Ern, made sure it had a split ring and sent it down about 10-feet back down 21 feet. It wasn't down long and fish on! This next fish didn't release well for some reason and didn't make it. I weighed it in the waves and it bounced from about 25-26lbs on my scale. I decided to head into Fisherman's Pier and weigh it to check the accuracy of my scale and see if anyone milling about wanted the fish. It weighed 25lbs and someone wanted the fish, perfect! On my way through the canal, I took some scenery shots of some people fishing from the piers. Did I mention how much I love the zoom on my camera? lol There were not many boats around the shallow water in the afternoon, and I pretty much had the area to myself with all big mature kings. The decision to fish 30-60 FOW would change my day in a very good way, along with that tip from Zebra on a specific coloured Big Ern. I had a riot spanking kings with an average of 26lbs, all on the Big Ern in that colour. I tried other coloured Big Erns off the other side of the boat, even some closely coloured to no avail. They wanted that specific Big Ern down 21-26 feet on a short lead. Here is the king porn, minus shots after 6pm when my camera battery died. I managed to have enough juice for this shot before it died for the day and got stuck open. This was a very pretty picture on sonar in the evening when they lit up well. What was most impressive, was a 100 percent hook-to-land ratio on the Big Ern! This was surprising, as I tightened the drag really tight on my Hydros to muscle every king into the boat that wasn't over 30lbs. Hindsight, this wasn't very smart, as I only had one spoon that colour. Mike puts musky split rings on all his Big Erns, and also changes the hook to a specific single quality hook. I'm sure glad he does that, as I really put them to the test on Saturday. Not one bent hook, not one failed split ring, not one king came unpinned. I have just become a huge fan of Mike's Big Erns, as I really put the screws to these kings. We've done well with Mike's Big Erns this year, but this day really opened up my eyes to just how well these bad boys produce. Mike's modified Big Erns with his own unique colour patterns have just become my go-to salmon spoon. It was an absolutely beautiful day out there spanking big kings. The only thing that could have made it better would be a top ten entry, but I'm not complaining I was invited to fish the fall Scotty with my bud Eric from Striker, and I really want to go, but I just can't do it this time. I'm spending the long weekend with my family. Good luck to all those that fish the Scotty. Congrats to Matt on the big win, and to all the others that made the leaderboard! Good fishing! Aaron

I am going to try the flat lens 'blur fix' and shoot in 1080p. That should help with the distortion issue. I haven't shot in 1080p with it yet, and that is the only format with 127 degree wide angle shot. All the other formats including 720p 60 frame is 170 degree (fish eye) with bad distortion. Bad distortion is the price you pay for a super wide angle shot. I will not be able to get the 720p 60 frame for slow motion shots on it without fish eye distortion, but at least the lens blur fix and shooting 1080p should fix the distortion issue. With this lens blur fix and shooting 1080p, and newer edit software, the GoPro can be a sweet little camera. As long as you know this before the purchase, you can get compatible edit software and the lens blur fix comes standard now (so make sure you don't get old stock somewhere!). The sensor on this little device is excellent, and should give amazing results in 1080p with the lens blur fix. I'll give a report on the quality after I do the fix and take sample footage. The other main issue with the GoPro is in the edit software. Newer software is necessary to handle the GoPro files, which would mean an upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Production Premium for me and huge money. I could buy several GoPros or ContourHD cameras for the upgrade, so I'm going to look into the ContourHD a little more for myself. For those of you about to purchase a GoPro, make sure you get compatible edit software, lens blur fixed model and you should be happy with it shooting in 1080p I have been very frustrated by the GoPro footage so far, so much so, that I don't use any of the footage from it anymore. It has been especially frustrating since it has such an amazing sensor. Hopefully the combination of shooting 1080p with the lens blur fix will solve half my issues with the GoPro.

That housing will help fix the underwater issue they have, but it still has a 180 FOV (fish eye) with severe distortion compared to a wide angle 130 FOV. It's the price to pay for a super wide shot. I'm not a fan. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool little camera, but I think it's over priced for what is a slightly flawed camera. I'm sure they will get better. I will keep my options open next year and do more research when looking to purchase a good quality underwater compact video camera. The GoPro doesn't do it for me right now.

Hey Canuck, that is a cool camera. I like that it comes with all the mounts and is half the price of the GoPro, and goes to 20 meters! It has a 130 FOV which will have minimal distortion and chromatic abberation that plagues the GoPro with a fish eye 180 FOV. The file format for the Extreme will work in most edit software as well. I have used a GoPro for a year now and I don't like it much due to the distortion and having to spend hours converting video that I can use. I just did a review thread on these cameras, but I haven't seen this one yet that you mentioned. I'll keep that one in mind when I'm looking to buy a new compact underwater video camera next year. The only ting I don't like is the micro SD cards rather than a standard card, but the ContourHD that I am looking at also uses the micro SD cards. Great find, wonder if they have them at the Costco in Burlington...

Holy crap that is a huge smallie for Erie let alone the river! Paul looks happier than the woman who caught it lol

I have been doing a bit of research for underwater consumer compact video cameras that anyone here looking should consider so that they get the best camera for their needs and budget. I have been doing research on cameras similar to the GoPro since I have been using a GoPro the past year and not happy with the results. So far, my conclusion is that the GoPro is my least favourite. The fish eye lens has severe chromatic abberation causing poor picture quality deep around the edges. That combined with the proprietary mounting system and poor audio is why I rate this camera lower than others. To note; most do not use audio on this cam, just video. Also to note, many video editing software suites do not accept the GoPro codec files and need to be converted first which is very time consuming. The newest edit software should work. The cost of the proprietary mounts are also very expensive compared to standard 1/4 20 mounts, although a savy individual can buy a GoPro tripod adapter on ebay and get any standard mount they wish for cheap (I got a suction cup mount that is very tough for $5. on ebay shipped to my door). It has it's benefits, such as waterproof to 120 feet, and it works well on the chest mount and has terrific FOV (field of view). Other than the severe chromatic abberation and poor audio, the overall picture quality is good, mostly in the middle of the frame. Battery life is approx 3 hours and comes with a built-in rechargeable battery. If an angler can deal with the few flaws of the GoPro, it can be a pretty neat little camera for fishing applications. The ContourHD is in the same category as the GoPro, but it looks much better. It has a more standard wide angle lens without the severe chromatic abberation and distortion found in the GoPro, and is better quality. It's also smoother images than the GoPro for action shots like fishing. Also, with the waterproof case, it is waterproof to 180 feet and is super tough like a GoPro. I heard the waterproof case has standard 1/4 20 threading on the bottom, but that is not confirmed on their website. One really cool thing is that the front of the lens turns to accomodate odd mounting situations and still have upright video. It also has a laser to centre your shots. It's elongated in shape (like a tube) rather than flat, so not as good for chest mounted applications. It is geared more toward divers and helmet cam applications, etc, but is perfect for fishing. One disadvantage for me is that it uses micro SD cards, as I have several standard 32GB class 10 cards already. Also, it has proprietary mounting system like a GoPro that costs more money. If the $40. waterproof case does in fact have 1/4 20 threading on the bottom, then you can use any mount or tripod with the Contour and save or get a tripod adapter. Lists for $250. Waterproof case is $40. The battery is rechargeable and lasts for 2-3 hours, and extra batteries are $30. File codec works on most editing software from what I understand. I haven't had a chance to try this camera out yet, so even though the guy I talked to said it was amazing quality and loved it for dives, I would like to see the footage first hand. It is an unknown for me at this point, but I'm leaning toward getting one next year. The waterproof pocket video cams are decent picture quality, but not quite as good as the GoPro or Contour (barely noticeable to most). They are limited to 10 feet in depth underwater. The benefits are lower cost, cheap batteries on ebay and standard 1/4 20 threading for any inexpensive mounts. Most have decent audio and accept standard SD cards. Drawbacks are only waterproof to 10 feet, and Kodak wide angle lens attachment (or fish eye if you don't mind lens distortion) is about $30. and attaches with a magnet, so it will fall off if knocked hard or in rough water. Barreries are rechargeable and last approx 1 hour, so extra batteries are needed, luckily they are cheap on ebay. File codec works on most editing software from what I understand and experienced. There are many different consumer underwater video cams available now which is awesome, and hopefully more will come out. The success of the GoPro with heavy marketing has triggered other manufacturers to take note. The nice thing is, these things will only get better and improve. They range from $60 to $500 with various packages at various price points, allowing consumers and more professional use alike that isn't huge money. The pro underwater cameras or camera housings are thousands of dollars. All the consumer underwater cameras work poorly in low light. All HD video takes a long time to upload to the internet as well. These are all compact consumer underwater video cameras discussed here. All devices have models up to 1080p HD. You need a good computer to handle any HD editing and smooth playback. Right now I am using the Kodak PlaySport because the quality is good, easy to use, cost is low and the batteries are cheap. I have 16 hours of battery power for $80 from ebay (authentic Kodak OEM batteries for $6.30 each shipped to my door) I absolutely love the PlaySport for an inexpensive little camera, but the wide angle lens adapter falls off in rough water. I am going to try and put a small bead of silicone where it attaches by magnet as a workaround and hope that solves the issue. I would like to get a higher quality underwater camera that can go deep, but I'm going to wait a bit and see what comes out that would suit my applications best. I'm leaning toward the Contour, but right now I don't like that I would have to spend more money on micro class 6 or 10 SD cards which is a must for the best quality. I have a bunch of standard size 32GB class 10 cards now. So in the meantime, I'll use the PlaySport for up to 10 feet down, and the GoPro for deeper water or quick stuff, as I can't be bothered with the footage from it. My conclusion; Pocket video cameras are the best for low cost that will allow anyone to get in on the video action for up to 10 feet deep. Extra batteries are cheap and a wide variety of standard 1/4 20 mounts are cheap on ebay. The drawback is if you want a Kodak wide angle lens attachment that can be put on with a magnet (even works on cell phones and other brands), you have to be careful it doesn't fall off in rough water or find a workaround. GoPro is a neat little camera with a tough housing that goes deep and has good battery life. It is a lot more expensive than pocket video cameras, but it goes much deeper. Need the latest edit software to handle codec files and if you don't mind severe distortion and expensive mounts, the GoPro can be a good camera for you. IMO it is overpriced (you are paying for heavy marketing and popularity), the accessories and mounts are also overpriced for a slightly flawed device. The ContourHD looks like a very promising alternative to the GoPro for anglers with better quality with minimal distortion from a better wide angle lens. Very tough camera and housing that seems indestructible. Very nice looking camera that is easy to use. Similar price point as the GoPro. At this point it is an unknown until anglers start using them and offer feedback. I don't like that it uses micro SD cards, but tht's probably because I invested a lot on standard class 10 cards recently. So there you have it, a fisherman-friendly underwater video camera review for those of you in the market. There are many to choose from now, and prob even more like the GoPro and ContourHD will come out and drive prices down. If anyone else has any feedback on underwater compact consumer video cameras, this is the thread to do it. Anyone here use a ContourHD? I would love to hear more feedback on it before I consider one next year. Aaron

Nice day on Lady O. It's great to have the BZ fishery when the inshore bite is slow. That one bow is big

Ron, Mike, very well done! Congratulations. Our rights as anglers have been trampled for too long. Good for you guys. Ron, salmon derby is almost over. Let me know when you want to fish muskies

I have not been able to get out much this year with the addition of a new baby girl in July. Lately things have settled down a bit allowing me to get out for short trips locally on Lake O. I fished one evening with Mike last Thurs, but when we got out a storm came over the horizon at Bronte and we were not smart enough to pull lines right away. You will see in this video report just how smart we were lol. The video report is more like storm chasers than a fishing report! We did get out for the last hour or so and got into a few each. Mike got the biggest king of the night on a Big Ern 30' back off rigger down 27. I got out Sat morn with a bud Fred, but it was slow. Couple of dinks and a bow at sunrise, then Fred got a good mature on a SD/fly off dipsy out 125 on 3 setting. Enjoy the video, you can watch our stupidity in full 1080p HD haha. http://www.youtube.com/user/SurelyFishingTV I got out for about 1.5 hours last night, but it was slow. Got one close to 20 and lost one. Both hit a Big Ern off Dipsy 76 out on 3.5 setting. Hope to get out Fri after work and Saturday to cap off the GOSD. Aaron

It is this Saturday I think at 5am till 3:30pm at Bluffers Marina in Scarborough. The observer will need to be at the captains meeting at 6pm on Friday same place. The observer would need to make the Friday night meeting, and show up early and observe in a tournament boat on Saturday. I believe the meeting is Friday at 6pm, not sure how long. Sat I think is at 5am to I think 3:30pm by the time it's finished. The loot bag typically goes to the observer and a free day out will be given by one of us to our observer. It's a chance to meet a bunch of great salmon anglers, get out for a day of pre-fishing (or whatever day works best for observer another time) and see first hand what a tourney boat does to try and win a big money tourney. A lot of great information on salmon fishing should be taken in by observers. Here is the link to the tourney: Tightline Tournament Bluffers Let me know if anyone is interested, thanks! Aaron Email me

We need an observer for the Tightline tourney this weekend. PM me if interested. We will be able to take out our observer fishing.

Wow Joey, this is a great report. I always look forward to viewing your amazing photos and reading your Lakeair reports! You have such a great eye for the camera and great skills. Too bad about the lack of lighting, those eagle shots would have been National Geographic material, and a bunch of others. Sounds like a great time by all, except for your mishap, OUCH! Glad to hear the trip to the local hospital went well and quick and you enjoyed the rest of your time up there.

Great fish, congrats!