evster

I never realized how much different fish can look depending on the pic is taken. Here are two pics from this past sunday of the same fish. One with me holding it and one with my friend holding it. Big difference. I always take one pic holding the fish close to my body and a second pic to make it look huge, that way I know how big it was...but i can still make my dad think I keep catching hogs Me... My friend...

Here is exactly what I did. Basically there was a south wind going straight towards the rock dam. So we started motoring out and got caught in some weeds. You'll see some buoy's to the south of the launch, go around those, I think they are marking a huge thick weedbed that we ended up having to paddle out of. We pretty much just went to the middle of the lake a bit south of the launch and let the boat drift down towards the concrete dam. About half way down there is a new island, since the water is so low its dry ground. Right about there is where we started getting fish so we made it our starting point. From the looks of it top water, spinner baits, jig'n'pig and probably other soft plastic presentations will all produce fish. If you drift down and no fish on one cruise back up and try something else this time. If the wind doesn't allow this drift you can try to anchor somewhere down there, but I personally like covering lots of water. Good luck! If you want any more info shoot me a pm. Evan

Great fish, congrats!

My friend and I decided we wanted to rent a boat for the morning and Island Lake Conservation Area was the only place in the area still renting boats so we thought we'd give'r a go. Read some posts in the past with some decent fish so I had my hopes up. The water is VERY low as many have mentioned, we can only actually get to one corner of the lake. I started out with a spinner bait and my friend with a dark green frog. Had a nice slow drift on so he was able to work the frog and I was just burning the spinner bait. About 30 minutes into it he hooks into this nice one. 30 seconds later he gets this one, almost identical. That was it for the frog bite. I had lost about 3 on the spinner bait and couldn't figure out what was going on. I hooked into a tiny pike and realized it was pulling drag!!! Time to tighten that up, whoops! Tightened it up and switched over to the jig'n'pig, blue and black jig with a bright blue chunk. First cast got this monster, first rockbass on the flipping jig. I had to get my arm way out there so you guys could see it . I was starting to get a little tired of not bringing any bass into the lake. So I decided I might as well start catching a couple. This guy took my jig while it was right under the boat in about 3 feet of water. He darted in grabbed it and darted out. Took me a couple moments to realize what just happened, then into the boat with him. Had to get the boat back in for 1 since we only paid for a half day. So even though we were maybe 350 yards from the dock we needed to leave ourselves a good half hour to battle the wind back with that 30 pound trolling motor. My last cast landed me this guy, this was by far the best fighter of them all, had to play him, he wasn't going to come into the boat without a fight. The pics make it hard to tell but they were all pretty much the exact same size (we think). So there are some decent fish in that lake, if these guys are the average then i'd sure like to catch a couple of the big ones. Its pretty low now so I don't know if I'd go back but i'm thinking of trying it out next year at the beginning of season. I'm just glad I finally got out fishing and got some fish. And also got to work on pitching. This was my first time trying it on the water and I was even able to pitch it 15 feet or so without a splash....twice....still needs some work, but at least no birds nests!

My brother in law has a 14 foot tinny that he uses for hunting in the fall. He just uses a flat trailer and man handles it in when he uses it. I'd like to get a boat trailer for it to make use of it in the summer. I haven't seen many trailers come up for sale these days, but i've been keeping my eyes open. How much do you figure a trailer for this boat would run me?

My friend and I were going to try and rent a boat somewhere to fish for the day on Sunday. No luck on the 3 local conservation areas (Conestogo, Belwood, Guelph Lake), they all stopped renting boats this past monday . Other than these three does anyone have any ideas of another place I could try or am I out of luck? Thanks! Evan

Well, first off it would give me lots more time in the morning. I usually spend the first 15 minutes of my morning catching up. Just this morning my wife asked me "do you HAVE to go straight to the computer after you get the coffee going?", I think we all know the answer to this. I think without it would be like not having a coffee, wouldn't be able to function. Now, if the internet went down, that would be awsome!!! I'd get to go fishing since 75% of my work depends on the internet being there. Gotta love the times when the network breaks at work, coffee break for everyone!

I agree with misfish, its not a bad addiction. I feel your pain to, I have days where its all I can think about...well...most days are like that. But hey, if its your passion then theres nothing wrong with it. I just try to be conscious of how much I talk about it around non-fisher-folk though, sometimes they don't appreciate the passion as much as I do

I'm going to be in Hamilton from Friday night to Sunday night. I don't know if i'll have time to get out but most of the time when I am there I am just sitting around doing nothing. Are there any good places to do some shore fishing? Ideally i'd like to fish for bass but anything would do really. Thanks! Evan

Mark, Thanks for the idea! That sounds like it would be good. What I have been doing up till now is while watching tv i'm pitching to posted notes on the floor and trying the keep the jig as close the the ground while also trying to keep it away from my cat as I don't want to have to cut the hook out of her mouth. Never thought of putting it under something to really learn to keep it low. Thanks! Evan

Hey All, I'm trying to teach myself how to pitch and flip properly. I think I understand how to pitch, what i'm doing is holding the jig beside the reel, and with the rod tip down I quickly snap it forward and drop the jig at the same time. I'm getting a nice flat pitch that goes about 50 feet if I give it my all. Now, I have no idea how to flip. Everytime I try I end up with a big birds nest and its getting really annoying. Do I still hold the lure at the reel? Do I hold the rod tip up or down? How far should I be able to flip for it to be effective? I think part of my problem with the flipping part is that I don't have a proper rod for it. From what i've read I should be using a fairly heavy rod so I think the one i've been using is too flimsy. Now with both of these techniques I know the key is to set the lure on the water so you don't get a big splash. Is there a technique to help with this or does this come with time? Even when I get a good pitch and it looks like the jig will just set nicely I get a huge splash. Any help is appreciated! Thanks! Evan

Awesome report! Tournament fishing sure is fun, definitely a learning experience every time out. 10 cent coin wash!!! Man, I gotta find that one, got the GPS coordinates?

Wow, thats wild. I bet you were getting a bit confused about how that little smallie could be so strong!

I'm thinking of making a run over to Angling Outfitters tonight, does anyone know if they are open late on Fridays? Also what time they open Saturdays? Thanks! Evan

This weekend my brother in law and I carried his boat into Jordan Harbour to give it a try. He more wanted to play around with his boat and I wanted to get some fishing in since it's been lacking over the last little while. My game plan was going to be spinner baits with the odd senko if I saw a good weed bed or stump. Anyway, the water in there was extremely dirty. So dirty in fact that when we had a fish on we didnt know it was near the surface until it actually broke the surface. We only managed one largemouth and one sheephead (both caught by my bro ) and both on the spinner baits as I suspected. I'm not really sure how to fish in water this dirty, any tips? It would be nice to catch a bit more next time. Thanks! Evan

I have seen a bunch, none at the farms I hunt but I have seen lots out in fields while driving. I have also seen a lot of bucks in velvet, but none at my hunting grounds .

Definitely a great way to spend any afternoon! Great looking fish!

Thanks for the input! I might try to go with him this saturday.

Heh, trust me, i'm not a fan of the ford focus...just what i'm stuck with right now. I hear you on towing being one thing and launching being another. I can just picture not being able to pull the boat out...yikes...if it becomes a problem this boat will probablly be light enough to just manhandle into the water

I guess its worth a shot. I will mainly just use the car for about a 30km trip to the closest lake here. Any longer hauls will be with my dad's truck more than likely. I will probably try to keep the weight down as much as I can for now though since my car tends to struggle on long trips anyway. And hey, if it breaks the car then I HAVE to buy something better!

You make a good point. So I would probably need to make sure the boat motor and trailer are about 500 or less to leave room for a couple people and gas and such. The guy with the boat I am looking at is going to get it weighed for me, so if it comes in under 500 i think i might get out fishing this year . At least it'll hold me over until the wife is done school, and it would be a good camp boat as well.

Yes, I was going to get a mechanic i know to install the hitch. I read the owners manual and it says I can tow 1000 pounds. I don't know how much everything weighs, but is it possible to find a boat motor and trailer that are combined less than 1000 pounds?

Hello, All I have right now is a 4 cylinder Ford Focus, and thats all i'm going to have for at least another year or two. I had put the idea of having a boat out of my mind but just recently my brother in law gave me a trailer hitch for my car. I still need to figure out how to install it but I had a crazy idea. Do you think I would be able to pull and launch something small, like a 14 foot tinny with a 15 horse motor or so?? If its possible without completely destroying my car I think I am going to start looking. I would love to have something to use after work on some local lakes or to take up to my friends in the muskoka's on weekends. Has anybody towed a boat with a small car like this before? Just thought I would ask before I go and do something that is going to ruin my car. Thanks! Evan

Hello, My brother in law lives in vineland and he has a 14 foot tinny that he mainly uses for duck hunting but he was wondering if I could figure out where some spots would be that he could safely take his boat out for some fishing. He was thinking some of the rivers around here would be good but he's not sure if he can take a boat in any of them. Any ideas that I can pass on to him? Thanks! Evan

Good to see you're getting back into it! I have been fishing all my life. I was a serious carp fisherman back in the school days, thats all I could catch in the lake in my home town of Tillsonburg. I got introduced to bass fishing going to camp as a kid and kept going to this day. I usually only got out fishing three or four times a year until this past year. The bug hit me like it hit you. I also found that there was a lot more out there then I knew of. So i've been playing around with stuff here and there. I like braided line, because I find once its on there it will last a long time. Also I find it much more sensitive than mono. This year I have managed to get out alot more as well although I don't have a boat, I am DYING to get one. But right now I just have a small car, but if I do get one I can borrow my dad's truck to tow it if I need. Good luck! Evan