singingdog

No flooding that I have seen. The Gull is running about 45 cms, less than 1/2 of what it did in the spring.

nice smallies, I can't see much but it looks like a pretty cool boat you're using, I'm looking forward to getting back to Haliburton

It is a http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/products/recreational/Commander/commander_140/'>Wilderness systems Commander. It's a hybrid fishing yak....almost like a plastic canoe. It's ideal for lakes around here. I have two of them.

Beauties I have to ask, dad had a place there from the 60's to about 1990, that view and the lay of the hills in the last picture looks about what I recall the view was looking east from off the end of our dock, that isn't Loon Lake is it?

Nope, not Loon. I rarely fish Loon.

The lakes have cooled considerably in the past week. The 2 smaller lakes I have been on in the past week are both about 45F. The fish are all over the place. Sunny days, they have been right up as shallow as 3 FOW, hitting flukes and shallow cranks. Yesterday, which was cool and overcast, they were suspended in about 15 FOW, biting very light.

The Tarpon 120 is a classic fishing yak: probably more of those on the water than any other SOT. It's an ideal boat for getting out onto sheltered water, and easy to fish of of. Tough to beat at that price.

Rigging: every yakfisher in the world will tell you to put a few trips in before you start screwing/glueing stuff to the yak. If you do any kind of permanent mount before testing it's location, it will invariably be in exactly the right place to p&$$ you off while on the water Cruise a few of the yakfisher forums for rigging ideas....lots of folk have put in lots of hours rigging tarpons.

Here in Haliburton they are still shallow and feeding fairly actively. I was catching smallies on flukes in 4 FOW last Friday.

I tried some last year, then decided there were lots of other ways to wear out my rotator cuff. Nothing like days of muscling a 9 wt for a couple of follows.

I think everyone talks to themselves a little bit.....doing it online is a whole other level

Nice shot. Seeing those talons gives me the heebs. I still have a scar from an injured GH Owl...stuck his rear talon right through a double-thickness leather glove and into the palm of my hand.

Yes, don't be afraid to throw BIG jigs deep for LM.....if that is where they are. 3/4 oz football jigs with full sized trailers work for me until the water cools down, then I start to downsize. Truth be told, I usually only do it if I have a big jig already tied on from fishing shallower. If I were going to specifically target the deeper LM, I would normally be throwing a spoon or blade bait.

The jewelweed is great for relieving the symptoms, but does nothing to get rid of the uroshiol. Make sure that you have cleaned it off of anything that can cause re-exposure: clothing, sleeping bag, dog (one of the biggest culprits for re-exposure)

The site may still be up, but is pretty much non-responsive in my experience: no returned emails on several occasions.

The next time you, or someone you know, can get to the states, buy some Teknu. It washes off the oil (uroshiol), which is super hard to wash off with anything else. Uroshiol stays active for months after it gets on something (skin, sleeping bag, clothing, dog), and can keep causing a reaction each time you touch it. Dogs are great for causing a reaction for months after you haven't been anywhere near PI. I am one of those folks that has a really bad reaction to PI. Since I started using Teknu (many parks departments in the states require it's use by employees) I have never had it bother me for more than a day.

Use the "poor man's fishfinder"; if there are loons feeding, follow them around. They are usually chasing schools of baitfish, which is quite often where the smallies are.

You have to be willing to mix it up this time of year. They may be on the weed edges one day (or hour), then out over 40 FOW the next. If they are keying on baitfish, finding them is the challenge.....catching them is typically easy until they move again. I use way fewer lures this time of year, but spend way more time looking for fish.

So, you're fishing for televangelists when you're trolling bibles? What size hooks?

8-12 ft of water. jig and pig or 10 inch worms rigged texas

Find the last green weeds in the lake and you will find the largies.

Yep, just off the weedbeds for me. First thing I try is a fast presentation with a fluke, lipless crank or a spinnerbait to see if they are "on". If not, I fish on the outside of the weedbed, slowing down as necessary. I find flukes a great go-to at these temps: fish it hard and fast to cover water, or slow it down if they are being finicky.

They are super easy, with very few ingredients. We use cornmeal with some chili powder mixed as breading for the fish, but grilled fish works just as well. Shredded cabbage (seems strange, but is key) for the greens. The sauce we make with sour cream, lime juice, chili powder and cilantro. IMHO, they are best with real corn tortillas, if you can find them. I prefer a fresh salsa - not store bought or cooked - to preserve the overall "lightness" of the dish: chopped veggies and fruit mixed with some lime juice.

Hmmm. I've been hearing about the Duo jerks. Any Ontario retailers for them?

I know there are some folks out there that excel with jerkbaits for smallies. I thought it would be good to share some Ontario specific (most of the articles out there are for other regions) jerkbait tips. Some specifics to consider:

1. Water temps

2. Lure selection/colour

3. Retrieve speed/cadence

Any other specifics that you are willing to share.

I think it's a Solitary Sandpiper: greenish legs, strong eye rings, lack of spotting, and longer neck than a Spotted.

etackle should answer their emails if they are serious about getting business.

Casting, not trolling. I find they often hit a spoon when you kill it and let it flutter down (just like lakers and specks). I was fishing a splake lake last fall, and 2 guys trolling went past and said "that guy must think he's fishing for bass". 6 fish later they wanted to know what lure I was using.

I find that a better alternative to the o-ring is to use shrink wrap tubing. With o-rings, the worm will still get thrown in a good fight....no better than getting torn in half. Using shrink wrap tubing, I have used the same senko to land over 20 good sized smallies.

Any kind of circle hook will reduce the amount of deep hooking that is endemic in wacky rigging. Almost every hook company makes a good circle-type hook. I like the Gammy and Owner hooks for wacky rigging, unless I am fishing deep, then it is the zappu inchi jigheads for me. It takes a bit of time to get used to the "non hookset" of a circle hook, but the learning curve is pretty fast.

I have used one. They are great....if there are appropriate trees. Really uncomfortable on most Georgian bay campsites