singingdog

You can skate on way less than 4"....you just have to keep moving.

I agree. I wasn't defending the recent change, just trying to clarify it. I brought this issue up on OFC almost 2 years ago, and it didn't raise a peep. Go figure.

Question is too broad. I use everything from 1/16 oz jigs for trout to 1 oz jigs for musky and deep lakers. Colours? Pink, white, green, brown, black, olive......and then there are all the mixed colours.

It has to do with the definition of "navigable waterway". According to the old law, any navigable waterway was protected under federal law. "Navigable" was such a broad term that pretty much any stream, river, or lake that you could get a canoe down was identified as navigable. The old law was rooted in the traditions that established the country: trapping and moving goods by canoe. Any development (culvert, bridge, wing dam, dock....) on those navigable waterways were subject to federal regulation, including environmental assessment plans. What the Harper govt has done is redefine "navigable" to reflect current industrial reality: goods are moved via huge ships now. The 2.5 million lakes and rivers are not "unprotected", they just aren't protected under the navigable waterways act. Provincial and municipal regulations still apply.

Fall splake fishing has become one of my favourite angling seasons: great fishing, quiet lakes, and no bugs. My experience echos yours: they behave more like brookies than lakers. We were yakfishing for splake last fall, casting jointed raps into logs along the bank. There was another canoe on the lake and I overheard one of the guys saying "What's he think he's doing? Bass fishing?" They flatline trolled for about 3 hours without a fish. I think I had 7 in that time. That last fish is a beauty.

Jigging spoon and dropshot? That looks like a cool jigging spoon/clacker combo. What weight is it?

...if you run a tackle shop, and your buddies love to come in and hang around the cash, spouting off about what idiots the _____________ (fill in the blank with your favourite group, government employee, type of fisherman/hunter.....) are: that guy that wondered in, then turned around and walked out wasn't lost. He was looking for a new bc reel, but couldn't get past the wall of obscenities and "homegrown wisdom" that hung in the air like cigarette smoke. Hopefully your buds bought enough stuff that day to offset the lost sales. Really, if you want to run a private club for the local "we're the only non-idiots around here" club, that's great. When you find yourself complaining that people don't shop locally, and support your business, try not to choke on that irony. Yes, I do feel better. Thanks.

I wouldn't head out for bass this time of year without a jigging spoon or a blade bait.....especially in deeper water.

I don't know what the typical depth is in that water, but I am still finding smallies (at least the ones that bite) in 18-25 FOW.

I fished Bronte for the first and last time last week. It was a surreal experience: dead fish all over the place, litter (who knew that salmon fisherman were so fond of extreme energy drinks), folks with full float fishing set-ups dunking their bait into the same tiny eddy over and over and over, groups of 3-4 folks noisily wading up the tails of pools that other folks were trying to fish. Definitely not my cup of tea.

Yep, lots of gyrfalcons being reported in Ontario, as well as Boreal Owls starting to move down already.

I wouldn't go with a compre 7' M for dropshotting. I have one, and the action IMHO is not really fast enough for a dropshot rod: the tip is quite flexible. It is a great rod for light jigs and unweighted plastics, but not really a dropshot rod.

Is it too early to target steelhead with hardware, or are they just hitting roe?

Quickest start to the ski season we ever had....although it was a bear to groom. We had 3 folks on snowshoes in front of the snowmobile, just trying to get down the trail.

You are not alone: no cell phone, never texted, never tweeted.

I love fishing small lakes for splake and open-season specks this time of year. Everybody seems to have moose/deer on their minds, and the lakes are pretty much deserted. In my experience, small-lake trout (as opposed to small lake-trout ) turn on and off for mysterious reasons. I have had 20 fish days on a certain lake, only to return and get skunked on all the same presentations. If I have learned one thing it's this: mix it up (sounds like you might be doing that). On a small lake, that is known to hold fish, you know you are putting your lure in front of them. If it's not getting hit, change something. A buddy of mine and I were fishing a small, walk-in lake last year. We watched a guy across the way throw the same spoon, off the same point, at the same depth for at least 2 hours with no fish. In the meantime, we had at least 6 decent fish each. I start by changing the retrieve (speed, depth), then change the profile (size, shape), then start worrying about colour last. It's amazing how often my luck changes by switching from a little Cleo style spoon (short and fairly round) to a Krocodile style spoon (long and thing). My trout box also contains several lures that most folks would not consider throwing for trout: small jigs, countdown raps, and small blade baits (that used to be a secret, you owe me a beer). Given all that, sometimes the lake has just "turned off". At least that's what I tell myself when I can't find a pattern.

Once water temps get below 60, I don't throw a sbait nearly as much. If it's sunny, and there are flats close to deep water, I will try one out to see if the bass have moved back into the shallows. I am just as likely to throw a lipless crank in those conditions, as I always have one tied on when the water gets cooler. The lipless crank is just as good at covering water and has caught me waaaay more big fish in cooler temps.

Hmmmm. I can't imagine using a sbait for just one situation or one water temp. I burn them over 20-30 FOW, then slow-roll them just above the bottom in the same water, pitch them like a jig into openinings in pads, and fish them vertically down dropoffs and the ends of submerged trees. I love a small-frame, heavy (3/4 oz) sbait for smallies.

Banner year for them here in Haliburton. Over the years I would see them in a lake maybe once in 5 years. This year, I have seen them in at least 5 different lakes.

x3

Just starting here in Haliburton. No real colour yet.

Thanks. I've never had that problem with jerkbaits, but have with WTD topwaters. I'll try it.

Nice fish! Look at the head on that thing: bulldog rainbow. Inland lake rainbows can be maddening to try and figure out. There are a couple of stocked lakes close to me, but I can't buy fish out of them.

I wonder why 10 lb flouro for a leader? It's stronger than your main line, but not strong enough to fend off toothy critters. If you believe that you need it for decreased visibility (don't get me started on flouro and invisibility), going with 10 lb over 6 or 8 lb seems to defeat that purpose, while making knot tying more difficult. I don't understand the angst over a uni-uni connection. It's easy to tie - it can be done in about a minute - and I have never broken off a well-tied uni-uni. Next best is a triple surgeons knot, which is even easier to tie, and just slightly less reliable. Lots of big, hard fighting fish have been landed on triple surgeon knots on fly gear.

Yep, you just described one of the most common fishing rods made.....so lots of choice. Basspro has both Abu and Browning rods on sale right now, and they both make a rod at your specifications. Most decent tackle shops are going to have a good selection, probably at decent prices this time of year.