trapshooter

Nice haul of bass there. Well done!

I have both the 200 and 300 size Curado.... this model is probably my all time favourite baitcast reel. I'm a total shimano snob though. I use the 300 size on my MH muskie rod and the 200 series sees multiple duties, including pike. A muskie rod IS overkill when targeting pike. A 7'MH/fast casting rod will handle all your pike fishing. If you go with the 300 series Curado you could use it for muskie, pike, lakers etc. A versatile reel, for sure. Oh yeah... I use 50lb PP on my pike set-up. I'd say 30lb braid, at the minimum.

I bought the Humminbird ICE 45 last year and used it about 60 days of ice fishing. How can I put this.... I love it. Hbird brought flasher technology out of the dark ages. They dynamic digital display is the cats-meow. no fiddling with different levels and trying to read different pre-set depth scales to figure out how deep things are. The Hbird 45 and 55 tell you the depth instantly and automatically sets the scale. The display is also large and bright, easy to read. I can't go back to the small displays of the Vex.

One thing you will find is that flasher owners are fiercely loyal to their brand. I've used both Vex and Hbird (can't speak for Markum) but I definitely prefer my Hbird.

Congratulations Simon!! She's a beauty too, nice and fat with great markings and a really clean fish. You said it best... 'screw walleye, lets go for muskie'... now you're addicted too. Welcome to the club.

Thanks for the link.

Good stuff Mike. I know you live for days like that. As I've told you before.... get back into writing... you have a real way with words.

From reading your post here I'd say you should spend a season (or more) learning the ropes before you take the plunge into charters. You want to be on top of things before you start taking peoples money for trips... word of mouth is the best advertising you can get, or the worst... depending on how things go. If you're not ready to put people on fish it will show and you'll be off to a poor start. I'm sure there are charter captains here who could shed some light on the costs including fuel, and insurance which would be significant. A well thought out business plan should be a top priority before taking the plunge and buying a boat. Good luck to you.

Thanks for the report David. Are you guys jigging to try and find some good eaters? Or is the trolling bite really tough at the moment? Either way, glad to see you're still out hunting those big BOQ walleye.

Thanks everyone!

Ben, those bucks have masive body .Well done.

BTW Enjoyed reading you write up in the mag this fall.

Thanks Brian. It was funny to see myself on the cover!

Nice bucks . What rifle did you use for the first one ?

.300 win mag.

wow!!! what did they dress out at??? almost the size of a Red Deer

 

well deserved ...congrates on the success

We didn't weigh either of them and couldn't hazard a guess...

forgot to ask, 30-30 Marlin 336 or winchester?

winchester.

do you want to stay on the ice or does that matter? There's options out there where you stay in a camp and they take you to day huts. Opens up a lot of different fisheries too... not everywhere has those hotels on ice. Another option is hiring a guide and arranging your own accommodations. No matter what though, research the fishery first. Find out everything you can about how the lake you're looking at fishes in the winter. For me anyhow, catching fish is above and beyond all else. Good luck.

Simano Curado's are a rock solid baitcaster. I have 3 of them and LOVE them all.

I just got back from my deer hunt down in Thunder Bay. I was invited to stay and hunt with a buddy of mine who lives down there and owns some acreage about 30 mins out of the city. He's also a professional bow hunter and really knows his deer hunting!!

What can I say... it was a dream hunt! It was prime rut during the four days I was there. Lots of deer movement and bucks showing themselves during legal shooting hours.

I arrived friday afternoon and after gearing up we headed out to the property for the evening hunt. We weren't in the stand 10 minutes and I spot a buck coming in through the tag alders. It wasn't a shooter so we watched him for a few minutes until he got spooked and walked back into the bush. My buddy said there's probably a bigger buck coming in that drove the little guy off. Sure enough, 3 mins later a nice 9pt pops out on the trail. He was very cautious but eventually let his guard down and let me get settled into the gun. I waited for a broadside shot and settled the cross-hairs behind his right shoulder and squeezed the trigger. I could see it was a good hit and we watched him pile up 25 yards away.

Another pic from the next day.

Not a bad first day!!

My buddy wanted me to fill his tag with a bigger buck.

Saturday we slept in and processed the first deer. Sat. night was a write-off with rain/snow and high winds so decided to wait for sunday.

Sunday morning we headed back out and did a slow walk around the property. We stopped in a few spots and did some grunt calls and rattling. Despite fresh sign everywhere, we didn't have any action.

Sunday night we decided to sit in a 2 person tree-stand that he had up. It was in a tight section of woods along a main travel route. I climbed into the stand and started pulling the gun up with the rope and I could hear something off to my left. I just got the gun in my hands and a doe came running out under us. Wow, that didn't take long! I'm fumbling to untie the rope and out comes a little 6-pt chasing the doe. She must have been hot because he was all over her. She ran around a bit then they both disappeared. What a sight, all within 2 minutes of sitting down.

Right away my buddy got on the rattling antlers and began a sequence. I kid you not... within 30 seconds a bigger buck came charging over a ridge on the trail. He slammed on the brakes 80 yards away and was looking for the fighting bucks.

I was using a 30-30 with open sights and didn't feel good about a head-on shot at 80-yards. He stood there staring in our direction for a bit, then turned and walked away. I thought I blew my chance at the biggest deer I've ever seen while hunting.

My buddy said not to worry, that he'd probably circle around down wind and come back in for a closer look. Two minutes later, out of nowhere, the buck re-appeared at 40 yards standing broadside.

I slowly got in the gun and put the iron sights behind his shoulder and let 'er rip. He bucked and took off running. I fired another shot before he disappeared out of sight. I knew he was hit but there's always an uneasy feeling when you don't see them drop.

We waited 30-minutes, which seemed like a lifetime, and climbed down to look for a blood trail. It didn't take long and were were following river of blood through the bush. There was blood on both sides of the trail and we found pieces of lung mixed in too. I knew we were looking for a dead deer then but the blood trail just kept going.

I was one happy guy when we found him piled up in some thick growth, about 150-yards from where I shot.

A nice wide and tall 8-pt... technically 7, I guess, with a broken brow tine.

Not a bad weekend of deer hunting

A couple of real nice, clean muskies there. Great job!!

Excellent insight and observations too, fil. There was an article in Outdoor Canada recently about Don Schwartz. He's been filming underwater video's of muskies and their behaviour while trolling. He mentions the same thing that you and raf alluded to... not a lot of muskies in areas that bait fish are concentrated. Some other interesting things to consider.... muskies far more interested in the spinning propeller then they are in baits and muskies following a bait for a looong time too. He said a lot show up when his down-rigger cannon ball smacks the bottom. Interesting stuff.

Looking forward to part 3!!

Too funny Simon. I knew that picture would come back to haunt me!! haha. Awesome video, bring on the ice!!

Great offer Steve. Congrats on your business expansion with ice fishing being added to the mix. Very cool!!

Bob Izumi's Real Fishing Magazine, current issue. Thanks!

Thanks for the note, Dozer!! Hope you liked the spread

Fantastic! Can't wait to see some more!!

I managed to squeeze in 3 1/2 more days of muskie fishing in between hunts and the arrival of ice up.

Two days were spent 60km up Lac Seul at Chamberlain narrows, which is well regarded as the epicenter of Lac Seul muskie fishing. I was out with fellow guide Greg Marino. This time I was the 'guest' however, as this is Greg's stomping grounds in the fall. The trip didn't disappoint. We had 3 muskies in the boat and one other notable Essox.....

Five minutes in on the first day.....

Next up, Greg gets the big fish of the trip... just over the magical 50" mark.

One more muskie before we had to go...

Now, the other notable Essox was this monster 44" pike. It's the longest, and fattest, pike that I've ever laid eye's on. Greg thought for sure he had another muskie. Good trade!

With some unseasonably warm weather up here I delayed putting my own boat away in the hopes of getting out on the south east end of the lake. With some high winds I was lucky to squeeze in another day-and-a-half. We put 3 fish in the boat, which was awesome, but nothing over 44".

My buddy Colin. He was on the inside of a big turn and when his line was tightening back up, this one nailed his 9" Grandma.

Just as the sun was hitting the tree-tops I landed this guy.

Not a real big one, but with this picture it deserves another look

Well.... that's the end of my first full season of muskie fishing on Lac Seul. What a tremendous fishery we've got up here. My muskie addiction already has me counting down the days until the 3rd Saturday in June, 2010!

All it takes is one.... now you're addicted too. Welcome to the club... and to OFC.

Jacques, this is a family site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

:lol:

nice muskies for your buddies Simon. They don't look like Lac Seul muskies at all... so I'll guess.... ah, never mind. lol

can't beat that Simon. nice limit of walleye there.

Dryden is infested with deer. I was driving around town 2 weeks ago... in a residential area... I look over and there's a NICE 8 point buck standing in someone's front yard. Unreal.

Excellent post! Thanks for sharing your trapping story... and please, keep em coming.