Fang

1 treble should be fine if your just hanging it. Watch the regs as there's a limit on quick strike rigs and trebles in there somewhere. I usually just run 2 single hooks just in under the skin - top of head and side just behind the dorsal fin. I think size 1's or 2's. I like the slightly bigger walleye hooks (about quarter size) as the hook points tend to stay out open in the bait

I sealed up the corners last night with the silver furnace tap and that reduced the amount of smoke loss I got in the first test runs. Wood chunks work better than the finer hips in my opinion for heat. Cranked up to 180F no problem. A little more research showed me that most homemade smokers like I made are actually 2 walls. They build the box out of plywood and then finish the outside with cedar or other panel boards. I really debated about the propane burner but on various smoker related sites I ran into a few instances where they recommended electric only for small wood smokers. I guess propane really kicks off the heat and as you dry the boards out any spark from the chips might cause problems. I think this one's ready to do some back bacon this weekend. 1 hour in the oven until I get more confident with time and heat on this one and then 4 hours in the smoker

I keep bumping into that picture of the smoker Irishfield's daughter made on my hard drive. I always said I'd get around to making one some day. Well last weekend was it. After a very rough time in temagami in july I was ready for some easy down time. Weather was the worst it's ever been and to top it all off it was an 8.5 hour drive home on the holiday monday. I had some crappy tire money burning a whole in my pocket and went by on friday to buy up what Yum swim baits they had left. Someone beat me to it. So I wandered down an aisle and saw a hot plate and like a bolt of lightening it hit me. "Build the smoker and the meat will come" 1 hotplate, 3 wire BBQ shelf racks and a meat thermometer later I was out the door for around $50. Next stop was home depot. I made a couple of quick calculations on the drive over and picked out 12 1x6x5 cedar fence boards with the best wood grain and 1 cedar 2x4 for ripping down on the table saw for the base and shelf brackets. Spent some time at the workbench in the garage scribbling down some measurements or for you non wood working guys - 4 beers long. A couple of hours the last few nights with finishing touches and voila here it is. I made it look like a mini outhouse just to annoy the neighbours Have made a few small runs with true north chips and set to medium on the hotplate and a heaping handful of dry chips I can get the temp up to 185F in about 30 minutes. If any of the more experienced smokers see anything that can help me get going please feel free to add your comments. Want to see if adding some started charcoal in with the chips will get me up to +200F temps Will have to work out the bugs and get use to settings and times and then its on to smoked trout and salmon.

one highly underrated method for catching fish. I run slip floats for walleye, bass when fishing specific deep structure as well as ice fishing. A couple of points to add to great comments so far For ice fishing, use the blackbird steelhead floats that have the line guide on the bottom of the stem. You must keep the hole the line passes through in the water or the line will freeze up tight in cold weather. Like with jig fishing use the lightest weights possible to get the line down. The more wind or deeper water add a bit more weight. Try combining a drop shot rig under a slip float. Caught some decent fish this year with this rig.

Happened to me on Rice Lake while fishing a Top Bass tournament in the 90's. We were headed up the Otanabee when all heck broke loose. I can remember the fishing line hanging in the air on each cast with the buildup of static in the air. My rod was actually buzzing. We knew we had to hightail it to cover. The storm clouds were so low they looked like they were at tree top level/ Temp must have dropped 10 degrees in 15 minutes. We pulled into a marina/lodge dock and watched one of the most amazing lightening storms I've ever seen. One blast hit directly across the river from us. The thunder was deafening and made my ears ring for a few minutes. In 15-30 minutes it was all over. The storm through Oakville last night reminded me of that day on Rice

We slayed the smallies on temagami with the Blue/gold top water pop bait last 2 weeks in July. A couple of 3.5 lbers and too many 14-16" fish to count.

Discount grocery stores like Food Basics, No Frills and Price Chopper should carry frozen bag of lake smelt. I've seen them at no frills just recently. FWIW we use the 6-8" frozen sticklebacks and sardines from the grocery store all winter for lakers up that way. Keeps the little guys off your line. When you do get a hit it's always a little bigger fish.

Yup American numbers are really down on LT this year. Some lodges are cutting weekly rates quiite a bit for the americans (and canadians). There's a lake Temagami campsite map that will show all the maintained sites and the portgae routes. Quite easy to do a nice big loop of the lake. Either start in town or drive the access road to the Hub. There's a camping store in town that has all the maps. Sorry the name escapes me this morning

looks like I'll be in Temagami a week late again!!!

used to hunt ducks and geese alot but now it 1 moose trip, deer and lots of grouse when up on the moose trip MMMMMMMMMM Moose loin

only those with the special permit are allowed to know where the 6 fish live

If you're after walleye then most likely you might be better off looking at a different lake. West Arm or even Lady Evelyn comes to mind in that area. Temagami as stated has miles of water and bays to target and they all look like they would hold fish. I've been hitting that lake for 20+ years and still pretty much catch walleye at only a couple of spots. Bass on the other hand are all over. Pike are somewhere between Bass and Walleye for numbers. The back bays and certainly back lakes are you're best spots. I fish the north end and target bass and lakers. If I want to go walleye fishing we hit a few back lakes

Carp World magazine is full of pictures of 60lb + fish and exactly as HC says all those fish are from private fishing club ponds. They fatten up the fish and even name them. In a Britain club I read about they have a 70lber in a pond and if a memebr catches it they get their name added to the "fish" plaque. Lots of fishing clubs in europe advertise exact numbers of 40lb, 50lb and plus 50lbers in their ponds

I read through some of these threads and could not get my head around some of the negative responses. First off when any of those negative sour pusses get to the point where they can get a national TV show off the ground then step up on your soap box and maybe then you might get 2 seconds of my time. In my youth I brushed up against the fishing industry and let me say it opened my eyes. I worked my first sportsman show in 1980 and had 6+ years of exposure with Ontario bass tournament series through the 90s and also have had a direct hand in travel and tourism and guiding as well. Maybe some of the twit repsonders can actually read so I suggest you do that and check out Dave's Bio. I knew about Dave Mercer way before Facts of fishing because his name kept coming up in the bass tournament results. The Facts of Fishing 60 second reel was one of the first dedicated teaching tools - way different from existing Canadian fishing shows. Wisen up guys, being able to get a Canadian Fishing show off the ground and to get national distribution coverage is amazing. TV Shows exist for only one reason and that is advertising and sponsorship. So get a grip, that's his job to entertain and represent the products that companies pay him to advertsie. That may sound a bit harsh but I'd trade places with him in a second. Good job Dave and by the way fantastic job on the commercial. I saw some of the first internal copy and you made it an absolute smash hit.

Maybe the guy holding it is 7' 10" tall Just taking some rough dimension comparisons looks to be around 22-24" fish but that fish needs way more girth to be that big 6lber would be a good guess.

Couple of points of advice, If this is you're first trip GET A SHOAL MAP!!!!!!! This lake like to eat props and many of the back bays off the main lake are tricky to get into. The map will also help you pick out a few bass/walleye spots. If you're staying at a lodge, ask around with guests and the owner to get going. Bass are abundant and can be almost anywhere. I'd start in the mid sized main lake bays - the more islands and structure the better. Look for the shorelines that have a lot of junk, wood and big rock. Work the shorleines with the trolling motor and cast to structure. Weeds are very scarce but if you find some in 6 feet of water or deeper fish it. The walleye fishing has been slow this year due to weather but sounds like it's getting going now. Look for any smaller boats trolling shorelines or still fishing on points or shoals. Make a note of those spots and try them when there's nobody there. Walleye bite is mostly early morning of evenings. Worm harnesses and jigs are standard fair. The laker fishing is good but it is very structure related. You can troll the deeper water and this lake is full of it and you'll connect with a few fish but watch the finder for any humps, deep shoals, points and especially deep bluff shorleines. Riggers are the best way to fish but if it's calm try jigging. If you can mark trout in deeper water and stay on them you can catch them. Standard ice fishing jigs will all work but I like the bad boyz tipped with berkley gulp. Try drop shotting too. This has been working well for me the last couple years Most lodges on the lake have boat rentals in the back lakes too. Great day adventure and some fantastic fishing to be had. Walleye, Bass and speckles lakes are available and some have very easy short portages. Worms are a go to bait on the lake and I'd advise picking up a half or full flat. Buying by the dozen gets expensive. North or south?? Take you're pick. There both about the same. The south has Cross Lake but that's a trip I'd make only with a map, gps and possible someone whose been in there before. It's take a bit of effort but worth it. I'll be up at Wishin You Were Fishing the last 10 days in July. Hope the weathers good and the fish are bitin!

Was trolling for lakers last summer along a steep bluf bank. Had the rigger right in the thermocline at about 65ft over 100 FOW. Was running a small trout lure and on the graph see a streaker come up from below. Look back at the rods and see the inside rods bounce just a bit and then again. Ok must be a small trout. Grab the rod and pull the line out of the release - up there's something small there. Turns out to be a 1/2 pound smallmouth

Kokoko can only be accessed by water. There's Kokoko bay but Kokoko lake is a 300 m portage off the main lake There's basically only 2 access point to the lake by car. In the town of temagami and the Lake Access Rd. which is 6 km south of the town. It's an 18km gravel road which can at times be as smooth as the 401 but most times it's a typical gravel road. The Manitou landing at the end of the road has decent parking and launches. I'm in an Expedition and pull a 17.5ft crestliner every year. Take your time and you'll have no problems on the road You have time so try and get hold of a lake map or do some exploring on google maps to get an idea of distance and if you're not familiar with the lake defintiely order a shoal map form one of the store in town or on-line. The shoal map is a must for any venture into south arm or cross lake area

If it's a cheap version of the Flo n Go gas tank system, they've got one for $5 at No Frills now

Get to google map and check out Taunton Rd. It's a few miles south of the end of the 407 East but It'll take you over to 35. It's a bit faster that 7 and less travelled Has always been my shortcut through Ajax Whitby when 401 is a mess

My old fav's now sit on a shelf right above my chair in the TV room. I pull em down and play a bit when watching TV. Shimano 10SG - my very first BC bought at Barkleys 1982 Shimano 200 - bought right after my first trip out with the 10SG Mitchel 300 France made - my first real spinning reel from Outdoor Store in Dixie Mall early 70's maybe. I think I was 8 at the time They sit in with some vintage reels I collect Green cardinals 3 and 4's, Red Abu 5000 with pearl handles, 2 Abu Black 6000's from 60's, Braun Spinning reel and several old pfluegers's

I've trimmed down since selling off 10 this spring All in including ice, fly and downrigging and others 45

spectacular how much gas do you need to carry

Several posts about what new rods and reel to buy, spinning or baitcasting There's some great deals on cabelas US site in the bargain cave. Looks like clearout, recession, call it whatever reason for the sale Beast deals I see Okuma VSystem Casting reel Abu C5 Cabelas Mag Touch rods Cabelas XML, there's 2-3 models for $29.99 - $39.99 smokin deal $19.99 Cabelas Fish Eagle Rods, never seen these ones but heck shipping will cost you more than the rod! Too bad I'm done buying...................well maybe just 1 more

check out google map (picton, ontario) The large bay on the north shore just west of the ferry landing is called mallory bay. There is usually good weedlines in there which will hold fish. troll the deeper weed edges with worm harness or if the wind is right just drift along the edges with jig and worm, casting into the pockets. The bay is split in 3's by 2 long point and off the end of each is some good structure to work. Anchor and cast and move around. The right half of the bay is shallower and is more bass water, Wind will be your friend or enemy out here. If you've got a lake map it'll help out big time. The other spot if you can find it is right out front of the cement plant. It's called conger shoal and you can always muster up a few bass off of here. It's a bit hard to find if you don't know exactly where to head.