johnnyb

Great stuff....looks like a nice population of smallies in the lake....how long did the big one tape out at?

Great opener....very nice surprise with the gator!

At least the fishing and scenery was good....

Beautiful fish! Sounds like you had a great trip! Camping from a lodge, or crown land?

WOOHOO!!! Awesome stuff!

Thanks for the kind words guys Dr. Hook....the cheater is simply a light spoon tied to a few feet of line...I use a snap swivel on each end....clip one end to the mainline, and drop it in after my cannonball is down. It will work its way halfway down and settle in the natural bow of the line running to the cannonball. Keep track of how many hooks you've got, and you can even go with a 3-way swivel behind your cannonball and run a diving crank, a spoon, then a cheater up the line. Messy to reel in...but gives the fish lots to look at.

Great report Wayne...really nice to see you having some fun Something tells me Laker Jessy would enjoy herself at these G2G's

Great report....man this place just sounds better and better and better and better and better and....

Love these reports from your camp.....thans for sharing...great work on the shed and those fish! NICE PIKE!!!

Well Father's Day weekend was a busy one for me, and I think it was the most enjoyable in recent memory. Had 2 insane barbecue dinners, got to spend some time goofing around with my kids, and got some quality time in the boat on 2 different lakes! First lake up was Gull, in Minden. A year ago, I was ready to give up on the lakers in here, until I hooked into (and lost) what I can only assume was the biggest laker anyone in Minden has ever SEEN!!! I now find myself hopelessly obsessed with rooting through all the slot sized fish in that lake until I come across something big again. Come last Saturday morning, I was out there trolling away….watching my screen. I had the cannonball down at 40 feet, since surface temps were hitting the 70F mark. Modest sized flasher down there, with a blue/red spoon that did some damage last year, as well as picking up a few nice Niagara browns this year. Above that I had a nice little dartee on as a cheater. I trolled around an island, flirting with the bottom as it broke from 30-50FOW, and noticed my rod seem to sag…fairly slowly. Checked the screen and knew I couldn't have been on bottom, so I popped the release. Nothing. Started reeling…fish on!! He hit the cheater!!! Not out of the slot, but he fought like a champ…and a great way to start the weekend! A few more passes, and nothing….so I explored the back of the island…this time the hit was much more pronounced….but again, I felt nothing after popping the release. I was smart enough to reel FASTER this time, and catch up with the fish that hit the cheater. A little smaller, but keepin' me happy! That was enough excitement for the morning, and the lake actually started whipping up for a bit. With no weight in the bow, I decided I'd let the whitecaps play by themselves, and headed in for breakfast. Spent the rest of the day being a dad….did some tubing….some swimming…gave the boat a thorough cleaning...then tucked into a steak and shrimp dinner of biblical proportions Sunday came and we were off to Muskoka…with more lakers in our sights! My Dad and my son joined me this time….last year dad and I laid a beating on the Rosseau lakers, so we headed for the same spot with high hopes. Next to NO wind, clear skies, and 72F on the surface, so we made a few passes in 50 and 60FOW, but weren't marking anything. I had the same rigger setup as I used on Gull, gave Dad the leadcore, and had my son flatlining a taildancer. We moved into slightly shallower water, and noticed more activity hanging over 30-40FOW….Dad got a hit, but missed it, and we decided shallower was better. Again, I was flirting with bottom in 35FOW, and as I got a bit deeper, noticed a lightning bolt on my screen….something was making a beeline from the top down to my cannonball….and a second later, the rod started shaking! Pop…..nothing…reel….CHEATER!!! A nice 24" laker with respectable girth, and high five's all around. We made a few more passes….but the heat was getting pretty ridiculous, and dinner time was approaching. My son was quite anxious to hop out and cool off Dinner was another feast…we gave this guy a head start on the grill before adding the steaks And that's about it….thanks for reading!

Awesome stuff, Jimmer...those are some brute sunfish! And I know they tasted good...I keep meaning to try your batter recipe...know that I know the "inside secret"

All? You haven't read enough threads yet.... Welcome aboard, Dave....great board here and it sounds like you'll fit right in! Good luck this weekend....see you around the board!

All of the above x2

Pretty sad story....unclear whether he was trying to land, or take off...sure doesn't make sense that he would have been taking off. Click here for Article Pilot killed in crash identified |UPDATE Hugh McCullough, 67, of Ennismore was killed Wednesday (June 8) when the float plane he was flying crashed into the West Bay of Balsam Lake during bad weather at about 2:40 p.m. Plane crashes in Balsam Lake. A pontoon boat heads to an overturned float plane after it crashed in West Bay in Balsam Lake on Wednesday (June 8). A witness said the plane was hit by a gust of wind during a severe storm. People rushed to free the pilot, who was the only person on board, but were unable to save him. Barbara-Ann MacEachern (KAWARTHA LAKES) The pilot who was killed in a plane crash on Balsam Lake Wednesday (June 8) has been identified as 67-year-old Hugh McCullough of Ennismore. John Adams watched in horror as a vicious gust of wind caught a float plane and slammed it into Balsam Lake on Wednesday afternoon (June 8) at about 2:40 p.m. A pilot himself who lives on West Bay where the crash happened, Mr. Adams said he saw the plane on the water as a severe storm hit the north area of the city, particularly in Coboconk and Bexley Township. The pilot was killed in the accident. The plane flipped over and was stuck on the bottom of the lake with only its two pontoons showing above the surface of the water about 500 meters from shore, when This Week arrived on scene about an hour after the accident happened. “It looked like he was trying to take off, but I’m a pilot myself and I can’t see anyone trying to take off in that weather,” he said. “But, the plane hit really hard; you could hear it. “It was a huge gust of wind that caught it.” Mr. Adams said he ran to his boat but it wouldn’t start and he raced back to his house to get booster cables. The plane had hit the water sideways and quickly flipped over. “All you could see was the pontoons,” he said. Mr. Adams said a boat carrying four men that he believed came from the nearby float plane base rushed to the scene, along with him and another neighbour on a Sea-doo. “There was only the pilot on board but he was probably submerged for 15 to 20 minutes before anyone could get to him,” he said. “The storm was getting worse; it was really violent and the water was full of gas.” In spite of that, the four men “dived into the water and tried to get the pilot out.” Mr. Adams said the pilot was strapped into his harness and the men were only able to get him halfway out of the plane. As the storm worsened, he said, the men were forced to abandon the rescue. “I’d already called 911,” he said. Mr. Adams praised the men for their efforts. “That water full of gas, the storm, and they kept driving trying to get him out,” he said. OPP Staff Sergeant J. Entwistle told This Week that police were called by cottagers on the lake and responded alongside EMS and Kirkfield firefighters. Staff Sgt. Entwistle confirmed one man was in the plane at the time. The Transportation Saftey Board of Canada are continuing to investigate the crash.

One man double header...cutting and re-tying line with a fish on it....awesome stuff!

That's crazy....glad to hear it turned out well Waaaiiiitt a second. Did you catch any fish?

Awesome way to spend the day....so many rainbows out there! Did you try running the lines any deeper? In my (limited) experience, that's where you'll find the salmon

Gorgeous laker!!

Great report....I'm dying to enjoy a weekend of fishing with just me and MY "fishing queen" Too bad about no muskie, but you sure laid a beating on those 'eyes. Next time....don't wait for the line to levitate higher.....just get off the water!!!

You can do it man!! So many great reasons to quit....you're going to make it hapoen!!!!

Great report...lots of laughs...what an amazing trip!!!! I sure would hate to be drinking from the smallest-fish cup though!

That was well worth the wait....and when I finally get to Eddie's camp, I know it will be worth the wait! I'm blown away by the fish and the scenery....can see why this place has captured you!

Awesome stuff, man...love those big healthy 'eyes!! That last sunset shot has me thinking it's time for another one of your music videos

By the look on buddy's face....it was worth the interruption. By the look on the muskie's face, I'm guessing it was a crankbait that she could've SWORE was real

When Bass season opens up, Orangeville reservoir would be ideal for your boat....mind you there are pike in there as well as the odd crappie and panfish