johnnyb

First thing you want is the right tackle...do you have a rod/reel combo that will handle musky? While the hits are fun, it's nice when you have a set up that will allow you to set the hooks, and bring the fish in before it dies from the exhaustion of walking all over a set up that is too light. AFter that's out of the way...be looking for healthy weedbeds, rocky shoals, and chuck large bucktails and Super Shad Raps till your arms get sore. If you're unfamiliar with a lake, trolling is a good way to get around...lets you cover water while travelling slow enough to find good spots. When I'm on a new musky lake, I head for likely looking points/islands/shoals, and stop at all the thick weedbeds I find along the way. That's my $0.02. And depending on which Cranberry Lake you were on...could be you're already at a fairly good musky lake.

In that neighbourhood...just about any back lake, river or stream should produce! Bust GoogleMaps, Virtual Earth SDK, or the Atlas of Canada Topo website...anything that you can access should be not bad...and anything you have to bust your butt to get into should be golden.

The Pink Lady! Or Dipsy Divers. Torpedo Divers are newer, and do the same thing...supposed to be less drag...definitely some cheap, easy options out there for you! I paid maybe $10 for my Pink Lady a few years back, and it's great...they give you a chart to approximate how much line out vs. depth. It pulls really hard though...if those Torpedo Divers were on the market back then, I probably would have gone with them.

Yup...sounds like deeper would be better...at least you had nice weather! I was trolling over in Minden, used a Pink Lady to get down deep and found the lakers. From standing on the dock, it was obvious that the bass are on their nests....and the kids could stand being in the water...so I'm thinking the lakers have headed deep. Good luck next time!

MMMMm....slime....very nice fish for Scugog...thanks for sharing!

Wow...sounds incredible...based on 8 hours on the water that works out to a fish every 7 minutes Can't wait to see the pics!

You're honestly asking GCD this? All he posts are pictures of itty bitty baby bass

Oh boy...tips for walleye...DARE I speak? While I have caught the majority of my walleye trolling, it's been in fairly shallow (8-11 FOW), stained, weedy water. The thing that's worked the best for me is moving the lure around a lot, with the rod. Stopping it by letting the line go slack momentarily, jerking it along, or just giving long slow pulls to speed it up, then let it drop back to normal speed. You guys might be using planer boards, so I don't imagine that will work well. Lots of people troll worm harnesses too though...unless bait is not allowed in the tournament. Okay..I've rambled long enough...good luck!!!

Nice way to spend a weekend! What were they hittin' on? Still up near the top or did you have to get deep for them?

whaddyagonnado? I suppose it could've been worse....I could've joined you and scared away all the walleye

That is one big mirror...nice shot!

Nice work, Holdie...very cool colouration on the pike in the last pic!

Beautiful!! Nicely done, Paul...taking time out for days like that is always worth it

Oooohh...my elbow was sore and I couldn't lift our many many walleye...boohooo Another beauty report, man! I think that I can get the wife to agree to the 18 hour drive to your place if I don't catch a walleye by September!

Oh buddy...you know me too well! Technically got a couple this year, but too tiny to report on...I'm workin' on it, I'm workin' on it!!

WOW...I can't begin to describe how jealous I am...but thanks for sharing...that was a beauty trip!!!!

Atta boy, Stoty...well said...not like those babies in the stands at the Joe who had the gall to boo the Pens while they hoisted the silverware. I don't imagine there will be a series like this for a while to come...

W00T!

I put 'em on all my jigs when ice fishing...and the odd time when bassfishing if I'm finding I'm getting lots of bumps but no hook-ups...worth having in the box IMO

Hold on to your butts...it just got interesting...

Sid's back....and I see what somebody meant about the i-desk...it's definitely rated G...A.Y. A 2 goal lead is certainly not enough insurance against the wings...but if Pitt's defence keeps it up...it might be all right.

Well the wife and kid(s) -- that's the boy and his sister in utero -- headed up to the cottage a day ahead of me, since I have to work tomorrow, so at 4:00, when they left, I figured I had a few hours to run up to the Forks of the Credit and see what was happening before game 7 started. Got a tiny little brown on an even tinier Panther Martin pretty quickly, but really wanted to practice the fly-fishing skills. At the first couple spots, I got some lookers, but nobody would commit. I had been fishing just south of the Grange Sideroad, in the Trout Unlimited special regs area...but decided to drive further along Forks of the Credit Road to some spots I'd never tried. Came along a few cars parked on the side of the road, so I hopped out and asked the guys who were rigging up where I could access the river...as they were parked along a fence marked "no trespassing". The guy I spoke to looked like he knew what he was doing...and he was happy to tell me where I could hop in. He had permission from the people who had the fence up to go in, but suggested I drive up the road to some public access. He asked me if I knew the usual pattern....I told him I was still pretty green to the flies, and kept my spinners handy as a fall back. He said "put that spinner away...this section of river is fly-fishing only", and proceeded to tell me that "The Usual" is an actual pattern, and pulled one off his hat and gave it to me. I tried to turn it down, but he insisted on giving it to me...said it floats, but as it gets soggy and starts to sink, to just fish it like an emerger, as the fish have been hitting them underwater lately. Ok...thanks! Away I go, new fly in hand, up the road where I see a few more cars parked. I hop in, and on the first drift behind a nice big rock, already have a fish rising on my fly. A few minutes later, I actually land a fish! My first trout on the fly...small, but oh so sweet!!!! I was happy enough to go home and catch the game, but now, with my new found confidence, I had to try a few more likely looking pockets. And I was rewarded with a suprisingly hard hit, and this beautiful brookie...another first for the fly rod. Woohoo!!! I pretty much floated back up to the car...next purchase will be some fur, thread, hooks and a vise!

I love how NOW they throw out the stats of how many games numerous Red Wings players have gone without a goal. Keep shootin' Pens...keep shootin!

WOW those are some beauties!!! Very well done! I love the look on your brother's face in that first shot of the 28 incher... "NOW whaddyou think of my live bait? Hmmm??!!! "

So far it doesn't look like it's shaping up to be lopsided....great 1st period!