Sterling

There's definitely better fishing out in deeper waters, north of south bay and whatnot is where I did best years ago. Now all I need is a sled or a reliable truck to make my way out there . PS: Went out tonight, got 6 and missed a bunch, definitely not as hot as the past few days.

Only 2 keepers this year. Nipissing is essentially C&R for walleye. Which I don't mind. Yeah. I didn't place my shack in a scientific location either. Asked my then-pregnant wife which area would be the safest/easiest to access. Hit me up when you're down maybe I'll join you or you can join me. Guys are telling me they're having success in the shallows (3-4ft) but to my understanding that's where the males go pre-spawn, and males are small.

Anyone else been out recently? Looks like the end-of-season blitz has started. These past 3 days have been nuts. Thought it couldn't get better but yesterday was the best day I've had out on Nip, ever. Blew through 3 dozen minnows in the space of 2.5 hours (6 lines). Even got a quadruple header which is totally unheard of.

Phew this article scared me for a second. It seems that most species of asian carp fit well within the ecosystem (I think) aside from the silver ones. Somewhat related, the US government has re-introduced the alligator gar in the Mississippi in an effort to reduce asian silver carp population; http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/08/conservation-of-ancient-fishes-reintroducing-the-alligator-gar-and-what-about-those-carp/

Ice looking good on Nip. About 5-6 inches of slush/water froze over (but not everywhere). So we're making ice. Will measure black ice next time I go out. The good news is that the forecast calls for COLD weather until mid-March. Somewhat related, I read this today: https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/police-warning-of-open-water-in-callander-bay-546885 Supposedly someone went "through the ice". I think they just busted the top layer and nothing more. Especially in that area... it's solid ice everywhere, unless I'm mistaken.

No worries. I think it's a waste to just run the maps, unless you're cruising and not fishing. By default any tablet will hook up to a signal though and give you splitscreen sonar + maps. Where it really shines in my opinion, is when you take it to an uncharted lake. The unit will chart it for you, on the go. Super useful for back lakes. That's a feature you only get on $1000+ units.

Most people don't get the hype because they don't know what the unit does. Of course you can see what's below you. The raymarine unit has CHIRP downvision, it's pretty sweet;

At $15k the biggest you'll want to go is 17ft, yes. You may need to sacrifice engine size. A 60hp can easily move a 17 footer, so consider that. BUY USED. The US dollar is strong right now, so if you buy new it will be at a massive premium. People like to sell their boats based on what they paid (previously), so you can get some deals there. They forget to factor in the value of their boat now that the US dollar is so strong. Another place you can save is by going with a tablet + navionics setup which will cost you around $400 for everything and give you all the features of a fancy unit, including bathymetric maps on the fly which only the Onix units can do (and I believe maybe 1-2 other units).

Dennis Johnson runs a pretty tight operation: http://icebungalows.com/ You're going to hear tons of mixed reviews about Nipissing but that's the nature of fishing. The truth is that Nipissing fish are biting more now than in the past 30 years. Forget the anecdotal stuff - Nipissing is hot right now. However keep in mind if you're targeting walleye, keepers are 18.1in+ and represent only 2% of the walleye population. Reeds is great too, located right on top of perch. So your day won't be slow if the walleye aren't biting. Bit cheaper too. Personally I'd do Reeds if you want perch, Dennis Johnson if you want more walleye. But both will be pretty close. Oh, and bring your own pickerel rigs. It'll make a huge difference. Edit: Regarding Callander Bay, my ice shack is there, I catch the evening bite 2-3x a week, only been skunked once in 3 years. Lots of fish there. Caught 8 + 1 keeper on saturday with 6 lines. That's 6 hrs of fishing.

I posted a solution to this problem here. Essentially the site has a spot for ads, but the forum's content was accidentally put in this spot too, hence why so many browsers block the content. It's not a problem with the browsers, rather, with the site . Easy fix too.

When did you go and who was leading the trip? Sounds like you might have been with my father in law, name's Mike? This time of year Nipissing really slows down. There's a good 2-4 week lull where the catching isn't so good. But it shouldn't have been that bad. I was at the shack with the wife last night and did fine. Last weekend I went alone and blew through a dozen minnows in no time. I would suggest moving your trip to the 1st or 2nd week of opener. I guarantee you'll do muuuuuuch better. Hope the back improves though .

I should upload a more recent picture... the place is in shambles now.

18.1in+ is a keeper. These fish account for less than 2% of the walleye population.

Getting dicey even here in Nipissing. The holes under my shack are 14 inches now...

Holy cow lew! Those are some monsters!

Awesome fish. Nipissing really is producing like crazy now.

I can sympathize with that, however sometimes I feel like I'm being screwed because the country isn't run like a business. Certain parts of it, at least, can't be run as-is (energy sector for example). So a bit of both can't hurt. Unfortunately it'll always be one extreme or the other.

For some lakes, panfish are in direct competition with the most targeted species (walleye) and so the MNR want angling pressure on perch. Even with such liberal limits for perch, 90%+ of angling effort goes to other species, so as far as larger lakes are concerned, perch are in no danger. In fact they're thriving. The downside of course, is that smaller lakes suffer.

Just beware, I remember reading a thread about "best & worst fishing purposes you've made" and the aquavu was #1 worst purchase for many people.

Guys keep in mind the people going door to door are just ordinary people like you and I. Doing their job & putting bread on the table. My sweet mother was a census worker for a couple years and did some door to door. I don't see the need to give them trouble/attitude. It's not like these people are trying to sell you something. The information gathered is purposeful, or at least that's the intent. Also keep in mind that it's our legal duty to fill out any census requirements. Just like some speed limits, I may not be in agreement, but it's the law anyway.

They've been doing that for at least a decade.

@manitoubass Looks like the post was real, based on my latest investigations Signed covert agent Sterling, over.

Definitely an idiot and I'd never do business with him. Just think if we're going to crucify the guy it should be over true crimes

@manitoubass Those posts about shoving things seem fake. Maybe I'm wrong, but they just strike me as fake. Plus I ran a search on those youtube addresses and the dates don't jive.

Tonight wasn't so good. Pulled up 4 fish within the first 30 minutes, then nothing at all until sundown. Had 4 extra lines this time too. Once again the average size seemed better than last year. The population is growing up! Joey how did you do with perch???