MJL

My heart sunk a little when I read the last update Wayne. Sending my best wishes

Sunnybrook has been like a 2^nd home for me the last couple of years and if you need any help finding your way around let me know

Congrats Bill

Best wishes sent to you & the wife Bruce

I hope all turns out well for you and yours Bruce...

 

I go for my 3rd 0f 6 chemo treatments on Monday...

Hopefully by the time you're done, we'll both be in good enough shape to land some trophy goldfish

I don’t fish for muskies – I have actually never caught one (but would like to one day)

Here’s one article I found which details the issues of pike/muskie relationships in the Kawarthas

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@letsfish/documents/document/264328.pdf

I’m surprised that they found pike and tiger muskies in Scugog

Pike are open year round in the Kawarthas. Darryl Choronzey did say that pike tasted as good as walleye during one of his fish fries on TV...

It reminds me of the time I stocked up on glow in the dark “Little Leo’s” from Bass Pro thinking I was getting an amazing deal.LOL

That does not mean that itWas not me

Ethan, there are a lot of guys on OFC who peruse the float board as well…

The threads on custom rod builders, baitcasters for steelhead, and the horrible application of the English language (on both message forums) really gives it away…Just saying…

Keep in mind that honesty is always the best policy

Beautiful reels Edwin

Nicely done Miro

Beautiful specks Brad. I don’t think you’d have a hard time finding guys wanting to join you on that water (myself included). Looks like my spring trout fishing is shot this year…Definitely Itching to get out on the streams for those pretty gems before closer

Interesting but the article misses a couple huge hurdles on re-introducing this particular strain of Lahanton cutthroats to pyramid lake.

Pyramid lake over the years has been stocked with “non-pyramid lake” strains of Lahanton cutthroat trout. Is there a difference between the strains? Absolutely. What made the original strain of Lahanton cutthroat trout in Pyramid Lake grow so large was their unique adaptation to voraciously feed on large prey species of fish (ie. Cui ui sucker and the tui chub). If we’re talking about re-introducing and maintaining the original strain in Pyramid lake, you’d have to remove all non-original pyramid lake strains of Lahanton cutthroats from the lake – Or else you’d just water down the genes that made the original strain so unique.

in order to remove the non-original strains of cutthroats from Pyramid lake (perhaps with a poison such as rotenone), you’d have to get permission from the natives – Not likely

Unfortunately it doesn't look I can make this year

It's a great event to help lift steelhead over the dam.

It's your chance to unleash the inner Loogan

Dude!! There's an entity in our pic!

Poltergeists like to fish too

Nice fish Rich

Welcome Josh

Saw the pics of the build on FB and was impressed Might be tempted to do an 8wt Rainshadow spey conversion for myself.

Had I known you were going to be steelheading as much as you have been after our BC trip last year, I would’ve left most of my gear behind to save the $40 extra baggage fee on the way home.LOL

Well done!

When I was a kid, my baby cousin had glow in the dark diapers...It just so happened that his lower unit was covered with clothing anyway

Thanks a ton guys for your support. Forever grateful

The plan will be finalized on Friday after a number of doctors discuss my case. I’m currently booked for 3 rounds of chemo lasting a total of 9 weeks (1 round = 3wks). Treatment starts Monday. Unfortunately, there are a couple other spots where the cancer may also be so radiation was not the recommended method of treatment. My mom bought a tons of cases of Ensure/Boost drinks and stocked up on baking soda for mouthwash. I’m as ready for it as I will ever be.

Maybe 1 more trip onto the ice…

Thanks again guys

Mike

Those sure are some great laker shots, I like the 'matching the hatch' photo . How about an underwater shot next time. Wishing all the best to you and your family in the future.

Mike, Hopefully I’ll be equipped with a new underwater housing shortly for this bad boy I picked up last month

Sorry Wayne. My apologies. These back meds have me drowsy and cranky. I'll remove post.

No worries. Over the last 2+yrs, I’ve been given the opportunity to become a student of oncology. The doctors at Sunnybrook, Scarborough Grace, Mount Sinai & more have given me the probabilities & statistics and various recommendations but they’ve always given me the choice to make the final decisions on what route to take. As such, I’ve tried to learn as much as I can to prepare myself for the bumpy road ahead. I’m fortunate to have all of you in this community who care as much as you do and I will be forever grateful and appreciative for that

I’ll let you guys know how it goes

Cheers & all smiles

Mike

Highs

I hit the ice late this season but it didn’t matter. The laker gods were extremely generous this season . A few years ago I never would’ve thought I’d ever see so much action on the ice. Last year I discovered the secret to catching more lakers…Buy more tackle…It’s clearly obvious that the more money you spend on tackle, the more fish you catch

Made my first trip onto the ice Jan 28 and got into some nice hogs

Face full of tentacles

The food chain

Matching the hatch

Healthy bend in the rod

Small clipper for dinner

One of the strongest lakers I’ve ever done battle with

Today I hit the ice for a bit for perhaps the last time this season. Fishing was tougher than the previous 5 trips for me but still managed a couple

Since I started ice fishing 4yrs ago, I kept a journal to record the details of each trip with the hopes of improving my success rate. Back in 2010, I managed to land 2 lakers in 12 trips on the ice (Skunking 10 times in a row). This year I managed to land 45 fish in 6 trips – By far my best season ever.

Lows

Unfortunately some good things must come to an end. As many of you know, a couple years ago I had some experience with cancer. This past week, I was informed that I will probably have to undergo cancer treatment again. After almost 2yrs, my CT scans and blood tests from last week revealed that my cancer has returned . Monday I go to the hospital to see my doctor and go over the test results in greater detail and see if I will need radiation or chemo. Tuesday I go to see the radiologist to learn what is involved with radiation therapy. For those that have gone through radiation therapy, any experiences you can share or tips you found helpful for getting through it? I’d greatly appreciate any info you could provide.

Many Thanks

Mike

Just awesome Wayne

Both my dad and I studied hard for our tests and wrote them at Lebaron. I got 1 wrong and my dad scored perfect. Probably would’ve scored close to the same without studying TBH. A lot of the material we did study wasn’t on the test and a number of questions we encountered on the test were never covered in the book (it was common sense). At least now if I’m ever asked to confirm the spelling of words, I can use the NATO phonetic alphabet.LOL

Port Left same amount of letters... starboard right.. my right finger points to the star...

For me, I remember them this way:

You left "port"

Your right hand man is your “star”

You “bow” forward

You get a “stern” kicking in the

You should've tested how waterproof the GoPro was without the housing

Definitely the most awesome trip I've ever been on. A couple days ago I watched a few of the vids we took and realized that a good portion of them were of us losing fish.LOL

It turned out great Brady

I'll definitely have to give the 6wt Rainshadow blank a good look over. I'd like a light spey rod for medium sized rivers with a bit of pace.

 

Hey Mike, are you saying the fish you are pictured with there is a hybrid? Either way, it's a real beauty!

Mike, I believe that fish was a koi/carp hybrid. I have caught goldfish/carp hybrids as seen below. Notice the long fins and tail

I see lots along the Toronto harbourfront. I remember one summer I tried catching a nice big one but it eluded the hook. On that note, gold fish often join spawning carp with mating festivities and you can get some nifty hybrids

Hey Marko

I bought the Daiwa Ballistic last boxing day and have used it for lakers, steelhead, walleye & bass. I love it. If anything, I wish it did come with a spare spool though. I'll probably pick up another one shortly.