MJL

Most Expensive (and most functional + available in the current market) - Delkim TXi plus - $190US each (optional remote receiver = $225US) Most expensive (for the hell of it) - Nash stainless based on a Parsons/Neville design - I've seen them go for the equivalent of $450 each at auction (rare item today) Cheapest - I've seen various ones on ebay for $10 (no name brand) Best value alarm at a value price (IMHO) - FOX M or MX series ($55 to $85) or the Delkim EV series ($85US) With that said, my main alarms are FOX EOS-X alarms and I love them.

In Toronto, tackle shops supplied by KTL should be able to get you an alarm made by Wychwood – You’d probably have to ask them first if they are. Angling Specialties in Scarborough had 1 alarm for sale earlier this year. FishOnline at Jane and Lawrence might have alarms and pods in stock – If they don’t, they might be able to order pods for you from FOX (You most likely will have to wait a while for it though) In Ontario you can get rod pods from (In no particular order) - Long Sault motel - Bill’s bait and tackle - Fishing World

Today on CTV there was a segment about people who’ve put their name on the DNC list. Essentially at this moment, you’ve been screwed over and there's no real answer in sight. Not too long ago I recall one news segment stating that the list can be purchased (I guess telemarketers have done this).

My dad and I used noodle rods, steelhead/salmon rods, steelhead float rods for years for carp. I still use my 10' salmon/steelhead rods for stalking carp. Play the angles right and you can land a pretty hefty sized fish within 10-15 minutes. They are obviously not the best choice for casting heavy weights, feeders or for landing fish in fast flowing or snaggy water. Here's my dad reefing back with my old noodle rod.

In terms of carp rods at the show, Fishing World (if they are there) usually has a small selection of Shimano carp rods in their booth. If Peter is there, he'd probably be the best person to walk you through your options if you're looking for a sales guy. Bill's Bait and Tackle was mentioned as a place to get stuff but also have a look at: www.wackerbaits.com Bill's can get you stuff from wacker baits without the shipping or customs if you ask. Angling Specialties carries the Shimano Alivio carp rods for around $55-$60. If you don't mind doing mail order, you can order stuff from the Long Sault motel. Jeff Vaughan is a great guy to deal with if you're looking for specialty carp items from the UK - You also don't have to pay additional customs. He's offered me great service in the past and he also smuggled over my bait to the States when we fished a tourney together last year.

Awesome thread...Too funny As for the unhooking mat, if the wifey asks about the smell, you can tell her you got lucky with Becky from Marketing

Very nice Kemper Hopefully I'll be able to make it out this weekend Don't worry too much about accounting. When stuff doesn't balance, stick the remainder into cash

There’s nothing in this world that could safely contain the power of that rod. If you stuck it in a nuclear reactor core, you could power the cities of Toronto, Pickering, Mississauga, Oakville and Hamilton for 1000 years just from its awesomeness. In the wrong hands it’s a weapon of mass destruction bent on annoying anglers within 1km downstream of you while you make mega long-distance drifts and hooksets. Far too much power for only 1 man to control

If he built it, it would be the most powerful float rod in the history of man-kind It may possess a power so great that mere mortals like us cannot contemplate on how to handle it.

Deepest condolences to you, Jacques and your family.

No clue how much it would be to strip down a GLX. At least there's no hook keeper to get in the way.LOL I'm guessing You would probably void the warranty by doing so which in retrospect, may cost you more in the long run should you break it.

From what I can find, CTS and Raven are the only ones to have float blanks to 15’ readily available on the market. If you can find one, House of Hardy also made them to 15’ but I’ll wager that you probably might not like the action much if you’re used to the newer float rods with faster tapers. Talon at one time made them to 17’ but I’ve only seen 1 around 12 years ago. 15’ Loomis IMX blanks (If you can find one) were chop-shopped by various individuals from other rods (I have no clue which) to get them that length – At least that’s what their old rep told me. One of my friends found a butt extension in his rod when he went to rebuild the handle.LOL The GLX currently do not come in blank form unless you strip it down and do a rebuild. As Spiel mentioned, I’d definitely get in touch with a few rod builders like: John Collina (JC tackle - Caledonia) Tom Cheng (AngSpec - Concord) George Cheng (AngSpec – Scarborough) Billy (Wilsons – Toronto) Randy (Natural Sports – Kitchener) Phil Ptak (Not sure if he’s still building but I can get you his contact info if you need – Buffalo, NY) I’ve built 2 15’ rods in the past for my friends (Raven IM9, House of Hardy) and in terms of cost (flor grade cork, Fuji SIC, rosewood reel seat + butt, blank, labour), they were in the neighbourhood of $670 - $790 (not including tax).

I only have basic cable + the Discovery channel package so I don't watch WFN. I met JPD last week at my local tackle shop and from what I can tell, he's a very down-to-earth type guy who gave me some great advice on fishing the Niagara. All the best

Brilliant report Fidel. Definitely want to try my hand at fishing in Cuba especially for the tarpon and cudas. I'm amazed you actually got a hook into that needle fish. "But master, we need your skilled hands.. My skilled hands are busy!!" LMAO

I’ve tried using floating poppers for pike a couple times but never caught any. My friends set me up with a floating line + 6-8’ of 12-15lb mono + 20lb wire leader that you could actually tie knots with (Cortland I think) + fly and it worked OK when the fish were shallow. Never tried a sinking line for them before. In general casting wasn’t pretty and on more than 1 occasion I did nail myself in the head with a clouser minnow…Opening up the loop when casting big or heavy flies really helps to prevent that from happening. LOL

I used to take my fly rod to the islands a few times a year. Haven't done it for about 4 years but it was fun provided the wind wasn't too bad. Didn't catch any really big ones though - mostly under 5lbs. I used an 8wt Sage XP matched with an old pike taper fly line my friend gave me (Think it was made by Scientific Anglers) and used flies like Deceivers, clouser minnows and polar fibre minnows. At the islands, watch out for trees and pedestrians behind you.LOL Here are some of my flies for my pike fishing

Drifter touched on population as well as the privatization of waters in the UK but also consider the types of waters you fish. In many instances, the fish do not spawn successfully and must be stocked in limited numbers in small (compared to Canadian standards) gravel pits or ponds. An angler in the UK might belong to a syndicate which only has 40 fish with only 1 fish over 30lbs named ‘Two-Tone Jr’. From what I hear, it’s also expensive to stock fish as well. In Canada there’s definitely no shortage of wild carp (small or big). The populations of tasty freshwater fish like panfish (like perch & crappies) and walleye are healthy enough and prolific enough in many places to support regulated catch and keep angling. In some cases, fish are purposely stocked to provide enjoyment and a meal for an angler. I grew up fishing with a lot of anglers from the UK. It certainly was a culture shock for them to see anglers catching carp destined for the table (or not using an unhooking mat if they weren’t). If you grew up watching ‘A Passion for Angling’, you might recall the narrator saying “that fish unless the highly edible sort must not be killed” or something along those lines. Canada is the most culturally diverse country in the world and one angler’s trash-fish might be another one’s treasure (or dinner). I recall not too long ago in one of the English newspapers that there were problems with Polish immigrants poaching carp across the UK for their dinner. In Canada it’s an accepted practice to eat carp – though for me I have no desire to try. There are some differences in angling culture between UK and Canada but not many you’d find totally unusual. The majority of anglers I meet on the bank are mostly catch and release anglers (at least for around Toronto and southern Ontario). I’d love to visit England one day – Mainly to purchase new carp gear without the duty and customs and to take a few pictures with the guards wearing the fury black hats. Also driving on the wrong side of the road – that sounds like just plain fun.LOL

Fantastic reportage Snag! WTG

Welcome to the forum Lots of places to fish around Toronto accessible by public transit. Up until last year the bus, subway, street car and ferry were the only forms of transportation I had on a regular basis for my fishing. I did get funny looks bringing 12’ carp rods or 13’steelhead float rods on the bus though. Every year I meet up with a few friends from the UK and take them around to the harbourfront or to the Toronto islands for carp and they have a blast. June is a great time of year to come to Toronto… There’s great fishing to be had and it’s also the beginning of mini-skirt season Hope you enjoy your trip over

Totally awesome! Those fish in the vid look like tiger shovelnose cats. I have always wanted to catch those along with other big Amazon cats like the red-tail, jau and the giant piraiba which have been recorded to over 500lbs. My dad is from Guyana and he used to fish for catfish there when he was a kid. Would absolutely love to do a trip down to South America in the future. Thanks for posting

I have a Daiwa Laguna 500. Not sure if they're made anymore but it has a smooth drag. I've landed 2-3lb smallies with it in the past and the drag is smooth. My only gripe is the drag knob doesn't click when you adjust it but in terms of performance, I can't complain.

Lots of pike around the Toronto harbourfront and the islands. I used to bring my fly rod to the islands in the spring and I’d get small ones in the canals usually under 5lbs – My PB is 13lbs. When I’m carp fishing the islands, I sometimes hook into pike on corn and boilies as soon as the rig hits the water – only landed a few as they chew through the line most of the time. Haven't caught a musky yet but have seen some laying near shore along the Trent river.

I've never put counter-weights into any of my rods. I figure that while a rod may seem less tip heavy with weight shoved in the butt end, the rod itself will be heavier which could lead to problems somewhere else. With tip heavy rods, I just shove the butt end of the rod underneath my armpit and keep my arm and hand close to the body. If you have sliding rings, move the reel up or down to find the spot that feels right for you - that's probably the easiest and least expensive way to achieve comfort.

Go for it! You learn things faster from other people than when you try to do it alone. Treat each fishing trip as a learning experience and develop your skills. You learn even faster and remember things better when you fail. Definitely learn to roll cast. If you have access to a pond, you can try practicing your roll casting there on the water. To roll cast, you need to have some 'line stick' in order to load the rod. Another option is to tie the end of the line + leader a distance away to something like a tent peg 30ft away and practice your forward stroke. Or tie leader full of blood knots with the tag ends of the knots left a little long - works well for grass. When you've mastered the roll cast, you can try things like spey casting which involves a roll cast + a change in direction and is more versatile for fishing moving water.

Fantastic report and pics. WTG guys