MJL

I don't have the dimensions of the 6500b on hand but if you have those sliding rings as your reel seat, it should fit. I've heard complaints that the reel foot of the 6500 was too long to fit inside the reel seat and others have complained that it was too fat to fit into the reel seat hoods. In either case, you would want to make sure that the reel would be able to fit into the rings before you buy it.

Boillies are round baits made out of eggs, cornmeal, oils, flavourings, etc and boiled to make them hard. They're good when fish are rejecting corn. They also shine in areas with gobies and other small fish which eat corn and bread.

Here are a few pounds worth of mine...Currently getting them packed for my trip to the St. Lawrence.

Great report and pics. Looks like a very scenic place be and relax.

Anyways, next step is to go out and buy a Shimano Baitrunner.I hear they are the cats meow for this type of fishing. Just got to figure out which one to get,the 3500, 4500 or 6500 ????

Got any sugestions ????

 

Thanx

As far as the Shimano baitrunner is concerned, I've been happy with my 4500b. It's about the right size for use on most carp rods. The 3500b will go well with most salmon/steelhead rods. My only gripe with the reel is the poor line-lay but if you're not distance casting, you won't notice it very much/if at all. If you opt for the 6500b, take your rod with you to the store and make sure it fits...I know of a few cases where the purchaser bought the 6500 and found out it didn't fit the reel seat on his rod. Smooth drag and very durable...Never had a problem with the baitrunner feature on my reels.

Hope this helps

Sounds like you had a great day out. Those are some big crappies. Shame about the poor water quality though...Do you think it has to do with pollution or is it something natural. I remember fishing there once a few years ago and can't remember if it was a fully enclosed lake or part of the Grand river system.

Great report. Glad all your hard-work paid off. You certainly deserved it. Loving the pics.

Does this mean you don't need you Shimano GTE-B anymore? I'll gladly take it off your hands.

I might join you this week with my centrepins and float rods.

Nice work with the outrigger Cliff. Cool use of foam! Nice to see your daughter having fun fishing. That's what it's all about.

When she's old enough to paddle the canoe by herself, you've got the perfect system to bait up your carp swims...I would imagine that canoe would hold quite a lot of corn before it starts to sink. No need to spend thousands on a remote controlled bait-boat when you've got a canoe and an able bodied kid.

Never really noticed whether or not smallies that I've caught had black spots on their tails. The ones that I did keep for shore lunch were filled with those black parasites. Provided that you cook the fillets long enough, they add extra protein to your meal...Yum!

They don't really bother me all that much...When my friends ask me whether or not they're parasites, I just tell them I pre-seasoned the fillets with black pepper...Ignorance is bliss.

Congrats on the new set-up Beans. Hopefully you'll be able to Christen it soon.

On a side-note: With a 1.5-2lb test curve, I would be a little hesitant to throw a fully loaded method feeder at distance. Beyond basic ledgering, it looks like a great rod for stalking and float fishing.

A few years ago I did some inquiry about spraying WD-40 on lures and came up with 2 answers

1. WD-40 contains fish oils and some natural ingrediants that fish find attractive. No clue to the truth of this. The good folks at WD-40 never replied to my E-mails.

2. One book by Bernie Taylor, "Big Trout - how to catch them", stated that trout do not have the chemical receptors to detect WD-40 or understand what it actually is. Hence it is a great way to mask negative odors on lures - EG: Cigarette smoke, human sweat, etc

Then the question remains, why not just use commercial fish scent to do both?

I've never tried WD-40 on lures as a scent. On the recommendation from a good friend of mine, the way to clean caked-on salmon-egg juice off a rod was to use WD-40. I sprayed a little on the blank to see the result...In the end, the chemical ate a little into the epoxy finish and left a gritty surface film (even after I quickly wiped it off with a paper towel). IMO, a chemical better left for squeaky garage doors.

I thought WD40 was a cleaning solvent rather than a lubricant or corrosion resisting agent. Ever spray rollerblade bearings with WD40? They seem to rust 3X faster than normal. I stopped using it long ago...I found it always left a gritty surface film behind which I would have to wash off with water and dish-soap anyway.

Great report Rich

That's a nice carp...The bass aren't too shabby either.

If I buy them today will they last overnight in the cooler to fish in the morning tomorow and possibly into the evening Saturday?

I've had them live 3-4 days in a cooler bag with only an ice pack. They would've lived longer if I didn't stick a hook into them.

I love those lines......

 

1)Honey, look what my friend gave to me today... He said he didn't use it anymore. Calcutta Bait Caster

 

2)Darling, my client gave this to me, he's a rep for Raven (refering to a 14ft IM7 Stelhead Rod, not to mention I have no association whatsoever with anyone who works for Raven)

 

3) And my St. Croix 6ft med actn that they had a huge clearout on for $15.99 at a bait shop in Pickering. Is there a bait shop in Pickering?

Nonetheless, after much discussion, my wife has concluded that I really bought the rod for myself and not her. So, thank you bass pro for such a wonderful sale.

You could also make a comparison to your wife by saying

"You spend so much $ on make-up when you're already so beautiful"

That has gotten me out of a ditch more than once

So they won't suck the blood out of your finger? Thats what has always kept me away from using leeches. I figured the would attack your finger. Shoudl I put the hook through the sucker or behind the sucker. and hook it once or double hook it thorugh the body?

I normally hook mine through the body near the sucker...Hooking it through the sucker is next to impossible with all the squirming they do.

How do you get them off your finger if they are attatched, don't you have to kill them to get them off? Maybe I'll just grab them with a pair of pliers and hook em.

They come off easy. Almost like getting a mini suction cup off your skin. I pull mine off with my hand. Fishing leeches don't have the teeth that medical leeches have.

The ones that tackle shops sell (ribbon leeches I think) can't get through skin.

I actually induce suction onto my finger so I can stick a hook into them - Otherwise they just keep squirming. I normally stick the hook through the fat end near the sucker.

Congrats!

NOW WHAT FOR A CENTER PIN ???????

Islander

Not Islander...AngSpec!

I’ve always bought the best gear that I could afford…Or almost afford and set up a financing plan with the tackle shop (interest free of course )…I also fish quite a few days more than the average weekend warrior (that’s my justification for high-end gear and I’m sticking to it).

IMO, whether something is “quality” really depends on whether or not the product meets or exceeds the user’s needs and/or expectations. For the person who may fish a dozen times per year, a BPS combo may be all that he/she needs. Case-in-point: A newbie certainly wouldn’t utilize the full performance of a high-end, ultra-fast action fly rod that pros like Steve Rajeff or Jerry Siem would get out of it – In some cases, it can even hinder their learning curve. Beyond price, a newbie probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a Loomis GLX and a $36 Rapala special anyway…Usually they’re just happy to be outside catching fish.

BPS and Rapala rods and reels are a good alternative to those who just want to wet a line and could care less that their rod doesn't have 65+ million modules of graphite, Fuji SIC guides, Flor grade cork from Portugal or a reel seat made of the same carbon-fiber used in Ferraris. Buy what you need or what you can afford. People after-all were catching fish with twigs back in the stone age.

As far as buying fishing gear for the significant other, more often than not, they would rather you save a buck and not have to pull a Lorena Bobbit on you for blowing $300 on a new reel...Members like BLY may think differently though (hopefully for CCMT's well-being)

They should be fine in a cooler with ice. I've had them last for 3-4 days in a cooler with only an ice pack...They probably would've lasted longer if I didn't impale them with a hook.

Minnow

Goby

Smallest mirror carp I've caught

Mini chinny (jack salmon)

Hammer-handle

Either a perch or a baby walleye...Not exactly sure.

Favourite lines for a spinning reel:

Mono: Excalibur SilverThread

Hybrid: P-Line Floroclear

Superline: PowerPro in 20lb

I use Raven 8lb on my centrepins and I would imagine it would also perform just as well on a spinning reel.

I doubt that I could choose just 1 line for all the conditions that I face in a season though.

Good luck Greg

I've never fished that lake before but here's a report from Solopaddler not too long ago

http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.p...ic=9754&hl=

I don't fish for bass much but I have spent some time on shield lakes.

Before I owned a fish finder I used to troll around the shoreline of a lake with a live-bait rig consisting of a Lindy no-snag sinker + barrel swivel + 3ft of fluorocarbon leader + circle hook + leech/worm/grub. It was simple but effective (provided the lake wasn't too large). Failing that, I would zig-zag across the lake to try to find them (usually I didn't have to)...Alternatively you can use a minnow lure and fan-cast to cover water. A few pros told me that shield lake bass are very nomadic but once you find 1 fish, you find lots more...I would have to agree. They can be on humps, under fallen trees and along rocky shoals.

Once I found a fish, I either anchored up (when I could) or drifted/paddled around over the same spot I caught the fish...Usually I would pick up lots more. Most of my success was at dawn or in the evenings. I still got the odd fish at high-noon.

I caught both my PB smallies from Algonquin park (both in the 19-20 inch range)...I think my dad also has his PB from Algonquin park as well (his slightly smaller than mine of course )

Not sure if tackle shops still have the line recycling program but you can give your local shop a call to see. I think it might have been Berkley who took the old lines and turned them into plastic crates which would then be submerged into a lake. Bass and panfish would use the crates to spawn in.

I fill my spools 1/3 to 1/2 way with old line and use it as backing...Doesn't exactly eliminate the problem of disposal but it sure saves a few $ each season.

If you're squeamish about using live bait, you can always go to the local tackle shop and pick up a jar of those Berkley Gulp worms. I've done quite well using them for panfish. A little expensive though if you ask me.

I was fishing along Bayfront park for carp on the bass opener and surprisingly saw many bass cruising around along the shoreline - Both a mix of smallmouth and largemouth bass. They weren't very big (perhaps about 1 - 1.5lbs) but there were quite a few of them. Also saw 1 rainbow trout on the same day which appeared a little lost...Perhaps it was trying to find Lake O. The angler next to me caught a nice channel cat on a boillie.