adempsey

I don't see how a member viewing a post and not replying or contributing is any different than a non-member doing the same thing. So, to me, it's a moot argument. Besides, the site would likely lose revenue if it went members only unless it was a paid membership. Why do people have to reply to every thread they read anyway? Oftentimes people just have nothing to say. I'd rather have fewer replies than people posting nonsense to increase their post count.

Very cool. Makes you think twice about relieving yourself off the side of the boat too!!

Always a sad thing to hear about. My condolences to the families and friends.

Looks like a great time! Love the last shot, really makes me yearn for the "north".

I fished Ivanhoe Lake a couple of years ago. We didn't do all that great with numbers either, but it's a nice lake. I am surprised you didn't get into any Jumbo Perch. Some real nice ones in that lake.

Need to find out if they eat protein or sugars. I'd first try some sugar + Borax dissolved in water. Search the net for a recipe, it's very simple. I bought some traps that were basically this solution, but would have made my own if I could have located the Borax in the store that day. Anyway, it worked for me. You do have to wait a few days while they eat it and bring it back to their hive. Also, plug up any obvious entrance points after those few days as well. If they eat protein you can use peanut butter + Borax instead of the sugar + water. Good luck!

That's unfortunate. Hopefully you find someone to replace your partner and I hope that they are OK. I wish it could be me because the trip you planned sounds pretty amazing. Maybe I'll just leave my wife a note? That could end well, no?

Wow, some nice fish! Nice to see the lake is still legendary after 8 years!

We used to use Fireplugs for bass fishing all the time when I was a kid. They were our go to lure and they worked great. Would buy some if I could find them.

Any particular reason you want to go to St.Clair? I can think of a ton of nicer places to be, but the fishing might not be.

Well, you're supposed to go through a checklist for a rental boat and that's the equivalent of the operators card. So, technically you do need one still. At least, that's how I understand the regs. Maybe I missed something?

I've experienced the same issues as the original poster. However, in my case, if I were to categorize all the jackasses into "ethnic groups" I'd say it's been predominantly white Canadians. So, what does that mean? It means absolutely nothing. It's easy to judge from your personal experiences, but it's unfair to claim such broad generalizations based on them.

There are some cottages in Mitchell's Bay, but never stayed at any of the places myself.

Always nice to read about your adventures. I, for one, am glad I wasn't there, lol. Nice fish though =).

As mentioned, light pollution is a big problem. However, you should be able to see some brighter objects as long as you can find them. Not sure how bad it is for you, but I live in London and can see the typical bright objects (you can see these with the naked eye). My telescope is nothing special though. The one way that people have been able to circumvent the light pollution to some degree is to use a CCD video camera. Basically, a CCD camera can capture a lot more of the light over a short period of time compared to the eye. So people hook a CCD camera up to their telescopes and display the output onto a computer screen or TV. With this setup you would be amazed what you can "see". There are some people in Toronto doing this and broadcast on the Night Skies Network. I don't necessarily recommend doing this as a first set-up, but it's not so complicated that you couldn't. Keep in mind, you can always drive a short distance to darker skies.

I can't say that I am up on the operations of the MNR, but I have a feeling that there is no money "to go anywhere" and they are under staffed. Have you visited a public school or hospital lately? IMO, everything is a mess and unfortunately the MNR is not a top priority. Maybe they need to start a volunteer CO program or something.

I'd probably try for a private cottage with that many people. Otherwise, you'll have to call around and see if you can get in at the "last minute" because as mentioned, not many places rent for less than a week in July and August. These ones are nice Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve has some larger cottages as well. I wouldn't mention anything about a bachelor party to anyone either, lol. Good luck!

If it were me, I'd look for last years Shimano Compre or Crucial rods on clearance. Might still be able to find some, somewhere. Otherwise, I would take a look at the "lower end" St. Croix lineups - Mojo Bass, Triumph, Eyecon, Premier. It also sounds like a baitcaster would be most suitable for you. I don't use them much, so can't really suggest anything.

Those are nice spoon storage options, but I bet I could fit all those spoons into a single Plano 3700 box . The empty box might even weigh less than that pouch too! Also, I admit I am guilty of bringing in far more tackle than I would ever use on all my fishing trips, but I bet you don't really need 36 different spoons for your fly-in trip .

JB's Fishing Depot might have some. I bought large Owner jigs there in the past, but they didn't have a large selection.

Bought my copy at LeBarons a few years back. I'd be surprised if you could find a copy in a Chapters or Indigo store. If you can't find it at LeBaron's, you'll probably have to order a used copy from Chapters or Amazon.

Nice, some of the biggest perch I've seen. Must have been a hell of a day!

I am guessing this is it?

Try any of the Spectra braids, but the sound made when passing through the guides won't be better - probably worse. Maybe look into the "lower stretch" co-polymers, fluorocarbon or Berkley Nanofil if you're trying to avoid the noise - although, I am not sure if the Nanofil makes any noise or not.

I did the same for my ice fishing gear, but used KVD line conditioner. Not sure if I noticed a difference (I fish outside of a hut). Regardless, it wasn't enough for me to continue to use it.