adempsey

Turns out I am heading back up there this weekend =). Hopefully we don't get blown across the lake! The weather forecast isn't looking too good for Saturday =(

Sent you a PM Rolly. Was hoping for some Ling tips!

I look for a new place to go ice fishing for a weekender with my friends every year. Although your criteria are reasonable, finding a place like that can be difficult - at least it has been for me. I'd suggest looking at places on Temagami, Nipissing and Nosbonsing. On Nipissing you would probably want a sleeper hut. However, I am not that familiar with the Sudbury area for ice fishing, so there may be some amazing places closer to you.

I'd recommend going through the list provided by OOD:

http://www.ontariooutofdoors.com/icefishing/articles/?ID=327&a=read

Good luck!

You might be able to fit them into the Hilltop Luxury Cottage at Muskie Bay Resort on Rice Lake. The owner is a great guy and runs a nice clean place. Fishing can be good for walleye and bass. Great panfish for kids.

Elmhirst's on Rice Lake also has a 5 bedroom cottage, but I am not sure how much it is. They tend to be pricey.

Pleasant Cove in Pointe au Baril on Georgian Bay also has a large 4 bed cottage that might work out for you.

I have been the the ones I mentioned above, but even though I haven't been, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest looking at Limberlost Lodge as it might be a perfect spot for your group. Their Long Lake cabin sleeps 12 and the Falcon Bay cabin sleeps 15. Fish for brook and rainbow trout. I don't know about bringing in your own boat though.

Lake Trout, Whitefish, Ling, Smelt. There are speckled trout as well, but I don't think they are a common catch.

Went up a few weeks ago and caught some lake trout. Fishing was pretty slow though. We also caught a bunch of smelt. We were marking smelt all day.

Talked to some other people and some whitefish were being caught as well.

We accessed the lake via Union Street.

Here is a lake map I found on the net:

Ugh, that sucks. I rarely park on the ice and if I do it's usually < 1 FOW.

Maybe it's just me, but I found those two news anchors incredibly annoying. I'd go nuts if I had to watch them on a regular basis.

Hmmm, I dunno. I think I need to inspect it closer and field test it on the water. Feel free call me to set up an appointment.

I don't trade in used or new rods, I give 'em away to kids.

Actually, the rods have to be in working condition and they are donated to children's programs =)

Nice dubstep drop, lol!

Don't own one, but they have been an extremely popular reel for a long time. Known for being a really good "bang for your buck", so to speak. If you search the net for some reviews you will see what I mean. I'd probably own a President or Supreme if I didn't dislike the feel of the handle so much.

Save your money. Instead of buying a few of those low quality lures, get one good one. We always buy way more than we need. I know I do.

The whole process became more difficult with the changes they made last year. The exam is not as much of a joke as it used to be. Glad I got mine when I did.

Stayed there last year for a weekend of ice fishing. Bring your auger, you will most likely need to move around. That's pretty much a given for anywhere though IMO. Unfortunately we never got into many walleye. We caught a bunch of small perch, some herring and OOS musky. Best fishing for us was the area before the narrows to Grass Lake. However, the few walleye caught were near his huts that were further down the bay. Not sure what the ice is like this year though, so be cautious in those narrows if you go that way.

We stayed in the main lodge (?) I think. Wasn't the cleanest place, but was fine for us. Wouldn't take my family there though.

The owner seemed pleasant enough.

If the fishing was better, we'd probably go back.

This is what I would arm myself for walleye ice fishing.

A handful of spoons. Not surprisingly, there are many that are known to work well. I like the Williams Spoons, Swedish Pimples and Buckshot Rattle Spoons.

A few horizontal minmows. I like the Rapala and Moonshine jigs.

I'd probably take at least one darter and blade bait as well.

I'd also have some jigs. Although I'd tip them with a minnow, using a Gulp minnow or plastic grub can work too.

I have to ask, why would you knowingly plan a trip to the worst rated outfitter on the lake? It has me almost suspicious :-)

1) All others operators are booked.

2) The business is currently on the market. So, I suppose it's possible that someone is doing research or some marketing, but I think it's mostly likely #1.

Have you seen the new Lowrance Elite-4 series. It's only a 3.5" screen, but you can get a color one at a great price. The DSI only version is currently $200 at BPS in the states ($400 for the Elite-5x). They're new so not sure how available they are atm. I am planning on getting something in that series (or the B&W Mark-4 series) to replace my current portable.

I figure it cuts the trip in half time wise - 10 hours driving between Nakina and Thunderbay, 4 hours driving to Toronto (assuming that's where you are flying from), 4 hours waiting at the airport both flights (yes this will happen), flight time is 2 hours? add another 1-2 hours to that for taxiing. It's probably still worth it though, I just think your numbers might be a bit off.

I am not sure, but maybe you could catch a flight from Thunderbay to Geraldton on Wasaya Airways? Not sure if that helps that much though. Wonder if you could fly to the outpost from Geraldton?

Train is another option, but I am sure it's not that much cheaper than flying these days.

Personally I don't mind driving, especially with a stop over or two. I find flying very grueling. I always feel nauseous when I fly - nothing to do with nerves or the actual flight, just all the waiting and sitting around.

Ultimately, I would leave it up to your brother to decide. Maybe a couple nights sleep during the trip might actually be better for him?

I had to take a Zantac just from reading it!! Which of course means I must give it a try.

I am very sorry for your loss. There is no doubt your father's proudest day was the day you stepped up in his unfortunate absence. You can be sure he expected nothing less, as you are his son.

All the best to you and your family in these difficult times.

My Wife and I stayed at Mitchell's Camp about 20 yrs ago and the camps were very clean and comfortable and the service was great we even had them deliver supplies and a newspaper daily and the price at the end of the week was unbelievably low.I don't know if they are still in operation but if they are I would highly recommend them,Because being nice honest people is what they are about.mikdor

Is that the camp near the dam on Evelyn? I never could find much information about it. I believe it used to be owned by the same person who does the portage service over the dam. Is it still in operation?

The only other thing I wasn't sure about is if it costs to park your car and trailer at Mowat's Landing?? There are cottages there on the river as well where you park for the boat-in lodges.

White Pine Lodge has always interested me. I am hoping to stay there at some point.

I spent a week at both Garden Island and Island 10. There is a good chance we'll be back again to Lady Ev this year as well.

Fishing for walleye is probably the best I have had on this side of the province. Good sized fish with a reasonable chance at some trophies. 100 fish days (more like a single evening) are definitely possible, but not the norm like you might find in the northwest. It's a large body of water, but you will find fish close to wherever you stay. Find your typical walleye structure and fish it in the morning and evenings. What I find is that those anglers that have a hard time finding fish are used to trolling deep water for walleye - since that is the method they will stick to. However, you will find that the walleye are typically shallower in 8 to 10 FOW and almost always <20FOW.

Pike fishing was mediocre for us. We always caught a few small ones during the day, but never really got into them; not for lack of trying either. There are some great "pikey" looking places on the lake that just never seemed to produce for us. As mentioned, you'd be better going into a back lake if you want to fish for pike. Trolling around some of the bays seemed to work out well for some people though.

Smallmouth bass. We got into some really nice smallmouth a few times. Find some rocks, you will catch them. However, finding a good rocky area isn't as easy as it may sound. You might have to travel a bit if you want to go after the bass. Probably worthwhile because there are some real pigs in the lake.

Whitefish. They are there, but never caught one. I've only been to the lake in the summer though, but if you're there during the mayfly hatch you might be able to get into some.

I have heard only good things about all four lodges on the lake. The one thing you need to consider is that if you bring your own boat, you have to have it hauled up over the damn for you. Not sure how much that costs or if it's included in the price. Keep in mind, the boats at GI and Island10 were great. The have top notch equipment. I am not sure about the other two lodges though since I have not been.

I am currently in the same situation as you are. Trying to find a decent walleye fishery that I can drive or boat to. However, my group doesn't want any outposts either. I know there are a few drive-to outpost cabins that I would be checking out if my group had the interest.

Are you focused on inland lakes, or have you considered Bay of Quinte??

There are different types of stem cells. The cells they are talking about for the sickle cell anemia are specifically from bone marrow. Although you can basically harvest stem cells from almost any tissue, and even create them from "adult" cells, a lot of that research is still in it's infancy. The cells from bone marrow or blood can be used now to treat people - although, as far as I know even this treatment is still in the early stages since they don't have enough donors to test it out. So basically, they simply need more bone marrow donors.

As for harvesting embryonic or fetal tissue, there is a whole gamut of ethical issues tied to that. I know for certain it's used for research purposes, but I am not sure what tissue (if any) is collected for transplant.

Thanks for taking the time and putting that together. Was a pleasure to read. I can only hope that the days that lie ahead of me hold such adventure.

Cheers!

Sounds like a good weekend to me! Hoping to get out there myself soon!

Thanks for posting the report.

Cheers!

Wow! That was awesome! Those are some FAT fish. You are making me re-think this whole ice fishing thing!

Cheers.