adempsey

Looks like it was an incredible trip! Great job on the photos too. Really glad you won that contest to head back. I can only hope that one day I get to experience a place like that. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

Looks like the thing ate a snake. They are looking at the stomach contents!! Very weird regardless.

I had a hard time finding it at first, but this is the summary document that includes the options the OFAH letter refers to if anyone else was having trouble.

The way I see it is that limiting access to a fishery is indeed a form of conservation. I think there is plenty of evidence to support the impact on the fishery when access is less restrictive. Why does it have to be black and white - no access or complete access? Why no middle ground? That is where everyone benefits in the long run.

I can't say that I read through all the governments proposed policies, but I do support the increased conservation and protection of the remote lakes. If I understand the OFAH position, it looks like they want to increase access to all these remote lakes. To me that just seems counter to their supposed stance on conservation. I'll have to spend some time wading my way through that web of government documents to better educate myself on this proposal. I believe September 1st 2011 is that last day for public comment. Thanks for posting that link.

Any trip in which I go to a lake I have never fished before I like to spend time and go over bathymetric maps and satellite images [whatever maps I can get really] and try to determine areas that look like they hold fish. Next I look through my various books, research articles on the internet and ask around on internet forums. If I am staying at a lodge/resort, I talk to the lodge owner/staff and other guests; and share fish stories/information throughout my stay. As already mentioned, a sonar works wonders and trolling is a great way to cover a lot of water. A GPS is important too (you can get the Navionics maps for most cell phones now for relatively cheap - not the best "GPS", but it's still useful even if you just use the maps) and can at least get you in the general vicinity if you don't have a sonar. Regardless of the amount of effort I put into my "pre-fishing research", there is no guarantee of finding active fish. My last trip was a good example of that. Never hurts to prepare though.

I remember reading about some private land on Lake Simcoe that includes part of the lake. I believe it had something to do with harvesting ice back in the day. No clue if it's still the case now though.

One of my favorite Kawartha Lakes. Was hoping to get back this year and maybe even hit it up for some ice fishing someday. Thanks for sharing!

The only pre-made ones I have personally come across are 80-100lb+ test. Several companies make them (most of them are musky tackle companies) including Bass Pro.

Just tell your sister that the most fish = elite skills and the biggest fish = pure luck

Yes, the new owner made a BIG mistake. That lodge had a great reputation and what appeared to be a relatively large American client base. It's too bad. I rented a boat from there after the new owner took over several years ago, and wow, what a mess. I guess he just got in over his head. I imagine it's probably going to be up for sale again in the near future.

Looks like it was an awesome trip! Great location for a family trip too. Thanks for sharing and making the tour video. Looks like another place I'd like to visit. Cheers! Forgot to ask, how long was the ATV ride to the camp?

Nice fish! That 32"er must have been a real beast! The largest fish we caught at our last Horwood trip was 26" and it was really chunky. We had a hard time finding the fish on our last trip, but still had some success. Nice to see hear you did well. Cheers.

Best bet is to decide on a few lakes and start calling around the week or two weeks before the weekend you want to book. In my experience, if they have an opening that hasn't been filled you might be able to get it for just the weekend. I used to do it all the time. It might be more difficult with that many people though. Another thing to consider is the price difference between a weekend and a week. It's not really that much more for a week, so you can just book the week and stay for the weekend...done that before myself. For weekenders, I typically hit the Kawartha lakes. In my experience, I prefer Pigeon/Chemong/Buckhorn for fishing so far. The French river is a great place too. Anyway, make it an adventure and just book what you can. Keep in mind, the old saying "you get what you pay for" is generally true when it comes to cottage rentals. So, if you pick the cheapest place, don't expect too much There are some places listed on this Kawartha tourism site and this one for Rice Lake, but it's definitely not comprehensive. Here is one for French River as well. There is also the Land'O'Lakes region in eastern Ontario, but I haven't had the chance to explore that area yet so can't really comment much. There are a lot of places in that region though. Maybe someone else can suggest one, but here is a tourism site that lists a bunch of resorts. Good luck!

I don't think I could do just 10. I like this list though: http://www.collegehumor.com/bestcomedy

Thanks guys. I always forget about the conservation areas, will check a couple of those out. Will look into that harbor area too. Cheers.

I am currently staying in Amherstburg for the next few weeks and was hoping someone might be able to suggest a couple of shore fishing spots for me. I haven't shore fished the area since I was a kid and all those spots are long gone and much of the area near me is parks and you're not allowed to fish from them. Hopefully there are some locals on this board that could help me out. I don't mind driving a ways either. Feel free to PM me. I was planning on looking into possibly booking a musky charter on St.Clair too, so if anyone has any suggestions for that as well, I'd also appreciate it. Cheers.

Just got back from Horwood last week. Definitely bring that bug repellent. I probably have 200 bites on my arms, lol. If you're staying at Horwood Lodge I can suggest a few spots to try. Cheers.

Baking soda is my top choice for removing any type of odour anywhere. Works great. Bleach for disinfecting (capful in a gallon or so of water is more than enough).

I'd call them and try to work something out. It's a bit ridiculous that you would have to do that. In the end, that option will still be there.

I stayed at Pleasant Cove Resort a few years ago. Was a nice place. Outdoor pool and a decent sized beach. They have a couple of nice cottages right on the beach too, the others are up top on a cliff and have great views. As for fishing, well, never caught a musky, but there are some really prime looking spots in the vicinity. His rental boats aren't anything special, but never had any issues (fish finder costs extra). The one thing I hated was the boat traffic. I most likely will never go back to that body of water in the summer ever again. It's way too busy for me. Although, I always wanted to head back in the fall for some musky fishing. Rice lake has several nice family resorts, but I don't think the musky fishing is too spectacular - but, I never actually targeted them here. Although, I have seen some real beasts caught over the years. In my experience, the Pigeon tri-lakes are much better for fishing, but the resorts I stayed at aren't as good for families IMO - only stayed at a few though, so maybe someone else has a suggestion. French river might also be a good spot. My buddy goes musky fishing there every year. However, not too sure about family resorts as I only stayed at what I would call a "fishing resort". Good luck!

According to the MNR Fish-Online web app it has Lake Trout, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth and Perch in it. However, based on feedback on the boards, I am not sure how accurate Fish-Online is.

What singingdog said should work IMO. The slip bobber is only there to keep the line vertical. Since the weight is at the end of the line and sitting on the bottom it shouldn't matter how deep it is since you wouldn't use a bobber stop at all. The bobber isn't suspending the setup, it's just keeping it vertical. Although I haven't tried it, I read an method once that is similar in which you use a slip bobber to vertically jig weedbeds from a distance. Similar principle. What you're saying should work as well using the same principle. In your case, the bobber is just fixed to the line. As long as you have enough weight to pull it under, or it's set at the correct height anyway. I think just having enough weight and taught line should be sufficient. It might be on a bit of an angle, but you can compensate for that buy tying your hooks higher up. Although, jigging/wiggling it will slowly start to bring it back to shore. I don't think you can really avoid that with any of these setups. Just give it a try and see.

Does it happen all the time or only when you are going a decent speed??

Try contacting Wil Wegman. Looks like his area of expertise. Wil Wegman Ministry of Natural Resources Aurora District Information Assistant 905-713-7730 He posts on the Simcoe boardon occasion as well.