EC1

Nice to have fished with you again! I gotta take a look at how your drift sock is made exactly next time. I wouldn't use it for walleye, but it would definitely be really nice on a windy day drifting around fishing for anything else.

No need for the frogs, or weeds actually. If you insist on using FC, XPS Fluoro, Seaguar, or the Spiderwire 100% wouldn't be a bad choice at all. Generally, you'd probably use anywhere from 15# to 25# test. I had the exact question about a month back, and for the most part switched over to not using any fluoro leader now. Look up Garry2r's post on the albright special. I've been using that for a while, and that knot's gotta be the best possible knot you can tie to join leaders. I can't believe you don't like the fireline braid though. That stuff is so smooth and much quieter compared to powerpro.

Nice fish! Get going at them the very next time you can for the nickel!

I'd say 4. Only problem is, over the weekend I saw a picture that was supposed to be "an 8lb+ fish", but I called it out as a good 5+.

Looks like some awesome fishing dirk! I too lost a big smallie yesterday, but I think I lost it because I didn't have a net! Lol. They always seem to know to run the second you try to put your hand at their mouth.

That albright special is really something special! I used to tie a similar knot with 8 wraps going down and then 8 back up, which still isn't as compact as this knot. That knot is so small it goes through any rod almost without me noticing.

Garry, you should try the 2.5" and 4" Spro swimbait. It's a hard swimbait with 4 joints. I think they should be a hit on clearer lakes.

I was at a Muskokan lake not too long ago, and that spot has always been a spot where it was live bait or nothing for my entire family. After trying to break that tradition with everything in my tackle box, I pulled out a crankbait that was practically clear and finally got a hit that happened to snap my 4# test line...At least I know what to go back with next time.

They're probably just a sour bunch. Nevermind them. I usually wave at other boats, but sometimes the Caucasian guys are too cool to wave back at the Asian guys in a canoe. Quick Tip for people that fish in canoes though: A quick wave and smile usually will make big boats slow down and you won't be caught in too much wake.

After heading out onto the water a couple of trips after reading Garry2R's Toad and Senko threads, I feel like it's fine tuned my techniques in largemouth fishing. Hit the water today and started the day off with a toad fish here and there in lily pads, and then went over to crank/senko in about 8-10FOW. That's when I pulled my PB on a wacky rig PINK senko 3lb 10oz. So for whoever that didn't read his threads, go for a quick look!

Black w/ mystery flakes, Smoke w/ blue and gold flakes, and Pink. I don't know why I don't seem to like watermelon that much, but I also have yet to have found a colour the largemouth refuse to eat though.

Did anyone see them tonight? I was in the Peterborough Area and looked all over, but the northern lights were no where to be found.

That's some killer fish! Good Job!

Thanks for all the details everyone! Will be making a call out to practically all of them to hopefully find myself one with vacancy.

Good Afternoon all! I'm currently being given a task to find a cottage for my family, which wants to go to a cottage starting on August 23rd. There's a few specific criteria that my dad wants for this trip: - Spacious Environment - We are not packing 5 people in one room. 2 or 3 rooms would be perfect. - A nice restaurant nearby - Not a burger joint, but doesn't need to be one where you need to dress up to go to either. - Within 2.5 hours from Toronto. Preferably Kawartha's or Kingston and area. Muskoka's are also possible, Although I don't like fishing in more than 15FOW. You guys are free to recommend anything, as I'm open to any suggestions. Heck, If you want to rent out your own cottage to my family for a week, we'll promise to put a few holes into a few fish's mouths, and make sure it looks exactly the same as the week prior! Thanks in Advance !

Ahh Ctranter, I see you've gotten that Bucoo with some fish! How is it treating you out on the water?

Nice Garry! How much are these hooks running for? So are the baits running better than they were when they were stock? I myself switched a few crankbaits over to a Mustad UltraPoint wide gap trebles on some of the worn out hooks on my cranks this year, and some of my baits turned into slow floaters(xraps more specifically), and I didn't notice too much of a change in terms of hook ups. I have to admit, I also haven't been throwing a lot of cranks as of late either.

Good luck all! They should have made this an OFC exclusive contest

If you are going to try and find them over the course of August, you are going to be having a tougher time. As far as panfishing goes, use no more than 3" baits. Right now, the hardest and most crucial part is finding a spot that will hold crappies by the schools. I will usually start fishing at around 7 or 8pm, and fish well into the night. Permanent lights along the shoreline would be a good place to start..Not saying that any type of water with a streetlamp on the shore will hold fish, but it might be a good starting point. Weeds are a great asset. - I find that this applies well for Kawartha lakes, but not so much for lakes that are deep and rocky. Seeing as you're from Midland, my advice may practically be useless if you're fishing in and around there. I don't think I catch crappie after dark in those Muskokan/shield lakes.

As far as weedless hooks go, I have a few that are about the size of your index fingernail, is that small enough? I don't have the size number, all I know is that it's by owner, pretty decent, and was on sale!

Is there such thing as a better quality in terms of polarization though?

Nice fish Mike!

No one above mentioned one thing, Practice. I started baitcasters just this year, and really thought I had most of the basics at home such as using the thumb and pitching. The second I got out on the water, I found that I could probably only cast 20 feet if I'm lucky and I still haven't figured out pitching accurately and stealthily. I find the easiest way to start would be to use something heavy at first - a half ounce frog/spinnerbait is pretty good to start with. Set your brakes, and spool tension and start with light casts to figure out the trajectory. With each cast, you should be gaining some confidence and you should be throwing things farther and start getting less backlashes.

As far as I know, Cotton Cordells are awesome baits. The hooks are great, and I've yet to have one of them break down on me. Where are you finding these deals and what models are on sale?

Really sucks to hear. Gotta say The Weather Network is really screwing things up for me. Last week they said 100% thunderstorms and cancelled a fishing trip for me....And today they said only rain until Monday morning and all of a sudden I'm getting thunder and lightning within a kilometer from me at about 9pm. Glad I got out of the water in time. Anybody ever notice that the weather predictions as of late are just too awesome?