paulyboy83

I'm pretty sure the Waltonian suffered some severe damage this summer in a big storm we had in Callander. Stay away from the Mosey. All you'll catch there is stuff you'll need to see a doctor about.

Auld Reekie Lodge in Gowganda is a great place to go. They have several species specific back lakes that require little to no portage. One that is all pike, one bass, on mixed species and one walleye. Meal plan is excellent and you will not leave the dining room hungry. In fact, I'd be surprised if you left the dining room with your plate empty. Hosts Urs and Dianne Brunner and their family are exceptionally accomodating and friendly. I have been to this lodge many times over the last 8 years and have always had a good time.

"0n the Bows....was told Excalibur is good and local Canadian with good warranty....but hear that Ten Point bows are even better though a bit more expensive....that is why I was asking where can I find good heavily discounted deals on this stuff." I had an opportunity to shoot both the ten point and an older excalibur this summer. I won't say that the ten point is crap. Probably work for what you want but I did find this; Ten point was louder, heavier and slower (shot through the chronograph at 28 fps slower than the excalibur). Excalibur is great with less working parts.

It's funny. I know a lot of Sport anglers that have said its been one of te best years that they can remember. The only ones complaining that they aren't catching as much are the gill netters. Would it stand to reason that if you net the same area long enough you might deplete the population of fish. If the anglers are returning to their hotspots and having success still I would seriously doubt that it more the fault of the sport fisherman than the commercial fisherman. That being said, I believe all of us play a part and all of us should be working together to maintain the population of walleye as so many people depend on that for their livelyhood.

Just got back from the government docks on Nip. It's frozen as far as I could see out but did not look like safe ice to say the least. It's going to be a stretch for safe ice for the 1st in my opinion. Unless we get solid cold days and nights over the next couple of weeks. It's a start and it gives me hope but I wouldn't hold your breath on it happening.

I'd call Joss at Angling Outfitters in Woodstock and reserve one. They don't last long in there and sell out fairly quick. I've got a 4.5" I bought from there 3 yrs ago. Best investment I've made so far. Now I need a bigger one with Nippissing right on my doorstep. It might be hard squeezing the walleye and pike through a 4.5" hole.

Rod Caster, I just moved up here this summer and have been looking to get out into some of the back lakes in search of bigger pike. If you're ever in need of a stronger set of arms to help you haul your sportspal in, I'd be up for the challenge. There's a lake here I'll keep unamed, that I've been itching to get into. I drove all but the last 2 km and would probably need a chainsaw and a second set of hands to make the last part of the trek in. PM me if you want. PB

I was down there last Friday and not even a sniff. Should be any time but next weekend the derby starts and it will be shoulder to shoulder down there for a few weeks.

That's too bad about the camera but sure does give you an excuse to get a new one! lol How much are they selling for at Future Shop? I've been contemplating purchasing one for just such reasons. PB

Great topic! My first child is due the end of July. Just happens to be a little girl coming our way. I have already told my wife, as soon as the baby is old enough to hold up her head on her own I'm sticking her in the carrier and taking her to the river to do some casting! She thinks I'm a bit nuts but knows there is no stopping me. I figure I can inundate her with the smells, sounds and sights at an early age and have a great fishing partner for a long time! PB

I had a 98 Saturn. Biggest piece of crap I ever owned! The rough idling could be the engine coolant temperature sensor. Relatively inexpensive fix, located on the side of the block. Mine went and I had to actually push the gas pedal to start it. Short time later, tranny went. Apparently a common breakdown on these cars. Tried 3 different trannies from the wrecker before the tranny shop told me to come and get the car and don't come back. They were getting sick and tired of pulling the motor out and putting it back in. Drove the piece of crap home in D1 at 25 km and called Teen Challenge Farm and donated it to them. They came and picked it up and gave me a charitable donation receipt for $900 to use on my income tax. Best thing to come of that heap! PB

There are definitely some decent pike in there. I would try Gilmour bay at the south end of the lake and fish the narrows coming out of Gilmour Bay fairly hard. We see a number of big ones down there cruising around. Try the north end of the lake as well. There is a big shoal marked out by three buoys up there that is magnificant structure for feeding fish. You will probably hook quite a few smallies at this time of the year as they are protecting their nests and nailing anything that comes near. Hope this helps and make sure to post your results when you get back. PB

Try spooling up then remove the spool and place it in a bowl of water for the night. My initial response would be to switch to braid with a fluorocarbon lead.

I've been up there many, many times in the last 3-4 years. I have never stayed with Lookout Point Camp but stay exclusively with Auld Reekie right next door. The fishing on the main lake can be tough at times as the fish are well fed and it is a fairly long lake with tons of areas to cover but they can be had in May. Try the river that runs into the main lake from Stumpy (ask the owners and they'll point you in the right direction). Fish the shorelines at the mouth and then if you carefully make your way up to the falls the fishing in that area has produced some decent fish for us as well. Hangingstone is a fabulous bass lake. You can't beat the fish off with a stick up there. Try working the points and shorelines casting #4/#5 blue fox spinners or Big O type crankbaits. Obushkong lake is my favorite. Bass, pike and walleye. Your best bet in May would be to head straight north to the top of the lake and fish the emerging weed beds at that end with spinners/spinner baits and we always have fantastic luck with the pike on frog baits. If you feel adventurous, the Montreal River runs into Obushkong at the top and it has some great fishing in it as well. Longer boat ride but we have boated and lost some real decent pike, walleye and bass up there. Stumpy Lake is an excellent walleye lake. You must endure an extremely rough ride (decent 4X4 needed with no running boards unless you want to lose them) 4km up a rocky rutted trail. At a comfortable speed it will take you 45 min to cover the 4 km. Trolling Big O type baits is our best producing method in this lake. PM me if you'd like any more information. The lodge next door also operates as a restaurant with excellent food if you don't feel like cooking one night. If you do a search on here of "Gowganda" you may come across a post or two that I've made in the past. Here's one of the pike to come out of the main lake. PB

Large minnows on a quick strike rig will work for them I tend to keep them about 2 ft off the bottom on the edge of a "green" weedline. As well, whole smelt from the grocery store (check your regulations to make sure this is legal in the body of water you are fishing) work the same way. Set the drag real loose on the rod and sit back and wait, just remember to tighten the drag when you go to set the hook. Also works well under a tip up style unit. PB83

With the amount of time he has a phone stuck in his ear, he doesn't have time to use a computer

Go with a Nilsmaster. I have a 4 1/2" and I can go through 1 1/2' of ice faster than my buddy with his 10" power auger. I can drill holes all day long with this one. Get one with curved blades and offset handles. Half the energy exerted to get the hole drilled. PB

I just finished my hunter safety course and we were instructed that the only tag that is transferrable is a moose tag that has been applied for by a group. Deer tags are non-transferrable. PB

Good to hear that you're having some luck all ready. If you thought the walk into Dinny was tough you are in for an eye opener tomorrow! lol Tell Urs I'm expecting him to have a few jobs for us when we get there and not to get the broom out when we arrive! He won't have a clue what I'm talking about right now but will get the idea when Chris and I show up! Good luck tomorrow! PB

Yeah about 2-3 hrs from North bay. Watch your speed about 30 kms south of Temagami and 30 kms north. Cop hot spot there. If you get to Northbay early enough there is a strip bar there if you are so inclined. It's called Fanny's (or fannies) and it's on the right hand side as you come into Northbay. Also watch for cops as you come into Elk Lake to make the turn to Gowganda. They like to sit in along there sometimes. See you there.

Hoops, It's about 7-8 hrs depending on traffic etc. from Woodstock. 735 kms approximately. The water is tea stained in all but one lake I've fished in up there. There is one lake with brookies in it that we washed lures in one day and it was clear but the rest are tea stained. No problem catching walleye in the middle of a sunny day in 10-15 ft of water.! I will take you up on that Bubbles! See you there. You guys driving straight through or stopping for the night somewhere? We are heading up mid-late afternoon so we should get there around midnight.

Dinny is definitely a small lake but we have pulled a few pike out of there in the 8 lb range. Last year someone got one around 12 lbs. Most are hammerhandles but we get a fair number in 3-5 lb range as well. Good enough for a shore lunch! We do get most/all of our walleye trolling on Stumpy. We tend to catch most of them on the Brown and Orange (Crawdad) and an old discontinued colour (tennessee shad). Also have had quite a bit of success with gumdrop jigs tipped with a minnow or a Victor spoon tipped with a minnow. We have never had the patience to try jigging because of the frequency of snags. Obushkong is just a great lake with lots of big fish in it. You do get some smaller ones but it's such a long lake that there are all sorts of places to fish. Apparently, the fishing has been good in the bottom end of the lake just up from where the boat launch is. We've got a lot of decent fish from this lake and lost a huge walleye further up in the Montreal river. The hike into Hangingstone isn't that bad if you don't have a bum leg or anything. It's a lake where you will portage a motor (usually just a 3 hp), jerry can, tackle, rods and cooler with the cold ones! Pack light with tackle. Few crank baits, jigs and spinners will be sufficient. We usually just throw a bunch of lures into one tray and throw it in a backpack. Pike up there will hit just about anything but do tend to hammer on the artificial frogs, blue and silver hammered spoons or white spinner baits. My biggest (12 lbs) came on the aforementioned crawdad coloured Big O. Walleye can be caught on big o's, wally divers or try the Victor Spoons. Urs (owner) will let you know what's been working if you ask him and they do have a few lures in the lodge for sale. Reasonably priced as well. To be honest with you, we tend to stick with the Big O's for the most part. It's what we've caught most of the fish on. Here's a little taste of 4 hrs on Stumpy with 3 people fishing. Enjoy guys! And don't forget to mention to Urs and Dianne that you got your information from Paul in Woodstock! They'll know who you're talking about. Make sure to take pics and post a report when you get home! PB

The Montreal River at the top of Obushkong lake is a great place fore catching walleye, bass and pike. Lots of decent fish up there to keep you busy. If you are talking about Hangingstone lake, bhearsum, it has nothing but smallmouth bass in it. Literally thousands of them and they will hit on anything you can throw at them. It's almost more fun trying to find something they won't hit! You were probably on Obushkong lake Steve-13. As I said above it's a great lake (our favourite to fish when we are up there). The back lakes aren't that much problem getting to. Urs (owner) will shuttle you and your group into Stumpy for a small fee, Dinny (pike) is only a 10-15 min hike, Obushkong is a short drive, even shorter boat ride and a 5 min portage around the falls to the other boats. Hangingstone is by far the hardest as it is 15-20 minutes up hill over the bed rock etc etc. If you head down the west shore of Stumpy, about 3/4 of the way down is an area that we troll with Big O's and do quite well. Where the river runs into the lake on the Southeast corner is another decent area to try. The north part of the lake is full of standing trees as this is a man made lake and they never completely logged it out before they flooded it. Very snaggy but I would imagine with a bit of patience some hawgs might come out of that area. I'll be up there from Sept 16th - 22nd. Look forward to hearing some stories from some of you guys heading up earlier and will look forward to meeting you Bubbles when you're up there. PB

The only thing that is going to work is a large minnow. I had the same dilemna at a local gravel pit. Two big bruisers and a whole lot of little ones swimming around. Threw everything in the box at the big ones and they wouldn't even look at it. I think the water is too clear, and they can see every detail of what you throw in there. I caught a 8 inch baby bass and the same thing happened. The big one went nuts and inhaled the smaller one. Eureka! the light bulb went on. Went to a a local creek, caught some big chub and threw one of them in and the battle was on. She was 5 lbs 2oz! I named her Big Momma and have caught her every year for the past 3 years to see how big she gets each year. PB

I have an electric and it has definitely cut the cleaning time down. Who the heck wants to spend a couple of hours cleaning a bucket full of perch at 7 pm after a day of fishing and a 2 hr drive home! If I only have a couple of fish to clean I use the "manual" knife. I would recommend getting the deluxe model of the rapala electric as it comes with 3 different ways to hook up to power. The plug in, alligator clips to clamp on 12 v battery posts and a cigarette lighter plug. 2 different lengths of blades as well. Paulyboy