J Roelofsen

As someone that has fished from every type of watercraft available and an owner of a variety of small watercraft I just don't get the kayak fad. There's better and often cheaper options for most situations. I get the draw of angling from a small craft but find kayaks impractical. Josh

Those are both Dave Scadden 'toons. Far from heavy duty but they have proved quite durable. The blue one is bladderless and the red one has bladders. Kinda like the bladderless one tbh. There's been a few pinholes here and there but nothing that has ruined a trip. And believe me, I beat the snot out of them! Josh

Love my river fishing and have several river craft.....pontoons, Jon boat, canoe, kayak etc. Despite always owning a 'great lakes' boat in the past I traded in the full size truck and bigger boats in favour of a gas sipping Subaru when I returned to school a few years back. The current 'big water' boat is a pimped out Princecraft Yukon. It's been half way across both Erie and Huron a few times 😄 and what a sweet little boat for smaller waters. I may keep it tho plans are to pick up a cheaper tow vehicle and maybe my dream boat, a Kingfisher Warrior 1825 in, the next few years

They're ok for Lakers if your consistently pulling them off bottom......until you hook one and it wraps the cable 1/2dz times 😄 Ask how I know lol....Better left for smaller, bottom oriented fish and verifying bottom composition IMO Josh

Just pulled into the motel in North Bay and instantly recognized the vehicle 😄 looks like fun.....I was getting some looks bombing across the lake today in my Subaru stuffed with big A/T tires lol. Dude's getting stuck with 4x4 pickups as I floated over the crusty snow 😁 Lotsa fish caught today, not a keeper in the bunch tho.... Josh

Going for a swim in cold water isn't a death sentence. Some people actually do it for fun! Fact is, if your aware of the risks and are prepared to deal with a dunking, taking advantage of early ice can be very rewarding, even if you do get wet once in a blue moon. Actually, I would go as far as to encourage folks to step out of their comfort zone and even intentionally go for a dunk through the ice(under controlled conditions, shallow water and saftey rope)! Getting a real life understanding of how your suit and saftey gear functions will make you that much more comfortable if something unexpected does happen.... Josh

I've been through the ice a few times myself. Having a plan, being prepared and staying calm will get you through any unfortunate dunks. It's funny, most people get freaked out by cracking and creaking ice. That's not the stuff to be afraid of. Any time I've been through has been without warning. No, I don't have a death wish, and I won't take chances if it's a long ways to safety. But I've got little hesitation hoping on thin ice over still water if self rescue and a warm car/house is close by. As far as I know Helly Hansen still makes suits.... https://www.boattoys.ca/collections/safety/floatation-&-pfd's Josh

Definitely a barred 'ski....the very pointed tail is a dead giveaway. Beautiful looking fish! Josh

I've got an LL bean pro shell wading jacket I've been wearing for 10yrs or so. Every bit as good as Simms 😉 and better designed IMO. Their Emerger jacket is very nice for the price.. Josh

Dumb as a stump IMO!!! They are by far the easiest species to catch consistently, year round here in the great lakes region. I can't count the number of times I've caught the same Steelie twice on back to back casts. Caught the same one 3 times last fall and another a 1/2dz times over a weekend between a buddy and I ......dumb! ?? Josh

The 3" senkos work well for steelies, even 4" in big or stained water. I've used up to 6" worms with success in dirty water, they'll eat a big bait! It always amazes me how small of baits and lures guys will use for Steelies. They have no problem eating big meals in the lake and they're no different when they enter a river as long as they haven't been pressured. I'd say #2 hooks in 4" senkos and #6 in the 3".... Wacky rigging works great in super slow water, an occasional twitch of the float can trigger a violent strike. In moving water I'll usually start threading my hook through that style of bait about 1/3 of the way down the body and thread it just far enough to hide the eye inside the bait with the point fully exposed. Josh

Steelies are easily the dumbest fish in Ontario waters. They'll hit anything that fits in their mouth, particularly fresh out of the lake. I personally haven't thrown swim baits for them but senkos definitely work under a float. I've got a couple smaller safety pin style spinnerbaits I'm gonna get some steelies on over the next few weeks just for fun ? Josh

I just noticed the swivel your using! Yikes!! Do yourself a favour and upgrade those! I wouldn't trust those cheap brassy things to much smaller fish, let alone a big angry chinny ? Josh

Lots of Berkeley Flicker Minnows and Flicker Shads in my boxes. They've been very productive trolling on Erie and casting on inland lakes for a variety of species and the price is right! Way to many overpriced baits out there and these perform just as well for $6 Josh

Rattletraps definitely have a place in casting box. The large saltwater size in 1/2 red 1/2 white is a personal favorite. I have friends that throw swim baits all the time with lots of success.....theres definitely a ton of effective alternatives to the common spoons/J13's. Maybe one more trip for me when things cool off again next week then it's time to switch gears to Steelheading ? Josh

Stick with the casting spoons you have. Most people I see reel far too fast with spoons at night. A s..l..o..w retrieve is necessary for proper action with most casting spoons, they should wobble back and forth, not spin. The largest Len Thompson's are a favourite in clearer, deeper water. The small Moonshine tear drops are great all around but shine in murky water when a bright glow is helpful. And its unlikely your J13 will run properly after a repair. They're very finicky baits. Josh

Smoked Chub are not actually Chub that you would catch in SW Ontario rivers and creeks. They're a deep water Cisco species called Bloater ? I wouldnt recommend filling your smoker with common Creek Chub! Lol Josh

You could try John's Fly Materials in London. He's does lots of mail order buisness and I'm pretty sure he carries that product. Josh

Interesting approach. I'm thinking that looking for quiet spots by asking about them on a large open forum would be quite counter productive.. The most successful Salmon and Trout anglers are very good at exploring, finding their own water and keeping their mouth shut ? Josh

If your used to doing your own maintenance then the Pfluegers can't be beat IMO. They are a very simple design and that's a good thing IMO. A little grease once a season and theyre good to go. If you want a bargain reel thats has the feel of much more expensive models have a look at the Okuma Ceymar. My local shop owner turned me onto them and I've beat the living snot out of a couple of them (size 30 and 40) for 3 seasons now without a stutter.....the one is used for chucking hardware for Steelies and Salmon and gets booted around the boat, dragged through the mud, dunked and frozen....no problems whatsoever for $60 they are a bargain! I've also picked up the giant 65 size for a lender when passengers would prefer a spinning reel for musky and a few of the 10 and 20 sizes to replace Siennas for ice fishing. Josh

I've ground/sanded down the trigger on several rods for this reason. You can leave a little nub there or remove the entire trigger. They don't really serve a purpose for my fishing style. And any custom casting rods I build for myself are void of a trigger as well. Josh

The Gobies certainly help those Bass pack on the pounds! But even the average Goby size has been cut in half from what it was little more than a decade ago. It will definitely be interesting to see how their population holds up to the Walleye explosion. Josh

With the Zebra and Quagga mussels fully established throughout the great lakes nutrient levels have dropped across the board. Less nutrients and less prey fish could quite likely mean slightly smaller top end sizes for Walleye than what we saw in the 80's and early 90's. I just saw an article the other day regarding this year's Lake Ontario Alewife surveys.....not looking promising. Josh

About 35mins for a limit out there before work tonight. Tried to take my time and sort for a limit of 4-5lb fish and ended up with 3 in that range along with 3 more @ 30+"! Not ideal but fun all the same. And I marked alot of bait out there tonight that I'm pretty sure we're Shiners. But yeah, in general Shiner numbers are way down. Josh

If your having trouble getting fish out of cover go with a MH. If your fishing open water M is fine. A fast action rod is ideal, still a little tip flex to aid casting the lighter bait....maximum lure rating won't matter whatsoever in your application. From what I've seen the elite tech is nicer rod and it definitely has a better warranty than the Mojo ? Josh