Fishnwire

Creek and beaver ponds are where I've had the most luck. Forget about the bread and use a handful of dog food. Letting them soak overnight is best, but there's a pond near my camp where a couple hours is all you need. There were a couple of times when I left camp and forgot to pull my traps. Five or six days later and I found no minnows but around a dozen crayfish. A buddy told me to put bits of aluminum foil in the trap along with (or even instead of) the dog food. I tried it. Don't bother. Another poster suggested just buying your bait, but I have to respectfully argue trapping your own might be better for you...I know it is for me. When the bass are hitting good in July/August my Father-in-law can go through more minnows than I'd care to pay for. I like using minnows between 4 and 5 inches long for big SMB...between the two of us, we could easily go through 6 or 8 dozen that size in a three day period. How much would 8 dozen five inch chub or shinner cost at your local bait shop? I'd rather spend that money on more beer. Also, bringing live bait from town is kind of a hassle when you can just get it once you're at camp. One final reason I like to trap my own bait is that it's kind of fun. It's fishing, really. I get a little sense of aniticipation when I'm pulling in a minnow trap, wondering whether or not I'll get a good haul. When it's full of perfect sized bait you get a little rush almost like you do when you land a decent fish. BTW, there are two commonly available models of minnow trap. They are nearly identical in design, except that one is made from small gauge uncoated wire, and the other from a slightly heavier gauge wire, which is then coated in some kind of rubber or plastic. The uncoated model is, in my experience, far superior. if you want a really good trap, ask a commercial trapper to sell you one of his homemade ones. They're twice as large and catch 4 times the minnows. Have fun and good luck.

Unless you buy a high end bait reel (around $200+) you probably won't get the distance you can out of a spinning reel. Even with the expensive reel, it'll take a lot of practice. The other posters were right about baitcasters being somewhat poorly suited for light baits...practice with something a little on the heavy side until you get the hang of it. I gave up ever on learning to be proficient with a bait rod years ago...I'm practically terrible. I use mine almost exclusively for trolling now. With the kind of fishing I do, there's not a lot you can do with bait rod which you can't do with a spinning rod.

It's not really any of my business...but is there some reason why you and your chum appear to be wearing the same shirt? Secondly, the first photo...the one we all got in our E-mail (while obviously fake) looks a lot more convincing than the one you took. I'm not saying one is genuine and one is not, but the photos you staged look like two pike with their heads touching and not some sort of one-headed/two-bodied mutant. IMO.

Last year I bought a couple of shallow running cranks like the ones shown. I found they were awesome for bass. I could cast or troll them right over the top of the snag zone and took a lot of smallies that way...some of them were decent hogs.

There are some big fish in those pics...7+ is possible. A lot of guys are way off when estimating SMB weight though. Last year I bought a decent scale and weighed a lot of the bass I caught. Usually I just measure the length and toss 'em back but I was curious about just how much these bass I'd been catching weighed. Chunky 18 inchers usually weigh a little over 3lbs, maybe 3 1/2. 19 inches rarely top 4lbs and even a honest 20 inch fish is not much more than 4 1/2 lbs. I see people posting pics of bass they say were 18 inches and claim they were 5 pounders...not likely, in my experience. My buddy caught a smallmouth that measured 22 inches...he swears up and down there's no way that fish weighed less than 8 lbs...I'd be surprised if it weighed six.

Yes the members get to vote on the executive. Do you think they were given a choice of a lot of candidates running on the "We're too greedy and lazy" platform? Maybe you think they should have demanded to go out on strike unless they had their pay cut? Like most working people, they probably felt they had worked for, and deserved every penny they earned. Isn't that how you feel about your paycheck? They made an excellent working class wage. What's so wrong with that? They made enough to pay their mortgages, for their family vehicles, to raise their kids and maybe had a little left over to buy a couple of toys. None of these guys ever got rich doing their job, so in that way they definately are not lawyers. You're right that they made more than other assembly line workers, which made it easier for other assembly line workers to justify asking for raises of their own. More people with good paying jobs is good for the economy, right?...As a matter of fact, more people with good paying jobs is the very definition of a good economy, as far as I'm concerned. The collective agreemnts between the company and union (which you feel the workers were "greedy" by accepting) were ratified when GM was one of the biggest and most profitable corporations in the world. I thought that was obvious. I didn't put words in your mouth, dude. I'm attempting to illustrate how both ways of thinking are equally illogical. This has been fun but I'm off to camp for 4 days. I can only hope this thread will be buried by the time I get back. Cheers and tight lines, all.

An octopus hook, some split shot and a slip float can be pretty versatile and fairly reliable...if you've got something decent to put on the hook. If I don't have bait though, I'd go with 1/4 jig and smoke power grub/

I guess you've never belonged to a union. If you had, you'd realize that the average union member has about as much power in what decisions their leaders make as you and I do in what decisions Harper makes. It's entirely impossible for a rank and file union member to make any change to union policy without an overwhelming majority of support from the rest of the workers. Expecting the membership to ask for and vote in lower wages is like asking the Canadian people to ask for higher taxes. Do you actually think that it's Joe Lunchbox's fault because he never decided on his own that the money he and his neighbours were paid (from one of the world's biggest and most profitable corporations) was too generous? Is that normally how human nature works? I bet most of us feel that we deserve every penny we earn, some of us may even have days when we think we're underpaid. I read somwhere that upper level CEOs can expect to be compensated at a rate of around 1000 times what the average production worker earns...and they're the ones who were at the helm when the company ran aground. One of those plants they shut down won awards year after year for producing the best quality vehicles, so we know the production workers were doing their jobs extremely well. After you're done blaming Canadian workers for the the state of the economy, let's blame Canadian soldiers for the how bad it is in Afghanistan. On this point, I could not agree with you more. Big business is forever lamenting that the government constrains the free market. They claim to want smaller, "hands-off" government. To be able to operate without all those pesky hang-ups, like minimum wage, environmental controls, health and safety regulations, etc, etc. But hold on! They'll take the tax breaks, the subsidies, the governmental assistance and "stimulus" packages. They didn't hesitate to run to mommy when they screwed up royally. And the real kick in the pants is this; Every one of these guys is still living in a mansion and driving a Bentley.

I find it a little odd that some people have zero sympathy for people on pension. These people were promised a certain pension after a certain amount of service. They fulfilled their part of the deal...you want to see them screwed now? That guy who mentioned pensioners "being on vacation" is talking total nonsense. They're retired. What does vacation have to do with being pensioned off? I can only assume whoever said that has less than 5 years service with whoever he works for now. Maybe I'm wrong. If so, I apolagize in advance. You put in 25 or 30 years loyal service (to a company that made buckets of money for 28 of those years) with certain promises made to you, see them evaporate and we'll see how quick you change your tune. I'm really sorry to whom I possibly offend, but I can't help but think that begrudging retiries is a little shameful. I'm only in my 30's but I'd hate like heck to see the plans I have for my retirement go to crap...and I'd also hate to see someone else jammed up that way.

I guess I'll spring for a bottle...if it lasts as long as some of you have indicated, it's probably worth it. Sorry Bly, but after 3 or 4 days of sweat, bugs, working in the bush and using an outhouse...a wash cloth is just not gonna do. Not if you want that "fresh" feeling down low. I promise I'll try keeping it to a minimum. Thanks for everyone's input.

When I spend more than a couple of day's straight at camp in the summer I like to go down to the river, jump in, get out, soap up, and jump back in. I don't do it very often so I just use whatever bar soap is laying around. This summer I'm laid off for eight weeks and plan on being there a lot. I'll want to take more than a couple of baths over the season, but don't want to pollute the river with all that nasty soap. I've seen "camper's" soap, which is supposed to be bio-degradable, but a little bottle of it is about 9 bucks...like I said, I'm laid off. My question is this; Is there a reasonably priced soap I can buy at the drugstore which is not harmful/less harmful to the water. The fishing off my dock is pretty good, I want to keep it that way for my nephews.

Have you considered a trade? Even something that "runs like a deere" must need service from time to time.

Did Harper have a choice? Not really. When has the Canadian government, particularily one headed by Conservatives, done anything other than bend over and take it from the Americans? We've seen that when it comes by "bi-laterial" agreements between the two, such as free-trade, that the more powerful of the two nations gets to enjoy all the rights while rarely having to maintain their responsibilities. We're like a fly on an elephant...they can do whatever they want and we have no recourse. They have methods of exerting pressure in countless ways. Can you say, "snowball effect"? A matter for another thread? Maybe, but it is relevant here. Just like depolyment of our military resourses, Ottawa never has to think too hard, the decission has already been made for them by Washington. That said, it probably won't work in the long-run. GM is doomed it seems...maybe they should have been allowed to die a natural death like a lot of other businesses are doing right now. Monday was the first day of my eight week "temporary" lay-off from the mine here in Sudbury. I'm one of the lucky ones...I will hopefully have a job to go back to. There are lots of guys in town who are on permanent layoff. Where's their bail-out? Part of the reason our government possibly should be on the hook for the pensions is because they allowed GM to raid that (previously) seperately held pension fund years ago. It's another example of how a previous government made a mistake which we are now all forced to deal with. Whoever it was who had the bright idea to lay a finger on the money in the first place should have his hands chopped off. As far as the workers taking massive paycuts to retain their jobs...why bother spending billions of dollars to save a bunch of mediocre jobs? I'd rather know that if we are going down this road, at least my tax dollars are supporting jobs that actually drive the economy, not just pay enough for people to get by. A lot of folks seem to think that whatever group of working people they don't belong to should "Get used to the idea of making less money." That's the wrong attitude. Our fathers and grandfathers worked and fought to establish the standard of living we enjoy...I don't want to be in a position where I have to tell my kids about the good ol' days when we only had to work 40 hours a week, could refuse unsafe work and had something called "minimum wage." None of us should be too eager to see our neighbour take a huge step back...if it's him today it that much more likely it will be you tomorrow.

Thanks for your input everyone. I know that I'm taking a chance of getting into a real jackpot if I get bad tennants...I've heard some horror stories. I know it can takes months and lots of $$$ to get rid of bad ones. Did anyone else see the Holmes on Homes where he renovated a house that had been rented by pot growers? There was over $100000 work needed. That said, I'm still leaning towards giving it a shot. JohnF, thanks for your advice and I appreciate the offer of further assistance. Expect a huge PM...you may regret having been so accomadating. I'd be living literally on top on the renters, so I'll be able to keep an eye on them. No grow ops. Thanks again.

You'll pay for them to launch your boat, you'll pay them to park there (per day) you'll pay them for whatever you need. That's how they make their living.

Have any of you folks ever done the landlord thing. My wife and I are thinking about buying a house with an apartment in it. I have some questions about what rate the rental income is taxed at and what expences can be written off against it. The place doesn't have separate meters so I'd be paying the gas, water, and hydro. What percentage of that, if any, can I write off? Is it based on square footage? Also, a friend (not the sharpest guy I know) said something about if you use your rental income to pay down your mortgage you get a tax break there as well. Is there somewhere I can go that has FAQ's for landlords? Any help, advice, etc...would be very appreciated.

I can usually tell the difference, fresh is better. I like to avoid freezing fish whenever possible. Sometimes though, you have to. I double zip lock 'em and that's that. I try to use them up within a month or so. One time my Father-in-law kept a fair size pike he took from shallow water in July. It tasted slightly strong...a little "game-y" when we eat some of it fresh. I frooze the leftover uncooked fillets and when I got around to thawing and eating them a month or so later, they actually tasted a little better. More milder, which is what I like.

My buddy's family (the Palmers) own the marina at Hartley bay. Here's their website. http://www.hartleybaymarina.com/ The lower French is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Hire a guide for at least one day...he'll be worth every penny. If Johnny Green is still working you should try to get him.

Gotcha Raf...I was thinking north of Barrie = northern.

What? Walleye is more popular, but there are plenty of guys who love to fish for smallies up here. There's not much of a large mouth fishery to speak of, but there are plenty of bass fishermen.

Bass is closed pretty much all winter right up until the end of June up north here in Sudbury. I'm not aware of anywhere near me where it is open all year round. I personally would try to avoid taking OOS bass during breeding, even at the expense of decent legal in-season fishing. I hate like hell to pull a big breeder off it's nest this time of year. Knowing I've almost certainly doomed it's precious clutch of eggs is pretty hard to take. That said...I'm not really sure why SMB is closed in the winter, so I wouldn't have moved off that walleye bite if I was you either. Catching smallies through the ice like in the scenario you described is basically a fluke, and as such, pretty hard to avoid. Guys "accidentally" catching big bass this time of year is a little harder to defend...More so if the kid is using a wacky worm, or other bass-obvious bait.

Another OFNer started a thread about top 5 lures. I mentioned that in addition to my "must-have" baits, I consider a decent pair a needle nose (for ease of hook removal) to be something I really prefer not to do without. Most have a cutting section for your line and you can bend a hook back into shape with them. I prefer not to throw a cast unless I have them on hand. Anyway, what do you guys consider an essential piece of equipment to have on the boat seat, front section of your tackle bag, in your pocket, etc?...That tool or item you always like to have within arm's reach. Cold beer is a valid answer, but let's not waste a lot of thread-space on the obvious.

It would depend on whether or not I had a boat I could drift and troll from, but anyway... I might consider a slip float and bucket full of nice minnows, if that were an option. jigs.jigs.jigs...with required plastic. Grubs and tubes count as one, right? A long bodied floating minnow bait like a bomber "longA"...something versitle that I can use to break surface, straight retrieve, or anything in between. A shallow running plug like a 2-4 foot running Fat Rap. A selection of spinner baits...also counts as one, right? I hate like heck to find myself without a pair of forecepts or needlenose pliers when it come time to remove a deep hook from the fish's mouth, so I'd like a good set of those too.

A couple of years ago, about a week before bass opened, my Bro-in-law was up from Texas. Due to my sister's imposed schedule, he was able to spend only one day at my camp. After an oddly unsuccessful afternoon of jigging for walleye and throwing for pike, we were packing our stuff up at the dock when I saw some little smallmouths in the shallows near the dock. They were obviously not of breeding age, so I tied up a little tube and let my Bro toss it at 'em. He instantly reeled in a quarter pounder...his first and probably last smallie ever, I took a quick pic for my neice (to prove her old man can fish) and tossed it back so it could resume chassing minnows in the reeds. We finished packing up and left. Sue me.

JPJ... From what your telling me, you are far from being a "fish hog". I would never try to tell you that you should adjust your harvesting practices. (Or anyone else for that matter.) All I was trying to say (dead horse maybe?) was that your and my limited strain on the system, along with every other Tom, Dick and Harry...does have an adverse affect on the waters we fish. When an adult fish is taken, it's not like another one magically replaces it. It may leave room in the ecosystem for another to take it's place, but it doesn't happen overnight, or endlessly. Less people taking their limit frequently = better fishing for everyone. I think every clear thinking person sees that. Once again, I hope you continue to enjoy consuming self-caught fish, harvested legally for the rest of your angling years...I know that I will. However, I'll also always try to remember that when I take a fish for the table, neither you nor I will ever catch that fish or it's future offspring again. I'm fairly certain that you make the same realization...............so tight lines, brother! EDIT _ The "foreign anglers" post by whoever was just nasty.