Radnine

I live in Caledonia but only moved here about 11 years ago (grew up in another booming metropolis: Mount Hope! And went to HS at Ancaster). A few Caledonians here, I am sure they will pipe up. Jim

What a night!! Congrats on what can only be described as a monumental outing. A great report as well. Thanks! Jim

Looks good and the benefits are obvious. Did you do it yourself, or is the picture taken at the place that installed it? I guess I am asking if it is after-market or from your Lund dealer? Jim

I use a Cabela's Tourney Trail rod (last years model), a 7' med/fast and it has always been one of my favourites. Very versatile and the action is as advertised, unlike, the 7' med/fast Bionic Blade that I ordered from BPS that I now use as a trolling rod. I love Cabela's and would order from them more if not for the added cost of shipping (rods now have to be shipped by air at a premium) and parity on the dollar. I just don't find the deals in the states to be as mind blowing as they once might have been. Don't get a kick ass web site and the ease of to-your-door delivery mixed up with a great deal. I find that I use Cabala's web site as a resource for information and comparison sake, then go to my local for the product. And if we don't have it locally they order it in and some how the shipping never seems to affect the price. Try it. Jim

Thanks for the review Lexx, Kind of one of those "good news - bad news" stories. Jim

I love the watering can sprinkler idea in the pond. But I thought cat houses were illegal Jim

Wow what a great report! I lost one that my son had on this past week. I was adjusting his drag for him during the fight and bingo it was gone. He said "Nice going dad, it was fighting like a walleye too!" (how cool is it that a seven year old knows the difference in how fish fight?). You'll both get over it (it's almost a better story this way). Jim

Have you tried penicillin? Jim

Gerritt I have two B-in-Laws that are plumbers (union) and do side jobs, cheap. And they both live in Mount Hope. If you end up needing professional help let me know and I will provide a phone number. Jim

Wow man! Awesome results and a great report. Thanks. Jim

Classic Jim

Jacques, You have an opportunity here to test the theory about it being the movement that catches the fish over the pattern painted on the lure. Give it a go with no paint and see what happens. You could single handedly change the way that we all think about fishing (and destroy the lure making industry). Looks like a fun project anyway you go. Jim

Is somebody feeling creative? Good list!! My only addition would be: 200 to congratulate Lew on his new light bulb 20 to turn something as omnipresent as a light bulb into an obscure Lakair reference that no one else gets Jim

Find structure and you will find fish (do you have a map? If no, get one) Jim

Very cool post guys. Hand bombing the pike is like the greatest act of heroism in recent memory (I don't get out much). Thanks for posting. Jim

Hi all, What follows is a collection of thoughts after a week of fishing on Cameron Lake. Feel free to comment or ignore at will: - Lures with too many hooks are lousy for smaller fish - I did some trolling when the winds would allow it and found that catching smallish fish on a multi-hooked crank bait means you will be pulling two out of it's mouth and one or two out of another spot on it's body. It also means that the fight will be rubbish (try fighting when you are hooked in multiple spots). I am becoming a big fan of single hook (like a jig) fishing. - My go to arrangement of walleye this year has been a gold 3/8 oz. "eyeball" jig with a smoke coloured grub (jig by Northland and grub by YUM) and it catches about every thing that swims. Tipping with a worm or minnow increases the odds, but it works well without anything as well. Thanks to my B-in-L George for turning me on to that set-up. - I purchased a couple of those hollow body swim baits. Rigged weedless as the package shows, they worked well through the weeds (tied direct so there are no mechanical fasteners to grab) and I was able to drag them through everything with no snags. Now, I also never got a bite on one of them (even though the action looks killer) so I am not sure how the hook arrangement is for hook-ups. This has got to be a good set-up for a place like Rice no? - My faith in my much maligned (by me) Lowrance H2Oc GPS has been restored. The map for the Kawarthas was bang on for depths and positioning, including the trip through the locks into Sturgeon and up the Burnt River. - Even with the GPS I found that marker buoys are worth their weight in gold. But I think that I have lost more of them than I have lures; There must be one that is made with a strobe light no? - You meet the nicest people in a lock. We were snuggled up next to a boat so they could cram a giant tour boat in the lock at Fenelon Falls and ended up sharing snacks and having a good old gab. The kids that run the locks are all young and good looking (guys and gals) and it is easy to imagine it as one of the worlds greatest summer jobs. Locking also fascinates my son and makes us feel famous as people gather to watch the proceedings. - I watched four guys go off in a rental boat from the marina as I was waiting to take my boat out. They clearly had no idea of what they were doing and nearly rammed another boat as they were trying to leave the dock area. Everyone has to start somewhere and the people at the marina have to make hay while the sun shines, but damn, this was an accident waiting to happen. I don't know which was worse, them or the youngsters that were buzzing around the dock area on the rented jet skis. At the end of the day though, both groups were having fun and spending money and I did not hear of any tragedies on the lake. - Fenelon Falls is a great little town with lots to do and some really nice eating establishments. They have also done a better job of putting restaurants and stuff near the locks than Bobcaygeon for instance (not that it's a contest, I was just brought up a Bobcaygeon guy and have been pleasantly surprised by Fenelon). They also have a Canadian Tire, Home Hardware and a nice new Sobey’s (right next to the Tim Horton’s) - There is no better feeling than being at a cottage where your boat is tied up to the dock. You hop in and out at will and your kid says stuff like “Let’s go out for a troll, hey Dad?” It is also a great time to nip out on your own and try different techniques and theories. - I returned from my week full of new goals (both fishing and life) and anticipation of my upcoming week at Big Doe with my son and nephew. I am also full of my usual envy for those of you that live “up there” or own cottages in this great province. Regards, Jim

Hi All! I have just returned from a wonderful week at Cameron Lake in the Kawarthas (near Fenelon Falls). We rented the same lovely private cottage there for our second trip in as many years. I am glad to report that the small walleye I found last year were a little bigger this year. We found enough keepers for one meal and a bit brought home (supplemented with a few perch). I had a fishing first this week, my first muskie hit and it happened twice!! I started to pull in what felt like a small bass (the lake is lousy with ½ to ¾ lb bass) when WHAM! It goes from the familiar small fish fight to feeling like a snag, then the snag starts to swim away while shaking his head and not stopping for love or money. It was very cool. I told my son that we would either see a muskie or half a bass. I was using my walleye rig (6’6 med. Light and 1500 size reel) so he was just peeling line like crazy. I offered the rod to Will (aged 7) but he would have none of it. After about 5 minutes it starts to feel like I might be making ground so I start to take some line back, then he must have saw the boat and spit it out. I am not sure if you can see the teeth marks and general destruction in this photo (the fish, not me) but he was a mess. What ever kind of fish this was (I say this because I suppose it could have been a pike) it felt very heavy. Then the same thing happens the next day, just not to the same extent. This time he grabbed it ran for a bit then spit it. It was not as heavy of a fish but the teeth marks were there again, however, not nearly as bad as the first time. Sorry, not a lot of photos to show for it. I am starting to think as I catch more fish I am feeling less and less like taking pictures of them (much to the chagrin of my fellow team 8 members). Also, none of them were really outstanding, you know, just regular small walleye and bass. Here is a picture of the mangled bass (the photo doesn’t do either of us justice). This is my son with one of the walleye he caught. This is also the first time that Will had held a fish in his hands (thus the look). He did not want to keep it, but wants a replica made of it (too much TV and sportsman show). I told him I’d think about it. Regards, Jim

Sorry, I have just re-read this and realized that it is not very clear. The H2OC that I refer to is my hand held GPS made by Lowrance. My fish finder is also a Lowrance (but I think that is irrelevant). And when I talk about taking both units back, I am talking about the GPS and the map card as they are separate purchases. Which is something else that the original poster needs to know about; When you purchase a hand held you are purchasing a small processor that has very little useful (for fishing, and driving in Canada) information on it. to make it usable you need to purchase a separate map card or chip, in my case worth almost as much as the unit itself. Jim

Bingo! The GPS said I should be sitting on a great break and the depth reader (fish finder) was no where near that depth. I then scouted about for quite a bit looking for said depth and never did find it. I understand slightly different depths from map chips to actual conditions but this was out by a bunch. Like I said, I will give it a go this week (I don't want to be guilty of throwing the baby out with the bath water) on a smaller lake where I can afford to play around a bit. Jim

Welcome!! Jim

I have a Lowrance H2OC that takes a PHD to run. I was also out in Erie last weekend and the GPS didn't jive with the sonar by about 10 feet! (Navstar Gold Map card). I am taking it to Cameron Lake this week and will check it for accuracy there. If it is out I will be returning both units (cause it adds up to $500 of useless). Can you tell how impressed I am so far? Jim

I agree with this statement completely. Congrats on the new ride Cudz. The girls will love it! Jim

Cudz, with all due respect, after looking at the picture of your friend I think you should exhaust all known forms of education before resorting to physical violence. You would have your hands full duking it out with that Pike, let alone the monster that's holding it! Jim

Welcome aboard! Jim

Wayne, I'm sorry to hear that. It is never a good time, but 49 is much too young. Jim