mason05

Nice trout! I'd take a nip on the toes from jack frost to reel in that little fella. I'm sure the propane heated hut wasn't too far away. Congrats dude. Corn Nug

Like ShaunB said, there are fish in those rivers, you just need to put in some time and find the productive spots. Good luck. Corn Nug

Decent pike in Valens but don't expect ice there anytime soon. I live nearby and the ponds around here are not frozen. There is an ice fishing derby there on February 18th but I'm not sure if the ice will be safe by then. I'm hoping for a cold snap soon. http://www.conservationhamilton.ca/corpora...ws/3215_452.asp Corn Nug

I rarely use a leader when fishing for pike. Even when using sub surface lures. You win some battles and you lose some I guess. Corn Nug

I've been with Fido for almost ten years. I've got nothing bad to say about my dealings with them. Corn Nug

Thanks TJ! Another great contest. Corn Nug

I was looking through some photos of this year and noticed a couple I never got a chance to post. I got the first bass of a white spinner bait and the second off a perch coloured xrap if memory serves me correctly. TJ was asking about the island in my sig pic. I figure I'd post a larger image of it. Excellent example of the good 'ol boys having a blast and getting eaten alive by black flies. I'm third from the left in the back row. Just thought I'd fire some pics out on a quiet night here on OFC. Cheers, Corn Nug

What eddyk said about sealing it first. I'd lay ceramic tile though. Longer shelf life. Corn Nug

Thanks for all the input guys. I figured I'd be looking at replacement and I'm more comfortable with new than rebuilt. I might even try to tackle it myself but I'd hate to be without water for a day or two if I bugger something up in the installation process. Thanks again for your help. Any plummas on this board from the hamilton/milton area? (Ontario of course) Corn Nug

My water pump is running a lot louder than usual and during its cycle is "pinging" every 5-10 seconds. I think the bearings are about to go. My guess is that it's time for a new one. Any suggestions from the plummas on this board? Thanks in advance. Corn Nug

A hot water bottle tossed in your sleeping bag 1/2 an hour before bed will keep you toasty on a cool night until you fall asleep. Of course you'll have to boil some water over the fire at night (dark) so be careful. I've posted this before but you can turn your canoe into a mean trolling vessel aka 'meat boat' quite easily. First get 2 arc welding rods and bend 'em into a U shape. Duct tape (red green style) one U to the inside of the gunnel wall and the other to the opposite side 1 to 2 feet in front of your seated position. Insert rod in U's perpindicular to canoe (9-10 foot rod is ideal). Let out line. Wait. Fish on! Corn Nug

Rich, Somewhere on the grand river's web site you can view the flows through various key points of the river. I'd check it out it's pretty cool and might save you some gas if conditions are not favourable. To bad you got skunked. Corn Nug

OFAH as well. Corn Nug

You talking about cleaning, oiling and organizing your gear or pulling your goalie?!?!

Great effort and persistance CCMT. I'm sure a bit of steel is in your future. As far as the weather is concerned you've got plenty of time to keep on trying. Corn Nug

Great report FishDawg and congrats to you on the PB. Nice fish! Corn Nug

2 words. Booby Trap..... Corn Nug

Nice job Nauti. Sweet looking pike! I too got my first fish of 2007 today.....pike just like you. Corn Nug

I've got the same problem man. Work is 20 mins from home and some of my fishing holes are minutes away but daylight is not on our sides. I'm too lazy to get up before work too. I'm sure the shortest day of the year has passed or is at least coming soon and some evening angling is near as long as these mild temps stay. Corn Nug

Glad to hear you got into a few even though none were landed. I appreciate your optimism and look forward to a post showcasing your success in the next few days as I'm sure you'll be out for a rematch with those trout. Corn Nug

Very nice guys! Those sure are some beauty colours/details on those chubby trout. Corn Nug

Nice day to be out SteelCat. To bad you didn't hook into any. Keep at it, the weather sure is great for all us shore fisherman. Corn Nug

Nice report Rich. Glad to hear you got yourselves some dinner. Who was the lucky one that got to dine on the mud puppy? Those are nasty looking creatures. Corn Nug

Sherriff - It's to bad you couldn't make it. It was a very nice crisp morning out there. Clampet - I'm actually allergic to fish but some of my buds have kept them for the pan. They're all still alive and somewhat normal after eating them.

I headed out this morning to my local pike hole. Water levels were really high. Spent about 2 hours washing a dozen different lures. Had a couple of follows but nothing looked to be biting. I was getting ready to pack it in when suddenly "Wham!" fish on. This guy put up a good little scrap including many head shakes. He took my perch xrap pretty deep but suprisingly he blasted off when he was re-introduced to his home. First fish of 2007 and I can't beleive it came from soft water in early January. Cheers, Corn Nug