Moosebunk

I launched my boat while it was snowing yesterday morning. Ridiculous. Caught a walleye that dumped its milt on my gunnel. There was a little ice between the cedar strips in my canoe. My compost hasn't seen a fly, cause it's still partly frozen. There is snow still on some shorelines. I agree it is a cool June.

Old fella at the launch has no right being like that with anyone, period. I get dozens and dozens of angry, sick, tired, abusive, demanding, demeaning and miserable people come see me throughout every year at my work. If I had of been you and finally off work heading fishing... I would have unleashed everything I've held back with those other people, on that ole launchlizard pr!ck. You did good kid by being smart... too bad the incident took away from your fun time. Next time though, step up to him and ask if he wants to take the first swing.

If Stoty was around right now, this is what he'd say...

Who hasn't jackknifed a trailer or two in their day??? lol. Nice fish Joey. Enjoy that new toy.

This comes at a convenient time as I was just looking at the Scott, Sportspal and a few boat sites today. Good to know about their durability, how they paddle, how they are in wind and their horsepower. Was wondering about life down the road and the different options for getting into backlakes. So far an ATV and float tube should handle the more remote stuff and smaller lakes less than a kilometer long. I have a 16' canoe that just needs new gunnels too. Anyone know who does that??? It's the slightly bigger backroad lakes with small launches or put-ins that got me wondering though ??? 12 foot cartopper... small trailer (do have a 15HP Honda) ??? Scott Canoe with a little more muscle and weight? SportsPal with a 2 or 3 HP for any access? Mike, I'll be stopping by to try yours out? Soon.

Where's my little Mighty Mouse emoticon??? Check it out Roy!!! Thanks.

EVERYTHING ASIDE. Companies should be responsible to themselves and their own... especially ones with millions and billions in assets. The global economy upon which they feast or famine has seen highs and lows throughout the century and from the beginning of the auto industries time... it was, has and should always be their top priority to prepare themselves for changes in the tide. The money they make and have made should have ensured this... regardless of Union, pension, work-force, administration and even product issues. Their internal plans and actions didn't make the grade... so they fail. And fail means... start over next year from the bottom and do it again to get it right... NOT, push 'em through to the next grade because ego is more important than foundation. This "me" generation we somtimes talk of today does not just involve the children around us. In 20-30-40 years time, the actions of the governments today will come back and bite many people in the buttocks. And my bet is, it will happen over and over and over again... perpetuating the ideal that a failing grade is OK... someone will still give us an "A" and pull us through anyways. Just my $0.02 before the morning cup.

Winter issue was late. Newstand mailing date previous year for spring issue was in February. For summer issue, May. For autumn issue, August. Basically, the spring issue this year doesn't appear to exist. I have a paid subscripition as well and should be expecting the summer issue soon... not the spring. Sad really... and I cannot find nor have I received any explanation.

Or, open bass to icefishing to help the other species.

GCD, that same 90% picks at the other species which now need to be stocked in many border lakes and rivers. Maybe for a few years they should alleviate pressure on those fish by giving them the same elite closures as bass...???

Good point Roy. On a personal note... Caught a few OOS smallies this past winter. Four guys, 8 holes, spread right out in depths from 4 to 18 feet. One of my holes gets 3 OOS smallies, big suckers too. Best smallie outing I've ever had. Meanwhile, the other guys holes not twenty feet away are firing walleye. Am I moving?... no way. Later caught 3 walleye too out of the smallie hole and missed some fish. Wasn't there targeting bass but I feel it's absurd to pass on a great fishing area because OOS fish are being hooked 1 to 4 to the target species. Scenarios like this have happened other times as well... heck, I caught 2 OOS sturgeon recently while using deadbait tactics to take 12 (I think it was) mixed bag walleye and pike at locations where all those fish swim. Also catch most of my ice-out pike at warm water outflows where OOS walleye may be lurking as well. Fishing in-season fish is allowable but I wonder what a CO would have said about some of these cases...? The bass season IMO isn't right. This fish on a pedestal is absurd. The "slow" growth for these fish compared to U.S. fish means nothing, as, it applies to pretty much all of our countries sportfish. Walleye and trout across the province need to be stocked yet they're seasons allow ice fishing and much shorter closures. Bass are open year round in some parts of Northern Ontario where bass are fewer and farther between, so why in the south do they close this fish?

Nice Fil... One question though... the guys here talking nothing but C&R only, are they tourney or muskie guys? Or are they fisherman at all? Had to. Just messing.

Stellar speckles. Very nice, thanks.

You're looking skinny and white. More sun, more filth, more fish.

It's like 8 hours there and 8 hours back is it not Mike? Makes for one heckuva trek but I believe you made that one very worth it. Good on ya.

If this isn't criticizing Garry you are the child. C&R is a practice, not the law. This past week law would have permitted me 4 walleye, 5 pike and 5 trout... I chose 2 trout. The law allows selective harvest as well as the "picking of wild flowers." Your Holy High horse rambling that takes a pretty broad swing at some people here does nothing but show you have an obvious disregard for other's views and you don't mind being an arse. What your experiences in the south have to do with mine in the north only cancel each others points... they don't permit you to refer to people who keep fish as "spoiled children." I take fishing, fish, the art of, the love for, the keep and everything about fishing quite seriously and with much more passion than maybe you've ever demonstrated to us here.

Funny that you remember "Rhonda." Still on the first prop, it's been filed down a few times but I haven't had to straighten this one out with the hammer yet. Have a brand new one that I'll put on once I move south, if I keep the motor. The French in spring isn't usually as hard on the motor as is the Moose in summer and sometimes fall. I used to think Johnson/Evindrude had the toughest skegs, I'm sitting on the fence now. Rhond'a been good to take some of what she has but, this is why up here a 15 maybe 20hp is the best to have. They can rebound OK from direct hits but the bigger motors suffer way more if they smoke something at full out.

There was a supportive point made along with that statement, which did lend to the thought behind it. Rereading, maybe the message was a little too firm. Ill tell ya I have no evidence though, it's all hypothesized and personal. Same as the "arguable" and "apparent" examples here. Will say this to anyone, keep your limit if you like, it's YOUR LIMIT. I don't presume Canadians to be stupid people on the whole; but we all know there are idiots out there who totally abuse, and at the end of the day C&R is important, yet not necassarily and always the rule to live and fish by. My heart and head are with the sport and the release, but I can't deny mine and my family's love of the enjoyment there is with the keep.

Quality time on the water and report Cliff and Bly. I like the second pic. She's like... "Hmph?" And then there could be 10,000 different things she's thinking about that fish.

I keep walleye cause I can't catch enough halibut, mahi mahi, grouper, red snapper, salmon, trout, crappie, perch, whitefish, pike, catfish and arctic char to keep me happy. Actually, I do feel it's important that fishing always involves an element of catch and keep. It's the reason angling began and the way its roots have taken hold. It adds reward and validity to hooking and potentially killing fish through the ideals of sustinence (first) yet with sport involved. Probably the truest and most honorable meaning to what "fishing" is, has and always should be. There's value to fish being in the water obviously, but to be a fisherman and keep fishing what it is, there has to be harvest. Afterall, hunting without harvest is just stressing and killing animals... would not take long for that plug to be pulled. Make fishing about sport only... our historic pasttime wouldn't stand a hope in hell come time to argue it's needing to exist. Fish in the waters, that's up to us all. Fish on our plates, that's up to you or me.

Some salmon reel peel should be on everyones Xmas list, every year...... along with some BPS action. Good sutff Mike.

Very nice Johnny. The early season fishin' and weather can be pretty tempermental up there many days. Ya DONE GOOD!!!

I live on fisheries where probably 90% of people keep all of their angled, netted, nightlined and speared catches. Still good, but could be mind blowingly better.

Have a great time. I'm sure you'll be up around the Albany watershed and the fishing will be amazing. Here's hoping for some warmer weather in the north for ya.

As always gang... thanks for the replies and appreciate those taking the time to read through all that ramblin' on.