splashhopper

did u change your undershorts after that one? Hollyyyyyyy craaaap.... that this is huuuuuge !

Thanks Aaron.. now I really want to hook one...

I have a 12 ft Sportspal. I carry a paddle but use a small electric motor and then sit on the battery box for a seat. But, I am a little guy so there is lots of "leg room" for me. In strong winds I bring the canoe closer to shore and work my way back that way. I also own a 12 ft tinnie. Two people max in it. My buddy, Dutchy, is a seriously BIG dude (6'4"). He has plenty of leg room in that. I use the same trolling motor for both boats. (35lb thrust Motor guide). I haven't been caught in the wind in the tinnie yet, but expect it would be even tougher to get home in the wind than the canoe.

Looks like your persistence paid off for you. Thanks for posting.

pretty cool

kewl pics....

I had a few hours to kill today, so I went down the street to try for some more walleye and or pike.. I was jigging with a 1/4 oz shovel head jig and a big imitation black leech. As I brought the jig back to shore the second time, I thought i was snagged on the bush at the waters edge... NOPE! A 3 foot gar pike had my jig in the tip of its long snout I had it on for about 1 minute and then ZIINNNNNNNG goes the jig past my head ! I scouted the shore line and found two more of them sunning near bushes. One more on and the same result. I can see how they may not really be hooked du to the shape of their snout. What do any of you Gar Pikers use to set the hook and what type of lure set up are u using. I saw these fish in the same general location last year and now I am on a mission to land a few of them. Thanks for any advice given.

PS... i also like using top water lures... frogs or poppers

love the smiles.... brings back memories

I use those same lures lunatic.... caught lots of pike last year... make sure u have a wire leader on bro... those critters got SHARP TEETH

Fishing with YOU ....

another great read by the doc... thanks for the trip :clapping:

Sprained ankle kept me close to the drop off point ! u knew that though... lol

about an hour north east of you Richard

Very sorry to hear of your loss. Take whatever time you need to process this. Prayers from our family to yours. ...................................................................... Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury,pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

nice backyard

wow.... great looking trout..... i had no idea that brook trout could get THAT big.... my buddy Dutchy has been holding out me thinks

that must have been one scary ride in the fog. what a nice feed of perch and rock bass there... wtg

great looking fish bro

awesome.... i think i will try for some carp tomorrow if it doesn't rain down this way .

Thanks.... about an hour east of you, sort of

I mentioned in my post yesterday about my first RIVER walleye yesterday that I was joining my friend, Dutchy, for brookies this am. AM came waaay too early. I had to be at his house by 3:50 am and I couldn't sleep a darned wink....Tossing and turning. Not really out of excitement either. Like how can u get "excited" about puny little fish when rainbows are still in the river and pike season just opened After a two hour drive, we arrive at our destination. There are five of us and a whole lot of river bank to walk without being in each others way. The four of them take off upstream and I work a pool at the bottom of the walk in point with my ultra-light 5 foot rod and reel. Half dew worms and a very small split shot about 18 inches up were my weapons of choice for the first little while. The first pool is full of chubbs so I move to the next hole that two of the others had abandoned a few minutes earlier. First drift and tap tap tap. Another chub But Dutchy had pre-warned me about all the chub so I decide to work the hole for a few more minutes. A wise decision. FISH ON ! my first brookie.... it slammed that worm like a fright train and then b-lined in to the rapids.... no worries, I am in my waders and fight him like a champ " don't lose him, don't lose him" is screeching through my brain. I screamed out to the guys and they gave me the thumbs up for first fish of the day too. On to shore he comes and a photo is on order. ( only had my Blackberry for a camera) Pure beauty...the picture just doesn't do this fish justice. The dots and the orange colors were brilliant.. yep, Dutchy and all those other speckie hunters are right... it truly is a beautiful little fish. I had no idea if brookies would school together and I wasn't even sure if I was fishing in the "right type" of water. But a few more drifts and WHAMMO.... another one..... This picture was waay easier to take as I hadn't put my phone away yet. I got that pic just as the fish squirmed out of my hand and shook the hook on it's way back to its watery home. The guys had dissapeared around the bend and I wasn't really sure which "fork in the river" they took. So I just followed the creators spirit and walked the river bank as I seemed to be directed to. The next three holes didn't produce for me, but it was a good time to practice pitching the 4lb line and tiny shot as far as I could to different targets in the river. Next time I will bring my 10.5 light action rod though. Or not? Don't really know what rod I should use with such a light bait to work with. I worked the river and walked the water and the rocks and just enjoyed the experience. Very peaceful up there and with just the odd bit of on/off rain, the mosquito's that I was forewarned about just didn't materialize on me. As I came across another log jam across a deeper section of river that i was unsure about crossing, I decided to tie on one of the "cheapie spinners" that I bought at Angling Outfitters yesterday. The boys told me to throw it directly at the wood and just up stream and to be prepared to lose a bunch of them. Ok, this was gonna be the sacrificial lure, I thought. First cast and bam, a BIG CHUB. OK, TRY AGAIN.... ANOTHER CHUB. No problem, I move up river 20 yards and try again. First cast UP IN TO the rapids and work the spinner down and across stream below me with a taught line all the way. WHAM ! another brookie for me! This experience is planted in to my mind.... toss the spinner at everything that "looks" like it might hold a fish in those rapids.... I have no fear and I am armed with lots of cheap spinners to learn on. Walking the river and just tossing the spinner in to water that was anywhere from a shimmer over rocks to about 3 feet deep was fun in itself. I had no idea that a spinner could be worked like this in the rapids. Look out rainbows! lol As I rounded the next long bend, I put the worm and split shot back on to work what looked like a long slow DEEP pool. I was "rewarded" with a BIG rock bass....but didn't know it was a bass until it came up. I was pretty sure I was in to a "trophy" brookie for a moment there ! Voices came from up river and I decided to give my recently sprained ankle a break and retreat slowly down river. The guys were making a lot better time than I was and I ended u fishing with them back down to the starting point. Two of the guys were using spinners with worm trailers.... hmmmm??? that looked interesting. I put a half worm on and the chub are back.... lol Persistence paid off again though. The boys stayed on the same side of the river that they had walked up on, so I decided to walk the other bank. Damned glad I did too. As we got to our starting point, the river splits and has a pretty strong and narrow chute that was only accessible from my side of the river. I got snagged up and stepped in to the chute to loosen the spinner. Another "twist of fate" was presented. When the spinner shook loose it went down stream and I decided to try fishing it back up to me with the sloooooowest retrieve possible without snagging up again. The spinner was about 10-12 feet down stream from me when i saw TWO brookies chasing it down. TWO! I couldn't believe it. Then, one of them hit it... CRRRUNCH in the rapids is very different than in the slower water. I set the hook and slowly start side stepping back to shore. And here it is>> A real beauty.... probably the best looking one of today's, bunch. After reloading another worm I wonder. Is that other brookie still in the rapids? No pain no gain! So I slowly walk back to the middle of the rapids and work the spinner down to a spot where I think is well below the "strike zone" of the first brookie. Unbelievable TWO MORE CHASING IT!!! Yep, one of them NAILS IT and I take the same precautionary trail back to shore for a quick photo>> And this time, I remember to take a release shot too Wondering if a third time is a charm I trek back out there to see if there are more where those two came from. Not to be..... no biggie.... That's OK fishing god...this was a blast.. The boys didn't work the river too far down this time so i stick to one more small shoot and with a small shoot came the smallest brookie of the day for me >> What a day! I am exhausted but can't sleep again.. can't wait to start trying some streams closer to my home that " have heard " have brookies in them.

Where are the squarepants ?

G-Mamn.... U ARE the man ! THE BIG MAN ! Wtg

a true fisherman never gives up... ada boy... let us know how the swhite bass taste too please