KawarthaAngler

19 hours ago, FILTHY OAR said:

Did you launch in Lasalle ? think I recognize the condo in the back ground...Were ya anchored and casting or drifting and jigging ?

Yes.  We used the LaSalle Marina, which is a public boat launch (which has a daily fee but it's a great spot ... lots of parking and 2 very nice launches with tons of dock space).

The current was really strong and we wanted to stay in our spots to work the surrounding area, so I threw an anchor.  Sometimes it wouldn't catch ... but most of the time it did.  We used a dropshot setup with a 1 oz weight.  Staying in the 20 - 30ft depths where the fish finder showed us lots of fishing. 

On 5/28/2019 at 12:11 PM, misfish said:

Nice.

 

So, how did they taste ?

I've only had 1 meal so far and it was quite good.

I did a lot of research before hand in regards to prep'ing this type of fish, plus my co-angler was experienced with White Bass. 

With Crappie and Walleye, I simply clean them shortly after catching them, and some I eat fresh, other I freeze for a later day.  But what I read and watched on YouTube I needed to 1) bleed them then 2) remove the 'blood (mud) line' from the filet.  Both of these steps were new to me but appear to be mandatory to make White Bass a good eating fish.

I always batter my fish and fry it in a little bit of oil.  The batter has spices ... so if the fish is a little 'fishy' ... it's not noticeable.  Crappie and Walleye are so mild, they can be pan fried with no spices other some salt and pepper and they are great.  With this fish, for many a little extra spice may be all that's needed.

Weekend trip was a big success.  Water levels were still high (could tell by the submerged docks).

I was told by seasoned anglers that the season is late this year (which is normal everywhere).  But they were still plentiful once they were found via fish finder.

Saw many boats out trolling in the morning for Walleye.  They were catching them, could see that.  They were staying in the 30ft depths, more to the centre of the channel.  Found the White's in 20-30ft depths on the edge of the channels, near sandy dropoffs.

12 hours ago, David Chong said:

Yeah, no closed season and no limit! It is a pretty busy time when they come in!

Thanks Dave.

1 hour ago, DanD said:

Went on a walleye charter to the Detroit river; a week ago last Wednesday. Caught a pile of what I've always called white/silver bass; but the charter guy was calling them white perch? Who am I to argue; plus I was on my way to get a limit of walleye.?

Dan.  

That's encouraging to hear! 

Going to Windsor this weekend with a friend for my first time fishing for White Bass.  I cannot find anything on the government website on white or silver bass.  Their possession limits, seasons, etc.  Nothing.  

The Detroit river and that area are Zone 19.  The gov. document doesn't list white or silver bass as a species ... not in just Zone 19 ... but not anywhere in the full document.

Yes, Frank's shop "Bridgenorth Sports" is still open and going strong.  I was in chatting with him last week.  Not sure why his website is down.

If only looking at Bridgenorth, people sometimes fish from shore at Chemong Park.  You can see it if you Google Map the town.  It's not far from the Causeway on the Bridgenorth side.

As mentioned by Akrisoner, going 10+ min from town takes you to Gannon Narrows.  I drive that bridge every day.  There is safe parking on the side road (on Anchor Bay Rd, by the mailboxes on the Buckhorn side of the bridge).  You can also fish from shore (on the Pigeon Lake side) since that is park land (it's marked with a new sign or two).

People also fish from shore in downtown Lakefield, just a short walk from the lock, as well fish at the damn in Buckhorn (when the date has passed that it is open .. because it's a fish sanctuary, so it has a different opening date for Walleye).

Boaters World

There is one here in Peterborough, close to me.  I just walk in and they order it if its not in stock.

https://www.boatersworld.com/

I've always wondered where the name Pickerel came from so I Googled it.  I came across a couple of websites that illustrate they are two different fish and the fish we see in many photos from southern Ontario (the great lakes, Kawarthas, etc) are not Pickerel because Pickerel is a different species.

https://northernwilds.com/pickerel-vs-walleye-setting-the-record-straight/

I was wondering why Walleye is also called Pickerel.  Another search brought me to a site that simple said many decades ago Walleye were misidentified as Pickerel and as parents passed the name of the fish as Pickerel onto their children, and then they grew up and passed the name along to their children ..... the misnaming stuck.

Anyone have insight or wisdom on this?

Not everyone can identify fish accurately from a distance.  When we purchased our waterfront home 5 years ago we were down at the dock talking to the people that sold us the home.  The woman knew I was a Fisherman and said "I've seen big trout swim by the dock".

This is on Upper Buckhorn lake.

Enough said.   

I saw those at the locks as well and wondered what was going on.  Thanks for the info! 

Damn!  Leave some for the rest of us. 

I've been fishing ... but nothing like that!   

If your boat isn't worth much (which is subjective and a personal decision) I guess insurance would help in other areas such as theft, should someone smash into you (i.e. if you travel the Trent Severn and something happens in the locks), etc.   But for a seasoned boater in a non-congested water system ... it is a valid question to ask yourself should you have the $ to replace your boat if something happened to it.

My Fish & Ski boat has a value of approx $10 - $12K.  We insure it as an extension of our home policy through Co-Operators.  It isn't much (maybe $400/yr .. can't recall at the moment) but we are on the Trent Severn which is heavily populated, has thefts in the night and I do go through the locks from time to time.

39 minutes ago, ecmilley said:

There was 32 carriers of marine insurance before February. Down to 5 now with lyoyds oof London  being biggest to drop pleasurecraft. All rates going up substantially. My policy renewal for the z21 is $1400 a year now

Damn!  That's more than many cars!

I got a good deal on a Fenwick HMG spinning rod.  I found an excellent deal (almost half price) on a Live Target top water popper (was in a sale bin). Also found some ZMan soft plastic I have trouble finding in this area.  

Depending on what you are looking for, there were deals on gear.  I almost walked away with another Zodias rod because the one BJ's had was discounted really good. 

5 minutes ago, misfish said:

Just like the ice fishing show here.  needs to grow.

Agreed.

I think everyone that attends shows has their own expectations because of what interests them or what they are looking for.  I think like the Barrie ice fishing one, it's a small market and area it appeals to ... so may be tough to grow.  But I hope they succeed.

I was recently talking to the marketing director for one of the large manufacturers of fishing gear and was told that they and other manufacturers are pulling out of setting up booths at the trade shows because there isn't the ROI anymore with everyone doing their own online research and looking for deals at the resale booths.  This person said they plan on partnering with some of the larger resale booths going forward.  I thought this was an interesting approach.

I should be there Sunday morning.

I went last year and was impressed.  It was larger than I expected for the small town of Lindsay.  It's a small show so can do it in an hour or less.  It's much more than just a fishing show (I'd prefer to see more fishing there but that's because it's my main focus).  They have some hands-on stuff for the kids as well.

3 hours ago, cisco said:

You guys need to think like a big perch. The wee ones are around weeds and such where small food items exist. Big perch are after shiners 1st and now will take gobies too. Don't find that so much in the shallows compared to deep drop offs where shiners come and go from. I have had 50 perch days with a companion with little sifting through dinks following this approach. As the schools travel around they seem to follow contours as we follow roads. You wouldn't look for a hamburger stand in a subdivision nor would big perch look for shiners in a shallow bay. Sure exceptions are the rule but I have had pretty good luck in deeper water close to deep water at funnel points they move through to get to food or to intercept food. Oh and 9 inches or larger is what we normally get. 

Great advice.

16 minutes ago, BillM said:

Word is the guy who owned that boat died and the boat was never taken out of the water. 

That rumor makes the picture less fun. 

On that warm day I already put my boat in the water, but then we had another short cold spell.  But not long now! 

That was really bizarre.  Perfect that it was captured on vid.

?

Mine is a 7 foot Shimano Crucial medium action rod.  It's quite light.  I really like it. I think the new Curado line replaced Crucial.

I have a 7'2" heavy action Shimano Zodias I use for punching.  I love that rod.  Its so light yet powerful.  Maybe their 6'6-7' medium power would be the perfect solution.  They are a bit pricey though but really nice.

I did hold approx 7' Abu Garcia dropshot rod in my hand at a recent winter Bassmasters club meeting from a Abu Garcia sponsored pro tourney angler doing a demo .... it was really nice looking and feeling rod.  I can't recall which model it was but it felt like it was up there in quality between the Curado and Zodias.

Also, the new Daiwa Tatula line is really nice.

So much sweet gear ... not enough money.