CrowMan

Did you fish with "Nacho" in Cozumel ? Awesome guide...

My wife owns/operates a travel business, so I've been very fortunate to travel and fish extensively down south over the years...Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico (Carribean and Pacific), Turks & Caicos, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Belize, Argentina, Chile...even the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. For the most part, all of the guides/charters that I've dealt with have been dedicated, hard working and professional. Almost all of them take great pride in what they do, and in most of these countries it's a respected profession that many aspire to.. The best of the best have been in Belize...it's a former British colony so they speak perfect English, and the government licensing program ensures they are well versed in boating and knowledge of the fishery. In terms of fly fishing, most of them have also been excellent instructors. I had a buddy come out with me that had never fly fished in his life, and by the end of the day he could put fly on a dinner plate out 60ft. Guides in the Bahamas out islands are a close second. The one exception was an offshore charter in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Captain and mate literally got so drunk that our group of 4 ended up taking over the boat (40ft sport cruiser), did our own fishing (we caught several Striped Marlin and Mahi) and drove the boat back to the marina with the 2 of them passed out..

A few years back, my son and I did a charter on a family vacation to PV. We were in the Punta Mita area which is about 20 to 25 km from the airport. We got in to Sailfish offshore in the morning, and then Roosters and Jacks inshore in the afternoon. Good people and hard working charter captain. These are the folks, they may be able to pick you up closer to the airport, or recommend someone that can. Have a great trip ! Always nice to sip a Margarita on the beach when it's -20 back home. https://www.erasmotours.com/

Another good choice.

BTW, I highly recommend Taro at Fish City Tours on that list of Simcoe guides.

If you only have time for a day trip, I would suggest Lake Simcoe...only an hour or less from Toronto. It has some monster Smallmouth... https://www.fishingsimcoe.com/local-businesses/fishing-guides-lake-simcoe

Appreciate the report...I feel warmer already ! I don't recognize the guide...I've only fished with Miguel or his son Rafa...but yup they certainly work hard down there..

Populations are definitely cyclical, especially in smaller bodies of water. Back in the day, I used to do well at Binbrook and Mountsburg...then nothing. Not sure if they ever bounced back..

I think because a lot of G Bay "fishes" like an inland lake...the area of the 30,000 Islands from Honey Harbour up to the North Channel...as opposed to a wide open big water trolling scenario. Same for Lake Ontario...on the Bay of Quinte (although part of Lake O) you can't fish 2 lines west of the Glenora ferry. My understanding is the 2 line allowance was brought in to appease pressure from the charter industry.

There are a number of lakes in south-eastern Ontario where Crappie are quite prolific..

Big Gull is good for Bass.. Kashwakamak, Crotch, Kennebec, Bobs, and Sharbot are other lakes I'd look at in the area.

Absolutely a good value....it's a bargain as far as winter sports go.. Last winter we skied at Tremblant...single day lift tickets are $160 each. The year before I took my kids and grandkids to Whistler for a week...there are bundles that make it less expensive...but a "walk up to the counter" single day lift ticket is $250 per person.. At least those are real mountains. Blue Mountain in Collingwood (a hill which maybe takes 7 turns of your skiis to get down) charges $140 for a walk up day pass.. And skiing in Canada is cheap. At Vail Resort in Colorado, single day lift tickets are $295 USD...that's $423 CDN per person just to ski for the day. Believe it or not, there are even more expensive resorts.. At least with ice fishing you get to bring some good eats home...as opposed to spending $30 on a cold hamburger and greasy fries at the ski lodge cafeteria.. And don't get me started on what it costs to take your kids to a Leafs game.. So yeah, I'm not really feeling the "ouch" paying Tim Hale a few bucks to take care of me for the day...

That hat...and what's underneath it ! Nevermind the "rapidly aging mind"...it's the rapidly aging everything else on our bodies that "seems like only yesterday" 😆 Here's one from the same era...no hut, at night, homemade ice picks around the neck...

$70 to $80 is the going rate on Simcoe..

Glad to be of service...

Sounds like a plan...now if only the weather Gods would cooperate and make some ice...

Cant go wrong with combining pizza and wood smoke. We have a wood burning pizza oven at the cottage. The major benefit is that I can get the temperature up to 900 F +, that combined with the smoke from the wood... kicks out pizzas like you were in Naples. One of our favourite get togethers is a "make your own personal pizza party". I'll even do roast chicken and prime rib in that oven...the smoke makes all the difference. Between the oven and my Traeger smoker it's probably 75% of my meal preparation all summer long (and winter too !). Most of the time my BBQ gathers dust..

The lake is incredible...the river is magical. 32 years straight and counting..

You definitely want to add some kind of sugar to the brine...it helps form the "pellicle" when drying before the smoke, and caramelization (browning) during the smoke. Depending on what you're brining, maple or birch syrup or molasses can be nice additions too. One of my favourite ways to do salmon or trout is with maple syrup and rye whiskey in the brine, and then glazed with a half/half mixture of both while smoking..."Indian Candy"...which is probably not a politically correct term these days. I got a bottle of it "pre-blended" in my Christmas stocking...Maple syrup aged in whiskey casks. Looking forward to trying it out on my next batch...

Well, it must be a blue moon....the GTA is actually going to get MORE snow than the rest of the Province tonight and tomorrow..

Matt Martin does guided fly fishing trips on the upper Credit and the Grand... https://www.smoothriver.ca/

Now put FFS in the drone and have it communicate back to your screen, and you can cover the entire lake without leaving the dock...LOL When does it stop being fishing and just become a video game ? I'm curious if there's anything in the reg's about using this tech ? I know for hunting, drones are absolutely forbidden...but fishing ?

Izzy developed bladder cancer. I'd take her for a walk, and she'd stop every few feet to try and pee. Vet said she had a tumour the size of a baseball in her bladder....very aggressive and had already spread to her other organs. The vet put in a catheter to give her a few more days (she was in pain) so my kids could come home to say good bye...they were in university at the time...one in Kingston and one in BC. We all had one last weekend at the cottage with her...and then Monday, we all went to the vet to hold her that final time. The saddest part of of having dogs as family members is that we as humans generally out live them...

Can't wait for the underwater drone technology...like launching little Hunter Killer subs...😁 Seriously though...the tech has no limits...at some point are the regulations (fish & game act) going to limit the tech ?

We had a strinkingly similar looking member of our family....a Collie cross with the same colouring. We recued her as a 6 month old and named her Izzy, after the mascot of the '96 Summer Olympics. She was gifted with an almost supernatural canine instinct...she knew what you were thinking, before you even thought it. Same thing, she passed at 11 years old hugged by all four us as we bawled like babies..