CrowMan

7 hours ago, BillM said:

You should see the smallies we pull out of Simcoe in Nov strolling, lol!   I'd much rather cast as well, but certain times of the year nothing touches it.

Kicker for strolling or moping  ? We generally use the bow mount for those presentations...but, yeah, the line between trolling/strolling/moping/bottom bouncing/drop shot/etc  is pretty blurry..

As mostly a Bass and Musky guy, I prefer to cast. However, after a morning of flinging half-pound lures with a 9 ft broomstick and a winch, by lunch time I often turn to my partner and say" how 'bout we troll for a while"..

Apply before the end of the month.

My son and I have  done this...an experience that will create invaluable skills and memories for a lifetime.

http://www.ontario.ca/page/stewardship-youth-ranger-program

10 hours ago, limeyangler said:

I would be careful with this, I think this could be illegal

Was discussed here a few years back:

On 3/15/2025 at 12:06 AM, waterfrontdinning said:

 

I’m feeling a bit confused and would love to know what went wrong. 

Don't beat yourself up...fishing is just that...fishing, it's not always catching.

There was an Ice Fishing Derby  in Elliot Lake this weekend...182 anglers participated and payed $100 each to enter, and not a single fish was caught. It can happen to the best of us..

https://www.elliotlakestandard.ca/news/elliot-lakes-fishless-ice-fishing-derby

On 3/14/2025 at 8:39 AM, Orca said:

My 69 years are starting to show. 

Ice fishing has definitely declined in my life...and it's just not the shorter season.

As I get older, I'm becoming more of a pu$$y. My tolerance for the cold and staring down a hole for hours is declining as the years go by. I still get out on the ice a few times a season...mostly to target Crappie at the cottage as the slot sizes  make a Walleye meal  difficult. Lake Trout is closed in winter on my lake, but occasionally I luck into a Whitefish or Burbot..

I also do a trip on Simcoe with my grandkids for Petch...that's with an operator so it's a pretty cushy affair.

However, now that I've retired I find myself (and my wife) spending more of the winter down south. We've never liked Florida (and certainly wouldn't spend our money there now, given the politics), so we rotate between renting places in Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica...as a bonus the Cdn $ still goes relatively far in these countries.

We're down in Cancun right now...kids and grandkids came down to visit last week..my son and son-in-law got out on a charter to load up for some fish dinners..

By the time I return, it should be ice-out fishing season.

Generally speaking, the spring Steelhead season doesn't open until the fourth Saturday in April in most of the streams on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

There are a few areas with a year round season south of the CNR tracks, but these areas are just short sections down at the river mouth. Given the limited areas open right now, they will be very crowded. 

Once the season opens up at the end of April, the Ganaraska River in Port Hope is one of the most popular spots. There is public access in town and upstream at the Sylvan Glen Conservation Area. Observe the signs, as many areas are posted as private or club waters.

Roe bags and beads fished under a float are the most popular early season baits. Don't expect instant success, many anglers spend many days before landing their first Steelhead...there's a definite learning curve. Best to observe successful fisherman, and politely ask questions. 

Make sure you have an Ontario license, as the rivers are patrolled during the spring. Regulations can be found at..

https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-fishing-regulations-summary

There have been reports of vehicles with US plates being "hassled".  Perhaps a "Kamala" bumper sticker would be helpful..

1 hour ago, aplumma said:

Both are excellent choices.

 

Art

Agreed, the mouth of the Spanish River and Whalesback Channel have awesome fishing, one of my favourite areas...but the OP was willing to go as "far north as Parry Sound"...those places are another 275km north of that..

If you want to stay in the Massassauga PP, check out.. 

https://woodsbaycottages.com/cottages

From my experience, you really don't even need  a "fish/depth finder" on Kesagami. Average depth is 6 to 8 ft, deepest spot was about 20 ft. It's so choked with weed beds (cabbage) that FFS would be pretty well useless. Even though it's far up north, its definitely not a cold rocky Shield Lake...it's muddy and soft bottomed similiar to Rice Lake. But that shallow stained weedy water is what makes it a fish factory.

38 minutes ago, Spiel said:

Does it come with holes in the floor for ice fishing ....

That would be a WilCraft...but I ve seen them stuck in the slush just like any other wheeled vehicle..

The only vehicle that works in these conditions is a Scoot. A lot of my neighbours had them when I owned a cottage on Wahsoune out by San Souci. Also, the only way to get out to your place on the Bay during te shoulder seasons...ice too thin, or ice breaking up..

On 3/3/2025 at 3:20 PM, lew said:

I must be getting dopey(er) in my old age but that's the part I don't understand.

The 1st. part is easy, Trump makes his people pay more hoping they'll start buying from somewhere other than Canada.

But how does it help Canadians if we impose tariffs on American products if it's going to cost us all more. Is the thinking that we'll start buying those boats from somewhere other than the States ??

By Canada imposing tariffs on goods imported from the US the intention is to make American businesses suffer. For example if we have to pay 25% more for orange juice from Florida, then a lot of Canadians may stop buying it and switch to apple juice produced in Ontario. So these tariffs will hurt US producers/mfgr's and hopefully they will pressure Trump/US gov't to end tariffs on their side, so we will end ours. Hence, the term "trade war".

7 minutes ago, BillM said:

Let's remove ALL THE SLIME off the fish before we release it.   Good god those guys need some lessons in handling.

Absolutely, brutal display for a fish that can't be retained...but even more blatant is that the fish is out of season (December 15th) and out of slot (54" + for retention)...which both call for IMMEDIATE RELEASE...no photos (certainly not posed ones) and no measurements.

14 minutes ago, Ron said:

Well.... go big or go home... I built a smoker capable of holding about 300lbs of meat. The last few weekends,  my nephew and I got into processing our wild game as well as pork and beef. Over the 2 long weekends we did up 110lbs of summer sausage, 15lbs pepperoni, 5lbs fresh Chorizo,  12.5 lbs dried Chorizo (7 week wait), 50lbs Willie's pepperettes, 12.5lbs Maple Habinero pepperettes, 12.5lbs Teriyaki pepperettes,  25lbs Homey BBQ, 30lbs moose sausage in hot Italian,  mild Italian,  and a new one to us, Philly cheese steak (will do this one again). To top it off, about 50lbs of brats. After all the processing we had 9lbs of cubed bacon left over. It got a 7 day cure and double smoked. 

Wow !!! I wouldn't know where to start...eating that is..

30 minutes ago, Spiel said:

Ohhh....there's a whole lot of wrong going wrong in that video.

Sure is..you got that right. 

24 minutes ago, 12 Volt Man said:

I drove 2 hours to catch the one in my profile pic (from shore). Not a monster but still my favorite fish I've ever caught freshwater (I caught a bonefish in the bahamas from the beach on my honeymoon- that is my favorite saltwater fish lol)

I'm sure the biologists will be all over this to see if there is a viable population of muskie breeding in Toronto Harbour now. 

His twin brother also caught a Musky in the harbour in October 2022. It was larger at 43 ", so there's at least 2 of them..

The Sampson boys seem to have it dialed in for Esox in sight of the CN Tower...plenty of 40" + Pike from the harbour too..

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/muskie-toronto-harbour-1.6637077

Yes, my salty favourite too....the original "Silver Bullet"...Nothing, pound for pound, pulls drag like a Bonefish. Wet wading, then hunting/sight fishing in skinny water. A 10 lb is a trophy, but even 5 lb will pull 100 yds of drag in a single run..

Good to see.. meanwhile idiots like me drive 19 hours for a shot at one..

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6642147

1 hour ago, wkrp said:

It is just my personal choice gentlemen. I too own both brands and agree that they are quality rods. wi

Although Loomis and St Croix produce some awesome sticks, like most mfgrs, they also make some  lower end very mediocre products. The Triumph and E6X line-ups come to mind.

Although you would think that the "halo" from a brand's top end products should extend down the line...sometimes it's a complete miss. Don't know if anyone remembers the Cadillac Cimarron from the 80's...it was a Chevy Cavalier with a few extra shiny chrome bits...but still the same bucket of rusty bolts..

11 hours ago, wkrp said:

Good bye St Croix

Actually a lot of their rods are mfgr'd in Mexico.

I visited my Mom in Mississauga today, and I usually stop by the Fish & Seafood Market down the street from her. I picked up a fillet of BC Black Cod (Sablefish) for dinner tonight....one of my wife's favourites. I broil it after marinating it in miso, mirin and sake...a version of the famous Nobu recipe. Some Jasmine rice, and stir fried baby bok choy makes for a quick and easy dinner.

In the store, a large can of chopped ocean clams on the shelf caught my attention...over 3lbs of drained weight for $19.99. Needless to say a lot of clam meat...so I thought I'd change things up for the Superbowl this year. I usually make a big pot of chili for game day. However, this Sunday I'm going to do Clam Chowder. My recipe is pretty basic...bacon, onion, garlic, celery, red potatoes, thyme, parsley, heavy cream, and of course the clams....go Eagles !!

1 hour ago, Spiel said:

What to do with some use 'em or lose root vegetables and a 1/4 head of Cabbage.
You get yourself a big ass Cottage Roll and make a boiled dinner.
I found a Cottage Roll on sale by chance and grabbed this 3 3/4 pound very lean beauty on sale for $3.99 a pound.

It also gives me an opportunity to use my very much under used straight from Newfoundland gifted "Peas Pudding" bag.

Yeah! 



 

Looks perfect for a cold winter day...but nothing wrong with a little fat instead of "very lean" when it comes to Cottage Rolls...😉

20 minutes ago, Iggy said:

Wow expensive battery but a third the weight. Sounds like a no Brainerd

Thanks 

Expensive ?? It's only a couple of bucks  more than a Cdn Tire 100ah lead-acid that has a 1 year warranty ...no brainer is right !

1 hour ago, Iggy said:

I've got a deep cycle battery but I'm having trouble charging it. Any tips on checking if it's still a good battery would help too.

Man they are big and heavy 

I was thinking 55 would ve better but how much better. Is this enough to get you vack home if you engine ever kinked out?

I would go with a 55lb motor, especially with a 16ft boat if you want to move with anything above a crawl to get back to port. With electric motors, like a lot of things, bigger is better than smaller.

I would definitely invest in a lithium battery. A 100ah weighs 20lbs vs 60lbs for a lead-acid.

I bought my third 100ah lithium just before Christmas. Tru Off Grid.com a local shop in Milton, ON. Always good to support a local retailer, rather than Amazon, etc

AOLithium...8 year warranty, BMS, low temp protection, and Bluetooth monitoring. Being able to instantly see the state of charge on your phone is a real benefit. $249 CDN. At that price it's cheaper than a AGM battery. Not sure if he's still offering the same deal.

Back in the day, we used to do OK on Baptiste and Elephant Lakes for Walleye...that was over 20 years ago.

Of course, back then there was also a healthy Muskie population in those lakes...the Pike invasion put an end to that..

The stocking lists don't show any lakes recently getting Walleye in the Bancroft District.

https://www.lioapplications.lrc.gov.on.ca/services/FishONLine/StockingList.aspx?json=true&fmz=18&stock=AllSpecies&diagnostics=false&lang=en

55 minutes ago, glen said:

Great info thanks. 
so he’s talking about nwo. 
I can’t see dragging a boat that far.

no Muskie in nipigon?  

G Bay, Nippissing and the French are all Shield Muskies. A non-Shield Musky lake for example would be Lake St. Clair, Sturgeon, Rice, Scugog, the Ottawa River...

No Muskies in Lake Nipigon...but more than a few 40"+ Pike....and, of course, monster Lake Trout, world class Brookies and even some Walleye.

We drag a boat. Last few times in my buddy's Yukon towing an 19' Crestliner... cost us about $800 in gas. Split between 3 of us...worth every penny..

One piece of advice...avoid driving the Soo to Wawa portion at night...unless you're looking for a Moose as a hood ornament.