CrowMan

Big polarizing issue in my home town of Oakville. Some little old ladies are even afraid to come out of their house. Local social media fuels the paranoia, especially among new Canadians that have had little exposure to wildlife. It's the "big bad Wolf" syndrome. As far as I know, the only time there have been threatening interactions between Coyotes and humans is when people feed them, and they get conditioned to humans as a food source. Most of the "stories" of pets being eaten by them have turned out to be urban myths. Personally, I don't see them as a threat at all. There is a pair that walk past my house every morning like clockwork...they don't bother me, I don't bother them. On a few occasions, where I've come head to head with them in the local park...either a bark from my Vizsla (not a big dog) or a clap of my hands has sent them scurrying away with their tail between their legs. They're here, because food is here...frankly, I like the fact they keep the local rodent population under control. The rat problem is one of the dirty little secrets of the suburbs.

Try Aikman's (tackle repair in Mississauga). He always has some used reels for sale. Last time I was in there I saw some big spinning reels for sale that might be suitable.

I was looking around and it seems the Saragosa is discontinued. You can get a Shimano Socorro 6000 SW on Amazon for $207.

If it's specifically for surf fishing, he'd probably want a 6000 to 8000 class spinning reel with a wide arbour spool to facilitate long casts. I currently have a Shimano Saragosa 6000 that's been great for every thing from casting jerkbaits to Striped Bass in New Brunswick to live baiting Sailfish in Costa Rica. It holds well over 300 yds of 65lb braid. I bought it more than 10 years ago from Bass Pro in Vaughn, and it's never missed a beat. As Fang mentioned, religiously rinsing with fresh water after every use is critical. For smaller saltwater applications, I have a Daiwa Ballistic 4000...again it has sealed bearings which are key to fishing the salt. Craig's recommendation of the BG is another one I see a lot of down south. I did have a Penn 6500 Spinfisher prior to the Saragosa...I bought it because I always thought Penn had a solid reputation for saltwater gear...but that reel only made it 2 seasons before it seized up. Frankly it may have been my own abuse, it spent a lot if time in the sand on one trip. Just like the freshwater world, I dont think you can go wrong with Shimano or Daiwa. .

Don't get me wrong, I'm the first in line when new electronics come out for fishing...I welcome all the help I can get. But this thread reminds me of a trip we did to Lawrence Bay Lodge on Reindeer Lake in northern Saskatchewan a few years back. All the fishing at the lodge is guided...the guides are all local First Nations folks. Our guide was "Albert" a grizzled old bear of a man who chain-smoked filterless Exports and cooked up the best shore lunches I've ever had. When I first got on his boat, I looked around and didn't see a fish finder/sonar anywhere. I asked Albert..."what no electronics ?". He replied with a grunt..."well it wouldn't be fishing then, would it".

Up here in central Frontenac, my lake finally froze over last week...then we got hit with 10" of heavy snow. Not good...now it's a slushy mess with a few inches of clear ice underneath that's very unpredictable. Would've been much better if we got the cold snap BEFORE the snow. Probably going to give the smaller Trout lakes up by Plevna/Ompah a try in the coming days....the Crappie and Walleye will have to wait for now. Good thing about this winter was that I was Steelhead fishing right up until Christmas.

Don't cheap out with lithium...make sure they have BMS (Battery Management System) built in...this circuitry will prevent overheating and overcharging. Also use a dedicated charger specifically rated for lithium use. Once charged, promptly unplug from the charger. Saw these photos online the other day. Apparently charging lithium batteries on the boat in the garage...

A lot of reports of fake and counterfeit goods being sold on Temu. The old adage "if it's too good to be true" is something to consider... https://www.makeuseof.com/temu-scams-to-be-aware-of/

Biscayne Bay (downtown Miami) has good inshore fishing for a number of species. I spent a day fishing there 15 years ago on a corporate "golf and fish" slush event...we fished with a guide on a small centre console flats boat (all equipment supplied). Did well with Redfish, Jacks, and Bonefish. Don't remember the name of the outfit, but there were quite a few operating out of the marina.

My wife has been in the travel business for over 35 years (one of the reasons I get around so much 😊) and she always recommends Guardian Travel Insurance. I recently took my 87 year old Mom on a trip to Europe to visit family, and it was surprisingly reasonable.

San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) is your best bet if you want to do some DIY fishing. You will need to take a water taxi/ferry or a very short flight on TropicAir or MayaAir from BZE Int'l Airport to get there. Lots of accommodation options in San Pedro, and north and south along the coast of the island. Caye Casa is a good value hotel, but there's lots of places less expensive. Some good Airbnb or vrbo choices too. You'll need a golf cart to get to the best fishing, buts there's all kinds of rental places in town. If you go, message me and I'd be glad to share info on spots, etc.. I did go to Cozumel about 10 years ago...frankly, I found it too crowded (especially when the cruise ships came in), the fishing not that great, and when snorkeling the coral was bleached out..

Toronto's usually not that bad, but the friggin moving sidewalks were all out of commission. I was eying up those electric carts that they ferry old folks around with...but my better half kept prodding me along like it was the Bataan Death March... You know me Doug...I take my side-by-side from the cottage to my dock....lol

Not sure why you think you're too old. I'm 65, and except for my nephew, we were all between 63 and 75. This is perfect "old man" fishing...a golf cart, no hills to hike, flat gentle water, and a perfect 27c... Most difficult part of the trip was the insanely long walk from the check-in counter to gate 87 at Terminal 1....lol

Just got back from a 2 week trip to Belize on Ambergris Caye (San Pedro)...Toronto to Belize City direct, then a 15 minute flight on a Cessna Caravan puddle-jumper to the island. I first went to San Pedro over 30 years ago...this was my 7th trip. Although it has become somewhat developed over the years...there is now one "paved" (if you call rutted and potholed paved) road (but still no stop signs to be found)...it's still like what the rest of the Caribbean was like 50 years ago. No big all-inclusive resorts, golf carts and bikes are the primary means of transportation, most restaurants and bars just have a sand floor, and the locals are super friendly. Belikin beer is $15 a square, local rum $12 a bottle, excellent locally grown coffee, and plenty of cheap seafood fresh right from the local boats...Snapper, Grouper, Snook, Shrimp, Octopus, Conch, and Lobster. The other nice thing about Belize is it used to be called British Honduras before their independence...so unlike the rest of Central America which is Spanish, they speak English (the Queen is still on their money, and they brew a Lager and a Stout). It has a British West Indies vibe with a blend of Reggae and Creole cultures... great food and good music. It also has (IMO) the best inshore fishing of anywhere down south. The world's second largest barrier reef (awesome snorkeling and diving through stunning coral gardens) protects literally 100's of square miles of very shallow sand flats and mangroves from the open ocean. Whether its from shore or a boat, we never fished water that's more than 3 ft deep and usually dead calm...that's what makes flats fishing for Bonefish, Permit and Tarpon (plus Snook, Barracuda and Jacks) so exciting. It's more like hunting than fishing...its almost 100% sight fishing. You have to be super stealthy, use light tackle with FC leaders, watch you shadow, have good eyes to spot fish, have very accurate casting skills, cast to lead the fish with a soft entry...and when hooked these fish pull hard...I swear that a 5lb Bonefish will pull drag harder and certainly longer than a 20lb Northern Pike. Fish that live in shallow water like this have only one escape mechanism from predators...swim like hell horizontally. A few buddies (and our wives) and I rented a 5 bedroom house right on the beach. The place had a beautiful pool too, and we also rented a couple of golf carts. We fished a few times with "guides"...basically local fisherman who took us out on their skiffs...most of which had 2-stroke Yamahas (the only brand you see on the island, if that tells you something). The rest of the time we just ran our golf carts up and down the beach and wet waded...there's miles upon miles of completely deserted beach with perfect sand for walking/wading. All beaches in Belize are open to the public...it is illegal to own beachfront. Fishing along the beach was like stalking a tiny Trout stream...you had to be cat-like or the fish would spook...a lot of fun. While the boys fished, the girls sat around poolside or on the beach working on their tans while sipping on Pina Coladas and Margaritas. They also went on several excursions to the mainland (by water taxi) to see the Mayan ruins, and do some guided walks in the jungle to see birds and wildlife. Well enough rambling...here's some photos...the Permit is an absolute trophy. Last photo was a house down the beach from us..creative sign...lol

I have the built-in Bluetooth monitor on my AOLithium battery....it's very useful, because when a lithium dies..it dies. There is no progressive slow down of power to warn you. I do believe you can buy separately a Bluetooth monitor that will work with any battery.

Definitely not safe ice...tragic https://globalnews.ca/newsletter/10193302/640toronto/

Congrats ! It's always so satisfying to be recognized for your efforts.

For me, part of the attraction of a fly-in trip is it takes you back to a time when things were simpler. A chance to disconnect...literally and figuratively. I haven't ever been on a fly-in where catching "enough" fish had been an issue. That being said...we always struggle with the weight limits because the line between "must have" and "nice to have" is a fuzzy one. Although, if someone ever invents freeze-dried beer (with alcohol)...I'll be first in line as an investor.

Forecast for the GTA is 7c and rain on the 25th.. "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas..."

I don't bother to "winterize" my Lund...I'll bring it from Frontenac to my place in Oakville, and fish the lower Niagara (on the right day) right through winter..Once Erie freezes, it's clear water right through to break up.

No...it's just because you're too young...she reached out to all us old farts because she's looking for a Sugar Daddy...lol

My invite was from her twin sister, Evelyn1167...lol

Take a look at the brushless motor upgrade (Quest Series) with the Terrova. A jump in price....but my experience with brushless in other applications has been very positive...quiet, less energy consumption, infinite speed control, longer life. I also believe the gps/i-pilot function is improved with features like drift control...basically works like a drift sock.

That time of year.. https://www.huntandfishontario.com/?fbclid=IwAR2FHGfDm3UW5V_14o2dgnFM23isn340PCE00dN7ts2nxII38BtZo1ESlj8

Looking at the long range forecast, it's going to be a while before we can ice fish in southern Ontario. Hopefully, it's not like 2002...most Simcoe operators didn't even get their huts out that year. That was an El Nino winter, just like this one.