CrowMan

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.

Godfather of Grunge.. https://youtu.be/XypmcLqapc4?si=K7GXRyoVTrhsvfDM

Best fishing on Eagle was down on Osborne Bay in the SE end....it's stained water much like the 'Goon. Much tougher getting the big girls to bite in the clear Trout water of the west end of Eagle.

We fished Eagle for a week this past September at TBL. It was 25 years since I was last there...wow...the slot size reg's have turned that lake into a Walleye factory ! We spent most of out time chasing bigger toothy critters, but if we wanted shore lunch, it took all of 15 minutes to catch enough eater size 'eyes to fill a fry pan. The 3 fellas in the cabin next to us did nothing but jig for gold...they used a clicker to keep count...they totalled over 1100 Walleyes for the week. We were up on Lac Seul last year, and I thought that was a prolific Walleye fishery...but Eagle is right there...and in terms of Musky, Eagle obviously is trophy water, but it's also a great numbers lake for 40ish size fish. Simon, you're truly blessed to be surrounded by such riches !

My Dad was a Buick guy for life...only cars he ever owned. The one I most fondly remember was a 1972 Centurion (not Century) Coupe with a 455 big block. The "parcel shelf" under the rear window was so big our Labrador could fully stretch out and sleep there on trips to the cottage. The only Buick I owned was a 1986 Regal Grand National....that was a sweet ride. I bought it new, but ended up trading it in 3 years later on a new Pontiac Bonneville sedan, when kids came along. I wish I would've kept the Grand National...I saw one sell recently at Barrett-Jackson for $550,000 US.

I hear ya loud and clear...I'll be married to the same beautiful bride for 40 years this spring..

My buddy (divorced 3 times) now swears by the motto...the least expensive women are the ones you pay for upfront.. One might apply the same motto to computer programs..

Take a look at Angling Outfitters in Woodstock...they know their stuff, do installs, and prices are competitive . BTW, considering most retailers are now selling the Garmin 106SV at half price...that's probably because it's at the end if it's life cycle. I would imagine that Garmin has something new waiting in the wings to replace it..

A couple of my buddies went to fish the Catt today...had a great day with a lot of fresh fish coming in after yesterday's rain. No vacancy at the Angola Motel...expanding their search. Great excuse for wives and work to fish another day...

Lake Trout are closed right now in that zone. I always find it funny how Lakers are a split personality fish...catch a 20 pounder in Lake O and it's a greasy boot, catch a 20 pounder in the north country (or just Simcoe) and it's a hero fish...and folks will spend mucho $$$ to go chase them in remote places like Great Bear Lake..

Elk !! Lucky you Doug. When my brother lived in Calgary, I used have a fairly steady pipeline of Wapiti. Top of the list for game meat !