CrowMan

Good to hear there's a scientific rationale behind this behavior, we couldn't figure it out...never saw anything like that before. No dinks to be found at all...everything was 18" and up. Interestingly, the males and females seemed to stay in seperate packs. These fish were at least 4 to 6 weeks away from spawning.

In FMZ 7 the lakes are still probably frozen. We were much further south than that...FMZ 10 has exceptions. Up north, the locals consider Bass an invasive "trash" fish not worthy of protection...LOL All waters north of Highway 17 and all waters west of where the east bank of the Serpent River crosses Highway 17 are open year-round for largemouth and smallmouth bass.

As the old saying goes..."an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Just came back from a 2500km road (round) trip towing my tinny. Through a blizzard to t-shirt weather...all perfectly trouble free. I'm religious about maintaining my bearings...just seen too many roadside mishaps that leave me sayin' "glad I'm not that dude". One of the things, that I've got into a habit of doing over the years...at every gas, coffee, or pit stop, I'll put my hand on the trailer bearing hubs...if they're a little too warm, I know there'll be trouble down the road. On long remote trips like this, we always take spare bearings and grease. Another habit, is to let the bearings cool down before splashing the boat...warm bearing caps and cold water can add up to problems. This was our annual Steelhead trip up the east and north shore of Superior. For the first time in 23 years of doing this trip, we decided to tow a boat. We wanted to run up some of the bigger Trout Rivers (like the Michipicoten) and also access the mouths of some tribs that you can only get to by water...not many roads in this part of the world. We also planned to fish ice out Lakers on an inland lake on the way back. No shortage of fresh chrome fish up on Superior this time of year...although they're smaller than their Lake O and Huron/G Bay cousins...every year they do seem to get bigger...and maybe it's because of the environment they live in (high gradient rivers), but pound for pound they battle like nothing else. After getting our fill of chasing Steel, we spent a day or so at a lake in southern Algoma with the intent of hunting down some Lakers. Well, after reeling in a few Trout, we soon figured out that some of the bays had warmed up to 50f and the Smallies had the pre-spawn feedbag on...we quickly switched gears...not that we were planning on it, but we all had some soft plastics that we scrounged and shared from the bottom of our bags..This was a Smelt lake, so the Bass were particularly porcine ! It turned into one of those epic days...beautiful weather, still too early for bugs, and double headers of hungry 20" Bass...just crazy ! The number of Smallies jammed into relatively small staging areas was something none of us had experienced before...they looked liked wolf packs cruising in the clear shallow water. Although, they definitely preferred a smaller snack...Ned's ruled the day... Yep...it's been a great spring so far !

Tungsten is 1.7 times more dense than lead, and it's also harder. It's all about the feel in bottom contact presentations...with a good rod you can tell if the bottom is mud, sand, gravel or rock. Being smaller for the same weight it also gets less hang ups, and it gets to the bottom quicker. Its not only open water...in the ice fishing world, tungsten jigs are all you'll see some guys using. Can you fish without it, and just use lead or brass...yes...but you know what we're like..every bit of an advantage helps, or at least in your head it does..and fishing is 90% confidence.

I'm with ya Glen. I rarely measure or weigh fish, and frankly often don't take photos either. I have no interest in participating in tournaments. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy watching/reading about pro tourneys, mainly to see what presentations everyone's using. It's just for me, fishing is about relaxing and socializing, not competing. I do understand the thrill of competition...but I had enough of that in my business life. It's just that this Musky record thing is so murky...that has me curious. There seems to be so much controversy over something that should be fairly black and white. You Google "Musky World Record" and you get over a dozen different answers...just wacky..

I'd be interested, if you happen to put something together. Especially with a drop shot...if I use lead instead of tungsten, it's like I'm fishing blind. Nevermind that the price for tungsten has gone through the roof, a lot of popular sizes always seem out of stock. I'd particularly be interested in cylinder weights (1/8 through 1/2 oz)...I prefer a ring eye connection rather than the "pinch"...I like to tie a knot. It gets expensive quick when jumping Smallies shake them off..

For those who don't want to wade through all the Bull...here's the most pertinent statement... The FACTS speak for themselves sir. It matters not whose name is or is not attached to communicating that. The facts have not and cannot be refuted. I spoke personally with the taxidermist who made the mold of the O'Brien fish at the ROM and he told me that the O'Brien fish was no longer than 54", if that long, his words. The mold speaks volumes and should be all that is necessary to remove the fish from record book based on what was obviously a falsified application to the OFAH. Respectfully, Doug Petrousek DOUGLAS TAXIDERMY ELBURN, IL www.douglastaxidermy.com

Yes...I'm well aware. I only mentioned it as there always seems to be controversy in the Musky world. For example...apparently, the taxidermist that made the mount of the O'Brien fish for the ROM claims it was smaller than originally reported... Just sayin' that there seems to be larger C&R fish out there than this latest claim... Always something... https://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=64983&start=181

I guess Cullen Veiders would have something to say too...at 59.5", I can't see how there could be more than 6" from the fork of the tail to the tip.. https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/worldclass-mega-muskie-from-lake-ontario/466685

Not sure how the IGFA considers this 53" fish a world record ? Yes, the measurement is to the fork of the tail, but there certainly have been larger fish...no ? I'm not up on the latest goings on in the Musky world. There always seems to be some controversy when it come to records around this species...like the dispute over the famous (or perhaps infamous) Ken O'Brien Moon River fish...so maybe someone could enlighten me.. https://www.outdoornews.com/2023/05/02/st-lawrence-river-muskie-caught-by-new-york-angler-is-new-cr-world-record/

Nice haul ! Yes, I got a few more...got a couple bags in the freezer. I parboil them in salted water first, cool in ice water, and then vacuum pack. My focus is now on Morels...I've been trying to train my dog to sniff them out...like a Truffle hound...LOL. Can't get enough of those delicious fungi. The wet weather over the next few days should really get them going. Cooked some pasta tonight with a Morel, Cream and Parmesan sauce...food of the Gods ! ‐----‐---------------------- Congrats Leafs ! Hopefully they'll see the Oilers in the final round..an all Canadian Stanley Cup final would be sweet !

We stay at Brennan Harbour (good people), but there's a couple of other places right at the mouth of the Spanish too. Loads of Smallmouth (and some Largemouth), consistent Walleye and plenty of Pike. There's Musky too, and in September we've even incidentally caught Chinook right in front of the cabins.

It's been a strange spring. I think the warm weather last week really accelerated things. We had almost 30c for 5 days straight. In some of my places for Fiddleheads they were already almost a foot high yesterday. I had to go looking in some of the shady north facing spots to find young ones.

Although just a liitle further afield, two places that have always been good to me are Lac Kipawa (in Quebec, 90 minutes east of North Bay), and the WhalesBack Channel on the north shore of Lake Huron (mouth of the Spanish River, about an hour west of Sudbury). As Headhunter stated, Nosbonsing is basically a suburb of North Bay...gets a lot of pressure.

After retiring back in November, this was the first week that I really got a feel for what the non-working life is like. I spent a total of 42 days this winter traveling in other countries and continents, and the ice fishing season wasn't very long or good to me. So the kick-off of Trout opener was something I finally wanted to take full advantage of.. Spent the first 5 days of the week chasing Steelhead...same river I've fished for over 40 years. Saturday was a blow out with all the rain, but after that the river settled down and the water turned that perfect colour. Although a few less fish than previous seasons, I still brought lots of fresh run Steel to the bank all week long. More importantly, it was a good few days to re-connect with buddies that I've shared that water with over the years. A shout out to Misfish...one his creations was killer slowly drifted in the deeper pools. After 5 days of getting up at 6am and bush whacking up and down the river all day long, these old legs had enough, and I headed to my cottage for some R&R. Well, I guess I haven't been retired long enough, because I still haven't learned to just sit and relax. I always feel that I'm still in weekend warrior mode and need to squeeze in everything all at once. Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, so I decided to go for an ATV ride up into the high country north of my place. I strapped on my 5 wt and a couple of empty fruit baskets and headed to one of my favourite spring-fed Trout lakes back in the bush, with dinner in mind (I don't keep or eat Lake O run Steelhead). I was lucky enough to get a couple of Rainbows to bite my Wooly Bugger, and even more lucky to find the Holy Trinity of early spring foraging at a few different spots along the way...Fiddleheads, Morels, and Wild Onions. Headed back to the cottage to make a spring dinner. Here's all the ingredients prepped and ready to go. Everything except the lemons and soya sauce are from Frontenac County. Even the wine is from a local vineyard in Westport. You've heard of the 100 mile diet...well this is the 25 mile diet. Here's the final results on the plate. Rainbow Trout grilled over alder wood and finished with a maple syrup and soy glaze...a ragout of Fiddleheads, Morels and Wild Onions sautéed in a white wine and butter reduction...and steamed Red Potatoes sprinkled with freshly snipped Chives from the garden. Oh man, so good. My wife tells me I should open a restaurant, but that would mean I would have to work again. After dinner, sat on the deck with my 15 yr old friend "Glen" and watched the sun set. What a great day...nothing like spring in Frontenac. It would have been an absolutely perfect day, but unfortunately the results of the hockey game didn't go my way. Next week, it's off to the north shore of Lake Superior to re-visit some of the most beautiful Steelhead streams on the planet...I must say, I should've retired years ago.

Half the power consumption, quieter, infinite speed control and potentially a longer service life. They are also known as Electronically Commutated Motors (ECM). They use a microprocessor, as opposed to carbon brushes to phase the coils...they also use permanent magnets. In my business (HVAC), they have pretty well taken over as blower motors in forced air furnaces. In fact, the Ont gov't (IESO) used to cut you a cheque for $650 if you installed a new furnace with an ECM blower...to encourage you to use less electricity. Agree with Akrisoner, considering the Garmin Force TM (brushless) is in the $5k range, I think you're going to see a big increase in pricing from MinnKota.

With a mooching presentation, once the fish hit we just let them slide. Considering these were Chinooks that were 25lb + it really didn't interfere with the fight. The ones we used at lodges on the west coast were 4 to 6 oz...although they did have 16oz versions for bottom fishing Halibut and Lingcod. The problem with the Gibbs sliders (as pictured) is they are little fiddly to unclip...you certainly can't do it single-handed. That's why I prefer the snap weights for Trout and Walleyes...the clothespin style release is as quick and easy as can be to release. Also the rubber pads protect the line better....those Gibbs weights not so much, but out west we're using 20lb mono mainline so doesn't matter as much. Bottom line is...with " middleweight" fighters like Trout and Walleye, I want the weight off the line asap, so I can enjoy the battle to its full potential. For that reason, I'll stick with snap weights for freshwater fishing...I don't see any advantage to the Gibbs slider.

For Salmon trolling, I prefer Dipsy Divers...mainly because they're directional so I can use multiple rods in the spread. Wire line Dipsys with a tinsel fly behind a Spin Doctor...luv those rips ! The Jet Diver, as pictured, seems to have a following on Erie amongst the Walleye guys...often they're dragging a worm harnesses behind it. But to answer your question...neither of those for Lake Trout...I like to keep a minimum of terminal tackle between me and that kind of fish.

Yeah, mooching cut herring for Salmon in BC.

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I'm telling you... Zoe knows where to find them...and her intentions aren't completely selfless...she loves a little leftover Walleye mixed in with her kibble.. Before Zoe, I had Winston...same breed, Vizsla, but a boy. Sadly passed at 12 years old. He was the same...a real "nose" for finding fish. I call the breed a "Fins & Feathers Pointer". Both Winston and Zoe were/are unbelievable Grouse dogs too... Nothing like "Cast & Blast" with my furry best buddy..

My dog Zoe is an absolute photo bomb ham. She has a "thing" for one of my fishing buddies...and just him, no one else. Whenever he catches a fish, and he asks me to snap a photo, she has to jump in and make sure she's included in the shot. To be fair to Zoe, she does feel that she's partly responsible for the catch. When my buddy sits up on the front deck of my boat, she has to be right there watching every cast...and will even growl disapprovingly if she feels it wasn't in the right spot. In her mind, it's like she's teaching him to fish. He's fairly new to fishing, so she's sees me helping him out, and feels that she has to do the same. Mind you, she has lots of experience...she's been my fishing companion for 8 years now.

Hey Smitty....are those ramps ? This year's crop ? Seems a little early...usually another week or two at my spots. I'm hoping to forage fiddleheads and morels this coming week. I have a couple of patches of each that I've found over the years while trout fishing. The ramps I find are a little closer to home. Looking forward to some wild spring eats !

Very nice...what part of the Province is your camera located ?

Yes it was discussed: