CrowMan

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 !

I've used Eagle Canvas in Burlington. Professional work, good prices. https://eaglecanvas.ca/

Sorry for your loss. I too have lost several furry best buddies over the years...it's never easy.

Agree with Dave...a 9 foot 5 weight is the most versatile choice for resident Trout. A 10 foot 7 weight is perfect for Steelhead and will take care of Bass too. A 6 wt is a compromise for both, but frankly a little too much for small stream trout and a little under gunned for Steelies and Bass.

When did you leave Oakville ? The shark boat sounds familiar. I'm pretty sure we've crossed paths. I've lived in a few places in SE...Dalewood for many years, and the last 15 years on Douglas. I've run various boats over the years...including at one time a blue 21 ft Grew fully rigged for Salmon trolling back in the 90's....but Im not much in to that anymore. Mostly Bass and Musky these days. I run a Lund now..but it's usually up north at the cottage..rarely fish the big O anymore from a boat. I've always fished both 16 and Bronte piers though...to this day. Usually take my dog with me...I've had Vizsla's for the past 20 years. Although I do stay away from the piers during Salmon season these days...too many clowns. As for hanging out...depends on the decade....Sharkey's, Queen's Head, Kings Arms.. If you look at some of my previous posts...lots of pic's of me...although with age, additional pounds and subtracting hair, I do look different than even 10 years ago. Here's a recent one...about the only one of me not wearing shades or a hat. Always had a 'stache...since I was 18 Rick

You should know...it's Oakville. If you were launching your tinnie, they'd probably slap cuffs on you. But if you were launching your half million $$$ Beneteau, they'd roll out the red carpet...lol. Seriously though, I launch my canoe at the dead end past the gazebo...to their credit, they do leave that one dock in fairly late into the season. Yeah, the pup is getting a little grey in the muzzle...although at 8 years old she still has great nose for Grouse....

I think they read your comments and took offense. They closed the ramp today just to say f u Cris....lol

Nope...not a single soul today at those coordinates....so much for the theory that social media/internet burns fishing spots....lol However, over at Bronte I found a net strung across the creek...bank to bank. Spoke to a fella at Parks & Rec down there, and apparently it's a survey net. Halton Conservation is trying to determine if there's any Pugnose Shiners (endangered species) in the creek. Yeah, I scratched my head on that one. Not a great time of year to do it, as I would think it could potentially interfere with the migration of trout and Salmon. Hopefully no harm, as it's only being deployed for a week or so. That being said, there's really not anywhere for them to go until we get some rain. The creek upstream is only ankle deep.

Nice....the Perch are biting pretty good too, if you're looking for dinner.

Just with the talk of Bronte...I thought there might be some confusion. I'll be walking my dog down there today...I'll see if your post brings out the hordes to give it a try...lol

You can still fish the west pier at Bronte...now that the Salmon crowd is gone, Mark and Richard are pretty well the only daily regulars. Joe goes out with his little catamaran to fish north of Lakeshore as it's no longer a sanctuary. BTW, those coordinates are for 16 Mile...

I live a stones throw away from that spot. Unfortunately the town basically banned fishing from shore in the harbour...you can only fish from August to November between 9 pm and 12am. An elderly lady was walking her dog on the pier, and got a hook in her eye with some idiot's backcast. So...town council over-reacted and just shut it all down. It was the last straw for the town, as the clowns during Salmon season were leaving behinds piles of garbage and there were numerous pic's in the local paper of waterfowl tangled in fishing line. But yeah, I've been in town over 50 years...I've pulled plenty of 40" + Shovelheads out of there over the years after ice out...along with piggy Bronzebacks in early summer. We would even occasionly have a prolific mid-summer Steelhead bite off the pier, when a few days of a strong north wind would allow cold water to up-well close to shore. Oh BTW, docks and boats are still mostly in the water...town employees were on strike and just settled on the weekend.

I have a 2017 Terrova...I believe it's the first year with the "new & improved" i-pilot. It keeps you locked in to no more than a 5 ft radius on a spot, with a minimim of fuss regardless of wind and waves. A buddy has an older version...it barely keeps you within 20 ft of a spot, and often feels like you're on an amusement park ride with all the adjusting and spinning.

I've had a Terrova for 7 years...not a single issue, except periodically pulling out my grandkids fishing line from behind the prop... My buddy had a boat with a Ulterra for 10 ys +, never had a problem. He sold that boat last year, and bought a new boat which happened to have a Terrova (36V...it's heavy). He just turned 69...after a season of hauling it up by hand, he's now talking about selling the Terrova and getting another Ulterra.

"40 years"... when I hear that it always scares the bejeesus out of me. In my mind, the 80's were only yesterday..lol Yeah, had a crush on Kim Gordon back in the day...I was going to Google her to see what she looks like now...but I thought, no, better not ruin that memory..

I usually buy it down south...my wife and I love New Orleans...we've been there over a dozen times over the years. It makes for a great getaway...warm when we're not, and I don't have to say anything about the food and music (good fishing too if you're so inclined). Our favourite spot is the Snug Harbour ...we've seem everybody from Wynton Marsalis to the Neville Brothers there...Charmaine Neville was the regular Thursday night act for years. And for the best meal...Commander's Palace bar none. Anyway I digress...like I said, I see you can now buy filé powder on Amazon.

Yeah I get it, Okra is not for everyone. My wife and I like it, my kids and grandkids not so much. If they come over, after slicing up the Okra, I'll soak it in vinegar for a few minutes (then rinse)...it removes the "slime" that turns a lot of people off. However, Okra does help thicken (along with the roux) the Gumbo to give it that proper consistency. Not sure if you've tried "filé powder" in your Gumbo. I use it if Okra is not available. Again, it thickens the Gumbo and gives it that authentic Cajun flavour and texture. I usually pick up a jar when I'm down south, as it's difficult to find in local stores...but I see you can buy it on Amazon. Yup we eat mussels at least twice a month from October to May...in summer I find they're not as plump and tasty. They're relatively cheap, twice the protein of steak by weight, and low fat...plus you can do them in anything from a coconut milk curry to plain ol' beer...what's not to like.. My apologies if this all sounds too nerdy...but there's two things I geek out about...fishing and food..

It looks like quite the procedure to manually stow it: https://minnkota-help.johnsonoutdoors.com/hc/en-us/articles/8140938560663-Emergency-Manual-Stow-for-the-Ulterra-all-models-

You would think MinnKota could get a little more creative with its model names...it's like Larry, Daryl and Darryl...lol Anyway, by the sound of things, it seems like Terrova would be the best fit. Pretty good jump in price for the Ulterra....and I understand if you run out of juice while it's deployed it can be a headache to get it back up..

My bad...not only my back is losing it...lol

Really depends on your age/fitness and the condition of your back...that's the primary reason I can see for the Ulterra. If you have no physical issues, I would stick with the Terrova. However, I do believe the Ulterra is still a cable drive motor (power assisted)...so if you're primarily a Bass or Musky guy that likes the accuracy and response of a cable drive foot control...it might be a better choice.

Spiel...there's really not that much difference between Gumbo and Jambalaya. I do like your idea of adding some smokey BBQ flavour..for both. Either way, that's damn good eatin'. Curious...did you throw in some Okra ? A traditional addition, but sometimes hard to find this time of year. Misfish..that's a bummer, but hey it's an opportunity to get creative with some new recipes....and I don't think there's much that comes off a smoker that plays with your insulin levels. Last night, we had PEI mussels steamed in a garlic, leek, tomato, parsley and Chablis broth. On the side, a green salad with some Burrata to balance things out. All pretty quick and easy...fairly healthy too except for perhaps the toasted (white) baguette to mop up all the juices.

Gumbo or Jambalaya ? Mix me up a Sazerac and put on some Charmaine Neville...and it'll be just like sittin' at a table on Frenchmen St..

I've replaced a couple of lower ends over the years. Most cost effective option was always just to replace the entire lower unit with a used one.