Barry Willis

I'm glad you posted this topic about the eye balls and jarred my memory. It's been almost 60 years since I have used them and forgot all about it. Sucks getting old and forgetful. My buddies and I came up with the idea when we were kids, we ran out of dew worms one day while bass fishing and it was quite a long trek to go home and get more on our bicycles, they worked awesome I've used them for everything from perch to trout with great success. Would one of you fellas be kind enough to take the and tell me how to post pics from my desk top. Being old and even older school I haven't a clue how to do it. I'm not very computer literate. My email is [email protected] Thank you very much, Merry Christmas to all and may the new year be your best ever.

Crow and Akrisoner are 100% right. I've repaired several rods over the years for fellow anglers and myself. To look at them you'd never know the difference. And it doesn't take much, they just aren't the same.

I remember my dad use to say there's more fishing rods broke from trunk lids and car doors than there are from fish. It's a fact. Done it myself once, Haha. It wasn't funny at the time though as fifty years ago most of us only had one fishing rod.

Good going misfish. Man, it really took off. From one old fart to another I'm happy for you.

I'll never forget fishing for Splake on Georgian Bay. Most times we were catching them every cast at a depth of 40ft. Almost every one was so full of smelt and not just one but several smelt were hanging out of their mouth as they didn't have room for them and still took our lures. Didn't matter what we threw at them. It's a shame they couldn't reproduce. One of the nicest eating fish I have ever had. Happy Days.

Howdy Garry, very nice to get your message. I still have my 330 Quick. I used it almost every day for years and the only thing I had to do was replace the bail spring and right from around the same time I bought a 110 ultra light, it is an awesome little reel. Quick went out of business but years later they were reintroduced but I can't remember where they were manufactured. At that time the 330 became 330I and so on. They were also a good reel but not as good as the original. Tight lines. - Barry.

Very nice work Misfish, they look as though they may crawl away any second.

When I went to public school, many moons ago, (Oxenden), one room school, one teacher, grade one up to and including grade eight we couldn't wait for the leeks as we would eat a couple on the way to school as the teacher couldn't stand them and would send us home. Lol. I need a fresh feed of morels is what I am craving and stock up the freezer. To me they're better than steak.

Heck of an idea Misfish, I've used coffee grinders for a lot of things but I never would have thought of that.

I like it so much I had to come back on the computer and look at it again. I'm the same way when it comes to cork handles. Looks like something I'd own, lol.

It looks beautiful Misfish, I love everything about it, especially the cork handle. He obviously knows what he's doing when it comes to building custom rods. Very nice reel by the way. It looks as though they were indeed made for each other.

Speaking of 10lbs. I'm kicking myself in the butt for not taking up my Dad's hunting and fishing buddy's offer. He had his hunting and fishing camp, he called it, but it looked more like a lodge on Manitoulin Island. He told me, and this was just steps from the door in his harbor, for every walleye I caught over 10lbs. he would give me 25 cents, for everyone I caught under 10lbs. he would give me ten dollars. Sure wish I'd went. My Dad was actually born (in 1919) and raised in Little Current. He said back then you could walk down main street with a 30lb. northern or 6lb smallmouth and no one would pay any attention to it as most everyone caught them that size.

Hey Kickingfrog, I want to see at least a 7.2 walleye to equal that photo of your bass. Haha. Tight lines to all.

I can relate, I'm chomping at the bit myself. I'm going to concentrate on lake trout as they move to shallower water once the ice is off and with that extra boost of oxygen they put the feed bag on big time.

Thanks for that Snidley; my biggest steelhead was 18.5 lbs. 1969.

You're right about that. A lot people don't realize is that the little debit machine that you enter your card on, the business where you are making your purchase pays a rental fee to the bank for these and sometimes depending on their contract they are charged for each transaction. So in other words some vendors are unlikely to have one.

Howdy Kickingfrog; First and foremost congratulations to your son and team. As far as the vendors. It's kinda hard to say. Personally, I wouldn't take a chance on it.

In the past I have found very detailed topographical maps showing depths of course of lakes and rivers at local libraries.

This has been bugging me for years and years. Back in I believe it was 1983 or 84 Bob Izumi and I were fishing off the mouth of Colpoy creek and he told me there was a hatchery that took some chinook salmon eggs and raised the water temperature to a certain degree for a certain length of time thus rendering the fish infertile, so in other words all they did was eat and grow They were released into lake Huron. I'm wondering if any of you anglers ever caught one of these big guys or know of anyone who has? and if so how big? I never pursued them as where would you start on such a large body of water. If one was caught I'm sure it would have been purely a lucky accident if that makes sense. They would have grown to mammoth size. Years ago I saw one caught just under 90lbs at the mouth of the Kenai river in Alaska. Thank You.

Haha; good for you. I like that. As the old saying goes - all fishermen are liars except for you and I. but to tell you the truth, I'm not to sure about you. Another one I posted a few months back (you may have seen it) what's the difference between hunters and fishermen? Hunters lie and wait, fishermen wait and lie.

Holy smokes, that's a big smallie. Good for you Man. There's not doubt it would be over 6lbs. I remember when I was a kid I saw a 6 pounder hanging on a wall in a lodge. It's been my dream since to catch one that big but it isn't looking very promising. It must have give you quite a scrap. Pound for pound it's hard to beat the fight of a smallie. On that same trip I caught a 3lb. the way that thing fought I thought I had my 6 pounder.

Are you saying the photo weighed 7.2lbs or the fish LOL?

If I was to go back to the lake I caught that small mouth bass. I guarantee I could set a Canadian record. I've seen them far more than twice the size. Cruising in pairs. It's just a small natural lake in a deep valley. Never any chop on the water, always calm. Due to soil erosion along the bank trees have fallen into the water making a perfect habitat for them to hide but it's a bear to get over them without sending warning signs. And they see me sooner than I see them. The only way I caught this one was to go when it was raining (I knew where it was, I had seen it several times before, always in the same place under a fallen cedar tree) So with the rain pelting down I knew it couldn't see above the surface and see me. So after much slipping and sliding and sending vibrations into the water I waited for forty minutes and tossed out a jitter bug and he grabbed it right away. Unfortunately, for me any way someone bought the surrounding land lake included. With in minutes of going there to fish they are in their boat to get you off their property. And no permission is granted.

I hope I'm not boring the dickens out of you fellas; Yeah I know I need to get out and get a life, A fishing life. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods the ice is too thin and no open water. I thought about taking the Argo out but if it breaks through and won't climb back up on it I'd really be in trouble. I noticed a couple posts in regards to the 300 Mitchell. I'm curious if any one had a 300 Dam Quick. I used to go through at least one closed face reel a month. They looked nice but just didn't last. The guy at the hard ware store in Wiarton kept asking why don't you buy a 330 Quick. This was in the mid to late sixties. I finally told him I couldn't afford one as my only income in my pre teens was selling dew worms at 25 cents a dozen. He talked me into putting $5:00 bucks down and continue paying for it when I could. It was $35:00. I finally got it and what an awesome reel. I used it pretty much every day for years and only had to replace the bail spring twice and I still have it. The only thing I didn't like was the loud clicking as I cranked it. I started keeping it in that position though as there were a couple times when I got a hit and went to set the hook my fingers slipped off the handle and it would wind backwards thus letting the line become slack. I then bought a 300 Mitchell off a friend for $5:00 brand new in the box. How could I not? I'd heard so much about them and seen a lot of other anglers using them. It may sound stupid but at the time I could not get use to it after using the Quick for so long as the bail spun the opposite direction than the Quick. But I still have it and I did eventually get use to it. I wouldn't be afraid to tie into any size fish with the 300 Quick. The Mitchell is no where near as robust or heavy duty. Happy Days.

Thanks for that misfish, I was just going to message you. I didn't even know I could click on them dots. From one old fart to another I am not very computer literate or good with todays electronic gadgets. I recently purchased a Helix 7 g3 and will likely need someone younger to show me how to use it. Can't wait. Like yourself I have always been partial to Lowrance/ Eagle. Hummingbird has come a long way over the years I done my homework and it is an awesome unit. Some law enforcement departments south of the border use them to locate as sad as it is, the bodies of drowning victims. Any way, keep tying them Old Yella's. nice work.