Bernie66

Was it your first time in that store? They always have those tags left on their rods from the spring shows. Fishing Depot and Grimsby Tackle also leaves those tags on all year long. At 12'6 I would assume its the Raven Matrix. A decent deal for $115 but its Ravens lower end model. You could've also asked for no tax if you have enough cash on hand.

You should take a look at a video series online called "Knot War". It pegs knot against knot in terms of break strength in various situations from terminal tackle connection to joining braid to leader. In their comparison of the uni to uni against modified albright in 2010, the modified albright won by an amazing 2.5lbs in break strength on 15lbs fluoro. (the uni broke at 10.5lbs and the m-albright at 13lbs) They even have animations to teach you how to tie the knots. There is also a sebile knot out there that is suppose to have 100% breakstrength on leader to braid connection. Take a look and decide which knot is for you. Its a fine balance between what is easier to tie and the knot strength. I've been using the mod albright for the last few years(with a drop of superglue) and have not had a single knot failure even on fresh pier chinnies up to 30lbs but I am always looking for better knots.

I have the Mojo 1 pc spinning dropshot rod. Like the others have said, great rod for the money. It balances quite well with my new Daiwa Ballistic reel. Its basically their Premier blank with upgraded cosmetics. I like purple.

Even with baitcasters, the larger reels tend to have more cranking power. Also, the burners with 7:1 ratio will have less power than the slower 5:1 reels.

4000 reels usually have larger internal gears. Larger gears translates to more cranking power and thats definitely something you want if you are retrieving large lures.

If you are pier fishing for lake O salmon with spoons, go with the 4000. You can easily get spooled with a 2500 if you happen to foul hook a large chinny. Seen it happen a few times at Port Hope and at the Whirlpool. Also, the 4000 balances alot better with the heavier longer pier rods (9-11ft). I have a 11ft Raven Specialist and a 10ft Shimano Convergence both matched with 4000 series reels. 2500s on those rods will make them feel very tip heavy.

My parents used to have a cottage in that area. Fished it almost weekly. The fishing WAS wonderful. Its still good at times but it has really gone down hill for the last 10yrs. Invasive species like the gobies, zebra mussels and over fishing really killed that place. Sadly Hastings is not alone. Its like that for alot of other places in Ontario.

What's wrong with Sufix? Both the Elite and Siege are good monos IMO.

If you want a decent mono, they have the 600yds spool of trilene XL for $5. Good deal.

It works better than the commercial stuff and its alot cheaper. A large bottle from Rexall is around $10 and it lasts forever. I find the oil sticks better on baits and lures. I even put a drop on my sometimes not so fresh roe bags and it work wonders. The only things I would not put it on are hair or marabou jigs. It gums up the fibres and kills the action. Definitely give it a try.

I was just on Gagnon's website. They have the Stradic FI1000 on for $119.99 but only on Dec 1st as a door crasher. There is a bunch of other good deals on Shimano products also.

First off, how aggressive is your kid. Observe how he plays with others. Does he push, punch or kick when he is mad or excited. If the answer is yes, then you definitely want to put him in something more passive like judo, jujitsu or aikido where locks, throws and submissions are used when under attack. If he is more the mellow fellow than your options are open to even the striking deciplinea like karate, tai kwan do, boxing and kung fu. Kids will be kids and they are still figuring out right from wrong. Trust me, I have two. You don't want to get a phone call from school that little Billy gave his buddy a bloody nose and is suspended for bullying. At least with the more passive styles you don't leave any marks. Good Luck.

If you want a "cool looking" main line, try the 10lb Sufix Siege in Tangerine Orange. Guys who have tried it gave it good reviews. I like it alot.

Gagnon in Oshawa had some Gulp saltwater 3" trout worm left over from there Aug sale for $1.99. They had them in chartreuse, peach and orange. They seem to be thicker than the originals. Good to try in dirtier water on a small jig head. They still had a poop load of them lastweek.

The reviews of the Chronach E so far has not been stellar. Check out some US sites. They said its a down grade from the last generation. Lots of plastic parts. Many negative customer reviews. Sorry to rain on your parade.

Started using the Alberto's knot this year instead of the Albright. Wonderful knot. No slippage what so ever and the tag ends comes out parallel to the main line and leader unlike the uni-uni.

Some float fishing guys have been using Fireline Crytal with good results. Especially with hook sets on those long drifts. Now Knowing some properties of the Nanofil. It might be worth a try on the river this fall. It floats, it's highly visible above water, visibility below won't be an issue because most guys use leaders with a micro swivel, it casts well, so the only thing needed to be done is back up on the drag a little and don't horse in the fish. I wonder with its' slick coating if it would ice up with cold temp. For 15 buck, I'll give it a try.

I've caught some over a pound in cooks bay. Tasty.

Personally, I like LM better than SM for table fare. The flesh is firmer I find. You can fry the fillets up in beer batter or steam it whole with green onions, ginger and soy sauce. That's how they cook them in the chinese restaurants. Check out the chinese markets down in T.O., they sell farmed LMs. They call them green bass and you can order it in the local eateries.

There is a small launch right at the lake. If you are heading east on #48, turn left after you cross the bridge. Nothing fancy, almost like the one at Canal lake. Goodluck.

The Albright is one of the best knot to join lines of different diameter. Just google it. I dab it with superglue for added security. Landed numerous 25lbs plus chinnies without a single knot failure last fall.

Those Live Target frogs are under $11 at LB and with their no tax sale, it's the best price I've seen. I've also mentioned it on a previous post. I received both master catalog from BPS and LB and almost on every fishing item the price was better at LB. Unless there are specific items on sale at BPS, I am going to shop closer to home this year.

Just got back from C.T. and picked up a couple of spools of suffix 832. I went to the manager and he wrote me a slip to give to the casher for tomorrow's sales price. There were also other deals at this C.T. in Scarborough. Picked up some Canadian Wigglers for $3 and Lyman lures for $2. Great deals.

Tell your buddy to look at the classified section. Someone wants to trade a Curado E7 201 for the Smoke. Go for it!!!

I think they still have that $5 after 5pm promo this year. You can check on their website.