timmeh

You should absolutely go to see a lyme specialist. Ask your doctor for a referral. Someone who I work with went through a very similar thing. They're just returning to work and I don't know this person well but based on what others have to told me it was a problem getting a correct diagnosis, as they thought it was something else. And fyi you are correct a rash is not always present and the standard blood tests can return false negatives. It can be tough to accurately diagnose. Demand that your doc sends you to see someone. If he seems unwilling to believe you, search the Canadian lyme disease website. I believe they have some specialists listed. You should probably check this site out anyway. http://www.canlyme.com/

Very nice fish man. Hoping to get into a few of those this weekend. Come on rain!

I agree that this, along with increasing the amount of fines, is the way to go. I would not hesitate to pay an extra $50 for a license if the MNR produced a plan that would demonstrate how the $ would be put to use.

Wonder how many "extras" they had while they were here. Hopefully they pay up but I doubt they will.

The problem with conservation areas is that they provide easy access to fishing for the masses. And unfortunately when you get a mass of people you get the bad apples too. I would love to see the conservation areas have some power to enforce fishing regs on their own waters. If they're only dealing with fishing they wouldn't need to carry firearms and wouldn't require the amount of training a CO would. I realize the CA's don't have the money to support full time positions to this, but even if a couple staff were trained and given the power to hand out tickets for fishing violations they could monitor what's going on during busy times. And splashoppers observations are right on the money. There are a few areas around KW that are completely overrun by personal watercraft. And I've seen some people driving incredibly stupid considering the small lakes they're in.

No you can't be charged in those instances unless it's very clear to the CO you were targeting OOS fish or keeping C&R fish. The CO's realize that occasionally things happen, like fish getting hooked deeply.

Nice to see you got into a few despite the tough conditions. Like a few others I didn't bother today. Does anyone know any good rain dances?

Congrats to your son on a nice fish! Another option is reach in and to cut the hooks themselves if you can't pull them out, and not the line. This way you leave just the hook points in the fish instead of the entire lure. And you get your lure back, you just need to add a new hook to it. So it's best for you and the fish. The barbless hooks are a good way to go in C&R zones, I do this on most of my trout spinners anyway. Another thing I commonly do is to cut one of the treble hooks points off, or switch to a single hook. I've never really noticed this affecting my hook up rate at all, plus it's easier to get them unhooked. Dealing with a full treble on a thrashing fish is a pain in the

Ya, I'd say those count for sure! Nice fish man.

Very nice. You're right about the rain. Was out yesterday and it was low and CLEAR.

Keep at it man, only a matter of time now. You're putting time in and it will pay off. You're getting a lot of good info here, it should really help you out. I wish I had done something like this a couple years ago, it would have really helped get me started. You're going to learn in 2 weeks what it took me 2 years to learn, lol.

I use the same shots, I just don't pinch them on overly tight, that way I can move them around to avoid re-rigging if possible. Sometimes however if you're changing from very different conditions you'll have no choice but to re-rig. As MJL mentioned if you're moving shots around make sure to check your line for frays every now and then.

Okay, well that is unfortunate and hopefully you can find a doc, and I have waited for hours before myself so I know it's real annoying, but.... waiting a couple hours is a small price if you're legitimately worried about your health. Also, there is a number you can call anywhere in Ontario and talk to a nurse (think it's telahealth or something like that, but I can't recall). You'd have to search the web and find it but that maybe a better option for you.

Most likely just a response to smoking and diet change, but you never know? If you're really looking for advice from a doctor, then go see one, don't count on online docs to give you knowledgeable advice.

Dang, your going to make a lot of people jealous posting a beauty brown like that, myself included. Hopefully he produces a few more just like him so I can find one someday...

Losing a pet can be tough, put the old dog down a couple years back, was not easy but for the best. At least at 18.5 years she had a long, happy life.

I see what you're saying, but I think you're off a little here. Limits are not based on what is best for the fishery alone. They also take into account what anglers want and this isn't always what's best for the fishery. There's a balance here. Just because taking a limit is legal that doesn't mean it's good for the fishery. This has been proven by the simple fact that rainbow limits have had to be reduced from 5 to 2, as well as other reductions in limits and slot sizes in other fisheries. Don't get me wrong I believe everyone should be able to take a fish home here and there, but it needs to be done selectively and not just taking your limit all the time because it's legal. Interesting idea. I like the fact that those who take the most would also pay the most.

Aren't all the ones that get away the trophies? I know mine are Just kidding, but maybe I shouldn't say much as I've been getting my arse kicked by the bows this year. Those fresh run fish can be wild. You'll probably remember that fish until you get another one, but it sounds like you're on the right track. You'll get one soon enough. And make sure you continue to be careful around unknown water at night. Especially this time of year when the temps are getting down there.

Since the original question has been answered I'd like to ask another. Does anyone have any estimates of #'s of steelhead returning to rivers in the past few years vs. say 10-20 years ago. Not interested in any specific rivers just an overview. Just curious as to how the fishery has changed over the years. Has it gone the way of salmon and decreased significantly, or is there reason for optimism for the fishery? Thanks.

Usually for pike I usually get them up beside the kayak and unhook them in the water and away they go. It can be a pain hold them up out of the water if they're really feisty though, but the real issue is other than on your lap there really isn't any place to put them. Bass are easy, you can just lip them. But it's not wobbly at all. I can actually stand up on mine if I'm careful, but I only did that once just to try it. The bottom is fairly flat so it's quite stable, I was actually worried about stability when thinking of buying a yak, but it's much better than I expected. As far as renting them the conservation areas are good. Call up a bunch of them next year and see who rents them. There's also a place in Kitchener, I forget the name, that rents a few on the Grand. Another place I can recommend is Thorncrest outfitters on the Saugeen. It cost me $50 to rent a yak for the day, and that included the pick up, drop off rides.

Ha, they can make a bit of a slimey mess. I usually just try to release them in the water, but thought I'd try to take a pic of this one.

I'd like to start by thanking those who gave me good advice back in the summer when I asked a few questions about picking up a kayak for fishing. I'm glad I asked and happier I listened. After testing a few models I rented a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 for a day and it was great. It was more than I had hoped to spend but I was so comfortable fishing out of it and figure better to buy something I like than save a few $$ on a yak I may not. Plus they had a decent sale on so it was case closed. I picked it up back in the summer but due to camera problems am just getting pics together now. It's a great way to fish, and I definitely spent a lot of time exploring new waters this year. As an added bonus it only burns calories and not gas. I've put it away for the year but can't wait until next. Here's a few pics from this year, This fish was really fun to battle, he definitely took me for a bit of a ride.... Can't wait for next year.

Would love to see a pic if anyone's got one.

Awesome, just awesome!! Looks like your clients are getting their moneys worth. Those are some sweet looking fish, and it's nice to you know you'll be able to get them again next year. In my local river I caught a fish just after opener this year with a distinct scar and I'm almost positive I caught the same fish 2 months later. Seeing this makes me wonder why I've been battling the crowds for steelies when while the smallie action is still good

You know if the Bills could just put together a respectable offensive line next year they may surprise you. They've got some decent, young skill players and their defense isn't that bad. But their O-line is just a sieve. And I think that opening game loss really hurt them. If they could have held on that would have given them a ton of confidence and who knows...but this season is probably lost. As for the leafs...they're still a joke, but as long as leafs nations still believes (for reasons I can't understand) in what they're doing they will still continue to ice bush league teams.