Cookslav

Thanks for all the kind words folks, glad to be back.

They look good right now.... I have no idea what changed, but hey...lets enjoy it while it lasts

Its been a while since I've been around and posting, and I have received a few "where have you been" PM's that reminded me of how much I love posting here Long story made short...I've just been busy. 2014 was a year of absolute insanity for me in a great way though. I saw one of my best freinds get married, my brother got married as well, which meant 2 wedding parties, 2 Bachelor parties, 2 Stag and does and 2 receptions. At 38 years old I thought I was just about done with that stuff lol... Then to further eat away into my fishing time I took a new job which involved some schooling and certifications that took some time and prompted a bit of travel but thats all done. I've climbed another step on the latter and I'm happy to have taken on a Operations Manager position at one of the hotels with in my chain...an exciting time for me to be running my own place. With that change came furthe fiscal opportunity, and I finally pulled the trigger on purchasing some land with on of my best freinds who happens to be a fellow board member Big Swede. We purchased 120 acres just north of Havelock on a sleepy remote access lake. Complete with a rustic log cabin and all the chattles one would need to live off the grid. With that purchase came a lot of work... It needed some TLC maintaining the road, launch, dock, roof etc... I also moved my Trailer this spring to a new park close to sauble beach and built a deck, land scaped...and I built her a shed until...well...6 days lated a tornado took the shed and My BBQ....Found the shed about 45yards away. It used to be Here LOL.... So....I iguess I still have some work due in the spring Anyway, I was busy to say the least. So I do appologise for the silence, and lack of posting and here is my breif catch up... The 5 minute version! My spring algonquin trip did happen, and we did catch fish, but not as many as usual. Weather sucked...lotta rain, water was cold....here are some pics Day one and two...we went fishless, but Day 3 we managed to get a feed of Splake. Day 4's feed Magic lure was a Panther martin ran shallow over boulder feilds and open water. Cooking in the kitchen Looking down the Lake Chippawa Table we built in camp...always a must have Manditory Campr fire shot....we kept it rocking all weekend. We saw everything from snow to a full on Thunderstorm, high winds and torrential down pours that weekend. Ok so thats my usual algonquin trip in a less "spec" tacular fashion... Moving on lol... Some highlights from the new Hunt camp we purchased. Water front veiw looking back. Active bass Kids catch too...right from the dock I got out for some Muskie again this year And I managed a pretty decent musky again so I'm 2 for 2 on my June Musky trip as well. My new toy to keep the road nice and flat...front end loader Covered Porch for balmy nights, and composting crapper for those not wanting to make the midnight run for the out house....which comes in very handy as the kids are not a fan of leaving the cabin at night Ok and whats a hunt camp with out some hunting pics....if your squeemish stop here From this, to this... To this.... and finally.... (previously to being an Operations Manager...I was a Chef so this is my "thing") Full circle of life there, and not a drop wasted. The hide is now a rug at the camp and every non-tender peice became ground venison or Sausage. I even gave the bones to the dogs for a job well done Ok....so I think thats it? I'm caught up and will try not to store it all up at once any more. And I hope to work less and have a lot more time to fish in 2015 so here's hoping!

I just knew winterizing my boat early this year would haunt me....Dang Nice fish bud, looks like that water might stay open a little while yet as well

Nice...love the warm weather reports You meant rooster fish though right? Spell check issue?

Great tax grab actually when you think of it... How many cars on the road in Ontario x $600- $800 x 13%HST plus god know how much hidden tax is in there Like I said...if it was to be mandated I'd want to see some rebates. If its really about safety and not money.... You'd think we'd see rebates

Can't say I'm informed...i'ver never used them. But I can say I take exception to the idea of being mandated to use them when I have had no issues without them. I'm sure they are better...the stats don't lie But the same argument could be made for 4x4 vehicles vs 2 wheel drive. Obviously 4x4 is a better choice, but people get by just fine with 2 wheel drive cars and don't want to spend the dough on a 4X4...not much difference if we're splitting hairs here I suppose If I was getting a refund on my Insurance, and maybe a tax rebate to offset the cost I'm being "mandated" I'd be less ornary about it. Or why not allow chains...oh wait....that destroys the road and cost....yep you guessed it...money.

What a wonderfull fishery we'd have if we released every fish...but c'mon life with out shore lunch? Oh the humanity... I can't condem the practice of keeping a fish as I've kept many brookies, and ejnoyed every bite with out guilt. Where I can say Musky is not somthing I would want to taste, and I don't mount my trophies I can't condem a fellow angler For simply keeping a different species that is hardly on any endangered or at risk list. That to me is a bit hypocritical for my liking.... Now if you were talking about specific lakes and rivers that might need a hand rebuilding...then I'd agree with the OP completely But suggesting a general 0 catch limit for the province is a bit overkill.

I can tell you first hand they most certainly don't mix well in the Kawartha's even with deeper water to spawn. I'm no expert but the Lake I'm on is a Kawartha lake (Mud Turtle) that used to have only Muskie....no Pike. About 20 years ago the Pike started to show up....we have not seen a musky caught in our lake in over 5 years now. The lakes deepest spots are around the 25-30' mark whcih you would think would maybe suggest there would be a deeper water spawning area for the Muskie to migrate into but it appears that is not the case. The Pike are firmly established... We used to catch hammerhandles like crazy...almost as common as mosqitos lol... Now Pike in the 25-28" range are everywhere, with 30-36" fishing poping up as well. My Buddy (Big Swede) did have a big Musky on the line last year....boatside hit in full dark that ran the drag and came off. But thats the closest we've seen to a confirmed musky in 5 years and even then its "Possible" that was a massive 'ol Pike but I've never seen or caught a pike in full dark at 11pm on a surface plug so its our offical guess that it was a musky or samsquatch But in my not so expert oppinion but rather first hand experience the Pike are here to stay...and the musky are on the way out. Pretty sad that the Muskie have been pushed out like that, but its the reality. The Ministry still lists Muskie as present, and I am sure there are a few bigguns mulling around, but its like a needle in hey stack scenario now, and I think once they outlive their span...they'll be done. So I sincerely hope the ministry has a plan of sorts to halt their spread.

Also using the Trifecta soft on my 5th winter, no noticable wear or leaks at all....truely a remarkable durable soft top. I totaly assumed i had a 2-3 max on it being it cost only $300 or so but its honestly as good as the day I bought it, And like some others have said its easy on and off when I need to remove it. out of 4 stars I'd rate it a 5, the extra star being for unexpectedly better then expected lol...

Maybe?...I don't know either folks personally, but the remark was antagonistic for sure Don't get me wrong its no skin of my nose, but I read Lost another one's comment the same way Ch13 did. I'm not saying lost another one "meant it to be insulting" I'm Just say'n at first glance I took it the same way. And then to follow it up with a jab was in poor taste IMO

I hunt and have no issue with someone Shooting a Wolf if its a legal shoot. Its not my first choice in game BUT....as so many before have said the animal should be harvested. Honestly speaking here, I'll shoot any Coyote I happen to see on my property. The wolves are present but I've not seen them in a while which makes me think the Coyotes have pushed them out. Just another reason to shoot the Coyotes. But regardless... I would shoot the Coyotes because they drive the Deer, and rabbit out and thats what I hunt. So the less that are on my property the better IMO. It might not be a popular view but with in my legal right, and its my property...not crown land, not a park, or petting zoo. But also because the Farmer who's property I access to get to my camp has asked me to. He has livestock and issues with the Coyotes....He never had issue with the wolves though. Again another great reason to shoot Coyotes LOL...

Thats a little antaganistic yes...No??? Kinda lends its self to proving CH 13's point.

I'm actually out just past the Cordova area but not to far I am Soooo glad I waited...I had my eye on a parcel on the Montreal river as well but they just wouldn't move on the price so it kept me aprehensive. In retrospect though...this is so much better. Montreal river area is Beautiful and I did spend a bit more then the Montreal river property was asking for But I shaved 2 hours off the drive, and this property came with a good 'ol Log Cabin in place, and the fishing has been fantastic. So it was well worth the wait in my oppinion. Karttor if your looking for (car style) Road access, waterfront, with a building in place your more then likely looking in that $225-$275K range on average for a small lot and basic cottage. You might find something closer to $175K-$200K if you take your time, wait it out and find a small older cabin on a less traveled river or small lake. Kasshabog is a cottage lake in my oppinion, but the fishing is good. Some MONSTEROUS cottages on that lake as well...more or less a basic Kawartha lake, not unlike Buckhorn or what have you. Nice lake but not always quiet if thats what your looking for. And i'm quoting prices I that popper up frequently that I deemed as "deals worth looking at" you could easily spend $500-$800K there as well...

Krator I just went through this... I bought property over the past winter with every thing you just asked for minus Lake trout. But Mine is a wilderness lake front property with 120 acres surrounded by a lot of Crown I'm in the Kawarthas area east of Stoney Lake and i'd suggest looking in that direction. Its reasonably costed but to be perfectly honest I had been looking for 15 YEARS for the right parcel at the right price. it might not hurt to look around in that neck of the woods. Some questions I'd ask if I was your realtor: -Are you planning to ever build something or store a trailer -Do you have a size of property in mind? -Do you care if its secluded, or are you just looking to touch water and don't care if your neighbors are ontop of you. -Does access have to be drive in by "car" or would you be ok with 4x4 access, ATV, trail, or water access If your willing to work a bit you can get a remote access property, or somthing off the beaten trail for a decent price. That is just somthing to consder.

Great read! I just bought a camp this past spring....many timeless relics on the shelves and in the drawers as well. Its like a time capsule at some of these camps, and very cool!

Ours system is overkill for our needs, we have 6 monsterous 6V Batterys running off solar pannels which feed a 1500W inverter. I am not 100% what my 2 Pannels are rated as they were in place when I bought the place however I am fairly certain they are 500W each. All we have running off the system is lights and a few receptecles for a radio and recharging some electronics (GPS, Walkies etc...) although we do have a TV that seldom is used to check the local news, and sometimes we pick up the Odd Petes game... We're also wired with a generator to run the coffee maker/toaster in the morning and could recharge the batteries but have never needed to. The Guy I bought it from used to live there from April to December so I guess he was using more juice perhaps??? Anyway, We leave the Sonic units plugged in to the AC recpetecles with no issues what so ever. The draw of those 4 units is so insignificant that every time I come up to the camp the Batteries are still fully charged. I have a brother whom is an electrician and he checked out the units draw for me while he was there last time and in his oppinion the power comming in from the sun daily is more then enough to replenish their use and still top up the batteries. I honestly did not beleive these things would work...but they seem to be...so far. One thing to note is being a "sonic" pulse it does not penetrate walls or even a chair. They are used "directionaly" meaning you can't plug it in and expect it to give coverage around walls, through doors etc.... Thats why I used 4 of them. We have one in basically each corner of the main floor which points to the other corners....more or less ensuring coverage along the perimeter of the cabin walls(inside of course). If you set them up make sure there is nothing in front of them or you will create a pocket where in theory there is no sonic deterent.

We have an issue at my camp...not to much you can do out in the woods to keep them away really. But we employ the use of traps when we're there and the Buckets when we're not. On the traps we've used peanut butter the abd had them licked clean as well. Nothing works better then a hunk of Cheese, or bread mashed onto the trigger before you set it. I've seen the little buggers pulling on it to get it...then SNAP We use the old fashin wire snaps and they work with nearly 100% effeciency when we bait them with mashed in cheese or bread. The key is to really "mold" it around the trigger so they have to pull on it. BUT.... I have to tell you we recently tried those "sonic" plug in deterants on the market. Where we used to kill 7 or 8 each trip...we haven't seen a mouse since July. We leave them plugged in on a Solar battery system and the draw is so litle we've seen no issues. But I should tell you we used 4 units plugged in at strategic area's that we though they may be entering. All I know is it "appears" to be working. We were 100% skeptical, but hey...if you have power it might be worth a shot. Its working for us. Cheers,

Bahahaha...so true. I don't see any issue with the carcass being uncovered in transport....Its better for keeping the meat cool anyway. Its just food, and if people feel that by leaving the carcass uncovered is in someway "showing off" or arogant hen I guess I'd be comfortable with people considering me arogant LOL... Lifes to short to worry about that stuff...

You owe me a coffee and a key board LOL....

As the once elected leader he most certainly is responsible for a lot of things gone wrong....granted not single handedly. He's just the face of the party, and of course there are many many other variables. But you can't say he does not hold a senior level of responsibilty when it comes to the parties track record and more specifically Ontario's Hydro "issues" I wouldn't say casting an educated vote is the only way to change things, or even fix 50% of the issues we have these days, but I certainly would say that it is more proactive, and 100% more effective in aiding our situation then blind voting or not casting one at all. Outside of learning and understanding politics and casting an informed vote though there is very little one can do outside of actually doing somthing about it like running in an election, or taking up a political career of sorts. OR....dawning a Batman/superhero costume and busting some skulls which is WAY more fun I would imagine

Thats the problem bud, There hasn't been an example to show anyone. We don't hold them accountable...instead we vote them in again and give them a second round. If we kicked them out each and every time, at some point someone might just get the message. Although I'll be the first to admit it thats dulling the issue down to a very boad scope. So many variables to play into... I just wish more people really looked into why they are casting their vote. GTA is Staunch Liberal country, but very few will actually say why...they just vote red, again, and again. I simply hope people look into the platforms next time around and hold them accountable.... Vote for Harry Potter for all I care, just don't let the Liberals have another turn. Its all I'm say'n...

I really firmly think the issue isn't who votes and who doesn't.... The issue is about 60% of the people who vote do not actually research the platforms and understand the party positions they are supporting. Many times people just vote based on "preferred" parties whom they think reflect their way of thinking... I have friends who vote Liberal because they ALWAYS vote liberal...They feel the Liberals are more Left minded and therefore more in line with their personal though process, while my parents are members of the PC party....they ALWAYS vote PC for the same reasons. I personally try to keep in mind there is no "perfect" party to vote for but… There is always going to be that one party whom is the lesser of the evils. But for cripes sake if we can’t support any one party and we know they are all liars there is one thing we CAN do…..Hold them accountable!!!! If they muck it up....Vote ‘em out and give the next jerk a shot. If we did this more often we’d see some accountability. Letting McSquinty slide last time sealed our fate….at this point I'd rather try ANYONE but the Liberals. They had their chance, again, and again...time to let "someone" else have a shot. We can be cynical all we want….we can say they are all alike, but how do we know until we try? Should we just not vote, take our lumps, be told what to do and be complacent? Is that what our veterans did? No thanks folks....frustrated or not, I read, research and take my politics seriously. I don't think the slogan should be vote or quit you whining….the slogan should be “Vote responsibly”

They didn't know it was somthing sacred to the native tribe and they've put their best foot forward trying to appologize by giving the pelt to the tribe....thats pretty solid effort if you ask me. They really didn't do anything wrong, immoral or illegal and they certainly didn't "need" to do anything but they took the high road regardless so I think its all good...