camillj

I stopped using spreaders ... too much twisting and tangling .... I have found I get much more action on a single hook with a split shot above the minnow ... ok ..I'll admit it ... sometimes theres a stinger involved for bigger baits (laid in the mud) but the spreaders seem to be more trouble and I dont like the 'clunky' look.. it seems to me the smaller fish get confused watching the minnows chase each other in circles .... and I think it scares away the bigger wiser fish

I guess its all about confidence really ...

Wow thats scarey Wayne ... I drove through Waubaushene on the weekend and saw an entire hut "village" out there ... I was pretty surprised as theres a fair amount of current and we all know how iffy the ice has been even in the 'best' locations ....

Yep ... been doing it monthly (at max) for over 25 years ... I only hope I actually get to use it some day ... it all looks good on paper but I often wonder whether I'll be the beneficiary in the end ... (yes Irish I too do mine through an insurance company and have named beneficiary - but - for those who may wonder - that doesnt restrict what you can invest in - mines pretty balanced to meet my 'risk/reward plan')

Far as I know govt money (at least for me goes entirely in one direction - to them ... to be shared among those who obviously need it more than I do ....shrug ....

Hate to be a party pooper ... but you know if we want to be taken as a serious group who arent just out to make trouble (which I expect there more than a few) we should probably take a step back and consider a few things :

I am gonna put the Porperty Owner's hat here for a second ... and think this through ...

1) even if you do trespass and break your leg (or worse yet drown) as you attempt to leave the ice from the Marina (and I would be surprised in most marina situations if people dont do exactly that) then there is a HUGE liability question .... and as an OWNER who already pays WAY too much insurance - I dont need to also stay awake at night worrying about how many millions I will get sued for when some SHMUK goes through the ice and blames me for not putting up enough barbed wire and signage to separate me from DARWIN

2) As a marina owner who spends WAYYYY to much money on security to make sure the millions of dollars of boats I have been etrusted with arent being pilfered by people hanging around within the marina pretending to be honest fishermen

much as it is a 'stereotype' - I would say the guys who are most likely to disrespect your property rights are also the ones most likely to steal from you (and please note I said disrespect - not dispute - so present company is excluded

anyhow .... just so when I ask NICELY to use someones private access ..... please dont ruin it for me by being a prick and assuming you have a god given right to something you may actually have no right to.

Just another perspective on another touchy subject

Good thread ... its something I have wondered myself and several conversations with Co's havent really shed any more light on the subject

From what I understand the regs were there to prevent people from using artifical lights to attract fish (eg in the olden days ...when I was young) people used to take highbeams and shine them into the water to attract baitfish and in turn the predators ... this would pull in fish from great distances ... and was banned.

The question beyond 'artificial light' on baits/lures would be a tough one to differentiate since the luminous baits whether charged by light, electricity or chemical reaction are still producing artificial light ... so I wont go there ... and frankly I would be the first one to say shoving a little glowstick up a (plastic) worms butt would be a cool experiment

But the question that has always concerned me is the lighted floats (and in my case I tape a glowstick to my rod tip and tip ups at night) and the lanterns (which have a similar if not as dramatic) ability to attract baitfish and in turn the predators ... havent yet been told that we MUST fish in complete darkness .... but always wondered where the line was drawn from a legal perspective.

Wow . thanks for the heads up ... I too was an 'unknowing blocker'

Sorry to all 300 of you who probably tried to PM me

Yes .. but does it float

Yes, I saw the big stick on the ice there and your 'neighbor' was telling us about the big fight

Anyhow we did get out there pretty late and we had a small gaggle of ducks in the oven to get back to ... besides 5:30 seems to be that last call for the lakers in those parts so we packed up and headed back to the cottage for our annual boyz duck feast (and to watch the Leafs win another one) .. not so bad after a c-c-c-c-old one on the ice.

Pm me if you're back up that way and I can show you some spots over on Lake Joseph (very close to Glen Orchard)

Thanks ... wierd but it seems to be working now ... I think I have to be more 'centered' with my clicking

Crap ... for once its right in my back yard ... but Im gonna be up on lake Joe chasing lakers ... cant we do it thursday ?

Great report ! And congrats on your first Laker .. Rosseau certainly has some beauty fish in her.

I was actually out there (off Ferndale) on Saturday around 4 - 5 pm ... If you had the black cube ... I was the guy in the orange Survival suit standing out in the 50km winds about 50 yds inshore from ya .... we lost a few minnows but really found it hard to detect the hits since the winds were blowing our rigs all over the place ... anyhow if its any consolation we drove for about 2 hrs Saturday (after talking to John at Glen Orchard) only to find all our access points were either unsafe or not accessible ... went in for lunch after filling up with gas again and headed out to Ferndale (we saw the huts from Port Sandfield and finally figured out how to get there -- without dying

Couple more weeks and Lake Joe is open ... wooo hooo !

Way to go !

I agree the native fish are beauties and that one is no exception !

Auger a hole about 10 feet upwind of your hut ... drill a hole in the middle of a 10 to 18" length of 2x4 - tie this to a piece of 1/4" nylon rope and connect this to the top of your hut and bobs-your uncle.... anchored for good ... or for a few bucks you can get 'anchors' at Lebaron, Cabelas etc.

If you're really ambitious you can do this on all four corners ... then wind changes are no problem

Lakers and Whities tend to move around ... if you're there when they are passing through and you're doing the right things .. you'll slay em too ... the hut operators are pretty good at putting you in the 'lanes' ... but they cant control when the traffic will come through ... and sometimes (especially if you're not paying real close attention) you'll miss the window of opportunity ... rarely are they 'slaying them' all day at any given location ... in fact most often it all happens within a half hour or so then nothin for a few hours .... stick with it ... sounds like what ya need is a confidence booster ... you should consider going to Innisfil and hook up with the gang at the Fish For Tyler event ... its cheap and you'll have dozens of folks who'd probably be real happy yo give you guidance

Good luck out there ... by the way when we say we are laying them in the mud thats normally a big dead sucker minnow waiting on a set line for a monster laker to cruise by and vacuum clean the bottom - it happens once or twice a day ... but ya got to set it and forget it .... the most active 'zones' for me are between 1 and 10 feet off bottom (in 50 90 feet of water) and from 5 - 15 under the ice (any depth of water)

Also it REALLY makes a difference if you go lighter in the line (even though you may get break-offs) .. Ive had fish hitting on 6lb 'clear' with small salmon egg hooks below a small splitshot when nobody else is getting a touch.

Hope this helps ya .. good luck out there

Which side of the lake are you on ?

Theres a few access points near Windermere, its a little more tricky to get on by the west shore ... but you can prbably get on at Wallaces near Minett (assuming hes got ice) ... be really careful out there ... there are a number of places where there is always current between lake Rosseau and Lake Joe ... these areas are NOT SAFE even if it looks safe .... the ice could easily go from a foot down to an inch in a matter of yards ... best thing to do is stop in at Bait on the lake (in Glen Orchard) and get some directions .. they are very helpful and knowledgeable

Let us know how you do.

Lately I am having problems when I click on peoples pic's (it says click here to see full image on thumbnails) - I cant seem to get the big picture...

Is it just me or is it their post ?

Here is an example

http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.p...p;mode=threaded

When I mouse-over the thumbnail it says 'click to enlarge' ... but when I click .. it doesnt ???

What Irish said ... me I ALWAYS leave it in the car ... that way I cant get too far from it ... unless someone else is driving (which is almost never anyhows) ... but then I am anal about it ... I check it way too often (just to be sure it hasnt expired) ... but ya I would buy a new one and declare the old one lost .. which it will be the second I find it

So to nswer the question .. yes it is illegal to have two valid Fishing licences ... so if you get a second one just destroy the first .... in your case however I would have called the ministry ... for 10$ they will send you a new one ... or even better you can do it online and print your own until the actual card arrives ....

Wow ... am thinking I might wanna wait till its warmer and try it outside

Yep ... go for it .... I did it .... not by choice ... I was too loyal and dedicated to jump ship .. and I was too worried about the folks that needed me would be abandoned if I just moved on .... until I got the boot ... then like it or not it was time to get BUSY on something I wished I had started many years sooner .... its been the best four years of my working life .... in so many ways.

You will find (even if it doesnt work exacty as you originally hope or plan) ... nothing is more rewarding than building something that can not only help you and your family but put you in a position to help others around you .... and that by the way is my definition of success

Best of luck whatever you decide.

I'd be happy to hook up with you if you want to go up .. and I'll show ya

I will be up there this weekend and again on the weekend of Feb 17th for Lake Joseph opener .... my go-to approach is light line ... small hook and single minnow about 18" below a single split shot fished within a foot of bottom ....

but just like the realtor said ... location location location ...

Rosseau/Jospeh have some of the best (quality and quantity) laker fishin in the region IMHO

Hey so sorry to hear what happened Cliff, even more sorry to hear how and why !

Day one is not the day to make any life altering decisions - but to share the support of all those you have done a good turn to over the years, and having met you even though it was only briefly I am sure those are MANY and more importantly they are the kind of folks whose support has substance and meaning.

Something to think about before you settle anything visavis severance is the following .... they will almost certainly ask you to sign a non-compete with whatever it is they offer to settle on .... think VERY seriously before you do and be sure to have a chat with your suppliers ... if they havent already called to find out 'the real story'

In my case I said no way to the non-compete... and I quickly found out that not only my customers, but my suppliers and most of the folks who worked around me wanted me to start my own business ... doing what we always did ... except now without the restrictions from non-believers and more importantly without worrying about little pricks like that who undermine instead of helping people.

Today my business is bigger than the one that turfed me and we kick their butt every time we meet on the dance floor ... why ... because nice guys DO NOT finish last ... and we keep getting invited back to the party !

Stay the course my friend this may be the biggest opportunity to do something you would have never considered until you got one upthebutt ... now however, all bets are off ... your friends will stay your friends and will likely (as we've already seen above) be thrilled to have the chance to help you get a running start.

Think about it seriously... you would be shocked how many successful businesses were started under exactly these conditions.

Yep ... at least once a year I have had a MONDO laker that wont get through the 8" hole ... its why I always advocate the bigger the better ... even if it is a little more sweat drilling ... its worth it ... I wouldnt even consider a 6 or 4 inch auger for that very reason...

Just to be sure Wayne ... I wasnt joking about the Birch ...

Find a Bay then poke holes between the points working you way out the middle of the bay

And if you do happen to know a 'hotspot from the summer give it a whirl for sure in the winter ... they dont stray too far from the tree ya know ... maybe just a little deeper

And for the lakers dont be afraid to go deeeeep ... I have had LOTS of luck at 90+ feet just a few feet off bottom ... I'd actually lay a set line on the bottom in deep water (with heavier line) and wait for a biggun while pokin around in the shallows jiggin minnows (slowly)... and dont forget ot bring the fishfinder ... it will tell ya whether lots more is hapening down there than you can feel (or see)

Thanks Guys.

Yea probably shoulda said 'please' in the title

Just fyi ... Joseph doesnt open until Feb 15th but Rosseau is open ...

Thanks hookset ... Muskoka is BIG water compared to Rosseau so chances are that Rosseau actually has ice at least as good in the bays ... I'll find out and let y'all know ... I think I can actually hear it being made now .. at -26 tonight that oughta help

Guess I'll have to post the report when I get back.

346 views ....

Does anyone at least know where lake Rosseau is ???? :D