brw

Thanks Steve great videos. Gets me in the mood for my trip North in a few weeks. Quick question: were you using a tripod for filming? I have a Flip camera and would love to figure out a way to shoot from a fixed position.

One HUGELY overlooked aspect of boat insurance in my humble opinion: get a quote on uninsured/underinsured boaters' coverage for you, in the event someone with little or no liability insurance collides with and injures you. Way too many tales of collisions on the water with irresponsible boaters/jPWC operators. And many never end well. I have 300K on my craft through Boat U.S. and it is really cheap coverage. I ain't much but I value my health more than my Lady Lund (just don't tell her that, though ). Something to think about anyway...

We went last year and made it up and back but I've heard that currently it's now worse than it was last year, and last yr was a close shave...I also wonder what effect it all has on walleye populations, and if it is driving fish into deeper water sooner than what is "normal" for seasonal patterns...

Friends: Planning a trip to NE corner of Geo Bay this June and heard that we may not even be able to get up/through The Key River due to ever lowering water levels. If true this is alarming since as far as I can remember we've always been able to navigate the Key. Any insight or scuttlebutt much appreciated. Cheers.

Driving all night long from Ohio as a 14 year old (1976) in the back cab of a pickup truck piled high with gas cans and other gear, arriving at the Key River in the morning, then piling 12 guys into 6 boats w/ a 6 HP motor for an 18 mi boat ride to the fishing camp. My 1st introduction to Big Red gum, The Sweet Marie candy bar, Voyageur Restaurants (yuck), the pristine beauty of Georgian Bay, large, large walleyes, and a seed planted that has kept me coming back to Ontario ever since.

Good idea. My name is Brian. I am a certified walleye fishing nut borne from heading to North Country since the mid 70's as a wide eyed 12 year old. NE corner of Georgian Bay has been my hunting grounds, and it has taught me patience and persistance. Have also been to Esnagi Lake/Mar Mac lodge a few times and I go back and forth as to which area is most beautiful and which area I like more. Have never been on a more awesome stretch of scenery from the Soo to Wawa. Oh what the hell I love them both. I am also addicted to ketchup chips (just can't get the same ones here in the states) and love poutine as well. Most importantly, I love the hospitality and overall kindness of your country. I admire your collective sense of adventure and the joy many of you feel in exploring the nooks and crannies of the vast beauty of your country and live vicariously through all the great trip reports many of you post. And as a huge fan of Neil Young, Gordon, and Joni Mitchell, sometimes I think I'm "part Canadian." I'd rather head north than anywhere else.

Simon thanks for posting and pardon my drooling as I type. If I may ask: what is your breading recipe? I'll trade you my wife's chipotle mayo recipe that we use on our walleye tacos....

I've come to believe in a couple inassailable absolutes that are down right genetic in males: the (1) "it is impossible for me not to leave with SOMETHING when I walk into a tackle store" gene; and ( 2) the "make good time on the road" gene when heading on any vacation. So don't fight it--not yer fault!!!

Friends: Will be heading to God's Country in 2 weeks and we'll have some time to kill in Parry Sound. Can anyone point me to where we can purchase our licenses either on 400/69 or in town? Much appreciated.

No, you can't tip these bladebaits with anything or they will foul immediately. Any weed or leaf will foul them too. They really vibrate when you lift them and for the smaller ones (1/4 oz) I actually slide a piece of plastic tubing on the line before I tie on the snap swivel to reduce the trebles from fouling on the line. But they are very versatile baits. You can cast them like a jig and work them down the shelf or rip them vertically...

I have great success on The Bay with these Vib-E bladebaits: http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/blade-baits/107311.aspx I will fish dropoffs and deeper weed edges. Drift and rip off the bottom, or cast to dropoff edge and work it down the shelf. Use a snap swivel (or a small leader with a snap swivel) and not a ball bearing swivel. I use these baits here in the states exclusively in the fall, and we caught 2 30 inch eyes doing this on Geo Bay, when the jig/harness bite slowed. These things displace so much water when you rip them that they will often induce a reaction strike. I also use 4 in Storm swimbaits in the same fashion. Both are good secondary or plan B tactics for me, right about the time I remove my hat and start scratching my head when my traditional methods slow or fail!

Thanks 4x4 will do! Appreciate it.

Thanks Fellas-for once my instincts were correct! How bad is the backup at the split? Just wonderin...perhaps I'll send an email alerting the highway authorities that I'm coming on June 8th so they can speed things up and be done by the time I arrive!!

Mates: Am planning our trip to Geo Bay via Key River (in only 29 days, 12 hrs and 37 min but who's counting) and we usually leave at a time that puts us on 400 N around 2:00 p.m or so. Traffic is "thick" to Barrie until old 69 N but manageable. We are toying with leaving later, which may put us on that run around 5:00 p.m. My guess is that the traffic to Barrie is horrible and reduces to a crawl by then? Am also thinking that we should stick to our old plan, but would appreciate the thoughts of those who live there and travel that stretch regularly. Thanks to all who respond--much appreciated.

I have never seen a bigger collection of hog perch in my life!!! I bow dowm before thee....I am not worthy!!!

When I fish Georgian Bay (not too far from pointe au baril), 1/4 oz jigs tipped with 3 in gulp twisters and half a worm, and worm harnesses/lindy rigs are the ticket. When the fish are finicky, the worm harness will outproduce the jig. The bait stays in the strike zone longer and it is a more subtle approach in cold front conditions. Use a 1/4 oz sliding sinker to get it down near the bottom. If fish are suspended, thread a simple float onto the leader to allow it to rise in the water column. A Strom Thin Fin is a great trolling search bait for me to locate walleyes. There is something about that profile that walleyes like. You can troll them in really shallow water effectively. Sometimes I place a small split shot about 18 in above the bait to get it down a little deeper. Rapalas are also a great choice to troll. One final tip: almost 95% of the walleyes I catch are in 5-20 ft of water. If I'm at a depth greater than 22 feet, I pick up and move. pay attention too to all the shoals. Trolling and drifting along the outside edges will produce nice straggler walleyes. Best of luck to you.

This article is spot on with my 30+ years experience fishing the NE corner of Georgian Bay. From the mid 70's to the mid 2000's, the alewives would be thick as thieves when we fished at night for walleyes. It was not uncommon to hook 5-6 a night while trolling. Around 2005 or so, they simply disappeared. Not sure whether that's a good or bad thing but it is a definite change in the ecosystem. And as an aside, it has eliminated one of my favorite pranks: stuffing a dead alewife caught from the night before in a Rapala box and into the tackle box of a boat partner......

To me the initial question is: what fish are you frying? Walleye (perch too) are so naturally good tasting that the key, I think, is to allow that great flavor to come through. Beer batters and other complex concoctions I leave for the cods of this world. For eyes I have found that, the simpler, the better. An old standby that I used to use I brought back recently and I forgot how good it was. Simply take some instant pancake batter (couple cups), about a TBSP of good hungarian paprika (Sweet or mild depending on your taste), a large pinch of kosher salt, and some fresh ground pepper, and place in a ziplock. Just clean filllets w/ some water, pat off, and shake. No egg wash necessary. Very tasty and its a combo of slightly sweet, salty and a little heat mixed in. Simple and good.

Solo: If all else is considered equal between the 2 boats, I would consider the one with the wider beam. Like you, I have 2 kids and the wider beam makes a difference when you have 3 in the boat. my lund has a 95 in beam and many of my fellow hard core fisherman who also have boats remark at how much they like the wider beam. even a few inches seems to make a difference. Food for thought. Nice problem to have!!!

I practice here in the states and not familiar w/ Canadian/Ontario law but I can give you a few general tips. First, don't freak out over anything. 99.99% of these claims are teken care of/resolved in some fashion and everyone goes about their daily lives. This is why you have insurance. They owe you a duty to defend you and they will, but only if you cooperate. There's a little clause in your policy known as a "cooperation clause." It means you have to notify them of being served and speaking with their counsel or claims rep, etc. They probably want to know just basic facts at this point. It doesn't mean you have to tell lies or do anything they want you to do. Just be honest, answer their questions as best you can, and let them go from there. Let them fight it out with the other side. And they'll let you know if and when they need you after that....pretty standard stuff.

love GSP but I declare Silva the most dangerous man in the world. Was like watching a cat play with a mouse....

If I can share an important tip. One item you should be sure you inquire about is uninsured boaters coverage. like uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage for your car, this protects you if you're hit by a boat with little or no liability coverage. Just look around on the water next time and you can figure out that a lot of rigs probably have no insurance on their boat. Given that, and the fact that many boaters don't follow rules for safe boating, this coverage is a no brainer in my humble opinion. And it's cheap--probably less than $50 on your policy. I have 300K coverage on my boat through Boat U.S. Something to think about and ask your agent about.