Kerry

OK guys, fishermans cove is now open at the launch.|There is some floating ice around between there and the narrows but it will likely be gone or easily navigable by saturday.Coochiching side still has ice so I'll update if it opens between now and friday.It's close. Kerry

As usual you sure find some beauty fish Greg! Kerry

A little update as of this eve.we were down to the park to walk the dogs and the ice has blackened up significantly around and out from cooch park.There is a bit more open water around the gov't dock as well as the breakwall.it also looks pretty dark across the bay towards couchiching point which means we may just get lucky and have open water from the park if the temps are favourable and if the wind blows from the south or southwest.Will keep ya'll updated. Kerry

No secrets there jedimaster.Where there is open water in the narrows area is where the fish are released both on the simcoe and cooch side from what I understand.Good luck out there guys. Kerry

Hey guys, right now the narrows are open more into cooch almost to the first bunch of islands but the launch across from tudhope park is still iced in.Boaters will probably have to go in at the Blue Beacon marina.If we get some really good rain and warm temps its possible the other launch might be accessible by next saturday.Cooch park is not even close to opening yet either.If I see a change I'll post it. Kerry

I did the same hope Visa gets the dollar above par right.I think it came to 266 and change total shipped. Any options as far as map cards go.Don't know what's usable with this unit.Is there such thing as an ontario only map card. Kerry

Royal might be cheaper but after going thru two coils on my old arctic cat in one year because the wires couldn't take any vibration at all I gave up and bought a factory one.Never had a problem after that.Cheap chinese made junk. Kerry

Yeah suppose I would pout a bit too if I got impaled.LOL Kerry

their is.its the same spot you go out from ice fishing.Its pretty shallow once the water is dropped but you dont need to go far from their for fish either.If you go out of stepan stay to the outside right of the big rock but as you back in guide your trailer so it angles in slightly to your left backing in.Their is a drop off kind of behind the rock and your trailer will be a bit more square to it. Kerry

Well ice fishing in shallow clear water I've seen pike just go straight down and bury their nose literally straight in the muck and stay their for 1/2 hour before moving slowly off.We rarely waste time keeping any we don't want out of the water so they aren't stressed at all. Perch will go down right back to the school if it's still their and just move off to the outside or away if the school moves. Bass that I've encountered in the summer just head straight for the nearest piece of cover even if they came out of that spot. Kerry

If this is RealPro Canadian Luremaking you will definately like their stuff.I've bought a fair bit over the last three years (for me anyway)and love the spinnerbait kits and accessories ie Yak Hair AWESOME for musky sized spinnerbaits 1 1/2 oz and up.You can really let your mind go with spinners,weights ,blade sizes and if something doesn't work like you expect just cut the wire take the components apart and redo it with a new wire leader.Lots of things to play with.If you want the big colorado spinners for size 10 sized inline spinners(Double Cowbell) thou its best to hit Bass Pro and go thru their coloured ones. Kerry

Don't know if cable drive is the same as my old 370 laser inside but most everything is plastic when it comes to gears and a little vaseline goes a long way.You can likely run it with the top off to see and hear better the squeak.Just pay attention to how it comes apart and don't overtighten the screws in plastic otherwise the bosses tend to crack and split. Kerry

Had an old TCR 101 humminbird years ago that fried a diode.Bought a pack at Radio Shack with the same stripes and replaced it.I packed my unit with a couple of the small dryer packs you get with most electronics.Lasted a couple years after even using it as a portable in the winter.Didn't get much of a fog unless really cold.Always worth a try. Kerry

Actually you are seeing nothing more than the usual algae bloom that St John gets yearly.It can be so thick some years it sticks to the boat and your wake will close up behind you.It's always bad if there are several calm days in a row which lets it spread across the whole surface.You would be amazed to see how many fish are swimming within 5 ft of the surface with these conditions.All the weeds aren't gone.Stay to the midlevels,they'll be green. Kerry

Nice fish and nothing wrong with a little rigor before eating! I was out sunday morning over to Thorah from the west side and didn't have any luck trolling or jigging but it sure was an awesome weekend to be out enjoying it.Heck of a lot of bugs out there glad I brought the head net. Kerry

Met a fella on Balsam last year who was doing exactly that with trimmed down 1/2 oz black hair jigs.Thanks for the reminder! Kerry

Re Canal lk: There is a launch on centennial dr off of 48 about a mile or so past the trailer park.Don't know if the lake has any ice left but you will drive right over the 'hole in the wall' to get there and it's one of the more popular shore spots because of the narrows.It's a pay and park launch.I think it's 6 bucks and your license # on the envelope. Kerry

First, there is absolutely no reason to be running at speed within a few feet of anyone or a hut on the lake.Snow and ice conditions can make your sled buck sideways in a flash.It's a huge area to play on on any lake. Therefore I will grab my auger sideways and stand facing them if they wanna charge at me.I have a right to safety just as anyone else and noone is gonna play games with my life or stuff for that matter. No different than the idiots that will run at you while fishing from the boat minding your own business. Kerry Oh yeah, I like Terry's idea too.Leave the orange flag off tie a rope from it to the tip up and call it a backup safety for big pike that take the whole setup down the hole (happens all the time!) and make it just short enough to ruin a track and see how they like it.

If I'm on crappies and they are rising I'll leave the dead stick alone and go to mini tubes on my jigging rod.I'll keep lifting as long as they follow and do a dead jiggle/pause,lift or drop and see what they do and continue depending on how they react.I like red/white for a start up color. Kerry

Garry, I joined OFC back in 2004 or somewhere around that time.I think they've done two or more board changes since then.I bet I check on the site pretty much every night and read pretty much all posts fishing related anyway,so I would have read yours too.I probably post or reply once in 4 or 5 hundred posts and really only on stuff I feel I can add anything to.Just look at my post totals;the previous boards were probably less before the change.Don't take it personal some of us just like a really good read and that's how I view OFC most of the time...A REALLY good read you just gotta go back to time and time again! Cheers! Kerry

Great to see and supports my theory on just how good and important St John is to the region for fishing.Otherwise why waste the man hours on a dead lake.Hope they go out again this weekend being it's free fishing weekend and anglers that do not have a license have to abide by the conservation limits NOT the regular sport fishing limits. Kerry

Thanks musky66.it's early anyway, I won't be venturing out there till I see some posts on some good spots to access with parking.Lots of perch and pike action on cooch right now and lots of good ice too where we go so the need to fish is being taken care of! Cheers to a great ice fishing season where ever we fish. Kerry

Well I dress for both sides of the argument. When I'm fishing I usually wear my bright orange survival suit but not always depending on the areas I frequent as I am fishing away from staked areas or on lakes that don't have staked trails.For instance where I fish on St John and Cooch I rarely wear the floatation suit.The areas we fish are known areas that always have early well travelled ice and lots of people sharing ice info daily.Lake Simcoe is the totally opposite;I always wear my suit and I won't be out there till I see a city off of Carthew Bay and even then I'm wary as heck.Too many currents. When I'm snowmobiling I wear my two piece snowmobile suit which is much more comfortable and easier to keep from sweating,something I find the survival suit doesn't do well when you exert yourself. I ride staked trails that are marked open or are stated open on the website but it also depends on the daily conditions.If it's windy to the point of whiteouts on the lake I will ride land routes.As I am more interested in driving trails as opposed to open ice I don't personally feel the need for a mustang ice rider suit and as a trail user it is my responsibility to check for open trails in the area I go even the lake crossings. Most people getting in trouble out there are ones that think their machine is gonna fly right over everything.Common sense should be the rule but early in the season it seems Murphy's Law is the rule. Kerry

musky66, any idea if there is a current area around the balsam dr launch in the winter.I've never used any other access point to the lake other than the prov. park and I doubt they would open that area to the public in the winter to access the lake. fish-meister,there is a limit to the pike just as any other lake.I'm sure it's stated in the online changes for Zone 17.There are limits(crappies) and limits and size limits(bluegills)for zone 17 as well.All of it is on the MNR website.Hopefully they have the printed versions in store by the weekend. Kerry

I heard about 5" of ice so far.With the wet weather the last day and a half I'd be wearing a floater suit for sure and using a spud to test as you go out.I haven't been out there yet to see it for myself. Be cautious if you're going. Kerry