4x4bassin

I have been around for about 12 -13 years now and yes it has been a fun and informative ride to say the least . This is funny because I just ran into an old member ( Diplip ) at Cabelas last week and we were briefly talking about the old forum . Not to sure about the history of the site but I'm sure TJ will answer that .

Looks like you guys had a good time ( at least most of you ) I'm a lake trout fan as well and I enjoyed the lake trout pictures . I hear the lake trout fishing on Kipawa is pretty good . What were you guys using ? Trolling or jigging ?

That looks like an awesome spot Simon . That plate of food looked delicious by the way

Like I said in my post "be careful" and yes it doesn't have to be a flaming red rock . Just a little hot to the touch !

Those screen shots are impressive , not a bad bass either

Looked like a great trip Mike , can't wait for the full report in a couple months ! Question for you though , where did you get that tailing glove ? Have not seen one like that before .

That's brutal , I hate hearing about things like this

Ya , that's a big one !!! Looking forward to your report .

That is ridiculous , good job OPP . Yes , a lesson in public communications is in order ! I believe if you live out of area you can have your say with the crown over the phone on an arranged date. I would fight this no questions asked . I was stopped by the OPP on a lake in the Parry Sound area a couple weeks ago and these guys were very professional and polite , I guess there is a bad apple everywhere.

Another good tip is to make sure your tent is well ventilated either with its own vents or leaving the window/door flap open a bit. This seems to be counter productive on keeping warm during the night but believe me its not . You want to vent out all that air/moisture that you exhale over the course of the night , if not and its cold out your tent will be like a "cold sauna" not the best conditions for keeping warm ! Never wear cotton clothes to bed either only wool or a synthetic ( no insulating value in damp cotton ) As well , this is something I have been doing for awhile now when it gets cold out . About an hour before you go to bed you put a rock from the fire into the tent , you will be amazed at how long it stays warm for and it takes the chill out of the tent before bed . I put it on a small piece of plywood so it doesn't burn the tent. Be careful if you decide to do this ( takes a bit of practice )

I do several cold weather camping trips in the spring and fall and I have a -10 rated down bag . Never a problem ! Like others have said a good sleeping pad is a must when its cold and damp out . As well , have designated sleeping clothes . I wear a thermal top with a hood on it (hood or toque is a must) and long underwear to bed on the cold nights with no problems . The only problem with down bags is if they get wet/damp no matter what the rating is your doomed so make sure you keep the bag dry at all costs . I make sure that I take the bag out of the tent in the morning and hang it up to dry in the sun/wind during the day ( moisture builds up in the tent when its cold and makes the down bag damp ) I believe as well that you double your low temp. and compare to your bag rating and you should be good , -5 outside low then a -10 rated bag is good ! Good luck

Great report and pictures Bunk , You guys caught some real nice ones . I have to agree with Bill , haven't fished for them much but when I have they are tough to catch !

Looks like an amazing place , I might have to put that on my bucket list !

I will drive 2-3 hours for a good day of fishing !

That looks like a great summer job to me , very lucky ! Thanks for sharing some of your summer adventures with us

I fish mostly shield lakes as well and lake trout can be very picky at times so like others have said when there on , there on and when there off , there off . I am a firm believer in fishing with the lightest line possible as well , lake trout might be a little short in the smarts department but they have excellent vision . Just last month I was up north fishing lake trout and we were all nailing them , my partner broke off a fish and he didn't tie a flouro leader back on but just tied direct to his braid . Guess what , no more fish for him until he tied that leader back on !!! As for lures that I find to be good on my lakes : Red and Silver Williams Trophy Spoon , Red and Gold Cleo and just this past spring I couldn't keep them off of a Rapala Silver Husky Jerk ( 3 inch ) Good luck ! Here are a couple pictures of some of the lures I use in my lake trout waters The williams spoon in this picture has a streamer fly tied to it ( works when things slow down ) The jigs I use when I can locate a bunch on the finder (usually in the summer months)

I have had good dealings with them over the phone several years ago mind you . I had a new lure break and they replaced it no questions asked !!!

Nice one TJ , that's a beauty !

No , that wouldn't PI$$ me off . Not at all !!!

I am a shift worker as well so I am never driving in any real traffic . I live 75 km from work (airport) and it takes me roughly 1 hour each way and its not that bad . The only rough bits are dealing with wildlife on the roads late at night , bad weather in winter going up and down the hills in Dufferin County during the winter and dealing with the crazy drivers around Brampton/airport . I live in a beautiful part of the province and that makes all the commuting worth it to me . I don't now if I could do anymore km's in a day so I would say 80-90 km would be my max !

Strange year for sure , water temps. on a couple inland Parry Sound lakes that I fish are around the 70 degree mark already .

Great report , some real hogs there !

Enjoyed that Mike as usual , kids looked like they had a blast

I'm not a musky guy (maybe one day) but I do know that big fish require a lot of good food and easy livin' to get big . That good food would be soft rayed , fatty fish like cisco ,suckers, whitefish , trout and salmon and that my friends comes from Georgian Bay . As well there are parts of that bay up in the islands that have not seen a fisherman in many years and that's easy livin'

All fixed I hope . Started it up in the driveway and ran some seafoam through it as well as tapping the bowl . Ran great after awhile but still noticed fuel leaking out of engine . Did some investigating and noticed a fuel line at the bottom of the carb. had a pin hole leak , cut it out and replaced back on carb and bingo . Good as new Thanks for the help guys , good for another ten years !