bigugli

They fight a lot harder than a pike

There is only one thing I do on this day Had a fish fry last night, so after a wee sleep in , off we go to meet some friends at the fishin hole. Fewer fish after all the rain, but a more varied catch today. This Bowfin lit up for us. A great day on the water.

I've backed the trailer into the water while my son is in the boat to power off. Boat won't budge. Back in a little further boat won't budge. Son finally realizes, as we point at each other, that the rear straps are still on At least there were no witnesses.

Hope you and the Mrs get many, many hours of enjoyment from your new boat.

I'm a gettin the outdoor kitchen ready for a fry tonight. Must start summer right and celebrate midsummer's ( even if I'm a day early)

I've never liked the electric blades, whether for fish or in the kitchen. I keep 2 filet knives in regular use. A good flexible Rapala knife for most fish, but I also have a heavier blade for bigger fish. Mora of Sweden produces a knife with a harder steel and more backbone for cutting through the larger boned fish. They are lifetime blades.

Sure has been cheaper for me. I go through 100+ jigs, 20 odd bucktails, at least 50 harnesses a season. Then there's the rest of my family Also make a lot of tackle for others to help pay for this addiction called fishing. There is a specific sense of pride and accomplishment when the lures you make work. You also get it the way you want it. I make a wire harness to keep the pike on, with a bucktail as added attraction As for spinnerbaits, I don't produce my own, but I've found a decent local maker. The lures work, run true and cost no more than $4-5. The folks at Luremaking have kept me happy.

Fishing magazines have come and gone over and over. How many new twists to the same story can one have? How often does a magazine turn into nothing more than a giant advert. After all, the first rule of journalism. 'We don't sell news. We sell advertising'. Once that magazine gets that old/tired image, the readership drops and so does revenue. Over time it is hard to keep it fresh and interesting. With a pissy economy, and an abundance of rags out there, articles have to reflect the advertising dollar. If my big dollar comes from Shimano, I'm not going to do a feature review on Quantum reels. Nor would you rip apart Shimano product. You lose the revenue right quick. Same difficulties for the TV shows. Too many

"Matinal introspection" eh? Sounds like Catholic hoy polloy for a morning brainfart. No sense trying to blame these various creatures. Every so called "invasive" was transplanted willingly, or unwittingly by human hand. Time will tell the real outcome. However, consider this. Mother nature, in her complexity, is flexible. Evolution is all about adaptation, but it does take time. There is a certain amount of upheaval and ecological instability until nature rebalances. Native species have adapted to the new species and include them in the diet. Small mouth eat gobies, as will perch. Panfish are eating smaller zebra and quagga mussels. Yes we may lose a species or two, like the blue pickerel, but that can result from climate shift and the warming of our more southern lakes.

Great report. You got a good mix of fish over the week. Nice to see the young ones having fun as well.

The oldtimers always put them in the smokehouse along with the sheephead, ling, etc... She certainly put up a scrap. Hefty too. Near as long as my bait net is wide

Saw this one sunning itself a couple of days back.

To heck with the weatherman and the pathetic forecasts. Part sun and showers my Hiny! Ran out into fog on one side and waves crashing against my backside. Spent the entire day soaked, but it was worth it. The fish were biting non stop and that's all that mattered May not be bass, but the cats fight, and that Bowfin ran. Catching 7-8 fish an hour sure keeps you busy.

Nice looking fish. I do love the Sault and the quality of fish in the area.

Great wildlife shots

I would have picked Battle of the Atlantic. By war's end in 1945, Canada had the 4th largest navy in the world, and the only navy that was 90% H.O. volunteers. The only navy that specifically specialized in A.S warfare. The RCN also developed a personality and reputation totally distinct from the old "Wooden Wall" of the Royal Navy.

It's like playing the pools.

A cooler spring, yes. Has it adversely affected the bite? Not in Niagara.

Thank so much for including the Adriatic pirates in your collection. Tommy Fuller was quite a character, and spent much of his peacetime life promoting the naval reserve and sea cadets. One of his comrades from the Royal Navy was Tim Bligh. Guess who his forefather was? Nice pic of HMCS Battleford at the bottom of your page.

Almost every combo I posess falls in the $100-150 range. There are lots of wonderful reels and rods out there. Some with outrageous price tags. Regretably, few would survive a season of bush beating, stumbling and falling down As a result, my bush rods are mostly Uglysticks and a Lewes. All have lasted several years. I still fish with a 40 year old glass rod. Reels tend to be middle of the road for the same reason. Quantum, Pfleuger, Mitchell ultralite310. Lost faith in Shimano years back with such problems as reel reverse and weak bails. I will be using a 300A soon. Found it at a yard sale for $5. Only thing wrong was the finger grip on the handle was gone. Easy to cure with a little maple or oak. ( Yeah, I'm cheap ) All the toys in the world will not make a good angler. I've known a few tackle junkies who have every new hot item, bring a dozen preloaded rods, have $2-3000 in the latest bells and whistles on the boat, and they still can't catch fish worth a darn. Their fave excuse; "the lake's been fished out"

Sounds like you fellas had some fun. I'm still jealous about that fishing machine of yours, Beans,

My favourite kind of report. Thank you

Only use steel snelled hooks with my live bait rigs. All else is usually direct tie.

Looks like another great adventure in Ontario's northwest. Yes I am a lttle green, but not too much. Walleye are not as plentiful down here, but there is still a decent fishery here in Niagara. It's the crowds on the water down here that are a killer.

looks like you and the amazons are having a great time. WTG on that pike.