frozen-fire

Just job! That ankle really does look painful though. Did you use the setup you got from me to get those bass?

I asked him where Victor was, and he replied that you don't like fishing at this location LOL. Something about losing way too much gear? Yeah...it's not a good feeling at all!

I wasn't going to lift the net by the handle with the carp in it for sure! It would definitely snap. We would lift the fish out of the water by the rim of the net. I was moving back cause the water was coming up and I didn't want to get wet, but lost my footing. Like MJL said, I need felt sole shoes

MJL invited me to come along with Jet and himself on Sunday for some carping. I couldn't refuse as we all know that MJL is the CARP GOD! Skunking was not an option, so I knew it was going to be a great day . It was a neat experience watching MJL set up our rigs. Learned quite a bit about fishing for carp and the equipment used to catch them. There's no joking around when it comes to serious carp gear! We were finally fully set up at around 12-1PM with the sun directly above us. We had the pleasure of getting a prime spot at our location under a tree that provided much needed shade. We weren't going to move! Wasn't long before we started getting hits after setting up. These fish just pull. HARD. I now have a new appreciation for these big goldfish! What a thrill they are to catch! We ended up hooking into over 20 fish that day. Apparently MJL noted that it was a slow day. I can only imagine how my arms would feel on a good day! On with the pics... Jet made this vid of my misfortunes during this carp day. I lost 3 fish from the hook popping out and also slipped on the rocks while helping MJL land a fish. At least I didn't get wet <embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvidmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv297%2Ffrozen-fire%2FCarpinwithAntLongVersion.mp4">

That is a stunning resident brown! I've been looking for one of those myself!

What do you anglers think of the Daiwa Caldia that was recently on sale at BPS? I hear it's a better and smoother reel than the Shimano Stradic. I just wanted to hear some of your opinions as I'm sure some of you picked a few up.

You know what I realized? I didn't lose ANY tackle on the outing! Not even a hook!

There's no pic to see!

Loving the shot of the loon.

First atlantic Check out the cool vermiculations!

Since the weekend kept us inside, MJL and myself agreed it was a MUST to head out today. The forecast showed that today would be the best looking day to be outside fishing compared to the rest of the week. After work, we met up at the destination and walked to the water with rods in hand. We saw LOTS of fish rising to the surface to take bugs off the surface. This got us excited! It wasn't long before I hooked into my first brookie ever. Not a big fish, but it was very satisfying trying something new and having it work out! As we walk the creek, we continue to catch lots of smaller fish. The sun starts to set and we decide to head back to the cars. On the way back, MJL hooks into a nice one. Then, another one... He proceeds to pull out one of the most beautiful fish I have ever seen in Ontario. An absolutely gorgeous specimen!

I love the nifty fifty too Great bang for the buck lens. Your report makes me miss pike fishing. Great work!

I have a feeling most of the fish are gone from their normal spots. We were supposed to go out yesterday, but the forecast forced us to reschedule.

Now I want to get out there.... haha Good job man.

wow!!! blind in one eye too?!

Wow... I should've stuck with you guys! Nice meeting you.

canon 10-22 all the way.

That's a nice looking sucker. Nice long finnage!

You did better than me! I lost about 6 before I finally got one when first using the pin.

The first lake we hit is a deeper small lake. Huge drop-offs that go from 5 FOW to 40 FOW in a matter of a few seconds while we drifted around in the canoe. Due to the depth, the lake is still very cold (45F). There were NO fish of any species in the shallow bays that hold crappie usually. The strong west wind didn't help either. We boogied out of there and decided to make the most of the remainder of the day. We made our way to a lake that is way more shallow and should be warmer. The lake itself was about 49F... still too cold in my opinion. We hit some shallower inlets that eventually showed readings of 52F. Still cold, but better than what we've seen so far. Depth we fished was about 5-10ft with our presentation only a couple feet under the surface. The fish are suspended and very scattered. For some odd reason, I thought that since the water was so cold, the fish would be sluggish... man was I wrong. Some of the hardest fighting crappie I've ever had the pleasure of catching! I kept thinking I had OOS bass on! Some of them even launched themselves out of the water! Great fun on light mono and 5 ft ultralight setup.

Yeah Mike, we definitely have to go get you into some crappie! They are easy to clean...just make sure your filet knife is sharp. The bigger slabs will give plenty of meat. I can imagine the smaller crappie will become quite a pain to clean. When I see people keeping 6 inchers, it's weird to me... I don't think it's worth the hassle haha.

Yes, they are definitely on the feed. Just look for shallow areas that heat up the fastest. My presentation is about 2 feet from the surface... they are still sluggish...so slow your presentation down and look for subtle hits. Go get 'em while it's hot!

Bass would be out of season at that time. There are lots of BIG carp and bowfin at the Islands. Maybe I'll bump into you when I pike fish with my girl

Sorry for derailing your thread jocko... I personally think you did a great thing saving that little dragon from a likely death in the shallow water

Totally agree. It was sad reading that post comparing a threatened species to a bucket of frogs. That aside, I couldn't find any information stating the mudpuppy as a species at risk. http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/2ColumnSubPage/276722.html canadadude, please post some links as I'd like to read more into this. It's great to know that there are still others out there who care about the environment and wildlife around us.