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the spirit of fishing

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Everything posted by the spirit of fishing

  1. Good decision. It's only slightly more than 6 months since I quit. My wife and daughter are my biggest supporters and I've not run into anyone, smokers included ,who aren't happy with my decision. Something I found helpful to me was to look ahead at activities or places that might be triggers to smoke and plan how to handle the situation before I encountered it. There are a number of aids out there to help you quit. The best one is the one that works for you. I like your attitude about the cravings-keep it up!
  2. I won't be pursuing the 6 cyl engine. The Ram 8 cyl appears to have lots of muscle.However the fuel economy is worse than a Ford or GM with similar capability. Brand loyalty isn't important to me so any of these are good and I'll see where my search leads me now. For those that suggested the diesel engines, I have given thought to them but I think the extra expense is too high. It's nice to be able to reach out to a group of people willing to help steer you in the right direction. Thanks to all!
  3. I'm 63 and have a sit in that I've used on the guys annual spring fishing trip for about 7-8 years. What I WISH I had is a SOT with a really comfortable chair. When I bought mine I thought weight was a primary consideration however that can be overcome, within reason. Although mine is comfortable, at my age after a few hours it becomes less comfortable. I really enjoy being out on small lakes in mine- it's really enjoyable latching onto a splake or spec and while you're fighting them getting pulled around the lake. As important as feedback from others is; demoing one for the weekend is a great way to check it out. I can't comment on the brands mentioned because I just bought a cheap one to try it out. Now we have three at our trailer for my wife, daughter and I to paddle around in when not in use for fishing.
  4. Hi all. I'm hoping to get some advice to help me choose a truck while all these sales are on. Presently I'm looking at the Ram pick ups. I like the fuel economy of their 3.6 l V6 but I'm concerned the torque rating of 269 lb-ft won't be enough to tow a travel trailer of around 5500 lbs throughout Canada. Properly equipped the specs say this truck is rated to tow 7420 lbs., my concern is that this rating is a marketing tool and can only be met with a tailwind going downhill. Hope I can get some help from anyone who knows about this stuff.
  5. That's a good suggestion from Mitch. My family has property a few km from there and there are rarely many people around. Another spot a bit closer in the same direction is the Murray Canal just south of Trenton on Hwy 33 running east/west from Bay of Quinte to Brighton Bay. Can expect bass, panfish , sheepshead and even occasional walleye; expect more people around but it can be enjoyable fishing, bar-b-queing and watching the boats go through the canal.
  6. I really enjoyed that. Thanks for putting the work in to create it and sharing with us.
  7. I often use the thermocell units and find they work really well. Takes a few minutes to establish your "safe bubble" and then the bugs seem to disappear. Not really suitable to use while you're moving but once you're settled down they work as advertised.
  8. Another great write up on your adventures. I always enjoy the fishing aspect but your additional experiences, particularly while in the north, captivate me as well. Thanks for sharing once again.
  9. Although I've never met you or Joey I remember her many contributions going back many years to before I was a member. She gave a lot to her fellow OFC members whether through her photography or fishing reports. She will be be missed greatly. My deepest condolences.
  10. For those interested but unaware Parks Canada is providing free passes for 2017. You can request them here: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/voyage-travel/admission.aspx
  11. This guy is local to where I am. I don't know him and haven't used his services but I've not heard anything bad about him. His ice bungalows look nicely set up if that's what you're after. Distance from Niagara likely a little more than 5 hour drive. http://www.ottawariverfishing.ca/en/index.asp
  12. I read the trip report and it sounds like like it was even better than you guys hoped it would be. Too bad the weather threw some challenges at you for a bit. The temptation of going back to explore more of the virgin waters around there would be a huge draw for me. Glad you shared with us.
  13. Well done. I always enjoy reading about trout success stories.
  14. Sounds like you had quite an adventure. Enjoyed your report describing the emotional roller coaster ride. Nice to see the specks cooperated after the work you put in. Hope you'll be able to have some more canoe trips this year and share your success with us again.
  15. I suggest you look at what some of the others are recommending. Prior to retiring part of my job entailed outfitting people for specialized needs. This included setting them up with Under Armour base layer clothing. The sizing was crazy. An average sized guy less than 6' with a 32-34' waist could not get on a medium or large size bottom and would be swimming in a small size top. Everytime someone was given their stuff they'd think we were playing a joke on them because the sizes were so unlike what they were used to having. Often to appease them we'd give them the size they thought they were and without fail they'd come back saying they couldn't even get it completely on. There were also times tops had to be replaced because the odor could not be removed, even after multiple washings. If you decide to go with UA you better try them on first.
  16. Congrats on doing so well. Too bad about just missing out on the big fish but glad you shared your outing with us.
  17. Nice report. Too bad you couldn't find the more aggressive larger fish. However the weather looks fantastic and you managed to get some fish to cooperate. Good going.
  18. Really good report. That looked like quite a storm. The camp looks nice and so do the fish.
  19. It certainly sounds like you're excited and I can't blame you. I'm sure all your homework will pay off and it'll be another great adventure. Can't wait to read about your trip.
  20. Hope you do well and end up in the winners circle.
  21. The Eagles Nest in Bancroft is kind of neat. It's not an actual nest but a lookout high over the town at the north end. It's just across the street from the Tim Hortons if I remember correctly; although the road up to it is a bit further north off highway 62 on the left(east) if you're traveling south.
  22. FloatnFly- The only others in camp were Americans except for one single guy who I believe is retired. At the places we went fishing we didn't see another person so I don't think we ran across the guy you know. Perhaps he stays at one of the other lodges in the area.
  23. Really enjoyed reading about your trip. Sounds like a great place to go. As Mike had said to you, it's the people that make the trip and it appears you had a good bunch of guys who all enjoyed the fish cooperating to make it even better. I'll echo what others have said that it's too bad Mike has decided to stay away from here. I understand a few rotten apples can leave a bitter taste when he's trying to share his great experiences. Just hope he realizes that the vast majority of us on here really enjoyed reading about his adventures and all that he contributed to the site.
  24. Well the time finally came. Our annual week long trip to Shining Tree Camp started May 28. A week away from our trip the long term weather showed forecasts of beautiful sunny, warm weather all week. The day before departure the forecast had changed. Now the whole week was forecasted to be of changing weather. Rain most days with the sun peaking through only occasionally. The latter forecast was closest to being correct. The majority of rain came through the night so it didnt slow us down. Our usual group of 6 was reduced to 5 due to one member preparing to get married. We had found a replacement for him, however for medical reasons the replacement had to cancel 10 days prior to our departure. An ominous sign of what was to come or a great trip missed by those who couldnt make it? Wed soon find out. We all finished the long drive early Saturday afternoon. Me alone from just outside Ottawa and the others from the Trenton, Kingston area. After unloading and putting everything where it belonged in the cabin it was time to do what we have done over the years. Everyone grabbed a rod and headed to the docks to reacquaint, rehydrate with beverage of choice and watch a slip bobber hoping to catch the first fish of the trip. The other main goal of our dock gathering was to plan our adventures for the next morning. All went well except the bobbers werent getting us any fish, strange because we always have enough action from the dock to keep us enthused. Another sign of what was to come? At any rate a plan was made for very early the next morning to a splake lake we all have enjoyed fishing very successfully previous years. We all agreed this plan would not be altered! , as previous years weve come up with plans that could and would change multiple times. We like our first real fishing of the trip to be very successful for all of us. It pumps everyone up for the days to come. It also puts fish in the freezer, very important as we plan on eating fish for more than half our meals while there. Usually we fish a combination of waters we know where and how to get fish and explore several unfamiliar waters over the week. We find its a good way not to get bored of fishing one place and provides a challenge figuring out new waters. Sunday morning we all waited for someone to get up to start the coffee and by the time the first persons kidneys couldnt hold anymore it was 6:00, already almost 2 hours behind schedule! While having coffee one of the guys decides he wants to go for walleye instead, ok me too. So three go for splake and two of us for walleye. So much for not altering the plan! A few hours later the three splake fishermen meet us at the walleye spot. They only got one small splake. This is a lake we have been able to select which fish to keep previous years .. oh, oh. The two of us fishing walleye faired better. We had 2 bass over 3 pounds and a walleye on the stringer with multiple fish released. Things are looking up. While having our brunch at the cabin our plan for the afternoon is made. Were going to attempt to get into a lake trout lake. Using fish on line I thought I could see a way to drive close to the lake and I convinced the others to give it a try. Unfortunately the trail didnt get us close enough to access the lake. As an alternative we knew of a speck lake wed never fished that was close. It had easy access, too easy we had always thought, but it seemed now was a good time to try it. We fished it for 3 hours and although the occasional fish showed on the finder, we had no action. Time to go back to the cabin and regroup. Three of us old guys decided to relax around the cabin and discus where and what we wanted to do in the coming days. The two younger men went after walleye. The two returned with smiles all around. Multiple fish caught, biggest was a 23 walleye-released along with bass and other walleye, a couple kept for a meal. Overall not a bad day considering we had a couple of setbacks. The rest of the week went much better. Only once were we not able to access a place we wanted to fish, that was because of the trail washed out prior to the launch area. Since we were unable to get to the walleye at that spot we went to another lake and had success there. We also selected some other trout lakes to explore. One each of splake, rainbows and specks. We found cooperating fish in all the new lakes. The biggest fish of the week was a 27 walleye also multiple 21-23 fish (all released), splake almost 5 pounds (released), rainbow 3.7 pounds, specks 2.9 pounds and smallmouth bass 4 pounds. All in all another great week in Shining Tree. Many thanks to our great hosts Derek and Cathy at Shining Tree Camp, we cant wait for our next visit! Pictures to come.
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