the spirit of fishing

I just read this in the Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.c...asian-carp?bn=1

May 2010 when I was picked up to go on our annual Shining Tree fishing trip my friend had 2 kayaks along with the rest of his gear.He decided to buy them the day before because his brother in laws kids enjoyed playing with them and he thought his grand kids would too AND they might work well on the small lakes we go to for specs and splake.I knew neither of the other two guys who go with us would EVER get in a kayak(non-swimmers) and I told my buddy he was crazy if he expected this 56 year old body to try fishing in one. Our first morning we went to a spec lake,with 2 kayaks-although there was no way the second yak was going to be unloaded, I had my PFD only because I was sure I'd have to rescue my friend from my shoreline fishing spot.Amazingly no rescue was necessary! After his successful venture the next day I did try the yak-it was great! I've fished since I was a kid and can't remember enjoying catching a fish more.The biggest splake I caught was around 3 pounds and it was quite an experience fighting a fish that was towing you around the lake, the smaller ones would too! We carried them easily into the back lakes-not huge portages,about 1/2 km the longest. He said he paid $399 for his Pelican at Costco,complete with paddles and a tie down kit for traveling,not the lightest or most high tech but they worked well for us old guys. Myself;I convinced my wife we needed one to use at our trailer for exercise and relaxation,I bought a Future Beach 10' for $349 at Sears(kayak only)-so next year I'll have my own and one of the non-swimmers is leaning towards going out in one...lol We know the models we have are beginner-intermediate quality craft but we had a blast and feel they'll do everything we need them too;they aren't fishing models but performed well for us and I think I'd rather customize mine to suit my needs than pay a premium for a "fishing model".

I've gotta aqree with EHG- "What an amazing trip! That 45+ inch pike has a huge head and one of biggest pike have seen posted here. Nice bunch of walleyes as well. Definitely a bucket list trip." Congrats on working through the weather and getting into some great fish.

For those heading to Trenton tonight for the walleye opener,I drove by the weigh station in Trenton and the boat launches there are closed due to low water. There is another launch on the same side of the river about .5 km upstream that is open. Good Luck.

I happened to be at the mouth of the Trent River today and the water level is way down. At the launch ramps by where Walleye World will be the water looks to be down about 2 feet! Actually, I suspect quite a few boats may have difficulty launching due to the low water.

Is it just me or has the "double tap" just started again?

I ran accross an Olympus camera in Liquidation World 2 days ago;just happened to notice it. I believe it was a Stylus 500,said it was waterproof to 3 metres. Price was $110.00,I noticed it while I waited for a friend to get through the lineup and he was done before I could check it out any further. It was definately a point and shoot,it may not be the latest model or what you're looking for but the price looked pretty good. I have a Stylus 740 I bought from the Olympus ebay site a few years ago and it continues to serve me well(when I remember it....lol).

I used to fish quite a bit with Rob when he was posted to Trenton;he was always very resourceful so it doesn't surprise me he's built that shack. If you're talking to him tell him Hack says hello from Trenton.

I just happened to notice them at the Trenton Walmart today as I passed through the ice fishing section $13.56 ea.

We were fishing Lake 21 between Shining Tree and Gowganda. I get the stocking lists for the area we fish every year prior to our trip and noticed this year Lake 21 wasn't listed as having Auroras restocked. As luck would have it coming home this past May;(we usually go in May but tried late Sept. last year) we were stopped just outside Elk Lake at a MNR inspection station and I asked why Lake 21 was not stocked again. The MNR Officer told us it had been stocked in error and wouldn't be stocked with Auroras again.

I got one last year the same week you're going. I've pasted an excerpt of my report from Nov/08;it may not be much help but it worked for me. "By Thursday we’d caught numerous fish and I talked the guys into taking a walk into an Aurora lake. We found the lake easily and did try a few casts from shore, no hits but my interest was even higher in trying to catch one of these fish. One of our crew agreed to go with me early Friday morning to give them a solid shot, and armed with oars for the small aluminum off we headed. Our lines hit the water about 8:00. My friend using a small spinner, me a firetiger Little Cleo. I rowed slowely and as quiet as I could be while we trolled our hardware well behind the boat following the shoreline. About 20 minutes after we started I had a hit-FISH ON!!!!! It was a great fight-seemed to last forever as I was afraid my one shot at an Aurora might be lost with a thrown hook or broken line. Thankfully I landed the fish –a nice 19” female. My fishing was done on this lake as the limit is one and there is no catch and release. Until noon I rowed around that small lake trying to get my buddy a fish as well but he never had a hit. Unfortunately I don’t have many pictures from our trip as I forgot my camera-however I did borrow one before going for the Aurora Trout and have a picture of it."

That's a pretty good list! You can add Aurora Trout to it.

I just got back from another trip to Shining Tree Camp this weekend;once again Derek and Cathy were great hosts. I hope to have a report up soon-just have to catch up on my "Honey Do" list and waiting for some pics from the other guys. I'm sure if you do a search here you'll see some reports on both areas. If you decide to look closer into the Shining Tree area let me know and I'll try to point you in the right direction.

Your friend might want to look at this place- http://www.virtualnorth.com/tumblehome/ I stayed there once and the owners were very helpful and the accomodations quite nice. The lake has almost no development on it so it feels more remote than it is and it's a fairly large lake with a good variety of fish. It located about an hour or so north of Kingston.

Typically the Bay gets rough almost everyday late in the morning-sometimes a little earlier,sometimes a little later but rarely does it stay flat or just have a chop;so the previous posts are correct in advising you to be careful in a small boat. I usually fish west of Belleville,closer to Trenton and we have most of our success with Erie Dearies.We hook on 1/2 a nightcrawler followed by a plastic worm or grub-we find this prevents a lot of the smaller perch,etc. from stealing our bait as much but still allows the fish to sense real food. Opening weekend I heard Rapala Husky jerks did well in a clown color trolled in the depths the others gave you. I've also heard ;but haven't tried, Berkley gulp minnows and leeches to be working well. Hope you enjoy a safe and successful trip!

Great Post!

I know there's been instructional posts on knot tying previously; however a friend passed this site on to me showing various knots and how to tie them in animation. You can see which knot is useful for a given application and how to tie it. The soft water season approaches and here's an opportunity to practice your knots before you hit the water. Have fun. http://www.animatedknots.com/index.php

I am envious in every shade of green imaginable!; and at the same time extremely appreciative of you sharing this great post with those of us who can only dream of getting into specks like that.

Beauty report. Now that's some serious determination!

Great report-really love the aerial shots. I'm not familiar with that area but it sure sounds like an efficient way to cover 43 minutes of travel time!

My sincerest condolences. I lost my mother last Sept. in much the same circumstances. I know it's a tough time. The pain of your loss will subside as your cherished memories fill your thoughts.

Deja vu all over again.

It's been an evolution. When I was a kid-anytime! As a young adult, many years back it was late winter and the fall for migratory L. Ont. rainbows. At some point I moved onto then out of ice fishing walleye locally. Salmon on L. Ont in July held my interest for a number of years. Presently my favourite is May, after walleye opens locally and the trout are shallow and hungry in the north. I confess,however, I'm not very far removed from the kid who's favourite time to fish was anytime and look forward to my second childhood kicking in!

Great posts! I enjoy catching any species of fish but if I could only go after one it would be SPECKS.... You SIR; have left me with a severe case of envy!!!!!....

I agree with Irishfield-can be used legally; would I buy one...no,because I would have no confidence in it; use one-perhaps if I'd already thrown the tackle box at them and had no luck on anything else or my fishing partner was using them and was being successful and I wasn't...