setomonkey

Beautiful fish, congrats on christening the new boat (and a beaut too, by the way, saw the other thread announcing your new ride) Congrats on a great first day... Mike

Those backroad mapbooks are great, I picked mine up at MEC but have also seen them at CT. Lots of smaller lakes and suggested access. Mike

I've always believed bigger lures = bigger fish on average (though sometimes you'll get a big bass on a simple twister-tail jig and sometimes a perch will hit a swimbait that's barely bigger than it is). I remember reading an article about California bassin' where locals will use really big swimbaits for the monsters... Mike

congrats, that's awesome. Nothing like it, even with how much it kills your fishing time, at least at first... Mike

You have justification to buy more reels & rods! LOL Mike

Sounds like you are talking about two things here, one is whether the boat has a flat bottom (like a jonboat) or v-hull, and the other is about casting decks. I've been on both flat and v-hull boats, and I'd definitely rather be on the deep V in big water. For the casting decks/floors, I wouldn't want to be standing in big waves, but they are a lot more comfortable to fish from and I prefer them. Mike

This might be the last of the epic spring far north trips??? Say it ain't so! Another beautiful report from a beautiful part of the country, thanks for posting. Mike

Great family day! Can't wait to take my son fishing; just have to wait a few more years... Mike

Wow, beautiful pike. Great back lake story too, I always wonder about those little blue dots on the map that often don't even have a name... Mike

Used to rely on the Trilene knot but switched to the Palomar after finding out how easy it is to tie under low light conditions. Uni-to-uni for connecting my mono to braid... Mike

Hope everyone has a fun, safe long weekend!

We usually see some updates from Lew when he heads back to TO to take care of things... Mike

Sparrow is a nice lake, have fished it a few times. Fair number of other boats out on all of those days, I guess it's a popular fishing lake given its proximity to TO. Caught some decent bass and pike as I recall, didn't know the lake at all so we just tried the usual good-looking spots. Mike

Awesome report, I love the long stories with pics of backwater and/or remote locations. Not as good as being there, but a pretty nice substitute! Mike

Coffee & granola bars first thing in the morning, sandwiches, chips, coke & water or gatorade for the full day. Why haven't I been bringing pepperettes on the boat??? Mike

jediangler, that's a clever setup! mike

Pike is okay, but sometimes I find it tastes, for lack of a better word, pike-y. Smaller ones from cold water taste the best. Mike

Can't go wrong with some crankbaits, like a couple of Husky jerks and x-raps (natural & bright). I mostly fish with crankbaits or spoons for pike. Spinnerbaits are great too if you have room, but they often get wrecked in a day of catching aggressive pike. (Some of my crankbaits are in pretty bad shape too!) Mike

Interesting article as well, I miss going to the Credit in the spring (since moving from TO). I'm also curious how the Atlantics are doing, does anybody have information? Mike

It's been a long time since I've read one of your fantastic reports, much appreciated... (and nice fish!) Mike

I can load the hifi version on my smartphone but jeez it's really slow. The lofi loads quick, haven't tried to login. Mike

Might not have to wait a week, I remember from an old thread here that the tribs vary in how long they take to clear after heavy rains. Some are blown for at least a week and others start to clear up after only a couple of days. Can try doing a search to see if you can find it, or go take a look yourself (the best option) if you have time... Mike

The new OFC slogan: Available everywhere, except maybe in the shower. Mike

Are you kidding, I was getting the start of winter blues. Diagnosis: fishing fever. Prescription: Getting out on some open water. Mike

A friendly suggestion for next time, instead of posting the location publicly, you could always invite people to PM you if they want the location to see the spawn. I've never seen the spawn myself and I'm curious (but not enough to travel). Mike