Big Cliff

I ran into a similar problem, when I first moved here about 6 years ago, I would often go out fishing anytime of the day that I got the chance and use tactics that I have been using for years. I could almost always put fish in the boat. It worked well enough but then I started trying to improve on what I had been using. Don't we always look for something better LOL. I tried several different tactics and baits with mixed results but most of all I slowly started to change my style of fishing. I got to the point where I would usually just fish in the evening because that was when I could get the most action in a short period of time. Soon I would only go out about 1/2 an hour before dusk because that is just about when the bite would come on. not only that, but in looking back, I started to concentrate on just using what worked best during that evening bite. This spring I got some help from two members of this board (ya, I know, I live here and they don't and they helped me!) Most of what they did was to open my eyes and get me to broaden my approach. I also started to fish some new areas instead of just my favorite spots. I am pleased to say that it has made a big improvement, I don't always put fish in the boat every trip but I am spending more time on the water again and I now keep about 6 rods rigged with severial varations so I can change up fast if one thing isn't producing. I guess my suggestion would be; be flexable, do your research, keep records so you can look back and see what worked when and under what conditions.

I know of no other boards where you will get the quantity and quality of help that you can get here, you just have to be polite! I am a little courious though; since you seem to be aware of several other boards, why did you ask on this one? OFC is a family, we all try to help each other, not just with fishing but if you follow the posts for a while you will soon learn that very few questions ever go unanswered. I hope you will stick around and become part of the family! Enjoy your trip to Sturgeon Lake.

You must have a death wish or something LOL. A kayak if you are experienced in white water would be OK going down but you are going to have to carry it back up.

Beautiful! Congrats! Good luck on your charter business. Just out of curosity, what are your rates for a day and when will you be ready to start booking trips for.

I don't target bass at all unless I am with someone that wants to fish for bass but my neighbour is an avid bass fisherman. I was talking to him last night and he was telling me the bass fishing in Sturgeon Lake is the worst he has seen it in 15 years! He hasn't been specifically fishing bass yet this year (season isn't open yet) but he usually gets quite a few when he is fishing walleye and this year even the walleye fishing is really slow. So I would guess Sturgeon Lake would be a good place to avoid for now.

There is a ton of stuff at the bottom o those rapids from guys saying "How Bad Can it be!"

Change your fuel filter and you will probably solve your problem.

Good on you! It's called paying it forward and I have found it the best investment you can make in life!

I never measured our speed, we just paddled along at a comfortable pace, I would guess it was something in about the 2-3 mph range.

Consider Lindsay and area covered, let us know if you hear anything.

Ohiofisherman has it right, fluoro leader would be my choice. One of the things that I found most effective for trolling behing a canoe for specs or rainbow trout was to put a silver Cleo or something similar on my line, (don't go too big) remove the trebble hook and put about 18" of leader (I use to use mono) with a single hook and a worm. I liked to use a bait hook but would break the barb off. We would consistantly out fish everyone else (mind you we didn't tell them what we were using LOL). The other thing that I really like is small rooster tail spinners, brown body brass blade was my goto especially for casting but it worked well trolled in shallow water too. Let us know how it goes and enjoy your trip!

It is an excellent thread: I agree, it is never right to put someone else in danger because of your actions but sometimes people put themselves in danger because of their actions! Do unto others.... is my motto.

We eat a lot of fish and I refuse to go out and buy it from a store when I can catch it and know how it has been treated. I am very selective though in what I keep for the table. If it is walleye, I am looking for fish in the 1.5 to 2.5 lb range, anything outside of that goes back unless it is hooked badly and would die anyway. I don't fish for muskie or bass and in the last six years I haven't kept any other than one muskie that had it's gills badly torn up and would have died and perhaps the odd bass if I was fishing with someone that wanted to keep one or two for the pan. Each to their own though as long as it is within the law!

Beautiful pictures, excellent post! Thanks for sharing!

Fish Tank; try turning your Caps Lock off. When you type a message all in Caps, it is like yelling. If you are new to boating, did you take a boaters course?

I hear ya BUT! Were you put in any danger or were you just ticked off because they bothered you? I live right near a reasonably busy chanel and you would be surprised how many fishing boats insist on fishing in the chanel or close to it. If other boaters slowed down every time they came near a fishing boat, they would never get up on plane. Often, slowing down and taking your boat off plane results in a bigger wake than staying on plane. That doesn't mean that commonsense shouldn't apply, a couple of kids in an canoe shouldn't be out in a busy chanel but they do it sometimes. Right or wrong, they don't deserve to get swamped. In fact, you could get charged! Perhaps slowing down and explaining to them that they aren't in a very safe place might be a good option. Safe or not though, they do have a right to be there and in most cases you are obliged to approach and pass them in a safe manner and give them the right of way. Now, some idiot buzzing around you at full speed when you are fishing or cutting closer to you than they need to...... well, that is called dangerous operation and if you can get their registration # and report it, they could get charged!

I know there will be a lot of you heading out this week, please be careful both on the road and on the water. Depending on what the surgeon has to say tomorrow I may be dropping by to spend some time with you on the weekend! I'm keeping my fingures crossed! Good fishing!

I fished and guided on the Lower French for many years, the fishing can be excellent but the rapids can be a real challange and very dangerous for someone that doesn't know where they are going. I would suggest that if you are going to fish the lower French, you either hire a guide for your first day or find someone that knows the area really well and will actually take you down and up the shoot for one or two trips. Once you start down there is no turning back and if you make a mistake, you can do a lot more than damage your boat. Solopaddler is right, the Delta has perhaps some of the best fishing I have seen anywhere and you can put walleye in the boat almost any time of the day. There are some really big fish hiding in the back eddies just waiting for a free meal to come drifting by. I don't know the Upper French very well at all, I have only fished it a couple of times but I have fished both up stream and down stream from Lacair with my son on a few occasions and we have always managed to put some nice fish in the boat, I guess I would suggest the Upper French more from a safety perspective for a first timer without a guide. As for the rattle snakes, well, as I said, lived there, worked in the bush, camped, fished, had one or two try to come at me but never got bitten. MNR will tell you they are not agressive; Bull turd, I have seen a few of them be quite agressive. Just keep your eyes open and be careful.

Boy, it is so hard to make a recomendation, there are just so many variables; type of fishing you are doing, water clarity your style of fishing....... I fish walleye most of the time and prefer drift fishing or casting to weed beds. Line type can make the difference between getting hits or not. For the type of fishing I do, the more invisable the line, the better. Now, if I was fishing pike or bass, it would be a very different story, a good quality braid is going to put more fish in the boat because it is less likely to break off especially if there is any cover around for those pike to head for. Up until this year I hadn't used leaders much so I rigged one of my rods with a braid and am going to try using a fluorocarbon leader on it. The strength and durability of a braid, the invisability of a fluorocarbon. I'll let you know how I do.

Hope I'm not too late! Have a wonderful and safe trip, looking forward to all those pictures when you return!

Guelph Lake has smoe nice crappies and perch in it too, I would be trying some very small spinners or some small jigs cast around cover.

Gives a whole new meaning to the term "fell off the back of a truck" LOL. I would put an add in the paper, you might get a really good deal on one that would match your set exactly!

Thanks GCD. The water clarity here is quite good most of the time, zebra mussels have really done a good job of that even in the past 5 years or so, I have noticed a change. Also, this year we haven't had much rain or strong winds to muck things up. So far I have only used the Fluoro on spinning equipment. I understand the importance of line when fishing clear water, when I lived in the French River, I would almost always outfish everyone in the boat even when using the same bait etc. Not because I was a better fisherman but because they would be fishing with 10 or 12 lb test mono and I would be using 4-6 lb test in the smallest diameter I could find. After all the reports, I am anxious to try this P-Line and I have one bait casting rod that I spooled with a braid last year, I like the line for strength and durability but have found that when the water is clear, I don't have as many hits on it, I am going to try using a fluoro leader on it and see if that helps.

Well, Dutch, first of all, take heart, you didn't get a house that would have been a money pit. Good thing you had a home inspection! Sue and I lost out on a few places when we were looking for a variety of reasons, in hindsight, I'm glad we did because this place turned out to be much better than any of the previous ones. As for realestate agents, they are no different than anyone else, there are good and bad. The best thing you can do is do your home work before selecting one. Was this one refered to you by someone you knew and trusted? Just like choosing a mechanic, lawyer, or any other professional to help you, you should know what you are getting, just because they passed the test doesn't mean they are any good. When we bought this place, our agent saved us thousands of dollars and took care many details for us. The agent we used to sell our other home in Milton also did a fantastic job by helping us determine a proper selling price, we ended up with two people bidding on our house and actually got more than what we expected and almost to the dollar of what she told us we would get. So, in my experience, choose well and you will do well! I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get your dream home but now you can take some time to look and make sure that the next time you do put in an offer you are getting exactly what you think you are getting. In the mean time, I'll bet that pool would make a good bass pond LOL!

Since I only use a 4-6 lb test line anyway I don't see much point in using a 6 lb leader. I think I will probably stick with the monos, I have had really good luck with them over the years. Misfish thanks for the very kind offer, I will get one spool of the P-Line to try and let you know what I think of it.