ctranter

I try to look at my tackle box and apply the same indiscriminate values that I apply to my job as a teacher. Sometimes I randomly use lures that I have little confidence in to allow for the opportunity to be surprised. Don't get me wrong, I still use species-specific baits... but I feel that I too often force myself into the same typical model of thinking, that isn't always best. I usually bust out my consistent baits first, but if they fail I won't hesitate to try something new, or something unexpected. If we never experimented, we would never find new baits.

Those lips don't lie. The kiss is clearly mutual. My hats off to both organisms involves as they have clearly found true love

I was always the guy who said "you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get quality crankbaits".. then I broke and splurged on some lucky craft jointed 1.5' diving cranks and I've never looked back. To this date, I have caught more big smallies (including MY lake record) on these lures (American Shad to be specific) than any other single lure. I can't say enough good things about these cranks, as my lake is pretty shallow and these things rape. If I'm trolling cranks, I'm trolling Lucky Craft... When it gets colder, I swift to a shaky head/dropshot rig with a variety of soft plastics, but nothing beats the intensity that fish hit those cranks with... makes me miss every July after it's done

I had just started grade 9 and the 11th was only a few days into the new school year. My teacher had family in NYC and literally broke down in front of the entire class. It still amazes me how conspiracy theorists still argue that the US government caused the attacks. Some people have way too much time on their hands.

Hi thanks I know what was caught. In case you didn't know people debate over the proper term for walleye... my comment was in regards to that.

Taken from the wiki page about chain pickerel: "Pickerel is often a name given to walleye, although the true name belongs to the chain pickerel" debate over.

I fish the damn in Bobcaygeon very often. The hip song is always playing in my head; the town is enchanted. You can catch some great eyes off the damn in town. Unfortunately, fishing is always very slow when they close off the damn. Normally, they open it up and lots of water flows through, bringing in lots of fish. Lately, they have closed the damn, which has caused a huge drop in water level. The fishing has been very hit or miss, but in the fall, river fishing for walleye tends to spike as baitfish migrate into rivers. I'd recommend starting at Boycaygeon, but be prepared to spread out to other lakes/towns where water levels/fishing may be more at prime. I'd check out the dam at Buckhorn, as well as as far as Hastings, where I hear fishing has been good. Lindsay is worth checking out as well. check out the constellations in Bobcaygeon. Then again, it could just be the Willie Nelson. Cheers and good luck

I think I have a recipee for turtle soup kickin' around here somewhere

There are good deals to be had if you shop around. Sage has discontinued their VT2 and Z Axis blanks, which are both great and the lifetime warranty is still valid. You might be able to find these rods 40-50% off. IMO there are two companies you should check out for entry level fly set ups. The first is Amundson. They are a small BC-based company that makes great rods for a great price. I own a 8.5' 4 wt and a 7-8wt spey, both have a great feel and didn't break the bank. Also, their pro staffer for Ontario is a member of these forums so he might chime in on some deals. The other is TFO (temple forks outfitters), read a couple reviews and you will see that these rods have a ton of happy customers. They are pretty inexpensive and good quality. Most people complain that they don't come with rod tubes - to each their own, but check out the Lefty Kreh line. Whatever you decide on, cast it and go with the one that feels the best for you. Fly fishing is something that is highly subjective and everyone has their own opinions of what is best. You might want to look at Costco, in the past they have sold a Sage Flight combo that comes with rod, reel, backing, fly line and leaders. It's a good deal

Scugog is 20 minutes north of Oshawa. It holds a variety of different species. I hear people fish from the docks in Port Perry and near the boat launch. Good luck

Looks like you had a nice trip

I commuted to Buffalo once a week for Teachers College for 2 semesters and had really funny experiences with border guards. Going back in to Canada was always like this: "Are you bringing anything back with you?"....me: "Just knowledge and debt, officer"... they always laughed and waved me through. I've been told certain crossings are known for having idiotic guards, but I never had a bad experience crossing at Fort Erie...probably because I'm white and racial profiling is rampant at border crossings. It's an extremely stressful job and I feel bad for people that do it for their entire careers. Every job has bullies and border guards are no different. It's a shame that, sometimes, these guards offer visitors a bad first impression of the country and it's people.

I'm so glad that you decided to chime in with your expert opinion. Thanks! If I have a question about bolt cutters, I'll ask you. Learn something about fly fishing fresh fish first. Trust me. It helps you come across like you know what you are talking about. Otherwise, I'll start advising my friends to pick up a 6' bass rod and target some muskie. Have a good night

I fish dams at night. Bite usually starts at around midnights and last until 3-4 am. Last week (my fav dam) spat out 3 walleye over 20". Kwan, not sure if I've run into you yet but maybe I'll see ya out there.

Mike, you are a master of the slop. Clearly, you known how to drag in a bucket in any structure. Love the last pic, that is truly a profile shot Cheers!!

Some HOGS right there, thanks for the report Steve!!

Most of the salmon have already moved up. Wait for the next big rain the give it a day to clear. The ganny is always a clusterbang so I avoid it. If you have a soft heart for ethics in angling, stay clear of tribs until October. Only fresh fish hit baits, and then it is limited to specific fly patterns. Snagging becomes 90% of how people fish for Salmon, and it is disgusting. Sure wish Mitch would camp out there over a busy weekend and actually catch some illegals. Here's to wishful thinking?

As with many things related to fishing, everyone has their own opinions, and in most cases, everyone has positive experiences that support their opinions/techniques. The first cast I learned was a spinning side cast. It was all I knew for over a season, but I struggled through over-casting and tangles to last a few steelies. 3 years in and I can spinning side-cast across any river I fish. It's all about matching reel spin with distance, and it takes practice. No matter what people say, pulling line off the side of your reel causes line twist. Regardless if people have antidotes to this problem, the line is forces to physically twist off of the spool. I fished with a very experienced steelheader who exclusively used side casts, and after a full year of fishing together, I had fewer twists and line issues at the end of the year than he did. Why? Because I struggled through learning to cast a pin with a method that ensures longevity and peace of mine. Sure, people will say you should change your line frequently yadda yadda, but honestly I havent changed my 8 lb Gamma in 2 years and it is still perfect. If I need to cast 30+ feet, I use a side cast. But as long as I can spin my pin, I cast my line and stop the spool as the line hits the water. No twist. There is no single "best" way. All there exists are different strokes for different folks, but certain techniques are more practical for small, narrow southern Ontario tribs that others. I fish with a certified casting expert very often, and he is more than happy to demonstrate a variety of casting methods. PM me for details Ps: I'm sure this question was answered as it is super basic, but the reason to NOT use a swivel above the float is to reduce the amount of lost tackle as lines almost always break below the swivel. My float is always above my swivel, and I match the conditions of the river with my floats. Then again, I haven't bought a float in over a year as I find all of my floats in the river. Thanks folks!

My kind of report right here, nice fish!

I'm sure there are some big carp swimming around at the mouth of the credit

I agree, but it also depends on the species that we're talking about. Steelhead live roe vs artificial? Obviously there is a huge discrepancy based on the feeding habits of the fish we are discussing. I've never felt that live bait was necessary for Bass, Pike or Musky, but I DO consider live bait necessary for Trout, Walleye, and Ice fishing. When I started learning about hatch cycles and bait matching with flies, it became abundantly clear that the same could be done with flies for other foraging habits. Throughout my summer bass days, I fish water that have Crayfish, Sunfish, Perch, and small Bass as bait for bigger species, and I have flies that almost perfectly match each presentation. The real challenge is making artificials look real and this is where masterful fishing takes place.

Here are a few pics I took the day after: This car's rims melted down completely

I was one of those kids standing outside of the LCBO to raise money for my GTHL hockey team a few years back. I remember seeing how positive people were, often donating 2,3x what the candy was worth to support a good cause. I agree some teams take the unnecessary luxuries too far, but without generous people, athletics programs in Canada wouldn't be the same,

It's a small town of 300 people, but ask any of the thousands of people who proudly wear "Downtown Magnetawan" t-shirts and see just how many people love this town. My girlfriend and some friends ate lunch at the Inn and Restaurant the afternoon before it was torched to the ground. Here's an article: http://www.cottagecountrynow.ca/news/article/1050558--fire-destroys-magnetawan-inn I spoke to many people as they watched the fire department battle flames the day after, and I was shocked to hear the "word of mouth" explanation for the fire. Apparently, a guy was kicked out of the bar, which is located right across the street from the general store. As he left in a fit of rage he told the people at the bar, "I'm going to burn this whole town down"... obviously nobody took him seriously because shortly after a huge fire tore through the general store and restaurant, burning each to the ground. Many people have confirmed this story with me, and I know an arrest has been made, but obviously since nothing is offical we dont know for sure. I can't in my right mind fathom how terrible of a person you have to be to destroy such a sentimental and history piece of history. We can just all thank our religious idols that nobody was hurt or killed in the fire, but 3 families are now homeless and 30 people are without jobs in the busiest time of the year. I know people are often talking about Ahmic Lake and the Mag River, so I wouldn't be surprised if many of you know of these buildings. I took some pics of the aftermath the day after the fire and I will post them tomorrow.

Much of digital photography is perfected in post production. One of the main reasons that DSLR's have become an industry standard is because of their capacity to shoot RAW files (among many other reasons). This gives photographers ample opportunities to refine their images and get the perfect "look". As well, I really like the sepia tone and high contrast of the fly casting shot, but at full resolution I would be able to tell the difference between a PnS and DSLR image. Another reason I love my DSLR is for it's continual shooting option. During a fly cast, you can take 20 shots of your cast and simply choose the best one, rather than hoping for perfect timing (or 3 second burst) with a PnS. That being said, I fully agree that PnS's have the capability of producing great images, and serve most casual functions just as well if not better than DSLR's. I would love to grab a nice "everything proof" PnS for underwater shots, fishing and hiking just to ease my mind. I started with PnS, but once I began learning more about functions and features of DSLR's, it was an easy transition to make