capt_hooked

Pick up winter blow down.. tree branches and leaves.. Cut down problem.. dead trees.. Paint and repair boats.. Hook up plumbing .. and repair busted pipes.. Repair and refloat docks... Clean cottages .. top to bottom... repairs to roofs.. and decks... etc. check propane lines and clean all propane appliances.. Help out with walleye stocking efforts.. Attend meetings with the MNR... Check all boat motors... and do needed repairs.. Completely pull main restaurant kitchen apart and clean.. Answer phone and book reservations.. More painting.. Repair floors in three cottages.. Find more leaks in water system... to fix... Send water sample into government lab for testing... Check gasoline system... and order fuel.. Set up minnow tank.. and order bait.. Paint fish house.. Check out lawn mowers... Order supplies for confectionary... Order food supplies.. for meals.. Hire new staff... Kiss returning staff... Test out wireless system to cottages.. Answer the phone again..! Order new mattresses... Order new bedding.. Many trips to dump... Order new fridges.. to replace.. bad.. Paint ceiling where dampness has destroyed paint... Find new problems with roofing.. do repairs.. Replace hydro pole... Jack up one cottage.. Replace dock boards... Fix boat ramp.. Grade driveways.. Put boats in water... Put motors on boats.. test drive.. Opening weekend.. Friday afternoon.... Put a smile on me face....

Hi Rodcaster... Good to hear.. thanks for the report..! Re: pressure cracks.... I surveyed a large lake one time... taking ice thickness every 50 feet for lines up to 4 miles in length. We had one big pressure crack running through the entire grid. Overall the ice was consistently near 4 feet thick, but within a few feet of the pressure crack the thickness increased to near 6 feet either side of the crack, even though there often was open water inside the crack itself up to 2 feet across. Also the lake bottom was pancake flat... only varying by a few inches over several miles.. However directly under the pressure crack there was a near 3' ridge on the lake bottom at about 20 feet of depth. I found that pretty interesting...

Nipissing sure looks cold... in that photo...! -20 here overnight..

One of my heros...! His autobiography is a great read.. For all of you who fish Georgian Bay.. here's one:

geeezz.. don't screw with his sister...!!!

It still does work... great..! Gentlemen: We, the undersigned hereby petition your honorable body and the Honorable Governor of the State of Wisconsin, to hereby issue an order to prohibit Frank Suick of the city of Antigo, County of Langlade, State of Wisconsin from fishing or taking of fish in Pelican Lake, located in Oneida County, until such time whereby other fisherman are able to catch fish out of the above mentioned lake. We hereby do this in the interest of Muskies at large."

Bass fishing on NIpissing opens the 4th Saturday in June. Just so you know... The West Arm and West Bay are very sheltered, so big water conditons (as in the main lake), are not a problem. Rich... you're doing a great job! but I really need to talk to you sometime about fall musky...

skidoo is a generic term used my us old-timers... show some respect...!

do they test the fish? some of those muskies I've seen lately look like they are on steroids...?

Feel better? We have most trouble FedEx, then UPS... (they both sub out) Absolutely no trouble with Purolator... his name is Bill. and Bill knows everybody on his route by first name...!

back in the old days... the "sled" was the thing we pulled behind the skidoo....

Don't ever get them stuck...!!!!!

Ha.... I still use these same lures... No joke...!!!

NP = means No Pruning...!

Bring back the holsters and the cowboy hats...!!!!!

I shake my head.... 65% of Americans are white.. Over 98% of NRA members are white... Really, how is this not black and and white issue? If the Republicans, who are strongly pro military must then attack the goverment who then must attack the heavitly armed white popuation armed with military rifles? Then, is not the U.S. Military fighting its own wonderful and fully armed Republican citiizens?... And then, would not large numbers of the military have to defect to save its own ass? Meanwhile.. large numbers of deer are all standing on the sidelines... laughing their heads off..... !!!

Good post Rob....

You betcha Spiel... open and ready to rock and roll...!

Thanks Randy....!

Captain’s Rant: Nipissing Opening Date - May Long Weekend O.K. I have been after the MNR, out of the North Bay Office to help with these changes for near 20 years now…. No help from the MNR and no help from any of the other fishing lodge operators on this lake… The last bit is probably most disappointing…! The issue is simple: Open the May Long Weekend fishing season on the Friday instead on the Saturday. Many of my guests wait all year long for just one special weekend of spring fishing … and 1 whole day of the 3 day weekend is robbed from them. No one is allowed any angling of any kind on Lake Nipissing prior to Saturday morning of the May Long Weekend: You cannot fish for any species, whether it is pike, walleye, perch, rock bass , white bass or even catfish – Friday is closed to ALL angling! The MNR is worried about an early opening (1 day) affecting the spawn. Ha! The spawn is determined by water temperature, not a calendar date. All other fishing lodge operators I have asked to suppose me on this issue… shake their heads as they do not know why I am trying to change the season by one day.. They most common response is.. “well, my guests all come up to drink crazy on Friday and really don’t give a damn if the fishing is open or not..” That is a bad answer: I for one, am interested in running a “fishing lodge” and not a booze tank…! But no-one in close to 20 years has stood up to support me on this idea… And you cannot blame the Ministry for not changing the regs if the fishing lodges are not behind it… Sheesh…..! I just got off the phone with a very disappointed party of 10 guys… whom I had to tell they could not fish on Friday…! Not good for business. But please don’t shoot the messenger…! J

I am tending to think that maybe Twocoda here is one of the better educated on this subject and I'm not sure that I trust Harper as far as I could throw him???? I have NO idea what the new legislation means.. and suspect that probably applies for many us? "Keep it complicated enough and run it through!"

Ha...! good post kickingfrog...! We actually have many satified customers who have no problems catching nice size walleyes every year (their most common complaint is too many slot size (40-60 cm fish). For walleyes, instead of the tradional minnows / then nightcrawlers off points, I started using double twisters tails, years ago, drifting the cabbage. Then last couple years back to the points using tube baits... all with good success. It's good to mix things up..! We actually have many satified customers who have no problems catching nice numbers of walleyes each year. Their biggest complaint is too many slot size fish. Other customers catch good numbers of small-mouth and large-mouth bass, pike and good size muskies (average musky is often near 45 inches). I have been more concern about the northern pike popluation over walleys the last few years... but walleyes get all the attention Give me two walleyes and a couple or just one 20" northern for a shore lunch and I will have some great eating and probably more than I can eat!

The protest on Hwy.17, between Sturgeon Falls and North Bay, was very polite and they only hell up my ambulance until the driver flashed his lights and siren. Here is an interesting review by Adrienne Arsenault of CBC: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ynaC8f5ues Manitoubass2, RRFN (Emo, Ontario, near the U.S. border) this looks like a nice civilized and warm part of the country. Although I have never been there I suspect it would be a great place to visit. But I am curious if you have ever visited Attawapiskat? Attatwpiskat is cold, very cold in the winter. But I would recommend visiting it in July, after the snow melts and uncovers the real mess. My experience, living and working with native people, in far northern communities, for many years has been very rewarding. However I have found Natives to be no more environmentally conscious than the average Canadian and (in local areas) perhaps less so? The great illusion that our Native people are proud keepers of the land and wildlife .. is often only that. When all is said and done, I have found us/we to be very much the same, no better and no worse. So lets try and work together to solve our problems. Thisi is a great country.

I have seen a good number of timber wolves over the years while working in the bush... Normally they shy away and are not a problem. I followed one big guy on cross-country skies one day for over 3 kms... He led me to his den area .. This wolf tracked absoulutely compass straight for all those kilometres.... He home was in a low area with many willows. The daylight was fading fast when I decided it was best time to leave the area.. I am sure he was eyeing me from somewhere close by. Another time I heard some howling in he middle of the day.. close up behind my tent. I ran up into the bush to try and catch a site of the wolves and came across 2 very young timber-wolf pups, all baby fur.. in a clearing.. Only about 20 feet away, with tongues out, waging their tails and wanting to play with me.. But mommy wolfe was close by just out of sight in the heavy brush, breaking dry branches with her feet to let me know she was there.. her way of telling me to get outta there... If wolves get used to coming around for garbage and get used to being close to humans then you best kept your distance. A young man from Ottawa was killed by wolfs a few years back while working on an air-borne geophysics survey at Points North in northern Saskatchewan. He went out by himself to photograph the wolves at the local garbage pit .. got way too up close and personal with them. Like any wild animal .. wolves should always be respected. I love wolfes and hate to hear talk about culling them for no good reason.