farsider

I know Lee Valley sells Brass screws and copper, silicon/bronze, and stainless steel nails. Lee Valley Cheers, Mark

Sounds like a Tern. Mark

Snag

Now I always use min. 80lb Fluoro Leader. I have had pike break 50lb braid like it was candy floss. And personally, I would not want to have a break-off and have a lure stuck in the Pike's mouth...possibly killing it. I know I am not the only one who has caught a fish with a lure or hook still stuck in its mouth. I think the whole "It'll rust out or work its way out" is something we tell ourselves to lessen our guilt. Pike are not leader shy. I always catch as many or more as those in the boat who don't use a leader. But don't think switching to Fluoro will stop follows. It just comes with esox fishing. Cheers, Mark

I have watched this a few times since you put it up and it always kills me when Jack is re-enacting the fishing along with you. "reel, reel, reel... Don't touch it!" Killer stuff man. Thanks for sharing Simon. Cheers, Mark

Longtime Gary Larson fan. Handle stuck around. Mark

First off I wanted to say a big thanks to all who helped me with ice condition and fishing reports leading up to our trips. It was incredibly beneficial. Also, to those who gave me tips and pointers on using my new X67, a big thanks! As you suggested, it is fairly straightforward but, your tips added to my confidence going out. So we made it out for our two trips onto Lake Joseph. I believe it was the beginning of March. After all the slush/snow had melted/thawed and then refrozen. Since we were walking out of Foot's Bay, it made travelling easy. We lucked out on the weather on both days as well. Sunny skies and burnt faces by the end of the day. I don't know how we managed before without the fishfinder. It makes a huge difference. Especially triggering active fish or just to confirm depth or the presence of baitfish. A big leap forward. My friend managed the first fish around noon on a jig and minnow setup. It was off of his set line in about 45' of water. His first Laker ever and a nice 2 1/2 pound eater. And first fish equals permission to finally dip into the brandy. Cheers! All of our action that day came between 11:30 and 3:00 and all of the bites came between 35' - 60' of water. We ended up going 2 for 6 but marked alot more fish on the finder. We just couldn't turn them from chasers to biters. Here is the fish I caught. About the same size as my buddies. Equally as tasty! We made it out again the following week. Conditions were the same as before. Sunburn? Check. It was a alot slower on this day. Maybe four bites total and even though we were moving around quite a bit, we just didn't mark as many active fish. Here is the only fish of the day. Smaller than those from the week before. Back in the drink it went. It was my first tube jig laker. I have no idea why I look so happy but, it is the only pic we took that day. We fished the same depth range but could not find the active fish. It is probably not the most productive waters we can fish but, we love the relative solitude that Joe provides. The two firsts of those trips made it extra memorable for us. An added plus this year was there were very few permanent hut setups. Joe, until next year. Cheers, Mark

Hey Mike, Those look great. Thanks for sharing. I add a small piece of chartreuse reflective foil tape to the gold JSM. I find it especially effective in tea-stained waters. Have you tried glow-in-the-dark grubs as a trailer? Some days that seems to make the difference for me. I really like the strong glow of the Phenixcanada.com brand. Also, regarding the Reapers, have you tried throwing it weightless on a plain straight-shank worm hook or a EWG. It drops incredibly slow...similar to a slug-o. Cheers, Mark

I would assume this is a result of OPG trying to mitigate the close to 63 million fish, fish eggs, and larvae that are killed annually just at Pickering. It is just like Molson or Labatts "contributing" to MADD or RIDE. Cheers, Mark

Just a heads up, I was at Fogh Marine the other day and they are blowing out their remaining stock of Trak Maps Chartbooks and maps for $10. I got a Trent Severn Canal (Chemong Lake to Trenton) Chartbook --- reg. price $130 They still had a good selection of Kawartha Lakes, Simcoe, Rice, Haliburton, etc. Maps and chartbooks. The flat maps and chartbooks are on the bottom shelf of the bookcase. The rolled maps are standing up in a box next to the gov't map station. They are located at 901 oxford St, in Toronto. You can see them from the QEW on the southside between Kipling and Islington. Fogh Marine Cheers, Mark

Just a heads up, Lebaron is having a 15% discount sale with membership card starting today till the 7th. Cheers, Mark

Great stuff Simon. You are an Avid angler. Incidentally, if you and your wife are looking to adopt...I clean litter boxes and fish for free room and board. Cheers, Mark

Not to worry, Zone 11 already has a 48"min and Zone 10 has the same exception with regards to the French River and downstream to the Delta, which the Pickerel flows into after David's Bay. So even if the Pickerel River was not zone 15 (which it is), the same size limit applies. Cheers, Mark

For drifter_16 I am having trouble inserting the YouTube window into the posts. (Now I know. Found it in the FAQ file) Some other good stuff: <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NBwC7Qzljso" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PKLIOFWf3aY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oL4fG3TIMdc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Cheers, Mark

Sweet! Nice haul. How were the conditions there Cheers, Mark

Thanks for the info guys. Sounds like wader time. Cheers, Mark

I like Angling Edge, minus the preachy stuff, Next Bite, FoF, Fishn' Canada Shows that are tiresome: Dimestore Fisherman - This guy excitedly talks too much. Why use one word when 30 is more? From the Wolf Blitzer school of Verbal Diarrhea. Big City Fishing - Jamies' fine, it is just the Girl who appears totally out of her element. I wonder if that is Executive Producer Henry Waszczuk's Hire. Getting schooled (J.P.'s) - The seemingly endless filler on this show("Lets check out Icast"...ten minutes later...Icast, "Lets take it to the water"...ten minutes later...actual fishing, repeat, repeat, repeat. Cheers, Mark

Planning on heading up sometime after opening. I was wondering if anyone had any info on the ice? (thickness, slush, snow on top, etc.) Thanks in advance, Mark I will post a report after going. Cheers.

Kudos to everyones hard work coming to fruition. Sadly the heavy lifting is always done by too few. Cheers, Mark

I stopped into Bronte Outdoors on the way back into town. They are moving next week to Mississauga. 2560 Shepard Ave. unit #1 - Dundas and Hurontario area, close to Aikman's Google Maps He is hoping to be open by March 1st. I wonder how this will affect the Derby and the store being so close to Lebaron? Cheers, Mark

This feels like someone is trying to get the first crack at April Fools. Mark

There goes Jos again...putting other retailers to shame. Cheers, Mark

Hey Frankie65, Johnston Plastics is nearby me. If you are interested, I can get an estimate for you. I am down in the Kitchener area almost every weekend so I could easily bring it along if you decide you wanted it. I have been planning on doing my sled as well so I might just get a sheet and rip it to the size that was needed. Cheers, Mark

Killer trip. Thanks for posting. I have always wanted to do the Nippising cabin thing. Cheers, Mark

I am not so sure about Muskies Canada. These look way too small for Musky and for most Pike as well. Cheers, Mark