River Rat

Clofchik, you're not an angler. It's simple. You may fish from time to time but you are no angler. RR

GBW, after reading this post it sounds like you and your partner have some secrets too. LOL RR

I'm by there on the way home most nights...live in Oshawa but work anywhere in Ontario. call me 647-822-3180 Darren

go see Steve at Fishing DEpot....he had to close yesterday for a medical emergency.....shoved a musky hook almost an inch into his finger. Plastic surgeon required....but he's OK. RR

There are tons of muskies in there. Just don't need the 200 people who "read" this post knowing where, when and what to throw. I can't imagine the amount of time and money that I have spent on that lake figuring stuff out (in the rain) but it's a lot. If you are willing to go through a few dozen more days like the one you just had, you will figure them out too.....then you can tell thousands of strangers exactly what you learned during the hundreds of hours you spent on the water. Getting upset because people don't just give you water, because you went fishing once and didn't hook up, is simply ridiculas IMO. RR

well if anybody if fishing out of Port Colburn and snags a brand new stratic 3000 with 30lb powerpro green, 10ft 8lb flour lead with a 1/2 oz blackish tube on a 7ft MH Bass Pro (older green style) XPS series spinning rod......please bring her home to daddy! Lost her in November and although she was the oldest rod I own, she was a keeper....the reel was new last year too! P.S. 17ft boats have no place in like 100 ft waves or what ever it was that hit us out there!!!!!

For weedy and heavy cover lakes I run 30lb for most of my gear, 50lb for flippin and toads. For open water, clear shoals etc I run 20 with flouro leads to get longer casts. I don't see anyreason to go lighter. RR

targeting OOS fish is wrong but.............. it happens all the time. I'm sure it does damage to the fishery but most fish are released as the fines are high. The worst influence I have seen on the fishery in the last ten years (other than invasive species) is the internet. Poachers are one thing but when a guy posts tons of pictures showing backgrounds (of rivers specificaly) saying "double digit drop backs right here on thursday" ...and the post comes on Friday, you should see the number of fish that are taken out legally that weekend.....2000 to 4000 hits a day people! I've seen it 100 times on rivers, on ice and even open water lakes. Cell phones, navionics chips and the internet are the real threat.....poachers have become a secondary problem IMO. RR

I run two Optima DM31's for the troller with a thee bank (5amp per bank) MinnKota AC charger and a two bank (10amp per bank) MK DC charger for charging on the fly. I never run my batteries dead. Not sure if the AGM optima's are effected by this but lead acid batteries don't like to be killed so I try not to do it ever. I haven't noticed a his but I can tell you, there is no maintanence required....just use em. 5amp is good for overnight charging when I plug in. I plug in every time I take it out. Each bank shuts off when fully charged. The DC charger packs power in twice as fast for for topping up on the fly. On a 4 day weekend camping. I still have tons of juice at the end and I fish hard, all day. Gas is my only limiting factor on the long weekends so I carry two 20gal gerry cans and leave em in the truck just in case. RR

If you are getting into flipping and pitching, chances are you are getting into bass fishing for real. Once you figure it out and and start pounding dukers out of cover and docks, you will be transformed! IMO, you should do yourself a favor and spend the extra cash now on a decent flipping combo.....you will upgrade eventually to a burner bait caster (6.2 or 7.1:1 gearing) and a heavy stick, so you may as well spend the extra $$ now.....do yourself another favor and get yourself some cheep mono, 12-17lb and practice flipping in your yard. My neighbors used to think I was a nut job but now on a nice night we will all sit out front having drinks and the flipping stick becomes the main entertainment.......they set up beer cans and cups to see if I can put the jig in the cup, or hit the can ect. It's fun and will help you build confidence to fish the jig.....it's all about confidence and sticking with it. RR

PIMP MY BOAT !! cool...I have "customization envy"....I rigged up a 12 tinny for back woods bassin (bow mount, electronics, GPS) but that is the most thought out converstion I have ever seen! RR

It's worth a check on the VIN but the price seems right in line to me,,,,perhaps even a little high for todays market. There are ALOT of people in Bowmanville, St. Catherines and all over that are out of work these days and there are great deals to be had on non-essential items like boats, cars, campers, atv's etc......if you have cash, you can get some great buys right now. It's an unfortunate reallity of the economic downturn. RR

8am to 6pm...rippin weeds for 6 eyes. Two were working on 4lbs....very good fish for the area in my experience. There are no pike in Scugog that I know of, but lots of Muskie. RR

I do a camping trip to a new lake every year. When you decide on an area, start researching lakes. Local club sites, google will give info on species etc....then get on Google earth to find an area of the lake you would like to fish. Then get on the real estate sites and type in the lake.....they always boast "prime lot, surrounded by crown land".....check the map to the "prime lot" and go set up camp on the crown land. In a canoe it's easy....just park and walk. If you are launching, further research will fisnf you a boat launch and GPS will take you right to your location as google earth will provide lat and long. RR

If you checked the pee hole, and the hose that leads to it all the way down....I'd say it more than just the impeller if it worked OK last year. The water box that houses the impeller could be cracked so the impeller can't build up the presure it needs to push water......I'd take the lower off and have a look RR

hey D, good catch....yes, do not wire your junk to anything! RR

Optimas are AGM plus spiral cell technology. No water (maintenance), no leak, you can mount on side or even upside down. will not dislodge plates no matter how hard the pounding you put them through...(WAVE SMASHING) Oh ya, each bank is separated to one battery. Wire each battery seaparatly to each bank on the charger. If you are running parellel, you have a 12 volt motor so your two trolling batteries will have a jumper wire junk to junk and neg to neg, the trolling motor can be hooked up to either battery like normal. The third charging bank leads extend down to your cranking battery. RR

I have owned 4 pairs of Maui Jim polorized and they are great....titamium too light for the boat and the plastic sports were OK but funny shape for me and glare got up underneath on the boat. I switched to Oakly Flack Jakets and now I own two pairs and 4 sets of lenses for different water and sun conditions....changable lenses are the way o go for sure. RR

I normally fish up around Haliburton this weekend every year for ice out lakers...this year I'll wait a week. I hate trolling just cause it's boring and you can get them easy casting and jigging. I'll troll to find them and them jig and cast them. Hair jigs and tubes on sand bars 8 to 12 feet of water if you are ahead of the aglea bloom and you can see them crush it and miss it. Work it slow at first, if they come in for a look a leave, get it moving or pick up a crank bait. I like basic colors, silver and gold for body baits and black, yellow, white for jigs and tubes. I will troll over 15-40 feet of water too but for the most part, this time of year you can get them real shallow and it's fun watching them zoom across the sand bar and smack it... PLEASE......watch out for those huge pre spawn smallies if you are running live bait. They are PIGS this time of year....that is the main reason I don't run ANY live bait in the lakes right now. You can't avoid hitting smallies this time of year so if you MUST run live bait for walleyes and pike etc, please fish it with a small circle type hook that is easy to remove, and doesn't do much damage if swallowed. I hate to see a 6lb smallie gut hooked on a minnow anytime but especially when she was so close to restocking our lakes with her big PIG genes! RR

I can clearly see a 16th oz jig in 100ft of water ice fishing simcoe with mine.....somethings wrong for sure. RR

I've always towed in OD, never a problem in 10 years....toyota 4 runners and latest grand cherokee 4.7 HO RR

I assumed you were hitting the rehab for steroids!!! Ok, don't rage on me now...jus kidding.....and thanks for the "rub in" text on the way back from the river. I had to avoid sharp objects for a while till I got over missing the hit. P.S. got out Monday night and hit the water at 6:30......I haven't seen smallies like that anywhere but Simcoe, some real pigs. OOS of course so no pics, released boatside in water........as the sun set I found those late hitting eyes I was telling you about, stayed out till 11pm and whacked em good! Had 4 or 5 litterally smack my crank as it hit the water....weird feeling for them in the dark. RR

nice pics, again.......still looking good!.....you must have found work too. good luck in the tourny's bro. RR

I wouldn't run wires off the existing system......I'm no expert but I think you could overload it and and blow it. DC chargers are cheep enough and take the power from you existing system and amp it up for dispersion to as many batteries as you want. I run a two bank (10amp per bank) DC sharger in my boat.......1hr of run time will completely charge my two DM31's from dead. I never lose power on 4 day weekend camping trips and I'm on that thing sun up to sun down..... PM me for a price, I can get you a Minn Kota AC and /or DC charger for a good price. RR

slot is 4 fish max, all for under 18 inches or 3 under and one over....that one was over 18 but OK to keep as long as there are no other over 18inches in his possesion. I assume that smallie was caught of the dock and you dipped in for a quick pic ? Just keep in mind, even if you put it in your live well to take it to shore for a pic, the MNR guys would eat you for lunch if the caught you....be careful! I went to Rice Sunday and looked for my weedline that I slam fish on normally....the wall wasn't well defined yet so I ripped jigs for a bit and decided to move to a weed flat in 8 to 11ft of water....threw a huge swimbait and crwled it along the top of the weed to the ege and whack.....good 4-5lb eye had the thing in his throat on the first cast......I figured I was on to something but that was the only eye I caught. RR