yakpiker

Holding a cheque issued by an insurance company for 6 days is excessive, unless there were other factors (eg. a countersigned cheque). Phone your home branch on Monday and ask to speak to the manager, or ass't manager at the very least, to get the hold removed or reduced.

Being a Habs fan has been difficult enough since '93, I can't imagine how Leafs fans get through the hockey season. As a Cowboys fan who has suffered a great deal since that same year, I've taken a new approach to following and watching my teams. Instead of focusing on the outcome, a win or a loss, I just look at each game as entertainment...something to enjoy for a short period of time each week that lets me escape from the real world.

I fished an Orillia-area lake with a couple of buddies for several hours on Saturday. We landed one small pike and this smallmouth bass which put on quite the top-water swimming display. Caught it on a pumpkin senko rigged wacky style in 6 feet of water off the tip of an island. It was a great day to be on the water with lots of colourful scenery and mostly sunny skies.

Truly an epic report! You caught more big pike in one week than I've caught in a lifetime. I would have enjoyed the report even more if the fish had been handled differently. Catch and release is a good thing, but those big pike just don't look right being held vertically.

I've been caught in a couple of major storms while on the water this year...both times in my kayak. The first time, I took cover under a bridge on the Toronto islands for about 15 minutes until it seemed to let up. As I made my way back to Harbourfront, another cell flared up and I got pelted with rain and hail. I took shelter in a small bay on the islands which protected me from the wind. Didn't see any lightning, but heard it in the distance. The second time I was on Restoule Lake in central Ontario. I saw the storm coming down the lake and didn't have time to make it back to the cottage. As it approached me, I beached my kayak and pulled it out of the water. I then took shelter between between some large boulders and counted to myself as the wall of rain moved in. Lots of lightning and thunder that time, some of it very close. After these experiences, I've learned to recognize the warning signs of major storms...the black fingers of hell reaching down from the clouds, a tower of puffy clouds that builds high into the sky, and finally the absolute calm before the storm.

Came across this while checking out the boat crash site...apologies if this has already been posted, but it just seems crazy! http://www.break.com/index/surfing-with-a-...hite-shark.html

The terminal at the foot of Bathurst and Lakeshore is for the island airport ferry. It is operated by Porter. During business hours, the ferry goes back and forth across the channell and creates a huge backflow. I believe that there is also a high seawall along that section which would make landing anything you caught difficult. If you decide to give it a try, I would be interested in reading about your results. Another option to consider for shore fishing is at Spadina and Queens Quay where there are also pike.

I saw one of these flying death carpets in action...a couple of years ago, likely before the ban. It was surprising to see how fast the boat was travelling and how high the inflatable rose...and then shocking to see how hard they hit the water. No sirens followed so they must have been ok...very fortunate outcome...could have been B A D.

Truly a monster...congrats and thanks for sharing!

Fished Dalrymple near Orillia from morning to dinner with RobbieB and it was slow. We caught 2 bass and 1 pike during the day. Another boat with us did better, landing about 10 fish, bass and pike combined. Spinners seemed to get most of the fish with soft plastics also scoring a few. It was sunny and warm for most of the day and the wind kicked up in the afternoon. There were dozens of boats on this relatively small lake with most fishing the shallow areas and shorelines.

Thought I would check in before crashing for the bass opener tomorrow. Disappointed to see another inappropriate thread. Good luck to all who are fishing on the weekend.

I don't think that an internet fishing community is the right place for people to share offensive and non-fishing related views and opinions. Doing so reflects on the individuals and sadly, it reflects on this community as a whole. I'm voting to see this thread closed and encourage others to stop adding negative comments to it.

I guess that if you fish enough years, sooner or later, the fishing demons will find you and stick a hook in you somewhere...maybe it's payback on behalf of the fish. I got hooked in the back of the wrist with a jointed XRAP while fishing the French River a few years ago. It missed the veins and the nerves, but was in deep. Funny how guys were lining up for a chance to tear it out. In the interest of typing again, I decided that a boat ride and car trip to the Sudbury hospital was the best option. They must get a few hooked fishermen up there because the lack of concern was very evident. After a long wait, they froze me and cut it out and stitched me up. I remember asking the doctor if it was too soon to joke about saving the lure. Two hours later after a couple of Tylenol I was ready to get back at it. Since then, I've replaced many treble hooks on my lures with singles and even removed front hooks to protect both me and the fish. I find that most fish hit the back hook and that it hasn't resulted in too many misses.

That looks like the Palace Place condo at the mouth of the Humber River. I think the only source of the outflow could be from the condo building...there's nothing else at the end of that road on the west side of the river. Wonder what the heck they are spilling into the lake? Sure looks unnatural.

Pike were being caught in May on Raps, spinners and spoons. I haven't seen too many of them in June. There are lots of big carp and suckers in warmer water areas within the islands...don't have any suggestions for what to use to catch them. Bass opens next weekend and weedless jigs, plastics and spinners will be my main choices. There is a place within the islands that rents row boats and sells bait. I've heard there are lots of panfish around that area too. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Yakpiker

Nice looking kayaks, Capt Hooked. I think kayak fishing will continue to grow here in Ontario. I agree with your comments that you will get wet. I started my 2009 season on March 17 fishing around the Toronto Islands for pike. The key is to have insulated and waterproof clothing, no dependents and listed beneficiaries! Seriously though, I'm looking forward to the start of bass season when I can fish during the mornings and evenings and splash around and swim during the hot mid-day sun.

Hi timmeh, I saw your questions about kayak fishing and thought that I could help a little. I bought a new Hobie Mirage Revolution fishing kayak last November and I've enjoyed several outings with it. To me, fishing from a kayak has more in common with fishing from shore than it does with fishing from a boat. Everything you do from loading to roof-topping to launching to getting around takes a little more time and effort. But there is also a lot of freedom and satisfaction that comes from a kayak. I'll save the "it's good for the environment" stuff, but it is cheap to run (mine runs on bagels), it's quiet, it can go in all water, it's exercise, and it's FUN. Since I live at Harbourfront in Toronto, I needed a bigger and sturdier kayak for open water. If you're going to fish smaller streams and rivers then a basic kayak should be fine. Here are my answers to your questions: You will be able to purchase a new kayak for less than $1000 and a used one for less than $500. I've found that fishing from a kayak is much easier than fishing from a canoe in terms of stability on the water. It's also much easier for one person to handle a kayak than a canoe, especially on windy days. I don't know of any dealers in the K-W area, but if you get up north than Swift kayak and canoe dealers are a great place to check out...see their website. The longer the kayak the more stable it is. Having a rudder makes it easier to steer. I went with a pedal-drive Hobie kayak because it allows me to cast and troll without having to paddle. Sit on top kayaks are easier to use than enclosed kayaks with skirts because you don't have to worry (as much) about tipping or being able to escape from an overturned kayak. Hope these answers help. Feel free to PM me directly if you wish to chat further. Yakpiker Be sure to try out a couple of kayaks before purchasing to make sure it is what you want and need.

All it took was a little bit of encouragement and shaming from OFC members to get me to dump my remaining Gulp Alive Minnows and juice into a used peanut butter container that I had washed out. It was a joy to throw out the old bucket and stinky bags that it was wrapped in. The new container seems to be air tight and leak proof. Thanks all!

Hey Randy, Neat video of that moose...sure glad it was in a good mood. So I was up your way earlier this week. Fished in and around Cache Bay again for a couple of days with only one pike to show for it. The water temperature was much higher than 2 weeks earlier having gone from the high 50's to the low 70's according to my fish finder. Also saw about a million decaying minnow remains in the water. I'm not sure how close you are to the area or if you've fished it during the past week, but I sure would be interested in your views if the pike have moved out to deeper and cooler water or if the bite was just off. yakpiker

I've been carrying around this leaky tub of Gulp Alive Minnows for about a year now. I bought it as a replacement for real minnows when they weren't available or affordable. Although it's been convenient not having to stop for fresh bait each trip and the Gulp Alive Minnows are reusable, I will not purchase any more until they fix the container problem. Everything that I use for fishing stinks of this stuff...my car, my kayak, my clothes and my tackle. Oh yea, I caught far more fish on the drier Gulp soft baits that come in packages.

I use wire leaders when fishing for pike and haven't lost a fish or a lure from a break off in a long time. I will use a fluorocarbon leader in stained water when fishing for walleye if there are pike in the area. I'm sure it cuts down on the action a bit. I was fishing with a buddy on Edgar Lake near Kesagami last year and he had a pike bite through an 80 pound fluorocarbon leader in a split-second right next to the boat...all I heard was the splash and a loud ting. My buddy saw the fish and still feels the pain when reminded of it. Based on that, I will always use wire when fishing big pike waters.

I fished Pine Lake which is just down Fraserburg Road from Leech Lake so there might be similarities. Only caught panfish and bass...lots of little ones and one biggie. Had the most luck tossing small Rap's and spinners in shallow water, especially around rocky and weedy shorelines. There are a couple of deep spots in the lake (over 100 feet), but I didn't see anyone fishing them...heard rumours of lakers. It's a beautiful area!

I own three Quantum spinning reels that I've bought at different times. Each one has been less effective than the last. I won't buy another Quantum.

Randy is right...we were in Cache Bay...and thanks for supporting my version of the events...fishermen are so skeptical! hee hee JohnnyB...white was the killer colour on Saturday with silver blades in the sunshine and with a west wind. On Sunday it was darker and the wind was from the north so we kept changing colours until figuring out that black with silver blades was working best. Dara, I was kidding about posting your daughter's photo...don't think she would be too impressed.

Sure Dara...we'll need to see pics from your daughter's graduation too! LOL All pike were released and they weren't big enough to warrant photos.