Andy

I'm glad to hear that you had a great trip!

So how was your outing on Pigeon?

I spent the Labour Day long weekend on Pigeon Lake last year. I hadn't been to Pigeon Lake in about ten years. I have had some decent success with musky, bass and walleye in the past on Pigeon. I like fishing the north third of the lake. I had what I thought were a couple of "go to" walleye spots on shoals in the north end. The entire weekend was sunny and hot. Because of the beautiful weather, there was a ton of boat traffic of every type on the lake. I had never seen the lake so busy and so noisy. The fishing was very poor for me. I divided my time up between bass, musky and walleye. Over the entire weekend, my walleye spots only produced 1 small walleye. It was under 12" in length. I was using live bait on jigs or harnesses on bottom bouncers for walleye. I caught one big largemouth bass over some heavy weeds that spit the topwater lure by the boat. I had no musky action whether casting or trolling. I watched the other boats that were fishing and I never saw a net hit the water. There are still huge numbers of panfish like bluegills and pumpkin seeds in the lake. I talked to a couple other boats that were fishing and no one was doing well. I left thinking that the weather and boat traffic combined had spooked the fish and shut them down. I also wondered if Pigeon Lake has seen too much fishing pressure over the past ten years. I would like to know how you make out on your trip. The lake will definitely not be as busy when you make your trip. I wish that my report was more positive, but I'm just telling it like it was. At least the lake won't be as busy when you make your trip. Good luck!

I bought a used Suzuki DF6 at a decent price that I intend to use for trolling and as an emergency backup. I haven't used it much yet and it took me a while to get it running right. But it seems to purr like a kitten now, once I found a tiny speck of dirt in one of the jets that I located only after taking apart the carb a couple of times. I do agree that parts can be a little tough to source, as Suzuki dealers seem few and far between compared to some of the other brands. Even Amazon doesn't carry as many Suzuki compatible parts as other brands. As a result, if I were to buy new and the prices were similar, I would likely pick a different brand. Something with more dealers (especially locally) and more parts availability.

Musky Jerkbaits for sale. View Advert 3 - 9" weighted Wade's Wobblers, 1- Hell Hound, 1 - 9" weighted Sledge, 1 - Creek Chub crankbait. All in good condition, minimal to no hook rash. $50.00. Advertiser Andy Date 07/02/2019 Price 50.00 CAD Category Fishing Classifieds

Anyone interested in two 8' heavy action Shimano TDR trolling rods in excellent condition? I would like $50.00 for the pair. I live in Huron County but can deliver to Stratford or London area without issue. Andy

That's a good deal. Congrats. I'm sure that u will love it. Andy.

I had set aside a Pescador by phone, but when I got there it wasn't in stock. So Al at Sail in Cambridge upsold me to the Radar 115. It was quite a bit more than I had planned to spend, but they cut me a deal. Don't be afraid to ask for a break on price. No one wants to keep a kayak over the winter. The Radar was shorter but wider. It had the better seat, more like a lawn chair. I sat in the Pescador too, it was also comfortable. But I'm 55 yrs old now and I am really beginning to appreciate things like a good seat. The days of sitting in a canoe all day or sleeping on the ground are over. I really like the Wilderness products, I don't think you can go wrong with them. I bought one of those Scotty gear head adapters and a Scotty rod holder. It's gonna work great. Good luck.

I just bought a Wilderness Radar 115. More options than I now what to do with such available options such as pedal and electric motor. But I just want to paddle. I had it up to Georgian Bay last weekend and it was great on the water. A super comfortable seat. You are not gonna win any speed races, but it is very stable and it tracks pretty good. Nice and wide at 34.5 ". It weighs 82 lbs. 10'8" long. I have a Ram 1500 with crew cab, so short box. With the tailgate down it hangs over a foot or two so I just strap it down and put a small flag on it. I haven't fished with it, but so far I'm pleased with it. Andy

I have a two bank Minn Kota that I have mounted in a front compartment for my two Interstate trolling batteries.The batteries, boat and charger were bought new by the first owner in 2006 and I bought it second hand with the original batteries in it about 6 or 7 years ago. The batteries are still going strong, although one of the banks doesn't always switch to a charged state unless I unplug it and plug it in again. I'm not sure if it's the battery or the charger, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Minn Kota. I can run my trolling motor pretty good over a weekend and I think that I'm doing pretty good to get 10 yrs plus out of a set of trolling batteries. Andy

I have a 2012 Ram 1500, crew cab, hemi, SLT model. It has been an awesome truck. Great power when you need it, gets 28 mpg on long trips that mix town and country. Fuel economy really shines on the 401 where the RPMs seem to find their sweet spot. (And you're not spending too much time in the right lane.) The ride can't be beat. I was always a GMC guy. Now I would likely consider the Ford number 2. It has a flat floor and an amazing amount of room in the back of a crew cab.

Sorry, but I'm never down that way. Maybe Google the park?

Yes, I've had a few scary rides in as well when I swear a storm that I thought had missed me curls around. Ya feel pretty lonely out there when the clouds get dark and the wind really starts to blow.

There are musky in South Bay. But they elude me almost all the time. I stay at Nipissing Lodge. A great place to stay. I have a 16.5 foot StarCraft with a 90 hp Optimax. I fish the Gull Rock shoals for pickerel most of the time. I just came back from a weekend there and marked, and caught, lots of fish on the endless shoals. Two keepers. But there are days when the wind keeps you off the open water. That's when you fish amongst the islands.I spent a couple of hours on a large, beautiful weed bed in South Bay and saw a big fish surface four times around the edge of the weed bed. It was huge, definitely not a bass or anything like that. It was just tormenting me. I have seen Musky Hunter and Fish Finder episodes where they troll the shoals in open water for musky. Years ago I had a huge fish on trolling the Gull Rocks, but I messed up. The fish straightened out a hook and that was all she wrote. You really need two guys on the boat when trolling those shoals. One guy to manage the rod, the other guy should have his eyes glued to his electronics as there are some nasty rocks just under the surface in that area. I have actually only landed a few smaller musky there myself. But I have seen fish over 40 inches landed by a fellow from the US who used to fish the islands in South Bay every fall. He would show up every September on the week of a full moon, head out with a bag lunch at 6:30 am and you wouldn't see him at camp again until dark. There were trips he didn't land a fish. But other trips he would land four or five big fish. Not being as dedicated, I usually give up after half a day and cast for bass or look for pickerel again. It's a beautiful area and I love going there. If you have never been, I would highly recommend that you go and have a look for yourself. As I mentioned, I stay at Nipissing Lodge. Good facilities including good docks, which is so important to guys with boats. Andy

I noticed last night that the Canadian Cabelas site has a backpack tackle bag on sale. That may suit your needs. Andy