dave524

I vacuum package, helps to prefreeze indivually on a cookie sheet with wax paper and then when sealing freeze one layer thick so they thaw faster, seal in one portion packages.

I've got a ton of White Throated Sparrows just recently arrived at my feeder on fall migration, they are very similar to the Golden Crowned Sparrows which are a western species. Most are the tan striped variation this season or maybe just immatures. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-throated_Sparrow/id They have stopped here for a week of so everyone of the almost 30 years I've been here, got to be one of the signs of the spring and fall for me , also get a wave of White Crowned Sparrows just a little later.

Good shooting, that's a big yote, really long and lanky.

Be careful , you might have insurance issues if anything happened and it was not suitably certified. A fairly recent post seemed to indicate that this might be the case. Edit: the current TSC flyer that came a day or 2 ago had a couple of stoves that might meet your needs. http://os.pageflip3d.com/see/TSC/24240TSC9E?cpg=website edit: OOPs guess I should have read the whole thread , the TSC has already been mentioned, sorry.

Beauty , really like the big chrome HO's, way better fish than the old black chinny boots IMHO

Think salt is not as effective as an killer of organisms that start the mould fungus bacterial growth rot cycle. My theory is if the eggs are sterile as far as these organisms then spoilage will not start. I do remove all air or oxygen by vacuum packaging or placing in a sealer type jar and tossing in a lit match while applying the lid. Usually I can keep them 6 months with just refridgeration. Boric acid powder is easily available at drug store. here's the wiki on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid

With float gear you really need to define breaking the bank, could spend as little as $300 for a new outfit or quite a bit over a grand.

I do the same except I've found a quick rinse in a boracic acid solution before drying they keep a lot longer, even with just refridgeration not freezing. Boric or boracic acid is antiseptic, fungiciide , yeast killer that is used medicinally for everything from eye wash, yeast infections to a food preservative, not really a cure but kills anything that promotes spoilage before it starts.

Niagara River

there was a time when it was 150 hp. max for tournies, might be time to go back

The only ones I trust myslf with are puffballs, sliced and fried they are very good.

Very nice, think it was 82 that saw the first Chinook runs of any size in Lake Ontario, but there was Cohos for over ten years before that. To be honest, in the rivers I actually prefer fishing Cohos, they seem to get further upriver in better shape than Kings, more willing to hit especially the males and more acrobatic when hooked. Good shooting

I would assume if you bought a used rig with a lot of electronics, downriggers tackle etc. you should probably have this as a separate purchase as well

On the other hand if you've been catching chubs and you come to a hole that seems strangly devoid of the little buggers, usually means there's a big old brown taking up residence there

Judging by your avatar you could put them on a quick strike rig below a float

B4 line counters I just measured the amount of line released with one pass of the level wind across the front of the reel, counted the passes and did the math. Edit: if you are going to be casting with the same reel I'd still go this method for ocasional precision trolling, couldn't really see myself casting with a line counter.

Mine was blue a Number or Mark 4 I believe, your brown one ? was that one of the ones that had the reel seat stem that attached at the back of the body housing?

Very nice looking reel, I especially like the porting treatment. Yes, you have skill

or perhaps maybe an " Mooselook Wobbler " Great post , beauty specs

I'm getting up there too, my first spinner was an Airex " Spinster " made by the outfit that made the Lionell Model Trains, it was a pretty heavy clunky thing, that would have been late 50's, about 64 I was working on a farm during school and bought an J.W. Young " Ambidex ", got it cause everyone had Mitchell 300's and thought this was way cooler, used it a lot of years. Also mid sixties I got a Michell 308 and a top line Heddon ultralight rod, still use the 308 on small streams for resident trout. Next came a pair of Zebco Cardinals, a 3 and a 4, probably my favourites of all time. Unfortunately, lost the 4 on a vehicle breakin while off on a river with my centrepin rig and replaced it a Daiwa Whisker Tournament. The Daiwa is a great old school reel as well, good drag and casts a mile, excellent line capacity for its size as I am mainly a steelheader/salmon guy any more. Prefer to use my older stuff, not the gear junkie of my younger days, figure my gear says a little about who I am and where I've been over the years. Edit: missed one, there was a also a larger Ryobi spinner in there, wasn't really a fan although they were reputed to be a decent reel, used it with 12 lb line for heavier stuff .

Looks like a Delfin Alligator in the bottom right of the first pic Those things are legendary on spring spec lake trips, for me anyway. I could go spring spec fishing with those and EGB's and never want another spoon. Nice haul.

If you can find any of the original Delfin " Alligators " the true silver plated ones with the red stripe on one side, beg, borrow or even steal them, they are that good. This doesn't incude the knockoffs or other spoons manufactured under the same name.

how times have changed , thirty years ago the Moon River was very common in the top walleyes entered in the old Molson's Big Fish contest, fellow where I used to work won it once with a fish from there, a seventeen if I recall.

Extinct in Canada, endangered in the U.S.

I wasn't going to reply as my recollections are quite dated, circa 82-84 when a buddy was stationed at CFB Trenton and lived in Belleville. I'd fish musky opener weekend with him there and I would return the favour with salmon fishing later as he got hooked on them during a stint at CFB Comox, think it was. Our best action was near the channel were the Moira River exited the lake , hit a couple of teens on live suckers on a quick strike rig. Also in addition to fishing the lake we fished the Moira River between Stocco and Belleville, mixed bag there, I do remember getting a real good walleye about 7 and some nice largies and a smaller ski as well in the river. What I remember the best about Stocco, was the absolutely huge fish the my buddy had follow casting the previously mentioned weed bed off the island out from town, it followed and went under the boat to appear as a log on my side, probably the only time I had " buck fever shakes" while fishing. I truly believe it would have gone over forty. That same year, at least according to the then " Molson's Big Fish Contest " results, Stocco was the best lake in Ontario for big musky producing 7 of the top 15 or 20 fish, think they were all over 40. If I was looking for trophy class fish I would choose Stooco over any of the Kawarthas, seems there is something about the habitat or the genes. This time of year there is a massive rock that was referred to as the "Elephant's Back" basically mid lake, not sure if it actually broke the surface but was very visible as a huge smooth rounded hump just below the surface with deep water all around, buddy said it was a prime area for trolling later in the season but as we were there opener we focussed on shallower areas. The gar were mentioned, they were there by the hundreds, every time we high speed motored we would constantly see pods of 6 to 8 just lazily sunning themselves a few inches below the surface . Good luck, wish I was going, I wouldn't expect good numbers but the possibility of a truly great fish exists .