Weeds

Rap-la. Makes you sound lazy and indifferent.

My annoyance should be directed at the Federal Government instead perhaps. Of course I cared about the regulations in 2005 and 2006, so much so that I took them with me on a typical fishing outing. ...That's why they wear out. Had I known they would have to last me perhaps I would have taken better care of them. There's also lots of new anglers who wouldn't have copies of the regulations as they weren't fishing back then. Also, not everyone has easy access to the internet to view the regs; especially while on the road.

It's pretty pathetic that the regs are not out yet. You can see the 2005/2006 regs online, sure, but fat lot of good that does you if you happen to be driving from one lake to another and want to know if you happen to be in a sanctuary or other exception to the rules zone. Lots of places no longer have the old regs around anymore so anglers have to commit to memory which species are in season, in what numbers they can be harvested and for rookies what they even look like. If the ministry wants people to take conservation seriously then they have to get off their collective ass. It's rediculous.

Definately gonna need a little Pepto-Bismol.

Great report for sure. Thanks!

That link is for the "Cabin Fever" sale; ending march 4th. The Spring sale Bucktail is talking about must be for something different about to start. Funny, was just at Bass Pro today and bought my Abu C3, didn't realize other deals were about to start.

All I can say is he better eat it!

Seen the first pic plenty before but that second pic is pretty wild. Hard to get any kind of sense of scale though.......

Not the answer for everyone I know but I've been buying toolboxes at Canadian Tire and using them as tackleboxes myself. A small plastic one around 12-14 inches long with 2 trays trays and see thru flip up lid is cheap, light, seemingly durable and when you fill it up you just buy another. If I remember correctly they cost like 6 bucks or something. Buy one for each species. Probably room for about 1349 Trout flies or 7 or 8 musky lures in each one.

2000lbs? TOYOTA. Take your pick of model.

Pidge, how big was the one you got?

Wow! One more vote for nice looking baits!

Hi. I've seen a few references to power handles lately, either as aftermarket additions to reels or as part of the reels original design. I'm curious as to who's using them and how they like them and if there are any drawbacks. Is the added stress/torque created when using a power handle likely to cause a reel to wear much quicker? Would the addition of a power handle to a reel (specifically to an abu 6500 C3) be likely to void the manufacturers warranty? Thanks. Weeds.

Nice work and some great reading in those archived articles. A nice way to spend a fridgid evening!! Thanks.

Hey Urban, I've heard of people having good luck there recently; big pike I hear. I drive by the place on my way to work all the time. Maybe give it another shot. I'll PM you a link.

Kennyman, might be worth looking through the classified section, there's some higher end rods at good prices if you browse through some of the ads. Just a thought.

I think live bait is tough to beat. Sure, if you're an experienced ice fisherman you might master some kind of jigging technique but even then you've only going to be working one rod. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I think an artificial keeps you more focussed on what you're doing and minnows let you sit back a little more. I guess both have their advantages.

Fished there in the summer a few years back. Loads of Carp, no sign of anything else and really shallow, 2, 3 and four feet deep.

Lots of good advice, thanks. I was kind of leaning in the direction of the Abu C3's, 128 bucks at LeBarons for a 6501 C3 with a 5:3:1 ratio. I've heard alot of good things about the C3's but I've got time to spare with the season being so far off so I'll keep my eyes open for deals on some of the other recommendations. Any body else?

I just splurged and picked up a St. Croix Muskie Rod, 7'6", Medium-heavy power, fast action, SC graphite 20 -50 lb. 3/4 - 3 oz. I plan on throwing mostly bucktails and spinnerbaits with this rod as I believe it is well suited for this type of use. What would be a good reel to pair this rod up with, bearing in my mind that cost is still a factor for me. I got the rod at a good price but 400 dollar reels are out of the question, unless I can score one used which is somewhat unlikely as I'm a lefty. The only baitcasting reel that I currently own is a Quantum Mantra (nothing fancy) with a 6:2 to 1 gearing ratio. I haven't had any issues with the reel so far but am not sure if it will be durable/appropriate for Musky fishing (come season). Would a lower gear ratio be better or is the 6:2 to 1 alright? Thanks for any advice.

That's..........gigantic. Massive. Monstrous. I can't imagine them getting that huge up here but maybe in Europe or something. Wow!

I figure the little dudes mad cause he caugth that fish, planned on a little catch and release (normally he's a pretty hard core musky fisherman, thus the habit) and the chick came out of nowhere and gaffed the thing with a stick!! Hey, I'd be pissed too!

Walleyeguy, This is a quote from the rules-"Please do not post VERY SPECIFIC information on fishing spots, ie pinpoint locations and maps. It is our belief that sharing this type of knowledge to the general public is not at all good for the resource itself. When communicating info on spots, please keep it to email or a PM. " I'm guessing your post was censcored because it was too specific. It was informative all the same, thanks.

Some real good opinions/ideas floating around, thanks for sharing. As far as killing a carp just to set a record; I have to agree that would be a shame. How longs it take for OFAH to do a check? No keeping it in the bathtub? DSN, I've fished with you before along the Toronto waterfront. I'm Rossco from Outdoor Ontario.