Weeds

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.

Thanks for the input, Lake Ontario wouldn't surprise me although having just moved from Toronto I'd like to think I've relocated to Carp country (Maybe kidding myself, we'll see how things match up come this summer). Funny how few Carp pictures you see in January ain't it? It's like they vanish. Can't even remember the last Carp pic anyone posted.

I know the Carping season is a good ways off but I got to thinking anyways. I believe the official Ontario record for Common Carp is somewhere around 38 pounds but I have seen numerous unofficial claims on the internet of people claiming to have caught Carp bigger than that in Ontario. I've seen (although never caught) some pretty big Carp before and imagine there must be some real bruisers out there, probably bigger than 38 pounds. My question is this, do you think that the Kawarthas (Peterborough is my new home, thus my interest) are likely/capable of producing a new record? If not the Kawarthas, where do you think the biggies would be, Lake Ontario, Bay of Quinte, the Don, McElligot's Pool ? Any opinions, comments?

I was at Bass Pro yesterday too, also picking up a few Muskie Baits, finally broke down and sprung for a Believer. Looks real sweet. Great store but I could swear the last time I was there big Lindy M/G spinnerbaits were like 13 bucks and yesterday it was like 22. What gives? I mean, I'm pretty sure it's still somewhere around 11 or 12 bucks at LeBarons. That's just too large a price discrepancy to shrug off. It was the lure that I actually went for more than anything else really. Maybe I misread the pricing but I don't think so. Just goes to show it pays to shop around a bit I guess....Cheers, Weeds

Hi, I've often wondered about this and it's probably been asked/answered before but....where does division 8 (lake Ontario) start and end. I'm curious because I occasionally fish Toronto's waterfront and have never been too sure whether I was fishing division 4 or 8. Naturally 8 would be preferable. If you're standing on shore and casting out into lake Ontario I'm assuming that counts as 8. What if you're fishing in a bay, say Ashbridges for example? Still division 8? And for arguments sake, say you're fishing a rivermouth, let's say the Humber. How far do you have to move up the rivermouth before you switch divisions? I've never come across any kind of clarification in the regs. Any one know? Thanks, Weeds. P.S. Was thinking of trying for some Pike tomorrow, either way(division) I'm safe but still curious.

Non-Fiction: Northern Pike by Will Ryan Fiction: Moby Dick by Herman Melville. The ultimate fishing story, well worth the read.

Having just moved up to (still in the process really) Peterborough I'm really looking forward to some Walleye through the ice North of the city a ways and some fat Perch over in Simcoe. I really want to catch a decent size Pike too so I'm hoping to get one somewhere along the Toronto harbourfront before the snow starts to fly. Come spring I can't wait to have a go at those giant Kawartha Carp and of course, once the season opens..Musky!! Never caught one but I'm a stones throw away from the Otonabee so I figure this is gonna be my year! Stoked! Oh yeah, I've always wanted to catch a whopper of a catfish too but that might have to wait for some kinda roadtrip.....