Rich

Dang not quick enough on the draw for my witty comments

Could've sworn I just saw a post by Stoty yesterday.. on the other hand, when it comes to OFC that is a long time! lol

Worked like a charm.

I like the mods to that little tinner. The front deck & bow mount, nice!

I've been saying it for 5 years now, nobody wants to listen. I haven't lived here for my whole life, but I have been visiting and fishing the opener bass derby since I was about 8 years old. I remember the derby when I was 10 better than the others because my best friend won 1st place on our boat with a big smallie. Back when they still had a children's division. Anyway, that same derby my dad placed 10th with a bass that was just under FIVE pounds. The winning bass of that derby in the adult largemouth category was 7.2lbs I believe. I know it was over 7. Smallie over 6. Now the trend for the opener derby is just under 5lbs. 4.95 is considered a giant. Bass fishing right now on the bay is better than I remember it as a kid. Catching 20 - 30 largies is not even a challenge now. The problem is, every fish is 2 pounds or less. You catch a three pounder and you're in awe of this "monster" bass. I'm sorry but there was a time when a 3 pounder wasn't much on the bay. The problem isn't the locals keeping any bass. The problem is the locals only keeping BIG bass, because they figure it feeds their family better. They've caught and ate all of the big, breeding fish that the bay needs. Not all bass will grow huge, they have to have the genetic strain of trophy bass to get that big. And I think that's the reason for the decline in size of these bass. What we need to push for is a slot limit on the bay. Unfortunately due to our wonderful Long Point Bay Meat Eaters Association oops I mean Anglers Association who have so much pull nothing like that will ever happen. Heck we'd be more likely to see a year round catch and kill season on everything. Then when someone piped up about conservation, they'd be saying "it's my legal right! You're a P3TA protester!" I swear sometimes we should just fill up a minivan with the people down here who's IQ is higher than "piece of toast" move up north for a bit while the army does some "selective harvest" down here. lol

Sounds like it could have been a Ling (burbot, freshwater cod) or a Bowfin (dogfish) Bowfin: Ling Cod:

Thanks for the report, looks like a fun time. Topwater bassin' sure is hard to beat!

Gotta love those storm ponds. My sister has a big one in her backyard in Stoney Creek. Next time I'm there for a visit I'm going to take my nephew down to see if there's any fish in it yet. It's relatively new (2 yrs old) so it may be a bit early, but always worth a shot.

You're better off on Balsam or Sturgeon. Cameron is small, and as such so are the majority of it's muskies.

LOL! I hear ya!

I used Fireline when it first came out (there is a new formula now so I'm not sure if it's the same) and it completely wore through the roller after a season. Keep in mind it was a cheapo reel (I was like 12 years old), Quantum Vector or something. I didn't like my experiences with Fireline though, some people swear by it. Maybe the new stuff is better. I'm too cheap to try it again. lol

With a name like bass lake, you gotta love it. Nice report and you didn't do too bad. Big fish are a plus, but just catching fish on new water is always a challenge.

Yes I believe there is still a free ramp there, and from what I hear the smaller walleye are still hitting in the river and bigger ones out in the lake.

I'd take that 1 bass over my day of work! lol

No matter where you're fishing, keep your digital camera sealed inside a ziploc bag when you're not using it. For shore fishermen, don't buy tackle boxes. Buy tackle trays and a decent backpack. It will make your shore fishing trips far more comfortable, plus leave room to bring food and drinks. For a different effect on your buzzbaits or other topwaters, try rolling the bait in cinnamon powder before casting. When the lure hits the water it sort of explodes with the brown powder and helps get fishes' attention.

Sugarpacket worked in a Tim Hortons and had the flip side of the coin. Why the heck would the same people come in day after day asking for food between 11PM and 6AM. The rules never changed. They don't serve food between those hours. Yet, constantly, every night, people would come in all night and ask for food. And had the lady sold your buddy the "hot muffins" she could have been fired. Timmies is a horrible employer to work for, head office does squat about anything. All rules, policies and health & safety procedures are decided by the owners of each store. Head office simply sits around and collects the gratuities.

How dumb is it to fuel things on water instead of fossil fuels. I'm guessing saltwater is a no-no.. so we're going to use up all our freshwater (which by the way is more expensive than gas) to get around?

All of the above!

Beauty! Congrats! I'm probably way off just judging by a picture, but the bass looks to be between 3-4lbs. Probably leaning closer to 4.

Haven't noticed any carp down my way yet BUT there are a ton of small dead bullhead catfish all over the bay. At first I thought it was the normal few we see every summer as temps rise fast.. but this is a LOT. Even Johnny Bass noticed it (which is really what made me start noticing it). Could it be the same thing, different strain?

Sounds like a fun day out.

Odd because usually before the storm is the best time to get 'em. Perhaps the fish didn't shut down, just switched locations. There are a lot of other factors too. Barometer can make or break a day though, I believe it.

Pick a ramp. There is no launch on Lake Erie with no smallies nearby!

Nice ones. Judging by the colors those are farm trout. I miss fishing the stocked ponds.

lol, the infamous pink fluke.. uh oh now everyone knows! Good stuff guys. Sorry to hear the engine was still acting up.