Rich

It's a bluegill. And a beauty.

It certainly has lost a lot of excitement for me... but I'll never miss it!

Offered to guide Sleded at some of my local trout haunts I've been bragging about since I moved. And like a true brown lover he was here in a flash. Fished from 3:30 - 7pm and what a difference in weather in that amount of time. At first the sun was beating down and I stripped down... nailed a carp right off the bat about 5 lbs which was quite the fight. Video to come. Next I got a surprise as I have never seen one here yet.. a largemouth! This has me a little excited! Always discovering new things in my backyard. After very little action here we moved on to a dam I know a little better... this is where it got cloudy. After we ran out of worms catching gobies Sleded put a 3 inch jerkbait on and just put on a clinic from that point on. I think there were 7 trout caught (only one was mine) and Sleded took a couple home. All browns. Thanks for coming out Sleded glad I could show you a few spots.

You could cover your legs and feet in vegetable oil.. but get ready for some wicked sunburns. They are annoying.. your only defense is clothing.

There are a lot of shows on there I don't really watch.. guess that's why I don't subscribe - or complain.

I couldn't believe the pressure on that little pond when I was there either. I'd almost say avoid it and hit a bigger kawartha lake. Those bass have seen every lure you've got.

The only way to do it on the Grand is to walk until you find a slack water spot. Grand's got pretty good current and spare the rare occasion that the carp swims upstream, your 6lb line was probably having more trouble bringing 10lbs of dead weight from a tired fish against a heavy current than fighting the actual fish. If you can somehow get into a slack water pool.. behind an island, bridge piling, or turn in the river, you'd probably bring a 10lb carp in no problem. Must have been a pretty exciting fight for you though. Nothing beats carp fishing in rivers!

Holy cow, I'd say getting a sturgeon on a bulldawg is more memorable than a musky any day!

Had good success ice fishing with the Gulp Alive minnows this winter. Surprised me, I had very little faith before trying them.

Once the match fishermen spoil your carp with their fancy tactics, you won't catch them quite so easy anymore. Good luck bud. My carp are still carp. I use corn on a hook on bottom, and a split shot.

It hasn't really been that cool though.. everyone keeps saying that. I remember very few nights this time of year last year that I could be out in a t-shirt.. this June the majority of nights I can comfortably be out ... sans the mosquitos

To catch a fish that eats anything.. yep they should work. lol

Do ya gotta keep havin' that thing on bass opener? Not fair.

Live shiners were THE cat bait this year. Anywhere from 2 - 5 inches long got all the biggest cats. That's a good one. I never fish them this late in the season, always switch over to carp once June hits. Guess I should still be givin' the cats a little hell. Also never fished that creek for cats, but always thought it looked good. Guess now I know!

There's the Big Creek bridge going into Long Point on the causeway where everyone fishes.. you could get lucky there. Other than the wading option, there isn't much else. All the marinas in the vacinity are closed to public fishing.

Sugarpacket and I decided to hit a spot that has become Urban Fisherman's home waters in previous years. So since he's had my boat anchor since last fall and well we really haven't had a chance to visit him we stopped off at his house first. After some fishing discussion he drew us a fake map of where the giant DC carp were supposed to be. This detailed map was definitely a fraudulent attempt at keeping us from catching the fish he prefers to keep to himself. As we were leaving he says "make sure you take lots of pictures today guys" which is where I remember I didn't bring the camera. Luckily the fishing was lacking enough that pictures would have consisted mostly of scenery. So we waste a crapload of battery power (no gas motors allowed) getting to this fabricated carp spot and see no carp, hear no carp and catch no carp. Did see a bunch of big bass up there though.. hmmmmmm..... Anywho the day was not a waste as the true reason to get out was to bring home a good snack of panfish. First fish in the cooler of death (which has undergone some recent upgrades) was a decent 13 inch perch. Bluegills which are usually huge and plentiful there were virtually non-existent and we ended up with only one keeper. Luckily our WGSF catching skills did not lack and we got a few decent ones to bring home. If you ain't tried WGSF yet (rock bass for those of you who are not die hard fans of me) you really are missing out. They are probably my favourite panfish to eat. So we got exactly what we were looking for, a half dozen fish to bring home for a meal. Not to mention about a billion 12 inch OOS largemouth (which of course were released). As Sugarpacket brings the Filth-150 down to the boat ramp for our triumphant exit we notice a rattling noise. Power steering isn't working. She checks power steering fluid.. lots there. We load up the boat. Check again. One of the tension wheels for the fanbelt busted right off. Yeaahhhh... so we had an 80 dollar escort back home. We travel in style.. though I think next time we'll just spring for the limo. All in all it was an interesting day. No huge fish stories to tell, just the sighting of some very big bass that will surely be nowhere near where we saw them in a week and a half. Just another day fishin.

Great report. You and your family had an excellent day by the sound of it. Congrats.

80lb flouro or mono is what I would use.. if I was concerned about leader visibility. Pike never seem to mind a piece of steel hangin' off my bait though.

Funny you take other guys out fishing and they catch nothing. I take other women out... and well... they catch goldfish. (note the trademark flower behind the ear)

Tastes very much channel cat. I just don't keep them because they are usually covered in parasites when I catch them. Probably completely safe... just can't get my mind past it.

Maybe it's a confidence thing for me, but I find when I add stingers to jigs I can't get a bite. Stinger on a buzzbait is a must, occasionally on a spinnerbait in open water.

There are signs up on the upper Grand that also show that trebles aren't allowed.

When I moved here from Hamilton, I used to get into many arguments about their 'true' name being walleye. After living in the "south" for 12 years now though, I even find myself occasionally talking about pickerel fishing. lol

I'd say for your first baitcaster it should be low profile. Just a more comfortable fit which will allow you to learn the finer points of baitcasting without developing wrist issues. lol

Well glad you got into some anyway, no matter how ugly they are. lol Been a poor season down here too. The fish are up, not all spawning.. just not biting. Perhaps I need to change offerings this year. Not to mention the pesky channel cats moving in on my baits.