Rich

Ohhh man... fish porn. Please.

It's a very popular place for ice fishermen, and to this day I have no idea why. Had some good days on hammer handle pike in some spots, but other than that it's usually a slow fishing spot. Makes sense. Make a little pond look like swiss cheese and the fish are bound to get lockjawed. You're better off ice fishing the bay IMO.

Will a bass boat get you there in harsh conditions safely? Yep. Provided you know how to drive it properly, you'll get there just fine. Will it be comfortable? NO! Not in the slightest. Don't listen to what anyone says! I've ridden in 21ft bass boats on Lake Erie on a rough day, there's no such thing as comfort! If you value your spine, go with something that has a deep hull.

Stripers were starting to come in the end of May last year. Pick a big river and toss big baits. I was told to use cut up smelt and mackerel on bottom. Make sure you have equipment large enough to handle stripers. Heavy musky gear will probably do. I don't know this from first-hand experience but the tackle shop owner I talked to when I was in NS last year filled me in on the details.

No different than fishing in the lobster tank at the grocery store.. Tell me I'm not the only one who did that?

'eh Silvio didn't offend me a bit! This time of year it's hard to top the fight of a fresh chromer. Carp are the closest thing I got, so unfortunately they take up my winter river time more than anything else. I'm just thankful I have a spot to fish so close to home.

I don't understand how people can go out on the ice without reading up first on how to do it safely. It's like never having driven before and suddenly jumping into a stock car race. You could very well DIE if you don't know what to do! I do ice fish alone, but I know how to go about it safely. All else fails and I'm unsure, I tie a rope to my waist around a tree or something heavy on shore, then drill a test hole. I've been through the ice 3 times.. floater suit saved my life twice, first time I was a dumb kid who got lucky. IMO if you're venturing out on "virgin ice" (aka nobody around) you're an idiot to not wear some kind of floatation device.. and carry ice picks for that matter. Please, please, please, everybody going out this year.. take the proper precautions. A touch of hypothermia is much better than an obituary.

Lower Niagara, Dalhousie have some targettable populations. I don't see why the north side of the lake wouldn't have them too. For the love of god somebody troll a Jake through Pickering and let me know for sure!

Would have been steelheading if I could have been! Been itchin' to hit the tribs since the temps dropped. Unfortunately I couldn't get there today so this had to do.

They run up rivers to spawn as well, these fish aren't spawning though. They're residents of the creek year round. I can catch them (more actually) in the spring and summer but never find the time as I'm always busy chasing other species.

This creek, after several dams eventually leads into Lake Erie. The lower reaches are actually quite big, I can take my boat up about 3-4 km from the lake. It's an urban community. I was actually going to take pictures of the picturesque setting leading to the spot.. Wendy's, Tim Hortons, Shopper's Drug Mart.. lol Any shallow, warm or slow running creek with a mud bottom is a good start. I know a few spots that don't usually freeze in the winter that hold carp like this one. I just fish this one because it's a couple blocks from my house. As for curing the corn cram.. I take frozen no name corn, boil a couple handfuls in cherry Kool-Aid (or whatever flavour you want, they all seem to work) then add syrup to the container of bags.

Here's every bit of info you need to hit the "tribs" and come out on top for buglemouth bronze. First off, tie yourself up some maple/cherry cured corn bags. Next, find yourself a nice looking creek. Walk the creek until you find a logjam. If today is any indication, behind every logjam or slow spot there will be 5000 bronze nosers. Unfortunately they won't be big, and the first one won't fight in the slightest. Luckily, you'll find a deeper, wider section and hook into a scrappier one that will give you a run for your money. Don't be surprised when you catch a bunch of these little guys in the process as well. And there you have it. 1 hour well spent! Was certainly nice to go take advantage of this "warm" spell.. good to be out without snow on the ground. Though my spider sense tells me that won't last long.

Damn man we haven't got a pond here that's close to being thick enough yet! I'm jealous!

Listening to it right now.. best in 10 yrs, can't agree with that yet but it's definitely not bad either.

Simcoe, the town not the lake. Unfortunately. lol

I will have to give it a listen. I got the new Metallica CD too it's not bad.

That 2nd pic - pike from shore... that's freakin' awesome. The other pics are great too! Thanks for sharing!

Looks like you had a great year dude! Keep it up, every year just gets better!

I enjoy reading all the comments people have on there.. "it was aliens" etc

Love the bent rod fight shots.. that IMO is the joy of steelheading!

Doug, they're light and more comfortably fitting in your hand. For a bass fisherman, it's a godsend. I like the Crestfire, great value. Mine has gone 4 seasons now with no problems running 50lb braid and I beat the crap out of it. Like others have said.. Each one has it's place. Baitcasters work well for heavy baits and heavy line, and I find are a heck of a lot more accurate for casting into tight places. You can also easily make a quiet presentation by having total spool control with your thumb at all times. Great if you like bass fishing in shallow. Spinning reels are good for light baits and jigging. I always have a few of each in the boat. Often bass fishing I don't touch the spinning reel but it's good to have around should I need to go to a light presentation.

I got it from years of bass fishing, add in the last couple years of musky/big pike tackle and it's screwed. I find the supporter helps - DO NOT get the supporter that wraps around your elbow, it makes it worse! Get the supporter that tightens from your wrist to about halfway up your arm. Tennis elbow is caused by loose tendons in the forearm NOT in the elbow. Tightening the elbow will screw up your whole arm in the long run. Just the words of advice I received from the doctor. When I wear the supporter on the forearm, no problems whatsoever. She said it's going to be a problem for life, so just wear the supporter while fishing and any other time deal with the pain otherwise the tendons will just continue getting looser.

Not too often you can go ice fishing for largies legally! Good stuff! Looks like we may have plenty of ice on the ponds before Christmas. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

10lb hi vis raven is what I use.. it was recommended to me at the tackle shop when I bought my float reel and has performed just fine.

Man, I'd be happy with pike like that especially if I could get them from shore. Nothing going on around here right now! Actually went out yesterday and just about every spot I wanted to fish was frozen up (though only a half centimetre of ice). Nice work!