mepps

Great info Pete! My personal experience with the Cardiff reels has been 100% positive, they have performed above expectations. I took my Cardiff 401 down to the Virign Islands a few years back and landed almost a dozen tarpon on it from 20-80lbs. I expected it to be destroyed after that, but it still runs beautifully. That being said, I don't use it to cast big baits - that could be the weak point...

I highly recommend the Tackle Industries rods as well. Looks like they have a sale on their site for the 7 foot rods.

Lost a 10 inch Hellhound on a snag a couple of years ago. Never caught a thing on it, but i loved that lure none the less. I think they go for $30-40. My most prized lure is this 9 inch CL8 bait... It only sees about an hour of use per year since i'm terrified to lose it. They used to retail for about 80 USD (plus shipping) a few years back, but I dont think they make them anymore beast on their website.

Easy choice for me, Mepps Black Fury #5 It has probably caught me over a dozen species big and small.

I try lots of little things to save money. I've been for a haircut only 2 times in the last 10 years, I always cut it myself (that include the beard too). Living in the GTA, parking is always a big waste of money to me. I typically park almost a KM from my office and walk in rather than spending the $7 a day for parking near the office. Exercise is good too! I always look for deals on groceries. There are several sites out there that will tell you all the best deals on groceries, not to mention special credit cards that give you rewards such as the PC Mastercard - although as mentioned above, staying away from credit cards is probably a better idea!) I always wait for sales on stuff I need/want from places like Canadian tire you can often save over 50% I also save a few bucks making my own spinner baits - and occasionally selling them. One of my favourite fishing related tips is making sure you use the right gear for the job - this is particularly important with pike and muskie fishing. With the wrong gear you will be replacing those $20-30 lures way to often! I rarely ever lose lures since I beefed up my line/reels/rods several years ago.

Curado +1

My family and I have been going to DH Day camp ground in Empire, Michigan since I was a wee lad. It's a great camp ground with easy access to Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear National Sandunes (check em out on google images, its a sight to see!). It is now a very busy campground and its difficult to get space since it was featured as a top get-away location in a big magazine a few years back. I highly recommend it (although it was a better place to visit before everyone realized how awesome it is -duh). Lots of fun family stuff to do, especially if you like hiking. There are other campsites around I'm sure, but I haven't been to them. As far as fishing goes, I never got into anything exciting, though there are options for multiple species within an hour. There was a 50 lb muskie caught about 55 miles away from Empire a few years back... http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?s=779320653bd82d5c2d7bc3c89a09bda9&showtopic=36552

Great stuff, man! And that is a fine looking beard if I do say so myself.

Incredible! We'll hit 100,000,000 in no time!

My girlfriend was supposed to have a job interview with them Thursday. Needless to say, it didn't happen.

nicely done!

Sign me up , boss!

Got my last one from the Dollar Store too! Works great.

Awesome, that a good size shark!

Looks great Gerrit! I never would have guessed a Ren & Stimpy artist did that - I loved that show! Haven't been to Quinte in a while, but I'll give you a shout the next time for sure!

Nice, that s serious rooster fest!

Thanks guys! Whopper - left arm will be dedicated to saltwater!

Hi Everybody! It's been a while since I've made a new post, but there will be more to come! It’s been a busy year and with a new addition (it’s a boy!) to the family in May (Just in time for pike season) I haven't hit the water as much as normally would. I did find the time to finally start working on a tattoo I have had planned for years. Each fish represents a time and place in my life. 1. The catfish - This represents my time spent fishing in Virginia in a private pond back when I was 5-6 years old. My parents had just split up and we relocated from the BVI to Virginia to stay with family friends while we planned where were were going to go next. I spent hours fishing this little pond with my buddy, often with a bamboo rod. We caught plenty of panfish, but we always had a blast when a big ole cat would come along and take our bait. These are my earliest memories of fishing, and the time where my addiction truly began. 2. The smallmouth - fast forward a few years to Ontario, location Jack Lake. Another family friend had picked up a cottage on the North east side of the lake in the early 90s. This is where I really learned about the joys of bass fishing. These days the lake can be tough to fish, and I primarily target musky when I do visit the lake - but those days chasing bass on Jack Lake taught me the importance of using the right lure at the right time at the right place. 3. The pike - I was torn between getting a musky or a pike tattoo. These days at least 80% of my fishing is dedicated to musky, but I decided pike fishing is where it all started. I can remember the very first time I saw a pike, it was watching Bob Izumi's fishing (probably 20 years ago!) and he had caught an absolute monster pike, well over 40 inches. I went to bed dreaming of that monster and in 2003 I realized that I didn't have to go way up north for big pike, we had them right here in Toronto. I joined OFC back in 2004 to show off some of the awesome pike Jon and I had caught at the Islands. 4. The brook trout – When I moved out east to Halifax 7 years ago I was heartbroken to be leaving behind my pike and musky. I quickly learned that while the brook trout of Nova Scotia don’t get too big, they are unmatched in their beauty. With light gear I explored small rivers and roadside ditches teaming with brookies. I haven’t targeted brook trout since I moved back to Ontario a couple of years ago, but the memories of these fish are as vivid as their colours. I am 8.5 hours in so far, and there are a good 8 hours left to go. The work was done by Scott Duncan (fisherman/fly tier/artist/hunter) at Sugarshack Tattoo in Kincardine, Ontario. (http://www.sugarshacktattoo.com) The pictures! These are are early photos, and there is additional detailing that will be added during the final sitting. The initial planning sketch. The outline The catfish The smallmouth The Pike

Great stuff, amazing photos!

Beautiful muskie, fish of a lifetime for sure!

Killer fall so far, especially that muskie!!

I've owned 3 DSLRs, to Canon Rebels and now a Canon 7D. I reccomend checking outa couple differnt options and see what menu system feels most comfortable. The learning curve of a DSLR can be pretty steap, so its important to be comfortable with the menu system. If you have owned a Canon camera in the past, you will feel comofrtable with a camera like the Rebel right away. The Rebel probably offers the best bang for the buck right now with regular sales including extra lenses, but Nikon has its equivelent. Fuji has been putting out some solid cameras recently as well. Keep in mind, the lense is going to be the most important addition to get those crisp shots - thats where you can really spend the big bucks. There are a couple of well priced small lenses that will give you that nice soft background blur - though tehy arent great on a small boat since the field of view is pretty tight. check out the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake lens (on sale for 150-180) and the EF 50mm f/1.8 II (on sale for around 100).

I've got a 1978 Johnson Seahorse and I can get about 7km on a full tank running full throttle on the back of a 16 foot canoe (side mounted). I should be able to get more, but my motor misbehaves when its bellow quarter full for some reason. My max speed according to my GPS was 9.9km/h.

Nicely done, thats a gorgeous looking muskie!

Lots of options near London, as mentioned above, smallies are very common. I used to fish the section between Riverside Dr and Oxford Rd bridges. #2 Mepps was my most productive for smallies. Spinnerbaits also produced walleye, pike, and white bass near the deeper water near Riverside bridge (opposite the fountain). There are tons of carp around too and are easily taken on a few kernels of corn. They aren't huge (rarely over 12lbs) but they are a blast to catch when nothing else is biting. Good luck! Here are a few shots from 6 or 7 years ago. You should be able to figure out that spot - its one of my favs!