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Wow, the community stepped up once again. I'll bet that The Barefootwader wins the internet this time.

I really hope that your trip works out for you with your favourite reel just a cookin'.

Wow. Talk about being dragged through a knothole today. That adrenaline buzz must have you just vibrating right now.

I would guess that you are exhausted, and pleased with yourself, knowing that you made a big difference today. That's all anyone of us can ask for.

'The Force is strong with this one'.

Best to Randy, wherever the heck he comes from.

Cliff, there have been a few posts lately from folks at loose ends, facing a crossroad in their careers, and stuck. You are providing a model for these folks, and for the rest of us too, because we never know when we will be faced with these tough decisions like yours.

Thanks for sharing your life experiences about finding a way forward. Well done.

It's very difficult to make an improved clinch work with a braided line like powerpro or tuffline. Use a palomar or uni knot.

There are a few folks on the board who make it their business to put folks on fish whenever they go out. Others just make lunch. You know who they are.

Meelly, that Calabrese Grande, for sure taught me the spirit of the Italian sandwich / sangweech / gweech.

You need to start with a nice Calabrese panino, a mid size crusty bun. Then you need some salami, cappicola, pastrami, your choice. I've heard that some don't like ham, or prosciutto, or stuff like that. Or pickles. Bill.

Slice the buns, pile high with your cold cuts, and use butter, caesar salad dressing, mustard or pickles. I like an aged provolone cheese sliced thin to add that last little kick.

Attaboy, there youngster. My goal is to see if I can do something like that everyday.

A very handsome family you got there, Frankie. That was a day that your boys will remember for a lifetime.

Great stuff, Emil. I bet you and the Gentle Giant had a great time today, complete with a little sunburn. Thanks for sharing your day.

Incredible, John. What a haul! If I caught a ling, I'd be keeping it for the table for sure.

I'd almost forgotten about that, Lew. You are on the money to recognize those who support us, and joey went the distance. That portrait is a treasure.

Pamella should know about this.

Best of luck to you, CharlieD. There's someone looking out for you, jus keep giv'n 'er.

A stoopid fish on the other end of a line is a stroke of luck, but that is pure talent, skill and care. Thanks for sharing that, and keep us up to date, will ya?

The phone traffic on Friday night decided the toss – South shore of Erie with Solopaddler for steelhead, or Simcoe with BillM for lakers and whitefish. I’m sure that Mike had a great day off the shore somewhere or other, but that was a prime afternoon on the hardwater with Bill and Wallacio (Davey). The weather could not have been finer. There were also 5 less hours on the road by going to Simcoe instead of Erie, and I had a good feeling about beating my lifetime laker/whitefish skunk on the Lady.

I met with BillM and Wallacio at the reasonable hour of 6:45 at 9th line where we suited up and headed out. We went out an incredible 7 miles onto Simcoe, with seatbelts off and windows open.

This was the view back to the shore we left from.

Dave was the first onto a whitey that couldn’t commit to fresh air, quickly followed by another by Bill with the same issue.

The action died after that, and we crossed the pressure crack and popped a few more holes.

Speaking of augers, Dave and Bill did about 30 holes today with manual augers, 14- 18 inches of clear ice everywhere. Dave had a 6 inch drill, while Bill worked an 8 incher. They were Normarks, with sticky sharp blades, and they were incredible. I only drilled a few holes, but now I understand why some folks won’t buy a power auger when they know what a good manual drill can do.

Around 11 am, a gold Williams ice spoon found a weight.

It was my first Simcoe whitefish, and a beauty.

There were lots of folks on the ice today, with a couple of those high maintenance flighty types.

BillM and Solopaddler are both great guys. A thing they share is a burning yearning to put new friends onto fish, and Bill did a fine job today.

Thanks to Dave and Bill for a great day. We will fish again.

Wow, joey, just a fabulous report. One of your best, for sure. That is some fine camera work, nice control of depth of field, I gotta learn that.

I have to make a post about today too, and this one just makes me sad. A tough act to follow.

That's a great laker, too, btw.

I can post the Mods' numbers if that will hlep things along. Sorry about the whole 'toll free' thingy tho.

Roy, thanks for being a standup guy, I just thought it was a great story the way you told it. But seriously, very nice bed linens ya got there. Do they need new window treatments?

I'm shamed, Doug, for the zero replies you got on the front page to your request. I hope that there were a few pms and that you and a lucky board member did some finesse on Simcoe's wildlife.

Any luck?

A Happy Birfday, Joe, and Best Fishes too.

Don't harsh the buzz.

I heard that Roy got some sweet deals at the top show in La Belle Province. I think some photos of your haul are de rigeur, n'est-ce pas?

I am loving the hockey, but that gold medal final was beautiful. There was heavy pressure from the US team and Szabados closed the door. The game was set after 15 minutes, and the real test was in the forechecking and penalty killing in the last two periods, flawless performance on both sides.

I liked the ovations provided by the crowd to the members of the other teams, especially to the members of the American team. I liked that the crowd showed respect.

In eight years on this board, I've never heard of a report like that one. That is truly incredible, Stoty. That was a trip of a lifetime.

BoQ delivered, now it's your turn. How about some pictures?

Good for you, Emil, and Bruce for putting together a lifelong memory for that fine lookin lad of yours. Well done.

Sorry I missed you, Bill, I kept a lookout for a while. Nice clean lake trout you had there.