basketclam

Thanks folks. Walleye gear it is.

Good Evening OFC'ers. Last winter my brother moved to Cumberland and is living just up the road from the Ottawa River. He mentioned to me that he saw lots of ice huts out there last winter and that he'd like me to teach him how to ice fish. Thinking about getting him some gear for Christmas this year. I'm assuming that they're either fishing for walleye or crappie near his place. Does anybody know for sure? I'd like to know what he'll be targetting before I sink bucks into gear that he might not find useful right off the hop. Thanks for the help, which I'm sure is coming.

And to answer your question - I tend to agree with the other posters so far. Adding some scent isn't going to change his habits. There are so many scrapes (real and mock) throughout his area that one extra isn't likely to change his habits, especially when so many of the other ones will have fresher scents to temp him. Your best bet with scents is that it might make him pause for an extra little while within reach of your boom stick.

Remember that the law has recently changed and using some scent products (those that are not synthetic, I believe) is now illegal. I understand that this is to try to prevent the spread of CWD into Ontario.

Real nice pics! If they don't put a smile on your face, you've got no pulse.

A couple nice sets of pictures there folks. Haven't been out yet this year due to work (same old story), but I've got an itch that needs a scratch real bad.

Those chipmunk photos are epic. Great report.

This got me thinking - it's a question I sure don't know the answer to. And it seems that people have a lot of "opinions". So I went to the source. Straight out of the Fisheries Act: 36. (1) No one shall ( leave or deposit or cause to be thrown, left or deposited, on the shore, beach or bank of any water or on the beach between high and low water mark, remains or offal of fish or of marine animals; Disposal of remains, etc. (2) Remains or offal described in subsection (1) may be buried ashore, above high water mark. I didn't find anything about dumping remains directly in the water. Maybe someone else would care to take another look.

That's a great looking boat. I don't have many memories of my gramp, as he died when I was quite young. But I distictly remember the day his old boat (truely his, because he built it) got torn up for scrap shortly after his death. If I'd only been a little older, a little bolder, I might have saved that boat.

I can't say anything more than what's already been said. And thanks OFC'rs for talking frankly about the man, while setting politics aside. Kudos.

Awesome looking stuff! Alas, I don't think there will be any home canning for the pantry at my house this year. I haven't had time to pick and my wife hasn't had time to can.

A flooded lake, does not a spawning area necessarily make. But yes, there's a chance that the MNR put the sign on his dock.

Sounds like theft to me. On a related note, and this ties into a whole bunch of conversation threads that I've read here before, I came across this from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act: Section 38. The ownership of the bed of a river, lake or navigable body of water does not give the owner the exclusive right to fish in the water that flows over the bed unless that right is granted by the Crown. Take that for what you will.

Cut your losses and just cut the line! I haven't got the patience, so I'll usually give it 5 minutes, then off it goes.

Absolutely unreal trip, and thanks for taking the time to put the report together.

LeetAngler, the Wheaten and mini-Schnauzer aren't the same breed. If I read your post correctly (which I may not be), it sounds to me as if that's what you're getting at? To the OP, I can't help out much with the temperment or behaviour of the Wheaton. I've known a lot of dogs, none of them Wheatons. I've owned two standard Schnauzers that have the beard in common with the Wheaton. Be forewarned that the beard can develop a tremendous funk over the years. And when the beard gets greasy, they may develop a habit of trying to clean it by wiping their face on the nearest wall, couch, chair, etc. If you (or more importantly your spouse) keep an immaculate house and can't stand that thought, it's a serious consideration.

I see I took to long formulating my response, and that you're a step ahead of me. You're clearly a good friend to this guy, Cliff. Sounds like a good friend is something this guy needs. Kudos.

Not sure how immediate the trouble is, or the exact nature of the trouble. Assuming it's not 911 or immediate emergency assistance worthy (and seeing as you've got some advice on that front already), my advice is this: give him a call and let him know you're there to listen. Don't dole out advice, or dole it out very selectively. Empathize. Sympathize, if you can. When someone is depressed, and it sounds like this guy probably is, the world can seem like it's working against you every step of the way. If he knows that there's someone who can listen to him when he talks (and it sounds like he's reaching out to you to be that person), it'll make it easier for him to deal with. It won't solve his depression, so he'll still need additional professional help, but it'll make life easier to cope with. And that's what battling depression is all about.

I've been asked on a few occasions if my handle has any dirty connotations. I assure you that it doesn't. Here's the rundown. It came time to chose my first ever email handle and I didn't want to be MyName6473. I had a wildlife field guide sitting on the desk beside me, so I decided to open it up and go with whatever animal I saw first (assuming that it wasn't a common popular animal that someone else might have already used - like unicorn). Anyhow, basket clam it was. The handle has stuck with me ever since for most of the online venues I subscribe to. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corbiculidae

Holy expletive Batman!. That's an awesome vid. Well done.

Congrats. Any pics to share? I suspect the colouration is so strange because they live their entire lives in mud-stained water.

Taking a trip to BC this summer to do some kayaking. Space is limited, so I'm considering purchasing a travel rod, 6' or 6'6", medium action, 3 or 4 piece. Will probably just tack one of my existing reels onto it. You folks know of any rods I should take a close look at, or have suggestions regarding rods I should waste my time with? This strikes me as a topic that may have come up before, but when searching for "travel rod", 20 pages came up! I figured that starting a new thread would be the best use of my time. Thanks for any help!

That's a real beaut' of a report. Awesome stuff.

Basically, 100% of the time that you post, I'm envious.

A lot of guys will go to the grocery store and buy herring. Rig it up, cast from shore and just let it sit on bottom. If you go to the right spot, guys do really well on the pike. Walleye fishing is pretty much the same, with smaller minnows. Not the most exciting technique, but effective. If you're out in a boat, be really careful. Abitibi is full of rocks. FULL. In the middle of a wide open (seemingly) area, BANG. The lake averages only 6-10 feet deep or so. To boot, it's very wide so combined with it's depth, it gets very choppy. If you haven't got the right boat, can be dangerous. Can't tell you anything about Black River. Best of luck.