northshore

I think the point of a conservation license is that you are a conservation minded angler, who only wants to keep 2 fish and not kill a full limit. Yes a non-licensed person can keep more, but maybe they aren't interested in conservation or fishing, just eating. But of course most of us probably just buy conservation licenses for our girlfriends or wifes who only fish once a year to save us a few bucks, and forget that it's real purpose is for conservation minded anglers. In my defence, my girlfriend only fishes once a year (if i'm lucky) and is conservation minded - since when she catches a fish, she usually says "Ewwwwwwwww! throw that slimey thing back, and no i don't want to touch it or hold it for a picture! ewwwww... "

Ok speaking as a weekend warrior, who fishes through all the water skiers, seados, wake boarders, power boats, hooplas and yahoos, fishing when the lakes are busiest, the docks are a problem. Generally if i see people on a dock, around the dock, swimming or just hanging out, I always skip it - if the owners are sitting on the porch and the dock looks quiet - i fish it - if boats are tied at the dock, I will make sure not to hit or cast right at the boats (3 feet away at closest) - if i suspect a cast has even a slight chance of going a stray - I won't make the cast - i've never hooked a dock or boat - if the dock is completely empty no boats i may bump the dock or try to skip under it. Yes, i am missing some fish that may be deep under the dock, but that's life, there are other fish to catch. About tourney anglers, being allowed to whip thier lures at any dock they please - don't agree, what gives them the right over recreational anglers to fish docks so closely as to intrude on other people's space. This battle between fishermen and cottage owners has been going on for years and just gets worst as the lakes get busier. There is no resolution to this - just one - use common sense, be polite, and fish with respect for others. If everyone just learns to share the lake and respect each others spaces, we can all have a great day. I don't mind the water skiers, just don't fly by 10 ft from me, i'm not impressed by your skills, only a nickle bass busting the surface can impress me.. And for all those so called "aggressive" anglers who cast at ppls boats and hook docks and swimming platforms, not cool, we don't need the added negativity towards us anglers, we're just trying to enjoy the lake like everyone else.

Yes - I read that report and a few others about the affects of moving bass many kms for tournaments. Yes, LM are more suscepble to these actions as stated they seem to stay in the release area, SM will travel more. Although SM are more delicate and have higher mortality rates. As well you can't just count the dead bass during the tournament. Some bass die later after release due to increased risk of disease from stress and handling (all in the studies). But all this is somewhat fine, since it's all legal. What bothers me is that large healthy bass are being moved many many distances from areas with optimun conditons ie. lots of forage, structure, easy access to proper wintering and breeding sites - and then released in bulk to an arbitrary area, which may not be the best environment for these bass ie. poor forage, poor wintering grounds, increased competition with other residence fish already established in the area - all these factors reduces the overall health of the bass population. Not to mention, we the anglers using science to locate big bass, on lakes with many tournaments - we can just toss this technique out the door to some extent and just concentrate our efforts in the vicinty of release areas - since we will probably be fishing higher precentage areas, artifically inflated by the actions of these many many tournies. Releasing 100 bass off some dock - just doesn't sound right to me. Change this to a river setting and this affect is amplified, bass will be moved very far from the healthy productive areas. With all that said, I agree BASS does do some good with thier conservation efforts, publicity of the sport, and economy.

I've been doing some reading about the affects of bass tourney's on bass populations. It seems the mortality rate after a tourney is around 2-5%. Not a major concern, although these are generally larger older fish, which we all enjoy catching again. I have fished many water bodies after a few tournies have come through and the bass fishing in my experiences is quite poor, with many smaller fish caught but few keepers, furthermore many of these smaller bass 1-1.5 lb have visible hook scars in the mouth area, obviously not thier first time at bat. But this is all fine, what bothers me and I would like to ask the question, where do they release the bass after tournments? Studies have shown largemouth bass generally stay within 1 mile of the release zone, sometimes even after a few years. Only 14% of caught bass actually return to the areas where they were caught. Targeting bass involves studying a water body, for available structure, local forage, and nearby summer and wintering grounds, but these hotspot areas seem devoid of bass on lakes with many tournies (since the 'pros' know how to locate these hotspots too). Instead high concentrations of bass and greater angler success can be found in the tourney release areas, especially within days after such tournaments. So forget all the science involved in locating bass and just find out where these arbitary release spots are, and you will catch bass, and big ones too, since a team of bassmasters have already scowered the corners of every back bay and concentrated the bass at thier chosen release spot. Just what i've observed.. You'd think tourney guys would concentrate within 1 mile of release sites, which i'm sure they do. Maybe they should release the bass a few at a time, at different locations, do they do this? Or just dump the whole lot of 100 bass in one spot??

I know the 1 pc trigger rods are stronger, better, etc.. etc. but not all of us have a bassboat where we can safely transport a 7' 1pc rod. I looked and looked - can't find a decent 2 pc 7' MH / H trigger rod? Does BPS shop even sell 2 pc trigger rods? Looking for something that i can pull largies out of the pads with - matching it with BPS extreme baitcaster. Also would like to use it to chuck large spinner baits for muskie and pike. Any suggestions? My wife will only allow me to buy rods up to $100 bucks.. sorry no Gloomis for me, until i allow her to buy a Gucci purse. BTW: i'm new here - do i need to introduce myself to ask a general fishing question? If I introduce myself fully can I ask for secret spots?? haha.. just kidding.. I'm in Toronto, Ontario, 38, male, and i fish all the local lakes every chance I get - mostly Simcoe, Scugog and Rice.

experienced this quite a bit this winter out on Simcoe, purposly buzzing just feet from your portable hut, making it shake. Just dangerous, if they loss control - they can kill you, not to mention some of us have kids out there. Just plain shelf-fish and stupid. thought about this dilema and saw some 'yellow caution tape' at dollarama - haven't done it yet - but maybe stake out an area 20'x20' around your hut, lines and fishing area with some tape and spikes - sounds crazy but we will probably come to this... BTW also saw mini pilons at dollarama - but not sure they will work - probably make them buzz closer to you - i think they get off on stupiity - so much open area and they purposely speed by the fisher ppl.

Keeping 300 fish is just plain ridiculus, i've only panfished on Simcoe and start losing count after 2 dozen, how does anyone actually keep track of 300 fish?? They want 500 fish! just plain greedy - no one needs that many fish - with the price of gas, lodging, boats, tackle, etc etc.. it's cheaper to go to loblaws and buy a few bags of smelt. I'm digusted that ppl are complaining about this very liberal limit of 300 - already a gross over-harvest of fish. Panfish are not an unlimited resource - ya ya Rice Lake is huge - there are millions of fish - doesn't give anyone the right to fish farm it - i can't believe this caveman attitude still exists today. Lodge and Resort operators who think they own the lake and all the fish in it - well NEWS FLASH, you don't - the lake and all the fish in it belong to all of us - and i support any measures taken to preserve the fishery. The only part of Rice Lake you own is the 100 or so feet of frontage and maybe the 1 foot variable water line along the shore. What a joke. FYI i would like to add - i have every right to flip my jigs under your docks, my boat and more importantly my jigs are on public property, and my jig has never landed on your wheel barrel imported sandy "beaches".

the limits are good - sunfish, bass, walleye or whatever - stop the greed - Rice lake has been rapped for years and i'm happy she's finally being treated with some respect - although I don't completely agree with the winter fishery - that's a whole nother can of worms - the sunfish limit is important - all fish are important to the health of a lake - not just the predators - a lake is a balance of all the fish species - and if you overharvest one species - you effect the populations of all of them - today's anglers with all the gear, maps, gps, sonar etc can effectively make a species go extinct in a lake - not that the sunfish will go extinct on Rice - but harvesting all the 'fat' ones 1000 at a time - will weaken the population - since the big ones ie.more successful healthy ones are gone - only the dinks will spawn and you will end up with a population of genetically inferiour dinks. The science has been done, the studies complete and the limits are imposed in the best interest of the fish stocks - Yes the meat hunters are unhappy - but the fish are for all to enjoy, both present and future - fishing is not about how many fish you can catch, kill and eat - it's about the past time - the enjoyment of the outdoors - the thrill of the chase and the good times with friends. Stop whinning about the loss of business from the meat hunters, cuz when the fish are gone - they will be too - target the real anglers, families and avid outdoors people - they will come back, again and again.. i do.. every year - rent and fish and enjoy..

nope when i buy my bearings they don't usually come with the bearing race/cup. I bought them at Can tire tho... just a thank-you to everyone's suggestions... made a few calls this morning and "Toronto Belt and Bearing" had exactly what i needed.. 2 thumbs up to these guys now i have to put everything back together again, so me and humpty dumpty can go fishing again..

Thanks for the help.. i will call/check these places on Monday.. i also found this place on the net www.cerka.ca They are trailer specialists.. Yes i want to be rolling for bass opener.. Grounded would be a travesty. keep on fish'n..

yes, unfortunately i have a non-standard spindle for this trailer - it's an old homemade job - it's not a simple 1" diameter spindle - it requires 2 different bearings for the hub to seat properly - anyway - i maybe able to salvage the hub - if i replace the bearing races - anyone know where i can buy the race for the LM12749 bearing? i'll check Napa on Monday... Keep fish'in

Hey, just wondering if anyone can help me out.. I have an old homemade trailer, i buy new bearings and repack every 1-2 years, depending on wear. I have a somewhat faulty hub, the grease seal doesn't sit properly into the hub base (the hub is slightly warped from age) - and the bearings always go on this hub prematurely - i have to constantly keep my eye on it and guess when it's going to go. (since the grease seal doesn't sit perfectly snug - water gets in and eventually the bearings fail). I want to buy a new hubs - but don't know what model to buy. Since it's a homemade trailer using an old car axle. Here are the bearing measurements, hub specs - maybe someone can help? 4 bolt hub (~3 in apart), front bearing LM12749 (ID 0.8653"), back bearing L68149 (ID 1 3/8"), Grease Seal 19221

no fish i that pond or as stated small catfish although it gets choked up with weeds & scum in the summer, and i don't think anything but the catfish can survive... go to Glen Haffy it is nearby on airport raod - lot's of trout there to catch.. worms and corn work great!