Jackie

For Algonquin lakers, I'd use 6 lbs mono if casting spinners/spoons without sinkers. If you need to get deeper (say later on in the season), you will need to add sinkers to your lure. And depending on the size of the sinkers, 6 lbs may just be too light. I sometimes cast a small Panther Martin spinner with an 1-oz sinker placed about 2 feet in front, to get the lure down to 30 feet, before slow retrieving it. For that technique, I recommend 8 to 10 lb mono. I never needed fluorocarbon leaders to catch trout. If you troll a 3-way rig, you can use 8 lb mono as main line, and 6 lb for the lure/sinker leaders. This way when you get hung up you won't lose everything.

I'm planning to do some fishing on Rice Lake this season too. Just wondering if muskie is a relatively common catch there. Is it worth while to target them? If yes I might get myself a decent muskie setup. I fished Sturgeon Lake quite a bit last year. And the muskie there will often come to grab my size 3 Mepps Aglia. I didn't catch anything really big though.

Hey guys, I want to buy a fish finder for the trolling motor. I have these two in mind right now : Eagle Cuda 300 or Eagle® FishEasy 245 DS Just wondering if they are good enough to do the basic stuff accurately...like finding structures, and depth etc....!?!?!? Or do I REALLY have to spend $300 or more to get a really good one to mount on the trolling motor???? Suggestions PLEASE!!!! Thank you! Jackie

Given the sale going on at Le Baron right now, your best value is probably the Fenwick Techna AV 6'6" or 7' MH muskie trigger rod at $99. See http://www.lebaron.ca/pdffiles/web_spec/fe...chna_av_web.pdf At regular price, the Techna AV is overpriced. But at $99 it's a steal. I would choose Techna AV over Compre. It's about the same level as the St. Croix Avid. The Markham store had a few left the last time I was there. Probably a few more in the Mississauga store.

I generally like Shimanos better than Daiwas. I own the Curado and the Cardiff; both are fine reels for their prices. I have owned Daiwa Viento and Rojo and just don't find them as quiet and smooth as the similarly-priced Shimanos. Also fish a lot with my Revo SX and Premier. Both are fine but I find the magnetic brake control pretty useless (in the sense that I always have to dial close to "max" to avoid any bird's nest). Of all the above reels, I actually like my Pflueger Supreme the best: very smooth, quiet, and the UBS works very well. The only complaints are the thumb bar sits a bit higher than usual, and the paint can wear off quickly. Mine turned from green to brownish gold for some strange reason! Mechanically it's still like new after 3 or 4 years of heavy use. Highly recommended.

I like to take a canoe or an inflatable to Canisbay Lake. Easy to access, no portage needed. The lake is small enough to cover in a single day. No big ones though, most lakers I have caught are between 1 to 2 pounds, with a few 3-pounders. But it's a lot of fun when you use light tackle. Trolling along the deep edge using 3-way setup should work well in the spring. I also had some luck on one hot August day by catching more than 10 lakers in one morning just casting a spinner. There are also some smallmouth in the lake, but not that many.

I'm planning to head to the Belleville area to try my luck for some walleye on Sunday. Can someone tell me: 1. Is the ice safe to walk out? I'm guessing it's not safe to drive an SUV out. 2. Since I will be walking, is there any access point where I can park and is close to the fishing ground (say within 30min walk)? 3. Where can I get minnows along the way (from Toronto)? I am guessing medium sized shiners would be good? Thanks all for your help. Jackie

If one day you want to go with 1-pc, definitely try out the Compre Crankbait rods. I have been using the 6'6" MH version for years, and I just love it. I also have the St. Croix Premier PC66MM, which handles smaller crankbaits perfectly. I use a 2-pc spinning crankbait rod: Team Daiwa TD662-3RS (3R means medium action and medium power) for throwing light/shallow crankbaits (e.g. Daiwa Dr. Minnow). I find it perfect for my usage too. I picked up this rod on clearance sale in Canadian Tire, but have never seen it elsewhere since.

I prefer 1-pc to 2-pc mainly because of the better flex and the lighter weight. I have the Fenwick Techna AV 6'6" MH spinning rods, in both 1-pc and 2-pc. Because of the joint, the 2-pc's guide placements (and hence the reel seat locations) are slightly different (don't know which one is "better" though because I haven't fought a fish big enough to tell). But I find that the 1-pc feels better in my hand, mainly due to the lighter weight (the difference is noticeable). Both versions are great though. J

I'd add that while I agree that the Shimano Compre are great rods, they are a bit overpriced. I'd also look at the Fenwick HMX and HMG, and St. Croix Premier. I also own a BPS Extreme but find it heavier than the ones I mentioned above (for the same action/type). For dropshotting, I think it's esp important to have a light rod (weight-wise). My friend has the St. Croix Mojo 6'9" ML XF. Great price for $80 but a bit heavy when compared to more expensive models like the Crucial.

My favourite is Rapala. However, recently I have been using a Matzuo Fantastic Minnow and caught some muskie and walleye. I have also used Daiwa Dr. Minnow and Shad Master to catch quite a few smallmouth. But you need to replace the stock hooks on the Daiwas -- they will get bent by a 1-pounder.

A 22-lb bass looks like this: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmas..._Japan_20090702 So I guess 10-lb should look much bigger than the one shown.

For Lovesick Lake you can launch right at Burleigh Falls. There is parking and washroom there.

Great and funny stories here! Looks like most people get hooked on the fingers or hands, with one exception on the buttocks. Mine was on the thigh. I tried unhooking this ~5-lb pike. Before I could take the crankbait out, it thrashed around and one of the treble hooks got buried in my right thigh, while the other was still hooked to the fish's jaw. For a second, I didn't know I was hooked because I was wearing thick pants (it was last year's pike opener -- kinda chilly). I thought the hook caught my pants. But as the pike moved around, I knew part of me was attached to this fish! I held on to the pike with my biggest strength, definitely didn't want it to fall off my hand. It took a while for me to unhook the fish and throw it back into the water. (As an afterthought, I should have kept it for dinner, or at least taken a picture!) Then I needed to take the treble hook off the crankbait (didn't want to get myself hooked by the other treble as well), cut the cloth around the hook (I still couldn't see my wound at this point), took off my shoes, and very carefully off my pants as well. Now I could see one of hooks was buried past the barb. I didn't bleed much, but it certainly hurt. I tried to take the hook out the way it went in. But that turned out to be difficult. So I decided to cut the hook and perhaps then I could push the hook to come out another side. No that didn't work! First it took a good 10 minutes to cut the hook. Maybe my plier is not strong enough, or that hook's wire was too thick. And it's never easy to cut something when that something is attached to your leg! Anyway I cut it after much sweating. But I couldn't push the hook through because either the hook wasn't sharp enough (doubt it), or it's too painful for me, or the flesh was just too tough to pierce thru...... Anyway I decided to pull the hook out instead of pushing. I was able to do that very slowly until I could see the barb coming out. Then I used a knife and cut the flesh between the hook wire and the barb, so that the whole thing could come loose. The whole process must have taken well over 30 minutes (felt much longer than that). And the whole time, I was in the middle of Cook's Bay with very choppy water. Definitely not a pleasant experience! About 1.5 month later, this time the bass opener, at almost exactly the same spot in Cook's Bay, my friend made a cast and hooked my another friend's face with a Rapala Countdown crankbait, which was mine. Jeez! I was at the bow of the boat at that time and all I could hear was a loud whip (from the cast), a abrupt stopping sound, and then a loud scream. The friend just kept apologizing and the other friend became very quiet. The wound was so close to my friend's eye that we ought to go to a hospital. Luckily the doctor was able to freeze the flesh and pull out the treble hook. My friend's wife took him to the Newmarket hospital while the other friend and I continued to fish. We got into some nice bass action afterwards too. After a few hours, my friend and his wife came back, and they continued to fish. I got my lure back (needed to put new hook on). And no scar for my friend. But had the hook went into his eyes, things would have been very very bad... Be careful out there!

I had my broken Rapala TS2 replaced by the store right away. So I'm now being extra careful with it when I snag any weed or fight a decent fish. It's a great rod, especially for its price. I hope that it will never break again, and perhaps the one I had originally was just a bad one.

A Mitchell (or Shimano) 1000 size will hold about 110 yds of 6-lb. So when I put PP 8lb which has 1 or 2 lb diameter, I can still put a lot on it. If I used a 2000/2500 size, I might have to put 250 or 300 yds onto the spool, which would be way too expensive for me. If I don't fill up the spool I find it difficult to cast very far. I agree that this setup is really for finesse fishing. To throw spoons or heavier lures, I used 12-lb mono in a casting setup.

For jerkbaits, I think 7' might be too long. I'd stick with 6' or 6'6". My recommendation is to go with a Shimano Compre Crankbait 6'6" MH. I have one myself. And it's a way better and lighter rod than the corresponding Clarus. I think it's a very strong rod for its weight and rod diameter; maybe the TC4 helps (whatever material it is). Very sensitive too (for its price). Highly recommended. I had bad experience with the new Rapala TS2. I have a 5'10" spinning medium rod and it broke the first day I used it when I tried to shake off a snag. I wasn't yanking like crazy so I don't think what I did was unreasonable. I also heard that the Rapala X type breaks easily. I have also broken a Rapala Signature and a Rapala ice rod. Those are pretty much all the rods I have broken. So I'd stay away from Rapala, although when they don't break, they are superb rods and extremely sensitive. For the reel, any of the medium-priced reels from Shimano or Abu are good. I would recommend either the Citica (for low price), Curado (for better quality), or the Revo SX (good price), or Revo Premier (for lightness).

I will add my 2 cents. I prefer using the lightest line I can get away with. Almost all my spinning outfits use at most 8lb test line -- mostly mono, but one with PP 8lb (for added capacity in a 1000-size reel). I find that 8lb is more than sufficient for most application. And although not recommended, I've landed an accidental 16lb muskie with 8lb mono on a spinning outfit. For casting setup, I still use lines lighter than most others would, just 8lb or 12lb mono for bass, walleye, pike, steelhead, salmon etc. I seldom lose fish due to line breakage, and really like the lighter line for sensitivity and casting distance. I only use PP 30lb for my flipping stick, and Spider 24lb braided line for my muskie jerkbait rod. Most would say I should use 80lb, but I think mine suffices. BTW, I really like the PLine Fluoroclear for its thin diameter. And it seems to catch me fish which is the most important thing.

For Daiwa casting reels, I own a Viento, a Rojo, an Accudepth. And for Shimano, I have two Curados and a Cardiff. I have to say the Shimanos perform better than the Daiwas I own. And I found the twitchin' bar quite useless... Have yet to try the higher-end reels from the both companies due to the money factor. But lately I'm loving the new Abu Garcia Revo SX. It's not too expensive and very smooth. I'm getting a Revo Premier and it's probably even better.

I'd go for a Daiwa Exceler for like $75. And you probably need only the 2000 size for jigging or drop-shotting with 8-lb line. Exceler 2000 is only about 8.5 oz -- superlight for a reel at this price. I personally think the Tierra is an overkill unless you really need the sealed drag. The Symetre is very smooth with slow oscillation, but the new FJ's MSRP is a bit overpriced IMO. I would check out the new Sahara which also has slow oscillation. I like to go small on finesse fishing reel, so I'd go for the 1500 size (for Shimano), although the 2500 size probably won't weigh much more anyway. There are a lot of great deals on Ebay for reels. I just got myself a Daiwa Advantage TDA1500 for $108 (CAD) shipped. That's the one above TD Tierra which sells for $138. I think Le Baron had the Symetre on sale the past weekend but it might be over now.

HAHAHAHA Fish Porn!!!! I would love to share them when i have the chance to make some......LOL

NO WONDER......i was retrieving slower and slower thinking that they might bite it because the bait is dying.....LOL. thank you so much for the tip buddy!

Hi everyone, This is Jackie. I am from Markham On. Nice to meet you all. So how's the season going for everyone so far?? I went to center island for pike last week. didn't catch any.....got couple monster size followed.....but they were just teasing me.....sad Went to Bluffers park on Monday, same situation ....just follow, no action at all....some of them just sit there watching the bait swim by.....wondering what's happening to those pikes.....>:| Cheers, Jackie

Thx a lot for the link, Nemo. The maps are very detailed and they look good. I gather that Byers Lake should have brook trout, but no bass or laker. Any suggestion as to what to use for lure, and what water depth to try. My first guess would be to use small spinners or spoons in shallow water like 10 feet first thing in the morning or just before dark (or before the mosquitoes come in). Am I on the right track? Any pointer would be greatly appreciated as I have never targeted brookie before, especially in Algonquin (when I need to pack light).