Jackie

I am planning a canoe camping trip to Byers Lake in Algonquin this summer. Has any of you fished there before? What kind of species would I expect to find there? I will pass through Kingscote Lake and Big Rock Lake, but probably won't have a lot of time to fish them. And I might fish the nearby waters like Branch Lake and the river leading to it. Any fishing related info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Jackie

I know this thread is kinda closed a month ago. But I have a question. My tow vehicle (Acura MDX) has 5 speeds, but no overdrive. It has 1, 2, D3, D4 and D5. Should I still use D3 or D4 when towing and try to avoid D5?

Try Lucky Fishing Tackle at the SE corner of Midland and Sheppard. Also try Grimsby Tackle if you're in that area. My friend got an 8' Avid spinning from them last fall for a very good price.

Try to fish around the islands for both largemouth and muskie. Look for the weeds. It's a very scenic lake. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay there. But be careful with the rocks. Get a good map as I once steered off course and the rock ate my prop. To fish the shallow area in the island area, it's best to use a canoe, imo. The lake is small; a canoe can easily cover a good part of the lake in even one day.

I'll get about 2mph, with no wind, on my 55lb PowerDrive on my 17' aluminum with a few passengers.

I have both a Compre CPCC66MHB and a St. Croix PC66MM. Both are great rods. If most of the time you're throwing small to medium crankbaits, go with the medium. It bends more and gives more action. The PC66MM weighs only 3.5oz!!! I got it on sale last year from JB Fishing Depot for like $90.

Dand, you can still switch battery when the engine is running; just make sure that you don't go thru the "off" switch. E.g. go from "1" to "both" to "2" or vice versa. If you go thru the "off", the alternator fuse will be blown, unless your battery switch can handle that .

I used to run all the accessories off the starting battery, and only the trolling motor off the deep cycle too. But I find that my fishfinder/GPS (Lowrance LMS-332C) draws too much power off the starting battery that if I don't move my boat around often, I might have problem starting the engine up near the end of the day. Also starting batteries aren't supposed to be drawn power continuously for too long, or they may get damaged permanently. So my solution is to hook everything to a battery switch which connects to both the starting and the deep cycle. Usually the deep cycle is all I need for a day's fishing, including starting the engine. But if it gets too low, I can always switch to the starting to crank the engine, and then back to the deep cycle to charge it up using the alternator when the boat is running. This way, I'll always have the starting battery as a backup so that I won't get stranded on the water. I don't notice any interference on the fishfinder by connecting the trolling motor to the same battery.

I also use my portable Humminbird 535 when ice-fishing. My way of handling the transducer is a bit simpler than yours. I take off the white suction cup. Using the hole where the suction cup is normally screwed onto the black plastic arm, I thread a plastic fastener to fasten the transducer cord. Once you have fastened it, the "knot" should prevent it from going thru the hole, and everything should be in place. If you fastened it just tight enough, you can still adjust the cord a little bit so that you can correct the angle at which the transducer points to the lake bottom when it dangles free thru the ice. It works for me for 2 seasons now. No problem so far. The nice thing is that everything still fits within the 535 portable box. Better than paying the $90 for an "ice" transducer! I also use this setup on my boat, when I'm fishing on the deck but want a second screen there (instead of running back and forth to the cockpit to check the screen there). I have fished in -30C weather and I've never had problem with the LCD screen cracking. So don't worry. Also I use two rechargeable 6V batteries, and they can easily last two trips out without recharging. I love my 535. The only thing I find with the 535 is that it takes a bit of time to "warm up". What I mean is that every time I start up the unit, it may not pick up my jig or spoon right away. It shows the depth and large structure/fish, no problem, though. But only after 10 minutes of so, it will start showing all the details. Maybe it has something to do with the auto sensitivity which I did play around with, but haven't found a good solution yet. Jackie

I am back from Lake Bernard. I want to thank everyone who replied my post for all your help. Fishing was a bit slow on both Sat and Sun for us. But the three of us enjoyed the trip nonetheless. Among the three of us, we caught 3 lakers, a whitefish and a ling cod, and lost a good-sized laker at the hole. Nothing to brag about for a total of about 12 hours of fishing spread over two days using three lines. But at least we were not skunked! We got our bait from Lake Bernard Outfitter and the owners gave us a lot of useful info. We simply drove out from Sundridge onto the ice and my 4x4 handled that without problem. The ice was more than 1 foot thick, but so was the snow. We fished in about 55 fow on Sat and 70 fow on Sun. We constantly marked fish on my Lowrance, but just couldn't get 99% of them to bite. I'm sure some were smelts or bait fish, although many big ones did show up on the screen. It was a bit frustrating to see all the fish down there and we had to wonder whether we were doing anything wrong. We tried minnows on single hooks with split shots, spreaders, jigheads, flashy spoons, non-flashy spoons, tubes etc. For the majority of the fish that swam by, none of these seemed to be able to entice them to bite. The lakers we did catch were between 15in to 20in, but they did seem to fight better than the ones we caught on Simcoe for the same size. A couple of them just smashed my tip-up, while a couple of them bit very lightly. Both the whitefish and the ling cod were caught on spreaders, and the bites were extremely light. We also lost quite a few pinhead sized minnows, probably to smelts which just nibbed on the bait. We could feel them sometimes, but just couldn't set the hook on them. I do have a question though. One of the lakers we caught had much darker colour than the others. Its meat also was more orange than pink (the usual colour I see on other lakers). I'm 99% sure it's a laker (worm like markings on body, deep-forked tail etc), but is there a chance that it could be something else (like a splake)? It's not a speck though as it lacks the red belly and square tail. Perhaps just a colour variation which is not uncommon? (I found the lakers/smallmouth in Algonquin have much darker colour too, but usually you don't catch fish of such different colours in the same spot of the lake.) Being the first time out on this lake, I would still call it a success. And the most important thing is that we had fun. When I have time to sort out our photos, I'll post some here. Thanks for reading. Tight lines. Jackie

Thanks for all your help. I called up Lake Bernard Outfitters. The lady I talked to sounded very helpful. I guess when I get there to buy minnows tomorrow, I will get more info. And hopefully I will come back with some fish photos to post! I have a question about glow tubes. Where do you get them? Also, do you use a lead head jig and just slip the tube onto it? Most of these jigs I find are for bass; so they seem too big for trout/whitefish. Where to find small ones? I am also interested in knowing how to catch some smelts. Single hook, tiny minnows/jigs? Browsed thru the fishing reg. I guess Lake Bernard is in zone 15, without any special reg (2 lines on ice, no laker slot limit etc).

It's been a long time since I last posted in the forum, although I'm a frequent visitor. Hello all! I am planning to do a bit of ice fishing in Lake Bernard this weekend. I have never been there, only heard about it here and there. Could you give me some pointers as to where to start, e.g., access point, ice thickness, water depth I should target etc? I understand that there are lake trout, whitefish, ling, plus a few rainbows in the lake. I don't have a sled or ATV, so my biggest concern is whether there are spots close to shore (within reasonably walkable distance) where I can fish. Or can I drive my 4x4 onto the lake? Where can I obtain a good lake depth map? Also, what would be a good approach to catch ling as I have never caught one before? Thanks! Jackie

Hello all, I am wondering if anybody knows whether Bay of Quinte has ice yet, esp along the shore. I would like to bring my boat there tomorrow. If anybody has info about the ice and ramp condition, please let me know. I have launched at Picton and fished around the ferry area before, but I am also interested in launching (and fishing) the Trenton/Trent River areas. So ice and fishing info on any area of BOQ would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jackie

Depends on what you fish for. I fish for bass, walleye, muskie and pike mostly, in the Kawarthas. If that's what you do, go for 6'6" MH. I find that the rods I used the most would be 6'6" M spinning and 6'6" MH casting. I'd recommend the Shimano Crucial, if you want to pay for around $150. If that is too much, or you don't like 1-piece, get the Compre. Both Crucial and Compre have crankbait versions, so if you use a lot of crankbaits, definitely get one of those. I have a Compre MH 6'6" crankbait rod and just love its feel. I use it with a Cardiff. This year I got myself a Crucial 7' M dropshot casting with a Curado. Haven't tried it yet. Will do in less than 3 weeks.

I think both the Clarus and the Compre are very good choices. But for the less than $30 difference, I'd go for the Compre. A bit lighter and a bit more sensitive, overall gives a better feel. If you can get your hand on a Rapala Signature, get one of those. The best under-$100 rod I have ever used. But they are discontinued. I got mine for about $80 and love it -- mine is a 7'2" M spinning. Jackie

Hello all, It's that time of the year to think about where to dock my boat this summer season. I am thinking of putting it on Lake Simcoe, after three seasons on the Kawarthas (Scugog, Chemong, Buckhorn). Do you know of some good marinas on Simcoe that I can start looking at? Preliminarily, I'm looking at Cook's Bay, since it's close to my home. However, I'm open to suggestions too. My major consideration is on-water distance to fishing ground. I like fishing for any species, although I don't think I would want to troll for laker every weekend. In general, I like casting a bit more. My boat is 17' with 90hp. I'd consider Simcoe to be a very big lake. When it's windy out there, I'd have to stay away from the main lake. Therefore, places that are close to bays or islands would be good -- at least I can still go out and fish on those windy days. Any suggestion is welcome. Thanks a lot in advance. Jackie

Thanks for all those great tips! Is the Canadian border pretty much in the middle of the river? If I do decide to get a NY licence, what's the easiest way of getting one (online?)? Does the license expire on Dec 31 of each year? I quickly look at their website but didn't see the info right away. I do have a bowmount electric motor. Just wondering if I plan to fish all day out there, how would I manage the battery power so that I won't run out of it in two or three hours. Do you keep your main engine running to top up the battery all the time? I'm also wondering how far away is the rivermouth from launch. I'm thinking of trying the sand bar if I have no luck in the river. And I'm guessing other than lakers (which is closed right now), there should be some browns or rainbows or salmon at the sand bar too, right? Thanks again, Jackie

Thanks for all those great tips! Is the Canadian border pretty much in the middle of the river? If I do decide to get a NY licence, what's the easiest way of getting one (online?)? Does the license expire on Dec 31 of each year? I quickly look at their website but didn't see the info right away. I do have a bowmount electric motor. Just wondering if I plan to fish all day out there, how would I manage the battery power so that I won't run out of it in two or three hours. Do you keep your main engine running to top up the battery all the time? I'm also wondering how far away is the rivermouth from launch. I'm thinking of trying the sand bar if I have no luck in the river. And I'm guessing other than lakers (which is closed right now), there should be some browns or rainbows or salmon at the sand bar too, right? Thanks again, Jackie

Nice report! Sure it's a great time to spend the days on the water (despite the cold temp) and getting fish was a bonus. Being a newbie in that area too, I'm heading down there this weekend with a couple of friends for the first time, in my 16.5' with 90hp. Do you think a boat of that size is safe for the Niagara river, which I heard has very strong currents? How far up can I go upstream without risking too much (rocks, currents or other hazards)? Can I also ask what lures/baits you were using? Were you drifting roes/minnows with some heavy sinkers? Bottom bouncing perhaps? It'll be the first time for me to use the Queenston boat launch. Is it fairly easy to find? Any other considerations for a first-timer? I hope there'll be no ice around the ramp. Thanks for the info! I appreciate that. Jackie

Thanks all. It was just a very nice weekend to be out. Catching fish was a bonus. Better go earlier in the season than later, while the water is still cold. I notice that early morning is always better than early evening, probably because the water is much cooler. If you're driving up that morning, try to get there around 6am. By the time you fix your canoe, load everything, paddle out to find your spot, and actually get to fish, it'd be 7am and that'd be perfect. If you haven't trolled using a canoe and 3-way setup before, you also have to get used to that. Keywords: slow and steady and quiet. Don't smash your paddle on the water or bang on the canoe. No motorboats on the lake I fished. (Some corridor lakes allow it though -- check reg.) I've tried trolling using a canoe alone before (on Lake Louisa). It's a lot of work to keep the boat steady all the time while making sure your sinker/lure is just off the bottom but not snagging it (as the depth changes). Not impossible but quite difficult, can be frustrating. It'd be much better if you have two persons on the boat so that one can paddle while the other release the lines, and then vice versa. With my inflatable, it's a bit easier because two paddles can control the boat well and my rod can just slip under my leg and wedge between the soft rubber of the boat. I use a baitcaster for quicker on/off switch between release/stop. Bring a fishfinder if you have one. Only a couple of fish were caught in 15 fow, most others were around 25 to 40 fow. So yes, they're already pretty deep at this time of the year, which surprised me too. That's why casting just didn't work. There were some black flies. Not crazy (in a couple of weeks, they will be). But I did get a couple of bites on my ears. Very itchy. I didn't bring bug spray... Jackie

Sorry to hear about the whole thing. I feel for you. One more thing to check. I know you said the plug was put in. But was it tightened by turning clockwise? I once had a problem when I didn't tighten the plug all the way and a week later, the boat was filled with a lot of water. Luckily it didn't have enough to sink. But I learned my lesson. I can imagine an untightened plug could have let in a lot of water. Jackie

Let us know how it goes. I fish Buckhorn too and should be there on Saturday chasing walleye! Jackie

This past Saturday I decided in the last minute to head to Algonquin to camp one night and fish. Warm during the day but really cold 3am to 6am. Lake was very quiet -- almost nobody around. Fishing was very good, although all fish weighed less than 2 pounds. I guess that's the Algonquin laker average. It was 8/8 for the 13 hours I spent on the water. However 7 was caught within 3 hours on Sunday morning. If I had slept late and missed that window, my whole trip could have ended up with just 1 fish. Anyway here's the full report with pictures and how the fish were caught: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=6941...mp;id=656631419 Cheers, Jackie

Thanks for all your responses. I think I'll get the 14XG. I went to BPS to take a look last night. But they're out of stock and they don't even know when they'll get more back. I guess I'll try Le Baron next. Tracker, where did you order yours from and how much, if you don't mind me asking? Jackie

Hello all, I'm fairly new to the "new" OFC forum. I used to post in the old one but only re-registered myself recently after it closed down. I'm from Markham and I do most of my fishing in the Kawarthas. This season I'm parking my boat on Buckhorn Lake. Sunday was my first time out. I guess I was getting too close to one of the islands and the bottom of my boat hit a shoal. Luckily there was no real damage. Since I'm unfamiliar to the area, to avoid further incidents like this, I think I will spend some money to get a good map for my Lowrance GPS unit (LMS332c). Up to now, I've been only using the base map that comes with the unit. It has no info on the water and the shoreline info is very inaccurate. I looked on the web and did some research. I think what I need is one of the Navionics charts (not HotMaps). Obviously I need one that covers my primary fishing areas -- tri-lakes. Occasionally I also fish other Kawartha lakes, Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario. For my needs, there seem to be two choices: Gold+ 14XG and Gold 901G. Here're my questions: 1. Am I correct that these are the only choices for me? 2. Do these maps have detailed depth contours on the tri-lakes, showing drop-offs and shoals etc? 3. Are there differences between 14XG and 901G except for the coverage? Given that the 14XG is only about $50 more, I tend to go with the larger 14XG. 4. How does these maps compare to the government's hydrographic charts in terms of details and ease of use? 5. Do these Navionics memory card easily break? I've read on the net that some people have problems (can't read) with their cards after only a few months of use. What is the warranty? 6. I do plan to buy another handheld GPS unit in the near future and would like to use this map for that unit as well (e.g. for ice-fishing). Anything else I should consider? Sorry for the long post. I hope some of you who use these maps or are planning to buy one can help me out. I really appreciate it. Thanks, Jackie