Gregoire

If you are looking under 200 and want to get one now I would recommend the Daiwa Lexa. As others have said the better reels are worth it, but only really worth the money if you fish them hard, as Pete said. If you are willing to wait the Lexa 400 looks like a really nice reel, and as a lefty I have a soft spot for them. Another option would be a calcutta b 400 if you can find one kicking around.

Great report Pete. Thanks for putting it together.

Nice fish thanks for sharing.

Super slick is crap. Stick to regular power pro if you can stand the noise, or 832 or the older suffix braid if you can find it.

I'm just waiting for some more pics to come in before I post a report. John was a beast this year fishing a double 10 for almost the whole week. He's also got the figure 8 down to a science as most of his fish came on the 8.

Suspending minnow.Load it up with scent and slowly retrieve it until it is in front of its nose. Then just leave it there. The Pike equivalent of the deadstick.

He doesn't. My buddy was there. They were stuck in the store and his car got flooded. Hopefully it's not damaged as we need it to tow his boat to LOTW Thursday.

John is a great guy to fish with. The only problem is that he catches most of the fish. The problem with the LT musky sticks is that once you use them you wont want to use anything else.

Great report. I am green with envy. Thanks for sharing.

I hear brown is a good colour choice.

Nice job Pete. Good to see that you are getting out and still slaying them.

I love split grip rods for casting as Lew said the combos just feel right. As far as the rod holder goes I just use my old full grip rods for trolling.

Just got in after an evening fish. Spent the morning running around looking for a new foot control. Got out around 1:30. Got one in the boat on the troll in a tiny lure. Lots of bass hitting double 9's and 10's. Tried jerkbaits, topwaters and trolling. Not much luck. Going out again tomorrow. Anybody have any luck in the Kawarthas and want to offer up some rips?

You walk the streams with a hook or a small spinner tipped with a worm and hope to get some brookies, but August is generally viewed as being late in the season. If the mackerel are running you can get them off the wharfs, and can also generally pull up some perch as well if you use a worm. There are some inland lakes that have bass populations. Don't forget that the St John River has a Musky population as well. I also think there as some ponds around halifax that are stocked with bows that can be fished with spinners.

I think sunfish angling is awesome. Panfish on an ultralight rig can be great fun. I get the fact that some musky anglers come off as being elite, and that I can fall into that category . All I can say is that I respectfully disagree with your opinion of musky fishing, although I think it may have something to do with the amazing fishery on lake st clair, not to mention the fact that the Kawarthas are know for having great numbers. I know some musky fisherman who consider a good season one in which they catch 5 or more fish, and they fish fairly often. Of all the types of fishing that I have done, musky fishing is the only type of angling where I can come off the water skunked and feel like I had a good day if I spotted a few fish. Sorry for hijacking this thread, I have the musky fever, and opener is way too far away.

The words of a non musky angler. Anyone can catch a musky when you aren't trying to. I have the passion as well. I used to fish for pike and bass, and still get out for salmon during the summer, but in my mind nothing beats the thrill of hooking into a decent ski. I don't expect everyone to get it. I have fished for most of the species in Ontario, if I prefer one it does not mean that I disrespect other species. Just as an aside, if there are less of one species than logically it means that they are harder to catch. I'm not trying to start something this response, just responding to what I see as a cheap shot from a guy who has some dislike of musky anglers.

I was going to make a crack about the fact that even your pretend musky isn't a 50, but you beat me to it.

Great report. Those are some really healthy looking fish.

Bulldawgs are cheap as far as musky lures go in my opinion.

Really healthy looking Kawartha beast and definitely a Kawartha trophy. Even though you haven't reached the big 5-0 yet you are one of the best musky anglers I know.

Also Oyster Fest at Rodeys in the summer is a blast.

I was wondering where that bar moved to. Used to be a regular visit for me after Jays games.

Now I'm afraid that big guy will post a pic of the giant brown he lost today.

A good detailed post. I would add that it is generally ok to take the fish out of the water for a picture, put the fish back in the net and take the fish out again to measure it or reverse that order. If the fish does not appear to be in obvious distress once you have removed the hooks than it should be ok in the net for a few minutes. Just make sure that your net is large and deep enough so that the entire fish can stay submerged while you leave it in the net. I find that it is handy to secure the net on the cleat at the side of the boat while you are removing hooks. That way you do not have to worry as much about securing the net. It makes it much easier. Removing hooks is a one man job. It is ok to have someone watching you while you do this, maybe telling you what hooks to cut, but I only want one set of hands in the net. Most of the time the person who nets the fish takes the hooks out when I fish. I find that the person who catches a fish is excited, and hook extraction is best done by a calmer individual.

Nice job Craig. Also great that you got to spend some quality time with your Dad.