Fisherpete

Me too... I ordered 12 of my lucky lure from Cabelas in the US, and found another that works just as well, if not even better in terms of average size...

Wicked report Johnny! That 47" is a beauty... I was out on Wednesday and we had a tough day... still got 2, but man did we have to work for them. I'm waiting for my bud to email the pics so I can post my report. When is the thumb getting fixed?

UMMMM I forgot, the wally divers had, ummmmmm sentimental value.... ummmm how much to get them back lmao! Nice pike, glad to hear my ex's are producing for you!!!! Cooks bay piking can be fun when they are on the feed...

I have tried a few other brands, but remain an Oakley fan... yes they are not cheap, but the optics are great and their customer service is second to none. I actually just ordered a pair of their 'fishing specific' polarized straight jackets, should get them sometime next week. I'll post how they perform after a test run.

Wow, that's a tank! I fished Lake Vernon once years ago and we caught a bunch of 5-6 pounders along with some nice smallies... some of the locals told us there were some giants to be had, and you just proved it!

Had to share this video on the Iphone 4 vs. HTC evo... a buddy forwarded it to me yesterday. Has some harsh language - don't view in front of the little ones! The links to the video and rebuttal video are in the first paragraph in green text. http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/01/best-buy-iphone-4-evo-4g/

Great report and incredible pickereyes!

LOL guys... even closer than Sunken or West Grape... Just to the right of Bewdley is my "island"... it does not show up on maps as an island, but the entire back of it is swamp and marshlands and can't be crossed either by foot or by boat. I have heard it called "Charlie's Mound" by the locals.

I always take the remains to a swampy area and dump them there - the turtles eat it up quick.

Very cool gar! They have been on my to-catch list for some time... very prehistoric looking fish. None of the lakes that I currently fish have them. I have been told that BOQ has a big population of them... I was told/have read that you can catch them better by attaching a piece of nylon rope to your lure - their teeth will get caught up in it... not sure if that is true or not.

LOL ctdd2006! Hey I would gladly trade one of my big skis for a 40" pike catch! Around here, a 40" pike is just as hard to get as a 50" ski! Last pic - good hold. With bigger pike/muskie you want to hold them horizontally and support them under the belly. Second last pic - vertical hold - not good for the fish, places tons of stress on the spine (think of being held in the air by your head with your entire body weight pulling down on it) and internal organs can also be damaged.

Any zebra mussels where you fish? They can cut thru braid (even 40-50lb) like butter... dock posts/boat lifts/any underwater structure can be encrusted with these, and could be nicking or cutting your line... I lost crankbaits on three succesive casts one time on Rice, went closer in to see what the heck was going on and found a big rockpile, encrusted with zebra mussels. I think that was 30lb PP on that reel. Two of my cranks floated back up though and were rescued!

Seriously we should get out there soon... I will bring optimus prime! Did OK again today, 2/2... 30ish and a 42". Report to be posted when I get the pics from my buddys camera. Really had to work for them today though... the normal areas I fish all failed to produce so we had to go searching, and the lucky lure failed to catch a ski for the first time in two months!

Great smallies Dirk! Is your boat a Prosport SC?

Hey Dirk! I have fished Rice for all my life and never caught a ski yet... ok, not true, last year I got one that was MAYBE 12 inches while jigging for walleye... but that is it. That being said, when I am at Rice, I don't really target them, the bass and walleye fishing seems to take over. I should really give it a try, it would be sweet if I could start catching them on my home lake!

Very nice gator! I have been stuck at 35" for pike for a few years now... too much time spent chasing muskies instead lol!

My cottage is on the first island out of Bewdley on Rice... I have known Ben for, jeez, pretty much my whole life. He is as nice as a guy as there is. Earlier this year while heading to my island in the middle of the night, we found one of his rental boats (almost the hard way) empty and drifting away in the middle of the lake... brought it back to him (they were out at campfire) and he was a very happy camper.

Trip number two for the new boat... my son Fishernick and pooch Milo along for this one. I usually avoid fishing on weekends, especially long weekends, but I figured "It's only a civic holiday, how bad can it be?" The answer - BAD. I have never seen this many boats/trailers/vehicles parked at the launch - there was probably close to 100 lining the streets for a quarter mile up the road. I was number 6 in line waiting to launch when I got there. Finally got on the water around 3pm, and had to avoid a few of my favourite spots as they were being thrashed by waterskiers, jetskis, tubers, kayaks... not to mention tons of fishing boats. Oh well, the weather was great, warm gentle wind and cloud cover. We headed to some less pressured water, and within ten minutes, the first musky was in the net. Not a big one at 34", but scrappy as heck and took to the air like a rocket twice. Within the hour, it was Nick's turn... and after a great scrap and some hairy moments at boatside, Nick had a new PB measuring in at 39.5" and thick! He was pretty upset that she didn't make 40"... he had set that as a goal for the day. Oh well, next time! Things slowed down for a bit, and I played switch-a-lure for a while... and finally got a good hit - which then came in like a wet noodle on my musky gear. Another suicidal walleye... lucky for him, he was 53cm... just over the keepable slot. Looked oh so tasty... Another slow spell... Nick and the pooch curled up and had a nap... only to be awoken by me hollering for the net after a spectacular hit! It was actually Nick's turn, and he brought her most of the way in, but this girl got downright nasty at boatside and I had to take over as she was barely hooked... so we both get credit for the best fish of the day, at 42.5". The last hour was slow as well - only a good smallie that jumped at boatside and shook the hooks. All in all, a good day considering how busy it was out there... and after the lake had been pounded for the three days before.

I do own two of his t-shirts, maybe that's my secret! The boat rides great Henry, had her out again yesterday. Thanks for all your help during the choosing and buying process! The proper trailer plate arrived today as well via Purolator.

(Yoda Voice) Hmhmhmhmhm! First you must learn to be strong with the force! Telling you lake and lure I can not! Actually, the musky success I have been having this year is not just on the one lake... I changed a few of my methods and tactics (as well as finding 3 really, really hot lures) and it is paying off large! 2 months into the season, and 49 muskies have been landed in my boat! There is also no letters "O" and "N" in the kit... so I couldn't make a Q. They were used by the Legend guys to put the registration numbers on the boats they sell... including mine. But I did come up with a name, and had the letters to spell it. I will post it when I stick it on and put up my boat pics. Steve - hey, it's not nearly as nice of a ride as yours, but it is a big upgrade for me. Really looking forward to spring kitties again... that was so much fun. Chong - the orange gloves are made by Lindy... I think they are called "Fish handlers". They are not cheap ($25-30 each), but are worth every penny. They are made of some sort of kevlar type fabric that is cut and puncture proof. They have saved me twice already in the past month... I started wearing them again after getting sliced open pretty badly by a 44" earlier this year, and after hearing about Johnny Bass's thumb... yikes.

As some of you know, I have been selling off some of my excess tackle and gear... I have been saving my pennies for a while with a boat upgrade in mind. This week, it happened. Posted the old ride on Kijiji, had it sold and gone in 13 hours!!! I picked up the new ride on Thursday evening... so naturally, I had to take her out for a test ride on Friday. It is a simple boat, a 16' Legend Prosport tiller, and I kept my Honda 30 from the old boat. I really love the layout of this boat, wide open concept, livewell, casting deck with storage... perfect for my fishing needs. Anyways, I will post some boat pics later after I install the seats, etc... so on to the fishing report! I got on the water at 1pm, and had around 3 hours to try the boat out and catch some fish! The boat rides great, and feels really solid. She does almost 50km/hr (30mph) with just me in there! After ripping around for a bit, the urge to ger her slimed took over, and I started fishing. It only took ten minutes to hook into my first musky of the day - and she was a good one! Quickly fought her to boatside, and she looked to be around a thick 42 or 43... I reached for the net, and she took a hard run... SNAP! My damn lure broke in half!!! This marks the first time I have ever had a lure fail on me... GRRRRR!!!! I hate the thought of leaving a musky swimming with hooks dragging from their yap... hopefully it loosens up and falls out soon. I had a spare of the same lure, and quickly put it on... and was soon into another one. I didn't take a measurement, but she was mid 30's. Sorry for the crappy picture quality, as I was flying solo, I only took videos of the fish releases, and took the pics from screen shots in the video. Boat traffic became an issue in this area, so I moved... and was soon rewarded with what was to be the best one of the day, around a 38 or 39. Two more followed, smaller ones. The fifth and final ski of the day had a massive tumour on its back, somewhere between the size of a tennis ball and a softball... just in front of the tail... yuk. She could not have been very hydrodynamic with that thing slowing her down! I released her at boatside without using the net. This is the first ski I have seen from this lake with one of these growths. Final tally... 3 hours on the water, 2.5 of them spent fishing... 4/5 on muskies. Not a bad way to break in the new ride! The only bad thing that happened was that when I got back to the launch, there was a MASSIVE lineup of people coming in and out... at least 10! Some of them were, well, less than efficient at the launching process... it took me well over an hour to get my turn. I was and out in well under two minutes, doing it alone! Take some notes people... it's not rocket science! Anyways, the new boat needs a name... I was going to call her "Quest for 50" like the last one, but the lettering kit (which was a freebie) has no friggen Q in it LOL! Any ideas?

No worries Lew, I only posted because he didn't have the price listed above... thought if you guys knew it was only for $80 that it might change things! It will go at that price, no doubt...

LOL Dan... for that comment I'm going to get Henry at Legend to poke holes in your new floor! I'm heading up there tomorrow to pick up a little sumting!

The price of the Fenwick Musky Rod/Abu C4/65lb powerpro combo was $100, but Ryan (or someone else if you guys have scared him off) can have it for $80 if he wants it... it worked fine for me, handled all the Kawartha muskies I caught on it (biggest was a 44") just fine! I just have too much stuff... I thought I was offering somebody a bargain, even at $100! No, it is not a St. Croix/Calcutta TE combo, but it is not $650+ either!

Accurate measurement as in not exaggerated? I can honestly say that I have never, ever posted a fishes size with an inflated measurement. What's the point? They are what they are. It is usually pretty obvious in pictures when someone plays that game... If I ever get a 49.9" though, I will either kill myself or pull on his tail until he gets that extra 1/10th of an inch LOL!!! I want to be on one of Terry's $50 bills!!!