Fisherpete

Nice collection of bass! I have been so busy chasing muskies that I have given my home lake (Rice) very little fishing time this year... after seeing your post, it may be time for a visit!

Awwww shucks... you fellers made me blush. Seriously though, this site has some truly great people, from Wayne (Irishfield) who offered to help me fix my boat rivets, to Skeeter who offered me some suckers for channel cat fishing (we ended up both going and having a great day on the water), to Lew who has me given sound advice on muskie gear... to Clive (Mepps) who hooked me up with a bunch of his fantastic pike/musky inline spinners and fluorocarbon leaders, and then showed me how to fish Pike at the Toronto Islands... Vince (vinnimon) who gave my brother a huge laker and some brewskies for dropping off a batch of lures to him... just to name a few! OFC rocks!

I have caught a few on a jitterbug, a few on a rapala skitter pop, and a few on floating rapalas that were just sitting on the surface right beside the boat. But as others have said, it is a pretty rare occurence... slow reeled minnow type baits (jointed rap, x-rap) have been my best night-time walleye lures by far.

When the water is dirty or muddy, you want lures that make lots of noise and vibration... like the rattling crankbait you caught that one on, or spinnerbaits. Solid dark, or very bright colours should help too. Nice bucketmouth by the way!

The 43" gave a great fight, almost snapped my rod when she powerdove at boatside! No pics of the 34", she was hooked badly and never left the water during the release process. The 40" is on video only, I will post the video once I get it off Al's camera. Did a bit of bassing the docks too, got 5 largies, but all were only around a pound or so.

Give you a dime to teach me how to catch a nickel!!! Nice bass Mike!!!

Just like Terry said... Legend has pretty darn competetive prices and a good selection... boats are pretty well made too, my brother has had the 14 Widebody for 5 years, it stays in the water from April to October, and it still does not leak a drop. They definately sell their packages underpowered, my bud Al picked up the 16' Xcite last spring... AWESOME boat to fish from, huge front deck and virtually everything you need in a fishing boat. It is rated for a 55, came stock with a 25. He upgraded to a 30, but it is just not enough. By the time you add up the weight of a trolling motor, 2 batteries, livewell with water and fish in it and a few passengers and gear, she struggles to plane. Spend the extra money on your initial investment - it will cost you far more later down the road to upgrade, and you will have poor performance from your rig too. I have had my eye on the 16 Prosport for the last few years... simple yet perfect rig for my needs. Would fly really nicely with my motor... Good luck with your hunt!

Yep, tiger. I can hear the growl.

Thanks Cliff. It is the first time I (we) have had to go thru this - very difficult. She is having another good day today, no pain at all, and quite talkative.

LOL "Ambidextrous" Al... I never said you ripped the rod out of my hands... BUT YOU WOULD HAVE!!! Muskie envy is a terrible thing!!! I have no idea why they kept hitting mine (we were using identical lures), only explanation is the muskie dance. You may have kept your dignity by refusing to do it, but see - I fished your butt off.

I know, but here it is... the ever elusive TARPON!!!!

Nice ski! They were certainly on yesterday. Hey Johnny, how's the thumb doing? Still Johnny Ninefingers?

Basstastic report! I haven't had a great bass day like that yet this year... and am still aiming for my first nickel (stuck at 4.7) Hmmm... maybe the muskie stuff should get put down for a minute... tempting!!!

That's a great smallie Cliff! I got the grand slam on that same lake earlier this year myself (although bass were not yet in season, they just liked my muskie lures) When I fish there with my bud Patrick, we always set that as a goal there... it can be done! There is actually a grand slam with a bonus species that can be had... know what I am talking about? (no, not carp silly!!!!)

As some of you know, my mother in law Charlene has been battling cancer for the past ten months. Despite intense radiation and treatment, the cancer spread rapidly, and she declined just as quickly. It was extremely difficult to watch such a strong, vibrant woman succumb to this terrible disease. Last weekend, we had to rush her to the hospital, and the doctors told us to brace for the worst - she would likely pass within 24-48 hours. She passed that mark, and as the week went on, she baffled the doctors and actually stabilized. On Sunday, they moved her from the critical ward to more of a long-term palliative care floor. What long-term means is anyone's guess - it could be days or weeks, but she is not ready to give up the fight just yet. We all love you mom, your pain will soon be gone, and you will be in a better place. To all the OFC members who have sent us kind words, thank you. Please say another little prayer for her tonight. With things a bit more settled, my wife ordered me to hit the water on Monday afternoon to relieve a bit of the stress from the last week and a half. Reluctantly (heh), I accepted, and headed to the lake for an afternoon fish with good friend Albert. A Stowmaster net is now a part of my musky gear arsenal, and we were determined to get it slimed on this day. We made good time, and got on the water a little after 2pm. Perfect mix of sun and cloud, nice little chop on the water... looked promising. Our plan was to fish some docks for bass first, and then go for muskie, but as soon as we launched the boat, there was a problem... the deep cycle battery was dead. Totally dead. No trolling motor, no electronics... not good. We headed for a group of nearby docks, and pulled a few rock bass and a largie off of them, but the wind and waves made it virtually impossible to stay in place without the trolling motor. We soon gave up on that, and moved on to muskies, which were also going to be a challenge without electronics. Although I know many general areas on this lake to fish by visual cues and landmarks, it is tough if not impossible to find that 'spot on a spot' without the sonar. I noticed that Al's Merc 30 had a pull cord, so I pirated the starting battery, and hooked it up to his main sonar unit. Success! We have a graph! His motor was actually not that bad to start with the pull cord as we found out throughout the afternoon. We soon found out that the muskies were not in a mood to nibble - they were feeding hard. Every hit was a violent explosion on the end of our lines. The final results : 6/6, with outstanding average size (33,35,40,41,41,43). All of them were thick, healthy fish. 5 of the 6 hit on my line, but Al brought in one of them (a 41"). When my rod went off on that one, Al sprang up and grabbed it like a bolt of lightening! I am a righty... he is lefty... didn't matter. He suddenly became ambidextrous! I think he might have thrown me in if I had asked for my rod back at that point!!! Al got big fish of the day, and a new PB for him @ 43". Throw in an incidental LM bass and walleye also on my line, and we had a very productive afternoon. I don't know what it is with the walleye on this lake - this marks five consecutive trips that I have caught them on big muskie lures. Overachievers I guess! The new net performed very well... but I have to say it takes some getting used to! When a 40"+ fish has room to run and hide from you, it is one big net... I also am VERY glad for having worn my Lindy fish glove today... while unhooking Al's 43", which was hooked very well, she thrashed and clipped my palm with her big teeth... I would have been ripped wide open if not for that kevlar palm. You could hear the "scrrrrrttttchhhh" as the teeth whipped across the material... yikes! Best $25 investment ever... Anyways, here are the pics... enjoy.

Nice variety of species in your report! And I hear you about boating miles and miles when the best fishing is often minutes from the launch... done that on MANY a lake...

Thanks guys, there is a NAPA about 10 minutes from me.

Couldn't find it at Canadian Tire... anyone know where to grab some in the GTA? I want to add some to the tank next time out.

The ones I use are made by Scotty, work with both spinning and baitcasters... $25 each or so. Seen them at Canadian Tire, Bass Pro, LeBaron... great for trolling, and I use them for still fishing too (cats, carp) http://image.basspro.com/images/images2/64000/64316-t.jpg

I have one of the Lindy fish handling gloves... they work really well (when you wear it!!!). I think LeBaron has them for $25 or so. http://images.ebsco.com/lindytackle/GloveAC951.jpg?w=225

Nice ride!!! Wonder what speed they get at WOT? Looks scary fast!

Looks like a nickel to me! Nice fish!

Nice... I will try that on my next trip.

Beauty! Kawarthas fish? Nice and thick. Can I ask if you were trolling or casting the bulldawg? I have so far caught zilch on mine, and have no confidence in it at the moment despite the fact that it looks oh-so tasty in the water.

No probs Wayne... as it turns out, I would not have been able to make it anyways - my mother in law, who has been battling cancer for the past nine months, has taken a turn for the worse. The doctors have not given her much time (probably only a few days). Fishing will be on the back burner for the next little while. Hope all goes well for your brother.