Fisherpete

I was on holidays last week, and got to spend a few days up at the cottage on Rice Lake. Compared to a month ago, the weeds have really died back, and many of my fave spots are now castable (weeds nicely spaced and a few feet below the surface). Both the bass and the walleye were really on (the walleye mostly in the evening), and were aggresively hitting everything from spinnerbaits, x-raps, crankbaits and plastics around the docks. I caught 3 OFAH award bass, my brother got 2 and his friend one. Not bad for a weekend, especially when there was a tournament going on and LOTS of boats out there!!! Here's some of the pics. Here's a nice 24.5" Walleye taken on a X-rap at dusk, yes, 24.5", only 0.5" short of an OFAH award.... grrrr... the walleye one has been a challenge for me the past few seasons, lots of 22-24" class fish... My brother Paul with a chunky 18.5" Largemouth also taken on an X-rap, same location as the walleye above. Yes, his friend (Curtis) is a GOOFBALL. But we have converted him into a hardcore fisherman this year!!! Two bigmouths! I snuck out by myself at 5:30am the next morning while everyone else was passed out after boozing by the campfire. I was not dissapointed with the fishing action... after watching the tournament boats roar down the lake, I stopped at a thick weedbed and got into this nice 18" Largemouth, my first OFAH award bass of the year. I need to rig up a tripod or something, pics of the fish like this just don't cut it!!!! After a few more largies, I moved to my fave smallie spot, a rocky shoal with steep drop-offs around the edges. I soon got into a few spunky 13" fish, then a 15". Soon after the 15", two boats who had been watching me pulled up literally within 20 feet of me and started casting. Do I need to share how this feels? I could have taken to the offensive, but who feels like fighting this early in the morning. I used the electric, and scooted to the other side of the shoal. On went the crayfish shad rap, out goes the cast, and WHAM! Fish on! I knew it was a biggie as soon as it was on, but it didn't give your typical acrobatic-headshaking smallie fight, felt more like having a big walleye on. First glimpse of the fish, and my heart started to pound, damn, going to be interesting netting this guy on my own!!! But she was well hooked, and I landed her without much of a problem. I was all smiles at this point, already planning my bragging to the boys when I headed back in! The smallie was a touch over 20", a personal best and OFAH award #2 of the trip. It also completed my 5 species for the OFAH Avid Angler award. My 5 qualifiers were a 32" Carp, 39" Musky, 10.5" Rock Bass (aka World's Greatest Sportfish), 18" Largemouth and now 20" Smallmouth. At this point, I called it a morning, and headed back to the island, where I was met with cries of "Why didn't you wake me!!!!!!! I would have come with you!!!!" Part 2 of this post to follow below...

Hit my fave pike spot with my bud this morning for about 5 hours, and man were they on! At first the day started slow with only 5 small ones caught in the first few hours, but then we moved to the other end of the bay and from 10am-12 noon we caught 15 pike, had just as many follows and many other attacks (misses) on our lures! Many were in the snot-rocket category, but a half dozen or more were in the mid 20" range, with the best 4 coming in at 26", 26", 29" and 29.5". Made for a fun day on the water! Lure of choice today : good old red & white Daredevle!

Well, the weather certainly was hot and the fishing was too... fished for a total of 23hrs (14 saturday 9 Sunday) and all that time on the water certainly paid off. All 3 Muskies (36", 39" and 43.5") came off the same drop off point, within a few hundred metres of each other, and there were 2 other followers as well. 8 walleye were caught, 6 of the 8 being in this lake's slot size. Some OOS LM and SM were also thrown in the mix. All fish were released this weekend, we had enough steaks & burgers in the cooler already! Best time of the day was early morning, there was heavy boat and watercraft traffic later in the day which messed things up. X-Raps were a hot bait this weekend, as well as inline spinners. I was really suprised at the lack of weed growth in the lake, things seem a few weeks behind last year despite water temps being in the low 70's. Rice Lake by comparison is already choked up and has been for weeks now. Hit the "Grand Slam" on Sunday, I caught all 4 major species for this lake (LM, SM, Walleye & Muskie). Back to the city for a day... back on the lake Tuesday!

That would be great, thanks Misfish

The boat is a 16ft deep V and is actually rated for up to a 40hp. When I have a passenger on board and sitting near the front it helps keep the boat on a better plane, or even when ther water is calm I have no problems, but when gets choppy and I am alone the front of the boat is up too high. I was thinking of getting one of those fins (hydrofoils?) that go on the motor, supposedly they help with this problem. Anyone out there use one and like them?

Anyone have any links to sites with plans on how to do this? I put in 2 flat floor sections between the bench seats, which are pretty good, but would rather build a deck on top of the seats starting from the mid row bench all the way to the front of the boat. Maybe put in a pedestal seat and a flip-open storage area underneath? One more question - I find my boat has too much weight near the back, with a 30hp 4 stroke Honda, 2 batteries, transom mount trolling motor, etc., is it advisable to run longer wires from the motors to the batteries and maybe put the batteries somewhere near the front of the boat? Thanks for any input! Here's a pic of the boat.

I was emailed this today from a friend, don't know what to make of it, but pretty cool regardless!!!! "A guy who lives at Lake Conroe (50 miles north of Houston ) saw a ball bouncing around kind of strangely in the lake and went to investigate. It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!! The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface. The guy tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish. You probably wouldn't have believed this, if you hadn't seen the following pictures... "

Rowboat was right on, any kind of wind and they are a terror to paddle as they don't 'glide' on top of the water but more plow thru it. I bought one last year to paddle from the mainland to my parents cottage on Rice Lake (BEFORE I bought my own boat LOL), whick is only a few hundred metres, and if it was calm as glass no problem, but when the chop was there I might as well have swam over. As far as fishing from it, I wouldn't even consider it unless staying VERY near to shore.

Sweet... does anyone have the same type of map for Lake Dalrymple?

Hey guys! Looking for some advice/input on how to install a bow & stern light on my new boat. The boat is a 16ft Tracker utility boat, no fuse panel or things like that. I have the lights already, and attaching them to the boat itself is no problem, and they both have electrical leads. Where do I go from here? I guess my questions are: 1) what kind of wiring to use, and where to get it 2) where to get some kind of toggle switch to turn lights on/off 3) which battery should I attach it to (starter one or deep cycle trolling motor one) Thanks! Would outdoor type wire from say Home depot do the trick?

Here's a few for ya...

Thanks for the input guys. I ended up buying a second battery and a charger just to run the trolling motor and the lights. Don't want to be caught way down the lake at the end of a long fishing day with a dead battery! Spent a few extra bucks and grabbed the Nautilus spiral core model from Canadian Tire, seems like a pretty good one, has a 4 yr warranty and apparently the spiral core ones can charge much faster than a normal battery. (?) I also noticed that I didn't mention above that the package I bought is used (if you can call purchased August of 2006 used!), but even so, I think I got a really good deal. Maiden voyage to be Saturday on Rice, time to open up the cottage. Here's one pic I have from the ad, I still haven't taken any myself LOL!

After looking at fairly crusty 10-15 yr old boats for the past month in the $3000 - $4000 range, a near new package came along yesterday that I just couldn't pass up. Here's the specs of what I got... 16 ft Tracker Deep V Guide Edition (2006) Custom built flat wood floor (carpeted) 30 HP Honda 4-Stroke (2006) Longshaft tiller Outboard with electric start Deep cycle battery 4 new Mustang lifejackets Rubbermaid storage bin for lifejackets, etc. Northland trailer 5 security items (trailer wheel immobilizer, cable lock for motor, bar lock for motor, hitch lock & ball blocker lock) Portable Eagle 128 fish finder Boat safety kit 3 Clamp on swivel boat seats 46lb thrust transom mount Minn Kota electric trolling motor Navigation lights (need to be wired in though) Boat cover with straps Anchor "Muffs" to run it with the garden hose Paid $6500 for the package, more than I wanted to spend on a boat, but this boat far exceeds anything I had dreamed of in that price range. I will post some pics soon... Can't wait to take her out this weekend on Rice! Now here's my dumb question for the day. Does the Honda engine charge the battery for me or will I have to manually recharge it? I looked thru the owners manual and on the www.honda.ca website, and it looks like the electric start comes equipped with a 10A alternator (the pull start has a 6A). There is just the two wires hooked up from the battery to the motor. What about running the trolling motor from the same battery? Does it still charge enough to keep the battery full? Help! thanks for the help guys!

Anyone know a good repair shop in or around Toronto where I could take a 25hp Evinrude (1990?) for repairs to the pull cord mechanism and also the fastener that holds the engine to the transom? This is my first time taking in an engine for repair, any ideas what the ballpark $ would be? Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

Wow, tough call, but I think I would have done the same thing in that situaution. To me, the compassion aspect would not really have been the deciding factor. By the time you saw that fish, it was already dead, and hopefully you giving the lecture to the son will have impacted his future behaviour. Now, If I was out on the lake, and I saw my neighbour (or anyone else for that matter) with an OOS fish in his pail/livewell, and that fish still had a chance to live, I would not have been so forgiving... explain the regs, ask nicely for the fish to be returned, and then out comes the cellphone... I have had NUMEROUS instances on Rice Lake and Simcoe where I have had to advise shore fishermen that the fish in that pail better go back or else the authorities will be called. They always claim "Oh, I didn't know it was OOS" but ignorance is no excuse. You have to know the regs or don't put out a line!

Hey Albert! That new boat in the garage is just killing you huh!!!! LOL! Soon my friend, soon!!! Play some hockey in the meantime to reduce the stress!!! Fisherpete

Thanks guys, I will try and sneak over to take a few pics to post of the boat on Sunday. Fisherpete

Hey Fisherpeople, looking for a little advice on buying my first boat (used). A neighbor of mine up the street is selling it as they no longer have a cottage. The boat is a 15 or 16ft aluminum (forget the brand, I will go check today), the boat itself is in amazing shape. Comes with a trailer that needs a fresh coat of paint, and a 25hp Evinrude (1990 I think he said). He said the motor runs amazing, and was tuned up summer '05 with new plugs, etc. The boat has a custom made snap down cover, and two plastic fold down seats mounted on the benches. Comes with 5 new lifejackets as well, paddles, etc. He wasn't actually planning on selling it, but I saw the boat sitting there all summer and I knocked on his door and asked him! I think he is looking for between $2000 and $2300, which seems like a very fair price. Obviously, I am going to take the boat down to the lake for a spin first to test for leaks and see how the motor runs. Any thoughts? What should I look at on the trailer to know if it is functional? thanks! Fisherpete

I have the Energy PTI size 3 on one of my Muskie rods, and a size 3 Catalyst PTI on the other. (Yes, I use spinning reels for Muskie - hate baitcasters) Both are amazing. I also have a Shimano Stradic 2500, whick was quite a bit more expensive than either of these, and I prefer the Quantum reels. By the way - bass pro shops has a sale on starting next weekend, bring in any used working reel to trade in and you will get a coupon towards a new reel - the more expensive the reel you will buy, the more the coupon is worth... for the Energy PTI I think you will get $25 off for your trade in. (I bought mine at their sale last year doing just this). Have fun! I might be there picking up another Energy myself... Fisherpete

Actually Kemper 8x250 = 2000 HP!!!!! I think he needs more LOL! Fisherpete

Cdn Tire has them as well, they were actually on sale last time I was in there. Not sure if they still are though, that was a few weeks ago.

Oh man, my computer is full of this kinda stuff...

Well, it was a good soft water season except for the fact that there were only 2 Musky trips this year for me... here's some of the pics. Featuring myself (Fisherpete) my brother (Fisherpaul) good friend (Fisherpat) and my son (Fishernick). Enjoy! (And bring on the ice already!!!!) Fishernick with a nice Crappie Fisherpete with a nice LM bass and another 28.5" Pike Greedy lil pike that hit a Mepps #7 Giant Killer! Fisherpete with a Carp Nice LM Fisherpaul with PB 18" SM Bass Fisherpete nice LM Fisherpaul with a catfish that hit a J-13 jointed Rapala!?!?! Pics part 2 Fisherpete PB smallie in net Fisherpete PB 17.5" Smallie Fishernick with nice smallie Fisherpat PB smallie net shot Fisherpat PB 19.5" SM Bass (fought like a CHAMP) Catfish? Patfish? Fisherpete nice smallie Another nice LM Another And another Pics part 3 Fisherpat's PB 18.5" LM That IS a largemouth! Fisherpaul with a teeny ski Fisherpat with PB 38" Muskie

had a similar experience last summer with a 34" Musky my buddy caught, and then I caught the same fish, in the same spot, with the SAME LURE two weeks later!!! (Mepps #5 glow) I guess this guy didn't learn his lesson the first time! Here's the 2 pics...