solopaddler

Looks like a gorgeuos spot, nice report!

Can't believe I almost missed this! Great job Cliff you're truly a man of many talents .

Nice report Cliff, great to see you guys managed to help each other out and catch a few fish in the process.

That was great bud, you've definitely got a knack for story telling!

Nice report Mike, considering the conditions it was a miracle to get anything! Those waves did look a bit rough out there...

Wow, talk about extreme weather, bet you guys were glad you had that huge tent with the woodstove! Fantastic report and even better pictures bud. Would have loved to have seen some pic's of the launch and the take-out (I'll assume it went a bit better this year?). Quite the load of gear you guys hauled in there, you definitely don't suffer on these trips!

The vast majority of the lakes in northern Ont are surrounded by crown land, picking just one isn't easy. Here's what you can do though, pick an area that interests you. Once you have an area picked call the closest MNR office and ask to speak to a district biologist. I've done the very same thing countless times over the years and some of my best back lakes have been discovered that way. They're generally more than happy to point you in the right direction and the info is always solid.. Good luck

Fantastic, thanks for posting!

6.4 lb's

Brook Trout in lakes: Beaver lodge adjacent to deep water. Brook Trout in large northern rivers: The smooth, deep, swift flowing slick found right at the brink of heavy rapids or falls. Musky and large Pike: Saddle between 2 small islands adjacent to deep water. Walleye in lakes (summer): Large mid-lake shoal surrounded by deep water topping out at 17-20' (seems to be the magic depth in tannin stained lakes). Steelhead: Tailout of long classic pool with moderate (3-4') depth. Largemouth Bass: Large fallen trees extending out into deep water. Smallmouth Bass: Windswept shorelines with moderate depth and baseball to basketball sized rocks. Lake Trout: Well defined, deep (30-60') main lake narrows. Great topic!

Actually I'm dead serious.

It's north a few km's outside of town on the right side, can't miss it. Couple things: You should be able to get one for 200 bucks, not sure what his prices are now but I wouldn't spend any more. Second, make sure you clean and rinse the tank THOROUGHLY before you use it. They're usually used for spraying pesticides...

Rene beat me to it, LOL! You can't miss them, they're at the end of their driveway right on the road. That's where I bought the tank for my camp .

I've looked at them, but just can't get past the rear suicide doors. Very inconvenient.

That was funny. Ahh to be young again...

Yep, and it was the best vehicle I've ever owned. Felt like something different for a change but probably shouldn't have strayed.

It's already been said, but have a great trip bud! The lake you're flying into is one of my all time favourites. (don't forget the minnow trap)

There's already been some solid advice, can't really add to it. More importantly congrat's on the house, that's big news!

Yep, I've looked closely at both of those vehicles. The Mazda 5 is the smallest minivan on the market, but still has worse gas mileage than the Odyssey and doesn't have the resale value. The XTrail is interesting. Only sold in Canada for 3 years (05-07), never sold in the States. Sold in Europe for years and very popular over there. By all accounts a good vehicle and very fuel efficient. Problem is I can buy a CRV for the same coin and I doubt the XTrail will hold it's value as well.

You're right, there's plenty of "curbsiders" as we call them around here. If anyone's buying privately and something doesn't feel right it's best to just walk away. You can also spend the 20 bucks and get a carfax report on the vehicle. If you're careful and do your homework you won't get burned.

I know they're competetive as far as private dealers go, but they're definitely, 100% overpriced. First off 90% of the vehicles on that lot are coming off leases and have around 100 thousand km's on them. They're priced roughly 2-3K more than they should be, plus you're paying 2 taxes. (I'll only ever buy privately. More room to haggle, plus only one tax). If you know where and how to look it's easy to find plenty of good deals out there...

As mentioned I've already got a Honda Accord. The 2nd vehicle needs the cargo capacity to take the whole family up north with all our gear, something I do on a regular basis. I actually looked at a Jetta TDI diesel wagon, doesn't get much more practical or fuel efficient than that. It just wasn't quite big enough though...

Actually Mike the boat stays up north at my camp year round so pulling power isn't necessary. I'm definitely going to consider the Odyssey, it's a very practical choice. It's just hard for me to give up the 4WD though... When I move at the end of June my commute will be about 30 minutes one way on mostly country roads, so not too bad. As far as the Subarus go, yes the 6cyl version of the Outback and Forester aren't too great, but the base model with the 4cyl engine is very good. And Bill, I'm definitely keeping the Highlander in mind, I kind of like them. If I can find one at the right price I'll be taking a close look. Thanks again everyone for the input, it's a big decision that I'll likely have to make pretty quickly sometime in the next week or so and I don't want to make another mistake!

Okay, well as mentioned I recently bought 2 vehicles. The first is a no brainer: 2005 Honda Accord sedan. Couldn't be happier with that one. I've been fighting the inevitable (buying a minivan) for years. I still needed something with size 'cause of the 2 kids, and was attracted to the ones with AWD for my own needs. This is the other vehicle I bought in Feb: 2005 Ford Freestyle. Considered a "crossover" vehicle, it's got AWD and a huge amount of cargo space. Built on a Volvo chasis, it's got a CVT (continuously variable) transmission. Absolutely LOVE the vehicle, but the gas is killing me!

That was a pleasure to read, I love brook trout .