solopaddler

I walk my dog at Binbrook lake almost every day, it's been ice free for a week now.

Brian, stay away from it. On my end I havn't purchased and used any of the so called "steelhead" shot that's on the market in years. Main reason being it is difficult to close and will slide around on your line. On top of that it's more expensive. I buy round Water Gremlin shot in a variety of sizes. It's super soft, will not slide on your line and is way cheaper, especially when you buy the bulk bags. My only issue with it is the bright silver color. What I've been doing for a long time is bathing the shot for a few hours in a small amount of Liquid Plumber. It turns the shot jet black.

Well done gents.

You can rationalize it anyway you like, spew statistics ad nauseum, but you can't tell me that 26,000kg's of fish removed by nets isn't harming an already threatened fishery. I'm sick and tired of a certain faction that is so politically correct regarding this issue, walking on eggshells and skirting the true problem. Political correctness be damned. Unfortunately no truly decisive action will be taken by our government until it's too late.

Johhny Mathews played a part for sure, but the two driving forces behind the program are Dave Weber of Camp Sagamesing and Tom Beck of Parolin's Camp. Both have devoted countless hours to the program and continue to do so. It hasn't been stopped either, it's still going strong. I toured the hatchery facilty with Tom Beck when I was up there in Feb.

For those of you stating that walleye stocking is a band aid solution and isn't the answer I beg to differ if done properly. Just south of Nip lies Memesagamesing lake. A large deep, clear shield lake that's part of the Pickeral River system. When we first fished this lake 27 odd years ago catching a walleye was a rarity. There was a remnant population but certainly not fishable numbers. Can't remember the exact year but round about 15 years ago the outfitters and cottagers association on the lake started their own walleye hatchery run by volunteers all with the MNR's blessing. They net wild native fish from the lone spawning creek each spring, strip them of eggs and milt, then hatch and raise the fingerlings in tanks adjacent to the spawning creek. When they're the right size they're released back into the lake. About 10 years ago the walleye population in that lake exploded and it's now an incredibly vibrant and healthy fishery with not only numbers of fish, but trophy sized fish. I've seen the results first hand and have been amazed, it's a true success story. The same thing could easily be done on Nip. But on Nip it would only ever be a band aid solution if native netting is allowed to continue.

Not Manitouwage. My sportspal on a back lake near my camp in QC. The only thing this post does for me is make me sick to my stomach. Doubt our fly in will be happening on May 11. Thanks for that Jason, appreciate it.

My bad. The photos of guys hoisting their fish for a pic indoors are a bit misleading.

Kind of surprising that people keep those big old cats.

Very nice.

The problem is there are no truly good options within a 5 hour drive. You really need to drive a bit further to have a decent experience. That's my personal opinion anyway.

I'm a big fan of Park's Fly In Fishing out of Chapleau. If you've seen any of the reports I've posted here on OFC over the years you'll know the fishing is great. Cheapest prices in the industry bar none and roughly a 7 hour drive from Newmarket to Chapleau if you use the Sultan road shortcut. He doesn't advertise 3-4 day trips on his website but I know he'll do them. Any questions shoot me a pm. Cheers http://www.outpostcamps.com/

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I knew Paul was a member here, but I had know idea you were Oliver! For the benefit of those who don't know, these two guys are primarily responsible for the fine photos displayed in this post and are just all around nice guys. You're both good men. 'Till next time gentlemen! Cheers

HAHAHA! Yep. Wish I would have thought of that! There should be. Adam's a friend, he was part of the crew on this trip.

Forgot to add this clip in my post. My buddy Paul morphed into Bubbles as he landed this nice steelhead.

Seven friends, myself included, travelled to the Salmon River on Lake Ontario's south shore last week for a few days of steelheading. It was a gathering of sorts and a meeting of very old friends and a couple of new ones. Under normal circumstances I'm a solitary creature when it comes to steelheading so this was a bit different and it made for a ton of fun. Shockingly when we arrived in Pulaski in the wee hours of the morning last Friday we were greeted with a full fledged snow storm. The lake effect snow hitting that little corner of the world was remarkable. It tapered off as we began to fish, but a good 8" fell adding to the already substantial base. Spring is here? Not in Pulaski it isn't. Rather than a long drawn out synopsis I'll let the photos do the talking this time. And finally Billy. He was thoroughly enamored with the girl in the Fat Nancy's ad, and curled up sound asleep with her next to him. (couldn't resist LOL!) Beautiful river, beautiful fish, and a great group of friends. Can't wait to do it again! Cheers

And an expired sticker. Triple whammy.

So your lead foot finally caught up with you eh Lou? (Flashback to our drive back from Nakina LOL!)

Yeah yeah I know. It's going to be a miracle if this trip pans out the way the spring is going. Here's hoping for a really warm April. Fortunately there's always Nipigon as a backup.

Agreed, and we'll do our darndest to sting every single aggressive fish before you arrive.

Whoa, steelheading as well? Halcyon days buddy.

Nice jumbos. I'm shocked that Phil actually fishes though.

One of my favourite places, thanks for posting! Been tweaking my arsenal recently for an mid May trip up there.