solopaddler

Yep I had my dog out on Friday and pulled several off of her, couldn't believe it.

Jos will be the first person I call, thanks guys.

Absolutely. Although it's really quite clear in the reg's.

Congrat's Rob, big news!

Awesome, thanks.

I cannot believe you're using the Saugeen as an example! Yes the runs have improved because of stocking, BUT they're not stocking hatchery mutants they're taking wild brood stock from the river, rearing them to smolt size and releasing them. They're not tampering with what's already a vibrant wild strain. In addition they've opened up miles of headwater nursery waters for steelhead to spawn in. The Saugeen is likely the largest coldwater trib in southern ON when all of it's substantial feeder streams are factored in. YES the run was given a kick start by stocking, BUT the fishery is intended to be and WILL be self sustaining and viable. I cannot believe you are criticizing the efforts of CRAA, seriously? Have you fished the river at all this past year? I'm guessing not because you seem to look down on it for whatever reason. How are you making out fishing the estuary in your kick boat? I can tell you this the Credit has fished better these last few months than I've ever seen it. Not since the early 80's have I experienced angling of this quality. Best part is they are mostly WILD fish and CRAA is entirely responsible. You really need to rethink your misguided perceptions.

Technically yes, they're genetically the same fish. But wild west coast strains have evolved an anadromous lifestyle and are genetically "preprogrammed" to be migratory. Also the specific west coast strains that have been stocked in the great lakes exhibit noticable physical differences between inland non migratory rainbows, ie, they're longer and leaner.

Well, not exactly. Anadromus refers to fish that live in the salt and run fresh water rivers to spawn. Technically our fish are potanadromous, look it up. As far as steelhead vs rainbow trout, most of our naturally reproducing "steelhead" have genetic roots that can be traced back to a variety of different west coast strains of anadromous steelhead. Genetically they're identical. They have adapted over generations to life in the great lakes, remain migratory, but have timed their spawning runs to best suit our climate and the water temps and levels encountered. Based on genetics alone and the fact that these fish exhibit a similar life history I have zero problems calling them steelhead. There are some notable exceptions, a prime example being the mutts that the State of Pennsylvania stocks by the millions into their streams. Their closest relatives are in the fish tanks at Fortinos LOL! Rest assured Brian, the river that you fish has runs of what I'd consider to be true steelhead.

Fishing World, seriously? That would be handy, thanks. I was wondering about Jos at Angling Outfitters as well. Not sure if he sells bowmounts though.

HAHA! Agreed, nice haul Ryan.

Hey guys can anyone point me in right direction? I'm looking to purchase a Minn Kota Terrova, who's got the best prices in the GTA? I can find plenty of decent prices online in the States, but for something like this I want to shop locally and I'm not exactly sure where to go.

Did anyone notice this response? Shane beat me to it. If using braid (which seems to be the trend these days) consider using a tiny 2-way "ant" swivel to connect braid and fluoro leader. At the end of your fluoro leader tie on the smallest cross lock snap you can get away with. The cross lock snap WILL NOT hamper the lures action and the tiny inline swivel will elininate line twist if using spinners. This combination has saved me a TON of money as well. Small two way swivels and cross lock snaps are super strong and waaay cheaper than buying a bunch of expensive ball bearing snap swivels. Have you seen how much the quality snap swivels go for? It's ridiculous.

Interesting. That's always been a favourite color of mine too, I've got at least 6 identical ones in my collection. If you're really desperate you can have them for $25 each LOL! Recently I've had very good success on the piers using a very different spoon. Short fat, compact spoons like the KO Wobbler and Moonshine Glow Spoons in a variety of colors have been lethal. Point is, it's a good spoon, but not the be all and end all trust me.

This is wrong on so many levels it's laughable. Your refrain is becoming tiresome, seriously. I appreciate your obvious passion for the sport and you're no doubt an excellent angler, but your thoughts regarding conservation and improving the fishery are ill conceived. I'm not going to offer a counter argument, it's been done ad nauseum countless times on this and other boards over the years every time you start to spew your rhetoric. No one will ever convince you otherwise, but consider giving it a rest.

No need to apologise, that was the best laugh I've had all day!

Yeah, Dog Lake can be a tough nut to crack, beautiful lake though! If you don't mind my asking what's your budget? Shoot me a pm if that's okay. I may have a really good option for you in that area.

Was that a freudian slip?

Wait 'till the sun burns off the fog, take another pic, post it and ask again.

Check out this post of mine from last September. I know this is a lot further than you wanted to go, but honestly it was amazing. My buddy who is an avid hunter said it was by far the best bird shooting of his life. Nobody up there hunts them, the population is huge and what really blew him away were the amount of sharptails. According to him he has friends that fly out west to hunt them and this experience was better. As far as the fishing goes it was fantastic. The cabins are decent, prices are cheap and the hosts John and Karen are great. VERY highly recommended! http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58242&st=0&p=637672&hl=Nakina&fromsearch=1entry637672

This is the third GSP I've had. The one male we had was always taking off. Ultimately that's how he met his demise as he was hit by a car. (and that was after scaling a 10' kennel fence then leaping over a standard height chain link fence to escape) Once when I was driving the car at about 60K he saw a squirrel and leaped right out the open window and hit the ground running LOL! Both females including my current dog are much more laid back and will not run off. That's been my experience, can't say for sure if this is a common trait based on gender. All of my dogs loved the water. Our current dog will swim all day long if you let her...but she hates cold water. Right now she'll charge right in, but won't go deeper than her legs. If I throw a stick for her into deeper water this time of year she looks at me like I'm an idiot then makes this weird growly sound in her throat LOL!

Very cool, it's entirely probable I've fished the same lake.

Nothing gets by the gauntlet of rubes camped out down there fishing out of season. (that was sarcasm ) There are no official numbers, but I've heard the run of steelhead has been estimated to be 15,000 plus.

Wow, I sure didn't expect this type of response, but okay I'll bite. Truth be told I get a large portion of my roe at the fish cleaning stations in late August when the charter guys come in. They just toss it in the trash. I'll also admit to harvesting the odd female from south shore Erie trib's where it's an entirely put and take fishery. Nice try though. There's bad apples in every lot. By and large though river fishermen display a lot more concern for the fishery and for conservation in general. The average Joe Blow who books a corporate charter once a year for him and his coworkers and fills the coolers in the process is much more destructive. Why is there a 2 fish limit in the rivers and 5 in the lake? Could the answer boil down to money? Anyhow, thanks for coming out.

Don't want to open a can of worms here, but the biggest issue is the multiple limits of 5 fish that the charter guys keep in the summer on a regular basis. The short sightedness of our MNR never ceases to amaze me. You are of course correct as well Joe. Angler harvest in the rivers no matter the time of year (the equation remains the same whether it's spring,fall or winter) is definitely a concern. Personally I see more catch and release happening on the river than ever before so things are improving, albeit with the speed of a glacier.

We have a 11/2 year old female, just a fantastic dog. I got her from a breeder in Lindsay, and unfortunately she won't have any pups available in the forseeable future. I don't have much to add beyond this; do not get this breed unless you have the necessary time to invest in it. They're a super high energy breed and need daily runs. They're also super smart, very loyal and affectionate. I'm more than a bit biased, but good choice!