jimmer

A muskie can be released at the side of the boat without removing it from the water, so a net isn't always required. The message is not to take the fish out of the water and have it flop all over the place while removing the hooks. Yes, the net definitely makes life easier, but isn't mandatory. Have a good set of pliers and cutters handy. Using spinner baits with a single hook makes them very easy to release. Now if you plan on using a 9"-12" plug with 3 trebles, you should use a muskie net or cradle (much safer for you). This heat will have an impact on how fast you can release a muskie so take your time once you get the hooks removed, so the fish can recover and swim off on its own steam. There are probably plenty of videos on the internet that can assist anyone that wants to learn the proper way of releasing a muskie. Check out Muskies Canada website. Just put in a lot of time. Try trolling the weedlines, slow down and cast the same weedlines and try to get out on the water when the boats are at a minimum. The west side of Big Island is a great spot, so is the point off of Camp Maple Leaf.

The next one over, Pigeon.

What resort are you staying at? I live on the lake and depending on where you will be, I can give some pointers.

The fishing was kind of crazy on my home lake this past weekend. Too many boats running around , a ton of fishermen and what seemed like a dead lake for about 4 days, then Sunday night came and the lake was alive again.

Check Big Fat Bass site.

Also, great for filling pails if needed.

Bring it back to CT and tell them it doesn't work. They should give you a new one. Stick with Minn Kota, it would be a mistake to go to MG.

Live.to.Fish You should definitely join Muskies Canada. Just like anything we choose to do in life, being trained properly will speed up the learning process by years and it might even save some muskies lives in the process. Catching a muskie is one thing, but landing it properly and releasing it is another story. It took me 1/2 hour to release a big girl last night (I was alone, no camera, go figure, no entry in the tournament) that I caught accidentally on a small beetle spin fishing for panfish and walleye on a spinning rod. The stuff I learned from my past years of being in Muskies Canada allowed me to show some patience with the fish and know/feel when she was ready to swim away on her own. They get huge lactic acid build up from a long fight and probably go into shock. Without the experience I might have just let it go at the side of the boat and continued to troll without know she would have turn upside down and died. There was no way she would have survived if I didn't spend that time with her. That fish was probably over 20 years old, so we have to protect them as best we can. Just my thought.

Who knows when it's all going to stop. I guess never, they keep giving themselves raises! Therefore, another reason for a cash grab. Everytime I'm out on the water, we make a comment about some idiot that comes within ten-twenty feet at full throttle waving at us like we're their friends. If they only knew what we were saying about them. I don't know if some will ever het it.

I just replaced my fuel level gauge on my gas tank, because it became disfigured due to what I believe is an ethenal issue. I might have to try what others are , and use supreme gas from Shell and see if it makes a difference. Not that I like spending extra cash every week, but it might save me in the long run.

Luckily the couple wasn't hurt. I wonder if the guy had his Safe Boaters Card?

The point is, it is called an operators card not an owners card, so if you operate a boat in Ontario, you should have one. If I had my way, none of us should have to get one. I had operated a boat since I was ten years old and then at 50, I was told I needed an operators card and would have to take a "Test" to get it. My daughter and son-in-law own a trailer park and boat rental business that have to give the mini course and they are rescuing people all day, because the renters have no idea how to operate a boat, never mind the ethics and laws of the water. I agree that taking the course does nothing to improve a boaters ability if some of the boaters I run across on the water are any indication. The government should have thought about the tourist impact before they put such an idiotic requirement in place, but our laws shouldn't be based on what tourists want. IT'S JUST A MONEY GRAB! Try replacing one if you lose yours- $20 for one, $30 for two and so on. They recommend that you purchase numerous cards. My wife replaced her fishing licence by calling the MNR and it was in the mail within two weeks, no charge!

Everyone that operates a boat should have to get one, there shouldn't be any free passes otherwise the government is just confirming what everyone already knows, that it was a money grab from boat owners. Renters are probably the individuals that need to take the course more than the regular boaters.

Thanks Roe Bag, I will use the advice.

Catch and release is the best answer to all the concerns. Eat panfish! They taste better anyways.

I use amsoil 100:1 outboard mixture which is the best I can find. I might just have to check the adjustments on the carbs to ensure it is running the best it can.

Head to the island and fish the weedbeds around it and head east from there for some good patchy weeds. It's a fairly small lake so you shouldn't have any problems locating fish. Just look for any weedbeds in 8-10' of water and you should do fine with the pike, the mixed weedbeds are the best (cabbage and millfoil). Those weedbeds also hold huge LM Bass. There are some muskie in there and I have caught a few over the years. White Spinner baits work well. You can also head for the narrows into Baptiste Lake. There is some good muskie fishing along the shoreline in Baptiste once you go through the tight area of the narrows and it starts to open up towardds the lake. Watch for logs though.

Hey Roe Bag The residue is all on the outside of the moter housing, so I'm fairly sure that it is that single gasket at the base of the engine. I will probably change all the gaskets that I can if I tear it down in the future.

I hear you fisherman, but that's the motor I have. Even when I fix that gasket, it will still be going out through the exhaust. I looked at a four stroke when I purchased that motor, but the weights kind of scared me off the 4 stroke.

I already did that Roe Bag and was hoping that would have solved the problem. Man, I appreciate all the suggestions and advice. This forum is a keeper! I'll probably run it for the rest of the season and pull the powerhead over the winter to replace the gasket. It doesn't sound like it's something that will damage the engine.

I forgot to mention that there are a lot of other lakes in the area that might be worth trying if you are trailering a boat. Baptiste and Elephant Lake are good, Salmon Trout Lake is good at times, Hay Lake is also fun.

I understand it's a very sandy lake that has smallies and trout. Probably best to concentrate on the smallies during the summer. I have never heard of any amazing catches, but maybe it's one of those best kept secrets! Sometimes the smallies will be in deeper water on those lakes, look for them on the bottom of 25'.

Stick to the shorelines and weedbeds. I would go after bass for most of the day, but maybe walleye in the low light conditions. Jigs and twisters are one of the favourites for walleye in the kawarthas, try wacky rigs for bass, nice and simple, but deadly. Also topwater plugs if it's calm for bass. You will have your best walleye action around millfoil weeds. I think that you will find that the water is much clearer on Buckhorn, than on Rice, making the walleyes tougher to catch.

Thanks Bernie, that sounds like what it could be. Not that I'm looking forward to tearing the motor apart. Do you know if I will do any damage by running it like this?

How would you know if an exhaust port was plugged and what causes it?