jimmer

I think that there are many large spinning reels that can do the job with heavy line. Geez, they use them in saltwater all the time. So if you're stuck on spinning combos, there are options. However, like most guys have said, baitcasters are the way to go. They are not that hard to learn if you use a quality reel. I can't wait to read your report in the fall. Good luck.

This is not 100% accurate. It doesn't list any bass, LM or SM, in the lake I was just fishing. I caught LM and saw baby SM.

I was just up in that area and was surprised that largemouth were my main catch and I think those lakes are all attached in some way (Gull River System)so that's why I would think that they are in Eagle.

If it's anything like any of the other Haliburton Lakes, the best time to target them is at dusk along any weeds edges you can find. The north end of the lake is best from what I hear. I would definitely start with a twister and then tip it with a minnow if there is no luck. Crankbaits are also worth a try.

Smallies and Lakers for sure, I would also think that the are largemouth in there also. You generally have to put in the time to find the spots that are holding fish, Look for any kind of weed in deeper water and start there using tubes and wacky rigs, get the bait to the bottom right on the edge. Look for any rocky shoals and use the same baits. Use naturaly colour baits in the clear water. You can try for lakers, but they are tougher at this time of the year. Try vertical jigging in deeper water for lakers.

You have something special going on there! I'm envious of those river opportunties that you shared with us. I love sushi and that looks so good.

It's not always about catching a muskie. Talk to some long in the tooth muskie hunters and they say they get the enjoyment out of using new lures and the hunt itself.

That's a low value to place on our fishery. :-( That is blatantly disregarding the regs and the penalty should be more severe. My two cents.

Don't give up! is the first tip I can give you. They are one of the toughest fish to catch. My buddy and I talk about this all the time when we're out chasing lunge. There are times when you will get numerous fish in a day and then go through stretches on the water where you think the lake was dead. That's where we lose the novice muskie angler! Elephant and Baptiste have muskie, but not a large population and we don't know the effects the pike have had on them. The narrows between the lakes has produced muskie for me in the past. Follows rarely happen for me anymore on Pigeon Lake, maybe they don't need to follow anything because of the amount of forage available to them. Twenty years ago we would get a follow everytime I was out, so I don't understand that. I have heard good things about Moira, so it's worth a try. Try not to get carried away with spending a fortune on tackle until you're sure this is for you. Basic baits like you mentioned should get you into another one eventually and I'm sure we'll see a picture posted on this website when it happens! Just my thoughts. Happy Angling!

It would be nice if a new owner took over, but that place is worth over a million bucks and with tourism being a tough go, it's hard to sell something like that. It might eventually go to a developer.

That is an invisible flower in my books!

It's ghost town, I don't see any leadership going on there. I don't think that the new owner followed Gary and Judy's advice on doing the show circuit in the states to keep it full. I get saddened everytime I go by the place in my boat. It used to be a hopping place full of tourists that had visited for generations.

It's tough to lose a fish like that, but there are no survivors when it comes to commercial fishing. It doesn't have to breed to be someone's trophy, that fish could have provided a few anglers with the PB laker over the next decade. Why does everything have to be biological when placing value on wildlife? I hear you Drifter!

Man, those look awesome!

I don't think there is one in Peterborough anymore, if you can believe it and it's right in the middle of the Kawarthas. Sounds like there is still a few around TO to choose from. Is that larger chain and on-line sales finally having a negative effect on the little guy?

Just go fishing already! LOL

I'm just starting to see numbers showing up in the shallows and them acting like it's summer. Tough to get them to bite mid-day (also seeing some turn away), but the evening bite has been great. The rice has started to stand up on the lake I live on and that seems to have brought them into the shallows. Those Haliburton Lakes might be a little behind because of the deeper water. I had a friend who said he saw some bass on beds about 2 weeks ago. Just some of my observations.

You should seriously look at the Bay of Quinte Region. There is a lot of water to fish, endless species and the chance to catch a trophy of any species. The Hay Bay area is nice and can give you some protection from the wind if it blows up. Trenton, Belleville, Deseronto, Picton are a couple of places to start looking. Punch it in on google and see what resorts come up. I will never understand why some resorts won't rent for a couple of days when they are half empty and the competition for business is fierce? If you want to go north, try Opeechee Lake lodge in the Martin River system. It's a small lake with Walleye, Pike and Bass. Nice structure and no other cottages that I can remember (maybe a few. They include boats in the rentals. It's worth looking into.

I was hoping it would never hit us here after seeing so much of that down in Florida. No respect I say! It sure can ruin a nice trip to the waterfront. I don't call them anglers/fishermen, because if they were, they wouldn't leave a mess or a bag of perfectly good fish because they are too lazy to clean them.

I don't think they care. The lack of respect regarding certain things in our society has gone down the tubes lately.

Is there anywhere in Ontario that allows 3 lakers? I don't know of anywhere around the kawarthas that allows more than two. Not only was he caught, he is lying by saying it was a mistake. I'm pretty sure he knew what he was doing. This should be a lesson to all poachers that you will eventually be caught if you're breaking the fishing regs! Well, I guess I'm off to catch my daily limit of 8 bass. LOL

I'm the opposite of you Harrison. I avoid Buckhorn during the Emerald Island Tourney. I can catch some during pre-fish, but can't catch a break during the tourney. Much more luck on Chemong! I always love how everyone begs for Pigeon to be opened for that tourney. It's just the time of year and that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it. I do think that those 7 + lbers that were caught a few years back came out of Buckhorn.

What's normal???? Example: Check out some of the weigh-ins at a bass tournament. Top team has 21 lbs and the last place team is skunked. Maybe the bottom ten have weighed in one or two bass. The next tournament might be completely different and those guys on the bottom are now the top ones. Are you fishing a kawartha lake or a northern little lake that no one fishes? I've had a 25 fish 4 hour excursion, then lucky to catch one the next day. I have fished Paudash lake and caught 10" fish all day long, I don't consider that a highly successful day, but it's sure fun if you have something grabbing at the end of your line. I agree that if I'm catching 2-3 fish every hour, I'm having a good day.

I agree with you about the structure and it being a more interesting lake to fish Jer. I just can't catch fish out of it anymore :-(. It used to be one of my favourite destinations.

Concentrate on any weedbeds you can find, the thicker the better. Fish the outsides first then move into the pockets in the weeds. You should get walleye and bass doing this. You can use jigs or texas rigs for this application. Let me know if you find a concentration of Crappie, they tend to disappear in the summer. Bass are liking the wacky rigs fished slow around the weedbeds. Muskie are around the weeds or suspended out over the deeper water. Try spinner baits over the weeds or larger cranks over deeper water. Have also been seeing a lot in shallow around the pads. Buckhorn is my least favourite of the three.