Raf

you could always try trolling a 9" grandma after dark.. this french r. victim liked it i would focus on low light periods and dont be afraid to go out after dark. troll minnow baits.

i rig the way GBW showed and add splitshot a foot ahead if the water's moving quick and/or deeper pool.

ewww this thread has old people reminiscing their about their youth in it..

was the water hot? did it take a while to land? perhaps a sign of a stressed fish.

on the big box front; if cabelas ever makes it to southern ontario, you guys will all quickly forget about bps. i make a point of visiting their locations when i am in the states. lebarons is alright for a mid sized place. jbs fishing depot gets the most of my business though.

1. Dick Pearson 2. Gord Pyzer 3. Ken O'brien on LOTW except for #3. for muskie of course.

not mine. i fish within 3 or less hrs of toronto biggest fish are caught through the ice, early in the spring or late in the fall.

or their significant other.

i like pike..

top raider

forego the glove(s) michael jackson. just grab the small ones over the top of the head, thumb and fingers just behind the gills.. firm grip but don't squeeze the life out of them. they'll usually settle down when you grab them light that. long nose pliers and mayhaps jaw spreaders are all you'll need.

i'm a aghast by the number of people who need their hand held by the gov't in order to feel safe on the water. use common sense folks! stop the needless legislation.

i would rethink your v8 vs 6 cyl reasoning. if the majority of your driving is on the highway, the v8s typically do as well as the 6 cyls and in some cases better than 6 cyls (esp. when towing) on the highway. they simply don't have to work as hard. in city driving, the v8s will typically be thirstier.

can't comment on the dakota but i've had my pseudo dodge for a few years and no complaints (jeep cherokee). Inline 4.0 that keeps on truckn' (360000 kms now), pulls a 17' lund explorer with a 90 on the back & difficult to get it stuck (but I managed). next vehicle will likely be a grand cherokee with a v8 but i'd buy another cherokee if given the choice.

never! (i dont even know why they still bother making pistol grip rods. but that's another debate.) unless it works for you.. and given that yours is a unique situation (fishing out of a canoe) do what's comfortable

you can be spitting distance to a rock that'll take your lower unit off but be in 60' of water. there are times we have the boat sitting in 40'+ casting at a shoal a few feet beneath the surface. don't be afraid to cast to the deep side too. i'd say though, for you 1st time up there, there's no better way to start picking apart teh water than trolling. you will find spots to cast.

deep water, rocks, weeds.. in that order. step back, have a look at your map and you'll be able to identify likely spots (ie. points, islands, saddles, shoals).

You didnt mention the size of the lake, depth, temps etc so I'll be generalizing. Big pike and small pike are almost a different species. The big fish can definately be classed as a cold water fish. Your opportunities to catch a big pike in the shallows this time of year will be limited for sure & you can forget about the shallow back bays for anything but snot rockets. You should be looking at much deeper water. There may be small windows when they are feeding and may come up shallower but even these areas will be close to deep water, in the main section of the lake. Focus on any mid lake shoals, humps, points, neckdowns. Deep water, rocks, weeds are important... in that order. Big pike are top predators and don't need to hide in the weeds unless they are trying to ambush their prey. Trolling large body baits that will dive 18'+ plus and whacking the bottom is a good way to get them to go. However, your current gear will not suffice. If all else fails, go walleye fishn. Some of the largest pike are caught by unsuspecting walleye anglers.

that sucks & welcome your pic's not working, mayhaps try http://imageshack.us ?

since, after catching that fish trolling, you proceeded to go to shore for the photo opp you were breaking the law by being in possession (retaining) of a sub 54" muskie. keep the camera on the boat!

well you know my opinion from the other thread colour advocates seem to all say that it is easier to identify what is on the screen however, i have never had an issue IDing structure, bottom composition or arcs (fish) with a monochrome unit either - no matter the conditions. in a perfect world where budget is of no consequence by all means get the colour. but if i was to sacrifice quality for colour I say no way.

i wouldnt do it if i were you

he now wears a shirt over the sweater nice catch

the eagle fishmark 320 or 480 is in my opinion the best bang for buck these days. no, it is not colour but (again, in my opinion), colour is not neccessary. you can buy two 320s with your budget. save a few bucks for lures or a gps. eagle/lowrance = tool hummingbird = toy garmin = unknown (in my opinion )

yup, JBs has (had) them.