irishfield

Exactly what I said to my son last night Dan. "There's Tony doing exactly what he lambasts others for doing to take over first place" Junior's gotta learn to stop trying to "help" his friends as well.

Great stuff Mike...but if I was that close to Tremblant I wouldn't have been sitting out on the ice. I'd have been riding the gondola up and then been skiin the North face all day!

Great stuff Gerritt! Looks BOQ was on today... ...oh and "Boots"...go back to carrrying cash! LOL

Nothing Chris...this way they'll be able to tell us apart!

Might wanna specify if you're river fishin or lake fishin.....will certainly make a difference

I knew better..that if we stopped on the way into town that it would be well after dark before we saw the cottage!

Nope...that's just my 200sx portable that I use mainly to see what depth I drilled at. I've had it for many years..and the 6 volt lantern batteries hold up very well. As matter of fact they are a few, possibly 4, years old. I used it many times a couple summers ago...stored all winter in the cottage, used it twice for probably 6 hours each time last summer and once again stored in the cold and used it a few hours this week. Batteries still okay and for those worried about their screens in the cold....worked just fine with a minor fog up when I took it from the warmed up cottage out into the -27C. No issues with the screen actually freezing and it didn't fog up the first time I used it taken from the cold storage location out onto the lake.

Thanks Guys..and LOL Glen..there's two on the other side as well...and will be two more up by the nose as I got dual galvinized spares for it at the same cost from Lund as a single from aftermarket sources would have been.

Is that your C150 on 1650's Guido?

Well Leah and I finally headed out after days of putting it off. Left Tuesday around 9am just as the squalls were starting to drop what amounted to ~ 3 feet in total while we were gone. Headed to Waubashene cautiously with about 200 feet visibility and then flipped a coin under the hwy 400 bridge to decide whether to stay in the squall line and head for Orillia on #12 or go up 400/69 and hope the wind didn't shift to out of the west. We went to Parry Sound and drove into beautiful sunshine by the time we got to Port Severn. It stayed that way all the way to Temagami and during the trip you'd swear we were headin south as the snow banks got smaller and smaller and smaller as we got further North. By the time we reached Temagami.. 6 inches of snow total at best. Didn't feel like posting the next Ford thru the ice pictures....so we unloaded everything into the cutter and headed out on the lake with the sled. If you look on the roof of Lakeland Airways you'll see the windsock is a little stiff. Blowing 20K at least making for some rosy cheeks. Got out there and I guess I was correct when I thought out off my docks would be a good spot to fish. Found 2 huts there...and was also nice to see my docks up high in the ice..not buried down in it like last year. Cleared the path up to the cottage to carry our gear in and surprised at the lack of snow. No more than 6 inches tops made for real easy shovelling and I'm not sure if Leah was happy to be up there or just the fact that she got me with the load off her shovel. Turned the power on to get the place heating up (took about 5 hours to get it from -20 to +15). Came back out and drilled a water hole to fill our toilet "flush" buckets and surprised also to only see 10 or 11" of ice thickness after about three weeks of steady -20 to -30C temps up there. So be cautious on any lakes you travel guys and gals! I also drilled another hole out off my dock right beside the packed path on the lake and it was only 11" as well. While sitting there along comes a 3/4 ton GMC with sled in back..he goes just past our place and then quickly turns around and heads back to town..ice makin rude noises as he goes. Then along comes a car...it's my neighbour from the next Island up...actually his dock is right where the truck turned around. Walter (the neighbour) says "why didn't you drive out?" I say "are you nuts a guy just high tailed it out of here and turned around in front of your dock". and he says "that because that's where the road ends....drill a hole in MY road". So I do..it's 23 inches thick. Apparently him and the other neighbour from across the way spent weeks packing an ice road and then drilled holes and let their power augers run flooding water up on top of the ice just so they could drive to their respective cottages. Good to know for next time....now I have his number and can just call him for "road conditions". I for awhile while Leah and I talked to Walter and his wife but the wind was brutel. Appearance of a beautiful day...but it was bitter. After a nice sunset I went back out for the night bite as Leah smartly watched from the window.. I didn't last long on the night bite try and I also didn't have any minnows as Dad's was closed on Tuesday when we hit town. Forgot it was his only day closed or I would have stopped at Gramps for some bait. Here's why I didn't last long... -27C and with wind chill it hit -49C on Tuesday night/Wed am Wednesday we stayed inside 'till about noon as the temp was showing -29C when we got up and the wind was blowing. No sunshine either and we suited up and took the sled thru the provincial park and over to Temagami Marine to "pet" my new boat. My first thought walking into the showroom was "What have I done?"..and "I think we'll need more dock". I took probably a 100pics, but won't bore you with them. Here's a couple of my new 2150 Baron Gran Sport. Really glad I went with the blue instead of the black. Even the boss is happy with it. Amazing to see a motor of that size with the trim tab removed! Hydraulic steering baby... So we left the marina...headed for "Dad's Outdoor store" and bought a "dozen" minnows. I asked the gal working, as Jim was sick, for one dozen minnows and I bought a plastic minnow scoop that was $2.99. My total was $7.98 for my "dozen" minnows and the scoop...and here everyone was telling of highway robbery for minnnows with the new regs in place. Oh..by the way..here's my "dozen" minnows after I'd used 6 and the old cooler kept them all nicely alive Wed/Thur/Friday. When we got back from buying minnows one of the huts out off our docks had been moved. You wonder why shoreline owners have a "hate" for ice fisherpeople... Would have taken him 2 minutes to remove the wood blocks, and pick up his cardboard box and the UHMW broken off his sliders. I know..because I cleaned it up. I used the side of the other hut as a wind break and drilled a couple of holes. I was pretty sure the entire bay in front of my place was 34FOW and flat bottom...but these guys obviously knew it has a 40 foot hole there. Marked one fish just after I put the Hummin bird down...but I caught nothing. Lost some minnows though and don't know if they worked their way off on the jig or something carefully sucked them off Leah came out all bundled up..as I didn't answer the 2 way radio. Guess Motorola's are no good in-25C as it was freshly charged and useless in my outer pocket. Thursday was an overcast/light snow and blowing HARD all day. It was only -18C or so..but wind chill was -35C or better. We stayed in all day, watched some chick flick and played couch potato..or was it chesterfield rugby? I only went outside quickly to drill for water again and filled the two 5 gallon buckets. We decided on Thursday night to leave on Friday am so we could be back in time for supper..and of course it was a beautiful day...should have stayed. Drove home in sunshine and arrived just after our son had finished plowing the latest foot out of the laneway...couldn't have timed it better! Thanks for reading. Sorry about the lack of fish...but you knew that going in since it was my report!

Boss..Boss..de plane..de plane ! LOL

That's right up there with..."There'd be more people married in Penetang..if it wasn't for that cousin rule!"

I'd imagine the huts at Waub are pike and pickeral. Pickeral most likely considering the currents there. Don't leave the beaten path if you go there...that's for sure. Others good bets would be Hoggs bay in Victoria Harbour as it would be well packed every day..and Midland Harbour the sled trail goes across from the coal dock headin for Honey Harbour so you could walk out on it as well. We are in a squall again up here today.

Yep saw that hut zoo on the way home this afternoon. There's always lots of huts out there and I've seen them out there within 50 feet of open water many years. I guess it's all about knowing exactly where it's safe there...with the flow from the Severn locks and the flow out of Matchedash Bay.

No fishing...but there is now over 2 feet of snow on top of the ice..and the ice in Midland Harbour is less than 8 inches thick.

Yep...we had enough and left on Tuesday Maureen. IT gets tiring living in the butt hole of the world in the winter. Was snowing about 5 inches per hour when we headed out Tuesday am. I flipped a coin under the Waub underpass on #12 to decide which way to go (Parry sound or Orillia) for the trip North. Headed for Parry Sound and drove into beautiful sunshine by Port Severn. Clear sky and sunshine for the next 4 hours North. Was like driving South instead...with less and less snow as we went. There is only 6" of total snow on the ground in Temagami. Came back today to snowbanks higher than my F150 in the laneway. Thank God the son figured out how to use the plow truck for a change with the 3 feet or so that fell since we left on Tuesday.

Good stuff wilker...I also noticed on my way up North on Tuesday that Global Pet Food in South River has a sign out front stating Live Bait. The fear of bait not being available appears to be a bit of hype and a bit of truth. I had no issues getting a good assortment in Temagami from Dad's. My "dozen" minnows was about 32 minnows for $4 ! A mix between a couple inches and 4 inches long. Shinners and chubs I believe.

Can you actually "hide" behind a beneficiary with a bank? Not that I am aware of, but who knows these days with them selling car insurance, etc. Ask whom ever has your RSP's. I'm pretty sure only a company that operates under a life insurance structure has the power to do so.

I'm a maybe Ron. I'll find you!

All this snow can't be good...if Barrie got the 2 to 3 feet we got here in Penetang since I left on Tuesday. Also note that while everyone thinks a few days of -15C produces ice like crazy...I just came back from Temagami and some easy drilling, as there was only 11 inches of ice around my dock and it's been in the -30C area for weeks up there. Also really not any snow (6inches max!) to insulate...but obviously enough to really slow ice formation. Be safe out there and be sure you know the area you are playing in.

Congrats Kennyman...we all remember our firsts... You'll have a blast in it.

I'm thinkin maybe clampet should go up the day before and put one up for each of us!

"McDonalds held at gun point for fryer oil"...can see it now ! LOL As Roy says..and note the electric car has been around for over a 100 years. There's a really nice example sitting in Witaskewan(sp) Alberta's Museum, that I believe is a 1908 model. The only falsehood with the electric car is enviro saving Bull. You have to charge it somehow..generally fossil fuel hydro production in the USA. Even with the hybrids...nobody seems concerned as to where the batteries get thrown every 4 or 5 years.

I'm with Gary..have a Big Bear 4 x 4 350 that I bought in '94 or '95 along with a 250 Automatic Breeze for the kids. They've followed my usual maintenance routine..the original oil change shortly after purchase and nada afterwards. Exact same maint schedule the brutalized Moto 4 - 70 has had with adults riding it since 1984. Can't kill them and why I bought Yamaha after seeing what the little Moto 4 went thru without failure.