ccmtcanada

Love this quote!!! LOL

When I first saw the crowd I was thinking "Oh crap...I'm gonna piss lots of people off today" LOL. As it turned out, I saw no one being rude, only 1 crossed line, and everyone kept a very respectful distance between floats. The fish were on the smaller side, so controlling them wasn't a huge issue. A weekend...hmmm...as much as I liked that place and experience, a weekend crowd probably would have sent me screaming like a madman...LOL.

Yeah...the scenery was amazing...the fall colours were just at their peek. It was an amazing setting to fish in!

Great suggestions everyone! I'm glad I posted this thread....keep em coming, cause I dont ever want to have a report that starts out "Couldn't get to the water because....", or "Forgot my tool at home and was stranded for 3 hours".

As many of you know, bly and I have bought a used boat, had a trailer hitch installed on our vehicle and purchased a brand new trailer. The used ones I saw were in rough shape to say the least so we decided to buy new. Anyhow, we are going to pick up the trailer tomorrow and then we are heading off to Hamilton to pick up the boat. I'll be buying safety chains with S hooks and a strap to hold the boat in place. I'll also have on hand some heavy stuff to help in distributing the weight inside the boat if necessary. I have the proper tongue weight for my vehicle and trailer and will bring a bathroom scale to test it out once the boat is loaded. After getting the motor serviced, we're hoping to get it out on the water for at least one trip before winter. My question is, what tools do you take on board while out on the water in case you need to make some adjustments or emergency repairs? I know to have a spare plug on hand, so that'll go in our boat tool bag....what else have you needed and take with you wherever you go? Thanks!

Our first one....a Canoe given to us by fellow OFNer Basskicker! We had lots of fun outings with this one. Home made outrigger for stability worked out great too. Solopaddler gave me a trolling motor bracket for it as well, so for the cost of a littly styrofoam and scrap wood, here she is! We just purchased this one.....haven't even picked it up yet! Plan is to get it tomorrow.....

When we first met last year and you told me the story, I was amazed at how strong a person you are! Congrats on this huge milestone. From what you told me, things were not good.....I'm glad you stepped up, cause OFC would NOT be the same place without you. See you Monday at the Mercer thing!

Wow...those are some ugly fish!!! LOL Great pics!!

Great job! Nice to see the big eyes being pulled from the waters!

Wow...you and that rig...you'll have to teach me the finer points about it next month at BOQ!! Great report Glen and a nice big fat fish pic too. Carp....buffalo....I dont care...fighting a big fish is always fun!

Wow...where to start? I remember when I first joined the board and I was reading reports put up here. A few people stand out to me for awesome reports....one of them being Solopaddler. Reading reports about his canoe adventures as well as his fishing trips always made me think it would be pretty cool to tag along on one of them. I finally got the chance to do so yesterday and when the PM came thru with the invitation to hunt down some Steelhead, I jumped all over it! When I asked him where we were going, he said he didn't know....that he'd have an idea 1 to 2 days before we went. He had a few places in mind....from Georgian Bay tribs, to some Ontario ones....even a day trip to the US wasn't out of the question. With all the info he had, he was really hoping for a banner day for all of us. My best day ever for Steelhead was 3 landed fish...and one of those was a dink in size. Ok...on to yesterday, I was up earlier than early....LOL. I drove to his buddy's place in Mississauga and the two of us went on to meet up with Solopaddler. I wont say where we ended up going, but suffice it to say it wasn't an eastern GTA trib. If anyone can tell where we were from the pictures I'm about to post and has a problem with them, please PM me with your concerns. About 5 minutes from where we were fishing, he says "Oh yeah...I meant to warn you, it'll be crowded here...not sure how comfortable you are with that". I said that I'll see how it is when I get there...and that I'd deal with it. I only started steelheading this past spring, so I dont really like people staring at me when I'm fighting a fish...LOL. We pulled into a parking lot that had oh...about 70 cars in it...ack! After quickly changing into our waders and setting up our rods, we headed down to the river. This was taken a little later in the morning, but this is the kind of sight I was greeted with. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea we did!!! LOL. That's solopaddler in the foreground. The waters were lower and clearer than he had hoped. I didn't start up drifting right away....I staked out my spot and decided to watch what the others were doing to get an idea of where I should cast and how far away from others floats I should aim for. Ok, that done...i take a deep breath and I start drifting. First drift...I watch my float head down stream....reel it in when nothing happens and cast out there again. This time my float gets pulled under! Quick hookset and the fight is on. Solopaddler's buddy is in the background of this shot fighting a fish as well....double header. My first Steelie is almost in....I'm happy it wasn't a huge one...got me used to fighting these fish again, and I managed to keep it under control...not heading into everyone else's line. And the picture.... Ok...3 more to go and I've broken my record for steelies in one trip...LOL. A little while later, my float goes down again! I'm thinking...wow...a trib where a guy like me can actually catch some fish....LOL. Solopaddler wanted to make sure I had some good pics of this trip, so he put his rod down to take this pic.... Quick picture and then back in the water. It was Solopaddlers time to get one. I can hear him fighting a fish, so I returned the favour and snap this photo of him fighting his fish. And his catch..... The release.... Even though the action wasn't what he had hoped for, I was having a ball out there. I missed a few hits, ended up losing on that I had on, but it wasn't long before I got another one.... We decided to move from this spot and head closer to the mouth of this trib. We wade out a little bit and he says, "Let's try here". He casts his out and begins to drift. I cast mine out and within 5 seconds my float goes down! He took this cool shot of the fight.... This is my 4th fish landed...already my BEST day on any trib and we were only 2.5 hours into fishing. Very shortly after this, the winds picked up, the current actually would stop and go making drifting impossible, leaves were dropping like crazy and on almost every retrieve you had one on your hook. We decided it was time to try a different trib. On the way to the next spot, they took me to see a great little area where these fish come in from the lake, and let me tell you...it was a CRAZY sight! He's already posted a few pics, but I'll add a few of my own here..... What a treat it was to see that...it's amazing the numbers that can come in. We could actually see their fins in the lake as they made there way to this tiny little trickle of water. We looked at a few other tribs, but they were either MORE crowded than the one we just left with no room to squeeze in, or the conditions were just plain chocolate milk. Anyhow, this is a Steelhead trip I will not forget! Thanks Solopaddler for the opportunity to fish with you...and to your buddy for doing the driving...thanks for the tips, the help landing the fish and the pictures you took. I know you said you felt bad because the numbers just weren't what you were hoping for, but like I said, it was my best day so far numbers wise and seeing those fish coming in from the lake in that little stream was amazing to see. I hope I didn't embarass you too much with my newbieness either.....LOL.

Report will have to come Friday morning...I'm a little tired after fishing all day with Solopaddler and his buddy...then meeting up with bly to do a little night fishing...LOL I must be insane..... I think I'm falling aslee................................................................................. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Welcome to the board! You already know all about us, so I look forward to learning about you through your reports.....oh...and now you can vouch for your dad's catches....LOL

I'll sneak my own stuff in...hehe. Should I start the "O F N RULES!!!" chant or should Joey? Maybe Brian can start the wave....LOL

Actually, the contest page never did specify how many tickets...hmmm..... http://www.ontariofishing.net/contest/davemercershow.html

He's just tryin to confuse you....I believe it is 2. See you there!

Wow...I won!!! LOL. Gotta get that cold going....cough cough!! Sniffle sniffle.... Looks like a great event.

Wow Jen....what a fantastic report. The whole introduction....when bly and I are out fishing, especially at night there are times when it's exactly how you described it....but I could have never come up with the words that you did. Bly gets her share of "You fish?" looks as well, but get her talking about it and people soon realize that she is very knowledgeable about fishing. I applaud you in your adventures...both fishing and hunting. I think it's great when anyone...male or female can make that connection with their surroundings. As far as an outdoorsperson is concerned, you have my respect....you found something you like to do and you've worked very hard for the results you've had. You've managed to involve your family in your quest and make a few new friends at the same time. What more can someone ever want in life? Great report and pics... Congrats!

Wow TJ...looked like an amazing time! Great pics too....could have done without the moose turds though...LOL.

Wow...looked mine up... Says I work in advertising and I have an interest in fishing. The pic that comes up looks exactly like me. Oh wait....forget it....is it me....

Thanks everyone! After searching every conceivable classified ad, seeing the shape most of these used trailers are in from pics, and hauling Fishnsled out to look at one last night, we've decided to just go and buy a brand new trailer...something galvanized, light-weight, sealed lights etc.... Thanks for all your input....I think I'd rather have the peace of mind knowing that I dont have to worry about the trailer falling apart, or the bearings suddenly crapping out on me.

Well, as many of you know, I purchased a 14 foot tinny and I am looking for a trailer. Thanks to all who have sent me classified ads! Anyhow, I sent about 30 emails to people who have had their boats listed on kijiji and craigslist for quite a while asking if they'd consider selling the trailer separately and within 15 minutes I had 3 replies. I'll be checking a few of them out in the next few days so I wanted to ask what to look for? I can look at the condition of the tires, see where rust may have affected the integrity of the frame, check to make sure the lighting works etc... but that's where it ends. I've also read up on bearing buddies and know their purpose.... Thanks!

WOW!!! What a great catch!

Great report and pics! Nice to see the bigguns landed as well....hopefully the shore eye's will be arriving soon...I need my Walleye fix!! LOL.

Great report Wayne....great to see a few OFNers took you up on your offer! I've never had a muskie follow until about a month ago...and man does it ever get your adrenaline going!!! Great report and pics...looked like you guys had a great day on the water.