Jon

One acre of lush green lawn = one acre goose problem. Reduce the amount of grass, allow veg to grow along the shoreline. Some of the other ideas about decoys, firecrackers etc should also help. I assume no-one is feeding them? Jon

A couple of fixes for the lack of GoPro signal to smartphone when underwater: http://www.cam-do.com/GoProUnderwaterSolutions.html https://youtu.be/49K2hjV9OOY I have played around a little bit with fix #2 and haven't had any success. Will continue to try and make this work. Jon

What Bill said, although I was sitting on the rocks, not a lawn chair. https://www.flickr.com/photos/91080279@N05/sets/72157652090117845/ Jon

Looks good! Hope you catch something longer than the board. You may find the paint on the ruler wears off after a while and a lot of use. If it is not too late, I suggest moving the ruler down towards the bottom of the v a bit. When you measure fish, the ruler will then be more in line with the body and tail than high above it. Jon

The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) has set up a new on-line tool for reporting migratory fish. People are being asked to report sightings or catches of Rainbow Trout, Chinook and Coho Salmon, White Sucker and other species. Reports can be made directly from your smartphone. More information can be found here: http://cloca.ca/volunteer/fotr_survey.php The main rivers in CLOCA's jurisdiction are Lynde Creek, Oshawa Creek, Harmony/Farewell Creek and Bowmanville/Soper Creek. A map of all of the streams in CLOCA's jurisdiction can be found at http://cloca.ca/about/watersheds.php. Jon

Saw this on a Facebook page and thought I would post here: http://www.berkley-fishing.com/Rebates-Promotions/Berkley-rebates-promotions,default,pg.html Jon

Tickets for entry from 7pm -11pm are a bit cheaper. It would also be way less busy.

Here is the video I mentioned.

I am considering purchasing this unit to replace my existing x67c ice machine. I like the GPS, included Navionics mapping and down scan on the Elite-4 but I'm not sure how this unit would work for ice fishing. I see there is a flasher option for the Elite-4 so that gives me some comfort that it should be good on the ice. Any experience or thoughts on the unit in general or how it would work on the ice are welcome (e.g. would I need an ice-ducer or can I get by with the original transducer). Thanks in advance, Jon

I have been using a Lifeproof Fre for my Iphone 5 since I got the phone about 2.5 years ago. The first case failed at the audio mute button about 3 months ago but Lifeproof sent a replacement case at no charge and no hassle. I had to get the phone battery replaced earlier this year and the Apple techy said he has not seen a 2 year old phone in better condition. I would definitely buy another one but there are a few limitations that may also be present with the Samsung version. First of all, the headphone jack requires the use of an adapter which is included with the case, but does necessitate you bringing the adapter wherever you go. There is a workaround by using Bluetooth headphones or getting a bluetooth receiver. Secondly, the thickness of the case does not allow me to use many (perhaps any) of the docking stations out there. The Apple charging cables (and some other manufacturers) work fine but the docking stations don't fit. Probably less of an issue with a Samsung phone since there are fewer Samsung docks on the market. Sound quality when on the phone is better with this newer case. Keep in mind that the touchscreen doesn't work when wet so taking pictures/videos requires a workaround. When shooting underwater with an Iphone, the volume buttons work to start/stop photo/video recording. Obvious pros - drop the phone and it should survive. Waterproof in case your phone takes a dip. If you have kids, also makes cleaning greasy fingerprints off the screen really easy. I will try and post an underwater video I took last month in the next day or so. I also have the Nuud model for my Ipad. Works great. Worry free especially with a 4 year old. Jon

C10: Do you have any pics or more specific reports of them in GTA streams? I know a bunch of people in the local Conservation Authorities and MNRF office would be interested. Thanks in advance, Jon

Thanks for the tip. I got the Clam kit for Xmas and was going to use my Rigid drill but I am having an issue getting the chuck off. Did you have to use the allen key in the chuck approach or loosen the screw at the end of/inside the chuck? I also had an older Fin-bore auger which didn't fit the adapter. So I ended up buying a new auger - pm me if you want an older 6" Fin Bore auger. Jon

Burt and Mike: My apologies on the error and thanks for the clarification. Jon

Sorry to burst your bubble but Lebarons has it regular price for $259.94. Maybe you can price match? I have found on some items that CT's sale prices are other retailer's regular prices. Great price, though, if Lebarons is too far away. Jon

Opens Saturday. Pike, perch and crappie. No hut rentals for the time being. Anglers are not allowed to bring their own minnows but they are available for purchase on-site. More details at: http://www.creditvalleyca.ca/news/story/ice-fishing-at-island-lake-ca/ Good luck! Jon

Lookinforwalleye: The brochure for the 2105 Escape lists either front wheel drive or available Intelligent 4WD system (4WD models only). Not exactly sure what the difference is between this and 4x4 on a Jeep. I'm sure there are no locking diffs on an Escape though. AWD is still touted by manufacturers to be better than FrontWD in snow. Jon

I didn't read the whole thread and I'm sitting on the fence in terms of mandating winter tires but I thought this video was interesting. It is a British video on an indoor skihill comparing front wheel drive and 4WD Ford Escapes with and without snow tires. I'm not going to spoil the results so you will have to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA Also keep in mind that it is not just accelerating that matters - snow tires help with stopping. Jon

Interesting articles with interviews from the guy who made the decision to stock Lakes Michigan and Huron with Chinooks. http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/The-man-with-the-salmon-plan-b99397807z1-284550491.html Jon

I'm going to guess Nine-spine Stickleback. Would be best to see a photo with the spines showing but the caudal peduncle looks to be too long to be a Brook Stickleback. Jon

OMNRF is conducting a baitfish policy review exercise. This notice regarding Angler Use and Movement of Baitfish in Ontario was posted on November 5 on the Environmental Registry. Feel free to provide comments and/or complete the survey. The deadline is December 19. http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTIzNjc4&statusId=MTg1NjIy&language=en There is also one on Bait Use and Commercial Harvest in Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves. See the link for more info and to provide comments. Deadline is also December 19. http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTIzNjc3&statusId=MTg1NjIx&language=en Jon

More details on fees in Niagara Falls: http://canuckscribe.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/tourist-fees-charged-in-niagara-falls-are-voluntary-but-they-wont-tell-you/ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/niagara-falls-tourist-fees-collected-with-little-oversight-1.1226724 I hope they took it off your bill. Jon

Where does the OP say it was in a river/creek? Is it based on the background in the pics? Or are the pics georeferenced? To me, it looks like a lake. Jon

But don't these regulations all apply to the harvest of live fish, not dead fish? All the Acts that I can find (Federal Fisheries Act, Ontario Fishery Regulations) only speak about harvest of live fish using legal angling techniques. I can't see anywhere where they speak about harvesting or possessing dead fish. The Ontario Fishery Regulations state that "no person shall, except as authorized under a licence, (a) fish". Grabbing a dead fish by the tail is not fishing so it would seem to be legal? A couple other questions came to mind when reading through the comments and regulations. 1. If you get a legally caught fish mounted, does that become part of your possession limit? If a licence is required to be in possession of a dead fish, would that not include the fish on the wall? 2. Trolling is defined as "angling by trailing lures or bait behind a fishing vessel that is in constant forward motion". Is back trolling then not considered trolling? Jon

I'm not sure if this one has an easy answer or not but I thought I would throw it out there and see what people think. I recently saw a guy take a dead Chinook from a closed sanctuary. He tailed it with his bare hands, put it in a bag and took off. Now I have a bunch of questions starting with my most general, is this legal or not? The fish was dead when he "caught" it but he did not use a legal angling technique to capture the fish. The area was closed to fishing so no harvest was allowed but did he really harvest? What if he took 8 dead Chinooks home (over the legal limit of 6) - is that legal since the fish were already dead? Does someone need a fishing licence to catch and possess dead fish? To me, this has a lot of nuances and I'm interested to hear what people's thoughts are. Jon

Mike: Some fish are not too spooky and don't move but the majority are pretty jittery when I put the GoPro in front of them. I tried covering up the lights on the front and that may have helped but I really think that they easily see the camera and move away or there is some sort of an electric field generated by the camera that they sense and move away. Best thing to do (if you can) is put the camera somewhere and let it sit. I also put the camera on a pole rather than trying to hand-hold the camera. Here are the pics I took that day. The underwater ones are from the GoPro taken on a 0.5s time delay. Not up to your standards but tough to get clear pics when there are a pile of large chinnys stirring up the bottom! https://www.flickr.com/photos/91080279@N05/sets/72157647622313212/ Jon