MrSimon

Anytime an aggressive fish is introduced to a system, the existing species will take a hit ... to some degree. It will eventually balance out and you'll have two great species to fish for. Bass tend to dominate pike though. Pike spawn in shallow water and don't protect their fry. Bass can swim in less than 6 inches of water and are eating machines. Not a real good scenario for the pike. It tends to be less of a problem though in really weedy lakes where the fry can hide. In mostly rocky lakes however, the pike will have a hard time.

Call Mike!!! I contacted him before booking my Fly-in for this year .... he listened to our criteria and recommended Hearst Air. We flew into Quantz Lake and had the time of our lives. Truly truly unbelievable pike fishing and unlimited numbers of medium sized walleye. Hearst Air is top notch!!

Someone mentioned a 50/50 mix of gas and Seafoam. Will that even work? Will the motor run an such a high percentage of Seafoam?

Have you considered a good ol fashion pickup? A three to five year old Chevy 1500 with the big extended cab is a darn nice vehicle. It's sturdy and will handle all those miles without any trouble. Perfect for towing what you have. And can get 20+ mpg on the highway if you are careful. It will also have more room inside than the GC.

Thanks for the great report! I like fishing the river at night too. I agree its quite peaceful and productive. I also agree that having a good GPS mapping system is absolutely essential. You do have to be incredibly careful though. You better know where the shipping channel is and stay out of it. Believe it or not, those big freighters are quiet until they are right on top of you. Also watch for the pleasure yachts running up and down - they sure as heck won't watch out for you and they don't always stay in the channel. And wear your dang life vest. Here is a pic of Brockville just after the sun went down. Here is a pic of a 20" smallie I caught around midnight off a small hump.

Doesn't anyone else find it ridiculous that, due to an internet outcry from un-involved people, a guy ends up issuing a video apology through a major newspaper ...... all for killing a fish?!?!?!? I'm all for conservation and C&R, but this has gotten blown WAY WAY WAY out of proportion. Frankly, I blame the guys who posted the video. They did the right thing by taking down the boat registration number and reporting the offense to the MNR. But posting the video to YouTube and FaceBook was a very bad idea.

This year I really learned to use my electronics to find fish .... and then I worked on my drop shot technique a lot. I started really tweaking the settings on my graph and did a lot of research on how to actually KNOW what I'm looking at. In terms of the drop shot, I dialed in my presentation, which required learning some new boat control skills. It paid off big time. I caught my personal best walleye and smallie on the St. Lawrence this year. Its funny how the smallest things can make all the difference.

This is such a great post!!!!! I have a seven year old daughter and a five year old son who love to go out fishing with me. I admit, its very trying on the nerves to deal with tangled lines and what not the whole time. But I find that if I stay focused on them, and not my own fishing, they have a LOT more fun. I've also found that putting a handful of bluegills in the live well for them to play with is more exciting to them than actually catching the fish. Snacks, drinks, stopping on shore, etc etc are staples of our outings.

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to film and post. I love your fishing set-up. Its simple, yet incredibly functional and apparently quite effective. I'll bet your electronics and trolling motor cost more than your boat and motor. It proves that money is better spent on good electronics than on a huge motor or fancy boat.

I have a 24V Terrova. I run a Cabelas 3 bank on-board charger (third bank goes to starting battery). I don't disconnect the two trolling batteries and I never unplug the motor. Third year doing this with no issues.

My 898 is an amazing machine ..... but, it ruins the fishing experience. I miss out on all the natural scenery cause I'm staring at the screen all the time!!!

Another happy Terrova/HB 898 guy here. If you don't already have a HB unit that talks to the Terrova .... go get one!!! Its amazing how much control you have without leaving your seat. The ability to drive over a spot, freeze the screen and move the cursor to exactly where you want it .... set a waypoint, then tell the trolling motor to take you to it and hold you on the spot. Its almost like cheating.

Even a "small" poorly stocked Cabelas is WAY better to visit than just about every other store on the planet. I walked around an entire shopping mall the other day and can honestly say there was nothing in the entire place that I found interesting .... well, I suppose the tool department in Sears was decent. Do you guys find that you are spending less and less time in actual stores, and more and more time shopping on-line? PS - after that new Cabelas get more established, they will likely have a clearance shelf in the fishing department with some killer lure deals.

Kind of along the same lines, a good day of fishing can really stick with you in your mind. You can reply most of the details in your head and almost FEEL the hooksets for days or weeks after. I call it "The Echo" I don't get it after all my trips ... only the really good ones. Its how I know I've experienced something really special.

I like to take a small can of spray-on sunblock. I HATE having red hot throbbing ears by the third day of the trip.

Canadian bucketmouths are so pretty with their dark colors. The washed-out silver things in the Southern US look pitiful compared with what Ontario has.

Good electronics + jigs + hungry walleye + video camera = I waste too much time at work watching stuff like this! Thanks for sharing!

I searched up your videos on Facebook (sent you a friend request by the way) and was impressed with your video taking skills .... they are much improved Catching big pike is awesome .... catching big walleye is even better ..... but catching a giant brook trout with vibrant colors from a crystal clear river in the far wilds of Northern Ontario - now THAT is something special. Well done and thanks for sharing the adventure with us.

Is it just me, or is tying up rigs actually fun and relaxing? I look forward to taking an hour or so after the kids go to bed .... sit at the kitchen table, chatting with my wife, and tying a few dozen rigs. Sure is better than destroying my brain in front of the devil box (TV).

I use 20lb floro, 48" leader, two snelled red octopus hooks .... try to keep the bouncer as close to vertical as I can and troll at .8 - 1.4 mph. I have my best luck in 12-22' of water with this method. I absolutely LOVE feeling that little tick .... giving slack for a second or two .... then setting the hook and feeling a heavy shake. Nothing beats it.

They just opened a brand new Cabelas down here by where I work (Delaware, US). Its fairly small by Cabelas standards, but it seems to be fairly well stocked. I also find that their prices seem a bit high. They do however have a big clearance wall filled with fantastic deals on lures. Their musky selection was terrible though. I also find that their fishing section is so stinking big, that its hard to find what I'm looking for.

WEEKEND?!?!?!? I've been clicking 'refresh' all morning ....... now I have to wait for the weekend. That's ridiculous.

Beautiful place!! Are you going to build the cabin yourself?

Cliff, you are looking at the wrong way. Helping an animal is great ... something we should do more of. But doing it while simultaneously putting other people's lives in danger shows incredibly poor judgement.

I see animals as a resource created by God and placed on this Earth to be respected and cared for .... but also to be used. Use can include transportation, food, companionship, as well as sport and recreation. The resource is there to be used, but not abused. We are to be good stewards of what we've been given and treat animals responsibly. Its all about balance. With that said though, I do not believe animals have 'rights' and I don't buy into Uncle Ted's whole 'honor your quarry' stuff. So to the OP ... I don't know if fish feel pain or not. Its pretty darn clear that they don't like being hooked and ripped out of the water ...... but to be completely honest, I don't care. I fish because I love it, regardless of how the fish feels. There are WAY more important things in life to focus on than whether or not a fish feels pain.