Beats

That is a hell of a post and some seriously large fish. Nice shots of the landscape up there.

The roads definitely have a way of taking out wildlife in numbers.

There are some peregrine falcons that nest each year on one of the downtown highrises in London . I can't remember which building it is but I know that there are hardcore bird watchers that sit there and observe them each time they nest and document the young ones learning to fly etc.

I couldn't have said it better. In alot of places Mapquest doesn't even show rivers and lakes. It's extremely poorly detailed for a map site.

I've spent my whole life fishing from shore. Mostly the Sydenham and various spots on the Thames. IMO waders are nice to have but not a must in most situations. As far as rod and reel go just about anything you choose will work well. Go for a rod that isn't too long and breaks down so you can easily walk into new spots. If I had only 2 lures to take with me fishing from shore anywhere and for any species they would be a Mepps Comet and a Rapala floating jointed minnow.

Not much snow in London but it's quite slippery. Woke up and found this in my backyard: Good times. It totally demolished the lattice on the top of the fence but shouldn't take too long to fix. Just waiting on a sawzall to hack it up. Or I could just fill the yard with water and throw some bass in there. The tree might hold fish.

They are both good options but IMO if you are looking at something larger than 42" go with PLasma. I bought a 50" PLasma ( http://www.hitachi.ca/Apps/hitachicanada/c...jsp/hcl/hcl/en/ ) this year and it's great. At the store they had all kinds of LCD's and plasma's on display. The plasmas had better colour to them but the differences between the 2 kinds were very slight in the 42" and under models. They had the display TV's set to some live Much Music concert and on the 42"+ LCD screens the pictures all appeared to be made up of "blocks". The fast moving crowd in the picture was a blurry screen full of chunky colours. It looked horrible compared to the clear picture that the plasmas were producing. A downside to plasmas is the image burn which is a real issue. If you take care of your TV and dont leave static pictures on there for long (dont pause a movie and walk away for 30 mintues) it isnt a problem. My younger brother likes to play car racing video games on my tv for hours on end and while the picture is always changing and moving some things like the lap counter and the spedometer are always on the same place on the screen and after hours of use I must use the screen wipe feature to clear the screen back to neutral or else these images will burn into the screen for good. There isn't this issue with LCD's. IMO plasmas are superior after 42" but if you are going less than that its really whatever you find a better deal on. LCD is alot less worrying and work to keep perfect.

Good thing your chair has swivel action.

I second Ron's reply and I am almost positive that this is what your problem is. I have also done it in the past. The carbon copy box just appears to be the appropriate size for typing your message body so you don't bother scrolling down to see that the actual assigned box is further down. I've done it a few times myself.

Thanks for all the responses to this thread. They have all helped me out a lot. I went out today and tried the new rod and reel for the first time . I am still waiting for my PP to arrive in the mail so I put a spool of line on that I have had sitting around for years and had never used. It was a Canadian Tire bargain bin pack of Stren 12 lb mono. It is horrible line due to its age I'm guessing. When you pull it off the reel it kind of spools itself back into the shape that the packaging had held it in. Either way its just for practicing so I didn't care too much. I know 12 lb is a light mono to start with but its all I had. The first 2 casts I made both ended up with me cutting off about 30-50 ft of line each time. I couldn't resist just trying to cast like I would with a spinning rod overhand just to see what would happen. The results were expected. After adjusting the brakes to have 3 out of 6 on and set the cast control knob to the appropriate setting for the spinnerbait I was using it all just clicked with me. I think part of it was that I had way too much line on the spool initially so once I birdsnested a few times and cut off a lot of line it seemed so much easier and I have to say I mastered casting my spinnerbait for about 30 mins cast after cast with absolutely no birdsnesting and no loose line on the reel. All casts were getting about 40 ft or so out. Roughly the same as I would be getting with my spinning combo. Then after feeling quite happy that I had "got it" I wondered if I could manage the same results if I turned off 2 of the brakes and left just 1 of 6 on. Yeah, bad idea... I horribly birdsnested it. I fixed the line all up and went back to 1/2 the weights on and continued to use it like that with zero issues. So all in all I feel pretty good about my first experiences with the reel. The key to me was not having so much line on the reel (line sits about 1/8" down from top of spool), setting the brakes to 1/2 being on, getting the cast control knob set for the bait used, and most importantly.. not over thinking it. There are definitely key points to remember but I found that once I was just doing it without thinking about it ,it all just came to me. The whole issue with using your thumb came kind of second nature to me. I will need more practice of course but so far I impressed myself by going from nowhere and cutting off line over and over to being able to consistently make distance casts while keeping a tight spool. Again, thanks for the help.

Thx for the links Danbo. I'm going out in a few hours to give the new reel and rod a try. I've got the cast control knob set for the bait I'm going to use and have 1/2 the brakes turned on to start with. Due to the weather and cold I don't expect a single bite today, assuming my lure makes it from the rod into the water. One other question. I keep seeing references in articles about starting out with most or atleast 1/2 of the brakes turned on and working from there. Does that imply that experienced baitcasters often dont have any brakes "on" at all? Or do they just have 1 or 2 on or take them out all together? I suppose it all depends on the situation ie. bait being cast, wind conditions, etc. But for a medium sized bait on a calm day, would the average person who is experienced not have any brakes on? Thanks

I think alot of people put a lot more thought into which hand is turning the reel and don't think too much about which hand is holding the rod. To me it would make sense to reel with my left and hold the rod with my right like with my spinning gear. But for me it just feels weird to hold/cup a baitcasting reel with my right hand. I pay more attention to which hand/arm feels better holding the rod than to which would be easier to reel with. I feel I have a lot more strength and coordination with my left hand palming the reel than my right. That's just me.

Without having used one it all seems kinda backwards to have to switch hand positions to cast and then switch back to reel in... but it really does feel "right" to reel with the right and hold the rod with the left hand on the reel after only using a spin rod in the opposite layout. It's like some people have said on here before, it's all preference. Most people that shoot a hockey stick left will golf right. I originally thought I'd get a left hand baitcaster but went with the right handed based on the fact that 90% of people use the right hand to reel in... and it really does feel right in my hands with that configuration. You have to really get your hands on one to get a feel for it. Though as stated above some ppl still do prefer a lefty.

I visited a friend in Halifax last year in October and flew out with some fishing gear. Having never been out there I just fished some of the many many lakes in the area. The setting out there is very much like northern Ontario. I managed a few small sm bass in the lakes. Many of the lakes have chain pickerel in them but I didn't fish those ones at all. I don't know about whale watching but depending on the time of year you go out there you can probably catch a charter boat to take you fishing in the Atlantic. I went out for 4 hours or so from the Halifax harbour last October at the end of the mackerel season and managed to catch a few mackerel. No where near as many as I would have caught if I was a few months earlier. People on the boat also managed a pollack and a hake. I think its all timing as far as what you can catch out there. I was only out once and not for long so someone should be able to give you some good time frames to find trout/salmon etc. http://www.novascotiafishing.com/

I am checking out my new Curado 200DHSV baitcaster that I got in the mail today and familiarizing myself with the parts. Being my first reel of this sort its all new to me. I have some 30lb PP coming to me via mail and since its not here I'm thinking I may spool on some old 30 lb or so mono that I've had for years and try some casting tomorrow sometime. Then when the PP comes I think I'll just rip off some of the mono and use it as a backer. I fully expect to get birdsnests and tangles all over the place. I'm confident I can adjust the drag and cast control easily by experimentation but I'm completely new to the Variable Braking System (VBS). I think I understand how it works by just reading the little info sheet that came with the reel. Brakes are "on" when set in the upper section toward the outer spool edge and "off" when pressed fully down. The reel comes with the lighter weights installed and the heavier one are in a bag in the box the reel came in. I am wondering if the reel comes out of the box with a default setting for the VBS that is for "standard use" or if I need to modify the setup right away. The pamphlet kind of states that if you get a backlash on the reel (Im assuming this to be stated as if the user is an experienced baitcaster and not a new person learning to cast) during the cast that you must modify the VBS and if you get overruns at the end of your cast, you need to change your friction cast control a tad. I don't mind adjusting the other parts as I learn to cast but it would surely simplify things a little if I could just leave braking system as it came and worry about fooling around with it later on. Im sure there is some customization that I can do to better suit the types of baits I use but I don't want to be messing around with those tiny weights if I don't have to to start learning to cast. Thanks

I just watched a story on the news about a family from Ontario that went across the blue water bridge and as soon as the father gave the U.S. border agent his I.D. they swarmed his car with a team of police and pulled them out with guns drawn. They took them to some interrogation type building where they realized they had the wrong guy. All they did was tell the guy that there was a mistake and that it was caused by either the man's name or date of birth. Didn't apologize at all and as a kicker sent the guy home with a comment card to comment on how he liked the U.S. border experience... the guy was horribly traumatized and still shaking in the interview. I'd say stay in Ontario for your shopping.

As I said in my original post I have nothing against trying braid but 50 or 80lb braid.... I know the diameter is very small but isn't that a tad overkill for a 2 lb bass or a 5lb pike? Or is the idea that if you would normally use 8-12lb mono, to use 50 lb braid because the diameter is so small that you may as well and know it will never possibly break? I'm not trolling for muskie or anything with this setup. For bass/pike is there really any advantage to using heavy braid with a light leader over using 8-12 lb mono other than the ease of casting? I'm not worried about untangling any messes on the reel.

Please suggest good choices of line to spool onto my new rod/reel combo. I just bought a brand new Curado 200DHSV from Ebay last night and I am waiting for it to arrive. This is my first baitcaster and have never cast one in my life, so I'm excited to give it a try. I know it takes some getting used to and that birds nests are common when learning. I went out today and got a St. Croix Premier 7' medium power/fast action single piece rod to go along with the reel. My question is: Can anyone recommend a good line for me to spool onto the reel? I fish from shore and mostly catch bass and the odd pike. I used mono on my reels for most of my life and my current spinning reel has vanish fluoro on it that I like alot. I know alot of ppl really like braid on baitcasters and thats the only type of line I've never used. Fishing from shore, the idea of getting snagged on something that you can't get out and leaving a "rope" of line in the water is something I've never liked the idea of. Also, the need to have a leader is just one more thing that has always kept me away from braid. Though, I'm willing to give it a shot if that is what the majority of people suggest. I'm not big on using overly strong line either. I usually use 8lb-10lb line and have no issues with that at all. I know most ppl will suggest to use what you are comfortable with but I'm just wondering with my rod/reel and the situation I am fishing in, what a good choice would be. I'm willing to use any kind of line(s) and am willing to try something new. This being my first baitcaster it would be cool to have a line on there that I am happy with and shows off the reel a bit once I get it all figured out. On a side note, I bought the reel off Ebay for 149$(CDN) from a U.S. store, with 28.50 S/H and no other charges due to this seller being a "Non-Resident importer to Canada". Bringing the grand total of the purchase to 177.50$ Cdn. The fishing store i went to today and bought my rod from tonight was selling the exact same reel for $289 before taxes. Thats like 330$ after taxes for the same thing that I bought for 1/2 the price online from the States! I strongly recommend checking out buying big fishing purchases online before visiting local stores. It's a nice thought to spend locally, but the price differences are insane. I could have bought 2 reels (brand new) from the U.S. for close to the price of a single one locally. This wasn't a rare find on Ebay either. There were 4 or 5 auctiona all with buyouts within 5-10$ of each other for brand new sealed reels.

Thanks for the replies. I went with the 200 DHSV and got it for a good price on Ebay brand new. I agree that the 300 is basically just a bigger spool. Not something I really need. Thanks again. I know lots of ppl on here have the 200 DHSV and have said many good things about it, so I'm excited to get it. On a side note, I'll be getting a new rod in the next week and was wondering if anyone has a general opinion on a good match for this reel?? I fish from shore 99% of the time and mostly fish for bass and pike. Probably a medium action type rod would suit me best. Any suggestions?

Hey there, just wondering if I can quickly get some help on a choosing a reel to buy. I've found some rather good prices for baitcaster reels and was wondering if you guys can suggest whether to go for the CU-200 DHSV or the CU300DSV. I'm stuck between these 2 models. The price difference isn't an issue, I just don't know which I'd prefer. The 300 is newer I suppose, but the 200 has a higher gear ratio. Any suggestions? I'm kinda leaning towards teh 200 just because I know alot of ppl have it and are happy with it. I can't really understand what's all that new and better with the 300 to make it cost more and have a lower gear ratio. I would primarily use it for bass fishing and would like to be able to use it for many different styles/techniques of fishing not just burning it in as fast as possible. Thanks

scan through the other videos under that one and watch the one of a pike attacking a guy releasing a fish.

I've been planning on putting a minnow trap in the creek beside the pit to trap some minnows on the weekend. Not to fish with but just to see what kinds of minnows are in there. Theres a little bridge over the creek and if you stand there and look down you can see really small minnows darting around. I agree that it would probably be a great idea to get a small species of minnow going in the pit that all species of fish can eat and live off of. Perhaps they are already there, I really don't know. A neighbour told us that he has seen atleast one brown trout in the creek a few years back that was about 12" long, so perhaps there are a few trout hanging around in the area. I really need to wait til spring when the fish are biting more just to get a better feel for the numbers and species of fish in there. Perhaps there are some pike in there or a species I haven't seen yet. Thanks for the replies so far.

Lol, that was possibly the most random reply to a post ever. Not off topic at all. Thanks I guess. Possibly would have gone better as a PM.

Fishindevil, the bass have been in there for atleast 15 years and done just fine on their own. Perhaps the white crappie were always in there as well, I just don't know. I know a lot of pits get stocked with a 1000 small rainbows or so and that they are usually put in as a put and take kind of thing. My intention wouldn't be to eat them, just to have them for fishing after work and on weekends kind of thing. Definately some would get eaten but that wouldn't be the reason for putting them in there. The crappies in there are fun to catch but they all seem to be extremely tiny which makes me think they are the primary food source for the bass.

In regards to my post about fishing a local gravel pit/pond I was contemplating the possibility of introducing some trout of sorts to the water in the spring time. This is just a thought at the moment and nothing is at all for certain. Obviously introducing a new species to a small body of water would require alot of planning due to the amount of damage it could quite possibly due to the original species in there. As I stated in the post from a day or 2 ago, the water has lm bass, white crappie, and supposedly some pike. Though no one I have talked to has seen/caught a pike in there. A neighbour told my dad that someone had diverted a stream (very small creek) nearby to run into and out of the pit but so far we haven't found any evidence of this yet... unless they dug some culverts under the ground or something. Possibly the creek only gets there if the water is severely higher than standard levels. So we were wondering about what a good species would be to introduce to the pond. My dad was leaning towards some rainbow trout just for the fishing aspect. I think he was more or less thinking of adding a few dozen larger fish and try to let them reproduce naturally rather than throw in 500 tiny ones that the bass could pick off and would probably be gone in a few years. The pit hasn't been touched in decades and has quite a bit of weed growth and algae in it as well as structure fallen in from trees and bushes around the pond and a beaver lodge that is surrounded by random branches as well. I'm sure alot of people will advise against adding a new species, I'm just throwing it out there wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to a species or 2 that may do well in this environment. Especially a species that has a fair shot at surviving and reproducing on its own. Rainbows, Specks, Sunfish are what I've been kind of thinking of as options. It would be cool to have some pickerel (small ones obviously) in there but I'm thinking they wouldn't do too well in this small of a body of water. Also, does anyone know of places (farms or gov't) that will sell fish for this reason? I'd rather a small number of adult fish than a pile of tiny ones just so that they don't get eaten right away and can hopefully spawn. Also, how do they charge for fish like this? I was told once that places start to charge alot more for rainbows once they hit something like 9". Again, this is just something I've been thinking about and I am hoping for some feedback. Don't worry, I'm not about to start throwing new fish in all over the place uninformed.