Millhouse2020

Hi Everyone, Just wondering who has some tips to share for gar fishing. I have never fished gar before and in the last two seasons, have sited several nice specimens in the same waters I fish pike and muskie. I would love to sink some hooks in one if possible, any tips and tricks for a gar fishing newbie would be appreciated. I understand that the physical characteristics of this fish make catching it on traditional lure presentations pretty difficult. Thanks in advance! Millhouse

One more question, does the ramp at sucker creek have a dock? If so that will be great, thanks again everybody!

Gentlemen, thank you very much for the great info! I have been to the ramp in Lavinge for many many years but did not know about the other access point. Hope to have some luck connecting my g/f on her first muskie this weekend. Thanks again!

Hi Everyone, Just wondering if anyone knows of a public boat launch on the West Arm of Lake Nippissing. I am planning to fish there this weekend for the muskie opener and I see that all lodges are now charging between $25-$30 to launch your boat and park for a day. This seems excessive to me. I am not aware of a publich launch but thought I would ask if anyone knows of one or perhaps a more reasonable daily rate of $10-$15 to launch and park your vehicle. I am coming from Sudbury. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and good fishin! Millhouse2020

I lived in the area for about 7 years. Its a nice place overall. There are tons of student renters however, it comes with its issues. Students only need accodmodations during the school year and they are notoriously hard on property. I dont think you will have a problem finding renters, the problem will be finding good responsible ones. If you wish to deal with roommates, this further complicates things from a personal point of view, it would not be for me. As mentioned earlier, you need to take ALL expenses into account, mortgage, property taxes, utilities, insurance etc. With all these costs factored in, it may not be as cheap as you think. Homes close to the schools are notoriously expensive since, there is great demand for rental purposes. The closer they are to schools and transit, the more you can charge in rent, within reason of course. You may want to speak with someone who does this sort of thing, renting to students in particular, to give you the lowdown. Im sure there may be others issues, pro and con which we have not mentioned yet... Good luck!

Gotta buy what feels good to you and is in your price range. I agree you will get many conflicting comments here and Im sure if you go with anything that was mentioned, you wont be disappointed. I personally own a bunch of baitcasters, Shimano, Abu Garcia, Quantam and others. To be honest, I have not had a bad one really but you get what you pay for. More expensive reels seems to have better gears, balance and are generally smoother resulting in fewer backlashes. That being said, I personally think the entry level product is much better than it was 10-20 years ago so you are getting more for your money. The best tip I can give is be sure to maintain whatever you buy. Last year I invested in some proper reel oil and grease and gradually worked through all my rigs and cleaned and lubed them. Wow what a difference!!! Some of my old equipment seems to work better than new. Even stuff that has not been used will have had oil and grease dry up over time. It pays to do regular maintenance, once a season is enough Im sure either before or after the season. Some of these are nice projects for winter evenings when you are sitting by a fire dreaming about open water... Just be dilligent when taking things apart or you may have a nightmare putting them back together. I love my Abu6500 as its smooth, strong and reliable but man it was a bear to get back together, lots of misc moving parts...

I think I watched part of the same program, didnt see the last 1/2 hour. I have always been intrigued by this and other unexplained phenomena. I'm not sure I am a believer but I don't write it off completely. Good point about the oceans earlier. There are vast expanses of un/under explored wilderness as well, in this country and elsewhere. I once read a statisic on the thousands of planes that are missing and unaccounted for in the north american wilderness and it gets you thinking. People say, if they do exist, how come we have never even found one dead. Ok, fair enough. There are lots of bears in the bush, lots more than perhaps Sasquatch, have anyone of us ever come accross a dead bear??? I know I haven't, nor has anyone I know. Could a large primate still exist in the wild of north america undiscovered? I think there is a possibilty, but its a small one and keeps getting smaller by the day with human encroachment, our wild spaces shrinking slowly and without definitive proof yet. As technology gets better, you would think it would be harder and harder for a creature like that to hide. That said, many of the stories are compelling and pique my interest. What is really interesting to me is that the story/legend has existed for so long, in aboriginal culture here and other cultures around the world. Is there really something going on or is it a common thread in our human DNA to explain some unidentifiable wild creature as a sasquatch, yeti, whatever... Here is a question, if you ran accross one hunting, would you kill it in order to prove its existence or would you let be? Would you tell anyone and possibly be labelled a quck or would you keep it a secret?

Reminds me of the Canyonero... http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBoQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3De4QgWRycd7I&ei=oifRTfiZLoL50gGw1KGaDg&usg=AFQjCNFAD8e2OK0E0oaIlR-Lg08o2qHJ-Q Can you name the truck with four wheel drive, Smells like a steak, and seats thirty five? Canyonero! Canyonero! Well, it goes real slow with the hammer down, It's the country-fried truck endorsed by a clown, Canyonero! Canyonero! Hey, hey! Twelve yards long, two lanes wide, Sixty five tons of American pride! Canyonero! Canyonero! Top of the line in utility sports, Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts! Canyonero! Canyonero! She blinds everybody with her super high beams, She's a squirrel-squashin', deer-smackin' drivin' machine, Canyonero! Canyonero! Canyonero! Whoa, Canyonero! Whoooooaaaa! I can't imagine the sting at the pumps. I just got my first pickup this January, drove a Corolla for 10 years prior, I think I will stick with my little ole F150...

Nice machine! Im sure you will have many many hours of memories on it!

Yep, its a 2006 Canadian 18ft. The engine is a 60HP Evinrude Etec. Played with it a bit this weekend. Once I had the trim dialed in correctly, it rode pretty good. Scary fast, Im not used to that kind of power in a tiller but I will just have to get used to it. I am looking forward to the walleye opener next weekend...

Very pleased to have finally purchased my own rig, its about time! It is previously enjoyed but new to me. I am looking forward to many hours on the water and many memories to come...

I could not agree with you more, I need to put a ring on her soon!!!

Just an update on the fishing this past weekend. It was nice to finally be out on open water but the fishing was dreadful. My g/f caught one pike on Saturday as we were just exploring the area during the afternoon and fishing for Perch. On the Sunday opener and we had very high winds and miserable weather, we fished all day but caught nothing. We tried casting all the bays we could find south toward the Shawanaga River. We tried trolling around the islands. Even tried bobber fishing with minnows but struck out. Monday was cold with rain and even hail at some points in the morning, again we fished all day and covered lots of water North to Sturgeon Bay with no success. On the upside, it was nice to get out on the water and iron out the bugs in our equipment. The lodge was nice as well, we would go back. I had never fished this area before but can see lots of potential there. I think we were early in the season, the water appeared much lower than normal and the weather did not help us. Couldn’t figure out where the fish were. At one point on Saturday I was very concerned for our safety when we had to cross an open section of water with 3 foot swells in our 14ft rental boat. It was white knuckle boating for a half mile to get back to the sheltered area but we made it OK. Anyone have any advice on what we may have been doing wrong? Im all ears... We did do some boat shopping on Satruday on our way down so we may be close to getting a new rig of our own which will be great, can't wait :-D If anyone has any thoughts on the Crestliner Canadian/Kodiak 18ft tiller model, I would like to hear them as this is the boat we are looking at very closely as our first new fishing/utility boat. Cheers all!

Thanks again for all the tips! I will post a report next week with our results. I spent 3 hours last night organizing the tackle I bought over the winter for this trip. Have to pack the last of my clothing tonight, get groceries and load the vehicle. It should be fun regardless and I am bringing my entire arsenal of tackle and gear so if we dont get results it wont be for lack of effort. We will be dressed for pretty much everything. Now if I can figure out where to find a place airing the UFC fights on Saturday night then this will be an awesome trip. Go St. Pierre! Millhouse2020

Anyone know a place around Pointe au Baril that will be airing the fights as well? I will hate to miss them. Didn't think far enough ahead when I was planning my trip. GO ST. PIERRE! MIllhouse2020

Thanks OhioFisherman! Thats great info and very detailed, much appreciated! Millhouse2020

I would have to say I too would try fishing the minnow and bobber combo. Never thought of a dead sucker on bottom but its worth a try. I would imagine fishing from shore would make working lures in shallow water more difficult. You can control the floats and position of the baits very precisely with a large slip float. I like bobber fishing and slay smallmouth every summer with this technique. Some people may think its childs play but its fun to see the bobber go down and its very effective when used properly. I will keep an eye on this thread to see how you make out. Good luck.

Thanks I am aware of that, we will be travelling and hanging around the lodge that day, fishing Sunday and Monday.

Hi everyone, I have trip booked to Pointe Au Baril this weekend at Rock Pine Lodge. I want to bring my girlfreind fishing for early season pike and hopefully get her the biggest fish of her life and officially hooked on fishing. I have never fished here before and was wondering if anyone had any advice. My initial thoughts were to target shallow spawning bays and cast spinners, suspending jerkbaits and spoones to whatever gators may be willing. Any more specific advice anyone would like to share would be appreciated. Also, I hope to do some walleye fishing in the morning and evenings so if anyone has any tips to share about the area that would be appreciated as well. Tight lights to everyone! Man I am so pumped for the open water season... Millhouse2020

Hello everyone, I have a question regarding the Crestliner Kodiak. I am interested in what experiences any members may like to share, positive or negative, with this boat. I have pretty much decided on a 18ft Kodiak tiller model with a 60hp engine as my first boat purchase. I am just snooping around with dealers and pricing trying to see who has the best deals. Your input is appreciated. I am a multispecies fisherman and expect to be fishing with my girlfriend a lot. I want to be able to have us both fish in comfort with decent seating and a flat floor but also have plenty of room and power to get around the lake. I believe the Kodiak recently replaced the Crestliner Canadian as their basic deep v fishing boat. It just seems like a better value than comparable Lund or Alumacraft models which I find are more expensive. Your input is appreciated. Thanks! Millhouse2020

Thanks a bunch for the tips! They are really appreciated!!! Cheers!

Thanks for the heads up! We will be staying in Mindemoya. Thanks again!

Sure, I will likely be enjoying a few meals out so any tips would be welcome. We will be staying in Mindemoya. Thanks...