12 Volt Man

good stuff. I took a fly tying course with Grindstone Angling in Waterdown when I started fly fishing 10 years ago. tying flies is surprisingly easy - you can tie any fly in the world using the same 4 basic steps (whip finish, pinch technique etc) that a good fly instructor will teach you. the course I took was two nights. it was well done. the amazing flies you see are done by creative and talented people..but the basic steps they use to make the fly are the same. the best advice to give on fly casting is to practice practice and more practice. I do a lot of trout fishing, so I use a 5 weight rod and reel. for a more all purpose rod I would go with a 6 weight. you can cast poppers for bass a bit easier with a rod like this. Also, although a fly outfit can be expensive, try not to go too cheap. a better rod will make learing to cast easier and help with casting with wind present, which there always is LOL.

thanks for the input everyone!

make him some morning french toast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ZXRlcoEW8

Shimano purchased G. Loomis in 1997. their quality has not suffered one bit in the last 13 years. if anything, Loomis rods have improved by a whole lot, mainly because Shimano left the company alone. the only thing that they did that pissed people off was made the availablity of rod blanks for rod builders a lot less available. that was the one complaint that I have heard many times over the years since the buy out. "my fav. rod blank isn't available anymore.." I have a few Loomis rods, the SJR782 in GL3 is the best overall spinning rod I have ever used. its awesome. I find my self reaching for that rod more than any other in my arsenal back when G. Loomis Canada had a plant in Mount Hope, I had to use the warranty for a broken rod. I got a brand new baitcasting rod for $60. a new one would have been 4 times that much. however, now that G. Loomis Canada has apparently closed down that plant, I am not sure how the warranty will work in Canada as all Loomis rods are now G. Loomis USA rods. the one I got from basspro a few years ago says 'usa' on the rod decal.. probably just means you have to ship it down to the states for warranty issues. A real pain in the ass now that Loomis Canada is not around.. or are they? can anyone explain what happened?

Hello all. well, that time has come when I want to upgrade my older stradic to a new spinner. I was looking at the Shimano Sustain 2500 FE reel. I know this isn't a cheap reel, so I was looking for experiences from those that have it or have fished with it. any insight would be greatly appreciated! thanks -12 Volt

I have. but it was in Loch Ness. oh wait. that was something different. haha

that was great! if you like that type of song, you will also like songs like this: Lullaby (the Divorce Song) from the hilarious Stephen Lynch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY0LTPCrkmY&feature=related enjoy!

went back down to the pier yesterday, baitfish being busted all over the place. I really thought I was going to get into another monster, but didn't.. but it was a nice evening.

amazing shots. looks like you had an awesome day!

the only anglers who say there are no fish at Bronte are the ones that never fish it.... its like the lottery - you can't win if you don't play..

thanks all! actually, there were baitfish being busted all around where I caught this fish, which is exactly why I was using a minnow crankbait and it paid off. find the baitfish and you find the fish that are eating them. hopefully.

I was born premature and see only out of one eye due to a detached retina. last year I had a cataract develop in my only good eye and had to have cataract surgery. it got bad enough that I was unable to drive for a few months. however given that my eye was not normal (ROP from the early birth) I had Dr. Wai Ching Lam at Toronto Western Hospital do laser work to strengthen the retinal attachment prior to the cataract surgery (done by Dr. Hassane in Oakville) which all went very well (thank god). Dr. Lam was very good and is an expert when it comes to retinas. Dr. Patricia Harvey is also very good. Good luck with everything and have faith in modern medicine. We are lucky to have some brilliant opthamologists locally.

Hello everyone! I am new to this board but have been fishing almost all my life. I wanted to share a pic of a big brown trout I caught off the pier at Bronte Harbour this past Victoria Day. the fish was caught on a Rattlin' Rapala crankbait. the fish was released to swim and be caught another day. one question I have for the experts is this: are browns like this around the river mouths all year or just in the spring? I was curious to know. thanks! -12 Volt