sauce

Wow, you drove all the way to sail twice for a reel but never considered buying a rod at the same time? Check out the fishing store in kitchener and save yourself the hassle. Prices are not any better at sail or bps. As for a rod tho, you want something lightweight to balance with the patriarch. Really tough to say what action to get unless you specify how you plan to fish for them. Boat? Shore? Jig? Float? Crank? Jerk? Etc... I have several walleye/ bass rods for specific applications. From ML to MH power and fast/ x-fast action.

If you fish near peche isle, you should be able to tuck in close to shore and paddle back upstream in lighter current. Same thing at fighting island. Both islands have good access and are close to prime drifts. My concern would be getting hit broadside by a wake from a freighter or large fishing boat. Most popular drifts on the river aren't real long. So guys will drift 15-20 minutes then motor back upstream. When you have 40 + boats working a drift, there's nearly always a boat going back upstream, many not aware or concerned about the wake they are creating. Small crafts on the detroit get bounced around. If you are an experienced canoer, you should be fine. Just be aware of what's going on around you and be ready to turn your canoe quickly when large waves threaten from the side. If you plan on fishing only the canadian shoreline, watch the wind. Our water gets muddy real quick if there's sustained wind from any direction. Emerald green or clear water is good. When its brown on our side, you have a chance at finding clearer water along the US shoreline.

My mistake, sorry solo. I read thru 3 pages of replies and something you said in your dogwalking reply stuck out. I went back and re-read it and realised I had misread something. I meant no harm. I'll edit my post now so someone else doesn't question my comment...

I'm goin to throw in my 2 cents. A few have posted references to the regs. Yes Caledonia is off limits for walleye. Season there ends feb 29 as per the exceptions. Somewhere upstream from there (onandaga tuscarora line) walleye and pike switch back to the general regulations. This line is downstream from brantford, not exactly sure where, I think its near chiefswood/ middleport area. I was fishing in brantford last week and a guy told me to try caledonia, "they're slamming them now" was the phrase he used. I was also told to come back and fish the spot I was fishing after the season closes. The fish stack up and "they can fish for then, so can I" Yeah, try tellin that to a CO.

Those last two photos are good ones. Thats how you're supposed to hold a fish for the pic. I don't care what you look like, I wanna see a close up of old marble eyes. Nice work man!

Sounds to me like you are tryin to stir the pot. Great way to single yourself out. Lots of people like fishin for bass. I sure do. Good luck with mastering walleye. Hopefully you never catch another bass.

Bon apetit! Simple pleasures are some of the best things in life. Good for you!

A fish like that is something truly special. How old could it be? How much longer will that fish live? How many generations of musky has it spawned? Will it spawn again? If I had caught it, I would have probably released it too. I don't fish musky but I consider myself a trophy hunter. I think I would be extremely satisfied to release a potential record of any species. No regrets. I think that's how these guys feel. That fish is most likely still swimming. How many people can say they caught a 5 foot long musky?? Who cares what it weighs, its huge. No one can dispute it. Or maybe they rounded up on the measurement? Maybe its only 4 feet 11 and 3/4"

Like lunker777, I have trained myself to manually flip the bail over and pull the line tight before starting my retrieve. I don't even think about it when I do it, it just happens. One of my good fishing buddies is a wind knot magnet. He does not flip the bail manually. When we go night fishing, its almost a garantee that he'll have to cut line at some point every time. And its not like this guy is a rookie. Wind knots with 10 pound braid can be a nightmare. And they do happen if you aren't paying attention all the time. The wavespin's design is supposed to prevent this from happening. I'll stick to manually flippin the bail on my stradics.

That is the answer. Same deal when tipping a crank bait with a worm, 2 trebles equals 6 hooks. Technically illegal in ontario.

For walleye, 90% of your fishing can be done with spinning gear. This doesn't include trolling. Gear for that can get pretty specific. But pick up 4 or 5 medium and medium light rods in fast and extra fast action. these lighter action walleye combos double as finesse bass combos. I picked up a 6'8 mojo bass drop shot rod. Its gonna be nice for drop shot, vertical jigging and even throwing light cranks. If I could afford to do it, id pick up a second one (with another stradic) and have one spooled with braid and the other with mono. I don't do a whole lot of fishing where I'm throwing heavy lures or using heavy line so I don't use baitcast combos a lot.

119 sounds about right for the rods you mentioned. I bought a 6'6 baitcast at BPS for 129 a few weeks ago. Not sure if its still happening now but shimano is offering a $20 rebate on all compres. Check their website for details, a compre for $99 is a good deal

I bet there has been a change in the forage base. One of the pike and bass' main prey has dropped in numbers over the years. Probably a lot of cannibalism happening now. Which explains the low number of small fish caught. Without importing bait from other lakes, you could try increasing the forage base in the lake by improving frog habitat. There's probably already frogs there. Just need to give them a boost. Frogs are shoreline dwellers. 50% of the shoreline lost to docks and buildings can likely reduce the frog population by 50%. Id bet that surface baits near shore and structure are great on this lake. Or maybe they were back in the day. Any other trends you've noticed on your lake?

If you want to add more versatility to your combo, make sure that the reel you buy comes with a spare spool. Most reels come with one but some don't. Spool one up with 6 or 8 pound mono. Spool the other with 10 - 20 pound braid. If you can find a good deal on a rod that you like, buy 2 of them. One medium, the other medium light or medium heavy. A 2500 series shimano sedona or sahara, pfleuger president are good reel choices under $100. As for rods... start searching. Make sure to check out several stores as selection will vary greatly as will prices.

A stradic 2500 FI and two compres. Lots of actions and lengths available in one piece and two. $400 probably wont cover it, but you aren't over budget by much. One thing to note, the new generation of super light reels (stradic CI4 and pfleuger patriarch etc.) don't balance well on most rods. If you buy one of these reels, you will also need a very light rod to fully appreciate the advantages.

Id go with the stradic. But why? Cuz I already own a few and am very happy with them. Something to consider with the lightweight reels is the rod you put them on. It must also be light. Put it on the wrong rod and you'll find it to be very tip heavy. I put my Ci4 on a compre and it felt bad. But on a st croix avid it feels just right.

I'm assuming you want to get these blades sharpened because you want to use your auger but don't have the time to pick up a new set of blades... be careful getting them sharpened. There's no garantee that the new edge will hold up like the factory edge. And how much do you think sharpening will cost? I don't know anyone that can answer that question. It could cost as much as a new set of blades. Blades for manual augers are sharpened on grinders that need to be set up for specific applications. Grinding wheels need to be dressed, some type of jig may need to be constructed to hold the blades. All this takes time and costs money. If I were you id be contacting the store I bought the auger from and let them know that I need new blades badly. So bad that id even consider shopping elsewhere if that's what it takes to get them.

I had two bluegills last winter. Big one was mean and skittish. Drop in a minnow, he'd kill then hide. Little one was freindly and gently plucked maggots and waxies from my fingers. He'd sit just under the surface waiting.

Ya, if you plan on fishing scugog from 10 - 5 you might as well bring a deck of cards. 5am to 8am and 3pm to 8pm have been best for me.

If you feel like testing your suit, find a beach that's not too busy and go for a swim. Obviously, this is the kind of test that would be best attempted in the summer. Wade in slowly, don't jump in off a dock. If your suits floatation is no good, it will pull you under. For the OP... First ice, I like a one piece suit. A few reasons. First is safety. The other is that I don't bring my hut out and therefore have no reason to remove my jacket. A one piece is less draughty on the frigid days. And when you work up a sweat, you can cool off by opening the zipper to let out some steam. Once the ice thickens up, I bring the hut and layer up under a good winter coat and snow pants. No real need for a float suit at this time and it allows me to remove my jacket once I get the heater going. Id go with a 1 piece suit if I was in your shoes.

I wonder how far the ice goes out at virginia? Could be very dangerous ice there .Beavertons ice just blew away? Could that happen at virginia?

I've heard this before. I understand why you'd roll down your windows. But what's the reason for not wearing a float suit? It doesn't do me much good if I'm not wearing it.

I know that when I travel a long distance, I'm more likely to take risks (ie. Fishing on thin ice) "I've come this far..." I know that I'm like that, so my solution is to start my ice season at spots close to home. Its a lot easier to accept defeat when you're only 15 minutes up the road. I'll wait a couple more weeks to fish the really good spots. Gear tips! These will help increase the life of your auger blades. 1. Don't lend your auger to strangers. 2. Never bang the blades on the ice or use a hard object to chip ice off. 3. New blades will last a long time if you drill slow and steady. 4.Take note if your auger has offset grips. If so, use it properly so that the blades and flutes turn true... I've watched guys fight to get through 6" of ice cuz they don't realize they're spinning it wrong. It wont "bite" and it wants to skip and wander. 5. Use a rag to dry off the blades and then put the cover back on it when not in use. 6. If you're fishing with a partner, work the auger together. You'd be surprised how fast and effortlessly 2 guys can crank an 8" hole thru a foot of ice.

Keep in mind they are a protected species. So anyone thinking of eating one... think again. Catch n release, although racing them could liven up a slow day.

How much do you pay for internet? Cell phone? Satellite tv? They're ripping you off for a lot more than the value of your fishing license. What is the point of this rant? I'm like cudz. If the price was double, triple whatever, id give up my internet subscription so I could afford to fish. I need to fish, I don't need the internet.