g_clot

Statistics analyst on the Operations side of one of Canada's largest media companies. Internal stats, business processes, revenues, expenses, logistics etc..... Excel is my best friend during the day. If anyone has lots of data and needs it organized, summarized and/or presented, I'm your man. In relation to fishing - I've been thinking of building an excel based 'catch log' to summarize our most productive lures, locations, times, colours etc in a user friendly way.

Good find - I never would have checked the validity further. Thanks for the heads up...... Time to send that new link to everyone I sent the original too.

A friend forwarded this to me the other day and thought it was a good way to save bucks on your AA battery consumption. Less $ on batteries = more $ on fishing And thanks to Sudzy... it's a hoax. I'll hang my head in shame now. Hoax link Cheers

The caps are not a hard rule - it simply states the amount of line it will spool based on that test weight diameter. You could put 80lb braid on it, if you had a good reason too. I see you're back on the old school look with that reel. With $20 off the Saros is within $10 and has it's own long-casting mechanism and comes with a free spool. The waterproof drag as earlier noted has been my favorite feature, and for me it would be an easy call. The Saros has a reputation as being one of the nicest reels for the money. However if you love the looks of the old school black plastic, go for it... you're the one using it.

response: "No, it does not have a trailer. It also needs to be towed away by another boat. Our property is on a cliff, so there's no way to get it onto a truck from here. It's heavy. Let me know if you have the means to take it." Sounds tough - but where there's a will there's a way.

Thanks - I just emailed them (hope it's still available). I'll be near there tomorrow night. Hopefully it fits on the roof of my Yukon XL okay.

In a few year I might consider buying it used off ya....

Natural coloured senko worms 4-6"

Garry2r's is right in that the lower end stuff works, but in terms of durability, comfort, casting distance, feel etc etc etc... there are major differences. I have the Shimano Saros that he noted, and for $120 it's golden. I also have a cheaper set (reel link below), and the two main differences I found are casting distance and maintenance. The waterproof drag is pretty key at keeping the drag and reel 'out of the box' smooth after use in rough weather, that's what you don't get with the cheaper gear. I've had to grease and lube my cheaper set every few months to keep it fresh. However, if you're looking at a set for about $100 I'd take a look at the combo of these- Reel: Diawa TD-Pro Rod: Browning Citori (on clearance) Use the promo code: SAVEPC3 - it'll save $20 on orders over $100 - and you're at $109 for a GREAT set. If you call customer service and tell them about 'major problems' you've had in the past and ask to speak with the 2nd level customer service you can get them to ship for free as well. After you get the free shipping give them the promo code. This is the first reel I bought last year paired with a BPS extreme rod for $129. I have to say the reel is a good bang for the buck. It's light and the drag is super smooth and quite strong. I'd highly recommend it as a cheaper set. The rod is highly recommended on the site and should be super light/sensitive. OR Use the $20 off promo and just get the Shimano Saros for $109 to put on the rod you already have. You can upgrade the rod later on. I like this option best

Nice looking boat for the price. (dreaming of richer days)

Hey 2R's - that's crap news indeed, but a learning experience none-the-less. I learned this the hard way ordering off EBay. I bought a set of golf clubs for $350 USD. They shipped VIA UPS who charge about 50% of the product value in cross-border brokerage charges. The clubs cost me over $500 in the end, and since they were EBay bought they weren't warranted by Callaway. Should have bought at Golftown.... Had they used USPS my brokerage would have been under $20. How UPS justify $130 extra dollars is beyond me. Long story short - UPS is the worst cross-border carrier in terms of charges, with FedEX 2nd. USPS and Purolator (if my memory serves me well) is a must to save $$$. It's great advice to double check which carrier they use before-hand and recommend they use another. Some companies charge an extra $10 to use USPS, and they do take a little longer, but you could save some big dollars.

Texas/Wacky Senko's in the evening around any near surface rock that drops off to 10+ FOW should land you plenty smallies. Morning top water for bucketmouths in back bays or near-shore structure. Afternoon jerks & spinners for pike in 6-15 FOW near deeper channels. I'm heading to the Georgian next weekend, so any tips you pick-up on your trip will be much welcomed.

I just rolled back from all-u-can-eat indian food. My stomach is in excrutiating pain, yet my mouth is watering for some of that. mmmmm......

Dang that's a nice ski. Congrats on the big catch.

Hey Geoff, Sorry to hear, its a tough position to be in, but may be a blessing in disguise. For now, considering your 'street smart' & 'dirty hands' label, there is a break through that. Since the recession the gov't launched a program called Second Career, where they essentially pay the whole shebang of your education. A friend of mine was approved and is living happily in Barrie taking an IT program, all on our tab and he's having the time of his life! You go back to college full-time and get financial assistance in the form of grants the whole way along. Weblink here: Second Career Aside from this the world is your oyster, and an adventure is another possibility. Travel Canada or the world. Work on a cruise line, lobster boat, MNR jobs in sticks, write a book, start your own local business... the possibilities are endless. Good luck, and if I have any other more specific thoughts I'll shoot them your way. Cheers

24/7 - I don't think I could concentrate at work knowing what's coming when I get off. Hell, I can't even concentrate after just looking at pictures from some dude I don't know who is hours away from me. A great lifestyle you gents are living. Keep on enjoying the best of the good times (and loop us in every now and then )!!!!

Hey Splashhopper, Great question. To sum it up for myself... I only started fishing a year ago, so really, everything is new. I think the classic mepps and spinnerbaits were my first lures/techniques but I ended up fishless. After trip number one I innundated myself with online literature. Morning top-water fishing was I suppose the first thing I forced onto my myself with a trusty Pop-R. Relating and remembering what I read to what I did was essential. I think it look at least 5 hrs of popping practice get a slow rhythm that seemed to produce occassional bites. After I started boating some fish I went on a gear shopping frenzy. From none to 3 rod/reel setups, 3 lures to 6 boxes of lures etc.... Now, I'm trying to slowly get comfortable with it all doing probably exactly what you're doing. WFN, surfing message boards, getting magazines etc etc... every day adding a new tid-bit or thought to the noggin' and eventually when I feel the water conditions are just right I'll pick it up and go blind. Now, if history repeats itself, I'll try it for an hour one day and end up with nothing. The next time I'll try again with nothing. By the end third time I try and fail and think to myself "this just isn't for me". Finally on a 4th or 5th attempt the conditions will be just right and I'll land something. After that it's a part of the arsenal, and it'll just click after a few more fish are boated. After just one year I feel comfortable fishing a variety of top water (Pop-R, Frog, Buzz, Walk-the-Dog), shallow-water (jerk, wake, Senko) and some deeper stuff (cranks, drop-shot). To me, that's one year, lots of practice, and a handful of techniques to try every time out. The more I've learned the more I want to learn, while honing what I already know. Like you, however, I have all I need to start jigging, I just don't know when and where to start..... although in my situation a depth finder is probably numero uno.

Not to beat a dead horse here, but I came across this NWA/Lebron youtube yesterday and can't stop watching. Simply classic. Cheers:

Great report, and I'm sure you picked up at least 10x the number of pointers you mentioned. Thanks for sharing JohnF, and you've twisted my rubber arm in meeting up with Garry2rs for a day.

Honda Pilot fits the bill, two different family members have one and love 'em.

I recall reading that 2/3 of their diet is crawfish. As Henry suggests, maybe watching/understanding their habits might prove invaluable for smallie fishing.

We didn't catch a thing. It was more of a scenic drive and excuse to drink beer than anything. We fished jigs on spinners and some flies provided by a rookie fly-fisher, so we didn't match any hatch. There were some more experience guys on the water who said it's been real tough times as it's very over-fished, being one of the few major bodies of water so close to Calgary. If you have a down-day try the 3+ hour tube ride down the bow into the city, that was wicked. Sorry I couldn't be more of a help on this, it was one of my first times out in years and I didn't gain any lasting knowledge on how to fish it. Let me know how you do and what works for my next trip out there though. Cheers

Giggity Giggidy.... for the fish Great start to the season, nice mix and good sizes.

and a few more.... Will try to get this year's pike's up when I can.