Garry2Rs

The common wisdom is to use metal blades, silver or brass on sunny days, because the sun will make them flash. On overcast days, painted blades will show-up better.

White, white and chartreuse and chartreuse all resemble many types of bait fish. I also like to have a Fire-Tiger spinnerbait in my collection.

Garry2R's

In the olden days Apsley was the home of the OPP radar school.

Those days are gone and so is the radar school.

They're a well made spinnerbait, that features red wire and red hooks...the idea is that the red looks like blood in the water.

I like Strike King spinnerbaits but wouldn't pay extra to get the red wire etc.

Cory was responsible for the fancy photography, I just had to hold them...grin.

The weeds are still pretty thin in some areas.

I have been catching some on Crappie jigs around dollar pads.

That ain't the way I heard it...HAHAHA

Sorry my finger slipped...HAHAHA!

Now that Bass season is here we have been busy boys.

We're fishing almost everyday.

The sun tan thing is working out pretty good too...HAHAHA

Here's some pictures of what you missed in the last ten days if you stayed home to make babies...

Get off the couch!

Garry2R's

There are two controls on the bait-cast reel.

One is to control the spool at the beginning of the cast so that the spool doesn't out accelerate the pace at which the line is actually going out.

This control is also useful when casting into the wind...

The other is beside the drag and is to slow the spool at the end of the cast, so that it doesn't keep turning after the lure has hit the water.

With experience you will back that one off to zero and use your thumb to slow and stop the spool.

Garry2R's

Might be a good place to keep your pop and water. If you're a live bait type of guy, how about a holding tank for minnows and leeches?

As a last resort, plug the inlet and drain holes and use it as a tackle box or storage bin.

There's also the chance that you killed all the descent fish in the lake last time out, so if you get a couple of dinks, you can keep them in the live well until you decide whether you have enough to bother cleaning.

I can answer your bait-casting questions and teach you how to set your equipment up.

If you're serious PM me.

Garry2R's

The Curado is a great reel and Shimano can be serviced locally. that might not seem like much, when your purchasing, but I overheard the owner of a local shop saying that he had discontinued some other well known other brands because he couldn't stand behind them. The service was handled by third parties and he wasn't comfortable with that.

A Senko type plastic worm, hooked "Wacky" is deadly for Bass as long as the weeds aren't too thick.

If they are, hook it Texas style. cast it and just let it sink. If nothing happens by the time it hits bottom, twitch it a couple of times, then retrieve it and cast again. Match the colour to the bottom or try something bright, like pink, or orange. I use a lot of Camo. worms that are a redish brown, sort of the colour of Coke.

To off set rising gas prices I have started guiding and teaching on the lakes that I know so well in the North Kawarthas.

My rates are low and I supply all the equipment.

My teaching method is to take you fishing on my Bass Boat for 4 to 8 hours and let you use my tackle.

We will fish and you will learn both through my coaching and by actually doing.

If this sounds like a shameless plug...It is...HAHAHA.

I though we dealt with you six or eight weeks ago!

From King and James walk north. When you reach the Bay go left to Bay Street. That's pier Four.

Start fishing... Follow the shore into Coote's Paradise, continue fishing.

If you keep going you will wind up on the Burlington side of the Bay...Keep going until you reach the lift bridge.

That should keep you busy until you own a car and buy a boat...WINK.

Wacky Worm works great.

So does Texas with and without a pegged sinker.

Carolina and split-shot rigged.

Twitching worm rigged - which is also called weightless Tex-opposed.

Swimming Worm, which is a Carolina Rig without a sinker.

Rippin' Worm rigged which is Texas Rigged without a sinker.

The first or second cousin of a pegged Texas Rig would be a Bullet Head Jig, which you could either swim or bounce.

Drop Shot rigged, either hooked Wacky or nose hooked.

Finally, the latest wrinkles are fishing dead stick on a stand-up or Shaky Head Jig, and dragging them on a Football Head Jig.

Of coarse a round head or a Shaky Head jig work just as well, on a clean enough bottom. The football head doesn't get trapped in cracks quite as easily as the round heads.

Personally I have never really cared for Power Bait. I prefer Zoom, Yum, and Seinko. In 5" worms I have been having great success with a generic bait that is available locally in bags with the store's name printed on it. Bridgenorth has them, so does Stone's Bait and the Lock-stock-and-barrel in Bancroft. I suspect that they are also available at Fishing World etc, down in the "Big Smoke."

Hi Aaron;

CoolB and Kronik...There's a blast from the past!

Great to see you on the board again.

Congratulations on the new family member.

In 2000-2001 I lived in an apartment for a year. My big boat was in my Mother's garage 30 or 40 miles away, and it was buried under last years the Xmas decorations etc...grin.

For quick fishing trips I bought a 9 ft. inflatable. These are wonderful seaworthy little craft. Most lifeboats are now inflatables and the Police and Rescue people use them because they are virtually unsinkable.

The one I had was a Zodiac with a hard floor. Mine cost about $1200.00 I put a 5Hp outboard on it and it was a great fishing boat for one or two people. These boats are much better to fish from than a canoe or kayak. Inflatables are almost impossible to capsize. You generally sit on the sides of the boat not on the seats. The seats are like the thwarts in a canoe, they keep the sides from pinching in.

The whole thing packed into two bags that fit in the trunk of my Camry. I took mine out on Lake Erie, another member, who is no longer active here, used his all around the Kawarthas and spent a lot of time camping with it on the Moon River.

The one in the picture is a low-end dingy. I would look at brands like Avon and Zodiac. These are the big names and you get what you pay for.

To break the skunk maybe you should buy some minnows and still fish.

You can catch Cats and Sheephead in front of the dam and on both sides where we trolled in the afternoon.

Down at Port Maitland there is some slow water around the boat lifter and around the fishing boats that was always good.

If the lake isn't to rough, off the ends of the breakwall, and on the lake side of the breakwall were also good spots.

For trolling, You might want to down size as well as try a darker pattern.

I think that I told you, my most successful lure was a Rattlin' Rap in Baby Bass pattern. It was a small one, I think it was a #5.

I find it quite thick compared to Powerpro of the same strength/weight.

It seems smoother and doesn't seem to get as fuzzy as the old gray Fireline.

When it came on the market there was a lot of talk about new and improved...

I haven't bought any Fireline since 2005, so the latest gray stuff might have the same improved finish as the Crystal.

I used 12 pound test without a leader, for Senko worms...the bass don't seem to mind

I believe that you get what you pay for.

I like to know that my lures will work properly right out of the box.

That's why I have a lot of Rapala, and Lucky Craft.

After you spend $300 on a rod and reel, $120 on gas, $20,000 on a boat, $30,000 on a truck to haul it.

$1,000 for a week in a cottage at the lake...Why would you throw a Dollar Store Bait?

I was on Jack's Lake today with a client, and we followed a 16 foot tiller with 3 guys on board, running a 20hp.

It was on plane and making good time despite the load, with a wider hull than yours.

I say Go-For-It too.

If you are a Pro, use what you like!

If you are a rookie learn to cast with a right handed reel if you are right handed, and vise-versa.

I would be pleased to teach you using my equipment and I'm sure many other experienced guys would make the same offer..

As a beginner you don't know what's comfortable or efficient etc. All you have is an idea based on doing something else.

The world is full of typists who, on the first day of school thought they would never be able to type with there weak hand....

Once you are able to cast using "standard" equipment, you can make up your own mind what is right for you.

Okay let's talk basics...

With spinning tackle you hold the reel at the reel seat, unless you are a rookie...grin.

You hook the line on your finger and release it as you cast. This is a coordinated move and is easiest for most folks when they use their strong hand. There is no need to reposition the hands after the cast and so it makes sense to reel with the weak hand.

The same is true in fly fishing, although most fly reels are set-up to crank right...

This is not true in bait casting!

With most bait casting reels, unless your trolling, the preferred way to hold them is called "palming." If you can't picture it already, all it means is that you hold the body of the reel in the palm of your hand. The purpose is to eliminate the wobble caused by cranking. If you hold the rod handle in casting position, like a pistol grip, the reel wants to torque up and down as you crank. This is very tiring on the wrist of the hand holding the rod.

You also look like a rookie...hahaha.

By passing the rod from your casting hand to your weaker hand, you automatically take the reel in the palm of your hand.

If you cast right, reel left there is no good way to change your hand position to this more comfortable and efficient grip.

There are times when you see Pro's using wrong handed reels. This is usually for Flipping and Pitching...Short, underhanded casts. The bait is swung toward the target generally in thick cover and shallow water, and the problem is you can "get bit" and be snagged before you can get the reel back in gear. Some reels come with a flipping switch, that lets you put the reel in gear without touching the crank-handle. So far these are all on mid-price reels not top-of-the-line models, so some Pro's use reels that crank on the wrong side so that they can drop the reel into gear as the bait is falling.

One last thought...

About 20% of the world is left handed. I read that 40% of the bait-casters that are sold are left handed.

Most of the reels for sale on E-Bay are left handed...I thing about 20% of the people bought the wrong reel!

By the way I am looking for a used left handed reel or two for my left handed clients.

The big "G" bend extra wide gap hooks are what I prefer and I use 3/0 or 4/0 whatever I have on the line at the time.

Pass the hook straight through the worm from one side to the other...not into the worm and out again on the same side.

Don't worry that you can't see the wiggle, the fish can see it and feel it through their lateral line.

Thanks for the kind words guys...Blush...Blush.

John and HTHM, I'm glad that you had a good time.

I look forward to seeing you two again and doing some Bass fishing.

The last two days have been outstanding!

Perhaps I should explain the Green Trout reference.

When my neighbour, his 8year old daughter and I were Crappie fishing in April we caught the odd oos Bass.

The little girl got really excited and in that high pitched child's voice that can be hear for miles, was shouting "Garry's got another Bass!" etc.

I was afraid that some cottager would think we were targeting Bass and call the Cops...grin.

So I suggested to her that until June 28th we should be calling them Green Trout.