Garry2Rs

I have one and think it's great.

With any GPS if you only drive to places you're familiar with it's just a toy, but if you travel or have to find unfamiliar addresses, they're outstanding.

You get turn by turn instructions to get you through the trickiest "ring-roads," interchanges or the shortest route to the yard sale...grin..

Recently I went to look at a boat. I keyed in the address and drove up to the house like I'd been there before. Same thing when I was looking for Hometown Handyman's place in the country...Turn by turn right up to his door.

I haven't really used the features that find stores, banks and restaurants etc;, but if I have an address, the machine can find it.

You can also put any place you are already at into memory, like the boat launch at Moon River...give it a name in Favourites, and the next time you want to go there the machine will walk you right up to the door. That's nice if you're trying to find your way in the dark etc.

Gamakatsu Wide Gaps, Zappu Inchi Wacky Head , Decoy Wacky Worm Hooks

Okay that's a nice selection of brand names, but the question was size, not label!

That's a fine looking lure and I'm sure it will catch lots of fish, but a Clown isn't my first choice for everyday use.

We can't all own 12 tackle boxes so we have to fish what we've got and dance with the girl we came with.

So not to put too fine a point on it, here is the common wisdom regarding lure selection...

There are three things to consider when selecting lure finish and colour.

1. What are the fish feeding on?

2. How clear is the water?

3. Is it bright or overcast?

If you know that the predominant forage in a lake is Perch...that might be a good place to start! If you don't know what the forage is, match the colour of the bottom. The crayfish and bait fish will take on that colour as camouflage.

If the water is gin clear, you want very realistic finishes, but if it's murky, bring on the Clowns, and the Fire Tiger!

When the sun is high and bright, metallic finishes work well, but once it clouds over they lose their flash and painted baits are a better choice.

So...Why does a red and yellow Five of Diamonds Dare Devil work so well?

Beats Me!...HAHAHA.

I use a 3/0 EWG hook. It's easier to remove than smaller hooks.

Okay if they're all gone it's a moot point, but...

First of all it is Kevin not Ken VanDam.

Second the reel is a Quantum not a Bass Pro Shop reel.

This reel is priced well below Quantum's best reels, but it has 9+1 bearings and a flipping switch.

At $79.00 it looks like a bargain to me.

Google Uni knot and Palomar knot

A lot of guys on Chandos like a white tube behind a spoon for Lakers.

Big Pike will be as deep as the Lake Trout.

There are always some mid-size Pike on the shoals.

I used a bobber stopper knot at 120 feet to troll with 10 pound Mono (.134 diameter).

I was trolling in the Grand River and wanted to reach close to the bottom without snagging, and to match the depth at which I was marking fish.

The fairly long setback was because the water wasn't very deep, and I wanted to give fish some space to recover from the boat passing overhead.

I used a book called Precision Trolling, that showed almost every lure in production, but similar information for their products is available in the Rapala Tackle Box Guide. I standardized on 120 feet to simplify things.

According to Rapala a DHJ10, Deep Down Husky Jerk will run at 14.5 feet deep on that much line.

A DHJ12 will reach 17 feet.

A Fat Rap FR05 reaches 13.5 feet, FR07 18FT.

The HJ06 maxed out at 5 feet, HJ08 at 6 feet, HJ10 at 9 feet, HJ12 at 8 feet, and the HJ14 also at 8 feet.

For Jointed Rapala's, the J11 and the J13 went to 8 feet and the Jointed Shad Rap JSR05 got to 13 feet.

The little F05 Original Rapala without any split-shot goes to 4 feet, F07 and F09 to 5 feet, the F11, 5.5 feet, the F13 to 6 feet and the huge F18 reached 11 feet.

The SR05 Shad Rap runs 9 feet. The SR07 10.5 feet, SR08 and the SR09 both hit 13 feet.

The big SSR14 musky bait goes down to 17 feet.

Tail dancers TD07 reach 9 feet while the larger TD09 hits 11 feet.

Some of these lures will go slightly deeper on a longer line, but I wanted a consistent line set back without a line counter.

I would change baits or sizes to put the lure in the strike zone according to what I saw on the depth sounder.

It wasn't perfect, but it worked for me.

It does lose it's colour with use, but I have unused five year old Power-pro that is as good as new.

The Uni isn't as strong as the Palomar, but is far easier to tie onto a lure with small eyes, and lures with multiple hooks.

It doesn't slip out of braid and as Singingdog pointed out, is very easy to tie if you make a big loop. I hold the two sides of the loop with the middle finger of each hand and work the tag end of the line with my thumbs and index fingers

I like the idea of two loops through the eye, and will be tying it that way from now on anytime I can get the line through the eye twice.

A jaw spreader, needle nose pliers and bolt/hook cutters are a must!

Big nets like a Fish Pen are also very helpful because you can leave the fish in the water.

They thrash when you try to lift them, so fishing gloves can save your hands as well as your fingers.

If a Musky is badly hooked, please cut the hooks off. I always have a handful of 5/0 treble hooks in the boat to replace cut ones...

I bought several hundred when I was tying bucktails big-time, so if you don't have a source contact me.

Garry2R's

Back in 2001 I spent a lot of time fishing on the Lower Grand River for Walleye.

A few weeks ago when Albert, the Home Town Handyman and I got together after he had washed off the Beans...grin...I was reminiscing about the nice fish I had caught in that area.

Last weekend was Father's Day and I was down in Stoney Creek to visit with my kids.

Since I was going to be in the neighbourhood, I dropped a dime on Home-Town and set up a day of fishing on the Grand.

We decided to GTG on Thursday morning. After a quick pit-stop at Tim's for coffee we headed south to the river.

We trolled out to the mouth at Port Maitland and spoke to some minnow jiggers who were bouncing around in the surf just outside the light house break wall. They said they had a couple, and we discussed buying minnows and joining them...but opted to continue trolling.

A few minutes later Albert slimmed his new boat for the first time.

Halfway to Dunnville we were stopped and inspected by a very pleasant OPP officer then allowed to go on our way. The skies were constantly threatening and there were brief light showers, but the "Real Rain" never found us. By the time we reached the dam we were ready for lunch and a stretch. The Grand Island BBQ provided food and a Specialty Coffee that renewed us. It started to rain a little harder as we shoved off again to troll the area in front of the dam, but the rain soon blew over.

There were three guys anchored in front of the spillway that were catching Channel Cat's one after another.

A few people were fishing from shore, and we saw a couple of fish caught but couldn't tell what species they were.

We spoke to several other boaters, all of whom claimed to have "a couple."

The new Humminbird was marking scores of fish in the area below the dam. We had several hits that might have been Walleye, but our catch was limited to about six Sheephead, one OOS Sm. Bass, and a Clam...

We quit at sundown and headed back in Mount Hope where I was treated to a dinner of spareribs on the BBQ.

I'd like to thank Albert for a great day on the water with enjoyable company.

To bad we didn't find the Walleyes, but I'd like to try again when I get down to the Big Smoke again.

Albert was a wonderful host and didn't throw me over board, so I'm glad to report that the dunking of fishing partners isn't an on going tradition...HAHAHA.

Garry2R's

I would advise you to stay with a lower gear reel for all Musky baits. Something around 5.3.

Big baits block plenty of water and put a big strain on your wrist etc. cranking them in with a high gear reel.

I tried to used a 6.2 Chronarch to crank Bucktails at the Moon River one time and learned my lesson...grin.

High speed reels are okay for Bass size baits, but anything over an ounce will wear you out.

This is also the name chosen by the US Navy for the first atomic powered submarine...If it glows in the dark, cover you balls when you use it!

"Nautilus" was the name of Capt. Nemo's submarine in the Julies Verne science fiction classic 20,00 Leagues Under the Sea.

Do you suppose that this charger is also a submarine?. It has the same name...

In my area, Stoney Lake etc; it is very rocky.

Prop damage is a fact of life, and repaired aluminum props are for sale at many marinas.

If money is tight, you can get a repaired prop for about 2/3 of the price of a new one.

They are recupped and welded, then painted to look like new.

Repaired SS props are also available sometimes.

One of the best repair places is OPS. They're at the Selwyn Rd. stop light, between Lakefield and Buckhorn,

on #23 aka the Buckhorn Road...705-652-0227

Lower Buckhorn was 68 at 7:30 Saturday, but was up to 72 in the shallows at the east end by late afternoon. There was a strong West wind.

I don't know what they are using now, but a few years ago, a MBR784C, Frontier was exactly the same as a MBR784C, GL2, except for the colour of the blank, and the decals. There was about a $35-40 dollar difference in the selling price.

The MBR784C, GLX rod was a different blank and sold for about $100 more than the GL2.

If we are talking about all baits, it's obvious that active fish will hit anything they think they might be able to swallow or stun and tear apart. They will also attack anything that invades there territory or personal space, at some times. Look at the plastic creature baits that are all fins and flaps if you don't believe me.

As far as hard baits are concerned, I think the ideal action is that of a wounded bait fish. In-line spinners, Spinnerbaits, and Spoons flash, like a dying minnow trying to right itself in the water. Body baits wobble and roll to give the same impression. Beyond that is the sonar signature that the bait sends to a fishes lateral line. In the dark, or in dirty water, fish strike prey they can't see by zeroing in on its vibration.

Over the years I recall seeing many articles where the writer mentioned that out of a hand full of matching baits, one lure, out performed others of the same brand, size and colour...something about that "one" triggered a strike. In the day of the $2.00 lure, I can see how variables like gluing and aligning the diving lip etc. could cause different actions from otherwise identical lures. The idea that each Rapala was tank tested and tuned before it left the plant was the reason I tended to stick with them even though their baits always cost a little more.

We now find ourselves in an era where the price of crankbaits is soaring. Japanese lures like Lucky Strike run $14 to $24 US a pop.

Supposedly, these high-end units are hand tuned etc. so that every one is a fish magnet...we will soon need as much insurance on our tackle box, as on our boat...HAHAHA.

In Bass fishing, it is commonly excepted that this year's new designs will work better than last year's models. The reason is that the fish haven't seen the new wiggle or felt the new vibration before. In this day of catch and release it doesn't take a fish long to figure out that some of those "wounded" fish aren't "Giving off Good Vibrations"...grin. I'm sorry if that song is now stuck in your head all day...hahaha.

This might not play as big a roll up here as on the heavily fished waters down south. Until you have seen it, it's hard to appreciate how heavy the fishing pressure is in some places. I have seen a line of 20 boats, 40 feet apart, working the same shore line with basically the same bait!

They say that Japanese waters are even more heavily pressured. Most of the new "finese" techniques are things that the Japanese anglers on the Pro Circuit introduced to North America. Many of these involve wiggling a bait in front of an inactive fish, taunting and teasing until it strikes. That's a technique many children use to get what they want too...HAHAHA.

My understanding was that Frontier was a made in Canada ( Mount Hope ) for sale in Canada line of rods.

They were created to provide Canadian anglers with an affordable Loomis rod back when we had a 60 cent dollar.

The rods are a great bargain. They use the same blanks as lower priced G.Loomis rods and are sold at a discount.

The last two times I stopped at their plant no one was building rods...so they may be discontinued.

Perhaps now that the two dollars are nearly at par, there's no need for the lower priced line.

Somebody go wake up Spiel, he'll know what's going on.

Another brand of fly casting wire leader material is called Tiger Wire.

It can be tied or twisted and heated with a match or lighter.

You can wind on the guides using a cardboard box with two "V's" cut in the open top edge to support the blank and the GTA phone book to tension the tread. Google for a rod building site. I have forgotten the name but it's sort of lake an OFC for rod makers.

Albert;

I know you want to "Slime" your boat, but if you'd like to chase Musky with me, I have room ror you.

Bring your spinnerbaits and casting rod.

Garry2R's

Sounds like a good plan Lew!

I will be a little farther north, on a small rocky lake.

In other years when we have had a late Spring, I found my fish in the shallows, in the sun, next to docks and boat houses and around rocks and emerging weeds etc. Often they were in those famous Black Bottom Bays, that are always mentioned in Spring fishing articles.

There might barely be enough water to cover the fishes back. Initially, I will be making long casts into very shallow water, or even right onto the shore, using a small 3/8 ounce spinner-bait. Bigger baits might cause too big a splash, or be out of place in such shallow water.

The forage fish in the shallows are pretty small at this time of year too.

I will also check the spots along my mid-season milk-run to see if there's anybody home...

The first fish will help determine if my strategy is correct and I can adjust if necessary.

Garry2R's

I saw a couple fishing from one everyday last winter in Arizona.

When I was in an apartment I had an inflatable for awhile. Everything went into a bag that fit in the backseat of my Camry.

Later I had a 16 foot bow-rider. I bought it a parking spot in the Grand River at Dunnville. That worked out quite well. The trailer was there if I wanted to go elsewhere. At the end of the season it went into storage.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to rent a garage. If you have space in your yard, Aluminum boats don't mind staying outside.

If you can't bring it inside, the outboard is easy to winterize. As far as towing goes, even a 16 foot tin-can doesn't weigh much. Check your owners manual.