Garry2Rs

If you rent a propane tank, it will cost you about $65 a year.

If you arrange have them top up the tank so you never run out, they will do it every time the price goes up!

Propane that is delivered is about 33% more expensive than when you haul your own...

You can do what you want and any opinions expressed here are just mine and not to be confused with fact...

I live in the Kawarthas and winter down south. I fish better than 100 days a year.

I switched to Powerpro in 2002 and use everything from 10 to 80 pound depending on the application.

Recently I received a free spool of 12 pound test Trilene Mono with a book...from NAFC.

I bought the book...grin, and put some of the mono on a very small Calcutta 50 reel that I wasn't using.

There is a very light G.Loomis baitcasting rod in my collection that goes well with the Calcutta 50,

so I have been using them to throw very small crankbaits for the last month.

The rod and reel are fine but the line...I can't believe that I used to fish with this junk!!!

Even in comparatively heavy 12 pound test, it's like fishing with a bungee cord!!!

I can't feel the bait, or the strike, if the bait stops, you pull 3 or 4 feet of stretch, wondering if it's a fish or a weed.

I know there are lots of places where mono is better...people on this board have told me so.

Water flea's, planer boards, down riggers etc...I don't go to those places.

As for the Floro leaders, IMHO it's mental masturbation...it doesn't do anything positive.

But sometimes it feels good.

There is a place for extra fine line and it has to do with current DRAG, but let's save that for another discussion.

I use 10 pound PP which is the diameter of 2 pound mono, with Senko's and have never felt that the fish were spooking from the line.

If you decide to try Braid, start with Powerpro, it is IMHO the best!

Forget Fireline...unless it's on sale. It's twice as thick as Powerpro of the same strength and starts look ratty after a few weeks.

I will give you a tip about all Braids...

Don't look at the pound test...Look at the equivalent diameter.

30 pound Powerpro is the size of 8 pound mono. Us it where you would use 8 pound mono etc.

If you were using extra tough buy at least the same diameter as you were using

If I recall correctly 10 pound XT is about the same as 50 pound Powerpro.

Maybe you missed the point of my earlier post...

Any of these reels are okay...if you understand that "Cheap Reels" generally become paper weights when they need parts!

Think about what you really need...The super smoothness of a Chronarch isn't needed to throw 1/2 ounce spinnerbaits.

On the other hand if your trying to learn how to pitch Jig & Pig, you will want to spend some extra money.

None of this means that you shouldn't buy the Quantum Code, it's your money and the reels sounds like a bargain.

Just don't come crying if it breaks down, but feel free to crow, if it stands the test of time.

The problem is with the attitude of "I can, so I will."

In Yuma Arizona where there are two small bodies of water and the fishing pressure is enormous, people feel responsible for looking after "Their Fish" Almost everyone does Catch and Release...If they didn't there would be nothing left to fish for!

But in Ontario where there's almost more water than land, no one feels responsible for looking after the fishery...That's the MNR's job...And we still have some folks have to have something to show for the day. Where I live, I see often guys dragging big fish around town to show the neighbours etc.

I hate to see any game fish killed, but that's only me, not the law. I have a neighbour who is a meat fisherman. We fish together sometimes, and I don't complain when he wants to take his legal catch home. We take picture of good fish, and somehow over the coarse of a couple of years he's decided that smaller fish taste better and that the big spawners should be released. There have been days when he decided at the ramp, that what he had in the live well wasn't worth cleaning, so he released them...I see this as personal growth, and if I was part of that, I'm pleased.

Garry2rs

It sound too good to be true, 8 bearings, 1 piece aluminum frame, and less than $80 US.

What is service like for Quantum?

Who does their service in Canada?

Maybe give a call to Rocky's in Orrilia or Aikmen's in TO. Ask if there will be parts available down stream.

I mostly use Shamans reels because the parts are always available and most times service is free...at least it is in Peterbough.

In the past I have mentioned that many house brand reels and reels from famous old companies who's names were sold when they went out of business, are built in the orient by a few huge tackle companies.

Basically, you give them your spec's and they build your reels, but there are no spare parts...

On the other hand the price is so low, that maybe a disposable reel is a good buy...

Here's a story...

Last winter I lost the handle off of a Bass Pro Shop spinning reel...It came loose somehow and flew off in the middle of a cast!!!

In October, I stopped at BPS's Head Office store in Springfield Missouri, figuring this would be an easy part to pick-up for a reel that was only two years old.

Guess again! No parts inventory. We looked through a box of used crank handles but couldn't find a match.

I made them a gift of the reel so that there might be a part for the next guy.

Garry2rs

An ugly girl who owns a liqueur store and can cook might be practical, but I'm betting that's not who you married.

Before I believe you guys always choose practical over fashion/beauty etc. I'd like to hear about some examples...

If that was Jack's Lake at Apsley that you're talking about, I have lived there for five years and have never seen a Pike...caught some good Musky, but no Pike.

Chandos is in the same area, but is connected to the Crowe River system and has good Pike fishing.

Garry2rs

My dictionary defines SPORT this way...

..."Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors."...

Given this definition I have trouble seeing fishing as a sport. However, the word itself is derived from an old French word, DESPORT, meaning leisure...If we go back to that meaning, then fishing is most certainly a sport.

Are pro fishermen athletes? Most of the top Bass Pros look like they're in very good shape. Slim young guys like Kevin Van Dam, Mike Iaconnelli, Skeet Reese, Gerald Swindle and Aaron Martens are the ones who've won Angler of the Year recently, and I hear them talking about how important that is to stay physically fit in order to be competitive at their level. But does that make them Athletes?

Then again, I'm not sure that a lot of professional players are athletes either...grin. In my opinion, Pro Sports have more in common with the WWF than the Olympics.

I called my fishing buddy to let him know that I was catching fish.

He bought a park model trailer this winter and hasn't been available to fish very often, because of an ever growing "Honey-Do" list.

We arranged to hook up at Lunch time yesterday for three or four hours on the water.

It was blowing pretty hard when we launched. I headed back to the area that has been good to me these last few days.

Dick was throwing a lip less BPS Rattle Shad and it only took him a few casts to hook up with this fish...

The wind made life pretty hard, you can see it bending the toolies in the background.

It took me a little longer to get this little guy on my 2 inch Little Mr. Money.

We gave it a good try for a couple more hour without any action, and were off the water by 4PM.

It was very bright, and quite warm..85F, but I'm not complaining, it's a dry heat...HAHAHA.

Garrry2rs

Today was a beautiful day in Yuma Arizona...80 degrees and sunny.

There was no acceptable excuse for staying home.

The Weather Channel and the Solunar charts predicted an excellent fishing period about 4:30 - 5 o'clock.

Around noon, Buck and I took a walk, then went to the lake.

There were empty boat trailers everywhere!

It looked like a tournament day.

We waited our turn and got launched and parked etc.

To while away the afternoon we fished everywhere but our favourite spots, waiting for the "Witching Hour."

At the appointed time we were back in the area that had paid dividends last Thursday.

Do you see the green reeds just to the right of the mountain peak?

We saw a fish jump right there.

Using the trolling motor to position ourselves about a cast length away, we tossed Little Mister Money to the edge of the weeds.

I should tell you that I got a free spool of 12 pound test Trilene in the mail.

I only use Braid!

But free line is free line so I put some on the spare spool of the spinning reel and filled up a small Calcutta 50 baitcaster with the 12 pound mono.

The last two fish I've caught were on the spinning reel, one on a tube and the other, last Thursday, on the Lil' Mister Money crankbait.

Both on Mono...See our post from a couple of days ago, "Bass fishing in Arizona."

Today I had Little Mister Money on the small baitcaster that was loaded with the mono, and guess what?

Another fish!

The crankbait landed at just about where the fish had jumped. I hardly turned the handle when the rod loaded up.

Buck came immediately to attention!

But I recalled what our friend Cory had said about Buck at the supper table.

How when he's hanging around, I just tell him to "Go Lay Down."

So, that's what I did, and we had no problems at all.

This one is short, only 15 inches.

I was so proud of Buck that I forgot to weigh the fish...grin.

Garry2rs

I dodn't know, it looks okay to me...

Yuma Weather

Current conditions as of 11:51 am MST

Fair

Feels Like: 78°

Barometer: 30.11 in and falling

Humidity: 19%

Visibility: 10 mi

Dewpoint: 32°

Wind: NNE 10 mph

Sunrise: 7:26 am

Sunset: 6:19 pm

78°High: 84° Low: 52°

» Detailed Forecast

» Records & Averages

» Get Yahoo! Weather on your desktop

Hooked up the air conditioner, it's starting to go above 80F inside the trailer in the afternoons.

Stayed home because there was a Bass tournament on the lake today.

Did some laundry, and watched fishing shows that I had recorded on the DVR.

It's great to be able to fast forward through the commercials...grin

I really like the new "Bass Pros" show sponsored by Bass Pro Shop...I hope you guys are getting it up north.

Well Folks;

Another month has slid bye, or that could be skid & slid for you-guys up north...hahaha.

Buck and I are fine. We have toughed it out through the "cold weather" and we are looking forward to warmer days ahead.

The forecast is for 80 degrees from Friday this week until Thursday next week.

On the water, January started well enough. We caught two good fish but then things tanked...

This month the fishing continued to be slow. The water temperature has been around 54 - 55 degrees but was up to 57 yesterday.

This coming week of warm weather might move the Bass from winter mode into pre-spawn mode, and get them biting again.

Anyway, I hope so.

Last weekend on one of the fishing shows, a Bass Pro named George Cochran was promoting his Wal-Mart exclusive crankbait called "Lil' Mister Money."

It's a Strike King bait, so it might be sold as something else in other stores...I don't know.

Anyway it's a two inch bait with red hooks and a rattle that runs 3 feet deep.

There are three Wal-Marts in Yuma, so I ventured out and bought the bait for about $4.50.

Since the main forage in Mittry is Sunfish, I own Rapala DT-4's and DT-6's in Sunfish pattern.

Mister Money was available in three natural finishes, and Firetiger...

I generally buy natural coloured baits, because the water at home is so clear, but the visibility in Mittry is only about 2 feet on a good day...

By that I mean that the lure disappears from my view at one foot down, but the light has to go down and back up for me to see it, so two feet of visibility in total.

Now, even if a Bass can see three or four times as far as me, in that soup, that's still not very good with a two inch crankbait.

I opted for Firetiger to increase the small baits visibility.

Buck and I went to Mittry Lake yesterday afternoon.

I spoke to two guys who were leaving as I was launching. They reported one fish, on a crankbait.

The species was unknown, but they thought it might have been a Crappie because it zig-zagged it's way around the boat, down deep, before getting off...

We started our fishing by returning to the spot where our last two fish have come from.

I was alternately throwing the new bait on a spinning rod, and a Rapala DT-4, in Sunfish pattern on a baitcaster.

Plus, in the area where we picked-up a 16 inch Bass on a tube, last month, I tried a Jig & Pig in every hole and around all the roots...

There was nothing doing anywhere in this area.

Next we cast our way along several banks, and even trolled over some schools of fish that we marked on the sonar, without success

We were generally heading toward the area where my big fish in November and December came from.

Around four o'clock we were opposite a group of reeds where we have caught several fish in the past.

The outside egde of the reeds are in 3 - 4 feet of water and there's a ledge about 4 - 6 feet out that tappers fairly quickly to 8 - 10 feet.

I was casting the Mister Money close to the reeds and working it out on a 30 or 40 degree angle so as to keep the bait between the cover and the drop-off for the longest time that I could on each cast.

Suddenly the line got heavy, and started to move sideways...Buck went on attention, but I told him to "Sit down"...

I guess I got him before he hit the "Red Zone" because he listened...for a change...grin.

It was nip and tuck whether he was going over the side or not...The fish would swirl...he would ramp-up and I would tell him "Sit!"

That would last until the fish broke water again, then we would go through the whole ritual again.

After a minute or so, the fish came boat side and I was able to lip it.

I popped it in the live well for safe keeping while I installed batteries in my new digital scale...

Three pounds and eight ounces aka three and a half pounds on the scale!

On the Golden Rule it was just over the 18 inch line when I wiggled the tail.

While in the live well, the fish spit-up a minnow, which I scooped out...

You can see it's a two inch, Long Ear Sunfish.

My bait is the right size and shape, even if the colours are way overdone.

We continued fishing for another hour, until about 5:30, then split for home.

As was passed a farm along the way, I saw this horse with the sun setting behind it...

Garry

Thanks Guys.

I have a casting rod that will throw the DT-4, but I often fish it on a spinning rod with 10 pound Power Pro.

I don't think line visibility is much of an issue, since my line is the diameter of 2 pound mono.

The other thing is a crankbait is a moving target, it's an active fish, reaction type strike.

The DT-6 I throw with a Loomis crankbait rod and 20 or 30 pound braid, again I don't believe line visibility is an issue with Crankbaits.

Years ago we caught these same fish on black Cotton line that was the diameter of Butcher's string!

Garry2rs

Last Friday we went out fishing for three hours.

It was partly cloudy with a stiff breeze. Buck and I headed up the Colorado River to Ferguson Lake, a muddy backwater.

There were three other boats in the area, but we found a stump field in 3 to 9 feet of water that looked promising.

A low front was moving in and we hoped to connect with fish feeding before the storm.

Unfortunately we had no luck on plastic's, hard crankbaits, soft crankbaits or wire baits and called it a day after only three hours.

Saturday was a total blowout, literately, with winds so strong that they shook the trailer...A good day to stay home and catch some NFL Playoff Football.

That evening we eagerly tuned-in to see what the weatherman would be calling for in the morning.

"Overcast, with the possibility of rain, and winds of 20 mph or more." Was what they said.

I liked the idea of the cloud cover that would accompany the rain, and rain down here is generally just a sprinkle, but high winds make casting and boat control difficult.

Based on that information, I decided to stay home and watch the playoff games again.

In the morning it was cloudy as predicted but, when I put Buck outside before breakfast, it was calm and quite warm, 58F.

How could I stay home on a day like this?

Realizing that this calm might be short lived, we quickly hit the trail.

When we launched the breeze was just starting to pick-up.

Our plan was a short "milk run" hitting a couple of places that had worked for us before.

This would get us off the water before those 20 mph winds hit and in time for the late game on TV...GRIN.

The first stop was on a spot where we had caught a fish back in late November.

That bass had hit a Bill Lewis Rattle-Trap in Blue Shiner pattern.

Today, there was nothing doing along that bank.

On the other side of the same channel we had caught another good fish on a 3/8 ounce Spro version of the Blue Shiner.

I like the Spro bait because it's heavily weighted in the nose, and will settle to the bottom head down and hooks up, usually without falling over. That makes it excellent for ripping. I'm also trying a brand new type of Spiderwire braid, called "Ultracast Invisi-braid." The line is a lot like Fireline Crystal, but is braided...It's okay, but so far I still like Powerpro better. The weave on the new line doesn't seem as tight as Power Pro, so I have had the hook point go through the line a couple of times.

On my second cast to this area, the bait stopped dead.

I pulled...nothing...I pulled again, the bait pulled back and I felt head shake.

Okay, this one had shoulders...

It was a heavy fish, and I was on my own.

I ordered Buck onto the lowest deck area, to try to keep him in the boat.

The line moved toward deeper water...Through the line I could feel that the fish was going to jump.

I lowered the rod tip and cranked fast.

A big head and about a foot of fish cleared the surface, in what might best be described as an elevated roll.

From his spot on the lower deck where I had maneuvered him, Buck cleared the gunnel's in a single bound!

The fish moved left fast as Buck headed right toward the splash down point.

The fish swirled again closer to and behind the boat...

I cranked...

Buck changed direction to intercept.

I couldn't lift the fish into the boat with the rod tip alone, so there were a couple of interesting moments beside the boat as dog and fish closed on each other.

However thanks to treble hooks and 30 pound braid I was able to grab the line and haul this lunker over the side.

It measured 21 to 22 inches, with a girth of 15 inches...This would make it easily a 6 pound fish.

Here's a view of the shoreline...

The fish hit in the same area where the closest little black Coots are sitting.

Garry2R's

If you're coming anywhere near Peterborough or Bancroft, there's a huge new park about half way between those towns on Hwy #28. It's called the North Kawartha Highlands Park. It's just off of Hwy #28 near Apsley Ontario. There are about a dozen lakes and several different canoe routes with portages and tent site etc. The cost is very low. You can make a day trip to a couple of lakes, or spend as much time in the wilderness as you like. I live close bye so I can help you with some details. I'm in Arizona right now, but if your interested PM me in April and I will get more information for you

Garry2R's.

I have a spare unit that I can lend you for the season.

It's one that came out of my wrecked boat.

I don't have cables or a transducer, but it's a black plug Lowrance and should plug into what you have.

I won't be back in Canada until April, but we can hook-up then.

Garry2r's

You might try cleaning the contacts at the inline fuse.

I often have similar troubles with my Lowrance units and cleaning the contacts usually gets them running again.

Try Stone's Bait about 5k before you reach Apsley...

Nice report, great fish, almost wish I was at home to join you...but wait...

I got this picture of my driveway yesterday from my neighbour in Apsley...

Oops, I guess I'll wait for soft water season...hahaha.

Garry2rs

Hi Lew;

Happy New Year to you and your family.

It's a shame that we live so close together all summer and seldom hook-up.

Here's my New Year's resolution...I will make a conscious effort to change that this year.

Garry2r's

Welcome aboard!

Garry2R's

Please let me add my congratulations on a great start to the new year.

Garry2rs

Hi Brian;

During the warm months people here fish Jig and Pig, Jig and tube, and Carolina rigs and jigs with Senkos, "Creator" baits and lizards. There is no deep water here, so the fish burrow into the roots and overhang of canes, palms and trees along the waters edge. Warm weather mornings and evenings and/or on overcast days, Buzzbaits are popular and Spinnerbaits are always a good choice for active fish.

At this time of year the water should be as cold as it's going to get, around 46 - 48 degrees. The Bass leave heavy cover and follow the Shad that are schooling up and moving into the backwaters, like Martinez Lake. According to all the club guys, this is crankbait season and one of the best times to hook a heavy fish...so I'm throwing crankbaits!

The only problem is that this year the hot weather lasted into November and things seem to be a little bit off because of it. The fishing has been tough. The guys tell me that as soon as the water temps. stabilize things will get back to normal. There have been some days, when the bite has turned on. These seem to be times when there has been low pressure moving in.

Later this week the air temps are going back up into the 70's, but there are three days of "Mostly Cloudy " skies predicted. I will be out on the water everyday, if possible.

Garry2rs