fisherboy

Nice catch. The walleye are definitely in the river but I seldom target them. Usually they would come as accidental catch while drifting minnows for steelhead.

If you only have 1000 lbs to tow, you can get by with a small SUV. If you don't have a big budget, why not try the top-level RAV4? Nothing fancy but it probably fits the bill. I myself drive a 2001 Acura MDX and my boat + trailer is probably around 2000 lbs. No problem so far although I don't mind having a bit more HP. The new generation MDX has a lot more power though -- I tried it and even got a speeding ticket while towing.

WTG! Didn't know there are 40 inchers near the Toronto Harbour (where I assume you caught that)!

I have a Berkley Tactix 6' medium. It is light and sensitive. I once hooked a 15-lb muskie when targeting bass, and it seemed to hold up pretty well. Also check out the Fenwick Eagle GT and Abe Garcia V series.

I'm going to check out the solunar tables cowanjo suggested and see if they really are accurate (to a certain extent). I use Palm Pre which seems to have some moon phase apps too...

Great pics, esp the nasty gar!

Is it just me or is it true that that Le Baron is having these no tax sales more often this year? It used to be 2 or 3 times a year, but now it seems like they have it every month. I used to pay for the membership to save 10% but now with all the sales (typically can't apply the membership discount on top), I have no incentive to join.

Ah, done. I know that was a stupid question. Thanks Roy.

This may be a stupid question. How come my profile picture does not show when I post a reply? I uploaded it already and can see it myself. But for some reason, it just does not show up in a post...

Nice fish! I fish Rice Lake this season every weekend but find the smallmouth bite very sporadic. May be just one or two occasionally at a spot. Too far and few in between. So I mostly target largemouth. At least I know where the weeds are...

I went through two and the third one I am using now also have hiccups from time to time. LB's price is ok but these things are not cheap at about $70! I also had the control unit's circuit board gone dead and had it repaired by Aikman (sp?). My Minn Kota PD constantly gives me trouble and I never know when it will quit working altogether, esp when I'm on a week long fishing trip.

There is another nice house at the southern part of Cook's Bay right at the mouth of a channel. Probably not as expensive as this one though. I think it was featured on some magazine before too.

What a fish! How come most of my fish are just 1 or 2 pounders...?

I personally find them too heavy to use, especially for finesse fishing. For $50, there are a lot of other better choices out there. Maybe it's because I seldom break my rods so I find their "unbreakable" claim rather unappealing. Probably good for inshore application, but not as good as other light models for fishing the rivers and lakes, IMHO.

I just want to add that I am a happy user of the Fish Grip too. (I got it at Cabela's and asked my bro in the US to bring it back.) There is a hole on the handle that you can put your scale's hook in to weigh the fish. Of course then you have subtract the weight of the grip itself (just a few ounces). But I find that feature quite useful sometimes.

If you need an all-purpose rod for relatively light lures, I'd say any medium or medium-light power rod from 6' to 7' will work pretty well. If you mostly jig shallow water like the Kawarthas, a 6' to 6'6" ML/M is good enough. If you need to regularly jig very deep water, I'd go for a 7' M/MH. If you jig most of time, choose a rod with a long reargrip -- it tends to balance better for vertical jigging. If you throw crankbaits, choose a 6'6" to 7' dedicated crankbait rod. If you mostly troll, then choose a longer rod with more backbone. And if you troll heavier crankbaits with planar boards, stick with dedicated trolling rods like a 7'6" MH casting model. The rod weight and sensitivity largely depends on your budget. Higher end St. Croix and G. Loomis are nice, but they may not fit everyone's budget. Someone here mentioned Cherrywood. If I go with Berkley, I might as well go up to Tactix for about $20 more -- lighter and more sensitive. If you're willing to pay a bit more (around $100), I would choose Fenwick HMG or Shimano Compre, before St. Croix Premier. They all have corresponding crankbait models available. And if you decide to go for casting models, PM me. I am selling a bunch of rods. Le Baron is also having no-tax sale...

since someone mentioned WFN HD, do you find it contains a lot of HD content? or most of the programs are still in SD?

Nice catch and release. I was on Rice Lake on Sun and weather was nasty as well. Couldn't really fish the main lake so I only fished the river. Tough condition.

Try Ebay. My friend bought a goretex rain suit off Ebay some time ago for just $20. Worked really well when it was pouring rain last weekend!

Wow, very nice ski indeed. I haven't had any luck this year. Only landed one that was only a few pounds heavy when targeting walleye...

That's a lot of muskie in one month!

Definitely try out using a 3-way swivel to troll your favourite spoon or spinner. The lures don't have to be huge. Try something with silver or gold in it. Even big trouts like small lures. As for the sinkers, 1oz/10 feet seems too heavy. For me, since I mostly troll very slowly (like paddling with a canoe), 2 to 3 oz is enough even for 60 fow. And I don't let out a lot of line, just enough to keep the lure just off bottom. Just have to experiment with the setup. You will have fun!

Hello! I just returned to the OFC forum. I used to be a member here and had made maybe more than a hundred posts. But I was away for a while and had to re-register myself (don't know why my old ID got canceled). Anyway, thought I would drop by just to say hi. I am from Markham and typically put my boat in the Kawarthas. Just love fishing and try to go out every weekend whenever possible. Last year I was on Sturgeon Lake and this season I have been fishing Rice Lake. Maybe it has to do with my skills, but I find fishing over there getting very tough.