SmokestackLightnin

I smoke both meat and fish, usually with hickory chunks. I like to use my maple syrup in the brine, usually I will do a late sap boil which produces a very dark and heavily maple flavoured syrup that is great in brines and salad dressings.

That pan is nice! Mine isn't ideal but it was only $20

I had it made by a friend 10 years ago and it has boiled down a lot of sap. He also made a cart with a shelf for the burner and wheels. Although you're not moving it when it's full of sap. Doesn't matter what you use, there are setups from people on here that look awesome. What matters is you're doing something that has been done for numerous generations and you're getting the satisfaction in the end that you made it yourself.

When I first started I had a few kids "help" out and they enjoyed the experience. These same kids are now 14 - 18 years old and they call me each spring and ask when are we tapping trees and when are we boiling.

 

SWEET!! Literally!

It's a good year around here, very sweet. Good luck with your season, you take it to a different level then what I do.

First boil complete and the sap is running today and should run real well tomorrow. Here's a picture of the first haul.

The rod holders bolted to the back - Great Idea!!

We interrupt sap season to bring you a small fishing report. Went to the cottage Saturday to close out walleye season and see if we entice a trout or two as well. Well last night was a fantastic night on the ice and it was capped off by a beautiful sunset. The fishing was great all weekend and we wound up keeping only 6, all males, biggest one was 3lbs.

The sap flowed well while we were gone and now we have 350 litres collected, boiling starts tomorrow.

Sap running

I will be there on April 3, packing some fishing stuff and will likely do a half day charter. Looking to fish the end of Ensenachos beach, staying at the Iberostar.

Yes, some trees are double tapped. I will likely put in 10 more taps before the weekend.

It's running slowly today, only 5 gallons of sap collected today.

I put in 30 taps on Saturday, should be a good first run this week.

Canada needs to invade and takeover a carribbean island so our ohip is good there for 212 days. Cmon harper get on it.

Last year the rumour mill was spinning with Turks and Caicos

Sooke is a beautiful place, been there and loved it. Lots of fishing opportunities and likely find something a little cheaper then Victoria. But keep in mind it would be difficult to compare the rental prices between places in Florida that has a glut of rental properties to somewhere on the southern part of Vancouver Island.

No complaints here with Cabela's. Ordered a number of things over the years with never an issue.

I read an interesting article in one of the farm mags on organic maple syrup. The one major step that separates traditional syrup and organic is the way equipment is cleaned and sanitized. Non organic equipment is cleaned using detergents that are food grade safe and rinsed with hot water,where organic equipment is cleaned with fermented sap. As sap ages,it turns into a vinegar like liquid. Making a great cleaner then rinsed with hot water.

Organic producers can use vinegar or fermented sap to clean up at the end of the season. During boiling season only water can be used. There are a few other requirements that seem a little overkill for a hobby boiler like myself. The end product that I produce is pretty organic compared to other foods. More info here:

http://www.acadianmaple.com/blogs/maple-syrup-blog/4852352-what-is-the-difference-between-organic-and-non-organic-maple-syrup

Sitting on the fence this year as I have travel plans the first week of April and may pass this year as a result. It would be my first missed year in 11 years. I have lots of stock so it may not be a huge concern. If I can recruit a sap collector for a week then I will start tapping this coming weekend.

Put a hut out just west of Shanty Bay 3 weeks ago, in 100' of water. Things are slow, not much being caught and the fish that have been caught are full of minnows and barley. I suspect it will pick up once March rolls around. Probably back in the hut on Wednesday.

2 trips to Haliburton back lakes, I can't believe the amount of snow and slush. The tracks are great on my ATV but nothing works on slush. Buried it in slush in the middle of the lake last week, but got it out pretty quickly thanks to the winch, power auger and large tree branch. Iced 6 splake in the 2 trips. Haven't hit any speck lakes but will once the weather gets a little more tolerant for those of us who fish without a shelter.

The current CTC flyer (Jan 30 - Feb 5) has the Eskimo 8" on for $399. It also has the Stingray Auger on for $299.

I have an old 10" Eskimo and a new 8" Jiffy. I have used gas for longer then I can remember and I don't see the need to change. I think regardless of what you buy as there are so many to choose from today, just take care of it. Store it properly, keep it clean and always have fresh fuel. I highly recommend always carrying an extra set of blades with you.

Not only a small boat will pass through the narrows from Bobs Lake into Crow but big boats too. The channel was dredged at one time and there is remnants of an old dam on the rocks at the mouth of the channel on the Bobs side. I will caution you when travelling through the channel in the fall when the lake level has bottomed out.

Man I miss that place. My wife and I bought a cottage on Bobs back in '92 before we were married and spent 11 years there. Not sure where you will be staying but it's not untypical of any other lake where fish relate to structure. Find shoals with both weeds and rocks and you will find smallmouth. Lots of shallow bays with timber and weeds for largemouth and pike. Both Green Bay and Crow Lake are stocked with Lake Trout. Most of our summer walleye were caught at dusk and dark, worms worked well and then switch to trolling body baits at dark. Rip jigging weed flats produced walleye during the day.

BTW, the lake name is actually Bobs Lake, no apostrophe. I guess it was never possessed by someone named Bob.

Dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant called Milagro and then off to Massey Hall for a comedy show. MC was Tom Green who was a little crude and so were a couple comedians in the first set. I still can't understand why comedians think vulgarity is funny. Anyway, highlight of the night was from the second most famous celebrity to come out of Timmins, ON, Derek Edwards. Not vulgar, or a lot of swearing, just his recollection of life experiences that he tells and the whole place was roaring.

Well I've eaten a muskie and I would never do it again. Is it just me or does anyone else think the guy who made the video is in the wrong. He is breaking the distracted driving law in Ontario by making the video while driving. I am pretty sure he's using a phone.

CLASSIC!

 

 

Fairy Tale in New York is another of my favourites. I really loved the Poges and got to see them a couple times in Toronto. Once at the Palais Royale, I think it was like 86 or 87 and then again a dozen or so years later at RPM.

Oh and this one to:

The Skydiggers have done a Christmas show at the Horseshoe Tavern on the Friday and Saturday befoe Christmas for around 15 years now.  We have made the last 5.  I have always enjoyed their version of Good King Wenceslas.