J-M

I have to agree! It's amazing how well it sticks to everything! I've been a bit lazy with my centre pin lately and the goo is building up, I'm gonna have to try that vinegar/baking soda idea...

Some beautiful looking fish guys!

I'm not a fan of the pass myself. I just fish on Essa property anyway, haven't had anyone stop and ask if I've had a pass yet. I guarantee less than 50% of the people who fish on the property don't have a pass. I don't think they enforce the pass much, if at all. Just curious, has anyone ever been stopped by a bylaw officer to see their fishing pass? Bigbuck, I do know that some of the money generated from the passes and derby has been used to buy trees and coordinate a Riparian tree plant along Bear Creek (tributary of the Nottawasaga). Essa has also built a gazebo and put up fish cleaning stations for fishermen and regularly clean up garbage.In my opinion, this stuff should be done anyway, there should be a pot of money for property maintenance instead of having to steal it from fishermen...

Good reply. Might as well sacrifice for a few. As long as your within your legal limit, there is no issue. As mentioned above, only harvest what you will use. I know some guys who's freezers are stacked with roe from years and years ago. Take only what you need

Good size fish for Georgian Bay! Gotta love how silver they are....

A true trophy indeed!! Nice colors on her too! JM

Talk to Essa Township. Basically. They charge a fishing permit ($40) to fish on any of Essa Township public lands in and around the Angus area which backs onto the Nottawasaga river. The permit includes a ticket to fish the annual salmon derby that takes place near the end of Sept. I know a lot fishermen who think the permit system is Bull considering its public lands. The positive side is a large portion of that money has and will be used to rehabilitate the river, they've hosted a volunteer riverside tree plant, they've installed fish cleaning tables, and recently installed a covered picnic area for families and fishermen. The way I see it, if that money is used to rehabilitate the river and improve the salmon and trout populations, I'm all for it! The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation is always looking for rehabilitation money..... JM Fishingsimcoe.com

Thats is a duke! Well done! Joe

Dude, very nice fish! You seem to have those smallies dialed in on Simcoe! Joe www.fishingsimcoe.com

There's enough water in the notty to get those salmon up, we just need some colder nights to bring that water temperature down and trigger them to run. Joe www.fishingsimcoe.com

It really depends on the location of the creek, if you're up near the headwaters, there may be some resident trout kicking around. Further downstream near the lake, you'll mostly find warm water fish. There may be a few salmon kicking around at the pier after dark. Try throwing some glow in the dark spoons off the pier. Cheers, Joe www.fishingsimcoe.com

Yikes! That's definitely different and can't say I've ever seen anything like that around these parts. I'm curious to hear what this would be ? Joe www.fishingsimcoe.com

Hey Jimmer, I'm wondering if Botulism Type E may be a potential culprit. I'm hoping not though... I found this on the net when I googled Goby die offs: "Field investigations have suggested that the die-offs observed in Lake Huron may be the result of botulism type E poisoning. Toxins from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and specifically Type E botulism, which is found in fish-eating birds in the Great Lakes, cause these die-offs. The botulism toxin is pro­duced in the absence of oxygen and with suitable temperature and nutrient conditions. It remains unclear which fac­tors trigger the bacterium to produce the neurotoxin and the ensuing fish and wildlife die-offs. Species commonly found during die-off events include: Freshwater Drum (Sheepshead), Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Round Gobies, and Channel Catfish. Bird species include Loons, Cormorants, Mergansers, Gulls and other waterbirds. It is suspected that zebra and quagga mussels are ingesting the botulinum bacteria (invertebrates are not affected by botulism). Round gobies are known to heavily feed on mussels; therefore, they are thought to be ingesting the bacteria. Native fish species such as those commonly associated with the die-off are starting to feed primarily on the round goby; thus, they become affected by botulism. This movement of botulism is believed to be leading to the fish die-offs commonly observed along Lake Huron."

I know when I'm fishing for perch and accidentally pull up weeds, there's always a ton of scuds in the weeds. However, how many of us can say they've caught whities in the weeds? I'm thinking it might be worth targetting the transition zones between weeds and harder bottom substrate and you may find whities on the prowl for bottom insects, just a guess. The other questions is what's the percentage of their diet? Is it 20% insects versus 80% minnows? I'm not sure, but if thats the case, it may be worth targeting areas with larger schools of baitfish instead of insects. Or it could be the other way around, 80% insects vs. 20% minnows, if thats the case, you may be on to something...