Headhunter

So, if it was not released, inquiring minds need to know... how did it taste? HH

Nice Pickereye!!!!! Get ready to see your bank balance drop as G.A.S. hits you! (G.A.S. = Gear Aquisition Syndrom) HH

My mistake! I can see this as a multi-use piece of tackle... great for fish and even greater once you get home late and the chirpin starts! HH

Com'on Bernie, don't be giving away ALL our secrets!!! I can just see it now, all the Ice condo's with marshmellow bags scatered all over the ice...there might not be any Pickereyes left to net! HH

Hey Bruce, As CCMT was only going to be up for a day, we decided to not bring our guitars... not enough time to warrant the effect it would have on our drinking time! LOL I'm sure we'll be serenading Gerritt with the Lake Nip version of "Brown Eyed Girl" come February! LMAO Phil, there was no digging required at the time of that photo... just needed something to stop it from dripping all over myself, again! HH

Do you northern guys use smaller marshmellows? Or do you prefer the coloured one's? HH

Awe, man Bernie, I sorry for that! May I suggest the following cure, as it seems to have worked for me: -BEER! Gotta keep your fluids up! -Ceasars - Gotta keep the vitamins coming -Vodka - a little tonic and a slice of lime, again, strictly for vitamin intake! I knew I shouldhave left those lemons for yah! Hope you get better soon B! HH ps... FnS... please don't be giving away all our hard earned knowlege with regard to techniques and bait to be used on Nip... we want there to be fish left for us on our next visit!

Peter, do you prefer the Kraft brand or will "No Name" work just as well? HH

Thanks for doingup the report Cliff! And thanks for taking my picture with a snot rag hanging out of my nose! I couldn't believe it when I woke up Friday morning, full blown cold, after lookin forward to this weekend all summer. Thanks again Bernie, as well as Gerritt and Will for cookin up a storm for us... myself, I tried to keep my fluid levels up and make the best of it! Already lookin forward to the ice GTG! I am truly amazed at how multi-species a simple little sundry item like marshmellows can be! Yah just can't beat 'em for bait! BTW - Will and I drove all over North Bay lookin for Pickereye fillets to take home, but no luck! I gotta give kudos to the guy in Midland who set FishnSled up with a part he needed for his trolling motor. Will had called ahead and found this part at a shop in Midland. WE drove from the "Shwa" to Midland to get the part, before heading to Nip. When we got there, we found that he did not have the correct part to sell FnS. But he did take the part off a floor model motor and helped Will install it, all for the palrty sum of $8.00! You simply will not find that level of service in the big city... so a huge thumbs up to the dealer in Midland (Can't remember the name, maybe Will will chime in) who went far beyond the call of duty, to get us on our way. HH

I use my tongue for that stuff Roy! HH

Which is exactly why I will not buy anything that I cannot put in my hand before purchasing. Call me old fashioned, but for me topart with any dough, I gotta feel the product in my hand and that goes for virtually everything. E-commerce would go under in no time if it was up to me! HH

Nice fish Shaun! But, if I recall correctly, smiles are frowned upon by Mr. Thorpe! HH

Hey, how the heck did I get dragged into this? LOL Nice reel Terry... maybe Lloyd could borrow it as he seems to need a quality reel more than you and I! HH

I agree with you Roy, a gang mentality can quickly get out of hand. And I also agree that a member has indicated that they are booked there and are looking for advice etc... That being said, I also think it would be contrary to this community’s mission to not let the member know about past problems, members have had there. As has been mentioned by many here, the advantage that Merlands has over other "resorts" is it's location and it's ability to hold large numbers of people. There are however other options, but those don't include the all "important" fire pit. From my perspective, if folks are being "asked" to forgive perceived short comings at one resort, shouldn't the same be said for one that doesn't have a fire pit? Because really, I am not going there to stare into a fire, I am going to meet up with old friends, make new one's, have few wobbly pops and catch some beauty Pickereyes. I am sure that regardless whether OFC holds the GTG at Merlands or not, they will have sold out all their cottages with no problem. I truly hope that the member who posted about having booked into Merlands at the end of November has the time of his life... but based on what gets posted here any time a Quinte GTG is mentioned, I'm not feeling too good about all of us being in the same location... which really is a shame. HH

Thanks to all who have replied to this topic. I appreciate the civil way this has been discussed. Emotions run high in these conversations and for good reason. That said, emotions certainly come into play when one party, who deems themselves to be the victim, find themselves having to "trust" the integrity and good will of their fellow man... throw money into the equation and well, trust goes right out of the window. As many have mentioned, the well being of the lake is of the utmost importance and it's health came be directly related to the commercial success of many diverse people and businesses. Lake Nip is owned by the population of Ontario. Currently, Ontario has a population of approximately 12.9 million, all of which has a right, under law to use the resource within the bounds of the law. Nipissing first nation has a population of approximately 2000 people... yet they have virtual control over fish stocks for the entire lake. There seems, to my simple mind anyway, to be a fair amount of disproportional representation in these numbers. I can't think of any other situation where such numbers could happen. I won't get into the whole treaty thing as, well, those agreements were signed at a time when they made sense to both sides based on circumstances of the day, but times have changed and "progress" for lack of a better word, has been made. Laws are amended all the time to reflect changes in our society, unfortunately there is NO POLITICAL WILL to do anything... it's a can of worms that no politician, at any level, wants to let out. Given that I personally can't do anything to influence this situation, I guess I will "continue to hope" that people will do the right thing... but my life experience has told me to not hold my breath... HH

Ok... thanks for writing that up Canadadude... but... -a biologist on Their (proper way to refer to others) payroll, make not be the most objective perspective available - an independent firm would be much better suited -the band will have to ask people who's livelyhood has been dependant on selling fish from the back of their truck to stop. What if any, are the ramifications of them telling the band to go pound salt, I got a family to feed. -I recall reading about some tourist operators getting involved with the stocking program in an effort to help with sustainability - I believe I read it here. -the tourist operators help to enforce the slot limit and every one I have been to has taken me aside to ensure that I have all the knowledge I need to make the right decision. They don't want me to get fined for having slot fish... - the regs only discuss the catching, cleaning and storage of fish and do not address the number of fish being caught and kept. -comparing Lake Erie to Nip is like comparing North Bay's traffic snarls to that of Toronto... there is simply no comparisson. So far, unfortunately I am only hearing about how this will positively affect the band members, I am not able to quantify how this will help non band members who have a vested interest in the fishery.

Good to see yah back BBR! Nice pics! HH

Ok... now many here will probably know that I have an opinion and a very strong one at that about this topic. However, with that being said, I'm trying to be open minded here. Can someone here please tell me how opening up the Nip Pickereye market to many more sales opportuinties is beneficial to the fishery? Can anyone tell me how putting a biologist on their payroll is going to be beneficial to all parties interest? Can anyone tell me how the local band is dealing with folks who are not participating in this operation and are simply loading up trucks to sell "under the table" What authority, if any do the band leaders have over folks who are not using the newly opened processing facility? What good is a biologist if they are only getting some of the info they need? To the OP... glad your trip turned out good, glad yah got a feed of fish. HH

Glad it worked out for yah! ... but no pics of the water slide?! HH

Silver bass/white perch taste just like Tilapi... Lew, pass the pock chops, would yah! LOL HH

You know Joey, I think that the mouse droppings were only part of the issue that some have with that establishment. Others I'm sure will chime in... personally, I typically don't spend much time in the cottage, other than sleeping, so the cottage itself is not so important. Not meaning to speak out of turn, but I believe that those who I have spoken to have felt that they are not receiving the kind of service that the price tag attached, should warrant. I will however agree that if we are going to have a GTG, it really should be a GTG that includes all of us! Last year Bitsmith and I were the only OFC'ers who stayed at Perfect Vue. We had a dock, right outside our cottage and aside from the lack of a fire, our needs were met. There's much bad blood amoung many regarding a certain establishment... it's just too bad that our options are very much limited by available resorts, capable of handling the kind of numbers we typically get. HH Ps... as I re-think my last trip there, I still can't help but laugh when I think about Terry "bumming" his way down the dock, so as to not slip on the icey surface! LMAO

and again... bump! HH

My old doctor actually was part of the University Health network. She had us sign up... intersting and I wonder how or if I can use this with our new doc? I can't beleive that I actually forgot about that! HH

I will eat what I catch, but only after they pass the lemon test. HH

and again! HH