adolson

I don't have much confidence in my spinners. I only caught what's in my avatar on one of them, and other that that, nothing. I know they work. I've seen a big pike caught on a Mepps #3!

The other no-confidence lures for me are the Moto Minnow (uh...) and the version of the Jitterbug that I own (hooks on back). The former, well, it's a freaking wind-up toy. The latter, I have had a few strikes, but I dunno, there are just two hooks at the back, and so the fish have to hit it a certain way to even have a chance at setting the hook. I only had one on once, and I thought I had set the hook, and suddenly I had confidence in it. Maybe I did it too hard, or maybe it didn't have the hooks in its mouth at all - I don't know, but it got off after 15-20 seconds or so, and away went my confidence. I like the lure, just not the hooks. I want the other version with the Hula Popper-like double hanging trebles.

Day starts off with a 9am-ish wake up call from a fellow OFC member. You may know him as Rod Caster, but to me, he's Rod Master. We'll get to that in a sec. We make plans to meet at Lowell Lake Rd and hit up #25 for brookies.

We get there, and head in. We troll around a while and nothing. Did a bit of casting, and nothing. I think we maybe gave up a tad early, but then, I'm the guy who spent almost 12 hours going in circles at Liberty chasing ghosts.. I was antsy to land something - it'd been a week since my last catch, after all, so I was fine with moving on. Trout can wait for another day. So we landed and had a bit of lunch, picked a random lake on the map and away we went.

We got in and trolled around a bit and did a bit of casting. That was mostly unproductive. Chad got a couple tiny perch on hook and worm at one point, and I was definitely feeling the nibbling, but nothing big was around. I thought we were about to pack it in, when finally we got into a few smallmouth near some downed trees near the shore. It was a long day, so my memory is a bit foggy. I think I caught the first one, and it was on a Hula Popper. But he caught more than me, and a real nice one in there, too.

At this point, I was pretty happy. We had caught fish, we had great weather, calm water. Beautiful day overall. Time to go home...

...yeah right. The sun hasn't even set, it's just about to get good.

"I wanna try off that point over there," he says. And so we motor over to it, and that's where we stayed the rest of the night. What followed can only be described as a massacre.

My camera's autofocus messed this one up a bit, but there are some chunks taken out of this guy, probably from a pike:

Finally a pic of me (all these pics are from my camera. Chad will add the pics he took, which I hope I am in at least a couple!)

At one point, we were pulling up so many walleye, I just gave up trying to get pics of them all. I didn't even have time to put a fish on the stringer if it was one we decided to keep, or put away the camera before he was pulling in another one. The best single day of fishing I've ever experienced. I don't know how many fish we boated.. Well over 30, probably over 40 if you include the bass. I don't think any were over 16" but there were sure a lot of them. I took home my limit, ate two of the smaller ones (they were delicious) and will have the others soon,

Thanks Rod Master, for the invite and knowing your stuff when it comes to walleye. And your CD is now permanently linked in my mind to this trip (I've played it at least a dozen times). The day was pretty epic, especially for a lake neither of us had fished before.

Brookies, I'm coming, but you lucked out today.

Trolling it is, then!

I also thought this was a dog problem thread.

Thanks for the additional input, guys.

I didn't plan to troll around because the three lakes I've been at are all pretty small, and I thought casting into shore would be a good option to try. I like trolling, just it seems that's all I ever do and I don't want to be spooking fish in the small lakes.

How deep is your rig getting when you're trolling, Dana? Maybe throw a bit of weight in front of the spoon....clip on a 3 way swivel where yo uare adding in the line the spoon is on...and tack on some weight to hang down from the 3rd ring.

Not real sure how deep they were getting. I have one of these things, I don't know what they're called, but it has a plastic piece and then several metal segments and a bunch of willow spinners on it. I tried that for a little bit one time as a guy at Liberty recommended it. I don't even remember where or when I got it or if I ever used it in my life, but he was saying it was supposed to attract trout and good for trolling. Needless to say, it also didn't work. But then again, maybe all the auroras at Liberty were sleeping when I was there.

As for spinners....yes they work! Small Panther Martin's would get my vote. Just curious, have you talked to Jim, at Gramp's? He is a great guy to talk about this stuff with

I caught the monster in my avatar on my little Panther Martin!

Who is Jim, and where is Gramps?

Wow, great pics!

Dana, you really need a confidence booster. Here's what you're gunna do. Don't go spending money on more gear that you're not sure about. Keep what you have now, the braid will be fine. You'll need to find yourself a small quiet lake where you KNOW there are specks. Get yourself some worms, they don't have to be big. If you don't already have spoons, find yourself a few cheap spoons in various colours in the 2.5" to 4" range. You'll need a few snap swivels and some hooks in the 2-8 size range. Remove the treble from your spoons and attach a spoon using a snap swivel directly to your braid. Attach an 18" length of mono to the spoon and then a single hook at the end. Bait that with a piece of worm.

I find it better to attach the spoon to the mainline backwards, fat end closest to the reel. Get out there and troll slowly. You can use a motor or paddle but the motor will give you more time to concentrate on your presentation. Keep a fair amount of line out...100' plus. You'll catch them that way and once you do, then you can start experimenting.

 

Good luck and let's hear how you do.

That's exactly what I was doing at Liberty Lake, as another guy there suggested it. I was using a tiny Williams Wobbler as the flasher. My uncle's suggestion was just a hook, a worm, and a big splitshot a couple feet up the line, and that's what my cousin used when he hooked into one.

I can try it again, different spoon, and with better (I hope) hooks (Kamakazi 1, 2, and 4 I believe I have in my kit).

I wanted to try some of my spinners. I heard those actually can catch fish. In fact, in some cases, it's the only lure you need!

I've got worms in the fridge, ready to go.

To go on the cheap for your line Dana run a tiny barrel swivel with 30" of floro 4 lb test to your lure. In the lakes your fishing thats what I do from my 8 lb braid. I like to paddle one guy trolling (paddler) bow man casting to cover. Paddling gives a nice erratic motion to the lure. And Roy's idea is a good one for trolling and is also the way I ice fish for them (minus the trolling part)

That's a good idea, and I thought of it when I was brushing my teeth before bed.. Was too tired to edit my post, haha. And thanks so much for all your help in PMs!

What are you doing this saturday? I may be able to meet you halfway and we can try a spec lake together. I've got my own sportspal/trolling motor now and some good techniques for you to try. I'm on-call, so some cell phone reception is required but most places near temagami have at least some signal.

Sweet, that would be cool.. But I don't know what's up yet - I invited my cousin to go last night, but he hasn't got back to me. If he wants to fish, it'd be Saturday, since he's usually tied up on Sundays. I will let you know.

Have you caught an aurora? Liberty Lake is kinda half-way... Don't know about the cell signal, though. It's a good drive down Red Squirrel Rd. Supposedly you have to be there real early to catch anything though.

So, I've been reading up on fishing for trout, mostly brook trout, which is the next species I'd like to try targeting. Luckily, the most reliable local fishing partner I have (my cousin) also wants to try for trout. Well, we've tried for aurora trout several times at Liberty Lake, unsuccessfully. The closest we came there was him losing one after a short 20-30 second fight, and for all we know, it was a sucker or a turtle or more likely, a stickerel that put up a bit of a fight (I'd believe that before I believe auroras exist!).

I know a lot more today about trout fishing than I did a week ago, but I have a few questions still.

There are a few lakes around here that are either stocked with brookies or rainbows, or they occur naturally. Is there much of a difference in fishing tactics/gear when fishing stocked versus natural? There is also a nearby lake that is stocked with splake, and there are supposed to be lakers in Anima-Nipissing, but I am not going after those just yet.

If I use spoons, should I remove treble hooks and put on singles?

I keep reading you should use 4 or 6lb mono line. I have 12lb test green braid on my reel right now, but the package says 6lb diameter (0.007"). The question should be obvious: is this line OK, or should I really buy some clear mono? Since I currently only have one spool for my reel, I'd probably have to just buy a small and cheap combo, specific for trouting (which I don't mind doing, just lacking funds at the moment, especially with Christmas approaching), or a second spool (if possible). And if I have to buy another rod specifically for trout, would it make sense to go for a fly rod instead of another spinning rod? I would like to get into it (looks really relaxing), but again, money.

The lakes I am going to are pretty small. I don't really know how to choose locations on any lake, big or small, so I typically troll them and then cast a while once I get one. For trout, I don't want to troll (I tried that in the rainbow-stocked lake, got nothing, and in Liberty we had that one on). I thought about leaving the trolling motor in the car and just use a paddle. Would the thrust and splashing of a paddle spook the fish more or less than a slow trolling motor, fully submerged, or does it not matter much once you anchor in a spot and then cast?

Sorry I have so many questions. Time is running out on Liberty Lake, and soon there will be snow and ice (*shudder*), so I just want to be make sure I'm not accidentally messing up my chances to hook, or wasting my money. I'm grateful for any and all advice.

i was waiting for the pickerel,walleye debate to surface soon,as its been at least 3 months since it was brought up for the 5,000 time !!! lol...lol... now you went and started the chain pickerel debate...or is it chain walleye !!! lmao

See image below for assistance.

My favorites so far are the Original Floating Rapala and the Arbogast Hula Popper. Any colors, really, but I usually use perch/firetiger. Neither are working in the past week or so (since my last report).

I am still new, but these have produced the most for me so far.

Did ya notice the old school back wind Dara? NO DRAG.

I don't know about Dara, but I sure did!

Very nice pike! I find it hilarious that he only uses one lure - but I'm glad it's not just a pickerel rig like my friend, heh.

I never catch anything on my Mepps #3..

For what it's worth, the MNR officially declared the blue walleye extinct in 1985, the last one having been caught on Lake Erie in 1965. But then these are the same people who declared aurora trout as being extinct. So, whose nose.

There's no Auroras in Liberty Lake, I can tell you that!

I should probably get around to getting a proper battery for mine, too... I've just hooked it up to my deep cycle battery for my trolling motor. I'm guessing it's a bad idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

That is very respectable, man. I know it might seem selfish to some people, but my wife and I never planned to have kids partially because everyone we know who has kids never seems to have time to do anything. I'm lucky to have an understanding wife, but I could see that changing if we ever had kids. I wouldn't want to stick her at home with them all the time, and I too would feel guilty. I already feel guilty when I go out and she stays home, but she comes often enough with me and doesn't mind because she has other hobbies of her own to do. But if it came down to it, I hope I'd have the ability to make the same decision you did. Removing temptations is hard, and it's often the only way to succeed in many areas of life, not just fishing. I can't see anyone laughing at you over this - that'd be petty and stupid. It's honorable, and your family will probably see your sacrifice and respect you and love you for it. Have a happy life, man.

wow, you got those in that?!

I should cast my line in my back yard. I haven't cut the grass in weeks, so there should be fish?

Thanks guys!

I managed to record a little bit of video of him catching his first bass, but he didn't want me to share it with anyone. I'm not sure why, but he gets really excited and he talks to the fish. I think at one point he calls it a "son of a beehive" which, well, I don't know what that means... Haha. Anyhow, I'll respect his wishes.

So, no Aurora's??

Haha, not yet, but we both want one, so we're gonna try some more... I don't understand why they're so hard to catch when we're doing everything right as far as I know. I have a good feeling about September, though!

I almost feel stupid posting pics of the handfuls of tiny fish I catch when some of you guys are catching 80lb bass and 10ft muskies and 400 walleyes in 20 minutes and whatever, but here goes.

My cousin - let's call him.. Adam, which is fitting, since that's his name - has gone fishing with me several times this summer, but has yet to catch anything. I was determined to help hook him into his first bass, and today I succeeded. It took a trip to beautiful Anima-Nipissing to do it, but clearly the Montreal River was only being kind to me so we had to try elsewhere.

The weather was nice. It got chilly towards the end of the day, but there was only a light sprinkle of rain when we launched. Not too much wind, so the lake was fairly calm the whole time.

He caught the first fish of the day, a little rock bass - it's no muskie, but hey, it's something.

Shortly after this, I caught the first REAL fish of the day, a smallmouth. It wasn't much bigger (they're all pretty small, the ones I've caught in this lake so far).

The Sportspal was nice to us today, no water leaked in whatsoever.

We managed to get our first double-header, too! Just stupid rock bass, though... Mine is the bigger one.

I knew it was just a matter of time before he'd get a bass, and as we trolled along the shoreline, we came across a long, sunken tree trunk, and somewhere near it, he hooked one, and he looked pretty excited.

We saw it jump, and I knew it had finally happened. I had helped someone with a first. I was almost as happy as he was:

I normally don't pay much attention to it, but there were tons of fish blips on the GameBoy fish finder, and since he caught one, we turned around and trolled over the same log again. And whaddyaknow? He gets his second smallie, and it's bigger, about 16".

So, we turned around and trolled back over the same area. I got my second tiny smallie that time:

We ended up each catching two smallmouth, his first two ever, and at least three rock bass each, before we headed back with a nearly-dead battery (argh, stupid charger don't work properly), and we were cold and hungry and tired, and our butts were sooooooooooore from those cement hard foam seats.

Obviously not the most amazing report, but for us, it was great times. He was so happy to get his first bass, and that in turn made me really happy. I was happier when he was catching fish than when I was, which was weird. I'm no guide, but I now can see how that would be very rewarding work. His new favorite fish to catch is bass, but he wants to go for a trout sometime soon, and so do I. We plan to try Liberty again at least two more times before the season closes for three years.

I also plan to hit Anima-Nip again this weekend with the wife (if my battery will charge up enough) and maybe head south-west to the narrows this time. Never been down that way yet.

Its only 4 hrs from hell but it gets quite cold.

I forgot how close it was to Toronto.

How do you feel about longer winters and blackflies?

You misspelled "mayflies."

(pic from wikipedia page. I took this pic in North Bay. there's a truck underneath all that. gross.)

Ill be in north bay tomorrow for a meeting an after I will check out the area and hopefully have a better idea of what I'm getting into.

If you are looking for a good lunch, go and find The Sub Place and order a gyro (regular or chicken). Best food in the city!

I don't have much to add to this, but maybe this, almost seems like a no-brainer:

When shore-fishing where there's a lot of room, I clamp my locking forceps onto the neck of my shirt so I always know where they are. This really saves valuable time when I walk up and down the river bank, and especially handy if I get a pike on.

I don't have a holster or anything like that, and clamping on my shirt works a treat.

Ah, North Bay... I lived there for about 6 years, and I liked it well enough. I can tell you the best restaurants for almost any type of food, and you can trust it since I am a fat guy.

I miss a couple friends I made there, and it's nice when bands I know show up there. In the years I lived there, Alice Cooper and UnderOath both played there, but I didn't get to go. Then last year, La Dispute and Norma Jean played and I did get to go (odd, since I no longer lived there, heh).

I almost had to move (was looking at Ottawa) after losing my IT job with the telemarketing company / hell there and couldn't find any work for several months. But then I got hired by the local ISP (Vianet) and that saved the day. I have a lot of fond memories of North Bay, and I would go back there if I wanted to move again (I don't). I like where I'm at now, for the most part.

I really regret not fishing there much at all while I lived there. The only fish I caught were some gross catfish - that's probably why I didn't fish more.. I should have got out more, bought a cheap canoe, etc. If I lived there now, you can bet I'd be out fishing with some other OFCers as much as I could. There's not many people that I know of around here (Tri-Towns) who like fishing enough to go even weekly, let alone register for a fishing forum or - gosh - go two days in a row..

Wow, nice work! I'm lucky if I get one to three fish in a trip... I'm clearly doing something wrong.

I was contacted by my IT department yesterday and told that my computer has malware on it. Judging by passwords being taken from others I suspect this is the case with those affected as well.

I run Linux. So I sincerely doubt it in my case..

I was hacked a few weeks ago. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but I noticed it within seconds because I was watching a video on my PS3 with my wife beside me on the couch, when suddenly I'm signed out due to signing in at another location. I couldn't get back in. I tried my email, couldn't get in there either. I managed to reset my email account quickly, and then reset my PS3 password. The IP address in my email's activity history is a TOR IP, therefore it's useless - anonymous network utilized by hackers, amongst others.

Hasn't happened since, but some odd timing... I signed up for an angler site right before this occurred. But that may be coincidence, considering the PS3 hacking and whatnot. But how my email and PS3 account were linked together, I have no idea, as they're completely different domains and everything...

Guessing you have a gmail account...

What's that mean?