Spiel

....Good stuff Al and Chuck. I didn't fare as well, man I marked steady fish all day but only had four hits and landed two. Julie, my GF being a rookie said she felt something (?) on a half a dozen occasions but never connected. I did venture to the west of the pack Chuck thinking you'd be in that area but never saw you. Al you were anchored fairly close to me at one point. Did you all notice the boats out there....LOL

I know you're not going to regret it Roy, it's a ting o beauty!

....Bingo, nice haul. I'll be out there tomorrow with the GF and the dog if'n you see me say hello.

....Good golly! Now I'll get to see what me own motor looks like from behind. Very nice Roy.

....You are correct Glen, he is a relatively new and welcome member here.

.....Absolutely makes sense. While longer steelhead rods are designed to flex and handle big fish they are not designed to take the shock loading of casting heavy pike/musky baits. Also keep in mind the average size of the hooks on big pike/musky baits, a trout rod is not designed for setting these hooks into bony, toothy mouths. A shorter stout rod is the ticket. Trust your local tackle shop owner, he's definitely trying to help you.

Tasty bluegill are worth the effort May 23, 2008 Terry Curtis / northumberlandtoday.com With the spring fishing season just kicking into gear and the walleye, pike, panfish and trout seasons having opened recently, I've got a question for you: what's your favourite fish for dining pleasure? Most Canadians name walleye as their number one eating fish, and there is no doubt they are right up there on my list, as well. Especially freshly caught ones deep-fried in a beer batter while on a northern fishing trip. Something about the whole experience of the clean, crisp air and the smell of those walleye fillets sizzling in a cast iron frying pan over a hot fire is enough to turn even the pickiest of fish eaters into a bottomless pit! Ah, but let's not forget our crappie friends. I'll take a feed of those tasty little critters any time, cooked almost any way. Pan fried, deep fried, on the barbecue, it doesn't matter. In fact, I find them almost better-tasting than walleye, but maybe that's because I've eaten so many walleye over the years compared to crappie. After all, crappie didn't arrive on the scene locally until a few short years ago, and very few people in our area had ever tasted them. Boy, have I made up for lost time in the last 10 years or so! I've eaten my share, and then some! Yes, walleye and crappie are some mighty fine and tasty eating. As are pike and trout, I might add. But, what about the lowly bluegill? Do you eat them? Unlike our visitors from the south, most Canadians tend to overlook these firm-bodied panfish, thinking of them as a pest or, in some cases, a garbage fish. For anyone who hasn't tasted them, bluegill are probably one of the best eating fish in the world. Although their fillets are tiny and they are a pain to clean, these fish are so sweet it's almost a sin to eat them! Those Americans know a good thing when they eat it. That's why you'll see them bringing in baskets of bluegill to the fish cleaning huts around the Kawartha Lakes. Whether they're filleted, or scaled, gutted and then cooked with the skin on, those little rascals are well worth the time it takes to clean them. Best of all, they aren't hard to find and catch. You might say they aren't the brightest of fish and will willingly eat anything from tiny minnows or teeny pieces of worm to plastic, one-inch tube jigs - especially yellow and white tube jigs. They can't resist them, likely because they resemble the bass eggs they love to steal from the bass nests. Two- or four-pound line is more than enough to land bluegill and the best way to fish them is on a 1/16-ounce lead head jig under a tiny sensitive float. And leave the heavy rods at home. The very lightest of ultralite rods and reels will be more than you need. I guess by now you want to know where to find these fish. Check out sandy shorelines early in the year, especially those areas where bass spawn. Oh, and don't forget to check out overhanging willow trees along these shorelines. The combination of sand and willows is a proven bluegill magnet until the water starts to warm up and the bass spawn is over. Then you simply move out to the first weedlines off the shore. Bluegill will inhabit them by the hundreds and hundreds and the fishing is easy! As I mentioned before, bluegill aren't real sharp and are easy to catch, especially early in the first weeks of June. Keep a sharp fillet knife at the ready. Once you find a school of these pretty little fish you'll need it back on shore. Overlooked and underrated for their feisty fighting skills and taste, bluegill are more than worth the effort it takes to clean them, and there isn't a better or easier fish to catch for a family outing. Even for old kids like me!

Panfish limits lifted in region; Local tourism operators relieved May 23, 2008 Ronald Zajac / recorder.ca The Ontario government has lifted catch limits on sunfish and yellow perch for at least two years, a move applauded by local tourism operators who faced financial damage from the restrictions. But an outspoken eastern Ontario MPP, while welcoming the reversal at Queen's Park on the two types of panfish, said it should have happened in days rather than weeks. Officials at the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) announced in a prepared statement Wednesday that, effective immediately, "there are no catch and possession limits on sunfish and yellow perch in Fisheries Management Zone 18 in eastern Ontario." Zone 18 extends from Trenton to the Quebec border and north to northern Lanark County. The ministry will set up a "fisheries advisory council" for the zone to advise the MNR on sunfish and perch management rules to be put in place in 2010, the statement added. It describes the advisory council as being made up of "volunteers who represent the wide variety of interests related to fishing within the zone and provide advice to the ministry." The MNR had imposed a daily limit of 25 of the panfish with a conservation licence or 50 with a sportfishing licence. That left local tourism operators fretting over heavy financial losses due to cancellations and lost bookings, in particular from American fishermen who felt the catch limits did not make a trip to this area worth their while. Roxanne Stewart, co-owner of Nordlaw Lodge on Bob's Lake north of Westport, credited Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield with following through on her promise to find a temporary solution to the problem - even if it took nearly six weeks from the April 12 meeting the minister attended in Westport. "I'm very pleased," said Stewart, who credited a groundswell of opposition from local groups for the suspension of the limits. "It doesn't matter how round the wheel is, sometimes it just needs a little push to get it going." The move comes too late for Stewart and other operators to get back the Memorial Day weekend crowd south of the border, but at least they can start calling back people who have cancelled for later in the season, she said. There will be a financial impact no matter what, since fishing operators, like any other businesspeople, are feeling the effects of high gas prices, said Stewart. The panfish limits were just one more nail in the coffin. "She's (Cansfield) pulled one nail back out," said Stewart. Bill Wills, who co-owns the Upper Rideau Resorts cabin rental business near Westport, said the MNR decision was "wonderful news," adding his business lost at least four or five rentals as a result of the limits. People who stay at his cabins also buy bait in the area and eat at local restaurants, noted Wills. "It's had to have some sort of large-scale detrimental effect." Wills, who lives in Baltimore, said other pressures on American tourism to Canada, including the high Canadian dollar, high gas prices and uncertainty over U.S. passport rules, had no effect on his business last year. But once the panfish limits became known, many fishermen stayed away as a result, said Wills. Although his July and August rentals tend to be to families on vacation, the period from this coming weekend to mid-June tends to see fishermen rent his cabins, said Wills. "A surprising percentage of them want to catch the panfish." His business's next step will be to call back people who cancelled, said Wills. Local opponents of the panfish limits felt the restrictions were imposed without consultation and without supporting scientific data. They argued panfish such as crappies, yellow perch and sunfish are thriving in area lakes and preying on the eggs and fry of bass and walleye. Randy Hillier, the Progressive-Conservative MPP for Lanark-Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and one of the leaders of the charge against the restrictions, welcomed their removal. "I think it's a victory for rural Ontario," said Hillier, adding it is also "a victory for sensibility and reasonableness." But the Opposition MPP said Cansfield assured him a variation order, which allows the minister to change catch limits as deemed necessary, could be done in two days. He compared the panfish situation to another recent MNR about-face on bait size restrictions, saying it is symptomatic of a bureaucracy that does not want to admit mistakes. "Here was ... another one of those simple little screwups by the MNR," said Hillier. "It still took them six weeks to sign a variation order. "Clearly, the bureaucracy is in control." Hillier likes the "premise" of the advisory council, but worries it might be stacked in favour of "people from one side of the equation." David Bauer, a spokesman for Cansfield, denied the delay was an example of bureaucracy run amok and said Hillier likely misinterpreted the minister's remark. "We have to study situations as they come to us," he said. "Jumping the gun is just something that is irresponsible." The ministry "did hear concerns from the local tourism industry" about the impact of the restrictions on business and strove to make a decision that favours the sustainability both of the species in question and the local economy, said Bauer. The advisory committee is now being set up and its membership will be balanced, he added.

....I think a complete overhaul of our bass (and other species) seasons is long overdue.

....Well I'm kinda undecided on that GCD. Likely going to use a braid or fused line of one sort or another.

....I've copied this from the Simcoe board as I know many here also frequent the Simcoe board and in one way or another have likely been helped by Slyatv. Good day folks, I haven't talked to some of you in a LONG time. I hope all is well with you. I'd like to clear up any confusion with Icedude's post from yesterday. A lot of you were not on the mailing list. As some of you may or may not know, Shane Young, better known as SLYATV has been diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer (on the vocal cord). He will be starting his radiation and chemotherapy treatments in early June. They are scheduling him for a 7 week period if not longer. Shane will be out of commission and unable to work for a while. Unable to work and with no benefits from his employer, no income other than what he can claim through unemployment, I am reaching out to you for your assistance in helping Shane out financially and emotionally. Some of you don't like me and the feeling may be mutual, (LOL) and some of you may not know me, BUT this is NOT about US, this is about Shane. And I KNOW all of you know him. A person who has helped SO MANY people, be it friends or strangers. It is now time to pay back someone who has probably helped you in one way or another. I am in the process of opening a Trust Fund under his name and will provide the info once I get it. I hope to have it in place by Monday. I have already been in touch with my bank and have an appointment with them on Monday. I did not realize there was so much paper work and hoop jumping to open one of these things but it will come together. I am also going to organize a fishing touney after I get this Trust Fund thing worked out. I want to make it 100% payout to SLYATV. The winners can have bragging rights. I'll keep you folks up to date and I truly hope you can all help in one way or another. I have included MY e-mail if you want to talk about this off line. Post this on other boards folks and help spread the word. I also want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all those who replied to my e-mail from yesterday. GREAT to see that there IS a lot of support for Shane. THANKS AGAIN!! George aka RSB!!! Thread on Simcoe board

....Those above would be Erie fish.

....White (silver) bass and white (silver) perch are two different fish and those above me friend are of the bass variety. White Bass White Perch

....Those are two sentiments I could not possibly agree more with!

....Well I made a decision and it's not the TICA Caiman. While I like the round body casters I'm also comfortable with the low profile and when I came across this one at what I thought was an exceptional price I decided to buy two. Should be a sweet reel for my newest casting rod. Special thanks to a good friend for helping me.

....That's it, I'm never leaving the house again.

Aurora Bassmasters go angling for pike May 21, 2008 Wil Wegman / yorkregion.com Georgina - The season’s first big fishing tournament is going to be catch-and-release ... sort of. A pike tournament, held by the Aurora Bassmasters, will be held Saturday in Keswick with the pike caught there being released later on in Fairy Lake in Newmarket. With the help of the Ministry of Natural Resource’s community fish and wildlife improvement program, volunteers and ministry staff will select a cross-section of pike that will be put into an aerated transfer tank and moved to Fairy Lake. In the past, pike from Lake Simcoe used to be able to swim as far as the Holland River. However, due to dams and obstructions over the years, they aren’t able to do so on their own these days. In their new home as top predator, the pike will help balance the fish community. Unlike other Aurora Bassmasters tournaments, this will be an open event, meaning all anglers, not just members of the club, are eligible to compete. Anglers will begin at Pasadena Marina at 534 Lake Dr. S. The tournament starts at 6 a.m. with registration at the marina. Cost is $110 per team, which includes $10 for the big fish pot and $10 for launch. Paybacks will be 80 per cent of entry fees. Anglers fish from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will bring in the heaviest three pike they catch per two-person team. Heaviest limit wins. Fully functioning livewells and all the standard boating safety requirements are in effect. No live bait is permitted and standard tournament rules apply. Other tournaments The last tournament of the year is still a long way off, but you can note the Bass Pro Shops Lake Simcoe Open will take place out of Sibbald Point Provincial Park Oct. 25. This tournament holds the all-time Canadian record for the heaviest five bass ever weighed in during a one-day tournament at 29.90 lbs and is sure to be another success in 2008. Catching Early Season Pike In Simcoe: Regardless of whether you are fishing competitively or recreationally for northern pike, early spring pike action can be some of the finest you will experience. It can, however, also be tough. And, similar to other fishing ventures at this time of year, weather is the deciding factor. Generally speaking, warming trends with a steady or rising barometer can be fabulous, so spring pike love stable weather conditions. Although they do feed during the winter, they don’t during the strenuous spawning period which has just finished. So, given the opportunity, they will be eager to voraciously search for and capture your baits. Spring is the best time of year in Simcoe to work surface and subsurface lures such as the Rapala Husky Jerk or big X Rap’s. Newly emerging weed growth can be difficult to find, especially with late winter ice outs and cool springs such as we have had so far, but if you find some fresh, green aquatic plant growth, you can often find the big hungry northern not too far off. If action near the surface subsides, throwing bright flashy Terminator Spinnerbaits can be deadly ... and with this model made from titanium, they won’t get all bent out of shape once engulfed by a thrashing pike. As is often the case on the day of your fishing excursion, the weather suddenly turns cold and blustery or even one of those dreaded blue bird days after the front. Knowing that fishing could be tough from the onset will help you prepare mentally for what could be a long day on the water. After fishing pike tournaments for at about 20 years, I have had my share of cold fronts to fish through and these spring northerns can be negatively affected big time. However, you can use this to your advantage if you slow down your presentations and possibly even revert to throwing jigs tipped with various plastics. Another secret I am willing to reveal is watch the temperature gauge on your sonar units. Look for the warmest water you can find, preferably with the presence of new weed growth. In early spring, under cold front conditions, finding areas where the temperature is only a few degrees warmer, can make all the difference in the world. And while others are bemoaning their misfortune in colder waters you will finesse your way to some pike. For more information on the pike tournament or transfer contact the club’s tournament director Tom Tsatskas at [email protected] or visit www.aurorabass.com

Catch and release May 21, 2008 JUDI KOSKI / www.northernlife.ca The Angler & Young Angler is a professional tournament where the kids are the pros. The goal of this tournament is to educate young anglers about competitive sport fishing in a fun environment, surrounded by family and friends, while creating memories that will last a lifetime. Tournament Director Guy Myre (of Sudbury Cycle & Marine) explains that each team consists of one adult angler and two young anglers, 17 and under. The event includes an official weigh-in, prizes, awards and BBQ to follow a hard day’s fishing. The winner of each regional tournament qualifies for the opportunity to participate in the National Championship. The AYA Walleye Championship began in 1998 when tournament founder, Andrew Klopak decided he wanted to fish in a competitive style (catch and release) tournament on opening day with his son. Seeing that there were no tournaments catering to adult and young anglers, he created his own. The success of this original Manitoba tournament has lead to expansion across North America. The Sudbury AYA tournament takes place Sunday, May 25 in Massey (lower Spanish River), with the grand prize a Lund Boat Package. For more information call (705)-560-7751 or visit www.angleryoungangler.ca.

....Well I've done my share of open water fishing for whities and they can be had in many ways. Tactics are often based on the water type. In cold, clear deep water I've found ice fishing style tactics to be quite successful. The key is finding concentrations of fish (sonar being invaluable). Another deep water method of course would be the downrigger, trolling small minnow baits or small spinners. I supose my fave would have to be on smaller northern lakes when the mayfly hatches are on and you can actually take whitefish abundantly with a flyrod on dry flies or emerging nymph patterns. In this case the whities will show themselves with delicate surface takes as they rise to suck in the mayfly. Friends lucky enough to be with me when this happens have had success with small crappie type jigs under pencil floats or tossing small mepps style spinners.

....Boy there's a lot of happy faces there, young and old. Looks like a great event well hosted and run. Kudos to all involved qand congrats to all the winners.

...Great post and report Mike. As for the debate, looks like a "white perch" to me but then again I need better glasses.

....I'd would definitely try ripping shallow running, suspending stick baits (husky jerks) over the weed tops.

.....Seems like a lot prefer Trilene and I'll add my vote to it. Trilene XT is on most of my reels and the only other mono I use is Maxima Ultragreen. You might find the Maxima more pliable and memory free than the Trilene.

Battle against lamprey on Beaver and Big Head Rivers May 21, 2008 Doug Edgar / theenterprisebulletin.com Canada's sea lamprey busters plan to treat a section of the Sauble River during the first week of June. They are also monitoring lamprey runs on the Beaver River, which enters Georgian Bay at Thornbury, and on the Bighead, which enters the bay at Meaford. Also, a metal plate will be added to the top of Denny's Dam as added insurance that the parasitic jawless fish - although they're often called eels, technically they're not - don't get into the vast Saugeen system, which has extensive areas suitable for lamprey spawning. The drive to reproduce is so strong that lampreys will attach themselves to a dam or other obstacle and work their way over the top if the drop is small enough, said Paul Sullivan, section head, control, with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Sea Lamprey Control Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. "It's remarkable the tenacity they have," he said. The drop at Denny's Dam is great enough to stop them, but the plate, which will form a horizontal lip over the crest of the dam, will make the structure better. "It's just an added safety measure," Sullivan said. The Saugeen was treated with lampricide once, in 1970, when Denny's Dam was put to use as a barrier, Sullivan said. It was the most expensive treatment to that point and would cost $700,000 to do today. The local work is part of efforts on both sides of the border to control sea lampreys, an invasive species that is believed to have entered the upper Great Lakes through the Welland Canal in the early 20th century. They helped decimate lake trout and other large predatory fish. The Sauble River will be treated from the Jewel Bridge Road downstream, Sullivan said. That area, a short distance east of Bruce Road 13, which is the main north-south route along the Huron shore, is as far upstream as larval sea lampreys have been found. The Sauble has been periodically treated with lampricide since 1970, Sullivan said. The chemical, which kills the larval stage of the lamprey but doesn't affect other aquatic organisms under normal conditions when used in the correct concentration, will be pumped into the river for 12 to 14 hours. A trap at the fish ladder in the Beaver River is also regularly checked during the lamprey spawning run, which lasts from early April through the end of June. The Bighead River was treated last year and it will be checked this year to see how effective those efforts have been, said Sullivan. The Bighead has no barrier to stop sea lampreys from reaching spawning areas, he said. The river is treated with lampricide every four years, since that's the minimum time it takes the larvae in the river to reach the point they change into adults and head for the lake. Larval lampreys are filter feeders that live in the bottom of the stream before they enter their parasitic stage, while adult sea lampreys have a ring of sharp teeth that they use to scrape a hole in a fish. They then suck out the fish's blood and bodily juices. Sullivan said there is evidence that adult lampreys find their way to spawning sites - gravel areas with clean, well oxygenated water, roughly what is suitable for rainbow trout - because they are attracted by pheromones produced by the larvae. To complicate the matter, there is also evidence that sea lampreys are attracted to pheromones produced by the larvae of native lampreys that live in some local river systems, including the Saugeen. That means that even if sea lampreys aren't present in a watershed, adults could be drawn to spawn. The native lampreys include the non-parasitic northern brook lamprey, which is under consideration for partial protection under the federal Species at Risk Act. Once sea lampreys reach a suitable spawning area, they make crescent shaped nests by moving gravel around with their mouths. They die after spawning. Officials are also evaluating a program in which sterilized male lampreys are released in the St. Marys River. The idea is that they spawn with females and produce non-viable eggs. The DFO control centre will help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service release 25,000 such lampreys this year.

Study: 'Salties' harm greater than benefits Thursday, May 22, 2008 Jeff Alexander / mlive.com PETERBOROUGH, Ontario -- The environmental costs of ocean freighters hauling cargo on the Great Lakes outweigh the economic benefits by a nearly 6-to-1 ratio, according to a new study. Ocean freighters -- known as "salties" -- have imported 57 exotic species to the Great Lakes since 1959, when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened the lakes to transoceanic ships, according to government data. Those nonindigenous species now cause $300 million damage annually to Great Lakes fisheries, recreational activities and large water intake facilities, according to preliminary results from a University of Notre Dame study. "If you sum up the direct loss of ecosystem services attributable to nonindigenous species, in 2006 those losses were $300 million," said John Rothlisberger, a University of Notre Dame graduate student. He presented the data Wednesday at the annual meeting of the International Association for Great Lakes Research. The $300 million figure dwarfs the transportation savings achieved by allowing ocean freighters to carry cargo into the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway, according to a separate study. A recent Grand Valley State University study concluded that ocean freighters reduce the cost of shipping international cargo on the Great Lakes by $55 million annually, or 6 percent. Industry officials have called the GVSU study simplistic and misguided but have presented no scientific data to discredit its findings. Numerous studies have found that exotic species imported by ocean ships have unleashed a biological hurricane beneath the sparkling waters of the Great Lakes. The Notre Dame study was the first comprehensive effort to quantify how much value exotic species steal each year from valuable natural services the Great Lakes provide. The lakes' $7 billion sport and commercial fishery has been hurt the most by exotic species, according to the study. "Direct economic losses are the greatest for sport fishing, at more than $200 million per year," Rothlisberger said. Absent exotic species, he said the lakes would support a far more robust fishery. Rothlisberger cautioned that the $300 million damage figure was an estimate which could change as scientists conduct more research. Though ocean ships account for less than 10 percent of all cargo moved on the Great Lakes, Rothlisberger said the so-called salties have imported 67 percent of the 84 foreign species discovered since the Seaway opened. Zebra and quagga mussels native to eastern Europe have dramatically altered the lakes' food chain and spawned blooms of noxious and toxic algae; round gobies have become the dominant fish in western Lake Erie and some Great Lakes connecting waters, including Muskegon Lake; and the Eurasian ruffe has taken over Duluth Harbor and could threaten Lake Erie's perch and walleye fisheries if it spreads beyond Lake Huron, he said. There are 185 foreign species in the lakes; a new species is discovered every seven months on average, according to government data. Shipping industry officials were not at Rothlisberger's presentation and could not be reached for comment. Jennifer Nalbone, a spokeswoman for Buffalo-based Great Lakes United, said ocean ships should be banned from the lakes until they are equipped with ballast water treatment systems. "New legislation must require salties to meet stringent ballast discharges standards; until that time, we should be using alternative modes of transportation," Nalbone said.