troutologist

Had a few incidents that required the hook to be pushed through past the barb or the old loop of line trick. Worst ever (by far) went to lip a bass caught on a rattlin rap, it shoot and sunk a hook under my thumb nail. Dumb me I let go of it and it shook the hook out of my hand...thoughtful of him. Did that hurt though. I know more than a few guys that fish muskie that have gone barbless for ease of unhooking, both fish and themselves.

Never understood the mentality of tossing things out the window or just dropping them....drives you crazy in the bush to see Timmies cups and beer cans. There was nearly a ban on permanent ice shacks here in MB recently because of the garbage left, apparently enforcing littering laws is extremely difficult due to a he said/she said sort of deal.

Environment vs gun registry....what should the election issue have been? Why would Canada need a place to understand the effects of industry, pollution and development on aquatic systems, conducted in controlled real systems....wait with habitat out of the Fisheries Act who cares

Check out the latest issue of Outdoor Canada, Gord Pyzer does an article on the spin/swim that MB fisherman Roger Stearns has developed. Pretty deadly and very good at covering water.

Its a great boat Spiel...yours would look good parked on LOTW!! Those are White Caps...they saved me a number of soakings this weekend when the weather was poor.

Fair amount around but we stay off the beaten path. Thanks for the comments folks

Just got back from a great extra long weekend on LOTW. What an amazing body of water with the infinite bays and twisting channels, with tons of secluded islands to set up camp on. The weather started out like July but quickly remembered it was May and T storms and rain moved in to mess up the ridiculous laker bite we were on...Alicia could not keep them off a blue deep diver....I only had 1 in that colour and it was the definite preference of the trout. Since walleye opened Saturday, we spent the day chasing ol' marble eyes in my favourite way, rigging leeches shallow. Managed to get into a few good fish for photos and a few better fish for the pan. Water temps were in the range of 55-60F depending on where we stopped. Really used the side imaging to good advantage this weekend finding small rockpiles on large sand flats which concentrated the otherwise scattered fish. While graphing the spots I pulled a variety of cranks and hit a few fish, but nothing outperformed the Lindy Rigged leech in 3-12fow. We were fortunate to sort through some nicer fish securing more to try out some different shorelunch ideas, including walleye tacos. Here are a few more pics. What a great weekend, with excellent company, excellent fishing and a mixed bag of weather.

The St Croix Eyecon trolling rods are great. I've got the 8' models. They are perfect for trolling cranks and bouncers. Actually quite light for an 8' rod. I prefer longer rods for trolling for 2 reasons, first being spreading the baits out, and making it easier for folks to keep the line out of the motor. Also when landing fish with bouncers and longer leaders it is easier to get the fish to the net with a longer rod.

Stringease Fast Tach snaps are a similar product that are a bit more robust. Awesome to replace a treble on a spoon and thread on a minnow head.

I've cracked 12 eggs into a thermos and poured them out as needed. They kept for 10 days like this....it was a little cooler out that May though

I had a similar issue. I did some caulking around my windows and set out 6 Ant Out traps. I also poured boiling water on the ant hills a few times....success so far. Now I just have to find a way to combat the hoards of ticks that are around this year....in 4 days turkey hunting I picked off almost 200!!! Good luck

Great trip and write up Mike. Man I miss the pack, paddle and speckled trout trips!!

Pretty well the best service in the business. They have sent me replacements over the years just requiring a photo of the product!! No shipping on my end. They also gave me the option to upgrade to a new boot.

The bibs traditionally leaked at the bottom about right to make you look like you had bladder issues when back on shore.

The Simms Pro Dry is an amazing suit. I have the old Cabelas Guidewear and the only complaint is the leak at the bottom of the zipper when sitting. Arc'teryx and MEC both have some really nice stuff that I wear for work. But I like the increased pockets/storage of the fishing dedicated suits. Don't worry about a zip in liner or insulation. Get a bigger shell and pick up good layers (MEC)

The new Lund Crossover is an awesome boat, walked through one at the dealership last week and was really impressed. Lots of great storage and lots of fishibility. Have a look here Crossover

Make the environment an election issue...the gun registry was a huge one, why can't folks wanting accountability for resource protection and stewardship.

I wouldn't be so sure about this. Scientific journals have taken notice. See the article in Nature

Just went through this last fall. Ended up on a Benelli Super Nova, because I wanted something more geared to waterfowling. Thought alot about the BPS, probably the nicest gun of that price range in pumps, still heavy in 12ga to carry all day in the uplands. I was told by a number of serious gun folks to stay away from the current Express and Nitro Mags....lots of issues apparently at gun shops. Best plan is to think about what you will be doing, if its upland walking, I would look mostly at the weight. I carry a 28ga for grouse hunting in the bush, a please to carry all day vs something in the 8lb plus range. The nova/super nova are not pretty but they are really nice guns, field strip simply and have not had a hint of a cycling issue thus far.

This is very scary stuff. Most of what is happening is not in the news. Be very aware that scientific findings funded by Provincial/Territorial and Federal tax dollars are being withheld if they do not follow the current Gov't's mandate. My local MP knows me by name now, I have contacted her so frequently on these issues. Whatever party is in office or you side with, alot of the actions (or lack of) taken with respect to Canada's natural resources and subsequent science are regressing. Make sure your local representatives know that these are strong issues with their electorate....similar to the outcry against the long gun registry.

Awesome...thanks! Hoping to be able to get out early most mornings while the missus is sleeping. Looks like I'm going to have to brush up on my tropical fish ID skills!

Have any of you fine folks been here and tried the fishing? I have found a limited amount of info online but thought I would mine OFC for some personal experience. Thanks

Here is a link to the letter that 624 scientists wrote to the PM Letter....this is an issue folks push back!

Also the ever popular, back halfway down the ramp and start tying your lines. MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't stand when fishing show hosts just throw fish back in the water....I'd prefer to see a little more care (respect) when handling fish.