Steve

Dad and I are itchin' to get out for some more bass fishing. We are thinking about trying out sparrow lake. Never been there before. It appears to be ok for largies. Anyone have any info on the lake regarding boat ramps, etc? Not looking for any honey holes, not by any means. Just curious if anyone has any lake info? Deep? Rocky? shallow? weedy? Thanks!! Steve

this deal is making me a little worried. have no worries though. Kapanen will work out, play awesome, and turn all your opinions around. You'll see (and I'm not being even remotely sarcastic).

Thanks for the kind word gents. Yes, this is a lake in Ontario, with cottages on it...far from remote or private. Just have to do the homework to find lakes in certain area's that contain certain factors (ie, no bass tournaments, no major pike populations, some form of fatty fish as bait - ie, cisco, shad, herring, etc). This opener will go down as one for the ages. And, Gerritt, thank you kindly for noticing. 25lbs down, 30 to go. :)

you have that reservoir down pat. great to have local holes that you can retreat to when the winds kick up. I heard about that weather down here in Southern Ontario...wow. musta been crazy!

manitoubass2, you have a beautiful family and what seems like a quality lifestyle. can you provide some advice on how to become gainfully employed in that lifestyle? do you do IT work or a form of contract work? I can't imagine what one would do to support a family - because it seems too good to be true.

another option to use is to have your bowmount down, but in reverse, slowing down your outboard troll... likely 15%-20% speed will do what you need. most think to use their electric motors to troll forward...actually more efficient to use them in reverse to slow down your main motor. drift bags work for trolling however, as you have noted. they don't like waves very much...causing for big surging....(at least they did that for me on Quinte in the fall).

removing water coverage removes over 50% of the risk to the insurance company. as such, your price should reduce similarly. increasing property deductibles do not save you as much, as there isn't a frequency of loss with property. auto deductible increases do save money however.

i now see why your price is so low. cool. thanks.

what do you refer to when you say "no water coverage"?

My favourite time of the year. Bass Opener Not only is the fishing fun, the company is even better. A group of friends, including my father, head up north for our annual opener. This years opener was one of our best yet. The most numbers of quality bass we've seen. Weather was fantastic. Low(er) winds and very little rain. Water temps fluctuated from 66 degrees to 71 degrees throughout the day. Senko's, spinner baits, flippin tubes, and poppers/frogs were the best baits...but just about everything we tried worked at various times. Often the best part of opener is the sunrise. The anticipation is unmatched. It is like every single sunrise during salmon season combined into one momentous morning. Up before 5am I started the coffee and waited for the others to awake. Weather was supposed to be clear in the morning, clouding over for the afternoon, with chance of showers. Perfect! Took this opportunity to snap a beauty shot of the sunrise. Myself, Dad, and Bryan on my boat, while my buddy George was in his smaller 14' boat. We headed out to our favourite opener spot on the lake and dropped the motor. I wish I could just hit *pause* and enjoy that exact moment for hours. My buddy Bryan noticed over by the waterline a couple of big deer. I just caught the back of them when they leaped back into the bush..they were really big!!! I started with the same lure I've started my opener with since I bought my boat in 2004 - A Zell Rowland Pop R. I caught a largie on my very first cast. I knew that was a good sign. However, it was dad yielding his trusty Senko that produced the first good bass of 2015. Good job dad! Water was cold at 66 degree's, and after the initial flurry of smaller fish, things started to slow. As the early morning turned into later morning, the sun started to warm up the shallows, allowing us to move in a little tighter. Dad kept with his productive ways, catching all morning. Dad wasn't the only one finding the good bass. Bryan hit this big post spawn female on a flippin tube in some dispersed reeds. I did manage to salvage one decent fish in the pads, after noticing her shadow under the heat of the sun. The morning was turning into afternoon and the air temps were really starting to heat up. We headed in for lunch. Dad was content with his morning and went down for a nap. This allowed me to sneak out for an afternoon fish. Thankfully the clouds had started to build, cooling down the temps, making for a very nice afternoon. I headed back and we headed out for our evening fish. Here's an ultra rare shot of dad working the casting deck...he hates it up there, lol. Surprisingly, the evening fish was slower than expected, however, Dad did find one of these prehistoric beasts eager to inhale his offering. Day 2 was very similar to the previous. Very little wind. Mainly sunny skies with a few cloudy periods. With the still air and heat, the fishing was tougher than day one. We took opportunity in early afternoon to catch a quick nap and made dinner before the evening fish. Unfortunately the evening fish was similar to the day before, with mainly small bass coming across the gunnels. However, Dad pulled this beauty out, his biggest of the trip! Day 3 morning I found myself waiting for others to awake. A beauty sunrise again. A solo morning, it was the first morning with lots of cloud cover. I headed to a new section of the lake that I hadn't hit yet. It wasn't 6am. Lake was so peaceful and quiet. Hit some fallen wood and found a big girl. Part of our trip is we hold a big bass derby pot. Biggest bass takes it. Usually the pot is big enough to pay your cottage fee for the week. I wanted to drop the scale on her, but I just put her in the livewell for a future weigh. I wanted to get my senko back in. I moved off the wood, as there was a good amount of disruption during the battle on the last fish. I headed over to a weedline and threw my spinnerbait for a minute or two. Caught a few scrappy pike so I moved slowly back to the sunken wood. Out goes my bait to the same fallen timber and again my line goes tight. I do a very poor hookset and note a huge shadow doggin' directly at me!!! I barely picked up my line when she shot under my boat and around my trolling motor. The huge mouth came up to the surface and wallowed, exposing the barely hooked owner. I just prayed, reached down, and caught the lip with my thumb. I lifted her up and the hook fell out. As she was already unhooked, I just threw her in the well..... I knew I had to go back to the cottage. We all have to witness the biggest fish of the trip on the official scale (Berkley TEC). I couldn't wait any longer to find out the weights myself. I took her out for a quick timer shot photo. At the cottage dock we weighed the big girl, just shy of 6 on the TEC. A few more photo's at the dock and back she went. I whipped up a huge breakfast for everyone. I was a happy camper. We went out for an afternoon / evening fish. I tried working some deep spinnerbaits off the weeds, thinking some of the bigger girls like I found earlier in the morning would be hanging out there. I did find one good post spawn female, but like so many post spawn girls, the belly wasn't filling yet. They need to get back in shallow and feed up on the abundant shiners soaking in the warm sun. We decided with the high sun and blue skies to head in tight to cover to see if we could find something hanging around the shallows. Dad found a nice girl feeding up. We partied hard into the night. We all celebrated the good fishing, great weather, and life long friendships. This of course meant a slow start in the morning. I still managed to jump out of bed, still high on excitement from the day before. Snapped this beauty shot. However, the cottage remained quiet. No souls dared awake this AM. I decided I was going back to bed. Yep. It felt great. We all slept in, and cooked up a huge feast for lunch, as it was our last day, and no point bringing home food. French Toast, Eggs, Bacon, Ham, Sausages, Hamburgers, literally, everything we had, lol. As great as our success had been, my buddy George was having less success. His boat was giving him frustrations. Popped rivets kept him on shore for many hours. I decided we were all piling into my boat for the last night of the trip. Never fished with four on my 17' boat before (next to trolling). We made a decision to limit everyone to two rods per person. That meant we ALL brought a single senko rod, and a single frog rod, lol. We headed to one spot on the lake that you can essentially cast 360 degrees on big weed flats, that way we could all just fish without worrying about hitting specific structure. Boat was cleaned out and I decided to basically relax at the tiller and watch the guys go at 'er. As mentioned above, the evening fishing had been poor. But on this night things were different. The fish were on fire!!! I couldn't have asked for a better ending to our trip. My dad and two of my closest friends smashing bass left and right...and simply throwing senko's and frogs. Fishing does not get any better than that!!! Here's a bunch of photo's I snapped from our final evening. Bryan was the first to get on board with a big evening fish. The boat had enough room for all of us. I was just snapping shots as everyone around me was into fish. But I just had to get in on some of the action. Even with some nice double header fun. I managed these last two photo "successions" ... I was having the time of my life. George in action. dad in action under the moon. Just as we were getting ready to call it a night a silly walleye inhaled my senko. Silly Senko Walleye, lol. A fun cap to a great opener!!! I guess the only shot left is the best shot --- $$$$ Yep - I like bass fishing

Ron Bankes is simply the best. He did a total boat rebuild on my baby. It came back better than I expected. However, it also cost 30% more than originally quoted. But in your case, your not paying so that shouldn't be an issue. Again, Ron Bankes is truly the best!

Ed Canning is who my father used when his company decided to "outsource" his position to a "new hire" internally. new hire made 15 bucks less an hour. in the end Dad got more, but the Ed took it back as his fee. overall, not sure if he got any more than he would have originally. dad felt ok, cause it cost his company (ex company) more money, but dad didn't get that extra money, Canning did. Gotta love Lawyers.

great vid Steve. As the King fishing declines year by year (or at least it has over the last three), I see more and more anglers taking advantage of the Lake Trout fishery on Lake O. When I started 10 years ago, a 20lbs Laker was really big. Now they are getting 35lbs. and Mid 20lbs fish are common. No longer does one need to fly to exotic resorts up north to tangle with 30lbs plus lakers....we have them right at our back door. I still prefer the flat lining for trout in tight, but jigging for trout can be just as rewarding.

5 more dirty Hamilton Cops charged. of course still getting paid, but that six Hamilton Cops arrested and charged in this month. Dirty dirty Hamilton Cops. More than any other city in the province. Hammertown forever, lol. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/5-hamilton-police-officers-charged-in-fake-ticket-scandal-1.3115405

Saturday June 20th. 5 am. Cruising across the lake to the same spot my dad, buddy Bryan, and I have started our bass season for the last 6 years. can't wait. first cast will be my lucky Zell Rowland Excalibur Pop-R.

Can you point me to those statistics? Not that I don't trust you saying you read them, I'm sure you did. I'd be more interested in WHO generated the statistics. I the cops will be the last folks who get on board....after all, they have spent their whole lives hearing about how bad it is....tough to all of a sudden hear its not so bad....in fact, its not bad at all... tough to change what you have believed (or been told) for so many years.

Gotta love St Clair! Only lake in Ontario where you can get a 49.5" muskie one year, than get 13 muskies in 2.5 days of fishing the next year. May not ever produce the Ontario record, but certainly no other Muskie factory in Ontario like St Clair!!! Didja stay at Le Petit Dragon?

no problem Bill . I had better follow my own advice and get one myself. I fish solo likely more than 50% of my fishing time...I generally don't even wear a life jacket. With this horrible tragedy, combined with the fella who, by a saving grace, recently survived on Lake Simcoe because he was wearing a life jacket ... I had better get my crap in order.

Scary situation!!! glad it turned out ok! (i bet the dog jumped in after his master....gotta love dogs!!!)

the effects from consumption vs smoking vs pills (thc) are all different. every person reacts differently. which means each method works differently for each person.

"is a" as in, the way harper rules is a "hitler way". not harper = hitler.

Bondar, Co2 Inflatables in Oakville carry them I believe (last time I was there I saw the autotether). http://co2inflatables.com/ They are also the best Yamaha outboard service marina that I've ever used.

Harper is a hitler when it comes to any form of legalization. He'll be gone soon enough...thank goodness.

from what I've heard first hand, and read, he didn't go over "peeing". either way, the info on how to keep from going overboard while peeing is very valid. it is understood the young gentleman had a rod in his hand when he went over....which means likely he was fighting a fish and many of us know how hairy that can get fishing solo with a big king on the end of your line. RIP good Sir. You have joined my good friend Serge the Kayaker, watching over the south shore around Grimsby / Jordan.

we ALL need money to live. no matter who you are or where you live. money talks. walleye would not be for sale by gill netters if those gill netters had funding from a secondary source. At least that's what I believe. so as a society we need to create that secondary source, purchase out the nets, providing the secondary source of income to those who generate their current income from netting. once that is done, then start rebuilding.