Short notice but a great trip.

[Big Cliff]

Had an unexpected opportunity to hit Simco yesterday,  turned out CPH was planning on getting out for the day and we were able to hook up. What a great day, we did really well, no idea how many fish we caught but it was plenty. I only kept 10 nice sized perch and 2 herring.  I'm not sure how many Steve took home but his pail was a lot heavier than mine. I started off with some of my favorite go to presentations while Steve used some of his own creations, both were catching fish but I can tell you that artificial out caught live bait. So now I plan on spending today making some more grubs for future trips. it's always so satisfying when you catch fish on the artificial baits. We talked to other fishermen in the area, and from all accounts, we did significantly better than most that relied mostly on minnows! 

So in summary: a great day fishing with great company, some new lessons learned and a nice feed of fish, how can you ask for better than that😊

[crappieperchhunter]

Yes it was a great day. I ended up with 37, thanks to you donating many decent fish to my pail. I froze 6 meal portions for us and it was perfect timing because our freezer was down to our last bag of fish. My version of the Simcoe bugs where definitely a hit with the perch yesterday. As I told you since I started using them 30 plus years ago, I always have 1 rod rigged with a bug when I'm chasing perch on Simcoe. Good luck Cliff at making bugs like the one I gave you to copy. They are very easy and fun to make. I hope we can hook up again this season to enjoy another day on the hard water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AKRISONER]

i love to hear that big cliff is out fishing...thats whats important!

[misfish]

Knowing the 2 ole fellas that started the Simcoe bug way back. Ole George and Pat Mahony, they are legends . When I first met both of them,they would have a bell sinker on the bottom of their lines with a few bugs above . When they hooked up,they reeled up and just dropped the fish on the ice or in a bucket and gave them a shake. Bugs just popped out of the mouth. The were running the bugs barbless. Never once did I ever see them have to grab a fish .

[CrowMan]

Took my grandkids out on Simcoe today...PA day at school. Fishing for Perch was somewhat slow, but enough flurries of activity to keep the young lads from getting bored. 

Threw the whole tackle box at 'em...didn't like the bugs today...best success was jigging a Slab Grabber to call 'em in, then feeding them Pinhead Shiners on a drop shot in the adjacent hole. 

Tim Hale's operation made sure the little guys had a fun and safe day..

 

[Big Cliff]

11 hours ago, misfish said:

Knowing the 2 ole fellas that started the Simcoe bug way back. Ole George and Pat Mahony, they are legends . When I first met both of them,they would have a bell sinker on the bottom of their lines with a few bugs above . When they hooked up,they reeled up and just dropped the fish on the ice or in a bucket and gave them a shake. Bugs just popped out of the mouth. The were running the bugs barbless. Never once did I ever see them have to grab a fish .

That's the presentation I  used today with a bloodworm fly and I'm not sure of the name of the other one but both were catching fish like crazy. I actually had to pull my line out of the water just to have time to eat a sandwich. I was out with Darrin Bond today, he started off using all the traditional fair but by 10 asked if I could spare any of those dam bugs, by 4, he put his rod away and said " I'm fished out!" I have caught a lot of fish out on Simco but since I have started using the bloodworm flies and similar every day has been exceptional.  

[Big Cliff]

9 hours ago, CrowMan said:

Took my grandkids out on Simcoe today...PA day at school. Fishing for Perch was somewhat slow, but enough flurries of activity to keep the young lads from getting bored. 

Threw the whole tackle box at 'em...didn't like the bugs today...best success was jigging a Slab Grabber to call 'em in, then feeding them Pinhead Shiners on a drop shot in the adjacent hole. 

Tim Hale's operation made sure the little guys had a fun and safe day..

 

I was hoping to catch up with you but it was a zoo there this morning,  I don't think I have ever seen it that busy.  We had to wait for the second wave of transporters to get out and didn't get picket up until after 5. (No complaints,  it was nice to see so many youngsters getting out there). We had another amazing day and the more I get use to fishing the artificial baits the better the results. There's definitely some techniques involved for maximum success but boy do they ever produce. Anyway glad to hear you had a good day out there with the kids! I will be going out again several more times this winter. Perhaps we can hook up and I would gladly share some of what seems to work for me. 

[crappieperchhunter]

14 hours ago, misfish said:

Knowing the 2 ole fellas that started the Simcoe bug way back. Ole George and Pat Mahony, they are legends . When I first met both of them,they would have a bell sinker on the bottom of their lines with a few bugs above . When they hooked up,they reeled up and just dropped the fish on the ice or in a bucket and gave them a shake. Bugs just popped out of the mouth. The were running the bugs barbless. Never once did I ever see them have to grab a fish .

Brian I have an American friend named Fred. He is the one who got me onto the Simcoe Bugs. I ran into him one day on Cooch off Airport Rd. and he was slaying perch when those around where not doing as well. I wandered over to him and started a conversation. George was the one I believe who showed him the bugs, because Fred releases his perch the same way, just pulls them out of the hole and taps them on the ice until they spit the hook. We try to get together a couple of times a winter but the only contact info I have for him is that he is a member on Johns Simcoe Board and he has not responded to any messages I have sent him this year. I hope he is okay.

[misfish]

34 minutes ago, crappieperchhunter said:

Brian I have an American friend named Fred. He is the one who got me onto the Simcoe Bugs. I ran into him one day on Cooch off Airport Rd. and he was slaying perch when those around where not doing as well. I wandered over to him and started a conversation. George was the one I believe who showed him the bugs, because Fred releases his perch the same way, just pulls them out of the hole and taps them on the ice until they spit the hook. We try to get together a couple of times a winter but the only contact info I have for him is that he is a member on Johns Simcoe Board and he has not responded to any messages I have sent him this year. I hope he is okay.

If whom you are talking about Steve, Fred, I believe he past a few years back . He was the guy that did the decoy fish carvings. 

[crappieperchhunter]

10 minutes ago, misfish said:

If whom you are talking about Steve, Fred, I believe he past a few years back . He was the guy that did the decoy fish carvings. 

Brian I don't think its the same Fred. My buddy was from New York and owned or ran a variety store and his wife was in real estate and then worked at a casino or visa versa and he never ever spoke of doing decoy fish carvings.

[CrowMan]

4 hours ago, Big Cliff said:

I was hoping to catch up with you but it was a zoo there this morning,  I don't think I have ever seen it that busy.  We had to wait for the second wave of transporters to get out and didn't get picket up until after 5. (No complaints,  it was nice to see so many youngsters getting out there). We had another amazing day and the more I get use to fishing the artificial baits the better the results. There's definitely some techniques involved for maximum success but boy do they ever produce. Anyway glad to hear you had a good day out there with the kids! I will be going out again several more times this winter. Perhaps we can hook up and I would gladly share some of what seems to work for me. 

I should clarify the amount of time spent actually fishing...with boys in the single digit age bracket, there was a lot of untangling of lines, pulling stray hooks out of clothing, playing with flopping fish, torturing of minnows, and a football game on the ice...

But that's what made it fun...I'm sure a couple of "experienced and dedicated" anglers would've resulted in a fuller bucket or two. Fishing with kids and grandkids isn't always about catching.

[akaShag]

On 2/1/2025 at 10:33 AM, CrowMan said:

Fishing with kids and grandkids isn't always about catching.

You got THAT right!  I bring lots of snacks that are otherwise on the prohibited list.  Stuff like Calvin's "chocolate covered sugar bombs" and POP!!!  The kids are so happy stuffing their faces that catching the odd fish is just a minor annoyance....

[AKRISONER]

On 2/1/2025 at 10:33 AM, CrowMan said:

I should clarify the amount of time spent actually fishing...with boys in the single digit age bracket, there was a lot of untangling of lines, pulling stray hooks out of clothing, playing with flopping fish, torturing of minnows, and a football game on the ice...

But that's what made it fun...I'm sure a couple of "experienced and dedicated" anglers would've resulted in a fuller bucket or two. Fishing with kids and grandkids isn't always about catching.

Those memories of riding the snowmobiles out to the ice, running around chasing bells ringing and eating lunch on the ice are truthfully core to the reason i fish this very day. Important stuff to instill in kids, its not about fishing, its about being out there, a fish or two is a bonus.

Heck, getting a little older and mature now, we are even toning back how "serious" we are especially when ice fishing. Lunch and a hot meal on the ice are a much larger priority it seems these days. The barbecue is one of the key packing items for any ice trip for us now.

Edited February 5 by AKRISONER

[AKRISONER]

May as well share a couple flicks from my weekend as well…the pork gyros with garlic naan, homemade Greek salad and tzatziki were the best part of the day!