Cdn Angler

Up here in Ontario it was the hottest summer in living memory. Most 30 degree days (92 farenheit?) ever in July. The water was like a bath tub. I could barely get fish to hit a moving lure, just had to drop it on their head. Hopefully the MUCH cooler temps will kick start things.

The thing with fish is there is normally no downside to biting at something. If it is too big you don't eat it. That's it. Unless you are biting something big enough to eat you. It isn't like if a wolf took a bite at a wolverine and gets a face full of claws/teeth.

Best of both worlds. I've found it penetrates well like a beaver but has more action from the appendages without them getting torn off or stuck like some craws. The appendages are also large enough to avoid getting bit off by panfish. I can't say why but it does a good job staying weedless texsposed but hook up ratio doesnt seem to suffer.

Manbearpig is legit. Well made, good action. Durable yet supple. I have a vixen ive never used and cant because its supposedly worth $600 Canadian for some reason so I should just sell it.

It is such a wide category that it is hard to say. Nobody is the best at everything. Rapala is great for jerkbaits, crankbaits. Topwater or spinnerbait? They tail off a bit or don't make as much. River2Sea I love their topwater/spinnerbaits/lipless, but other crankbaits or jerkbaits are average. Ima I love their jerkbaits/wake baits/poppers. The squarebill was meh. So overall I'd give it to Rapala as what they do make is pretty much all lights out. If it says Rapala on it I know it'll catch fish. Admittedly I have never fished like 99% of lures ever made so hard to say really. When a brand puts out an absolute lemon though it can turn you off. I feel like rapala doesn't do that very often.

I wasn't fishing 15 years ago, but hasn't braid improved a lot?

I've caught a few this way and they didn't break me off. It is pure chance as to where their teeth end up relative to your line. For whatever reason of the 50 or so pike/muskie ive caught this year I think only one broke me off.

Spinning. Love my Pflueger President. Shimano Sellus with that is like $150. Or an SLX which will put you around $200.

I had a muskie, not big, about 25 inches, do the same thing to me, though I netted it only to find it not hooked whatsoever, which was nice. I find my whopper plopper missing the back hook which I found in my boat with mangled split ring. That said this was one time after God knows how many fish. Unless I'm targeting muskie/bigger pike I still can't see myself spending the $ to replace everything on all my hard baits. If I have to replace a split ring though, I'm buying something high quality.

Unfortunately so many adults have abused that trust and others have turned a blind eye or covered for them. It's really a shame as I wouldn't even think to offer to do anything for or with a kid for fear of being labelled a pedo. Meanwhile the 99% of well intentioned people like you who help kids never get the chance. And kids stay home and get obese and anxiety disorders. Sad.

Kayak and no electronics. I stay close-ish to shore, especially for large mouth. I'll fish deeper if there is any way to discern where the fish are out deep, but still stick to less than 30 feet of water. That's mostly in crystal clear water for smallmouth where I can see rock/boulders, off a point but deeper, large deep flats etc. We have less clear lakes that are weedy absolutely everywhere and visibly there is nothing to distinguish one spot from another. There's also no way to "cover water" horizontally deep due to weeds - it has to be vertical. I mostly don't bother as even if I catch something it feels completely random and is like finding a needle in a haystack. And I can usually find fish shallow. It is annoying when the fish aren't shallow at all and I have few ways to target deeper locations. I'm sure eventually I'll get a fish finder for this reason.

A screw lock will make a big difference IMO. Gama and 6th sense have good screw lock swimbait jig heads. I've used the Matt Allen dirty jigs head and similar, like the Berkley fusion, but they aren't nearly as durable for a keitech as screw locks. On the gama I could pretty much fish it until something bit off the tail.

I've taken beginners out and always rig them with small swimbaits, keitechs below 4, on exposed or screw lock weedless. They can chuck and wind on lighter braid that casts far even with a mediocre cast. The bait is moving so helps hooksets and I think people instinctively understand that a fish would bite a smaller fish swimming around as opposed to a jerkbait or worm, which are less obvious. Also harder to get hung up as no treble, but also not something you drag on bottom and get hung up.

110

This seems to be regional. Where I am the fish go absolutely insane on whopper ploppers. They will outfish pretty much any hard bait if fish are remotely shallow and the water is decently clear, which it almost always is. There are lakes here too where the fish haven't seen them before or not too often at least. They were hard to find until recently in Canada and now we have the Choppo so that'll change. Last week I caught about 15 bass and a muskie on a 75. The week before I had a double header, a 5 lb LMB etc. Yesterday I forced myself not to use it, but when I busted it out I caught a 4 lb SMB and a couple 3s. It is probably different on heavily stained reservoirs with a lot of fishing pressure and no SMB/Pike/Muskie.

I was just paddling and fishing the Petawawa River. The paddling portion ends at the base as it is out of the park and a firing range. Beautiful river and great muskie fishing. Of all places for a bear rampage...hard to figure it out via google other than the bare bones.

I was just in Algonquin the other day for a trip. No bears. That's a fascinating story and a unique one as it must be the worst bear attack in Canadian history and you were let loose in the park like Captain Ahab. Can't be many people that can say they were sent to Algonquin on such a mission! I know the Park aficionados would find that story interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Americans seem to think they are always in danger of being robbed or murdered. What's up? Like you are seriously concerned someone is going to pirate attack you on the local lake? And then take your boat to the ramp and load it on their trailer and take off? Is that realistic? I just can't see any reason to carry on a bass boat. Anyways... I wade fished Phelps in NC and just on shore there were loads of black bears that I could see and hear. I've been around them enough in Northern Ontario not to be too scared so it was fine and I kept fishing. Now anything near an alligator. No thanks. I'm out. Not used to them.

White/Bone - Any Time Ghost - clear water & sunny

I've caught hundreds of fish on these things. Big, small, LMB, SMB, Pike, Muskie. 75, 90, 110, 130. I fish mostly clear water and the results are ridiculous. I'm nearly 100% that I can catch something on one every time out. I will say fish coming unbuttoned and rear treble tearing up dinks have been the two biggest drawbacks.

I went in the other day bank fishing for pike or muskie for a 6th sense jighead and like a 5 inch keitech. So about $7 of stuff. It was hot out, I was snagged on a branch I could see was high in the water column and more importantly it was so crazy windy that it was almost impossible to fish and I had not caught anything and wasn't going to. Shirt off and into the drink I go. Just broke the branch off and swam/walked back to the bank. It was kind of nice even. I don't think I'd ever start rooting around with my hands on bottom. If it is shallow i kick the lure or grab the line; if deeper I'm out. Swim goggles are for lost rods, keys etc. Sadly they have been used. I didn't know the pressure could harm your eye with goggles. Never had that happen thankfully, but I'm usually not diving crazy deep or for long. On another skunky outing last week I spent a good 10 minutes whacking a tree branch and got a chrome Norman crankbait. Never used one, but it looks mint.

It is a struggle to do all of the fishing I want along with everything else that needs to get done. I have too many hobbies. I lift weights, run sorta competitively, try to get out golfing, hiking, I try to read a book every 2 weeks or so etc. I also have an active dog, a pool to maintain, friends to visit, gf to hang with, parents to visit, other family to visit. And my job. No kids though. I try my best to balance it all, but I'm often running myself into the ground or feel like I'm neglecting something. For fishing I try to use holidays to go backcountry camping where I can also fish. With friends and my gf/dog. I also try to set a few goals for fishing that are attainable. Then once I reach them I feel like I can chill out a bit. For example I wanted to catch 2 muskies this year. Already accomplished by accident so check that off. I also wanted to get good fishing jerkbaits, hit a specific lake with my dad/gf: all mission accomplished. I have more attainable goals for summer when bass season starts. As I'm getting better at fishing and know the water around me better I need to use less time to reach my goals, which is a nice bonus. The one thing I'll never grasp is why my gf seems to care if I'm out fishing. She seems perpetually worried when I'm gone for no real reason. It's a low risk activity and it isn't like I'm pounding beers at the club or something. If I'm gone there's no extra work at home as we don't have any kids.

Man do I feel fortunate. I was out on a good sized body of water last Sunday, probably went about 7 miles. Did not see another boat, let alone anyone fishing, until close to noon. And I started at 7. I also took my kayak out to a lake about 50 metres from the road last week. Smalll lake, maybe a mile long. Nobody else there. No buildings on it. Nada. Sometimes it does pay to live somewhere so cold no people want to be here. I'll try to remember that in February.

If I can see the snag, I'm going in. If not, see ya later lure. I carry a pair of goggles with me usually.

I've fished the same lake all spring for pike and both bass/pike/crappie have hit virtually every keitech colour i could find: purple, blue/yellow, white, red&black, green, emerald shiner etc. On jigheads that matched well, or not at all. Didn't seem to matter. These were "high confidence" situations, but still.