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This old Harbour Craft aluminum canoe was bought over 40 years ago at Fort Erie before Nichols Marina took over . It was a new "second" as it has a twist in the transom, for $150 . It has seen a lot of rough water and has taken me many miles down lakes and rivers , including the Moose River and a nice ride on the Polar Bear Express. It has been welded , dented a thousand times , scratched and patched . She finally got a new coat today ! I sanded it with 600 grit , used some fine steel wool , sprayed her with vinegar , then used an etching /primer before the paint job using 3 colours of camo paint . I am looking to get some flat matt finish spray paint to help protect the camo ....I used some tree/garden plants for the design and a leaf from a maple to make a stencil on heavy paper . She does look a little younger ...... ....a bunch of photos ...all done in an hour .

Went out for an hour last night to Jordan marina, saw about 6-8 other anglers fishing. As soon as I geared up the gentleman beside me caught a small sheepshead about 2-3 pounds. After about 20 minutes I notice something slash at my bait, missed it the first time but not the second, set the hook into my first bowfin in quite a while. Small guy only a few pounds, but this is the first one I’ve seen or heard of coming out of the marina, although I’m sure they are around. Fish was caught on my own homemade soft plastic lure

First one that I caught this year........................I don't get out too often these days..........................Wasn't anything too big, but sure was fun to reel in.........The fish was quickly released.....................

Peter’s Tackle in St.Catharines is a great shop to buy your tackle. They cater to the local anglers and know what tackle works best for the local waters. Canadian tire would be good for boots and other outdoor gear you may want. Good luck this season

I’m up north in Grundy Provincial park on a dads and daughters camping trip. Lots of rain yesterday but today was great. We kayaked and rock jumped, swam, and fished a bit! My daughter dropped a simple split shot rig and caught piles of sunfish which made her happy. I got some of the other girls onto fish also. I caught sunfish, perch, a baby bass, and one little pike. Always fun to flip a soft swimbait into cover and pull out a pike.

Well the lower River proved to be its worth as one of the finest fisheries in the province. All told we were able to catch and release over 25+ fish. Sadly I only contributed 1 lowly bass to the mix. My son had the hot hand staying simple, maximizing out using an old CC silver jigging spoon and an original #8 Rapala Shad Rap. I on the other hand threw every thing and every technique at them and got nada in comparison. We fished 3 flats and 3 drifts in depths 15 to 25 feet from Queenston to the mouth. My son managed over 20 walleye - all good eaters - with perch, smallies and sheepies thrown in. The walleye followed a pattern we have noticed on the River…they amass on simple structure…so once found sit on them and enjoy. In fact, my son closed in on double figures in less than 45 mins. Though my production was poor…still a great day being on the Niagara fishing with my son….I’ll be back.

I found a half bag of mortar cement mix in my garage .( I have more stock than Home Hardware) ... And I found a half full bag of white garden stones , average size about one inch . So I mixed up a batch of mortar -stone mix , about 60 % stone & 40 % mortar I found an old plastic water filter canister that I kept for a "rainy day" , and I always have a few empty coffee cans I save for many purposes , including for picking worms and ........... for making anchors . The white one weighs 6 lbs .and the 4 grape wire hooks serve two purposes ....to hold bottom better or pull up branches if I snag up my lure . The wire is strong but flexible enough to bend enough to get it back . I have a smaller version of this for the same purpose. The other anchor weighs 10 lbs ....lots of rocks in the can mixed with the mortar . That one will stabilize the 16 ft. canoe with stronger winds & use for my boat. Next on the agenda ....get them wet !

Replaced the cdi module and the plugs. It is running fine now.

There should be a badge for "suck at fishing."...............That would be my new category...........................🙂

I found this old photo of my canoe , way up the Matagami R. where we camped at the small trib. We could here moose at 1 am near our tent and found fresh tracks beside the canoe in the morning , tent was up in those pines ....and we didn't get our moose that year ! The moose ( bull & cow ) disappeared by morning .pffffft ...can't remember what camera it was, probably a 110 or my old Brownie ! We took the 3 hp motor off to go up the trib about 1 km . to a beaver dam . Then we broke some of the dam open which enabled us to ride back to camp on the tidal wave . The canoe sustained a lot of bruises on that ride !! By morning, the busy beavers had the water flow back to normal !

I had many skunks this year but sometimes I come home with something else (besides ticks) .On my last outing I noticed a black rod sticking out at the top of the full garbage barrel... and about 30' of fishing line from the pail & down the trail ....The black rod was a telescopic rod holder like the ones I use for carp . The threaded brass fitting was bent as was the inner telescopic rod . I can fix that !! .. so I worked on it today . I easily straitened it out , cleaned it up and inserted a plastic rod inside the top part (photo) & sealed it with goop .That insert makes it much stronger & it will not bend . I cut off the bottom plastic piece that goes into the ground and inserted a nut and threaded screw and ground it to a point to make it easier to push into solid ground or sand . Then I added pretty tape which helps remind me to take it out when done fishing . I now have 3 matching tele. props which also hold the carp alarms . One mans garbage is another mans treasure ! a work of art .....

The quarry at the end of Clarence st. Is alot of fun. With all the new houses on it you have to park at one of the dead end streets and walk the train tracks. Also fishing the canal at Derrick's point or right by the old Robbin hood flour mill. I use to fish under the bridge at the weir on kilaly st. Sandy Surfside also known as Scofield ditch on lakeshore Rd. Even the Clarence st bridge. Just park on West st. Walk across the bridge you'll see steps on both sides you can walk down. Fish the points. At the boat launch there's a Rockwall on the right side walk that out to the end an fish it. Bass,pike and perch. Hope this helps.

Got into my first pike last night along with 4 other bass. 25 inches and it was missing an eye.

If you are going to start to target Musky on a regular basis you're going to need some heavy duty tackle and all the proper release tools and a proper net. Go your local tackle shop and start looking for a musky rod or 2 something 7'6" or longer extra heavy action pair that with a proper heavy reel. Diawa Shimano and Quantum all make a good musky reel. Spool up with 80-100 lb power pro or whatever braided superline you prefer and use a 100lb fluorocarbon leader. Also DO NOT use a cradle use a Beckman or Frabil musky net. A net is the best option for landing a musky it's a lot easier to scoop up an active musky into a net. Using a cradle you basically have to completely exhaust the musky in order to line them up to land them. A musky is a very very fragile fish and if played to long on the wrong tackle and not properly handled they will die after release. If you ever see a musky with a reddish coloured fins that musky is stressed out. The fins go red because of the build up of lactic acid. As for the proper release tools you're going to need some long handled needle nose pliers a jaw spreader and a pair of bolt cutters (knipex) are the best. It's a lot easier on the fish to cut any troublesome hooks rather than struggling to pull one out. Also buy some proper sized replacement hooks. Whenever you hook a musky you want that fish in the net as fast as possible DO NOT overplay a musky. As for pictures one hand slid carefully into the gill plate and the other hand supporting the full weight of the fish held horizontally DON'T hold vertically. Have your cameraman ready to shoot plan out your pictures before you lift your musky up. If done properly there should be lots of water drops still falling off your fish's tail and fins. Please take extra care when releasing your fish you may have to hold on to your fish for 5 or more minutes sometimes to ensure a proper release. A fish tailing glove will help with your grip on their tails. Also after the release watch the water around the area to make sure that your fish doesn't become a floater. Enjoy the fun and often frustrating world of musky fishing.

When I fished for small mouth on Erie over 20 years ago , we drifted using salted tube jigs , greem/bown combo . We did well using them , off Point Abino . I also used them at the 12 Mile and did very well there too , but they got hung up a lot on the rocky bottom . Then I tried the 3 way rig with a small spinners and worm , and that worked great too . The 3 way rig is so versatile for many fish ! I caught my largest bass at Rennie, just using a worm and one small split shot , letting it sink slowly for a natural presentation . It was a 25" largie , my biggest ever bass.

Quite a while ago we were featuring strange boat names that some of us had. Came across this photo of my 1979 24 foot crestliner and thought I would share.

Since none of us on this website are professional tournament anglers (at least as far as I know), then technically that makes all of us rookies! And I’m proud to say I’ve been a rookie angler for well over 65 years!! 🎣

Great story Surf and Turf. Reminds me so much of my first moose hunting trips as a teenager. One thing we did do right was leave home around midnight so we would arrive in our hunting area (usually Gogama or the Sault) around first light and have all day to set up camp. We always used prospector tents with air tight stoves. I've got several photos of some of our camps and I will try to post them. Looking back on it now Surf, I think you'll agree with me, we really didn't know what the hell we were doing way back then but it was fun and quite the learning experience.

I am a believer that there is an issue with that watershed and the fishing. The 12 is fed from Lake Gibson which is fed from the canal (Lake Erie) and this eventually winds up in Martindale Pond. @knightfisher might agree with myself, but the past few years the quantity of fish has drastically dropped in the Gibson through Martindale stretch. I used to have double digit days on bass and pike and I am down to very few days where I even see a fish or have a hit. If you look closely as well, the waters are much muddier and there is a lack of zebra mussels as well. The last time I saw more than a few feet of visibility was when there was still some ice around the shoreline. I am a believer something was put into the waters and it has altered them significantly. Farm runoff? Maybe. Something to kill the zebra mussels? Maybe. Something to kill the Asian carp? Maybe. Or the Asian carp have completely taken over and destroyed the spawning habitat for bass and pike.

Not quite the opener but I did get out for bass and ended my 3 year bass drought (I only fished for bass 1 time in this timespan I'm not that bad lol). Got 2 dinks on topwater.

Well, not really...................But now that I have your attention, I caught my 2nd fish of the year this morning............Nothing earth shattering, but I'll take this size any day of the week....................................Have a good day................The fish was quickly released, by the way..............

Well that’s it for me. I had a great time and made it further then I thought I would. Only landed a 20lb carp but need 90lbs to win. Showed up to my spot in the morning and 4 vehicles were there. I’m thinking how the heck are there this many people here. Ended up being “fat boys fishing” and one of the guys was actually fishing his part of the challenge series. He lost also but put up a good battle. He ended up with 50lbs of fish but needed over 80lbs to win. It’s was a great day fishing with “fat boys fishing” they might be the nicest guys I’ve ever met. Not to mention team work. One guy hooks up and everyone is clearing lines, grabbing a net, getting the sling ready. Fish is weighed, pic taken and fish back in the water. It’s was a great day out.

Nice catch i night fish for them at night we catch a few of them at night on cut bait along with some nice cat's

Contacted a member here who is a mechanic and is coming to see me Sunday. Will update the results.

You can buy a $40 per year (usually $60) parking pass that covers the majority of tourist parking lots. It’s good for 2 cars. This doesn’t apply to boat launch parking however. Those are $120 per year I believe which covers the group of Niagara park launches including queenston.

Bass are pretty easy to catch at queenston

Bats are cool as long as their outside your house.

I almost never use straight braid when fish unless its for catfish which couldn't care less about the line.

Maybe not netting with a cradle but might be good for reviving if you don’t have a “revive well” on your boat.

Never fished for muskie, but have caught 3 over the years while fishing other species. Personal best was a 54” while fishing for walleye with 8 Lb. line in Georgian Bay outside of Penetang harbour back in 2008. Was amazed I was able to get it to the boat on that light a line. Never even had a camera with us, so only memories.

I love braid. I have never had any issues with it and it allows for much longer casts and much more line on the spool. It also doesn't have any memory or stretch which I have found helpful. I guess it is just personal preference.

I had braid one of my spinning reels for a couple of years, and never really liked it! Just replaced it w mono + fluoro leader this morning!

Every year, until this year, I always fished Pt. Abino bay for smallmouth for the first 3 weeks of the season. This year the wind and rain prevented me from getting out. My ONLY go to lure there was trolling a #7 or #9 Rapala Shad Rap in perch finish - it would outfish everything else hands down! And our magic depth was always 10-15 feet of water - we would see a lot of people fishing shallower in there, but we almost always outcaught them. Caught a lot of big smallies that way, many over 4 Lbs., and personal best there was 5 3/4 Lbs.

For years I drifted the upper Niagara in the Black creek area. The only presentation I ever used was a 3 way swivel with a bell sinker on the bottom and about 3 feet of line attached to a silver flatfish or quickfish. It was dynamite on smallmouth. The only problem arose during the late summer when seaweed was very heavy.

Six new benches will be installed on the repaired piers in port, at a total cost of $42,000.00. I'm guessing at that price, they are gold plated....

I wonder if u will need to buy a pass to sit on the new benches.

https://muskyontariolureco.ca/ Try this he's out of welland and knows his musky stuff and good fair prices from a local guy .

Well fished my 2nd round 12 hour session yesterday in the rain and managed 2 fish 21lb8oz and 11lb8oz. The lady I was against unfortunately was skunked. She was fishing something like a 36hr session but blanked during the 12hrs she dedicated to the challenge. She caught fish before and after her challenge time. Shity way to win but that’s the way she goes. 1st run of the day was the most savage take ever. Took off like a freight train. Next thing you know I feel line rubbing and boom, break off. Wish I had my kayak so I could’ve went out and tried to untangle whatever the line was around. Fished the same spot as my first challenge, had no time to bait anywhere else. round 3 I’ll be against 2 other anglers because of the odd number that entered.

I was fishing next to a guy earlier this year who was jigging for walleye in the upper right at Nichols marina. He caught a really nice musky just using a small jig head with a paddle tail bouncing it off the bottom .

Good looking camp, brings back memories. The birch log setup is a redneck outhouse. Nothing will wake you up in the morning like dragging the boys across an ice covered log! LOL

Fish for pike and bass and you'll catch a muskie.

Definitely Peters. Depending on what type of fish you are targeting, when and how will determine what to purchase. The people at Pete’s will help.

Much more choice at Peter's . You can buy sinkers in bulk from the open bins , hooks & swivels that they packaged , and get advise on how to rig up for whatever fish you are targeting . They have kazillions of reels for every type of fishing with the better quality reels under the counter for you to look them over. Maybe you can get someone to take you there . I got my carp rods and reels there and just got a new weigh scale .

Dam rookies, next thing you know Smerch will be a rookie too.

That is a cool picture Smerch, Looking at old pictures brings your mind back to that time. Unfortunately I have very few pictures from my youth. I didn't really start taking pictures until I had kids. This reminds me that on my first moose hunt we camped on the Mattagami River too, can't recall exactly where but was fairly close to a big dam. I was 18 along with my buddy, his brother and his uncle. It was a real circus. We had made a "tent" out of orange tarps that must have been 8 x 20. I remember when it was all sewn up I mentioned that maybe we should cover the grommet holes and buddy's uncle said "one rain drop hitting a grommet hole isn't going to hurt anything," those turned out to be famous last words. So we leave Niagara Falls in the afternoon, ran out of pavement just past Smooth Rock falls and all the way to the Mattagami on logging roads in the dark, getting there around midnight or so. Next step, set up the "Tent". Well to set up the tent you basically had to build a log cabin to put the "tent" over it, so out come the chain saws, lashing together of poles and, finally draping the "tent" over the makeshift frame. By this time it started to sleet and snow with a bit of rain mixed in. Once set up we dragged our stuff in and crashed. The next thing I knew it was raining with the rain collecting on the sagging roof and each grommet hole was a mini waterfall inside the tent. Being so tired we just stoked the fire and pulled a plastic sheet over us. My buddy and his brother both had army surplus sleeping bags that were warm and evidently waterproof. I had an old cheap Canadian Tire special that soaked up water like a sponge. The next morning I woke up and my head was in a puddle and I had ice frozen to my head and I had the worst head ache I have ever experienced! We had a ton of other mishaps on that trip some while sober, some while not. Wild devil pig encounter, devil pig barricade, skunk shot outside tent, Five Star induced bird feeder, lost in the bush etc. Good times, and way better than spending the week in school! We did allot of exploring in our 12 foot aluminum, bouncing off dead heads out in the river. We are lucky we didn't all drown. One day it was raining so hard and with our firewood stash soaked, my buddy and I decided to backtrack up the logging road to cut up some dead fall birch that we could split for dry wood. On the way back we see something in the middle of the road, had to give it a double take, it was a Bull, he looked at us then walked off the road into a small clearing maybe 75 yards short of the bush, stops and looks back at us. Well we weren't really hunting at that time, so we weren't prepared at all. I pull over, flip the seat of the truck pull out my rifle, fish around under the seat for the box of shells, get loaded up. By then the moose must have gotten bored wondering what we were and decided to move on. The rifle I was using was a borrowed Lee Enfield 303 with open sights, that I had fired once to make sure it still worked. I took aim and fired, it looked like it slumped forward but it stepped into a gully and went down, I thought that I had it it, well it walked up the other side of the gully, so bang, shot again, one more step and it disappears into the bush. We get back into the truck and race up to where it was, off we go looking for our moose. No sign of a hit, no hair, no blood, nothing, clean miss. That moose was so big I figured it was about 200 yards away when I shot but was more like twice that so I would have been hitting the ground in front of him. Well we get back to camp and tell our story and my buddies Uncle was so mad that I had missed that moose that he wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the week. He was also mad at my buddy for not bringing his rifle with us because he had a new 30-06 with a scope. Back then, we didn't know what we didn't know, but boy was it a learning experience of what not to do. Hunting trips no go by in a blurr, more successful by far but gone in a flash. It felt like we were on that trip for a month in comparison.

I'm planning on making my first walleye outing of the year on Friday if the forecast holds.

Went to Henry's at 4th Ave and bought the Canon ELPH 190 ...sweet little camera . They don't include a card or a camera case and it has a lithium battery . Like most places now , they don't keep much stock in the store . I'll have to wait a week .(or so) It was easier buying many things 50 years ago. Much of our stuff was already assembled too . Looks like a good week to wet the lines , cooler temps and free showers .

What people need to realize is that kids are so excited to play and they forget … just like we all forget at times… Drive in Residential Areas like your kids are out there.. l don’t care that the speed limit is 50 kmp unless posted. What is WRONG WITH 30 or 40KMP to save a PERSONS LIFE KID OR NOT.. Whe have 30KMP in our Neighborhood with Enforcement..

The issue around speeding is the engine and look of the vehicle add to the perceived speed, I have had my neighbours in the past upset at my speed. None of them could identify my speed, other than FAST. I asked them what the speed limit was and most have no clue that the speed limit is 50 KM/H, all they could say was YOU DRIVE TOO FAST, no clue on my speed, no clue on the speed limit, nothing but opinion. Too many people are irresponsible parents/pet owners though based on things I have seen. Some kids used to live in my little subdivision and they could not comprend looking both ways before running out into the street, mom would sit on the porch and not say anything. It took me back to driving through Baltimore where a common issue (I was given a heads up on) is people jumping out into traffic to get hit and then launch a lawsuit. No different than the pet owners who have those extendable leashes, saw one that had to be about 30 feet or so ... the guy was on the sidewalk, his dog was walking down the middle of the road. I still stand behind Niagara being the worst for driving in North America based on things I have seen and how many times I have nearly been hit or people who don't understand the 406 has areas where it drops to 80 from 100 and have almost rear-ended me. There was a lady this morning who was weaving between lanes to try and get ahead of traffic and failing to use a blinker, let alone actually remain in a lane as she was riding the line more than anything. Pulled up beside her at a red light and asked her how much she had to drink and to use her signal. She wound up behind me further down the road and with how close she got to my bumper while I was waiting for my left, she couldn't get out from behind me ... so I waited past a few openings to make my turn and inconvenience her some more. Needless to say I saw a hand gesture in my rear view mirror.