Surf and Turf

Timing your arrival definitely makes sense. You definitely have that right Verado!

That would have been a cool experience going in by train, were they diesel or coal back then? Ha Yes those adventures never leave you, just lucky to have experienced them as the majority never will and have no idea what they miss out on.

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 think using the fern came out better than a cardboard cut out. No camouflaging the propane tank is a brilliant idea, that will really get the wife going! Maybe do the same treatment on her vacuum just for giggles!

Agree Smerch, they did just increase the penalties for stunt driving including lowering the threshold from 50 over to 40 over when on municipal roads ie) posted 80km or under. I think part of it is from lack of respect for rules, law enforcement and society in general. You see some videos up in the GTA where they take over intersections to do burn outs, street races etc., cops show up and the crowd throws beer bottles etc. at the cops and participants run for it. They should move some of this up to criminal law especially for repeat offenders, even if they catch them they probably just get a slap on the wrist by the courts.

That's terrible owners would be heart broken. Too many selfish idiots roaming the streets these days. If you spot a drunk driver you can follow them and call 911, keep them in sight and the operator will call and have police intercept. I did this one night on the QEW a few years ago, almost got hit by someone who was swerving all over the road almost hit a couple other cars so called 911. I was following him from Jordan and passing along the info to operator as I went, once I hit Stoney Creek she told me that officers would be intercepting shortly and asked me to get right behind the car and put my hazards on. Two cruisers pulled up beside me then passed put their lights on and the guy almost hit one of them, then finally pulled over. That was the last I heard of it. Just like being on an episode of cops, without ending up in the backseat of a cruiser!

Well you did did a fine job there, should be able to sneak up on some nice fish anyway! Old canoes, guns, fishing rods, etc. all bring back priceless memories. Would like to see some pics for sure.

Smerch, looks like you are getting ready for a moose hunting expedition. All camo’d up and ready to go!

Yes, Happy Canada Day!

Used to catch fireflies as kids. Looks like they took those pictures with time lapse photography so might not be quite as many in real time.

Just in case you forgot, today is the last day to complete the spring turkey report.

How did you make out with some of the options that you were given here, following your request for a good marina?

Yea, that would be frustrating for sure. Unfortunately you might be in for quite a wait this time of year. You could try Mobile Marine in Grimsby, Mike Swartz, they are straight shooters and very accommodating. 1 (905) 945-4994

That would work too! With my method you would have to get a bigger scale.

The best way is to stand in a bucket, hook the scale on the handle then pull up until the bucket raises up off the floor, then subtract the weight of the bucket. Then adjust plus or minus based on your actual weight. 🤪

You should be in a prime area there, you could head a bit more upstream. The fish are heavily pressured so are very skittish and it's essential to "match the hatch" Early morning and late afternoon, take your time and watch for rises and then carefully stalk your prey.

That's messed up. Likely headed for a Chinese market somewhere in the world. Maybe went bad or thought the cops were onto them so they got dumped?

I think that there will be an opportunity to pick up calf and cow tags in the second application period as lots of people are rejecting them, however I don't see many rejecting a bull tag.

My old charger died recently so after some research I picked up a Noco Genius 10, very compact and versatile.

Smerch, you could have sold tickets to that event for sure!

Wow 25! At least with the draw you had a chance, now some people/groups will be looking at a decade or more before having a shot at a tag.

We didn't get a Bull tag in 26 with two guys having 8 points. How many points for a Bull in 54 Verado?

Also check out the Grand River Conservation Authority website for river flow data before you go. It will give you a multi day history of water flow rates, so you can gauge whether it is fishable or not. If there were recent rains and the flow rates are heading up, or are up, stay home. Learned this the hard way a few times. Another really good resource is the Hatch Charts on Grand River Troutfitter's website. It will definitely help you match the hatch. All barbless hooks and catch and release until you hit the Elora Gorge I believe.

Hey Duncan, nice looking rig and yes that's a bummer. Just to help you out, I'd be willing to trade you a 16 foot freighter canoe with 4hp Yamaha on the back. Fresh coat of paint just before last years moose hunt, just needs a few touch ups now and would be mint. You can launch anywhere, no ramp required, no muss no fuss. I'd even throw in a case of beer for good measure. P.s. If you go for my generous offer, can I borrow the canoe this fall? 🤪

Sounds like an exciting outing. Don't worry. all us guys tend to overestimate the size of fish, among other things and underestimate the cost of gear and the number of beer we had when together with friends, so it all balances out in the end.