This is going to be one heck of an upcoming week. The Toronto Sportsman Show; how does any man woman or child who enjoys the Great Outdoors survive such an event. All the latest in tackle, rods, guns, campers, atv’s……..my head is spinning already. I’m sure that it’s worse than the anticipation of Christmas. Now all I have to do is figure out what I need the most…….did i say “need?” yeh ok let’s go with that…..What I need…lmao. I think that I can justify purchasing almost anything and everything at the show; it’s just a matter of priorities. Yeh well come on stick a kid in a candy store and every box of candy becomes a priority. I’ll have to report back after next week to let you know how I did…….. Ok I want a kayak…..but i also want a quad, but I need a utility trailer…………….I wouldn’t mind a 24ft or so trailer too….I must be getting old, I like my comfort. I’ve been thinking lately that a new trolling motor would come in handy, and then theres the old two foot itis……you know I own a 14 ft but a 16 foot would be better, new motor………….oh yeh I’ve been really kicking myself for selling my canoe. Then there’s all the new fangled gadgets that nobody even knows about……….how much time do I have at the show? maybe a vacation day would help, and two more to add up the debt I rack up.
But seriously folks, The Toronto Sportsman Show is well worth attending, lots to see and lots to do, take the kids, take the wife, take the girlfriend/boyfriend; maybe you can talk the significant other into buying the trailer and you can focus on the bigger boat or new ATV. I know thats my strategy…………and damned I hope it works this year or I’m going to have to come up with a new one for next year. Check it out and enjoy! http://www.sportshows.ca/Toronto/index.html
These maps are excellent for your GPS. Especially for a Garmin 60CSX. Check them out at http://www.toporider.com/topogpsONT.html They also carry maps for other regions and specified uses.
Some of my most memorable moments while fishing were wading through thick cedar swamps in a pair of old sneakers, a pair of shorts, my favorite ball cap and some worms, a few flies and some small spinners in my vest. It’s truly amazing the size of fish you can find in a stream that disappears under log jams, or under vegetation. I’ve even had streams totally disappear and come upon them twenty or thirty feet away. What size of fish you ask……..well would you believe Browns in the 1 - 5 lb range in a stream no wider than 2 feet……specs in the 10 inch to 1 1/2 lb range. Most people drive by these types of streams thinking there couldn’t be fish in that ditch. I have fished streams in southwestern Ontario some of which lead into the Upper Thames River, branches of the Beatty Saugeen, small streams around Lake Huron, and quite a few around Lake Superior. If you really want to have a ball give it a try sometime. I have fished beaver ponds and small lakes and found unreal specs up to 3 lbs more than willing to snap the rod right out of my hand, I’ve had browns take a worm so hard, and pull so fast and with such force that I have snapped my ultra light in two …..not to mention that I wasn’t expecting that kind of a hit. Unreal moments, unreal fish, and memories……I can’t wait til spring………..!!!
This is a comical recollection regarding slot sizes. Ok, I’ve gone out and done it this time, I bought a ($3500) boat. Oh yeh I bought a motor ($1500) …and trailer ($1000) now for plates ($75) insurance ($250) , tackle, rods, fishfinder, net, oars, safety gear, floater jackets, fishing licence, cooler, gas for truck, docking fees, GPS, add another ($2500)You see where I’m going with this..well you will in a minute. I finally arrive at my destination, been waiting for weeks, launch the boat, go to a nice rock face and start trolling out from shore…….15 minutes first Lake Trout, perfect! Well wait a minute..it’s in the “Slot Size” can’t keep him, oh well maybe the next one…..back he goes. Ok I’m going to keep this brief, this goes on all day long, we catch measure and return to the lake over 15 Lake Trout. Do you think the Ministry knows that 99.9 % of all the fish in the Lake are within the slot size? Of course they do, will the slot size go up next year……of course it will…….does anyone keep fish in the slot size?……of course some people do……..do the majority of fish get taken through the ice when the Ministry isn’t going to be around checking……of course……Why when anglers contribute so much to the economy and to the resource will government not properly fund the Ministry Of Natural Resources, so that our Lakes and Rivers and our Natural Resources in general be managed properly. Come on, give me a break, I just contributed a lot of money to ensure, government got taxes and licencing, people were employed to manufacture what I bought………….this story has been witten a thousand times……when will government wake up……….probably after its too late, and everyone stops enjoying these sports, because there are no fish and even if you were lucky enough to catch one, you wouldn’t be allowed to keep it. Wake up government!
The same lodge that offers heli skiing also offers exclusive fishing on some of North America’s most famous and most written about rivers. Fish rivers like the Damdochax, The Bell Irving, Nass, Meziadin and Bear. Check out their website, rate plans and information by clicking on the title to this post. This also would be a fishermans trip of a lifetime. The following link will take you to a slideshow of the lodge and some of the fish they catch……..enjoy http://www.steelhead-fishing.net/content/gallery.html
This is another one of those pieces of equipment that every outdoors enthusiast should consider a necessity. Let’s face it we’ve all been out on a lake in a canoe or kayak, loaded down with gear, weather forecast said ” Clear skies, chance of precipitation 10%”. OK, well how do you explain the torrential downpour that lasted for four days, after we were already 10 miles from the dock. All our gear was floating in water; clothes soaked, electronics fried, food all soggy……….not even a dry piece of clothing. So now you can relate to what I’m saying…….I instantly took you back to that exact experience. With these dry bags which come in various sizes and configurations; it makes trips like the one I mentioned a bit more bearable. I now own numerous dry bags all suited to a different purpose; they’re awesome!
