Outdoors Ontario

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!

If you’re looking for a knife that holds an edge, looks good, feels good, excellent craftsmanship…….look no further. Ron Post creates some truly beautiful yet totally practical knives; whether for the avid wood carver, for your kitchen, unreal fileting knifes, folding knives……..check out his website http://www.postknives.com/ He usually goes to the Sportsman Show in Toronto and can sometimes be found at the Magnetewan Market during the months of July and August.

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 a post for all the skiing fenatics out there. If you think you’ve done it all, you’re mistaken .Unless you’ve been to Last Frontier Heli Skiing. It won’t be a cheap trip but it also won’t be one you’ll ever forget. Last Frontier Heli Skiing is located in Northwestern BC and offers probably one of the best downhill heli skiing experiences in the world. Snow depths that are unreal and runs that are so long after two or three days you won’t be able to stand up. If you think you’re up to the challenge click on the title and go to thier website..check out the pictures and information; and then decide if you’re up to the challenge. If you do go……..let me know if you were able to ski after the third day

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!

Outdoors Ontario is pleased to announce a new online affiliate store. Please feel free to browse through our products.

Outdoors Ontario is looking for your Outdoors experiences, stories, videos (videos will have to be uploaded to utube and you provide us with the feed) and favorite suppliers , websites. Please submit content to outdoorsontario@gmail.com If we don’t currently have a category that your story fits into…we’ll create one. Please edit your work, include only clear photos (max. of 5) and ensure that your article is in good taste, and suitable for all audiences. Our website is new and we are planning on making it as large as needed.We are aiming to make the website a destination for all Outdoor enthusiasts in Ontario, however we will consider content from other Provinces. Thank you….and please check our website often for updates http://www.outdoorsontario.net We have direct links to some suppliers both American and Canadian and are continuing to add good shopping resources as we become aware of them, so if you know of a good store/business send us a link and we’ll check it out.