Well look at the bright side. 2022 should bring some spectacular fishing in Canada with two years of little to no fishing pressure.) Reply: Last year was one of the busiest fishing season’s I have seen in years on Canadian waters. You can hardly find a boat, tackle, or reservations anywhere with the high demand. Prices are high on anything to do with the outdoors. No I think people are fishing more than ever before, just not from other country’s.
(Quote) reportedly the northern Minnesota destination lakes are all busier than normal due to the border closure combined with increased numbers of angler hours this year.
I have been doing a lot of fishing with more free time. I have also seen a huge uptake in anglers in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba both north and south where I have been fishing with the Covid epidemic, I guess more people staying close to home to fish. Businesses seem as busy as usual. Lodges are full of Canadians. Most are being careful with social distancing and many wearing masks when in public. Almost all people I have talked with on the subject support a border closure for the the US for non essential travel until the USA can get their act together, which now is starting to look like maybe a very very long way off. Fish Safe.
All of Canada has avg. out around 1100 new cases per day for the last couple of days. MN. alone is avg.+or- 700 cases per day! Ontario’s cases are rising with the relaxation of the rules.Manitoba residents are not permitted to travel North of the 53 parallel even to check on their cabins and equipment so far. Saskatchewan’s north is still half closed off to residents to protect the F.N. community’s from outsiders bringing it in. Most provinces are only taking reservations in their Parks this summer for residents of the province only I see. Canada I think can handle their cases for now no need to compound the problem with tourists from other country’s perhaps bringing in the virus to small community’s not equipped to handle the cases. Most likely a working Vaccine will help open the borders to tourists once they are able to prove they are free of Corvid 19 is the word I have been hearing. Fish Safe.
Good year to get to know local lakes. This virus is not going away in the next few weeks or months the health pros are saying, it is just starting to ramp up. Stay home and protect others from non-essential travel plans such as fishing etc. Its no fun but time to get serious boys. Stay safe
LOL ya keep telling yourself flies are for tiny trout. I sent a few pics of trout I’ve taken(I have larger by far) and released on a fly.Never yet seen a lure fisherman out fish a fly fisherman on any trout waters I fished over the past thirty years if both anglers know their stuff. Only guys whom have never learned how to fly fish think that lures work as well on trout as flies on most waters. Fish safe
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Thx I enjoy it as you always are learning. I guided for thirty years so tying was part of it,so I have built up a pile of materials. I try buy bulk whenever possible, I use Hagan’s out of Mitchell SD Hagansfish.com for bulk, Cabela’s and other fishing stores and fly tying shops for the newer trick item’s available now days. I retired a couple years ago and now live further North so I order off the web these days mainly for convenience. Good fun, hope to find time to work on baby trout and walleye, and watch the cannibals eat. Pic. is one I took of a client with a nice bonefish on Little Cayman Island West Indies where I guided winters for twenty odd years. He was fishing one of my bonefish flies. Fish safe
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Next project is working on a internal scent chamber.On a Daiichi 4660 #6 I use a sewing pin to extend the body and to hold the ultra heavy Tungsten cone to help get them down fast and lets them sit level. I added a rattle (the hot ticket) as well on these later models and they seem to help with hookups. I use white polypropylene yarn to build a body shape and which is easy to work with and color with permanent markers for the shading. I use uv instant set epoxy mixed with craft ultrafine glitter in diffent colors for sparkle and shading.If you are looking for a winter hobby tying or making lures can be fun and rewarding expermenting with patterns during the long winter nights. Fish safe
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My Honda 2000 is a few years old and works good even in the cold.Wish they would have had the link plug on it like the new models. Easy to link two Honda 2000’s when u need more power. Saves lugging a heavy generator when most times 2000 watts would do but can plug in and bingo 4000 watts if needed . Does Yamaha have the link option? If not look at the Honda. Fish safe
Smitty sled, great for early ice when walking on and even better when the snow piles up and pulling a regular sled through the snow sucks if not using a snowmobile to pull it.Fish safe
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LOL Quite whinning, u all have been wishing for ice now have it.A little cold should have all ice fishermen happy. This little cold snap might be just what u all wanted. Get out and fish. If u want cold just wait. Fish safe.
Thx. Yes I used primer and glue as well as pop riveted the joints. Overkill but wanted this one to hold up (learned on an early model) Top is riveted on 1/4
” Baltic Birch, light but strong just needs the odd coat of finish.Stro-Foam in the tube’s as well 2″ strofoam base gives it positive floatation.Ropes work to keep weight down. Works slick. Fish safe.
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Time for a a couple coats of spar varnish on my old Smitty. Hoping to get enough ice for walk on within in a few weeks if the cold weather predicted here shows up.Polaris is tuned and ready to pull the thermal, bring it on! Must say sure have enjoyed having the Lund in the water this late in the season smacking big eyes pulling cranks, fishing has been real good here. Time to get out and tarp and store for another year.Full moon, weather change. Fish safe.
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Never leave home to fish without it. Flyfishing trout on lakes to pulling cranks for eyes, great structure finding tool I even use my Bird 798HD SiDi for ice fishing using their ice-ducer and flasher function works great. Had this unit since SI came out and one day soon hope to upgrade to a larger unit and keep the 798 for a portable.I’m sure the other brands work just as well. Fish safe.
2010 Polaris 550 Fan,I pull rear seat so a 68 litre (18 gal.)blue rubbermaid holding my finder, camera, etc. slips in perfect strap across , keeps it all dry and secure.Had my auger on a front mount but plowed too much in deep snow, moved to rear works great. Good sled for me,
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Episode 6 is up. Fish safe.
We have concerns travelling south with the Zika Virus outbreak in Central and South America. We are putting our yearly Carribean trip on hold until we learn more about this virus that’s spreading through the south, it does not sound like something to catch with no known vaccine and good luck staying away from mosquitoes. Fish safe.
The show is on U-tube on the web.Next episode up next day or two.Fish safe.
Next episode up, go team Saskatchewan.Good fun.Fish safe.
Great concept, well put together, good watching. Good catch and release going on. Some good guys having fun promoting the fishing. The two brothers from Saskatchewan hold two freshwater world records, Rainbow trout and Burbot landed in Saskatchewan. Can not wait for soft water season . Fish safe.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:</div>
I would pack a whole lot different if I didn’t have a Smitty sled perminately attached to my sleds…Common misconception… Smitty sled need to be 8″ tall.
Add skis and no more than 2″ clearance from floor to sled and your golden.
Any extra height makes it unstable and adds no valve in terms of pulling the sled easily.So if its 2″ or less does it have to be detachable from the sled? or can you fish with that and have the canvas reach down to the ice?
Any height will work on ice, anyone whom has pulled a 150-200 lb. load very far in a foot of snow will call BS to that statement.My experiance in fresh snow is u need at least 8-12 inches of clearance under the sled along with wide, long skis or u will plow snow. If it works for u run with it, does not work in the North where I fish.Fish safe
I pull from the frame, long rope is the key, broke attachment points of ski to leg on first sleds putting side pressure on ski tips going over broken ice ridges heavy loaded when attached to tips. Attached to frame not a problem since. Wide and as long as possible downhill ski’s work best in snow over 6 inch when loaded, any ski’s work great on ice or low snow pack. deep.Fish safe.
I use my used half worn out fly reels, no need for much of a drag in winter (they palm drag so well) .Plastic spools are good. The loose reels have way less problems in the cold. No need to spend much for winter reels on walleye and northern’s, no bonefish in the lakes where I fish in winter through the ice. Fish safe.
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Variable weather will probably be more the normal patterns, Pacific hit 3 Deg. warmer than even recorded in this El Nino, up down down up repeat, oh forgot blow hard between the changes LOL. Good thing I see in all this is California and the dry West is getting much needed rain and snow in its drainage so maybe this may be a good thing . Great year for the fish as well, the usually over pressured fish in the areas I usually fish so far are able to get a break, I guess there is a upside to the downside in most things in life. Fish safe.
Buddy heater on a 20# bottle. Eskimo thermal.Keeps it warm up to -30C using a overhead fan. Much colder than that I stay home and keep warm. Fish safe.
Just looking at web cams on the lake instead of roads in Dec. looks more like boat wakes unless things turn 180 deg.overnight, temps are barely in the freezing in the forecast for the next while for Kenora Ont. on the north end of the lake.The w.w.w.flagislandwebcam.com is one of the sites I like to check in for a peak at real time conditions. Fish safe
I also tie my own. Catch large Brown and Rainbow’s on the fly rod with these small nymphs then use them on my ice rigs in winter for Perch and the odd walleye and in stocked trout lakes.Chironomid larve, red bloodworms, scuds, freshwater shrimp, water boatmen, baby damsel fly’s and many more will all work at one time or another, they are on their diet at one time or another over the course of the season. Fish safe
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On the the light nymphs I get them down using a small barrel swivelthen tie on a short flouro leader. I am using on 6 lb. braid as mainline. Never have needed to add a small split shot above the swival but u can if u want a faster drop. Fish safe.
Downhill skis and the longer the better as long as it will fit in the box of your pickup or whatever.I also use it for a windbreak on windy days standing it vertical when running and gunning and sitting on a pail using it for a backrest, works slick.Fish safe
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I use a 3 amp. fuse in line with a 798 on a 7 ah gel cell for peace of mind.I get 6-7 hrs.or so,if I run low I pull the battery from my Marcum camera to finish out the day. Fish safe.
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Jacket output must be 12 volt on jacket plug, good idea, should be light enough. Fish safe.
