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#343327 2018 Canary Islands

Posted by MuskieBait on 31 March 2018 - 12:18 PM in General Fishing Discussion

There are many fish in that list that are great tablefare.

Seabreams, in general, are great. Cook whole in the oven or grilled. The Red Porgy belongs in this family as well. Most Porgy are great eating.

Scorpionfishes, in general, are great. Fillet and battered they make really good fish and chips. Or you can steam them and they are as good as Groupers.

 

Mullets, in general, are great. Those from European or Asian descent knows how to prepare Mullet properly.

Combers, in general, are great. They belong to the same family as Seabass and Grouper. The only knock on them is that they are generally too small. But the photo of my Painted Comber is a 12" specimen, and it would yield twice the amount of meat as a 12" Yellow Perch since it is so thick.

I'm speaking all of this out of experience. I've eaten a few species of Seabream and Porgy, California Scorpionfish and Lionfish, a couple species of Mullets and Painted Comber (and quite a few species of Groupers). My culinary fish species list is probably longer than most people's fish species catch list LOL.




#343323 2018 Canary Islands

Posted by MuskieBait on 30 March 2018 - 11:32 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Macaronesian Sharpnose-Puffer (Canthigaster capistrata) - Species #792

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And some non-lifers

Annular Seabream (Diplodus annularis)

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Comber (Serranus cabrilla)

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Mediterranean Rainbow Wrasse (Coris julis)

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Cardinalfish (Apogon imberbis)

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Painted Comber (Serranus scriba)

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Flathead Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus)

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Ornate Wrasse (Thalassoma pavo)

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Planehead Filefish (Stephanolepis hispidus)

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#343322 2018 Canary Islands

Posted by MuskieBait on 30 March 2018 - 11:32 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Salema (Sarpa salpa) - Species #782

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Sharpsnout Seabream (Diplodus puntazzo) - Species #783

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Black Scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) - Species #784

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Saddled Seabream (Oblada melanura) - Species #785

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Madeira Rockfish (Scorpaena maderensis) - Species #786

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Red Porgy (Pagrus pagrus) - Species #787

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Pearly Razorfish (Xyrichtys novacula) - Species #788

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Emerald wrasse (Symphodus trutta) - Species #789

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Molly Miller (Scartella cristata) - Species #790

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Rock Goby (Gobius paganellus) - Species #791

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#343321 2018 Canary Islands

Posted by MuskieBait on 30 March 2018 - 11:31 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Did you expect me to go anywhere without catching some new species? There was a bit of overlap in species with the Mediterranean, so it wouldn't exactly be easy to do well on with a large number of new species in the Canaries. However, with a bit of determination, I did catch 21 new species :)

White Seabream (Diplodus sargus) - Species #772

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Guinean puffer (Sphoeroides marmoratus) - Species #773

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Canary Damsel (Abudefduf luridus) - Species #774

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Golden Grey Mullet (Chelon aurata) - Species #775

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Azores chromis (Chromis limbata) - Species #776

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Madeira Goby (Mauligobius maderensis) - Species #777

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Rock-pool Blenny (Parablennius parvicornis) - Species #778

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Bastard grunt (Pomadasys incisus) - Species #779

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Axillary Seabream (Pagellus acarne) - Species #780

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Common Two-Banded Seabream (Diplodus vulgaris) - Species #781

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#343320 2018 Canary Islands

Posted by MuskieBait on 30 March 2018 - 11:30 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Some extra scenery shots...

Hornos de Cal de La Guirra, Fuerteventura

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Antigua, Fuerteventura

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View around Mirador de Morra Velosa

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Castillo del Toston

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La Entallada

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Parque Natural Corralejo

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Punta de Teno

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Teide

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Teide

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Anaga

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#343319 2018 Canary Islands

Posted by MuskieBait on 30 March 2018 - 11:30 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Being a teacher has its perks. Recently, we had a week of school holidays in March. I found some cheap flights to the Canary Islands and decided to spend 7 days there. We started with 4 days on Fuerteventura followed by 3 days on Tenerife.

I haven't had time to write the blog yet...I just managed to edit the pics and upload them onto the blog. Maybe I can work on the writing on Easter Sunday.

Let's start off with a bang with some panoramic views...

Parque Natural Jandia

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Cofete and Pico de la Zarza

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Fuerteventura

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La Entallada

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Parque Natural Corralejo

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Punta de Teno

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Masca

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Teide

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Teide Caldera

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Chinamada

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#343148 Raven Float Rod/Reel

Posted by MuskieBait on 15 February 2018 - 05:31 PM in Buy/Sell/Trade

If Roman is interested in the rod only, I may be interested in the reel only depending on the price.




#342489 2017 Mazatlan

Posted by MuskieBait on 29 October 2017 - 06:26 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Always the best photos Muskie.
Another rough vacation.

 

Yeah, it was rough :mrgreen:
 

 

Thanks for sharing Musky! I (and I'm sure many others on this forum) are jealous of your fishing endeavors! 

 

 

Don't be jealous. Some of you have women and kids to hold at night. I don't. Grass is always greener on the other side. I'm always jealous of the other side. :cool:




#342411 2017 Mazatlan

Posted by MuskieBait on 24 October 2017 - 08:45 PM in General Fishing Discussion

And now some non-fish pics (sorry, not many food pics on this trip since we ate at the same locations, and the same dishes, as my 2015 trip)

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Homemade ceviche

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#342410 2017 Mazatlan

Posted by MuskieBait on 24 October 2017 - 08:45 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Species #767 - Longnose Puffer (Sphoeroides lobatus)

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Species #768 - Threebanded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon humeralis)

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Species #769 - Bumphead Damselfish (Microspathodon bairdii)

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Species #770 - Giant Damselfish (Microspathodon dorsalis)

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Species #771 - Tinsel Squirrelfish (Sargocentron suborbitale)

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Species #772 - Mexican Hogfish (Bodianus diplotaenia)

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Species #773 - Spotted Head Sargo (Genyatremus dovii)

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Species #774 - Mexican Lookdown (Selene brevoortii)

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Species #775 - Longfin Silverside (Atherinella eriarcha)

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#342409 2017 Mazatlan

Posted by MuskieBait on 24 October 2017 - 08:45 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Species #758 - Gafftopsail Pompano (Trachinotus rhodopus)

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Species #759 - Pacific Dog Snapper (Lutjanus novemfasciatus)

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Species #760 - Unicorn Leatherjacket Filefish (Aluterus monoceros).

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Species #761 - Threadfin Jack ((Carangoides otrynter)

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Species #762 - Grey Grunt (Haemlon scudderii)

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Species #763 - Mottled Soapfish (Rypticus bicolor)

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Species #764 - Gungo Highhat (Pareques viola)

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Species #765 - Vacuocua Croaker (Corvula macrops)

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Species #766 - Banded Wrasse (Halichoeres notospilus)

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#342408 2017 Mazatlan

Posted by MuskieBait on 24 October 2017 - 08:44 PM in General Fishing Discussion

It has been an up and down year for me. Lots of happenings in my life...mostly good...but also some troubling times. I was still fishing and catching some new species, but I was quite nonchalant about it and the desire to update the blog and the lifelist simply wasn't there. I barely spent any time on the fishing forums.

Anyways...I was invited to fish in Mazatlan by my friend George, joined by our friend Josh. We graciously stayed at George's timeshare and enjoyed some luxury that we're not accustomed to. The fishing was fantastic, the food even better and what a treat it was to dip in a pool at the end of each long fishing day.

I had previous caught 33 new species from Mazatlan. I had an ambitious yet achievable target of 15 new species for this trip. But by Day 3, I upgrade that target to 20 new species and actually finished the trip with 25 new species!

If you wish to read more, you can start here and navigate through the 6 days.

http://muskiebaitadv...tlan-day-1.html

If you simply wish to see fish pics...here they are.

Species #751 - Oraangemouth Weakfish (Cynoscion xanthulus)

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Species #752 - Mexican Barred Snapper (Hoplopagrus guentherii)

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Species #753 - Blackblotch Pompano (Trachinotus kennedyi)

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Species #754 - Burrito Grunt (Anisotremus interruptus) - previously misidentified the Silvergrey Grunt for this species.

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Colorado Snapper (Lutjanus colorado) - previous misidentified the juvenile of this species as Pacific Dog Snapper. So I've caught this species in 2015, but this time properly identified.

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Species #755 - Longfin Salema (Xenichthys xanti)

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Species #756 - Bigeye Trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus)

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Species #757 - Pacific Creole-fish (Paranthias colonus)

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#340600 How to catch these surfacing fish at Hamilton?

Posted by MuskieBait on 14 June 2017 - 09:51 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Agree they are likely Gizzard Shad. If they were Yellow Perch, White Bass or White Perch, you would most likely catch them using worms or any minnow imitating lures.

The small 5" or smaller flat fish, at this time of year, are most likely Alewife. They can be caught with a sabiki rig. I've caught them for friends who want to use them to make herring plugs for salmon trolling.

If the surfacing fish are Gizzard Shad around 1lb or larger, they almost have no predators except large Pike at that size. They bodies are too tall for even trophy size Walleye and much too big for Sheephead unless there's a 20+lb Sheephead around.




#340599 FishBum Rant

Posted by MuskieBait on 14 June 2017 - 09:44 PM in General Fishing Discussion

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. I'm just not satisfied reading about great destination and great fishing. Yes, I am single and young with no family. That's the life I've chosen for the moment. We all have a choice at one point or another. Some choose to have family early and live the family life. I'm not at all ready yet...if ever.

Re: carbon footprint...who produce more carbon footprint? Someone who drives 2-3 times a week for an hour each way to go fishing, or someone who takes a plane 2-3 times a year for trips? If you look at actual research (not fake news), you'll find that planes have a lower carbon footprint per passenger per km traveled.

As I said before, I still find local fishing fun...but hell, I would give it up to save money and holidays to experience something new.

Most of you comment on your current life situation. But heck, if you were to win the lottery, I'd bet most of you would be hitting up some major bucket list destination. The desire is ALWAYS there...it's just a matter of whether you have time and resource to partake...or willing to make sacrifices to partake when resources and time is limited.

It's not like I'm filthy rich with unlimited time. I was in grad school for close to 10 years in a PhD program. You can't get more limited in time and money than a grad student...




#340586 FishBum Rant

Posted by MuskieBait on 12 June 2017 - 11:49 PM in General Fishing Discussion

This seems to apply to kayaks as well, the newest upgrade turned out to cost quite a bit more than expected.

 

I dont know how you can call local fishing ho hum though, there are endless opportunities to explore here in Ontario I don't think I will ever get bored.


Why is it ho hum?

For example...

You can fish any of the east ditches for Steelhead. The technique is the same. The habitat is pretty much the same across every ditch. The behaviour of the fish is basically the same. So you go fish bigger waters...like the big N...and after doing that, it's not any different than fishing PD, or St. Mary's or Notty. Same deal...same fish...same reaction. Even fish on the West Coast behaves the same.

So yes...it's ho hum. Sure, scenery is a bit different...but if we are talking scenery, then there's even more exciting scenery fishing outside of Ontario. Ontario scenery is the same old shield boreal forest. I've driven from New Brunswick across to Saskatchewan...and it looks bloody same. Even in British Columbia, there are areas that looks like Ontario.

Do I still get excited over local fishing? Sure. It's still fun...but compared to the opportunity to fish foreign waters for species you've never seen in life or never knew to exist, that is 100x much better IMO. The challenge is so much greater, the risk so much higher and the reward is so much sweeter.

Life is short...go outside of your comfort zone, leave that box and explore...you may only get to live it once.




#340463 FishBum Rant

Posted by MuskieBait on 02 June 2017 - 12:52 PM in General Fishing Discussion

You have to consider lodging, food, hiring a guide, new gear that you will inevitably buy for the trip, and the list goes on. There are many other factors to consider as well but I won't get into it.

Sure...you have to consider all of that...but how much you spend is all up to you. I was eating the freshest tuna poke each day...$5 a bowl at the local supermarkets. Spent almost nothing on food compared to tourist restaurants.

Now...as for the little boat...

I'm not even going to get into insurance, gas, REPAIRS, UPKEEP, launch / parking fee...then all the new gear you need to outfit a boat as you go into another species or another technique.

How much does it cost to repair an outboard? Changing out moldy carpets? Rotten wood? Splintering fiberglass? Leaking seams? Polishing the bottom for a more efficient ride? Additional trims to plane better? Trolling motor? Drift sock? Downriggers?

All I hear is cha ching, cha ching, cha ching...and the bank account goes from full to negative.

After all, among the boat owners...

B.O.A.T = Break Out Another Thousand...and if your boat is in the salt...Break out another TEN thousand(s).




#340246 FishBum Rant

Posted by MuskieBait on 13 May 2017 - 11:44 PM in General Fishing Discussion

Tastes vary, if I don't have a taste for this clothing but someone else happens to, no big deal. Good on them for finding a niche. 

 

I also don't have a taste for girls with tattoos (and I'm sure they don't have a taste for me). 

 

$400 return to BC is pretty good, but even better deal is how cheaply you can get to Hawaii! 


$450 return to Hawaii. Not kidding. My grandma lives on Oahu so I'm always looking at cheap flights to the islands.

How about $300 to Costa Rica or $500 to Peru?

$250 to Florida and you're truly fishing in bad ass waters.

The sky is the limit.




#340243 FishBum Rant

Posted by MuskieBait on 13 May 2017 - 10:07 PM in General Fishing Discussion

If you can afford all this gear, pay yourself a trip to some real steelhead river and get out of the tiny creek flossing fish in ankle high water.like the fishbum crew did in tv

 

 

^ Exactly.

Many people say they can't afford to travel...then the turn around to spent $400 on a reel, and $300 on a jacket...and everything adds up.

What does a ticket to BC cost when it is on sale? $400 return. And you can have a lifetime of memory fishing in world class rivers instead of local ditches.

For me, the local fishing is just here to scratch an itch...it's convenient...but after doing it for more than 20 years, it's all ho hum.

The real adventures is "out there"...and I'd much rather spend the money to get "out there".

And to your original point...yeah...not into this trendy stuff. The FishBum gear is way too annoying for my eyes. You have people wearing "bad ass" designs...and they're fishing for wimpy bass and walleye locally...thinking it's "hardcore"...whatever...

I'm sure my opinion will not be well received...but if you want to be hardcore, let your action speaks for itself...not your clothing. Go actually do something with your fishing that is truly unique and hardcore...not follow what everyone else is doing...




#340230 FishBum Rant

Posted by MuskieBait on 12 May 2017 - 10:33 PM in General Fishing Discussion

We must have different definitions of dry and torrential rain, either that or the Helly Hansen suit is an impermeable sweat factory. You can take the same material my cheap waders are made out of and turn them into a rain jacket but I would rather get wet than wear something like that all day. Ive tried a few different waterproofing chemicals that were recommended and they do help but when you get into your fourth straight hour of a good rain they all succumb to the moisture.

 

Thats not the point though lol I was just saying that there are tangible benefits to spending more on good gear. Take a Shimano Sienna and a Shimano Saros, I own both and there is a big difference between the way the drag performs on them. Same with the Shimano compre rod and the Shimano crucial, night and day difference between the two.


Dry = not wet.

Torrential = tropical monsoon.

How hard is that rain? I forgot my rain gear one morning and was soaked down the the undiee, socks and soles within 1min of rain.

Also...is Hurricane Katrina (H1 state) heavy enough (yes, I camped through Katrina)? How about Tornado warning?

2h hours of cool (temp wise) tropical monsoon in 30C heat. I'd take my Helly Hensen rain jacket any day. It is made of breathable material.

But anyways, while I am making my point, yes, I do agree there is a minimum level of competency in the gear. I'm not talking about wearing a garbage bag, or am I talking about fishing with a $20 reel. Simms, however, is beyond competent.

A great drummer can put out great beats using pots, pans, bowls and cups. If you're competent, you can adapt to even subpar gear. Is it more enjoyable with great gear? Sure. Is it necessarily worth that money for marginally better gear...not always.

I guess I'm just one that value the ability to travel vs. the need for top end gear.




#340227 FishBum Rant

Posted by MuskieBait on 12 May 2017 - 01:20 PM in General Fishing Discussion

For those who have this lifestyle chances are they cant afford anything better.

 

I cant think of any over priced gear that doesn't offer a tangible benefit other than top shelf float reels. Better line means less twist or less breakage, better reel means more quality internal components so it will last long and you wont get into drag sticking down the road, better rod.....that's self explanatory.

 

I just picked up a simms jacket this year because I was sick and tired of spending days fishing in heavy rain and not being able to stay dry. I haven't had the chance to test it out yet but i'm really hoping it makes a difference. If you are a serious angler who will go out and fish regardless of the forecast then it pays to have the right gear. My fishing day is Saturday and I don't have the luxury of saying i'll just go tomorrow when the weather is better, regardless of the conditions I will be there.


I disagree. Personally, I wouldn't spent more on gear if the overpriced gear is MARGINALLY better and offering less than value.

You know I'm as serious an angler as it gets. I've had a Helly Hanson rain suit that was $70 (jacket and pants). It lasted me over 10 years. If I hadn't lost the rain pants on a recent trip, I'll still be using it. It has traveled to 5 continents with me and climbed mountains and sloshed though the Amazon. It kept me perfect dry and warm even in torrential rain. Why should I buy Simms when I can save that money and put it toward traveling?

As with any gear, how the gear perform and the longevity of the gear is dependent on care and proper use. Washing the rain gear and replenishing the waterproofing chemicals will make the gear last much longer.

Simms waders will fall apart after a season of hard, constant use. So what's the point of the pricey item in the end if it will fall apart anyways? For the pair of one Simms, I can purchase 2 pairs of cheaper waders and I can actually wear them harder without the worry of "don't want to tear my expensive waders" that I so often hear.




#340085 Any unexpected incidents?

Posted by MuskieBait on 03 May 2017 - 03:59 PM in General Fishing Discussion

And this is why municipalities post "No fishing" or "No trespassing" signs on public ponds or waterways. City don't want to be responsible for people who can't be responsible for their own actions...so they just put up a sign to prevent you from being irresponsible. If anything should happen, you were breaking the city bylaw and the city does not need to take responsibility.

Caleb, you are the parent. You are responsible for your own children's safety. Simple as that.




#339878 Can someone tell me what hatch this is and what fly this is?

Posted by MuskieBait on 26 April 2017 - 04:13 PM in Fly Fishing

Hendrickson's are slightly different colour in different system. In general, the tail is just hackle in rust or ginger colour and the hackle can be the same as well. In some systems, the tail and wing tends to be lighter while the body is darker...so it can have a light ginger tail/hackle with a cream body. When wet, the cream body can almost look grey.




#339387 New To Pike Fishing - Need Advice

Posted by MuskieBait on 02 April 2017 - 08:51 AM in General Fishing Discussion

As you said, it is all dependent on weather. May and June are transition months. It's hard to time and predict often.

Based on what you read, make a game plan. If you try one pattern and it doesn't work, move onto another pattern.

And by pattern, I don't simple mean the lures, as many people often mistaken that term.

In fact, a pattern often involves all of these factors: specific weather and water conditions, specific habitat, specific time, specific lure and specific presentation.

Example of a pattern - On stream X in early April, the water level will start to drop 12 hours after 20-30mm of rain. The water will become a milky green. You can find suckers pushing upstream. Fish the faster water with a float rig or bottom bouncing rig, and fish the deep pools with a splitshot or sliding sinker rig. Use worms or waxworms for bait and you should catch them...almost 90% of the time. The other 10% of time time? It may be a hot or cold spring...or too wet or too dry...so you need to shift this pattern either earlier or later...or maybe there's no pattern at all for that one strange year.

Remember, a pattern is meant to be repeatable...either at similar locations on the lake the same day, or on similar locations the same month, or similar conditions and locations year after year.

So based on the patterns your have read, decide on 2 or 3 likely patterns, and fish those patterns to see which one works...then repeat that pattern around the lake during your 2 days.