O.My.Buddy

contact Rockey's Tackle in Orillia, they're the Okuma warranty centre, they'll set you up. They set me up with 2 Aventa top sections last year and they're getting me a top for a Celilo shipped in, 4-6 weeks

So after the butt kicking skunking of Nemo's Revenge I was really hating ice fishing again...but after some commiserating or rather just miserating on the forums and knowing that the bite is going to be on in the good weather after the epic storm I threw the gear in the bucket, threw on some layers and grabbed the auger. I get out in the driveway and there's still shovelling to do. dammit. bucket and auger down, do the shovelling. Get down to the corner and still the sidewalk on the main road is not plowed, guess the sidewalk blower guy couldn't put the crack pipe or houlie down long enough to turn the corner. I get to the lake and there's a sled track going out towards the fishing ground I'm aimin for...sweet...I get out there, dig a hole...fish for 15 or 20 minutes...absolutely notin, not even a tap...kinda what I half expected because it's been something like 2-3 weeks since I've been catchin decent keepers out there...at least it's nice out there, no wind, warm sun on my face, touque, jacket and sweater off... ok I'm gonna move up the track parallel to that hut over by the snowmobile trail...first drop a 4 incher...2nd drop another dink...lookin like yet another dink fest...yay...jig a lil bit more fish, this one feel better, about an 8 incher gets off in the hole next drop another 8 incher...keeper...started getting into some bigger fish, you know not every drop and some dinks too, but steady, guys at the one hut packed up and left I holler over to the guy at the other hut "Catchin many?" somethin like that...they say a few keepers, lots of dinks, kinda slow..ok, they pack up to...I have a half dozen, I'm thinking that's good for a lil supper...ah what the heck fish a bit more, nudder drop a few lil jigs, wham...fish comin up but pullin back goin all around, either a huge perch or lil bass, maybe a lil hammer handle...fish comes up...big bawned perch...I put a few back like that this year and that fish is a meal on it's own. I kept it. 13.5 inches and a 10 inch girth...another drop...11 incher...cool.. I got eats..I'm outta here. On the ice a bit after 2, back home 430

This is as close as I'd get to posting a spot online for theoretically millions of people to potentially see. One of my favourite things about fishing is being away from the crowd. I always figured a part of the Fisherman's code was to keep your spots quiet and part of the fun and satisfaction of fishing is to put in some time fishing, trying some new things etc. To each their own, can't say I don't like reading about fishing in places I never fish but might one day...anyway be very careful if you're going out, the ice was kinda sketchy today and deteriorating...my auger sank in half way by the end of the day...a few holes with water coming through ..the ice cracked up and flooded from the wind yesterday in places....less than 2" to 5" clear blue ice and quite a bit frizzy, slushy, layered soft crap...there was a cop waiting for on shore ...somebody was "concerned for my safety" and called in..."I said there's guys rippin around on sleds, I just take my time and go where I'm confident. It wasn't all that warm today but I won't be on it for a while after the rain" It was safe today but will be trecherous the next few days...time to think steelhead...

no problem with anybody fishin under the tunnel...the main issue was you hung your bag o skein at the top and were fishing the back, spooking the fish every time you came to get another fist sized chunk of skein. You weren't even trying to wade quietly...every time you were at the back and the front was quiet, the fish were settled and calm and quiet and we'd get bit and/or fish on...every time you came up the fish would get skittish and no bite for 10 mins or so then they'd settle down again but it wasn't long before you got them "stirred up" again. I couldn't figure out why you couldn't just have your bait on your person like oh every other fisher I've ever encountered. EVERYbody else I've ever seen fish the tunnel wades in there nice n quiet, picks a spot and drifts the drift. Every time you cme up to the top you were telling us we were fishing wrong or bragging about numbers or something. By the end of an hour I didn't even care you were spooking fish I was just thinkin "Man I wish that guy would shut up." GBD still talks about having to fight a nice hen he had in the mouth around the rusty buck you had in the wing. I hear about it alot of times we go down there or whenever the conversation of snapping off snagged fish comes up. Stationary fish are calm and feel secure and are very catchable. Skittish fish, not so much. Intentionally spooking them is a dumb idea. Salmon aren't spring steelhead and spring dropback steelhead hit under all conditions as they are in almost constant feed mode.