A New Era Begins

 Well... my first full week of work was completed on Friday afternoon much to my aching body's relief, and with a small wad of cash in my wallet I decided some self indulgence was long overdue. What better way to treat myself than to revisit a new and inviting friend: Puslinch Lake. On this trip Tackle Shop and I were accompanied by a hard water virgin, Dodger, who'd been feeling a little down recently (most likely fishing addiction withdrawal).

  After a brief stop to pick up Dodger we were off to visit another new friend Pat Kirby at Tall Tales Bait & Tackle to buy minnows, swap some tall tales, and trade some of the weight in my wallet for weight in my tackle bag . The morning was a few degrees below freezing with a light snow falling, slowly adding to the 6" covering the lake. Following the well travelled path to our usual spot, we joined close to a hundred other hopeful anglers and managed to stake claim to a good sized area of ice.

A Good Beginning

  There were only a few fish landed around us and it took over 2 hours waiting for our first bite. After a brief battle, Dodger broke the ice and landed his first fish on hard water: a decent 20" + pike. In reality it was Tackle Shop's fish, but he had his hands full working on his equipment and couldn't get to the active hole in time. After that first bite the fish became more active and started to come every half hour with TS releasing an 18 incher and getting another around 24" in short order.

  By this time (over 3 hrs without a bite) I'd started to think my holes were broken, so while waiting for my set lines to come alive, I decided to try jigging for perch with a small Hexi Fly jig tipped with a Honey Maggot Power Bait. In less than 5 minutes my line went tight and I instantly knew that a good sized pike had decided on a tidbit rather than the main course! What turned out to be my only pike of the day eventually ended up being the largest of our catch, edging Dodger's second fish out of top spot by an inch at around 27 inches. 

 So while TS and Dodger were successfully working their holes (and mine continued to be broken), I grabbed my auger and sonar, punched a few holes away from the crowds, and immediately landed a 10" crappie. Between school scattering drive bys by our rapidly retreating neighbors, I'd managed to coax ten slabs to the surface for my first serious hard water crappie haul in five years. The funny thing was that even though my set lines were a few yards away from the other two guys, I never did get a bite.

 As is customary when a group hits the lake, the barbs begin to fly, and this day was no exception. Tackle Shop crowed he was the day's pike champion again, so I felt obliged to remind him that any buffoon can put a piece of meat on a hook and catch a pike, and further more, successfully icing a school of crappie takes a certain degree of subtlety. Dodger stayed impartial, basking in the cold comfort of a successful first time on the ice, although I believe he secretly agreed with my argument.

 So... here I was last week worrying whether I'd have time to get out fishing in the future. Of course I haven't started working the midnight shift yet so it still remains to be seen how well I'll be able to cope. I'm optimistic that we'll find our way up to Simcoe in the near future for jumbo perch, whitefish and lake trout, but I suppose I'll have to play that one by ear, the new job comes first.

End of an Era

 Well... it was bound to happen eventually... long overdue really. The period spanned two fall salmon runs and close to 200 days on the water or ice. I've had to update my Blogger and Facebook profiles as I'm no long an "out of work fishing bum". But what a run it was! Taking advantage of my friends varied schedules with off days scattered throughout the week, always scrounging a few bucks to put in the gas tank, exploring a 20,000 square mile area of southern Ontario for all things fishy. A great way to spend a year or so. I could always feed myself, but unfortunately fishing doesn't pay the rent.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a lazy person, it's just that in the past few years I've done some major re-evaluation of my priorities. Over 30 years spent in a lightning fast paced, manufacturing environment has taught me to slow down and enjoy the simpler things away from work. Not always a common or popular view in a sprawling multicultural metropolis of over 4 million people struggling for that "better life" our society deems necessary for approval. For me, money has always been a tool for personal growth, not an ever elusive goal of attaining a vast financial empire. And thus my personal motto: Work to live - Live to fish.

 The past 16 months have been extremely difficult finding employment other than entry level, minimum wage, work-till-you-drop type jobs. The plastic industry took a huge hit years ago, and with it's slow recovery, employers today are looking for young hotshots who are more malleable, and more importantly, cheaper to keep. I'd only had a dozen or so interviews during this time, lowering my salary expectations just to get a foot in the door, but never quite managing to impress.

 Two months ago, and getting perilously close to the bottom of the barrel, I got a call from an old associate from half a lifetime ago. He and a few others from that long ago factory had started up their own company, and by diversifying their customer base, had prospered where many others had gone down in flames. It was like a class reunion at that first interview, I knew everyone that was anyone in the company, and the interview itself was spent catching up and trading war stories, with little time spent reviewing my qualifications. Things were looking up but it took another 8 weeks before my call back earlier this week. After a brief run down on the responsibilities and another tour of the plant, I left there with that warm fuzzy feeling associated with a long awaited homecoming and a dream job all rolled into one. And that's the good news.

 Every coin has two sides and so does this story. The factory is on the far side of the city and a 40 mile round trip commute by public transit will eventually wear me down. After a 2 week orientation I'll be taking responsibility for the midnight shift. Midnights combined with a 3-4hr commute leave little time for anything else during the week especially fishing. I guess the cure for a self indulgent fishing addiction is gainful employment. I'll be making some serious coin so I imagine in a few months time, when the novelty's worn off and my bank account has regained some weight, I'll start indulging myself with the purchase of a few items from my long ignored fishing wish list.

One final and ironic note. As the bus crossed over the partially frozen Humber River less than a mile from my house on that first commute, I saw a 30" steelhead roll on the surface as if giving a final salute to the end of an era. This new time in my life will initially offer limited opportunities to indulge my passion, but will make those infrequent outings all the more sweeter!

Destined to be a Weekend Warrior

Perch Jewelry

 Imagine my surprise yesterday when the administrator of a local fishing board requested that I moderate a new forum. From the beginning I was a little uncertain whether to accept, unsure of the responsibilities but also because in the past I've shown little or no signs of moderation in my own person life. After some assurances from the admin. that the job required minimal vigilance, I gladly accepted, partly because it's a relatively new site with a small but growing membership, but mainly because I believe a board's worth (and a blog) is directly proportional to it's membership's involvement.

  So my first duty, in my opinion, was to make a contribution. The forum itself  is simply called "Perch Jewelry" and asks members to upload pics of their favorite hard water tackle for these little bandits. This is just a small sampling of my tiny heavy metal arsenal.

  As I was laying all this out, trying not to hook the pets, it occurred to me to take it a step further and make a contribution that would be more informative than just showing what I carry out on the ice in my tackle bag. First off is a little trick I'd figure out a few years ago while fly fishing nymphs in dirty water.

  I hate tying knots! I particularly hate tying knots in winter when my fingers are as sensitive and dexterous as broom handles. Why not try those little spring clips (used by many bumbling knot tiers) for colder days out on the hard water when you're constantly changing it up? These clips are tiny, strong, have a low profile, and as a bonus allow your tiny jigs to swing and dance. If you're worried about their strength, don't, I've spent days landing 20 and 30 pound salmon without ever having one fail! They are available in 3 sizes at select fly shops, Bass Pro and Le Barons.

Spring Clips for Quick Change Overs

  Years ago when I first started ice fishing, I made a bunch of wooden tip ups for my friends and myself following a century old teeter-totter pattern. They worked just fine for perch but I was always concerned that something larger would quickly turn them into kindling. So a few years back I started working on a design that would allow me to use an existing rod & reel without worrying about losing it all down the hole when Mr. Toothy came to dinner.

 Designing by the seat of my pants, using old election signs and a polyethylene cutting board, I came up with something that covered my two main concerns: 1 - that it hold my rod securely and, 2 - that it fold flat to fit in my bucket. Now it was time to test it. Sitting on the slick kitchen counter with a jig dangling over the edge, I reefed down on the line and to my surprise the "tip down" didn't move an inch! As an added bonus a mild breeze would cause it to gently jig the bait.

 Since then my tip down has proven itself over and over, and I can say with full confidence that it can handle anything  that comes to dinner.

 

Add a small bell or battery powered alarm and walk away.

Spend an hour or two and make your own, it's not that difficult.

Check out Perch Jewelry and other neat stuff at:Fishing Lake Simcoe

The Outer Edge: Ice Fishing Etiquette Part 4: It All Comes Togethe...

 I just finished reading a 4 part posting by a friend in Wisconsin on ice fishing etiquette that I believe all hard water anglers should read. Instead of raving or going into details, I'll post the link here and let you decide. When you're finished leave a message and let Fish7Hunt know how you feel.
The Outer Edge: Ice Fishing Etiquette Part 4: It All Comes Togethe...: "Part 4 of the mini-series on Ice fishing etiquette ..."

If You Keep Em, They Gotta Be Cleaned

 If you keep em, they gotta be cleaned. If not by you, then by someone else, and you better hope they know what they're doing! When I was young and spending my summers at the family cottage, that chore was my mother's responsibility. Dad and I would spend every day out on the lake and by the time we'd made ourselves presentable upon our return, the fish would've already been magically transformed into dinner. Then one summer mom had to be away for a few weeks and dad and I were left to fend for ourselves. What can I say...that first day our catch sat on the kitchen table, staring back at us with all the malevolent glee of a schoolyard bully daring us to step over a line drawn in the sand, neither of us quite knowing where to start because, truth be told, our job was just to catch them. To this day, neither of us has spoken of that grisly afternoon.

  Later on in life, I'd learned the fine art of wielding a fillet knife. With all the finesse of a Ginsu Chef with Parkinson's, I'd adeptly turn the beautiful creatures of the deep into the things that nightmares are made of. Seriously though, the art of fillet is one born out of necessity, honed by the ratio of catch size verses mate's squeamishness, and mastered by overwhelming hunger. If only I'd had the research resources available today. Think of all those senselessly mangled "sea kittens", and how they could have been scarfed down effortlessly without the ever present danger of choking on a bone! Well fret no more, thank you inertnet, I present to you detailed instructions on how to bonlessly fillet just about any fish.

 Up until recently, I would only keep a pike when I was wilderness camping, and even then grudgingly because of all the bones. Since learning how to fillet them, snotrockets have become my favorite fish to eat.

 I've only gotten a handful of walleye in my life, but whether your cleaning or eating them, they're really just big perch. Oh yeah, they are delicious.

 Watch this guy closely, he's really amazing!

 I don't keep salmon or trout any more mainly because I don't enjoy oily fish. If I still had a smoker things might be different.

 I hope you find these instructions helpful

Filleting instructions courtesy of: Ontario Out Of Doors 
 To download or view full sized images go to my Photo Gallery

Ice Fishing Trash

 While surfing the fishing blog nation today I stumbled upon an article published by the CBC that discussed something that has really bothered me for some time now: trash left behind by anglers. Increasingly over the years I'm seeing more and more garbage in my favorite places, but most obvious of all are the piles of refuse on the frozen lakes and rivers. I find it unbelievable that anyone could walk out on a frozen lake with a coffee and leave the cup to blow in the wind when they leave. Any ways, read the article and see what you think.
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Solutions sought for ice fishing trash

Diapers, alcohol bottles and human waste among things left behind

Last Updated: Thursday, November 25, 2010 | 12:00 PM CST

CBC News

A village of ice fishing shacks sets up every winter along the frozen Red River. (CBC)About 200 people gathered in Selkirk Wednesday night, searching for ways to clean up the mess left behind every year by ice fishers on the Red River.
Garbage left behind from thousands of anglers and hundreds of their ice shacks has angered residents.
Last winter, more than 500 shacks showed up on the Red River near Lockport, just north of Winnipeg. When they were removed, much of their trash remained, making the area look like a garbage dump.
The garbage includes diapers, gum and chocolate bar wrappers, pop bottles, beer bottles, whiskey bottles and even old furniture. And when the ice melts, it all drops into the water.
Claude Provencal lives near Selkirk and fishes every winter. He said the problem is getting worse.
"Last spring I was out here and there was a five gallon pail of human waste left there," he said.

'Last spring I was out here and there was a five gallon pail of human waste left there.'—Claude Provencal

Angler and fishing guide Bob Check thinks people who use the river have to step up and clean up.
"Individual fishermen gotta take ownership — and also policing. I mean, we have a tip program that works very well for poaching and stuff. Maybe we should have a tip program for ice fishing too," he said.
The problem was so bad in 2009 that the Rural Municipality of St. Clements called for a ban on ice fishing shacks.
The Manitoba government said it is looking at a number of options.
Provencal suggested the province start with fines and track the ice shacks.
"Licence the shacks. Charge them $200 and put the money towards operation Red River Cleanup," he said.
Brian Gillespie of Manitoba Conservation said anglers have to start taking personal responsibility.
"You can't legislate and fine people enough to change their ethics," he said.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/11/25/mb-ice-fishing-mess-manitoba.html?ref=rss#ixzz1AkCmLzDs

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 No you can't legislate people's ethics, I wouldn't want to, but something has to be done. People... it's time we clean up our sport and "call out" those few that are ruining it for all of us. I'm sure that one reason for the Hassle at Haynes Lake the other day was due to inconsiderate anglers using the roadside as their own personal trash disposals. If our community doesn't clean up it's act, we will start to see more restrictions to water and ice access.For years I've brought home more than I've taken, never giving a second thought to spending a minute to pick up a few cups, bottles, line or whatever. Perhaps my time would have been better spent reminding people rather than picking up after them! What do you think?

Hassle on Haynes Lake

 As I've written in the past, one of my fishing related passions is in the researching of new and under fished areas. Google Earth and Backroad Mapbooks have become indispensable tools in this quest, unfortunately they do not distinguish between public and private property, that's what signs, fences, common sense and courtesy are for. Such was not the case today.

  Just after noon today, Tackle Box decided he wanted to get out for a few hours but didn't want to travel too far. Our destination was a tiny pothole lake we'd discovered the year before, Haynes Lake. Only a 20 minute drive north of Toronto on a dusty side road, Haynes boasts an extremely healthy population of bass, pike and panfish. Earlier this year, on a return from another local lake, we stopped at Haynes to witness bass and schools of crappie cruising the crystal clear, cool shallows along the shoreline. During this stopover, a Natural Resources Officer mentioned the lake was over 50 feet deep and he'd witnessed a 20lb pike caught there the year before. What more could you want from a lake smaller than an average city block. Strangely enough there was no mention of this lake being closed to the public.

Haynes Lake As Seen From the Road

 There were only a few hours of daylight left by the time we met our friend Robyn Graves at the side of the lake. No matter though, because this was mostly an exploratory mission to chart the depths and figure out what else lived beneath the ice. I drilled my first hole twenty paces out from Leslie St. and found 22 feet of water with a clean sand bottom! Another ten paces out and 40 feet. This was certainly going to be interesting. After drilling a dozen holes along the northern shore in water ranging from 15 to 50 feet, I'd marked neither fish nor weeds, and I was starting to think that regardless of it's diminutive size, this lake was not going to give up it's secrets easily or quickly.

 It was at this point where the search came to a grinding halt in the form of sprightly senior and her dog. As we met in the middle of the lake and exchanged pleasantries, I was politely informed (with a definite undercurrent of threat) that the lake was private property and we would have to leave immediately. Of course I mentioned the complete lack of signs or fences indicating some sort of ownership and also the fact that the lake's shoreline was less than 10 feet from the road constituting right of way, but the old woman would not be swayed from her campaign to keep the lake to herself. Not wanting to get the authorities involved over a few fish, I was surprised how easy it was to convinced my friends to pack it in after just  45 minutes, considering one of our party rarely backs down from a challenge.

 I'm all for respecting peoples right to privacy and property. I believe in sharing experiences and information for the continued enjoyment for all. But I cannot condone the selfish hoarding of public resources, whether it be poaching or the illegal privatization of land. In Canada no one owns the water!

 In my previous 20 posts I've tried to inform, inspire, entertain and amuse. Up until now it never occurred to me to lash out because for me fishing is a relaxing pastime, not a reason to get wired. If I have offended or disappointed you by this rant... I apologize. If you feel strongly in favor or against outting the greedy, let me know, leave a comment, make your mark and be counted. Only the obscene will be edited.

Little Lake, Barrie

 I awoke early Saturday morning, an hour before sunrise, to the insistent ring of the phone. On the other end of the line a vaguely familiar voice was asking me where I was planning to go today. Shaking the cobwebs from my head, I realised the caller was an old friend and ex coworker Road Animal. Several years ago we had "broken trail" and staked claim to many of the frozen lakes and ponds I still regularly frequent. As we no longer worked together and lived at different ends of a sprawling metropolis, the opportunities to fish with Animal had become increasingly few and far between, so I jumped from my bed for the chance to get out with an old friend and revisit an often overlooked gem for hard water fishing: Little Lake.

  Less than an hour after my wake up call, Road Animal and I were rocketing up the 400 highway towards Barrie where we dropped in for bait at Rack n Reel and had a brief conversation with Penny, the  knowledgeable and avid ice angling owner. Penny informed us that Barrie's waterfront, Kempenfelt Bay, and the main basin of Lake Simcoe had iced over only a few days previously and advised us stay off the ice for a few more days. So with this information we took the short drive north to our final destination.
 

North end of Duckworth St.

  On other visits to Little Lake we had the entire ice surface to ourselves, but when we arrived at the north end of Duckworth Street there were already several parked cars and about 20 groups out on the ice. I always assumed that the scarcity of hard water anglers on Little was due to the lake's close proximity to Simcoe, one of the busiest hard water fisheries in the word, and Saturday morning's turn out reinforced that concept as the big lake's ice was still forming and not safe, leaving thousands addicted to ice looking elsewhere to get their fix.

Gearing Up

  Animal and I quickly geared up, walked out and beyond the crowd towards the center of the lake and 12 feet of water. Little Lake is a shallow bowl nestled in a valley, averaging only 5 feet deep with expansive weed flats and only a few sandy mid lake humps and two deep troughs of around 20 feet in depth. It's part of the Willow Creek drainage which eventually meets the Nottawasaga River and eventually Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. The lake boasts a healthy population of panfish, large and smallmouth bass, pike, carp, and even walleye, but today we were after the numerous pike as were the majority of the other anglers, judging from the number of tip ups being used.

 It didn't take long for the first bite, a fat 24" pike on my farthest tip up, quickly followed by another, slightly smaller one on Animal's. It was obvious that, unlike the previous trips to Little, today the lake was offering up it's bounty in spades. Everywhere people were  answering the call of the flag. Far to the southwest, a loud cheer of approval would echo from a mixed group of a dozen Chinese anglers every half hour or so. Thankfully the majority of the fish were returned to grow and reproduce, with the occasional one kept for dinner.

Road Animal & Typical Little Lake Pike

  By early afternoon the bite had dropped off and the wind had picked up, changing from the east to the northwest. The increased wind chill and declined bite was driving away all but the most avid iceheads and by 3pm the Animal and I decided to pack it in, grab a hot coffee, and personally check out the ice on Simcoe before the short trip home. The day's totals: Road Animal - 2 pike, 5 missed strikes, 1 kept , me - 4 pike, 5 missed strikes, 1 bite off, 1 kept , 2 very large smiles.One point of note is that the second last fish I'd landed had a lamprey mark on it's side.

 

Puslinch Pike #4

 I woke up yesterday to a knock at my door and a command to get my act together because we were going fishing. My best friend, Tackle Shop, (TS for short, so called because of the immense amount of equipment he brings) was anxious to redeem himself for the poor showing he put in a few days ago, so we loaded up the van and returned to our newest favorite place... Puslinch Lake. Now I know I said we were done with this lake for the season, (I like to leave a place on a high note), but Tackle Shop was adamant and, what the hell, those pike are tasty!

 Following our usual routine, we were out on the ice drilling our holes by 10am. Unlike the last trip, the ice now had a snow cover so the walk out was uneventful and the fish less likely to be spooked by our movements. It took an hour for the first bite to happen, and surprisingly it wasn't one of my rods. TS reeled in the first fish of the day, a typical Puslinch pike around 25" long, proving once again third time's a charm as he was totally shut out the previous two trips! So TS broke the ice for the day, and this time not with his rear end, but the wait for the second bite turned out to be a long one.

Too small to eat, too large for bait

 
 By noon the wind picked up and the snow started to fly, and TS having little resistance to winter, set up the portable hut while I started to jig for the pesky perch bothering my tip up shiner. Less than 30 minutes after retreating to the warmth of his on-ice man cave, TS has landed his second pike and feels justified in rubbing it in as all I've managed is a few tiny perch.

 Mid afternoon, I've had one good bite on my set line and missed it while TS, 100 feet away in his hut, is pulling them in one after another! I guess it was his turn for the "hot hole" (secretly I hope it burns and itches).

 An hour before dark I finally break down and move, drilling 2 holes right beside the hut and am immediately rewarded with my first and only pike of the day. Inside the dark warmth, TS has landed his 10th pike and wants to fish long into the night.

Tackle Shop with 1 of 10

 

   Now before you all get your conservationist's panties in a bunch about the "senseless slaughter", I've been fishing with Tackle Shop for more than 6 years and can only remember him bringing home fish on 3 or 4 occasions. So... on this trip TS claimed bragging rights, only after the fact mentioning that he caught more pike on this day than he's ever caught in his life! Good going buddy, but I'm not going to take it easy on you next time out.

Third Time's a Charm

 For the third time in a week I found myself walking out onto Puslinch Lake, this time accompanied by Tackle Shop and the Russian, confident the lessons learned from the previous outings were going to pay off big. Before hitting the lake, we dropped into Tall Tales Bait and Tackle in Cambridge, bought a size selection of emerald shiners, and chewed the fat with the knowledgeable and forthcoming owner/local fixture Pat Kirby (an avid fan of Red Fisher).

 The New Years weekend saw spring like, record temperatures and rain, followed by a flash freeze Sunday night. What we found when we got to the lake was a 500 acre skating rink, devoid of snow cover, slick as if the zamboni had just left, and as clear as a freshly cleaned window. Even though one of our party was prepared for these ice conditions with strap on cleats, the journey onto the ice proceeded slowly like a weird slapstick combination of Disney on Ice and the Keystone Cops. What I found most disconcerting was watching the bottom slowly fall away beneath my feet, to be replaced with lush weed beds and eventually the pitch black of deeper water. At this point, the Russian and I witnessed several pike spooked from their lairs by our progress, and it finally occurred to us that perhaps the ice conditions may prove to be more of a detriment to fishing other than limiting our mobility.

Clear, Black, and Cracked

 We finally arrived at the usual area to find only one other fisherman, so we had our pick of places to set up. I quickly drilled two holes over 14 fow (feet of water), put a 4" shiner on a quick strike rig for my tip up and two 2" shiners on my set line, and settled back waiting for the first strike. After 30 minutes of no action, I moved 20 feet over and set up again right along a clearly defined (and seen) weed edge in 10 fow.

 The move was an improvement but what turned out to be key was keeping a distance from the lines and unnecessary movements to a minimum. At my new location the wait for the first bite took no time at all. Minutes after getting the second line in position, the tip up signalled activity and in my haste to set the hook, did a slide to the hole that would have made Ricky Henderson proud! With ice conditions as they were, immediately after hooking the pike, you could follow the flight's progress from the bottom right up to the hole.

First of the Year

10" Perch

23" Pike

 Ok... so it wasn't huge (about 25"), but it's what we came for. After a lot of trial and even more errors, we'd finally figured this lake out, and now it was time to cash in. Ten minutes later the Russian pulled in a respectable 10" perch and a half hour later, another nice pike.

 At this point I'm going to talk about the concept of "the hot hole". Get your mind out of the gutter people, I'm talking ice fishing here. If you frequent iced over lakes with your friends, sooner or later you're going to witness the phenomenon where an individual can do no wrong and pull fish out all day long, while others fishing the same baits and tactics only a few feet away feel as invisible as an acne riddled, overweight teen at a junior high prom dance. Historically, I've usually been the wallflower, but this was my day and I wasn't moving until sundown!

 Just after noon, our new friends from the last trip, Dave & Nick, showed up. Dave covered a huge area for a few hours in search of the elusive schools of crappie and finally settled nearby, content to catch a few pike. Nick and his friend immediately set up right next to us, covering a larger area with their set lines, and ultimately providing more amusement as they wildly slid  from one active hole to another. Over the next few hours the action was sporadic but the trash talk was non stop.

The End of a Perfect Day

   I've caught hundreds of pike in my life but, strangely enough, I've never caught more than two in one day. This day on Puslinch Lake I managed 5 pike, two around 25", the rest hammerhandles around 18"-20", close to 20 fish lost due to poor hook sets, bite offs, and general inattentiveness. A perfect day indeed!  Now it's time to shift the focus north to Simcoe and it's deep water whitefish and lake trout while my confidence is high.

 I apologise for the soundtract of this video. Sometimes You Tube disallows a soundtrack for copyright reasons after upload and you have to replace it from their limited and (sickening) middle of the road library

 For more info on Puslinch Lake: http://www.thefishinguide.com/puslinch_lake_ON.shtml .
 And remember, for bait visit: Tall Tales Bait and Tackle in Cambridge