Last Fishing Trip Highlights
Our August 2000  trip to Ontario provided some of the best fishing we have ever experienced. Just for the record, the 5 of us caught a total of 304 walleyes and 76 Lake Trout. Not to brag, but I managed the biggest in both categories. The very first fish I caught was a 7.75 lb Laker, and later that week was a 28.75" walleye. The pictures below are all from the 1999 trip. ( Mike returned Labor Day with his son and blew away the record with an approx. 23-25 lb Lake Trout)  WAY TO GO!!!
Here is Jeff with a 19+" smallmouth (probably 4.1+ pounds).

This year there were no blueberries to be found, but the Labatts were still plentiful. We picked a different week, and this year we got to take part in a pot-luck and fishing contest on Thursday. ( Jeff placed third)

This year it seemed the larger Lake Trout turned on. Fishing was best trolling in about 60 ft of water.
Water levels were high again, making an easy trip through the channels between lakes.

 

MY EQUIPMENT
Back when I first looked at purchasing a boat, I decided I wanted a deep-V aluminum boat that could handle the BIG water, but was easy enough to launch & trailer on the solo excursions.

I purchased a 1984 16' Sylvan Rodmaster with a Merc. 3 cyl 60 HP engine.
Not much else looks the same as it did when I purchased it !
Added since then: are a pair of 48" long boom Cannon downriggers on swivel mounts,
a Minkota bow mount trolling motor,

a Lowrance X-15 graph on the transom,

and a Hummingbird LCD mounted on the bow, interior lighting, Sony stereo system, and a fused instrumentation panel with livewell timer.
Inside the boat are downrigger rods with Penn 309 reels. Walleye rods are all homemade with Daiwa and Shimano reels.
ROD BUILDING
If you have never built and used a homemade fishing rod, you are missing a great experience. Fiberglass, graphite, and especially boron rod blanks built with silicon-carbide guides are a top of the line setup at half the price of purchasing pre-built rods. Wrapping decorative threads and customizing is just an added bonus.
Check out some of the links below if you are interested in building your own custom fioshing rod.

Check out some good fishing links: