So It Begins, The Anticipation For The 2016 Softwater Season

[Kerrazy]

As soon as the mighty Ottawa back bays started to ice over, it began.

The pining for the sound of my line unfurling off my reel and the anticipated 'splunk' as my lure of choice torpedos into the brush or reeds.

It is of course fired by being indoors and subjected to hours of WFN in the background, every chance I get. Only interrupted by my wife's return from work and desire to 'talk', sadly, not about fishing.

This year will be different, I dream. This year will see me out even more than last year, I hope. Though I don't know if more is even possible, if I hope to ensure another 20 years of marriage... Or maybe it is what our marriage needs. There is that saying 'absence makes the heart grow fondest', or was that fungus?

I have slowly began my annual squirrelling, you know what I am referring to, if you are married. Slowly slipping lures, rods and other 'must haves' in to the house and secretly gleaning them and fantasizing of the immense pleasure they will bring you on your next 'hook up'.

But this year, well, let's say it will be my biggest squirrelling. A freakin' boat! Not in the basement, of course. But, still not a conversation starter either...

Now I am not that much of a jerk, to buy a new boat. Heck it is not even a newer boat. But it is perfect for me! It has storage and live wells, and Rod lockers and pedestal seats and a scrape on the bow! Perfect! It did not cost a fortune, not for our family at least, yet, it was money spent on me, not my wife, so guilt is always there. Oh sure, I guess you could say it really is for her. As my son and I will be on it lots, and in doing so, out of her hair. But, even as I say that, I know, she will be busy with my daughter, baking some great treats, for when her mighty fishermen come home - empty handed.

It is a powerful spell this mistress 'fishing' has on me! Dreaming of our time together and the waters I will cover this coming soft water season. BoQ is on the list, some norther QC lakes and even a dream of heading as far north as James Bay.

I hope my fellow fish-hawkers, can get through this rough hard water season and your fishing dreams can be met with pleasure, as you chase your elusive 'Walter'.

Ya, think the boat reveal will go better if I name it after her? I was thinking of naming it Parol, after all we have been married 20 years, I should get Parole for good behaviour...

[toobinator]

Congratulations on the purchase. What did you buy? It'll be a doubly long winter for you now.

[ShawnD]

Good luck with the reveal Dale

[TheMaverick]

No more squirreling around, reveal them nuts and be proud!
Congs Dale, see you lads on the water!

[Haulin Bass]

No more squirreling around, reveal them nuts and be proud!
Congs Dale, see you lads on the water!

Now that's funny....

Congrats on the new ride.....but please don not try to wish the hard water season away so fast its really just starting

[joepile]

lol

[Kerrazy]

Ed,
It is really just an old aluminium bass boat. A 17' Grumman that's not afraid of shoreline and being beached for a shore lunch.
Perfect for us characters. A 60 hp and plan to put a 75lb TM this spring.
She is not perfect, but big enough for my new buddy Farley to stretch and get some rays while we fish.

[nighttroller]

Congrats on the boat but you really need to take up ice fishing!

[Kerrazy]

Ah, my luck I would drill a hole in 3 ' of water every damn time. Lol.
But I am considering it.

[RJ]

Great stuff Dale. Can't wait to see the Maiden Voyage report!

RJ

[lape0019]

Awesome Dale!

And you'll be fine in a 17 footer for quite a while. its plenty big for many of the water bodies around and small enough to get into some really shallow spots those glass boats don't dare go!

Congrats!

[Kerrazy]

Well, still way too many sleeps left, yet I think I am done shopping for the winter!

A complete rod and reel make over took place since the last update, with a smattering of G. Loomis spinning and baitcasters, as well as a St. Croix tossed in to see what they are all about.

Reels were a bit of mixed bag.
I was initially hoping to get all one manufacturer, such as Lew's, yet as I was making some purchases, I realized one of my current favourites is my pfleuger baitcasting reel.
It is not a fancy reel, I think I paid $100 for it 4 years ago and it casts a mile and winches like a super winch still.
So, when I stumbled across one, well, I felt I should snap it up.

Of course, like a fool, I decided to check the reviews after I pulled the trigger.

Boy, was I surprised, it came out shining in every review (phew,dodged some buyers remorse).

So loaded with some reviews this time, in search of a spinning reel, I was set on another pfleuger product, yet when I went to pull the trigger, I was swayed to the Daiwa Fuego. Damn! I did it again , pulled the trigger with out seeing what the rest of the world had to say.
Got home did some digging and sure enough, reviews were in line with my feelings.

So my reel stable sees me with a Curado BC, , a couple Lew's BC, a pfleuger supremeXT,pfleuger patriarch xt BC, a Daiwa Fuego 2500 spinning and a stradic Ci4 spinning

Of course, you need some lures to fire through the air and I have amassed a mighty cache so far, but my coveted purchases may be my kamooki smart fish lures and as of today a live target sunfish! Really looking forward to some hooking up with these fellas and few others in hidden corners of my basement, squirrelled away!

What's kinda funny, is about 3 years ago, I read an article saying you needed 6 different set ups, to fish effectively. At the time, I kind of scoffed at the article, yet as I have been progressing, I have been noticing along the way, how reel speed and retrieve cadence really makes a difference. Where a rods sensitivity and ability to load up really make a difference between setting hooks and landing fish.

So, while last summer was stellar, with lots of time on the water, this year should see even more fish flopping on the deck, as I fine tune my game.

[StarTzar]

Dale .... This is great. Fantastic news. Can't wait to see the reveal.

[lape0019]

Nice score Dale!

My Patriarch XT that I sold on here a year or so ago is one reel I don't think I'll ever forget. I doubt it's the same as the one you have but it was so easy to dial in it wasn't funny.

Now, Lew's and Pflueger (as well as Abu) are all made in the same factory so you may notice some similarities between the two.

I'm sure you'll be happy with the upgrades. I've never used a St. Croix Rod and my only experience with Loomis is a GL2 crank Rod that just wasn't for me. Keep us informed as to what you think of them!

[Kerrazy]

Adam,
I got a taste of what a G. Loomis rod can do last summer, when I picked up one from a lad on here. Wow, what an amazing experience I had with it. It is a crankbait rod, and it just opened up a whole new level of fishing for me. So based on that experience, I spread out the rods based on technique.
Really looking forward to the spinner-bait rod. I hope it does what I think k it should.

The St. Croix I picked up just for jigging walleye. It has an extra fast tip so should get those missed bites I am hoping.

And you are 100% correct on dialing in the patriarch. It is literally nothing to dial it in. I must admit, I was getting a little ahead of myself thinking I needed to spend $250-300/reel to get a great reel.
Than I kinda remembered how time and again my patriarch out cast my curado and my Revo Premier.

Seems we better get a fish in this summer!