Muskoka Outdoors Network

I enjoyed watching this great fly fishing video from the crew at Faceless Fly Fishing. There are some great fishing sequences here. Well done! Check them out on Facebook.

To help prepare for the unexpected on the ice this winter, check out this scientist's tips for surviving a fall through the ice.

It has been several weeks since I have soaked my fishing line out into the aquatic wonderland that surrounds me. A large part of that is due to the frigid temperatures and several feet of snowfall. Defeated by my own environment, I am left to wonder what an angler is to do between the soft-water fishing seasons?

I realize fully that I could be preparing for an excellent ice fishing season, but I do prefer the view of the lake from the bass boat. That being said, I have brainstormed some things that you could do until ice out or the season of your favorite favorite fish species opens again.

1. Build an Ice Hut. Here is a couple plans that I have found on a previous post:

• Build an Ice Hut for under $100
• A Great Shanty Design

2. Clean your fishing reels. I found some interesting web pages with some instructions for various reel types:

• Spinning Reels
• Bait Casting Reels (I found a maintenance guide from Shimano)
• Fly Fishing Reels

3. Become a fishing blogger. Go it alone with a web tool like blogspot or join an outdoor blogging network. May I suggest you consider the crew at Skinny Moose Media? You don’t have to be a good writer, you just have to love what you are doing. Joining a blogging network (like Skinny Moose Media) provides the new blogger with technical support, encouragement, and money making tools.

4. Build a Fishing Rod Cabinet. You can google to find a myriad of different plans and looks. To save you some time, I have one of the plans that I found:

• Fishing Rod Cabinet 2 (this is a .PDF file of a complicated cabinet)

5. Make Your Own Fishing Lures. All great lure designs started somewhere. This past year I interviewed an individual who made his own lures. Consider reading that blog post to, perhaps, inspire the lure artist within you. The article and interview can be found here.

6. Read Fishing Books. Google ‘good fishing books’ and read some reviews of some books online. I have done some reviews on some fishing books. You can find a list of my ratings here.

7. Clean Your Bass Boat. If temperatures permit, deep clean your boat. Bass Pros Shops offer this advice for cleaning you floating fishing investment.

8. Join a social media network (like Twitter) and follow what other anglers do during the hard or soft water  seasons. This link will take you to a list of people who I follow on twitter that fish, hunt or enjoy the outdoors in other ways. Join the conversation today.

The 2012 Ontario Fishing Regulation publication has been updated for 2012. For all the changes and current regulations visit the Ontario MNR website here:

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsFish/Publication/STEL02_163615.html

Plan your next fishing trip to Muskoka, Haliburton or Parry-Sound with these 2011 fish stocking lists from the Ontario MNR. Download the PDF's to see if your favourite lake has recently been stocked.

Download the Bracebridge area fish stocking list here (includes Huntsville Lakes)

Download the Haliburton area fish stocking list here

Download the Parry-Sound area fish stocking list here

For more details on more Ontario lakes, you can also use the Ontario MNR's online fishing map tool. It is helpful in confirming what fish species are found (and stocked) in lakes you may have never fished before. Use the map system by following this link.

Trying to determine if the ice is safe on your lake? Try using this chart as a 'guideline' in your research. This picture was created by the Niagara River Anglers Association. Fish safe!