Pgidley

I've had the Eureka and the Sealine - both are ok, but not as durable. The Eureka is a thinner material and got chewed up on rocks pretty easily. They replaced it no problem but I never have used it again - its sitting in the basement with the tags one it. The Sealine I picked up also from Canadian Outback when they shut down and its gotten a bit of use - seems more sturdy than the Eureka. Around that time we started doing longer, more remote trips and also cut our gear back considerably. We now only use the Ostrom and a barrel and harness. Food, stove, water treatment etc goes in the barrel, and clothes, sleeping bags (in dry packs) and the exped sleeping pads go in the Ostrom pack. I carry the Ostrom and the canoe, and my girlfriend carries the barrel. Fishing rods, lifejackets and paddles get strapped into the canoe thwarts with mini bunji cords, and using this setup we can do any portage in one trip without having to go back for anything.

I bought one from the rental fleet when Canadian Outback in Hamilton was closing. I don't know how many trips it was on before I bought it, but its been on some crazy trips and had zero issues for about 5 years of hard tripping.

I just use it like a normal graph. I was going to buy a suction-mount transducer but the ice-ducer works fine, better if anything as I don't have to worry about it bumping anything and I can move it around if necessary. Just make sure that its in a bit of water.

I use an X67 and the ice-ducer shoots perfectly through the hull of my kevlar canoe.

Just go to Bill's Bait, their customer service is on a completely different level. When I lived in Hamilton I was about 5 minutes from Fishing World but I'd drive all the way to Bills - Greg and Tim have become good friends of mine over time.

Favourite all-round crappie and small trout rod is an Okuma SST UL 6'6" spinning rod, around 50 bucks, perfect with a 1000 size reel and 4lb line. They make a 7' as well, and I bet it's great, but I haven't handled it. Great rod for the price in my opinion.

Moving to a new area is tough, as I knew the areas around where I grew up so well. The guys here at the MNR know their stuff, but nobody here really targets whitefish, at least nobody I've met yet. And the stuff on fish on-line is good, but really its just based on presence/absence reporting from broad scale fisheries monitoring and stocking lists, so just because a species is present in a lake doesn't mean its a productive fishery. Obviously I wouldn't post on here looking for someones favourite speck lakes, and I can definitely find that stuff out on my own, but as whities are a less targeted species and those of us that fish them are "special" I thought there might be someone willing to trade tips or decent lakes. So far the best spots I've found for pickerel up here on paper through the MNR reports and other material I have access to don't look to be great, but a fellow fisherman at a bait shop suggested a spot and low and behold its been the most productive spot I've fished yet. Also, I don't work in fisheries, those guys are upstairs. I work with First Nations communities in the Far North, although the fisheries techs are around a lot and I talk to most of them dealing with various issues through the day. I think its a prerequisite to hunt/fish to work here, so far almost everyone I've met is a fanatic!

I recently moved to Timmins (Schumacher) from Hamilton to take on a job with the MNR. The first few weeks here we found the fishing tough, but I think we've managed to figure out the walleye and pike and even managed to catch a feed of good sized perch. Lakers are closed until the 15th so we haven't bugged the trout yet other than some unproductive trips into splake and brookie lakes (too much slush with all the snow). I've been wanting to get out for whitefish, as they're a blast on Simcoe, but I'm not sure where to look for them. A fisheries buddy at work says there are lots in Papakomeka and some of the other lakes down Pine S, but so far we've only managed pike - mind you we were fishing fairly shallow, around 15-20 F.O.W. but I was kind of looking for a mixed bag type day as at that point we hadn't caught any walleye up here. Now I'm really itching to get some whities, so if anyone up here targets them and wouldn't mind some sharing some advice, that would be awesome. I have a Tundra LT and a clam portable shack, so I can go pretty well anywhere. Thanks!

LOL look what I started. I was grumpy because I stood at the counter at Fishing World with a handful of salmon tackle waiting for one of the owners (the guy with dark hair) to get off the phone and stop chatting with his buddy about his boat, but instead of answering my quick question (what was the heaviest mono they carried in bulk - not a head scratcher), he turned his back to me. So I plopped the tackle on the counter and walked out. I do spend money at fishing world because I live close by, but I try to only go in on nights when Nick, Steve or the Jack in hunting are working. I went to school with Nick, and Steve has gotten to know me over time. The new young kid is great too, he really knows his stuff. Those guys won`t waste your time. Also the lady that works sometimes is great too. Bill`s on the other hand - Greg has remembered my name since the first time I walked in there, so I make a point of driving way out of my way if I have anything major to purchase, like rods and reels, trolling gear, etc. I`ll call ahead and see if they have it, and if they don`t, they get it in for me. Can`t beat that service. Grimsby always rubbed me the wrong way, but Adrian has done some solid stuff for us in the last few years. Last week I was looking everywhere for number 3 Spro swivels to do up a new copper set up. Adrian was out of stock like everyone else, but he pulled 5 out of his personal tackle box and sold them to me. The new fella is super nice too, also met him at the Straitliners seminar. I`m not too sure how being closed on Sunday will go for him, but all the best of luck. Its nice to have a specialized great lakes shop right down the road.

Or go to Bill's and get decent service...

After the first spring trip I took, I've been a complete addict and usually do the week after opener and again in the first week of June (specs are on fire and the park is empty). We've done your route a few times and it is worth the crap portage. The best investment we've made for canoeing is a dehydrator. We got a cheap one from Target in the states and it has saved so much cost and enables us to bring pretty much anything for food. Spaghetti sauce can be dehydrated into a leather on wax paper and it rehydrates just fine. The possibilities are endless. Boil water and use it to keep yourself clean and do your laundry and you will be 10x more comfortable and happy, and so will your friends. It's amazing how much a hot sponge bath and a dip in the icy lake can bring you back to life. The small bay from Crow River into Lavielle is where I'd put my time fishing. I've had better fishing there than Dickson, but that varies depending on the time and whatnot. Sutton spoons and the smallest EGB's or the very very small Krocodile are great for lakers. Black is the colour I always go to and it always produces. Specs and lakers in the shallows will be feeding on leeches so don't hesitate to try unorthodox methods like drop-shotting a leech bait or jigging a woolly bugger under a float around beaver lodges and submerged wood. We'll be in the same area at the same time (heading into Hogan) so if you see an ugly guy with brown hair and a pretty girl with blonde hair in a bergundy Swift Kipawa drop by and say hello! We'll have lots of goose jerky and pepperettes to share. The names are Brandon and Karli. Good luck.

Lakers in Algonquin are on the smaller side and brookies are my main target so I usually bring my 9ft light action for fishing from the canoe and use 6 lb mono. The extra bend in the lighter rod helps with acrobatic brookies and feisty lakers, and the length gives enough backbone. Water clarity isn't an issue on most lakes and if it is, a flouro leader is the solution. Experiment with lure weight and added weights to get the spoon down later in the year over line. If you have an ultralight rod bring it along with 3 or 4 lb line for exploring some of the tiny creeks with little spinners for brookies, those little buggers are wild. Both of those rods double as excellent crappie rods. What lakes are you hitting this year? We're hitting two that we've never been to, PM me if you want, I love Alqonquin secrets.

Two of the best lakes for smallmouth that I've fished in the park are Sunbeam and Bridle lakes. There are better ones no doubt, but both of those suits your needs with a short days paddle in and out. Bridle is particularly nice because it is an unmaintained portage with only one campsite on the lake, giving you decent solitude without the usual multi-day travelling to get away from the yahoos. Sunbeam is busier in the summer, but nobody seemed to be fishing, and we were pulling in 3-4 pounders from shore on the campsite island. Spinners and small crayfish jigs have always been best for me in Algonquin. Cheers Brandon

Nice Report, pity to see that big laker hanging from a tree and not back in the lake for someone else to catch. Algonquin doesn't produce big fish readily and fish like that are mighty rare.