Aaron Shirley

I took a trip recently to Restoule Provincial Park with my fiance to do some camping and fishing. I was told it would be a tough lake to fish by a few people, including Tonyb who fished Restoule last year, so my expectations were not high. I was hopeful to get onto a good bite somewhere for something though. We went up for 5 nights and 4 days, and it rained on us every day, figures. I heard it didn't rain back here Anyway, we towed up my big Lund ProV and the 12' car topper to try a back lake down a logging road. Here we are up north. A few pics around camp: I took this panoramic stitch with my Kodak V570 to give you an idea of the private beach we had on the water just off our camp site, very nice Setting up the fire just before dark... no fire ban due to all the rain. The first morning we fished, we took out a member of OFC (007) we met up there. We fished for smallies in weed cover and rock and got into some fish, but they were all small fish under 1.5-pounds. Well, I heard there were big muskies in that system, and since I am a muskie nut, I felt compelled to start casting likely spots. Not even one follow the first day of fishing. Is Restoule really that tough fishing? The next day I wanted to hit muskies hard. I pulled up to the first spot on the connecting Stormy Lake that looked like muskie water and started to cast a Mepps Musky Marabou bucktail, and into 10 minutes of casting, wham! I had a fish hit like a ton of bricks and go absolutely crazy on the surface thrashing around. I knew it was a good fish, so I yelled at Kristi to grab the net. It pulled drag off like nothing and fought harder than most muskies I have ever caught! I finally got her to the boat after a bunch of good runs Kristi did a great job netting the fish and assisting with the release tools and photo. The modified Mepps Musky Marabou I got her on (I cut off the top hook bends, added a 5/0 Gamakatsu Magic Eye treble on the back with a grub) That would be it for any other muskie action, despite my hard efforts. I found this back bay full of largemouth cover and tried in the thick of it for largies with a flippin stick and a topwater Storm BuzznTail Shad and a Mouse. We got several fish to hit them, but every fish took us into the thick of the stalks and wrapped us around them. This stuff was frustrating as heck to fish and keep fish on, but a lot of fun to get the topwater hits. The thick cover... how the heck do you largemouth guys deal with this stuff? I'm a smallie guy! Man I need to spend a little more time for largemouth in the slop. We took the car topper to a small lake down a logging road the 3rd day to explore. What an adventure! It was rough terrain, but a pretty cool ride. The small boat at the make-shift launch: The all-bass lake was larger than I originally thought, and deeper. It must have been 6 miles long, and over 60-feet deep at the far end. I marked fish and bait schools down 35- to 60-feet, and wondered what they were. The bass fishing was very tough that day, and I was surprized. I tried everything for largemouth from deep to shallow with only one lost fish, and Kristi got a few little smallies. I then started to cast a new Storm Big Bass crankbait to an island and got the scrappiest 3-pound smallie I ever caught. Man are those northern smallies strong! Some nice scenery shots from the lake we fished.. not one cottage on the lake or person! All in all, despite the rain for most of the trip, we made the best of it. We had some good weather and fished when the rain let up, and sometimes in the rain. The countryside up there is really beautiful, and I would go back in a heartbeat.. besides, I heard there are REALLY big muskies up there Thanks to TonyB for your input, and his brother-in-law Matt. Good fishing! Aaron

Nice pics Roy. Looks like everyone had a great time! I hope I can make it next year. Aaron

Good to hear about the cohos. I am in agreement about the Atlantics. I was involoved with helping to stock individual Atlantic fry by hand behind boulders about 12 years ago in the head waters of the tribs. They have been stocking Atlantics every year since and I still have yet to catch my first Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario, and I fish salmon hard. Having Atlantic salmon reintroduced into Lake Ontario again is a nice idea, but after a decade of stocking efforts and nothing to show for it, the program should be discontinued in my opinion. I am not a biologist, but the unsuccessful stocking efforts so far in conjunction with the stream degradation and lost habitat should be enough to realize that a new strain of Atlantics will not take to Lake Ontario waters. Further stream degradation is happening every year with the increase in building going on. I have witnessed a dramatic decline in populations of steelhead over the past 15 years in the tribs, and they are a much hardier fish than Atlantics. It's too bad the funding for the future doomed Lake Ontario Atlantic stocking efforts couldn't be directed into the OMNR budget instead. I just hope some funding can be directed to stream rehabilitation while they continue to throw funding down the toilet for the Atlantic salmon stocking. Chinook, Steelhead, Browns and Cohos may not be natural to Lake Ontario, but they are all a viable option to the decimated Atlantic salmon that once inhabited the lake. Furthermore, they have been established in the Great Lakes for many years and they are all popular with anglers. Sorry about the rant. It's just frustrating to see them beat a dead horse. Aaron

If you don't mind driving a little further, Crotch Lake is a camping/wilderness lake that has no cottages, good fishing and many campsites. There are walleye, pike, smallmouth and perch in the lake to keep you busy, and the landscape is beautiful. Good fishing! Aaron

Hey Roy, believe me brother, I know exactly what a sturgeon looks like, and the fish that swam 3-feet from my boat on the Larry was not a sturgeon... this fish was much larger than how big a lake sturgeon can get at maturity. It was more like the size of a big white sturgeon from the West Coast. My boat was 16' long, and the fish was longer than half my boat! Hey Yellowboat, Thanks for the suggestion on the Greenland Shark. I just did a bunch of on-line research on the Greenland Shark, and what I learned is amazing. These sharks are a mystery to scientists and they migrate into the St.Lawrence River every summer! The Greenland Shark looks very much like the fish we saw several years ago on the St.Lawrence... so much so, that I believe that you helped solve my question on what the heck we witnessed swim by my boat on the Larry. The Greenland Shark is the best explanation for what we witnessed I have heard. For years I thought we were both just nuts That was by far the most rare sighting I will more than likely ever witness in my life. Greenland Sharks can reach over 20-feet long and over 2000 pounds, and are a brownish colouration. A carabou carcass was found in one shark. Damn, I'm sure glad I didn't go for a swim! Here are a few links on the Greenland Shark if anyone is interested to know more about them. One outfit in Greenland even takes out trips to go ice fishing for them! Greenland Sharks in the St.Lawrence River Greenland Shark Video Ice Fishing Greenland Sharks!

Wow, that is pretty cool... to be that close to a swimming bear! That would definitely be a wild experience. The freakiest thing that I ever saw while fishing is something I cannot explain or haven't been able to get a good answer to... I was fishing on a calm day in the St.Lawrence River close to Lake Ontario in 11-feet of water for perch. The water was crystal clear and we could see the perch along the bottom. Then a massive fish swam right beside my 16' boat right near the surface of the water. The fish was so large my girlfriend at the time was shrieking in horror.. and she had hooked and played a 50" class musky before. When I tried to make a cast to it after my initial shock, she started yelling at me (almost crying) to stop trying to catch it, she was so scared. The fish was shark-like in appearance, approximately 8- to 10-feet in length and a brownish greyish colouration. It looked similar to a sand shark from 3-feet away. It's difficult to say just how large it really was as it was in the water, but it was scary big, I know that much. I wouldn't have wanted to jump in the water! The only thing I can think of, is that is was some type of saltwater fish or shark that was lost. I have heard all kinds of suggestions as to what it may have been without any good answer. I am pretty good at identifying freshwater fish species, and I can say it was not: - a paddlefish, gar, sturgeon, catfish, musky or any other game fish from freshwater. Any suggestions? Aaron

I plan to go for largies, so it will be a spinnerbait and Skitterwalk first thing in the morning. When that bite slows, I'll be tossing an Exude Comida (Senko style) bait and jig and pig. I will also try shallow crank baits as well. Good bass openers! Aaron

Never even heard of Petit Lake. You can always look to see if Navionics Hotmaps Premium Canada has the lake listed, but I wouldn't count on it if the lake is tiny. If you can get a fishing map or local lake map, that will more than likey be your best bet to give you an idea of structure. Even topographic map of the area may help you a bit. For the hydrographic software, I recommend Navionics Gold Great Lakes/Maritimes SD card. If you want inland lakes as well, the Hotmaps Premium Canada is tough to beat. Good fishing! Aaron

Way to go girl! Congrats on a Lake O hawg Glad to hear you were able to get out and have some fun! Aaron

Congrats on a great fish and breaking the 50" mark! Aaron

Thanks for your replies and votes everyone. This is great information, and one of the many reasons this site is so popular and valuable to all anglers. OFC is an incredible resource and has such a great community. Roy, lucky guess I had an idea it would be close to that order, but didn't know it would be that close! Thanks again everyone, and good fishing! Aaron

Thanks for bearing with my inferior poll posting skills. I am attempting to try the poll thing again. No need to post again here, just vote (unless you fish for the "other" species, it would be nice to know what the other species are). The question.. what are your favourite fish species to target most often? You can vote for more than one species... if I can get the poll to show up this time that is! Thanks for your patience. Aaron

Thanks everyone. I am going to ask Rick to help me figure out how to post a poll for this topic Hopefully I can figure out how to get this poll up soon. Silvio, thanks for the compliment. Actually TonyB and I filmed an episode for our 2008 series on centerpin steelhead in the tribs in High Definition.. unfortunately, it will only air in standard definition. There are lots of bright chrome acrobatic steelies going ballistic Good fishing! Aaron

Thanks for the warning about Restoule guys. By the sounds of it, I may take a day trip to Nippissing one day, and also take my car topper with the 4hp Merc for a possible trip to a back lake. More exploring anyway Also, thanks for the tip on Halfway Lake. What size pike, up to 15-pounds? What is the average size? 007, I tried to get that weekend with the week as well, but they were booked solid on the Canada Day weekend, so we booked the Monday to Sat after the long weekend. Looks like I will be getting there as you leave. Good fishing! Aaron

For some reason, the poll option didn't work?

I am wondering what species everyone here likes to target most often. You can pick more than one species. Cheers, Aaron

Yep, you got it.. Hotmaps. I have the new Hotmaps Premium card, and it is awesome! Most in-land Canadian lakes I fish that I never thought would be available with Navionics are on that card. I can't live without Navionics cards. They allow me to fish new watersheds with confidence! Cheers, Aaron

I really enjoy camping as well, but haven't done it in years except for one trip last summer, and we caught the bug again. I left it way too late to book a good site on a good location this year though, so I learned the hard way. They told us that we should book 5 months in advance! We settled on going to Restoule PP this July, but we have to go from Monday to Sat, as the weekends are booked solid. I have never fished Restoule before, but I am really looking forward to exploring new waters! Anyone know what species are in the lake? I hear that lake trout, muskie and walleye are in there, but there must be smallies and\or largemouth? Good luck camping\fishing 007! Maybe I'll see you there. Aaron

I recommend the Kawartha Lakes as well. Balsam, Sturgeon, Cameron, Pigeon and Buckhorn all have good muskie fishing. You can find camping on most of the Kawartha lakes as well. Casting to weed edges that drop from 8- to 12-feet will more than likely be your best shot at catching your first muskie. It's tough to beat in-line bucktail spinners like Mepps Marabou or Muksie Killers, Grim Reapers or Blue Fox Muksie Bucks. Jerk baits like Bobbie baits and Suicks are also a great choice. Rapala Super Shad Raps and Jointed Shad X-Raps also work well on the Kawarthas. Don't forget topwaters like Top Raiders or Poes Giant Jackpots, as top water hits can be awesome. Good luck getting into your first muskie! Aaron

Good luck with this Tony... you know my pains with the 20' ProV in my 20' garage. That is why I am going to an 18' this year. I didn't think at the time, but with my model, it may have been possible to build in, not out. I could have had the existing laundry room moved upstairs and had an extra 5' on the one side of the garage. Something to keep in mind with builders, as you cannot build out with the small lots in our area. It would have been worth the extra dough if I had of thought of it at the time. Kristi doesn't know it yet, but we may make some future modifications with our current laundry room to move it upstairs for more garage space... it should be an easy sell... no traveling downstairs to do laundry Cheers, Aaron

The Lifetime warranty on the Avid rods are for the blank, not guides. Some tackle stores will have the glue and do this service for free, like Burns Fishing in Burlington adn Fishing World in Hamilton. It only takes a minute like Cliff said. You can do it yourself if you are careful. I have done it to one of my rods before, although it wasn't as pretty as Burns work lol. Aaron

Hey Irishfield, I am the one on the bottom right.. the one that looks shocked he can't catch a fish lol All in all, it was still a good time.. we made up for the lack of fish other ways I really liked the structure on the lake... just wish we were not confined to such a small area with all the snow... and it was about 3' deep outside the ice road. We walked out a ways and drilled a bunch of holes and fished hard in several depths, but it would be way too much to travel to areas we wanted to fish without a sled. Ya never know till ya try a spot or outfitter. The beer was still cold I think Clampet is right.. those shacks looked like they were there for a while. I don't believe we were on a bad spot, I just think the fish were not using the area while we were there. That's why they call it fishin' and not catchin'. Sleds and mobility with portables are definitely the way to go anywhere. I really got an eye opener fishing with Don McCaw from Ice Guidez with the portability factor on Simcoe. He has the right ingredients for a successful day on the ice. Don spoiled me the past few years I am gonna have to buy a sled now! Looking forward to your report Irishfield... hopefully it is much better than ours. All the best, Aaron

Brookieman, You may have misinterpreted what I am trying to say, or maybe I wasn't clear enough with my last post. In no way do I believe that raping a resourse is ok. I believe that every resource needs to be managed properly, and I believe that the OMNR is doing a good job with managing Lake Simcoe. Many lakes do not have a limit for perch, but Lake Simcoe does. If there comes a time that the perch fishing in Lake Simcoe starts to diminish, then more strict regulations will ensue, I'm sure. Lake Simcoe is a wonderful resource that many anglers can share. As far as the liveyhoods of the people around lake Simcoe... proper management for the fisheries on the lake is most important for everyone, even the people who turn a profit from the fisheries, as proper management will ensure longevity. I hope this clears things up for you. Luv2drift, I see your point a little more clearly now. You are just rightfully worried about a local fishery. I have only been fishing Simcoe hard for a few years and I didn't know about the major decline in other species. All the best, Aaron Shirley

Luv2drift, It was more than likely my report you read "the two of us must have caught well over 200 perch". Let me assure you, that Tony and I always know the regs when we fish a body of water, and we only kept about 20 perch each between 8" and 10", and released the rest. We could have kept 50 each, but we only kept what we wanted to eat. Personally, I release all the small perch and jumbo perch I catch, even though it is my legal right to keep 50 perch of any size. I practice selective harvest. As for the released perch.. I bet at least 99 percent of the perch we released lived just fine, as they were caught on artificial lures and hooked in the lips. Lake Simcoe is more than likely the best lake in North America for tourist anglers for ice fishing which helps to drive the local economy. Many residents thrive on the local ice fishing on Lake Simcoe to provide them with their livelyhoods... ice hut rentals, guides, tackle stores, gas stations, and even the OMNR for fishing licences. Even after every year with most anglers keeping their limits of perch every day, it hasn't hurt the fishery. This astounds me, but it is a great Lake Simcoe Ontario phenomenon. Be happy as a resident of Lake Simcoe that you have access to such a great fishery. I know some people may not be abiding by the law or regulations... I would be angry about that as well. Most of us do abide by the regs, and there is plenty of perch to go around. If you see someone breaking the law, call the authorities. I'm sure the OMNR would like the call, as they cannot be everywhere all the time. Aaron Shirley

Thanks guys and gals. It was a lot of fun, and the perch were great in the pan Terry, we didn't catch any big perch in the deep water either... only about 9" to 10" tops, and very few of them. Irishfield, I would be very interested to know how well the bird works in those temps. The coldest I used mine in, was about -16... much different than -30! Nauti... I ain't gonna even ask lol. All I can say is, I hope you were wearing a floater suit. Good fishing! Aaron