skdds

I'll second Six Mile for bass and pike with the kayak. Some of the hwy 60 lakes in Algonquin also have bass.

Hi, I invested in a stern mounted torqueedo for my hobie (vs the "front" drive well Evolve option). Use it mostly to get back to the dock after a long trip/weather etc. I do all serious fishing with the pedal drive and paddle. Works well for me for that purpose and hobie has accessories that made the set up quiet easy. Keep it all in the stern area out of the way. Main drawback is the addition of weight. The battery is Lithium which is "light" vs many who use regular trolling motors and a Lead-acid battery-really heavy, so keep that in mind. No regrets for my purposes.

I was there two weeks ago. Fished Killarney Bay and Collins inlet. Some limited success in the Inlet with small bass and pike-tubes and spinnerbaits. Nothing picture worthy though. I think with more time and experimenting I would have been more successful. Water is very clear-greenish compared to point au baril and other areas of GB I have fished so I was not used to that. I've been told fishing is more productive up towards and into Mill Lake. It's quite a ride to Mill from the lodge though and since I fish out of a kayak I did not make it that far, but did not worry about rocks! You can launch out of Chikanshing Creek to access Collins Inlet as well. Good luck. Looking forward to reading your report.

Following this thread...What is the channel are you referring too? Are you referring to the Severn locks? I'm out of a kayak so trying to cover Severn sound is a lot of peddling for me! I have not targeted walleye for a while and maybe consider GBay as well but can only go so far in my craft! skdds

Following...I like fishing GPool too. I was on Lake Muskoka over the weekend looking for pike. Almost skunked.. weeds were sparse and was not sure what to do ..I think I will try GPool as well in the next week or two..

We use them on our suv-its an old vehicle soon to be traded/sold and did not think it made sense to purchase winter tires for one or two seasons. We are in T.O and streets are well plowed. Worked well last year.

There is a big BPS in Islamorada. I would think the items stocked would reflect those needed for the region though. I was in keys last year (not in BPS) and bought a few things from the local shops to use. Tackle shops along the highway-almost exclusively saltwater gear-stuff not found up here if that is what you are looking for. Agree there may not be many bargains but always fun to look around. -skdds

I've stayed at Musky's, right by the lock as well.

Fished Smoke Lake out of the kayak a month ago. Caught some nice smallmouth with a variety of minnow crankbaits, casting and trolling within 50 ft of shore. Also hooked into some nice bass with the drop shot on deeper rocks near mid lake rocky islands. The lakes are cold and deep. Tried to hook into lake trout with some spoons and deep trolling but was not successful. I heard you need to get down 50+ feet to find them at this time of year. I've read that there are few pike to be found in general so most people target the bass and lake trout. The park stores at the East and West gate have "fishing in algonquin park" book you can look at (or buy) for depth charts and other info. The depth charts were definitely helpful to plan locations. I really like algonquin, clean and very few powerboats (only allow up to 20hp) so its a great place for a yakfisher like me! Good luck, post a report.

I fish out of a Hobie PA12. Was looking for a boat and never considered a fisher yak until I saw the hobie. The draw for me was the peddle drive system which allowed me to fish hands free otherwise would have passed. So, I tried it, liked it, and made the buy. Pros-, SOT, spacious, hands free, easy to accessorize with neat stuff, very comfortable and stable to use for hours at a time without tiring. It is a great boat to fish out of especially calm, skinny water and trolling-perfect speed and quiet. Yak fishing is a very stress free way to fish-I don't worry about props and rocks, docks, motor breakdowns etc. Cons- you can't travel the distances that you can with motor and its built for one, although I can seat my son at the stern on milkcrate and it's not light. I can launch anywhere, however, I trailer it and now usually back it into the water at the boat launches so, its probably not as versitile as a lighter paddle yak like the others here (and my wife) fish out of. I'm happy with my choice of boat and becoming a yak fisher. Give a hobie a try as well to compare. Good luck!-skdds

Of interest, how are you "trolling" the spoon? Does it go along the surface or go deep etc? thanks skdds

Back from south Florida. We spent 3 days in the Keys and 3 days in Miami. As this was my first go at saltwater, I considered any bend in the rod to be a success. Thanks for all the tips they were most helpful. If you have not spent time in the Keys its worth the trip very laid back and a lot of the economy there is based on sport fishing. There are tackle shops every few miles with anything you need and good advice. I fished the bridges near Islamorada, a pier in Miami, and a two mangroves in state parks from a rented yak. I tried to time my fishing with the tides to up my chances for success. My successes were nil on the pier and limited on the bridges, however I did better in the mangroves from the kayak. Fishing the bridges and piers is like trying to find shore spots on a public dock or shoreline around Simcoe. Not easy and tend to be crowded. In Miami, they charged an access fee to the pier as well-I was not impressed with that. A Few times got my lines tangled with other anglers nearby and this was annoying. The mangroves are great place to kayak and fish-not too many large fish but good on numbers. Since I yak here in Ontario, fishing from the yak in Florida was an easy transition. What I learned: People like to use Sabiki Rigs to hook into their baitfish-this rig is also fun for kids because it produces. Its very similar to a pickeral rig that we use for perch. In fact I'll try it out here in the spring and next winter. Rig-it, throw on some shrimp and you'll catch fish. I also had success with slip bobbers and carolina type rigs baited with shrimp. The fish I hooked into were snappers, grunt fish, and puffer fish. I also sighted barracuda, needlefish and stingrays..very cool for a first experience especially from a kayak. Like you guys said..the smaller saltwater fish all fight nicely-like a 1-2lb bass so were lots of fun to catch. All had teeth too so no lipping these guys. As an aside, we made a stop at Robbie's Marina in the Keys-very cool family friendly place to feed tarpon that live in the marina. These fish are huge and can do a good job on your hand if you don't pay attention! Anyway, that's it, hope to go back.. -skdds

I fish out of a SOT alot, not a cold weather kayak guy though, but I'm not keen on the idea of waders in the boat- if you dump and they fill with water that could lead to a dangerous situation IMO. Would try to avoid going out alone especially with cold water as well. Agree with singingdog that you should practice a dump and re-entery first in warmer weather. I would think its not too easy especially if you are going to be suited up. Perhaps also check out the yakfisher.net forums as well-lots of good advise from experienced kayak anglers there..skdds

I've seen a few utube vids on the Peacock Bass. They look like good fish to target and pretty consistent too..shiner and hook..

Thanks for the great posts.....wish I could leave tomorrow