huzzsaba

So we are heading out for the final camping trip of this summer and algonquin is the destination. Will be there the last weekend of September right before their season closes. Looking to fish for lake trout or splake, but don't have a boat. Will they be within casting distance by then? I can rent a canoe if that is what takes. Also wondering what depths I should be fishing at. I know Lakers tend to stay deep but what about splake? Also which lakes gives me the best chance at hooking into them? I was thinking Opeongo lake since I can get a canoe from the outfitters on the lake. I will be fishing for a few hours so would like to have the best chance at catching these beautiful fish. Any advice would be appreciated

thanks. I will look into Bay of quite operators.

I have some pics but not many. and it's always a struggle posting photos on here due to the size restrictions. I will see if I can put some photos up.

So I have been hearing a lot from the locals about port hope area doing well. Wondering if it's true since I plan to go there next week just to check it out. It's far from home so just want to make sure it's worth the trip. Also wondering if they are already running up the river . Would be nice to see them jumping the fish ladder.

Jeremy84, thanks for the offer . I will definitely be in touch.

that video made it look like a piece of cake! Time to go pike fishing!

Thanks Jeremy for all your help. I believe I have a decent rod but line I will have to check. I got the rod last year the day before I went perch fishing and didnt even bother to check what type it was. Its made by Rapala so hope its half decent. As far as line, Im guessing something in the range of 10 to 12 pound or is that too heavy? And by flasher do you mean fishfinder? I have seen some on Kijiji for pretty cheap. Not sure if they are suaitable for ice fishing though. I will definitely invest in a good auger. I live all the way in Oakville so going to Lake Simcoe on a regular basis is probably not going to happen, but when I do go, I would like to be prepared to give me the best chance. Thanks again!

Agreed that I will learn as I go. Just looking for a starting point. Please PM me if anyone would like to share any specific spot.

Thanks for the info. That is the reason for starting this thread so early was for so that I can get stuff together ie fish finder, auger, sled and possibly some other little things. it helps to know that I don't have to book huts until maybe later in the season.

Thanks!

Makes sense but I heard from hut operators that you have to go out pretty far on the ice for lake trout (something like 7-8 kms offshore). Or if there is spot where it gets deep not so far offshore that I can go and setup myself but I doubt that. I don't have a snowmobile so it would have to be walking or car.

i know but it doesnt hurt to get info. Im pretty sure the good huts get booked very quick so just trying to stay ahead of the crowd.

I am guessing the best way to get the lure bait down is a jig head. what weight do you guys recommend?

Yes I know the weather is in the 30s and nobody wants to hear about snow and winter, but in preparations I thought I would get a head start. Last year I went for some perch fishing on Lake Simcoe. This year I would let to out for some lakers and whitefish. Please recommend some good ice fishing hutson lake simcoe that put you right on the fish. I also like to know what is the best lures/bait for lakers and whitefish. Does live bait like minnows work? Any particular size for the live bait? What depth do the fish usually stay at during the coldest days? Gotta find a way to mark the line on my ice fishing rod toknow what depth I am fishing at. It would also be fun to get into some walleye fishing so please recommend someone who has huts on lake erie. Also would like to know what is the best lures/bait for the walleye Thanks

Nice!

Finally I got a chance to write a little something about my recent trip with the family and friends to a place I have gone in my chidlhood every year to visit my grand uncle, Sault Ste Marie. My memories were vague since I was very young when we made the yearly trek from Montreal, so I wanted to refresh them a little. This trip was overdue and I am happy to have done it this year finally. We made the trip at the end of July and the weather was perfect. Day 1-2: We headed for tobermory in order to catch the ferry for Manitoulin. I have never been to Manitoulin so that was something I was really looking forward to and the perfect way to start the trip. The kids loved the ferry ride and the very knowledgeable guide on the ferry made the trip that much better with the his loads of knowledge about the georgian bay and surrounding areas. While on the ferry, I called my grand uncle who now lives in BC and told him that were going to visit Sault to refresh our childhood memories and he was the happiest person . Once we arrived at Manitoulin, we headed to manitoulin Resort and checked in. I have never camped at a private campground so it was a unique feel having so many seasonals around with their decorated yards and trailers. The sky at night and stargazing was the best I have ever witnessed . The highlight of our stay at Manitoulin was the fishing charter on georgian bay out of manitowaning bay. We found Luke from Wasse Tours, and he took us out for a good 3-4 hours. Luke is a amazing guy and we talked the whole time and even had a chance to navigate the boat while he setup the downriggers. Sadly we only caught one lake trout but all in all a charter that I would highly recommend and his rates are excellent. Day 3-4: We headed out to Sault Ste Marie where we stayed 2 nights at the Sleep Inn which I highly recommend for their cleanliness and low rates. Plus they are right on the St Marys River which is a hot spot for trout, Salmon and Walleye. We checked out the Sault and refreshed my long lost memories of the place. It is obviously much bigger than what I remembered it to be and I must say the people are the friendlies I have ever met. We ventured out towards Batchawana bay on the day 4 and spent the afternoon there like we use to back in the days.The water was way too cold to swim in. I don`t know how we used to do it back then, but then again my daughter doesnt seem to care whether the water is cold or very cold lol. I prefered to just do the picknicking part. The weather that day was on the cooler side so we actually had to move the picnic table across the road from the beach to the other side so that we were in the sun since the BBQ grill wouldnt heat up enough due to the wind blowing near the water. Fun times! Earlier that day, I sent Tyler Dunn, a fishing guide from Sault and a member here on OFC a text asking him about spots to fish for trout. He mentiones the spots in a article published somewhere on the net and I could not figure out the directions to the spot. Anyways he was kind enough to text me back saying he was heading out to that spot that evening and that we could meet up with him. We were still at Batchawana when I got his text and he said he would meet me there in an hour! So we head back to Sault from Batchawa and go the the spot where the trail starts to the fishing spot and then we stood there confused. I am pretty good with directions but this was something that you would only know if you go there often. Anyways i call tyler and he tells me to go right, left, right, left etc etc and a few other turns lol. 30 mins and probably 2 kms later ( I may be exagerating lol) we find him. I must say what a wonderful and helpful person Tyler is. He advised me to use my little cleo spoon but it got snagged after a few attemps, so he rigged up my rod with a leader line, float and a worm. Unfortunately it was getting late already and having to walk back to the car in unfamiliar territory was not appealing in the dark, so we left early after having fed the trout my worm lol. Tyler meanwhile caught at least 3 fish during the hour we were there! As we were leaving, he also showed us the hotspot where we could catch walleye. I planned to get up early the next morning to go for the walleye but my eyes wouldnt open after 4 busy days of travelling. We checked out the boardalk along the St Marys river the next day before heading out of town. It was a memorable time in the Sault and Tyler promised to hook us up again when we return, hopefully soon! Day 5: We left Sault Ste Marie and headed towards Algonquin PP. Having only been there briefly for a few hours a few years ago, we decided to explore it a little more. On our drive towards algonquin, we checked out the chutes Provincial Park and the beautiful falls. We also stopped for dinner briefly in Sudbury. The drive was beautiful as was the rest of the drive throughout the trip. However I must recommend not to drive at night as it can become dangerous and scary on some of the roads. On our way to algonquin, we had to take highway 3 which crosses over from 400 to 11, and the whole 30 or so kms, me and my wife sat quietly each knowing what the other was thinking but not uttering a word. The road was pitch dark, with no signs of any other cars, and the numerous inclines, declines, sharp curves etc made for a white knuckled drive . Not to mention the thoughts going through my mind, what if something happens to the car, or what if something jumps out onto the road including ghostly figures lol. My imagination was going all over the place during the drive. The only scarier drive we ever encountered was on the cabot trail in Nova Scotia which also we did at night unfortunately. We finally made it to the hotel in huntsville and I was never happier to make it to my destination . I make it a point of not driving at night unless I have to and that night was one to remember unfortunately for not being fun lol. I am pretty sure it is scenic during the day though! Day 6: we head out to Algonquin and on the way there I convinced my wife to let us camp overnight. We found a nice site in Canisbay campground and must say the campground is very nice and the facilties very clean. We stayed the night and had one of the most peaceful sleeps while camping. We explored the park the following day and returned back home. All in all, a very memorable trip and although we didn`t do much fishing, we enjoyed every moment of the trip and can`t wait to do it again. Perhaps the next time we do visit is when I do a longer trip cross Canada. Who knows, we may do it every year. Thank you all for the advice and help in my previous threads on helping prepare for this trip . Thank you Tyler for your help in Sault . Look forward to meeting you again when we come back!

Here is a lake ontario smallie caught off the pier at night. looks very similar to yours. Same size and probably weight too.

When it happens again, just wiggle the keys and see if that helps, or take the keys out and put it back in very quickly. Sometimes that will help if indeed it is the ignition switch. it also helps to park with the steering wheel straight. I find sometimes when parked with the wheels turned and the steering column locks, it can put added pressure to the ignition switch causing all kinds of problems.

Aren't these the same I see swimming around at port credit and bronte? So what if you catch one? What should you do? I see the one like in the picture all the time and also something that looks Like carp but more of a silver color I have been noticing lately.

Honestly I believe they head back to the lake right after they spawn in May June. I havent seen anything sizeable in the rivers especially north of Dundas st. Within 200 feet of the river mouth maybe but nothing north of that.

I posted this in my other thread. I caught this nice smallie on the broken rod. 4 pounder put up a good rod bending drag peeling fight. I have decided to buy a Shimano FX4000 rod reel combo from Canadian Tire as the combo is cheap and reviews are great. Good enough for salmon and steelhead fishing. I will probably put some 15 or 20lb Maxima Ultragreen line on so I dont have to deal with attaching leaders on all the time.

Point Farms Provincial Park is one of my favorites. Not too far (2.5 hours),nice beach and the friendliest park I have ever camped at. We were there 2 weeks ago and the watersof lake huron was nice and warm for swimming. Goderich is right around the corner with all the amenities of a bigger city and they have a boat launch there at the marina. If you leave home early morning like 7 am or so, you should be able to get into their first come first served site. 17-18-34-35 are good sites and the comfort station there is brand new.

With every hardship, surely there is ease. Hang in there, the good times will come soon!

So I have been trying 2-3 times weekly and finally gave up on spoon chucking for the time being especially since I broke the rod tip on my fishing rod. I had to meet a friend for some pier fishing a few nights ago and knowing we didnt have the ideal setup for salmon, we got some minnows and sat there on the pier. The weather was wonderful and the water was the calmest I have ever seen on Lake O. We decided to take the route of jigging the minnows of the bottom. A few minnows later,I felt like my line got caught in something, and lo and behold, something is peeling drag on my line. I kind of knew what it was going to be but didnt expect something this size. It was big enough for the surrounding people fishing to come and take a look as no one seemed to be catching anything significant. And for those discussing the differences in sizes beween the simcoe and kawartha smallies, this I believe is more like the simcoe ones aka football size. Short but heavy. it was approx 18 inches but weighed in at close to 4 lbs. the bites died down around 1 am and we called it a night. Overall, a memorable night since its the biggest fish I have caught so far and that too on my broken rod. Now where are the salmon?!?