Rich Clemens

Great to see you having that kind of success up there Lew. This must have been the year for producing some nice fish. 3 years for a report - well worth the way. I'm already anxious about getting back up there next year.

Uh ..... WOW Great fishing and somoe fantastic fishing. Thanks for taking the time to put all this up. Really, really enjoyed it.

You don't have to go far to find nice fish. I was at Wolseley last September for a week. A guy from Ohio landed 6 muskies, with the largest at 50", between Wolseley Lodge and Rainy island. Hit the weed beds and some of the sandy shorelines also contain some weeds coming out. I had one on, but lost her during the fight. I heard of a musky being caught in that same area, and measured at 49". I wonder if that's the one I had on ? Won't be making it there this year, but hope to be back next year.

Lots of happy fisher-persons in these shots and I can see why.

When we're up at Lakair, we troll with a Super Shad Rap. A fair size bait that doesn't dive clear to the bottom. We're only taking 8 - 10 FOW where we are. It works it way through the weed pretty good and, when we do get hung up, a quick jerk on the rod usually frees us up.

Great job on fixing up the place. sure looks like a ton of work and glad to see you're "busy". Lots of nice virgin-looking territory to fish there too. Congrats on your success.

Patience and Perserverance. I only get to musky fish a couple weeks a year. Landed a 47 1/2 this June - it was about 5 years ago when I caught my last one. Quite a few followers over those years, but no takers. But, I didn't get discouraged. You're only ever one cast away from landing a big one. Keep trying - you'll get her.

Builds up muscles in the legs Roy. Huge Drumsticks.

Oh yes .. you'll have a LOT of water to fish before getting to any kind of rapids. Five-Finger rapids are a few miles out and there is another set down near Crane's Lockhaven lodge. I do a lot of fishing right there in Wolseley Bay. There were several muskies taken right from the bay itself during the one week I was there last year. Ya don't have to go far. Not sure what the parking rates would be. Their website may have it or just give Harold a call.

And to think Jen wasn't even expected to be out of the hospital for weeks yet. Really is great to wake up to stories like this. Thanks Wayne.

Great way to get started. Congrats on such a nice fish.

Welcome aboard. Couple French/Pickeral rivers posts going on now. Sounds like you like the fish the same area I do. Hope to hear more from ya from up that way.

I believe Bear's Den does everything in US dollars, including their rates. They've been that way even back when we went there. Yeah, their rates seemed a bit more than other places, but I'll pay the extra. Kinda hurting a bit with gas prices up and the US dollar down like it is. Overall, it is a really nice place, peaceful, and there's lot's of great fishing spot and ya don't have to go far. But - YOU HAVE GOT TO BE CAREFUL - until you know exactly where you are going. If they would start accepting pets again, I'd probably go back. I sure was glad that the marina launched my boat for me. Crap - I'd probably still be there trying to get mine launched. But hey ... that's just me. I just hope you do well and have some great shots when you get back. There's times we do well and other times not. But, my wife and I just love that part of Ontario and we'll keep coming back as long as we can. Just caught my first musky since 2005 this June ... six long years, but I don't stop trying. Heading up to the North Channel of the French in about 5 weeks and will passing right by Hartley Bay Road.

This is fairly common - extra fees. Docking for your own boat, pet fees, etc. We have two dogs that we usually take with us. Some places charge for them and some don't. Some charge for docking and some don't. Once in a while, it may be possible to get these waived, or reduced, by talking to the owners. Worst they can say is NO. I hope ya have some great luck with the fishing.

I recall a shoal just off-shore around what the call the 'S' Curves in Wahnapatae bay. Thank goodness we were goling slow when we went over it. No Damage, but we hit it.

I'll also add, that once you turn onto Hartley Bay road, you only have the paved road a short distance. About 6 miles or so back a dirt road. Unless they improved it, it was a washboard going back, so we have to take it kinda slow. Not too many places to pull over for a passing vehicle as well. Granted, this has been about 20 years ago, so things may have changed since then. I'll second what Skeeter said - it is a very (very) busy boat launch. Put everything you can into the boat before you launch, or you'll be making a number of trips up and down the hill to your boat. Hope this stuff helps out a bit. Remember our report and plenty of pics.

If I recall correctly from my days there, they take care of launching all the boats at Hartley Bay. It's kinda steep down the ramp and you have to be right up on the top of it, before you can see down the ramp. Not sure if they would let you launch yourself or not. They have a hitch on the front of their truck and basically 'push' it down the ramp. There was a daily parking fee at the marina when I was there. Docking Fee at Bear's Den was added after we stopped going there. Make sure you find out what time they open in the morning. They do keep your vehicle keys (at least they used to), so you have to wait until they open in the morning in order to get your vehicle. One thing that I didn't like about it. Being we live 11+ hours away, I typically head home early, but waiting on them delayed my departure until 7:00am or so. Art and Brenda actually live not more than 45 minutes from my house and are really nice people. I know Art was having some medical issues back then, but I'm not sure how he is doing now. (better I hope). If it weren't for their 'no pet' policy, we may still be going there. The camp is less than a mile from Hartley Bay on the right-hand side and sits back in a little bay, so it is somewhat sheltered. So, you can't miss it. It is a nice quiet place and the lodge had (or used to) a wide-screen TV, pool table, magazines. We had a couple meals at the lodge and they were pretty good. Didn't leave hungry. The main channel from Hartley Bay down to the entrance of Wahnapatea bay (past Bear's Den) is pretty clear, staying our away from the shore line. We fished a lot in Wahnapatae bay and caught my largest pike there - at 37 1/2 inches. Two days later my step-son landed a 37" not too far away. Once you come to Wahnapeta (probably not spelled correctly), you'll see several parallel islands. Some have some nice rock / weed-bed combinations between them and we fished there quite a bit. Be careful there, there are some prop busters as well. We also turned to the right and went back towards Frasier Bay for pike. Really have to take it easy and watch carefully. We've seen more than one boat up on the rock backs there over the years. There are nice fish to be caught around there, but it was kinda tough fishing back in the 1990's. Maybe things have improved a bit since then. Never caught a musky there, but in fairness, I wasn't targeting them back then. Best of luck and please be sure to post some pics. I'd love to see the area again.

Hey - yet another Pennsylvanian, we're gonna take over one of these days. I'm only couple hours east of ya. I have fished the French for quite a few years for musky and I use bucktails mainly, but will change things up once in a while. Although I have never fished the Pickeral River, I am mostly on the North Channel and Wolseley Bay. And I can't forget the West Arm / West Bay of Nippissing. Last year, the water levels were day down .. down a few feet or so. I believe the water levels are back up to normal (or close to it). Now that was back in June and what I saw around Nippissing. Hopefully they remain a normal levels for another couple months. Hitting the north channel of the French in September.

The only mapping of the French River is a map you can pick up at the French River Trading post, which is just before you turn off Rt 69 onto Hartley Bay Road. However, this basuically only shows the shorelines. There are no maps/charts that would show depths or underwater hazards that I am aware of. I used to go to Bear's Den back in the early 1990's, but have not been back since.

Excellent - That's Marv.

Proof That Men DO Remember A Woman awakes during the night to find her husband is not in bed. She puts on her robe and goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee. “What’s the matter, dear?” She whispers as she steps into the room, “Why are you down here at this time of night?” The husband looks up from his coffee, “It’s the 20th Anniversary of the day we met”. She can’t believe he has remembered and starts to tear up. The husband continues “Do you remember 20 years ago when we started dating? I was 18 and you were only 16” he says solemnly. Once again, the wife is touched to tears thinking that her husband is so caring and sensitive. “Yes, I do” she replies. The husband pauses. The words were not coming easily. “Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?” “Yes, I do” she replies, lowering herself in the chair beside him. The husband continues. “Do you remember when he shoved the shotgun in my face and said, “Either you marry my daughter or I will send you to prison for 20 years?” “I remember that too” she replied softly. He wiped another tear from his cheek and said “I would have gotten out today.”

Excellent. Great warm-up for the bigger girls.

Excellent. SUre hope Jen's recovery keeps on moving along by leaps and bounds. Great to see.

Have yourself a fantastic day there bud.

We sure could use some down here. Around 90+ for most of this week and no rain in sight for us. Grass is brown and just crunches when you walk on it. Farmers are really having a rough time right now.