Moosebunk

Waiting for the ice to clear the river, the latter half of April brought high waters, much mud, a chance to get some jigflies tied, and some quality time with the girls when I wasn’t choppering to work and staying over on the mainland. NORTH FRENCH TO KIASKO The softwater year kicked off Friday May 2nd about five days after the river cleared of debris and ice. The James Bay break-up was a high one and it left the rivers flowing at flood levels. Not expecting much for fishing, because everywhere was a blown out muddy mess, I was still so eager I roused at 5:00am. First stop was to the minnow trap... seven dace. Even the bait spot was blown out from the flooding. By 6:45am I was off and headed up the Moose River under cold and calm skies, but a welcoming warm sun. Forty-five minutes later I rounded the bend at the mouth of the North French River finding clearer water and pleasing sun-lit, spring landscapes. With plenty day ahead and easily navigable water levels the motor wouldn’t slow. Every destination came quick and I found myself just continuing to push on up river. After reaching a spot called Kagowask Rapids before 9am it was decided to just keep going and motor up to the Kiasko River, a junction on the North French about 55km upriver from home. Reaching this point would allow me to make my way back during the remainder of the day and fish 22 spots I have marked on map, along the 45 km stretch. The ride up was perfect. 1045 and I made it. Four hours under 15hp against the current. I started casting to flooded shoreline near the mouth of the Kiasko and plied the backside of a couple islands too, searching out pike. Nothing, so I dropped back down through 1/4 mile rapids and receded 5km to some creek mouths. Only a few short casts at these spots with a spoon, spinner then jig and I remained fish-less. Surely the next spot called the S-Bend would hold some pike in the slack water eddies. Arriving there the shoreline trees were flooded out. With a Johnson spoon I cast as deep in and around the thick stuff as possible, actually not expecting fish to be around. I was drifting when on about the 20th cast into some dead grass I got a boil when the lure smacked down and felt the weight of a fish. A good one it peeled some line and B-lined to my right towards some flooded out alder bushes. I tried to put the brakes on it’s run and tightened the drag while lifting the rod to turn it’s head. Then there was slack. Guess they don’t make Johnson’s like they used too. This one was brand new, I put the tape on it the night before. I stuck around the bend continuing to pepper the shallows but after twenty minutes or so never saw another fish. Moving on downriver I stopped at a great spot for eyes, although I had never fished it this early in May. Walters weren’t open but I had also caught a number of pike here before. Started casting with a spoon, then switched to a dressed in-line when finally changed to a bucktail jig. The jig was the ticket, working it real slow drifting the outflow. Sure enough, before long... pike on, first bit of bronze in the softwater season. Sticking with the jig in standard Mickey Finn colors, a dozen more casts later and I found a second pike eager for the offering. Being around 1:00pm I broke out the Coleman and heated up some chili. While doing so I managed to release one more smallish pike but then after some lure changes couldn’t entice anymore. I was happy to catch no incidental walleyes thinking that they’re up that creek getting their freak-on making success of a well timed spring orgy. Further down river it was mid-afternoon in the narrows of calm back bays that I managed one more pike from some dead shoreline weeds. Here I spent an hour or more covering everything but the pike numbers were nowhere to be calculated. 5:00pm rolled around fast. On route down river I was met by an old pal, 76 year old Jimmy Sutherland. Jimmy was out working his trap-lines for beaver, mink, marten or whatever, and he asked if I had seen anything while out. I had in fact, I told him. While up river I saw four beavers, a couple otters and a marten up a tree, not to mention a number of eagles, ospreys, cranes, and geese and ducks of every kind. Spotted one beautiful black cormorant as well. I gave Jimmy mental GPS waypoints to his sought after pelts and said goodbye once he finished his tea. A big rapid was last stop for the day. Mostly a walleye spot, I still often catch pike there fishing the early green weeds that grow in the northern shoreline shallows of an eddy. Spoons, spinners and a Smithwick proved useless so back went on a jig. After three nice walleye this size in about ten minutes I packed it in and called it a day. CHEEPAS TO MOOSE TO FRENCH. Two days after the first day of the softwater I was back on the river. The morning was supposed to be cool with trace rain but on route the 30km up to the Cheepas I was hit with two snow squalls. Sucks driving with your head between your knees but when the weather let up I was at the Polar Bear train bridge that crosses the Cheepas. The Cheepas was the highest I’d ever seen. Dirty, dirty, dirty too. Once I got on it I couldn’t help but push up this river and take advantage of the easy travel, just like I had done on the French. Rounding every bend holds hope of locating that perfect fishing spot. I finally found myself at noon fishing an eddy about 40km up this river and 70km from home. On route this far up, I don’t think I’d ever chased so many cranes off the shorelines. It was a mistake to go all that way though. There weren’t many good fish-able eddies because of the flooding and within the 40km stretch I knew I had eight holes to try on the way off the river. Do the math... All spots produced nothing, as I guessed they would after coming up empty handed on the third attempted stop. All were eddies except this one creek. I actually made my way out of there pretty quick, eager to try the Moose River’s back bays. Back on the chocolate-milk Moose River... ... under temporary sun I got down to business and really beat a few back bays. This one bay here was way too chilly yet, or at least it felt that way. A number of spots were still loaded with shoreline ice actually. Only place I knew fish were biting was the French. The water there was clearer, likely a little warmer and I guess more feeding friendly. Ripping over there as a last ditch effort to avoid a 12 hour day skunking I didn’t find any pike waiting either. Did find three of these though, which all got a quick release. BUTLER AND WAVY Work and a sick little one kept me off the water nearly two weeks, in May, that’s freaking torture. Friday was planned for Bren and I to leave for a couple overnights up the river but, forecast was calling for 100% humidity, heavy rains and zero degrees this evening. I decided we’d wait a day to let it blow by. In the meantime the early part of the day was expected to be alright, so I grabbed the trouting gear and made a short trip to search out any searun beauties that may be running up the local cricks. First stop was Butler. This short creek just runs up to a dam where dirty bubbling water spills over the rocks creating perfect frothy pools below. Caught a few nice ones here in recent years, but not today. Fished a black then white bucktail tipped with a worm, then chucked a #3 silver inline. There’s no real clue as to when the fish will show up. The best local knowledge to go by is to fish brookies when the trees just first split their buds. This is a good cue to get at it, but since 2002 I’ve logged every trout day and know that a number of great fish have been caught sooner than the signs of green leaves in the trees. One of the best was caught May 2nd 2002 and was in fact the first speck I caught here in the Moose. Loved this fish.... Anyway, back in real time I took off out of Butler and headed to Wavy. This creek is officially my favorite for specks, because they come in best numbers here. On Wavy you troll for them though, which isn’t as fun as casting but I get to take in more scenery. I gave it an hour or so of fishing and about two hours of just touring around and exploring areas of this creek I never have before. The water was still sickly high and when the tide came in it did not raise the levels one bit. Normally this creek can rise and fall 1 to 2 meters every 12 hours, and this time of year each tide could bring a new run of speckled trout. As far up Wavy as I could go it opened into an awesome pool with an incoming creek. I chucked a few bucks then dropped a minnow out there to sit while I in turn ingested a piece of lemon meringue pie, washing it down with a Blue. That would be it for the day, and on the way off the creek back onto the Moose thought I’d snap a shot of some leftover ice from the break-up. NORTH FRENCH. Eight... counted a measly eight sticklebacks in the minnow trap at a brisk 6:00am in the morning. Thank freaking gawd a few days earlier a warm rain brought the worms up onto the road, and so when coming off a nightshift I spent an hour getting soaked and walking around eyes half shut picking a few dozen. Bren and I were busting out early, no other trucks at the launch. Our boat fully loaded we made good time getting up onto the North French, happy to see water levels still high. We were less two hours traveling before easing off the throttle and anchoring off the back of a small island. The two converging currents there formed a hump and the eyes like waiting along side it to pick off food passing by; usually fallfish and sucker. Bren wasted no time getting her first fish of the softwater season. Couldn’t stay long catching fish as we wanted to be sure of getting a certain campsite on the busy May long weekend. Eagerly we hurried on and found our spot uninhabited. Bren made camp quick, as she always does. The early afternoon was warming up nicely and from our site up to the Kiasko was only about a two hour ride. Bren and I fished a couple spots along the way and caught a number of smallish walleye. Along the way we had found a tiny, maybe two foot wide runoff that trickled off the bank then over into a calm pool. Bren and I anchored out in the flow and pounded the slack water and out to the current. She got the first nice one and after a few more the bite slowed. Figured we’d stop again on the way back. It was four hours from our campsite later when we arrived at the Kiasko. I had planned fajitas for dinner and brought a bottle of wine which we were supposed to have at camp. Being hungry now, we skipped the drink and got busy with supper. Heading to Kiasko proved to be a good ride up. In Quarter Mile Rapids I bumped the motor only once, surprised at how shallow it always is there even when the river is up. Fishing at Kiasko proved poor and so while retreating back down part of the rapids (more like shallow rock garden) I snapped this pic. Going up Quarter Mile took 35 minutes in shallow drive, coming down... about ten. We couldn’t pass by the runoff spot without a cast so we stopped again, anchoring out into the current adjacent the head of the pool. Bren was doing well for the most part using bucktails and for a change I was using plastics. Had rigged up a 3-inch pink and white grub when I tossed it into a foot of dirty water just a meter from shore. SHHHTICK What was momentarily thought to be a rock started moving slow, then gave two solid head-shakes before jetting into the main current. My light rod buckled before the reel started singing. For a second I thought Bren might be lifting anchor cause there’s never much line on an ultralight, but, the fish turned when I tightened the drag a little and it seemed to hold. Before long, the fish was coming back our way. I said to Bren when I saw it come up, “This could be my biggest!” I didn’t like how it was hooked though, on the outside of it’s right cheek right back at the end of it’s mouth. Thought that one bad turn of it’s head and it’d easily cut line two inches above the jig. Got nervous during a fight that pushed on to ten minutes. The fish was using the current to rest while I carefully dragged it up, then once it got close to the boat would take off again. I tried netting it myself once it got sort of close but missed a few times. Finally Bren helped out when I asked, and so moving more to the bow she came in behind so I could just drop the fish back into the net. It worked... and then we (me) got picture happy. Fish came in at 7 ½ pounds equalling my personal best softwater walleye. Post spawn this big golden girl was really healthy looking for her likely old age. My first fish of this size couple years ago, I had mounted and that one was a little more beat up. For a river fish from these parts I can’t stress how rare a catch a fish this size can be... only my second in three years. Both came on pink, I was really pleased with this fish. Here’s an OOD cover bull if ya wanna.... I told Bren we could home now as the opener was already my best, but, she was having fun and chose to stay. Before heading back down river we picked off a few more eyes on what was turning out to be a great evening. A near full moon came up at camp and the stars were out. We had a short lived bonfire to warm the bones before bed then retired to the tent. 6:00am and through earplugs I hear the pitter patter of rain overhead. Still asleep really, I remembered before leaving home the forecast was calling 40% chance of scattered showers for today. 9:00am it was still coming down. Under shelter of a big spruce we cooked breakfast and once waved to some unknown friends that called out “Hey Bunker” as they drove on by. Bren and I had planned to fish the morning up river, then drop back here to pack up camp, then fish our way off the French. I began thinking it was big fish karma that the rain had arrived now. Before long it was 11:00am and the downpour showed no sign of letting up, so we broke camp and made a soggy exit down river. Along the way we passed a number of boats and campers, as we had the day before. Us heading down river now while they were all heading up. Seemed we were either one step ahead in the plan, or they knew something we didn’t. I guessed the rain must be expected to stop if campers were coming out today. Along route there was a spot a friend had “traded” to me in kindness. He told me where he had caught trout a few days earlier, because I had added a couple fishing rods to a LeBaron order for him to buy when they arrived up here. His rods were all recently stolen and he was not happy to have to pay $70 a piece for new Ugly Stiks at the local shop. Told him I could get him two rods for $80. The trade was mint. I had passed by his spot over the years and never stopped. When we arrived there, even with the rains I was quick to find where he had landed, then I followed footprints to where he had likely fished. Bren took a minute to comb the rocks finding a few fossils and a crayfish skeleton. The bottom along the bank felt like a mix of sand and stone with the odd dead weed. Same pink grub, I cast out, retrieved, took three steps down the bank, then did it again. Doing this about a dozen times finally a fish hit. On the surface I saw it was a silvery searun speck and almost instantly I got a boner on. Attempting to land a 15 to 16 inch trout on shore it spit the hook in the shallow sand and flopped back into the river. I ran back to the boat to tell Bren, grab the net and hook a new worm onto the jig. I was praying that I hadn’t just stung the only trout in the pool. Those prayers were heard for a couple casts later I landed an absolutely gorgeous 17 incher. After pics it was the same thing. Another worm, back to the spot, and within a half dozen casts, THWAP & SPLASH, here comes some aerial assault tactics and a whole bunch of “Happy Scrappy.” This super silver fish about a 15 incher. But it wasn’t over yet. I got a pink bucktail onto Bren’s line and together we set off for another. We weren’t two minutes when another speck took my bait. This one I could tell right away had some shoulders as it peeled a little reel before going airborne. Man... I was excited. Once landing this stunning 18 incher I knew this was the best single day casting for searuns I had ever had. Kind of began to understand why some people get that sickness for fishing the chromers. These trout were KA-to-the-ROME YO I had to bonk a couple. Painstaking a little for me to harvest these gems but my three girls love eating trout more than any other fish. They picked that stuffed succulent lemon salsa buttered meat clean and had a fish eaten in three minutes back home. The second fish I made sure I got at least a taste. Cleaning the fish I found mostly yellow stonefly and recently hatched crayfish in their bellies, and a few other odds and crawlies too. That’s May so far. In just the four outings the war canoe has seen over 400 kilometers in the pursuit of fish. Arriving home the forecast remains rainy with the likelihood of a little snow for the next few days, Weather Network totally blew that one. A bummer really, as I still have four off work and had planned a quick repack here at home then a few days camping alone on the Cheepas. Good fishing karma is getting me bad as 7 of my 9 days off for opener look to be rain and snow. But I ain’t complaining, cause the one overnight with Bren where we caught some sun, silver and gold, made up for it all. Bunk.

Wee bit high that water Mike. Looking forward to the summer reports to come.

Should be some tongue in that pic. That'd be nutz YO!!! Congratie on the fattie Nautie

And so it begins..... She caught 'em Jamie, now she just has to hold 'em. lol

Sorry to have missed this one Dave. Ya got an eye with that camera bud and you really take time out on your excursions to take in many little things that much of us don't pay much attention too.

Spring piking is always a fun way to start the season. Great getting the missus involved.

He!! Chris, you were only 7-8 hours away and you didn't even poke your head in for a pint. Some sweet specks in that report and great scenery shots too. Nice report dood.

Looks to me like a wee peice of heaven up there TJ. Nice spring report.

Absolutely fantastic Dave. Getting to share days like that with your dad must be awesome. Have a great summer on the big lake. You'll be seeing Rob for the first few weeks I know that... start thinking of your pranks now. Should be lots of water for you up there this spring and it seems we're a little behind in the usual climate for the season. Looking very forward to the next report. Good luck.

400-500 folks... half of 'em will think it's party time and before you know it the military will need to be called down from here to join yas. Good luck with it all.

Been hectic in this end of the north with all towns along the James Bay coast on flood watch and a number of them being evacuated. There was worry of flooding here on Moose Factory island but when the ice broke on the Moose River April 23rd what water was backed up behind a massive moving ice dam only proved to bark, not bite. Water levels rose about 18-20 feet and parts of the island saw a little flooding but my basement stayed high and dry. Between the 23rd and yesterday the river here pretty much cleared. Fort Albany and Kashechewan I'm sure are making the news as Canadian Military are assisting with the evacuations there. I've seen some pics of Albany and yeah... they're freaking soaked, but at least the ice isn't destroying homes. Attawapiskat and Peawanuck may be next. It's business as usual. If only 400 years ago the fur traders hadn't been so lazy to set up their trading posts just a little further up these immense rivers. Anyway, here's some pics from home. From the ice flows to my chopper ride home from work this morning that shows pics of a clear river. April 24. Around Town. April 25. Commute to work in Moosonee. April 28. Morning commute home from work. This hometown of ours sure doesn't have the greatest aesthetic appeal through much of the year, but when the flood waters come, it's evident that it was built to last since it's first settlement in 1672.

My entire town is on flood watch right now. What were they thinking back in 1603 when they built a Hudson Bay Co. outpost here........ but wait, the town is still here and it floods every year. Strange. Didn't work out for Winisk one year though. Overnight... whole town destroyed and swept to sea. Flood plains man... can't live on 'em and can't live without 'em.

Jughead's point is good too. Afterall, you are only talking of maybe a year or so aren't you. After that I'd say, get Crackin'.

Too many good points here and pretty much all over the board too. I'm 31... but I'll beat ya to 32. You take the trip... you come back in six months, a year maybe, then what. Back to working for someone else, back to the mundane... And in a few years when the next travel bug bites your butt then what? Do it again? Someone said it's only a choice you can make but you wouldn't have posted if you weren't sure. Life can be equally as good or better once you accept what comes with adulthood for most successful people. That being owned responsibility, rewards for your smart life choices, gained securities and earned freedoms. But that's my take, because at 31 if I was contemplating what you are now it would mean that about 11 years ago I failed myself then and long since forgot about that harsh reality. That's me though... you must see it different and I don't know you at all to know if you're overall happy about your present day life. It'd be great if you continued on being a good uncle, found yourself someone to share life with, maybe went back to school or found a job that in the end pays more than enough for you to comfortably take a two week long trip to New Zealand every year for the rest of your life, maybe two more weeks a year in Greece, a week in BC and weekends at the cottage. You'd end up creating much more in life for yourself, and the sailing would likely be a helluva lot smoother. Or instead, continue riding the up and down swells you're currently navigating and hope your internal compass doesn't break down rendering you lost.

Two weeks eh.... One late summer three of us started on the 652 north of Cochrane at Detour Mine and fished and camped our way down to the lakes off of Red Squirrel Road north of Temagami. Truck camping all the way it was a first time I did this and really enjoyed the trip. Didn't have a boat but did have a float tube. Having a boat would have been great as some bigger lakes I didn't venture onto would have been fun to try. The lakes up there are endless and camping is allowed anywhere along the road and lakesides for up to 21 days stay. Pike, trout and walleye fishing are the opps. The bugs by then will be settled down.

Thanks for the concern, Unfortunately since returning from a honeymoon in January I've pretty much lost most mojo to write in the capacity I had the previous winter. Time I set aside for that has been hindered with new work related business I took on this year, and unfortunately the only article I found time to create was a BC sturgeon piece I hope to see headed for somewhere that can use such an article. Magazines don't want Star Wars Kesagamium pike, ninjas and Mats Sundin fantasy fishing articles. It's no fault of EA's at my end... I hope to contribute with them in the future as they're a super bunch, and I do have plans too write more pike and eye shhhtuff once a few sticks I've got to burn take flame.

If I have my way Dave it'll be the North French. Past couple years water levels have been too low by opener so I end up on the Moose and Cheepas. Not so bad either. Looks like I'll have 5 days off so I'll go N. French, then work 5 days (60-hours), then have 6 more off which I'll split Moose/Cheepas and out on the Bay for searun specks. (see Wayne, I'm still thinking trout) Bren's joining me for one trip, but otherwise since other recent plans fell through I haven't filled a seat.

Found this older guy in a search of some reports pre my being here at OFC. Didn't used to blab-on so much with the story telling. These days I am just so ansy to get the boat out and lay chase to spring pike, eyes and brookies on the home waters. This is a good one from days past but not forgotten. That opener was the best weather ever, and the fishing was really only the icing the cake. Enjoy. A REAL WALL"EYE" OPENER. Long winters lead up to huge anticipation in the north of the walleye opener and this year was no different. My buddy John and I were totally pumped to get up the French River for an entire weekend of walleye and pike fishing. The French River I speak of isn't the well known French that dumps into a great lake, it's a much smaller river which instead leads north connecting with the Moose River and ultimately James Bay. The French is true wilderness that goes untouched by most except for when water levels after the ice-break-up allows safe boat travel. It's the kind of river for that for a canoeist could completely kill them when water levels along it's average week long stretch drop, leaving paddlers walking their gear and canoes on trickling river bottoms for miles. I hadn't been up the river in two years since Laker_Taker joined myself and John last. This trip was completely different from that experience, but again, it was just as awe inspiring and worth every lesson, as you'll see. John and I depart town heading south on the Moose River. His 20HP on a 20 foot freighter Nor-West canoe are a perfect match for river travel south. Then we turn and head a little ways up the French. The water changes to more of a tanin blue, not so much a muddy flow. I love the French. It's more closed in and scenic than the Moose. John and I dabbled a little with the rods on the way up to camp. A few early small fish promised better things to come. The day was sunny and hot, and matter of fact, that's exactly how the next three days continued on. John and I after setting up in the cabin. We're about 20 km's or so from home. The cabin belongs to Jimmy, an old man and trapper upon the further reaches of this river. Age, diabetes and near blindness kept him from joining us this year, but, what he taught us on our past trips still sticks. The Outhouse could use a little work. Like maybe some wider walls and a door. Haha... pooper shot. John and I wolfed down some homemade Chili I had made up and froze a few days prior to our trip. Then we hit the river for an evening fish. Without trouble we zipped a few kilometers up river and hit a couple spots. The end result for our short evening was seven fish each. John caught four fallfish and three walleye and I managed one fallfish and six walleye. My pink and chartreuse bucktails did great, but of course they were either tipped with dace or sticklebacks. We had set the trap the night before and managed probably around 15-20 dozen minnows for our trip. Here's Johns 4lb and my 3.5lb best on day 1. Found this beauty in about three feet of water off the back of an island. But John had already done better with this scrapper in the rapids. By the end of the night we were whipped. We retired to the cabin after a beer. Strangely I had trouble sleeping on my three mattresses. Might have been anticipation of what was to come. the next morn we wolfed down some bagels and hamsteaks and were off by 0800. We were really surprised not to have seen hardly any others on the river the day before. We took off up stream. Today was a big day to push about 25kms up river. On the way we had a honey hole or two to visit. More fish caught by 1300 but none kept, we arrived at 1/4 mile rapid. This was the last big obstacle before our destination. John had knocked the skeg and prop a little by this point. Water levels had dropped about 3-4 inches overnight. The rapid was insane. I stood at the front of the boat for over an hour gesturing left or right and picking the best possible routes to navigate our boat safely through rock gardens in little more than 12 inches of water at times. I could swear the motor was skimming along in a foot wide path just made for it. John, who was driving, was astonishing. I was so impressed with his skill, (and maybe some luck) and really, he only just tapped bottom 3 or 4 times while we crawled up river. It was truly one of the most proud team efforts two friends could ever have. Unbelievable. Once we got up top of 1/4 mile, too some surprise, nobody was around. Last time it was a traffic jam two years prior. This year, all ours. To the victors of the river that day went the spoils. We stopped for lunch and fished several hours. Here's some pics. I had never caught a walleye on the fly, on this trip I caught two. Clouser minnow... On the way out back at 1/4 mile rapids, John snapped this pic when the going was a little safer. We just decided to paddle that section of river and save a skeg. Nobody around we stopped again on the way back to the cabin around 1700. Our honey hole was all ours. Lots of people know to fish there but again to our surprise, hardly anyone was on the river. John I caught some fish for supper, and then, while dragging one of my bucktails along bottom, I got a good hit. This big fat marble eye came up to see me and pose for some pics. PPPPPPPPZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWYYYYYYYY Great fish for me. That night we fed ravenously on fried spuds, maple beans, and breaded walleye fillets. Bushed, we hit the hay. Fish count for the day though, John 18 walleye, one fallfish and one pike. Moose, 14 walleye and two pike. Including the 25" 6 1/4 lber. Best lure. A pink paddle tailed 3" white grub. Next day we headed back up river. Overnight the water had dropped several more inches. Speeding away as usual we were met with a hard knock on the motor. First set of rapids, couple more hard dings. The Yamaha was shaking like an epileptic on acid. John got atop the first rapids and changed to his other beaten spare prop. The situation got a little better, but John was bothered. It's a new motor, and having gone through an entire lower end last year myself, I know how each good knock and new problem can dampen the spirits. He even shaved a little off the skeg, but we pushed up river and he nailed like five walleye in about an hour back at the honey hole. For the afternoon we went exploring calm back bays in search of pike. John showed me an amazing looking spot, but at days end it only coughed up four fish. We bumped into a local acquaintance and his wife and kids. Steve (from Peterborough area originally) spoke of how great the fishing used to be on the Moose years back. Said the locals used red devles and 5 of diamonds only for everything. He used to nail big eyes on his own bucktails by the bucketload. Heading home the water levels killed us. The motor took an absolute assault in places 2 days prior we zipped through. Shallow drive was often not shallow enough. We fished a little heading back to the cabin, and I caught a 28 inch pike just after some friends we met on the river had caught and released it. It was cool. Total fish count had John schooling me with eight walleye and a pike to my own three pike. His patience for the slowest of presentations persevered over my quicker tactics; that and his stinger hooks. Back at the cabin I cooked up a big feed of fajitas, while John pounded both props back into shape with a hammer over a tree stump. That night we stayed up to about midnight and drank a bunch under warm, bug-less, full moon skies. We felt like Kings. It’s trips like this one with a good friend, in such an amazing place, that keep people happy in life.

LOL. Send me right to it's lair why don't ya. lol.

Crikey Dan... I've been trying all day to get those out of my head. Anyway, agree with Ben back on the first page when he quoted someone else then added the 30-50lb PowerPro. Been starting to use a baitcaster more, but for 3-4 years primarily been using a Shimano Symetre 4000 and it works great on a 7 foot G-loomis M-H Frontier rod. No signs of tiring yet and I do put alot of time in on pike. Prefer 30lb for casting but like the 50lb on a baitcaster for trolling. Most cases you could get away with even a 2500-3000 reel if you're casting and not getting into too much weed. My biggest soft and hardwater pike came on a 2500 reel. Not even big pike are really big reel peelers but they can test gear and drag so you're likely better with the 4000.

How would you ever get 20-30 posts if you could never reply to a topic.

You always hit 'em CC. Keep the reports coming man.

Recently spent an entire day shopping online at Cabelas, then catalogue shopping at LeB's and the FishingHole. You're right, they have some things I can't find elsewhere and I haven't ordered with them in about 5 years... so this one was a biggy. Same with LeB's. FishinHole lost out this time, they're usually more expensive anyway. With both places sending me goods I can't dang' wait for the mail to hit the trucks, then the train, then the helicopter, then my skidoo to get to my house. lol. Never complain about shipping down south. lol.

What a great morning read Dan. Good show. Nice addition to the family.

Anyone is welcome at my spots. Please pm me and I'll send you right to them. Be prepared to fish above the 51st. Now, your turn to share.