Moosebunk

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.

I like my Shimano Clarus. It's about that price. I like better my Gary Roach sig. series Berkeley Lightning Rod. They're cheaper nowadays too.

Great show Mike. Some super bows in that report. Looks like a road trip may be in the future. That's not the camera you usually use is it???

What if it blows over again... Free or 50% off. Mother nature can rip anything apart, you can't be held fully accountable everytime you build a structure that gets devestated by things beyond your control, or weather totally beyond normal-bad weather. But yet only you know the job you did first time around, so your conscience should dictate your next action.

Like Honda's and Johnson. Biased, sure. For use up here I've seen too many soft lower ends break easy on the Yamahas. Mercs no experience. Talking smaller HP motors here.

Sadly a few friends missed out on the opp to take that business over. Never met Ron but from what I've heard he was how you've described him. Any Kesagami access is good Kesagami access. Must be hard for him to have to sell and give up that life. Thanks for the update Chris.

That PB will be tough to beat Doug. Nice report.

I'd rather drink beer than... well... anything really. The Moosonee LCBO has it's limitations... here they are, Canadian, Bud, Blue, Rickards, Sleeman, Kokanee, Keiths, Molson Dry, EX, Corona, Killkenny and Moosehead. Think I got them all. Sooooo, they get drank pretty much in this order... Moosehead, Sleeman or Molson Dry, Blue (cans), Corona and Rickards. Like JW. Dundees Honey Brown, Connors (on tap), Carlsberg too.

Well Bly, I see you moved up from Hobbits and are now fishing with Ogres. Nice day out you two.

Fantastic man. What a great job for your efforts.