Moosebunk

It's a miserable weekend Rick and people likely feel the same. lol This is a favorite site of mine to check in on and probably always will be. There's a quality bunch here that participates or at the very least is regularly present. From Facebook too, for friends and family outside of fishing for years I have linked people to here and now some have even signed on. I'll always be around too. But the participation levels on basically all the forums I know have dwindled over the years. The quick "like" elsewhere is easier than offering the efforts needed here, especially with reporting. And it's that same constant quick feed elsewhere that I fear has depreciated efforts in making big, or quality, or even regular reports online. Brian is about the only member here who puts in the constant effort like that which many people seemed to once do. On a personal note, having to format/edit the same text to suit different sites (as I have always belonged to several public and private sites) has long become annoying. Some reports have taken up to 45 minutes to post and repost on just three sites as the copy and paste just doesn't fully cut it. All this comes after the initial labor of love in writing the thing. I can imagine there have been some others who find this tedious as well. For me, it is about to get worse too, unless I change things. Have found overall that many here are accepting, supportive and decent. A decade of my drivel and some of the same still show kindness and thanks every time. The place sorely misses the presence and posts of much of it's moderators and long time members though. The occasional name calling comes my way too and surely there's guys who roll their eyes each time I post, but for the most part this board has always administered a healthy dose of brotherly angler love from whomever is aboard the ship. Don't let the hits and posts beatchya down though Rickman! Although you put in the solid effort to entertain, are proud of your catches or maybe need a "pick me up" post to lick your sickness today, sometimes folks just ain't willing to join the game or they aren't even around. For the record, I liked your pics dood!

SAIL has Judds (usually) and Spros! 1/8 to 3/4oz sizes.

Whoa! Just hit the breakfast buffet of pics! Nice Rick. Feel better dood.

Great collection Joey! Solid season. Time spent for brookies and other back lake gems is something many should do more often. Have a feeling that most of those fish were headed for the pan too. lol Well done.

I think the fish will look at for about a second, then swallow it whole!

Some Corona went up nose. Cool picture. Yes, a rare chance.

That catalogue of theirs (and to a lesser degree Cabelas) was pretty well the only fishing shopping I did for 10 years at each tax return. Still shop at the store in Ottawa more than anywhere as, their prices are almost always better. Agree with ya too Raf, the terminal tackle, line and even most lures really, were cheaper to buy there. Down the road from me 25 minutes now is the new Cabelas here in Ottawa. Le Barons is about 40-45 minutes if traffic is good, SAIL maybe 50 minutes but that's crossing the city only outside of rush hours. For the Ottawa crowd, Le Baron's was the bigger store closest to west end and SAIL in the east once it opened. The fishing/hunting crowd in the west end and Ottawa valley, now that Cabelas has opened, likely won't waste the extra 1/2+ hour time and gas just to save a buck or two on small things.., Surely over the years in Toronto they've suffered too with BPS, Cabelas and SAIL all opening. Same kinda thing in Montreal. Like the store, service has been good and bad over the years but with me, the fellas have always been friendly there. Sucks they're "restructuring" to probably closed doors.

Work and play this summer have surely kept me living. End of June and the school year, had returned from Nipigon after a short stint guiding for Onaman River Resort and the New Fly Fisher. BIG, BIG, BIG, pike over and over again with some great speck fishing too. Speckie episode should air sometime in February. School out, the following four weeks was spent at home with the girls, yet with a little local work thrown in. Don't do well with mid summer heat so fishing took a back seat to household chores and family time, yet the Missus took two weeks away for family and work of her own in the busy and battered community of Attawapiskat. Once she returned home I departed to Nunavut for a month of work and some fishing in the small, remote community of Kugaaruk. Both the job and the arctic char fishing were tough, but in the end quite exceptional and extremely rewarding. Combining my profession with passion to this extent was a first. Felt great! Home a couple weeks for down time before school was to start I plied the local waters a little for lakers and muskie. Returning to old and visiting brand new as well, made for success. Once the bell rang though, I snuck away with a good friend for a week in the north to get in a little camping and some pretty fish. Reports falling behind now, family has me for a few weeks before planning to head off to the Sunshine State for six days of some entirely new fishing. When able, fall muskies, smallies and maybe some walleye will grace the gunnels before mid November likely has me call it a season. Reports will come... And so yeah, not dead! Not dead at all. Very much alive and enjoying each day every which way I can. Best of luck for the fall fishing season. Bunk.

It isn't April Fools so the man, the myth, the OFC legend must be telling a true tale. Like others have said, Lew, if Ottawa way you can take a seat in my boat anytime you like. Enjoy the next passions in life.

Haven't been around much... not here, not there, just waaaay the heck up north and kicking around my Facebook when I get the chance. Just passing through Edmonton this morning on the way home after spending the past five weeks in Kugaaruk Nunavut. A report will come in time, as this work & play trip surely had all the ingredients of something tasty. To spend a month there this summer after being there six weeks over the winter creates an appreciation and deep experience of the Arctic life. Kugaaruk is the furthest community to reach in the Kitikmeot region and it's people are wonderfully friendly, with traditions still very woven into the fabric of daily life. So many are friendly to me... The photo going up on CBC Nunavut's page had many people in the community stopping by at work or on the street to ask questions. Other than some "elders," most from the town had never seen char like the one's I found, this is noted too in some of the comments on the CBC post. Homework really paid off but more so did pushing myself to find, figure out, and catch these fish. Had lost nearly 15 pounds during the month after putting in 210 work hours, 300 on-call hours and stealing whatever time was left to take 7 full days and 7 after work evenings to get out and fish. Coming home now I can't quite explain how the time in Kugaaruk has affected me. Will say, exhausted but rejuvenated, and so fortunate work and life choices allow for these types of opportunities. Lots of pics and details to come. Thanks for posting Rick.

Thanks for that write up. Always enjoying reading people's experiences from the ole stomping grounds. Of the big rivers emptying into James I've been lucky enough to fish and see most, but never the Albany. It interests more for it's specks more than anything... and to some degree it's exceptional walleye fishing. Seems you got a great taste of it.

I know new Docs working 5-6 days a week between both clinics & hospitals combined, making upwards of $500,000 a year... And some Physicians pulling the same amount of time in remote communities on contract for X number of years have been said to be earning close to a mil a year. Some examples of pay... $160-180/hr in rural ER. $1200/day on-call or working in a northern office. Many Physicians nowadays in general practice are part of Healthcare teams with other Docs and services sharing the rent and resources. They still earn incredible money with that, and for a 9-5 M-W-F office job in reality. And then there's the extras earned through other days/hours spent working in hospitals or within other practices nearby. Any Physician tells you they're underpaid, it would only be because they're doing something wrong. In my time beyond 2000 noting what's been happening in the north, I have seen their annual incomes rise from $180,000-220,000 to $380,000-500,000.. and in some regions again, it can reach closer to a mil. In that same amount of time, I think nurses have taken about an 9 - 11% raise, have been cutback and cutback, and working in what is fast becoming one of if not the most under-man-powered, most governed and heavy work-loaded degree educated professions. And the NP's... talk about getting the shaft even more. The Physician's Union sure is a strong one it seems.

Crushed 'em Jacques... and Paul. Nice!

Agreed. lol

You got talent Ryan. Best of luck with everything.

Carrying a canoe tires me out. Reading about someone carrying a canoe tires me out too. lol Adventure that leads to specks.. you'll go back to find more.

Mere walls are no match for a hungry, determined, super strong bear.

Nice to see Rick. Quite an adventure, long haul out there but seeing a piece of Seul would be worth the go. Great pics too. Thanks for posting this up dood! Enjoyed.

In the Ottawa Valley a few places I'll often hit up... The Lanark Landing in Lanark. Penny's Pit Stop in Perth. The Gourmet in Carleton Place. Usually get breakfasts there but all serve good food any time of day.

Appreciate that PS! Thanks. It's a practice well enjoyed. In pike years? You'd still be a dinosaur. What Joey said below is how we often roll too. Especially with 3 guys. But like you pics, would rather cast to 'em when able.

Would love to see more of these kinds of reports here at OFC. Your excitement overflows right out of this one. Have flown with Hearst Air a couple of times in the past up to Pym and you're right, Mel, Mike, Georges and the gang are fantastic. Need to go see them again really... For best pike opps shoot for Pym or Napken next time... although you'd maybe need a larger group to book? Well done James! Thanks for this great write up.

Both you old farts... still ROCK! I hear you Chris... and Doug. May have something up both your alleys for a future group trip. Everything but the fish will go easy on yas. lol. And yes Chris, you could use a new experience off that lake time permitting.

Hard to say what's going on there Chris... Still owe that lake for so many trophy pike over the past decade I'd be hard pressed to find a negative thing to say about it. It is without a doubt a lake that breeds slobs and up until recently the feeling was that the lake fishing is only getting better. From personal experience I know that our last time there Bren and I had to fish quite hard for 7 days to catch 5 fish over 40-inches. As you know, weather can CRUSH you there and that last week in July we saw everything from only a little sun to a little snow. Trip prior to that four guys struggled to catch trophies with I think only 4 over the 40 mark. Trip prior to that with the perfect weather we managed 17 or 19 over 40 inches. One thing to be said is that giants still do exist in there but that the lake can be so stingy at times. Recently fishing with another fella who loves Kesagami, he expressed that in a week he managed one over 40. While fishing about 10 hours with me on Nipigon I think between he and I we managed about 18 to 20 over 40" The biggest difference maker is pressure, no question. And with Kesagami that's why (after you got me onto thinking about it and made me the connection) going to Partridge after the main lodge closes is IMO the best option to increase the odds for big pike by eliminating the immediate pressure. (now that Cochrane Air doesn't allow this, I'll likely never go back) Our first year there, between two boats, the guys may have thought I was bossy on this but, I urged and all followed, that we enter some bays only at prime time, only one boat in the bay, and knowing they'd be hot bays we would take turns each evening. Forties were caught everyday, and even night one I told Carl and Mike to go into such and such bay between 430-630 and fish certain cabbage and low and behold they came back with smiles as they both got PB's, one of them at 46.5". We duplicated this on the trip in the days ahead and trusted the plan. The next time back two guys didn't want to go this plan and we suffered for it. I don't think they got any fish over 40.... maybe one. When you stay at the lodge I predict any one boat in any one area before you, will put the fish down. Think about how voracious pike are, they kill anything... but only to a point after being hooked so many times. Here's what happened in a micro scenario on Nipigon. Fresh fish were found in a small bay and left untouched. The boat went through that area regularly and stormy weather came and went as well. Couple days later we began fishing the spot for about 4 hours. All the big 40+" pike were on, aggressively hitting the lures before smaller fish. They tripped over themselves to eat. I'd bet they hadn't seen a lure, ever. The following day, more big pike smashed lures but we started to get more mid to high 30's in the mix. The next day we plucked three or four over 40" but many more 30's were caught. By night four I had a 40+ follow my fly and not take. Being that it was sight fishing, when my lure or fly hit the water, many smaller fish were now hitting but some of those 30's and 40's I watched them actually spook and dart right out of the area when the boat came close or the lure splashed over top of them. Moving out off the spot into deeper water I may have stumbled upon more of those bigger fish out sulking but I ran out of time to make too many casts..... This same sort of scenario has played out with gar, bass and muskie as well. Pressured fish made wise to anglers, we know it happens all the time. With gar and pike at least I have come around again after a period of several days to weeks and been able to find those fish back to normal again... Break individual fishing spots down at Kesagami and consider the daily pressure when the lodge is in full swing. Even if you're there a quiet week, who knows if the camp had a bunch of pros in the week before who quietly pounded fish, or maybe some knuckleheads ran the Indy500 daily in some bay? Huge area, little water... for as big as Kesagami is, it isn't. Not when say, six boats roll in and out of Small Bay in a day, or the same in North, Edgar or wherever. Our last trip was on the heels of the lodge closing and only one forty came out of a bay... the other four (and bigger) were outside off the points and well out of the bay. Trip prior to that was similar... prior to that it was magical weather and it didn't matter. Earlier season too, the fish are plenty more comfortable to be scattered and shallow. Go later, when the cooling begins and the shallow veg starts to die off and watch those fish concentrate more to the deeper parts of the bays, to places of greener veg not yet withering, and many pike wanting to put on the fall feedbag while being out deeper and less affected by angling pressure. Lastly... shiznit happens! Other great fisheries visited have turned off and on for different reasons over the years as well. A great trip doesn't mean a second greater trip will follow. It's fishing,,, and oftentimes we have little control over the outcomes.

Drennan under 10lbs... Pretty well anything but Vanish over 10lbs.

Thanks guys. Chris... the Kesagami weather beat ya down or did you hook up with some big pike? And, did ya try trolling by Shappiros? I was amazed at how many big pike tripped over themselves to get at Bill's fly. Just sick! Giant pike everywhere in one tiny space unlike anything I've seen. Gin clear water too for so much sight fishing.