smithy97

Here's my canoe setup. 2.5hp suzuki, 16' square stern sportspal. Great for my wife and I. On solo trips I use a wooden box that sits over the front seat that I built, where I can store tackle boxes, and the portable fish finder. Paddling is ok, not great. The little motor works great, and you don't have to worry about lugging around a battery. Caught my first muskie out of this rig!

Yup muskie lures will empty your pockets. For muskie my max would be about $50 on a trolling bait (a big one), $35 for a topwater, $30 for a bucktail. And those would have to be built to amazing quality for me to drop that cash on them. There are plenty of great quality muskie baits (jakes, believers, big mama's, suicks, tackle industries dominatrix, northmen outdoors cabbage cutters, to name a few) that are under the amount that I'm willing to spend. Those Trofik 5 baits are amazing but I fell over once I heard the price.Thankfully we fish wish such heavy braid that you don't often lose a lure, but it sure does happen still. For bass I don't think I've ever spent more than $15, those Live Target lures right around there are a bit pricey but they sure work and take a beating.

Great catch! Had some luck on PIgeon last week, and one of my lures of choice was a handlebarz double 8. Welcome aboard!

Thanks everyone - especially Hank Jr for all the tips and tricks (now he's a true muskie pro!) Tjames09 - I was on the north end most of the time, the furthest south that I fished was the Blind Channel outlet, and saw one fish there, and then in front of Grenadier Island where I didn't see one. Hope everyone can get out soon and go fishing, for muskie or anything!

I'm trying to figure out how to get my pictures on here and haven't had any luck!

Very nice! I had some luck on Pigeon with double 8's from the Odyssey as well.

Hope you get the boat out soon! I was so excited to be on the water that I was shaking during my first few casts haha

Great report and great pics! Love that rig!

Hey all - I fished Pigeon Lake for Muskie last week. I boated 5, from 37'' to 41'', and saw over a dozen more. 3 were caught casting bucktails, and 2 were caught trolling a jake. Saw lots of follows and lost 2 fish boatside. Wind blown weed edges were the key. Find those and you'll find fish. Go during the week because weekends are CRAZY boat traffic! I was expecting to see some walleye but I didn't see any at all. I know people in camp were seeing and catching them, just not me. Had a great trip and can't wait to try Sturgeon for muskie in October! How have other people done for muskie so far this season (on Kawartha's or any where in the province)? Always Chasin' 50... Pete (smithy97)

My 2005 Silverado Z71 5.3L is still going strong, love that thing! Congrats on the new ride!

I agree on the BWB and Trofik 5 baits- amazing quality and the owners were great guys to talk to. I picked up some Northmen Outdoors big dirtys and cabbage cutters, a Bondy bait, a custom SSpanky double 10, and an Apache triple 9. Will be picking up some trolling baits next Odyssey for sure.

Hey everyone, thanks for all the responses! A lot of great info on here for sure. I'm thinking that I may wait another year before trying the Wolseley area out. I want to gain more experience muskie fishing before I take on such a challenging spot. I will make it up there one day! Sounds like a must see area for sure, for beautiful scenery and quality fish. Thanks again everyone!

Love these things, thanks for the link!

Good points, I'd love to go in Sept but the timing will only work during Oct. Good to know that you've run into some muskies in that stretch!

Thanks bigcreekdad! This is info I was looking for, and I'll welcome more from others as well! I know not to ask which rock or island point hold fish, those answers are earned by putting time on the water and learning myself. I am expecting tough fishing, but looking forward to the hunt and the beautiful scenery!

What a great show it was! I picked up lots of bait and took lots of notes from the seminars. Can't wait for the next one!

Hey everyone - I'm new to these forums. Have enjoyed reading lots of great info over the winter. I'm focusing on muskie fishing this year. Last year I caught my first, a 40'' in the Kawartha Lakes. This year, I'll be going to Pigeon Lake for a week just after opener. Also, I have the first week of October set aside for a muskie trip, and I'm debating going to Totem Pole Lodge on the French. I hear that this is big fish water, and not numbers for sure. I'm ok with that. What I'm really concerned about is that I'd be going by myself. Should I avoid this water without having a lookout man in the front of the boat? Is this a good time to be targeting ski's in that area? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!