CrowMan

Cast and blast...a perfect autumn day !

Try the Oakville branch of Winmar.. I know that they're looking for people with your skill set for property restoration.

Actually I was fishing in FMZ 20...catch & release for Bass from Jan 1 to May 10. If it wasn't C&R only, I'd post some photos of some absolutely monster Smallies. 5 for 25 is a regular occurrence in the spring. This past weekend was off the charts.. The east end of FMZ 20 has a combination of probably one of the top 5 Smallmouth fisheries on the planet, along with the best Lake Trout fishing south of Nipigon. Oh...and I forgot, also one of the best trophy Walleye fisheries in the world...and while I'm thinking about it, one of the primo Steelhead rivers in the Great Lakes, just across the border..

Excuse me...what out of season fish ?

Beautiful animals. What part of the Province do you have your trail cam located ?

It's definitely a beautiful lake and a real feel of wilderness. Yeah, in 25 years I'm sure the fishing has changed...one way or another. Besides back then, we often didn't know what we were doing anyway...lol I do remember getting pan-size Walleye on the numerous sandbars in the lake...12 to 20 fow...standard jig with soft plastics . I don't believe they allowed live minnows.

Yep...find bait, and you'll find Trout. Early season Lakers can be all over the place in the water column. Last spring, on a particularly warm early May day, my buddy and I were targeting pre-spawn Bass. We marked and were catching some big Smallies that were corraling baitfish along rock ledges in 15 fow. I had on a Spybait that resembled the minnows the Bass were coughing up. I'm doing that slow and steady Spybait retrieve...when wham...something much bigger hits it. I felt a little under-gunned with a med-lite spinning rod and 6lb FC, but we got this Laker in the net. You just never know. As the old adage says..."find forage, find fish"

I was there about 25 years ago. It was getting a lot of press at the time as one of the best "drive to" Lake Trout lakes in Quebec. Frankly, we found the fishing average at best. We were there in June... we did get a few Lakers (nothing big), and the typical 30" Pike and eater Walleye that you would find anywhere in that part of Quebec...but nothing special. Even in June, the Trout were still relatively shallow...most of them we caught with Walleye jigs in about 30 fow on mid-lake humps. The Pike were really shallow in the back bays. We dealt with a cold front most of the week (so that didn'thelp the fishing), and I remember the bugs being particularly nasty. We may have just been there at the wrong time, and certainly the fishery could have changed (hopefully for the better). The lake and scenery were quite beautiful, and it was the only lodge on the lake...it was managed as a ZEC. It was a long drive in on washboard logging road, however one of the highlights was the several bears we saw crossing it. At the end of the day, the group I was with had no intentions of returning another year, and we moved on to different places. I don't mean to discourage you, it was a while back...lots of things can change. Let me know how you make out...I'd be interested to know.

The west pier is open to fishing. Frankly, it's been a few years since I've seen any Browns caught there with any regularity...may be one or two still around, but since the OMNR stopped stocking them, it's not like it used to be. More likely to catch an Atlantic there these days (not that they're common either). It's still pretty good for Steelhead, but most of the run passed through a couple of weeks ago...they're for the most part all up the creek spawning or getting ready to. With the new early season C&R season for Bass, they may be your best bet. They should start stacking up in the harbour soon. You have until May 10th. Always a few regulars there, regardless. Best of luck if you go.

Looks like a great trip. Congrats on the PB ! I assume thats the Chickahominy. A buddy I did business with down there lived in Jamestown. A few years back he took me out Striper fishing on the James...had an awesome day. Curious, what were the water temps ?

I saw this ad...not sure how up to date it is

BTW, if you really want to take your trolling presentation to the next level...run your deep diver cranks or leadcore (or snap weights) off in-line planer boards.

The issues with tying on in-line weights like you describe are two-fold...a. since you're limited to tying them on no more than 6 to 7 ft in front of the lure, it impedes the rise/fall action...b. it's not very stealthy. Get some snap weight clips/releases for those torpedo weights . You let out your lure with about 50 ft of line, then clip on the weight and let out another 100 to 200 ft. When you reel in, simply remove the weight once it's within arms reach, and continue reeling in (or fighting the fish). https://www.sail.ca/en/off-shore-snap-weight-clip-429894-2837000001 I like Seaguar or Sunline fluorocarbon....10 to 12lb for this application. "Purple Rain" is usually the first colour I tie on with the Hyper Rattle. Use a very small snap (but no swivel) for maximum action. "holy cow, is it expensive" Hmm...$12.99...I see you haven't purchased many Musky baits...Lol

Yes, with deep divers no additional weight. I prefer running braid mainline with a 15 to 20 ft long 10lb FC leader. With shallow running body-baits like the J-11, I'll have maybe 150 ft of braid out, which is tied to 2 to 3 colours of leadcore, then 50 ft of FC leader to the lure. You can also use snap weights 50 ft or so in front of the lure instead of the leadcore. It's all about getting that rise/fall action...I don't like any weight too close to the front of the lure. I like my lures to be somewhere in that 15 to 35 ft zone in early spring... it's just a program I have confidence in..

Here's a video on fishing the Hyper Rattle...yes, it's a great Walleye bait too..

Ice out Lakers on smaller lakes can be found all over the place...since they're not restricted by water temp at that time of year. Much easier to locate them in summer once the thermocline sets up. Fishing for them in early spring really depends on finding bait. Assuming surface temps are in the low 50's F or lower...if the main forage in the lake is Ciscos (fall spawners), Lakers tend to stay deeper...25 to 40 fow. If Shiners (spring spawners) are the primary food source, then the Trout will be shallower (15 to 30 fow). Keep in mind, that Lakers never really like to go too shallow...they feel most comfortable with some water on top of them. I usually like to start with trolling diving cranks like Tail Dancers, DD Husky Jerks, Bandits...since most Trout lakes have clear water, I like natural colours like silver/blue/green/purple. It's search mode fishing...covering as much water as possible, making S turns from shallow to deep...floating cranks (as opposed to spoons) have that nice rise and fall that covers more of the water column and triggers bites. Keep the speed around the 2mph mark. Once I find fish, I mark them and often cast or vertically fish soft plastic swimbaits or tubes...same colours as above, but pearl is also often a go to. However, a bait that really works well once you're on top of them is a jigging Rapala or an Acme Hyper Rattle (killer lure). Like you, I find them a lot more fun on light tackle, however I usually have one rod rigged up with just 2 or 3 colours of leadcore and then a 50ft FluoroCarbon leader...I usually fish this with a J-11 Rapala silver/ blue...a personal favorite. Save the downriggers for June and beyond. The other bonus of fishing inland lakes is that the Trout from them are great on the smoker...greasers from Lake O, not so much. Best of luck !

Very nice ! Sounds like you're going to fry 'em up. Don't know if you've tried "Poor Man's Lobster" with them...cut into finger-sized chunks, poach in 4 parts lightly salted water to 1 part dry white wine, at a bare simmer until just cooked through...serve with melted butter and lemon for dipping. Yum... We get some big brutes in my lake down in SE Ontario...

Wow very nice ! Beautiful rod and that reel is top shelf ! Lucky girl to have a Dad like you...

Haven't been in a while either, but Restoule is a bit of an under the radar Musky gem...that whole chain including Storm and Commanda had good fishing

Further to this subject... Doug Ford promised the creation of a new Provincial Park (the first in 40 years) in the 2023 Ontario Budget. Anyone know where it's located ?

I have no problem with the gov't managing the resource through seasons, limits, slot sizes, sanctuary zones, number of rods/hooks, barbless, artificials only, etc...but restricting the way in which I can "find" fish...well, that's over the line for me. Regardless, trying to prohibit technology never works.

Take a look at Kabinakagami Lake. Large lake...over 25 miles long with 100's of islands...with the best fishing in the Algoma region that I've experienced. No shortage of eater Walleye, with the occasional 28"+, and plenty of pike in the 30 to 40" range. There are a couple of outfitters that have places on the lake, however the lake is so big that you always feel that you have it to yourself. We flew out of White River with Agich's, but I believe Watson's flies there out of Wawa. Anyway, White River and Wawa are only an hour apart on hwy 17.

"Guess we'll see an uptick of Loomis rods, Shimano reels" The Loomis NRX+ rod he was fishing with is available at Peterborough Tackle for $909.99 plus hst. You can pair it with his Shimano Stella reel for $899.99 plus hst. Shockingly, they still have stock...lol I get it that these are "halo" models that drive sales further down the product range...but personally, for that money I'd take 3 Expride/Vanford set-ups. ps...I'm still waiting on stock for a Expride 72MLB ☹️

It's amazing what you'll see out on Lake O. Back in the late 80's during the heyday of the Salmon Derby, we were fishing out of Port Credit in 250 fow or so...probably about 7 miles out from port. It was a lumpy day with 4 to 5 ft swells..to the point that you couldn't see the horizon when in a trough between waves. We quarter into a big swell, and as we crest over the top, on the other side we almost run over 2 guys in a Sportspal canoe with 2 homemade hand-crank riggers made out of clothes-line reels...they were paddling, the thing didn't even have a motor on it...just crazy..