Cookslav

If that fish is 12 pounds....

He's got a VERY happy Wife I'd bet (see the size of his fingers???)

LOL!!!

Oh,

 

And I found a Uni-knot to be the knot of choice...tried a few but I liked the uni the best.

I had the same issue with plastics last year dealing with some pike

This year I made my own Flouro leaders tied directly to a hook with a bullet weight in place.

 

Works like a charm.

One tip...

After tieing the knots you'll need to imerse the Leader in hot water and strech it out nice and strait again.

They can be a bit coiled, but come strait very easily.

 

Good luck

Some real beauties there!

I as well look forward to your "flipping" reports.

That water looks fun to cast fer sure.

Thanks for sharing

Yup....

You successfully confused me

No idea what this is all about.

Well done!

 

What a great way to capture such a good trip.

And as Nemo said....That was a close call with your rod LOL

Great report,

 

And some fantastic results I might add.

Those are some very impressive pike.

Pretty chunky for this early in the season eh?

Looks like it was bit chili out there LOL(toque and all)

Crazy weather...hot then cold now its getting hot, and back to the cold spell by the end of the week....

Nice to see you got into a few, I have one more week before I get some R&R, and hopefully I'll run into a few bass myself.

 

Cheers,

OMG

 

Lucky man....lol

Some people might make fun of the Sens And thats........ok

 

Dam right I want Ottawa to loose!

They are a rival team...whats wrong with that?

Any Leaf fan Cheering the Sens on might as well change their Handle to Pancake or waffle.

 

Why Would I cheer for my Buddies team and hope he gets braggin rights for the next year?

Thats like cheering for a headache....

 

Am I jealous my team isn't there?....you bet, but who isnt'?

Sorry but I think cheering for the 19 Canadain boys on The ducks is better then cheering for 1 Alfredson and 14 Canadians on the Sens...because I don't like The way he plays "THAT MUCH"

And really...it's ALFREDSON?

Need I say more?

 

I guess thats the great thing about Sports...I can say that and there ain't nuthin wrong with it.

Some Sour Grapes up there in tax country me thinks....

And I'm lovin every minute of it

 

PS

I'm a Leaf fan that wishes Sundin would go to the Sens

Can't do it...I can't cheer the Sens

Its like cheering for your taxes...LOL

 

Can't stand Alfedson, And I thnk its absolutly & fundimentaly wrong to cheer for a rival team just cause My team is out.

Besides "WHEN" the Ducks win....

The Cup will spend more time in Canada anyway(more Canadian Players)

 

Is it unpatriotic to Cheer for Canadian players rather then Canadian Teams?...Not when its Ottawa IMO

Welcome aboard,

 

Lots of spots round K-town with in 30minutes drive...just need to do a little leg work.

Looks like a great time,

 

I've stayed there at the Marina before and its a very beautifull area for sure plus there are some real bruisers to be had.

But fishing can be hot and cold...looks like you hit it just right.

 

That big Pike would be a blast in the Kayak for sure!!!

 

Cheer,

Nice job!

 

Thats a beauty pickeral for sure, and welcome surprise any day I'm sure.

Not that my words will help much...

My sincerest condolences to you and your Family.

I enjoyed His posts and your brotherly exchanges.

 

Cancer is an awful desiese and has tolen to many loved ones....

I'll keep you and yours in my Prayers.

Single hooked & barbless spinners

Wow...great start to the season bud!

If the rest of your season carries on like that your in for a heck year!

Thanks for shareing.

Try here,

 

http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/

 

or call Canoeing the Grand to see if they are liquidating any of last years canoes.

good luck,

Hey guys,

Sorry for the late Response, but I've been swamped at work...catching up from the trip LOL

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Badger,

I just use maps purchased from the Park...they are very acurate and easy to use.

No issues with wild life "yet"....

However...we did startle a bear on our way through a portage.

Right at the begining we just heard something take off through the bush(didn't see it)

But the Shore line was riddled with tracks, and over turned rocks....looking for grubs I assume?

 

Charlied,

That was my 6th time back to the same area...

I found it with a freind and have been going back every year since.

but I've been through many other areas of the park in the past as well.

This is actualy a fairly easy jaunt suitable for an 11 year old, and some older (Mobility challenged)

Men LOL...

But there are great trip routes, and canoe route maps you can purchase through the Park for trip planning.

I have an older slightly less acurate downloadeable PDF map if your interested in it just PM me.

 

You know Irish?...I didn't recall see rusty this year, guess I might need to widdle him next year LOL...

 

Nemo,

Your right it was the same spot...I'm trying to talk the group into going a bit further in next year to another lake thats "rumored" to be good, but we'll see(the guys are pretty attached to the area)

Good luck with your trip in!

 

Motorhead,

Nemo is bang on....Steelback is distibuted in a plastic bottle

 

 

Big swede,

Anytime yuou want a reunion tour I'm in...I can put us on fish if your willing to go for a hike, but no promises on the moss.

Cheers

I got out on my annual Algonquin Fishing trip Last week, and I finally had a chance to get this little Report done up!!!

Better late then never I s‘pose?….

After a quick 4.5 hour drive we were on the shore with some beautiful weather infront of us.

This years weather proved to be a both a blessing and a curse.

We set sail into the south of the park under clear blue skies, and a cool north west wind….perfect conditions as far as I was concerned!

The cool wind was at our backs the entire way keeping us from breaking a sweat and making the paddle a breeze(no pun intended)

 

We made it to our camping destination in a record 6 hours… a sweet little island with a flat & level site that I’ve stayed at several times before, only this year we were surprised to find some new(and welcome) benches and a camp tables!

 

It must have been a rough winter up that way?…

There were some significant blow downs, making fire wood an easy find, although it made for a few messy portages…

 

We made camp in a haste, collected our firewood, and pumped ourselves enough water to get through a day or two, grabbed quick dinner of Spiced curry noodles, and tuna steak….gotta love those light weight liptons dinners eh!!!

Quick & easy enough to get us off for bit of fishing before dark.

 

One of the Highlights of the trip came this evening…

My cousins 11 year old son caught his first fish….a scrappy little 17 inch Laker.

I got a kick out of his boyish enthusiasm, and enjoyed letting him gloat for a night being it was the first fish, and Unfortunately the only one that night.

 

Day two we awoke to a little frost but it was quickly warmed away with some balmy 18 degree sunshine and some of that stale but every so needed Camp coffee

The High Sun meant the Specs would be hiding in the fallen lumber…

And I don’t know about the rest of you but….

Algonquin specs in high sun and hiding under the wood have always been a chore for me???

So I made the decision to head out to nearby lake with a healthy population of Splake that gave up some tasty treats on last years trip.

I remembered those fish were taken on Perch pattern Rapalas, and their bellies were full of small perch upon inspection so I decided to tip the group off in hopes lightning might strike twice….it turned out to be a good tip

 

After a series of 2 short Portages(just over 500yards)

We hit the water….slight breeze, and tea colour water with a ton of fallen trees on the shore line to work.

 

About 2 hours into casting some of us switched up to paddle trolling the lake to cover some of the shoals.

My cousin and his partner headed out and worked a point in about 20’ of water that they had noticed earlier….On the second pass of that shoal the first fish was on and landed…a beauty 20” Splake on a perch colour Rapala.

A half hour later on the same shoal his Partner had a second 20” Splake for the stinger as well.

Luv this pic….cool look to it!

 

The same two drifted into the shallow bay to have quick beverage break and enjoy their success.

Before they headed back out to the productive Shoal My cousin decided to throw a cast at a big rock just under the surface he had a hunch about….wouldn‘t you know it?

He nailed another beautiful 22” Splake!!!

 

Across the party we had a few hits, and lost 2 at boat side, .but that was it for the day.. Two fast and furious hours, and then it just died, so we headed back to camp with a decent stringer for dinner, and some aching backs from the 7 hours of canoeing and double portages.

Us city slickers are not used to that work I guess LOL…

 

We had ourselves a great fry with some garlic Fish crisp and lemon Juice, and some good ‘OL fashion Tin Foil wrapped Splake with onions & Lemon pepper…mmmmm

 

 

Day Three we awoke to another beautiful sunny morning, and that same bad coffee…

But under the blue skies and high teen Temps the coffee tasted fine to meJ

So….

It was Another Awesome day for Sun tanning, but I knew it meant another day the Specs would be Hiding in those submerged trees

So we went to work early tossing tiny Blue fox, mepps, Panther martins, Rapalas, and a few of us got the flies going to no avail…

For fear of going fishless we switched up in search of lakers dragging out our rusty Cleos, Wabblers, and old faithful Rapalas.

This brought a new first experience for me…

Just before the dinner hour I was in the final 3 turns of my reel and I had a nice fat laker fly up from under the canoe and hit my black & silver shad rap at the “SURFACE” Only about 2 feet off the canoe???

Weird…..

Unfortunately I had no leverage to set the hook, and of course as soon as I did, she went bizzirk at the surface completely soaking me & my brother before spitting the hook and swimming away LOL!!!

Had she dove I might have had enough line out to leverage a good hook set but….

It was not meant to be

To bad cause I figure she would have been a solid 25+ inches I figure???

Oh well,

Luckily My Pops got a smaller feisty 19” laker just after dinner as did my youngest Brother off a point in 20’ of water on the old faithful Perch Rap…So the Groups Skunk was averted!!!

So about an hour after sunset it was Back to camp for some much needed liquid courage, and a chance to swap some “fisherman” stories about the ones that got away.

 

 

Day four was rough…

A little to much liquid courage…but the skies were grey!!!!

I jumped out of bed, drank my crappy instant coffee, and headed for "the marina"….

Unfortunately our grey skies didn’t last past 8am, and to make matters worse the winds picked up and were gusting to 40km/hour….

Not ideal for fishing in a canoe at allL

 

So we fished for Specs till 1pm and made the decision to head back to the Splake lake we did so well on before, as it was a smaller lake with more cover from the wind.

My Dad, Uncle, and 2 brothers stayed behind looking for some of the lakes larger Lake trout while the rest of us headed out.

Our luck today was not great….we went 1 for 5

The splake were sitting deeper today and were hitting light as a feather…but My Cousin managed to hang on to another 23” beauty (if there was a trophy for this trip it would have been his this year.)

 

So we headed home for dinner…on the way we found this cow wading in a silty pond between portages…sorry bout the Pic, but we couldn’t get any closer.

 

Once back at camp we found out my My Uncle got a nice 20” Laker…I was glad to see their efforts in the raging winds paid off, but I was beginning to fear I may be in for a personal skunk

So I headed out after dinner for a last ditch effort and was rewarded just as the sun was setting with a feisty 20” laker, which again hit right at the dam boat????

Fortunately the hooks stuck this time….she was no trophy, but a welcome catch non the lessJ

Back at camp we had a final Splake fry to put us to bed , and get us some much needed energy to get us home the next morning.

 

Once again The Gods were smiling on us again for our trip home…winds were coming steadily out of the south East!!!

And stayed at our backs for the entire trip out making for en appreciated easy return.

 

Over all the trip was great!!!

The fishing sounds good but was actually pretty tough….

10 fish caught between 10 guys, fishing for 10 hours a day for 5 days…..

But I can’t complain.

The company was stellar, the weather made fishing tough but it was dry, warm and great for the Tan

 

To summarize.

 

All ten fish were caught on Perch colour Raps, in 20’ of water on rocky shoals and points like this one

Nest year when this tree falls in....I hope to pull a few specs outta there

 

Currently I'd say...

The Specs are still lip locked and skittish, while lakers and Splake seem to be cruising deeper then expected?

Of the fish kept they had nothing in their bellies other then Perch, and nymphs….

Water was COLD….very cold

There was still Ice hanging off the granite in places.

 

BTW

If you find this small Hand carved Giraff staring you down as you walk into your camp...you've found My site!!!!

 

And heres my brother giving the thumbs up saying the camps clean...so don't forget to practice zero trace camping

If we can clean up the site for the next guys, hopefully they'll do the same and I'll find it the same next year as well.

Not much else to say…I think that’s about it LOL!!!

heres a few more pics

 

 

 

Cheers

Based on the Arc of the fishes back I'd say the anglers left hand would be holding the monster by the head....except his left shoulder does not seem high enough to be doing so.

 

I could be completely wrong but...if I was to field a guess I say its a hoax.

Nice job bud,

 

Team 8 thanks you

LOL...

 

How was the fight?

Did she pull any line?

 

Nice of you to untangle the bird, there are many who would have just cut the line and re-rigged.

Good on you.

you need to spend money to make money. They don't have the resources.

 

Agreed....

Hopefully someday that changes, and they have the opportunity to make the changes.