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When you get your chart PM me. I can go over it w/ you and mark some great spots as that is the general area I have fished for yrs....

Pickeral: Have fished that general area (but not necessarily the French) for over 30 years now. If you can get a copy of Chart No 2204 (Key Harbour To French River/Canadian Hydrographic Service) it would be an enormous help to you. If you follow the bouy markers from The Key to The French, you'll eventually meander around Obstacle Island--It's near the "French River/Eastern Outlet" on the chart. The entire area around that Island, and the adjacent bays/coves, hold a lot of big pike and muskie. As you near that area en route to The French (just west of Dock Island), you'll see a nice cabin, where you will eventually make a hard right to follow the channel markers. The area near the cabin, as well as the small bay behind it, is a great pike/musky area. So is the general area from the cabin to past Obstacle on your way to the French. Might be worth a troll on your way over to or return from the French. It is also somewhat protected from wind if weather gets rough. You're right about it being an incredible amount of water to cover. Every shoal and bay looks like it holds fish. Can be paralyzing at times. My general rule is to stick to 5 to 22 ft of water or so, as over 90% of my fish are caught in that range. I usually fish that area in June so not sure whether that area will still hold pike but I have to believe it will. Large Rapalas, Williams Wablers, and swimbaits will all do the trick. Good luck

FishHook: That sucks. I think I'd have a coronary if I found out mine was stolen. Would almost be like losing a faithful dog. PM me and get me your contact info and I will donate 5 lures from my tackle box to help you out. This is such a great board that perhaps others will follow.

A few years ago on Georgian Bay, we had one of those dream days. We caught 14 walleye one morning and 11 of them were over the 22 in. slot limit. My 2 sons and my father in law all caught 10 lb walleyes, and I landed a few in the 7-8 lb range. Our honey hole produced all week and we were the only ones fishing it.....shhhh...don't tell anyone!

Solo: Thanks for sharing...love your reports. I know the feeling of taking your kids and your Dad on a trip North, as I have done it many times. 3 generations in one boat is pretty special. Whether the fishing is good or bad, the memories and the stories are irreplacable. Couple of comments/questions. The link to the website did not work for some reason. Also, was there a shower in that camp? Didn't look like there was one.....thanks again.

The MacLachlan's are incredibly nice people and they run a first class operation at MarMac and Camp 88. And I agree about the drive along Superior. I have yet to see a more beautiful area from the Soo to Wawa....

Terry: I will often troll to find fish, then throw out a marker and dunk w/ a jig or harness/bait rig over the same area. A great search bait for me is a Thin fin (made by Storm). I like it because it only dives to 3 ft or so and you can fish it in shallow waters w/ weeds and not get a lot of salad. I usually place a small split shot about 18 in above the lure to get me 1 more ft of depth if I need it. Silver w/ a blue tint, fire tiger, and perch work for me. Last yr on Esnagi (Aug) we had a stretch of 90 degree days and dead flat calm and our best success was trolling. They did not want a subtle approach like a jig. That's the beauty of fishing: the fish will eventually tell you what they want!!! Good luck.

I have eaten at The Columbia a few times. Had a decent meal there each time. The place across the street from them (can remember the name) has always been very busy as well (never eaten there though). The Bristol motel is clean and the rooms are spacious. Have been to Esnagi lake/Mar Mac lodge (fly in out of White River) and, assuming your lake is similar, I have had success on 1/4 oz jigs w/ a 3 in white Gulp twister tail tipped with half a crawler or a leech, or simply a bare jig tipped with either. one tip I can share is that I always have a separate rod rigged with a live bait rig--a long snell (anywhere from 2-4 ft) with one or 2 hooks. I place a few beads above the hook and one on your main line where you tie the snell on. A 1/4 or 3/8 oz walking sinker above your swivel completes the rig. I have found that when the walleye bite is finicky, they will often hit a live bait rig when they will not touch a jig. I think it's because the rig stays in the strike zone longer, particularly if the fish are suspended. If they are suspended, just slip on one or 2 "floats" (small, colored styrofoam piece with a hole bored in the middle--Gander or Cabela's sells them) to your rig and it will rise further in the water column. Just find the outside of the weed edges (typically at 10 ft or so) and either should produce. Enjoy your trip. For the 1st time in over 30 yrs, did not make it to God's country this year, and I'm going into serious withdrawl....!!!

mates: a friend of mine is taking his kids to this lake in a few weeks so i offered to post an inquiry about it for those who may have fished it before. any tips/tactics/spots greatly appreciated. thanks to all who respond.

OFC Friends: a first time for me today. fired up the Yamaha 8.8 hp and hit my first spot no problem. went to move to a new honey hole and realized that the motor was stuck in reverse, even though the lever at the motor was freely moving between forward, neutral, and reverse. Throttle at console was freely movng as well and moving the motor lever no problem. Really head scratching. I have a 115 and the 8.8 connected w/ the same linkage and separate throttles at the console. Is there a quick fix to this or am I bound for a trip to my mechanic? Thanks to all who respond.

The best advice I ever got was to buy an Edmunds New Car Guide (or go to edmunds.com) and follow their detailed instructions. You can figure out the invoice price for any new vehicle, as well as the wholesale and retail cost of any add ons. Once you figure out the car's price to a penny, then add a reasonable amount of profit for the dealer (which varies depending upon what you're buying, supply and demand, etc), go to the dealer and simply show them your figures. stick to it, or damn close to it, or make them prove you wrong. It has never happened to me. Once they know you've done your homework, they'll either sell at your price, or you politely decline, and walk. The biggest lesson I learned from their guide is that we have a lot more leverage than we realize, especially if we know the numbers and how the sales game works. good luck.

Tupelo: I have both an Eagle and a Hummingbird. I much prefer the Eagle. I've had it for over 12 years for my yearly trip up north to God's country and it has never failed me. The Hummingbird is a pain in the butt to put together--much more complicated than the Eagle. One tip for either: scrap the suction cup and buy a transducer bracket mount. Cabelas sells them and they are well worth the price (about $40). You won't regret it. I learned my lesson the hard way after taking my Eagle to Georgian Bay, only to discover that the suction cup wouldn't work on the camp boat I was using...

As an American, I hope that GSP kicks the ever livin crap out of Koscheck. GSP ='s class. Kos is a tool (I'll keep it clean). Nuf said.

Romeo: I have a lund explorer (18 ft) w/ a 115 Yamaha and I am still in love w/ both. The 115 has never failed me--ever. I fish in cold weather all the way up to ice out and it fires up 1st time, every time. 10 out of 10 recommendation on both....good luck....

She's not fat--just a full figured gal with more to love!! Love beagles...so kind and lovable, even though they're not the brightest bulbs in the packet.....she'll give back way more than what you put into her!

John: If you get a chance check out the Pictographs at Agawa bay. The pictographs are really cool, but the walk down to them is just unbelievable. An incredible, natural path down to them and just gorgeous views. Well worth the stop to see them.

Here's a tip: pay close attention to the direction of the wind. For example, assume a large shoal has a general north-south configuration and runs from 25-30 feet at the south end and shallows up to 5-6 feet at the north edge. If you have a south wind, at certain times of the day the walleyes will be at the shallower end of the shoal, coming up to feed. So a good south wind makes it a prime spot. Start in 20-22 ft and drift up to 7-8 ft, and pick up and start another drift. And then move to the left and right sides of the outside edges to see if any are hanging around on the periphery. Many times wind blowing in the wrong direction will preclude me from fishing a spot like that. In the example above, a strong north wind would cause you to start real shallow and drift into deeper water. I prefer the opposite, since by and large most active fish will be in shallower water. A due west wind will be harder to work that same shoal as you will only be able to cover certain grids of the hump. So pay attention to the direction of the wind. Of course, if you have a trolling motor you can cover the nuances of the hump better. But when I am in Canada I don't bring my boat and have to make due w/ a simple small HP tiller and no trolling motor, which makes paying attention to wind direction all that more important. Hope this helps some, recognizing there are many exceptions to some of the general rules I've thrown out.

Gerry: Great post and thanks for sharing your insight. One of the many reasons why I love this forum. I have had mixed success on soft SB's but after reading your post I think I've been fishing them too fast. Too much ripping them off the bottom. I'll try the slower retrieve and let everyone know if my catch ratio increases.

I agree with jay. just went up that way last week and Wawa offers a lot more options. We stayed at The Bristol and it is always clean and the rooms are spacious. I've only eaten at the Columbia and the food has been fine but I'm not sure about other restaurants that may be better. I've heard Kiniwabi Pines is good but have yet to eat there. Enjoy the drive from The Soo to Wawa. Absolutely the most scenic piece of road I've ever travelled. And if you get a chance, I would highly recommend checking out the Pictographs near Agawa Bay. The hike down to them is mind boggingly beautiful.....