yakpiker

Had a very productive couple of mornings of pike fishing near Sturgeon Falls on the weekend. Despite the wind and some rain and hail, we had a great time hauling in 30 fish in 3 hours on Saturday morning and another 20 in 3 hours on Sunday morning. The fish ranged from little guys to 29 inches. Also lost about 10 more that were on and missed another 10 at the boat. Weapon of choice was spinner baits as we drifted through the reeds while casting. Lots of fun and can't wait to go back!

I don't know why, but there do seem to be fewer fish today in many bodies of water in Southern Ontario. Probably a combination of more anglers and improved fishing equipment and a general decline in the environment. I'm a catch and release angler who only keeps a fish when on remote trips where it can be prepared on the spot. The idea of keeping a limit every time I go fishing is not an option for me. And keeping large fish such as pike or walleye is distasteful and unhealthy given the contaminants they consume during their lifetime. While keeping fish within limits is legal, it likely means that the number of fish will continue to decline. Maybe the limits need to be reduced further to protect us from ourselves.

Hey SlashBait...congrats on your second walleye. I think I cruised by you in my kayak the day you caught your first. Were they both in the same area? YakPiker

I've fished the French River a couple of times during the past few years...once in May and once in June We stayed at the French River Lodge for 3-4 days each time. The lodge is located on an island and they pick you up by boat at a marina where you park. Electricity on the island was provided by a generator which meant lights out at 11 pm and back on at 6 am. The housekeeping cabins that we stayed in were old and very basic, but clean. The boats ran well one time and not so well the second time. Overall, it was a decent value because the package price was fairly low. The scenery is spectacular and quiet with very few cottages and boats around. In terms of the fishing, we caught a few pike but didn't catch a lot of pickeral. I have to admit that we weren't too knowledgable about where and how to catch the pickeral. In fact, the best luck we had was right off the dock at the lodge. Caught a 15 lb gar pike on a minnow and a 12 lb walleye on a fat rap. Overall, we enjoyed fishing this part of the French River and staying at the lodge. If you are comfortable with roughing it for a couple of days, then the price is right.