T-Bone

So much for old saying "the fish of 10,000 casts"...

Nice fish...even for a small one....

Good info. Thanks. And after re-reading my previous post from a few weeks back on this subject there was more info in there than I realized. I couldn't get to the board for a few weeks and only saw a few of the responses right after I posted it.

I'll be sure to let you know how we do....

Just booked a long weekend beginning of October on Pigeon Lake near Bobcaygeon. Staying up on the north end out of Trail's End Lodge for 3-days. Primary reason for the trip is to celebrate my 50th b-day with a couple of long-time buddies that I've been with on many fishing vacations up north. Most of these guys came into the fold of the annual trip to Pigeon Lake just after university in the late-1980s. My cousin and I go back into the 1970s, as does another guy we're friends with now, and it's pure coincidence (small world) that he too would spend a week up there every summer with his family. I'm sure so many memories will come flooding back when we're there. I can't wait. Now we collectively spend the annual trip up on Lake Kipawa and love it there for many reasons.

We'd like to get some fishing in when we're on Pigeon Lake, and I'm just looking for a few general suggestions on the patterns (not locations) that time of year. I know that part of the lake fairly well and a couple of you had some location suggestions several weeks back. I'm not even sure what species are open during that time. Largemouth? Smallies? Musky? Walleyes? I suppose I can look that up in the regs. Just looking for a general sweet spot of tackle to take up with me based on common patterns in early-October.

Thanks for the insights....much appreciated.

Pigeontroller....I know where that shelf is; I recall one evening many years ago my cousin and I were fishing on one side of the boat catching walleyes one after the other. The other side of the boat....nada.

Good info on the big baits in 'summer locations' for muskies. I'm fairly confident we know a few of those locations, but I recall most conversations about targeting 'skis always mentioned the Nogies Creek area...from Bottom Islands back...

Thanks for the info...much appreciated.

A group consisting of me and my closest Canada trip buddies from over the years are planning a quick 3-dayer into Trails End Lodge on the north end of Pigeon Lake, weekend before Thanksgiving. This is a trip down memory lane for many of us as we spent our childhood and early-adult time romping and fishing this area year after year. We figured my 50th b-day celebration was a good time for a trip back, and decided on this weekend.

I'm sure we'll get the itch to go fishing, so I guess I'm asking...what should we expect? We now spend our summer trip on Lake Kipawa, QC and never have to look far for hungry walleyes, pike, and when we fish for them, even lakers.

We're not expecting that type of action, especially as late in the season as it is. And, in all honesty, it's not really about the fishing this time...but I'm curious anyway.

Any insights are appreciated.

Thanks.

I have North to Cree Lake on my "must read" list, but it's pricey. A 'good' used hardcover is about $50...but I'm going to get it as all I've ever heard is that its one of the greatest northern adventure books ever.

Father's Day is next week....hmm......

When it comes to books I typically only read non-fiction; never could understand why I should take the time to read something that is 'fantasy'...but I know plenty in my family that only ready fiction. To each their own...

I also love the northern adventure books, and here are a couple of my favorites:

Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromme (Bitteroot Wilderness, Montana)

The Houseboat Chronicles by Jake MacDonald (Minaki, Ontario)

Paradise Creek by David Scott (deep bush Canada)

....and one more from the chronicles...

Kipawa River Chronicles by Scott Sorensen (Kipawa, Quebec wilderness)

I've read and re-read these several times...just great escapes from the push and pull of normal life. Right now I'm reading Northern Wilderness by Ray Mears about bush-whacking in the Canadian boreal forest. Great so far.

Good luck...

I've got nothing against the Sault...love that area. It's just that route adds a little over 170 miles to the trip and about 2.5-3 hours to the route time. And we have a certain cadence to going up via Buffalo / TO / Muskoka area. And now we know where to shop for meat...

Yes Joey...I was aware the Provigo was closed about Christmastime in 2012. Exciting news on the new IGA up there though.

And thanks Mike...I'll scope it out when we enter town and go from there.

Thanks.

Thanks for the replies; we're coming from the south (TO, Muskoka) so only Huntsville and North Bay are good options.

Mike...is the 'independent' store in North Bay? If so, approximate location and/or name? Or are you talking about the one in Temiscaming?

Thanks again everyone...just what I needed.

Thanks for the info all...

And I was being facetious about the weight, though that's about how much the cooler feels like it weighs when we're moving it around.

Starting to plan and prep for the annual Lake Kipawa trip in July.

We usually bring up about 396 pounds of meat from Ohio on dry ice in a huge cooler. This year we're thinking about skipping that hassle and just getting our meats up in North Bay before we "head in" to Lake Kipawa for a week of fishing heaven on earth.

Any recommendation out there for a good butcher / meat shop in North Bay?

Thanks in advance for your insights...

Supposedly tomorrow morning just before sunrise should be the best time for seeing the meteors.

Probably right at 4:20am...

I'm in IE and I see it...also in Chrome.

Lake Kipawa, QC in late-July...15th year running...always great fishing and awesome scenery. Can't wait.

That Borger list is nice, but I'm confident my family would vacate the house and leave me for good after about trip #4...

I just sent John Wimpney at SLL a note last week letting him know I couldn't squeeze it in this season, but maybe in 2015. Dag. I've had SLL on my radar for many years and keep up with them regularly. Sounds like a great offer...just can't squeeze it in.

Have been up to Pigeon Lake many, many times and have tried many of the camps/lodges. We settled on Trails End Lodge and went there for many years in a row. For location, comfort, amenities, location, service, location, and a great host in Norm Matthews, you can't go wrong. And it's close to some great fishing locations.

Plenty of cottages to choose from to meet your needs. Good luck!

www.trailsendlodge.ca

I'm with HeadHunter...that's not even real, hence one of the reasons it looks so unappealing. Some 'stock' body shot with what appears to be a Polaroid of one of The Sun office assistants with a ball cap on. Maybe the emodel market is drying up. And agreed...a 4th grader can use Photoshop better than that. Does the media really believe we're that gullible?

In 1997 we were scheduled to fish Lake Wabatongushi (NE of Wawa) the week of May 24-31 and got shut-out as the lake was still ice covered. That lake is almost exactly same latitude as Timmins...for what it's worth.

Who knows...we may have a really warm spring and the ice is gone by May 1st. That's not what they're calling for though. May be time to figure out a back-up plan.

Good luck...

Two quick questions with regard to Rule #9:

What does "age of majority" mean? At or higher than the average age of the entire population of Ontario? [Just kidding there, but I really have no idea what that means...]

What if you're from Quebec, the States, etc.? Not eligible?

I spent the better part of late-summer and autumn looking at and researching tents. I ended-up getting a Mountainsmith Morrison 3 (but will be used by only 2-persons). Not the least-expensive in the class, but had glowing reviews, great standard feature set and really couldn't get much easier set-up and tear-down. For a group of four, Mountainsmith has a model called the Conifer 5+. Most tents that the manufacturer says are for "three" are really perfect for two, and so on. I did give a good, long look at Eureka tents and have nothing but good things to say about what I found when doing my research...just didn't go that route. Both Eureka and Mountainsmith are considered 'lightweight' or 'backpacking' tents, but they're sturdy. If money isn't an object, you can't get any better than Hilleberg.

Here's a link to MS site. Good luck.

www.mountainsmith.com

Check out Anna Maria Island due west of Bradenton (just south of St. Pete, north of Sarasota). My dad there for 18-years and most of his condo complex was Canadians from October - April. I remember meeting them from time to time when I was down there visiting and always engaging in great conversations about fishing different areas of Canada, especially the Kawarthas, Haliburton Highlands, Chapleau, and Temagami.

Literally, from his door, it was about 500-feet to the bay side water, about 1,000 feet to the Gulf side. Paradise...

Good luck...

Same here on a St. Croix Premier...busted guide (my fault), whole new pole in replacement. Proof that you surely get what you pay for in the long run.

Sorry there Big Cliff...fast fingers caused a typo. Here you go:

www.napoleonhouse.com

New Orleans, if you've never been, may take a bit of getting used-to. Not an entirely clean city and has this ever-present smell in the air from being in a delta, but there's some GREAT food and things to see. Not sure of your appetite preferences, but I highly recommend these two places:

Gautreau's: Expensive, fine-dining, but probably one of the best meals I've every had in over 25-years of business travels. www.gautreausrestaurant.com

Napolean House: Casual joint in the thick of the French Quarter; neat atmosphere in a building dating back to the late-1700s. Get the mufaletta and a cold beer. Good stuff. www.napoleanhouse.com

On the other side, unless you want to go there just to say you went there, I'd skip Café Du Monde. One of the dirtiest places I've ever been, horrible coffee, and the donuts / beignets are even worse.

Safe travels...