solopaddler

Should have mentioned my 13.6 CTS was recently rebuilt thanks to the combined efforts of Spiel and a mutual friend. I picked up the finished rod at Chris's house Sunday and couldn't be more pleased. (In case anyone was wondering Spiel does some very nice rod work. Thanks buddy!

Thanks Roy, my goal is to be as obnoxious as possible.

Unfortunately lake O isn't a sanctuary. They may very well be targeting pike but it'd be pointless to report them. Unless of course they kept a fish.

After last Friday's fantastic day on the water with BillM and our buddy Ferg, Monday's outing was greatly anticipated. This particular trip was special as it afforded an opportunity to finally get out and fish with Justin Elia from the board. Justin is an outstanding angler and a pleasure to fish with. He's joining us on our June trip to the Attawapiskat and I already know his presence will be a big plus. On to the fishing. Conditions for most people on the river were tough. High, heavily stained water made for a unique challenge. The key was presentation. Ultra long leads in the neighborhood of 13', large floats, heavy tippet and tons of shot from top to bottom. Obviously large bright baits were key as well. In addition many many years of fishing this system have taught me there are certain key holding areas that will always produce. We started at a favoured zone in the middle river and after a bit of tweaking were soon on to them. To a T they were all recovering dropback fish. Voracious hits and acrobatic jumps were the norm. I have a whole bunch of shots like this, but I'll just post a couple to avoid being redundant. A handful of our fish were much cleaner and more photo worthy: The afternoon was incredibly hot and sunny and things slowed down a bit as we hopped around to a few different spots. Ultimately I made a decision to fish a holding area very low in the system. Generally speaking this time year you get good numbers of bright chrome non spawning fish that poke their nose in now and again for a feed. I call 'em egg eaters and they range in size from 2 to 3lb's up to 6 or 7. They're pure chrome, solid muscle, incredibly aggressive and a TON of fun to catch. We capped off the day nicely with a good number of these hard fighting beauties: The only fish that were kept were a couple of these LOL! The coarse fish are starting to show up and Justin kept a couple to use as cut bait for catfish. We did get a couple of strange looks from fellow anglers as we walked by. All in all a truly golden day. I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Justin and am looking forward to the next trip. Cheers, Mike

Wow very impressive man! Some of your pictures are fantastic.

Pfleuger hands down. In that price range it's by far the best reel out there. It's actually a better reel than many that are much more expensive.

Thanks for sharing Joey. The big river can be a tough nut to crack, getting even a couple is an accomplishment.

Nice bullets man, great job!

Dave that was amazing buddy! Glad to see you guys had such a great trip.

Buddy you're 100% right, that was the most fun I've had in ages! Been a while since I've laughed so much. Days like that you just dream about.

Gorgeous water boys, the fish are just a bonus.

I deal with it all the time, imo don't worry about it. Unless it's an extremely remote location I never name the spot. If someone happens to recognize it then as you said they're already aware of it.

Well done boys. I think I recognized a few people in those pic's.

I totally agree if someone from S. Ontario is willing to drive or fly that far to get to the jump off point. Most guys from S. ON, will look to north eastern ON. Logistically it's easier.

Have a good one bud, enjoy the day.

I can highly recommend these outfitters: Hawk Air just east of Wawa: http://www.hawkair.com/ White River Air in White River: http://northtoadventure.com/ Air Ivanhoe in Folyet: http://www.air-ivanhoe.com/ Leuenberger in Nakina:http://www.leuenberger.ca/landing.html My buddy Eddie's camp on the Attawapiskat river north of Nakina: http://eddienorth.com/ The first 3 are a closer drive from Toronto. They offer good camps with great fishing but the lakes are generally smaller. I've flown with all 3 and can suggest specific lakes if you wish. The other 2 are out of Nakina. A bit further drive but worth it imo as the lakes are generally bigger and more varied. Both are good. I'm obviously biased regarding Eddie's camp as he's a friend and the quality of the fishing is incredible. My buddy Dave and myself actually just designed and built Eddie's website. His prices are more than your budget however it never hurts to call and talk to the man. He's very accomodating and if there's any possible way to fit you in within your budget he will.

Yep hopefully he's okay. While we're on the topic what the heck happened to Snag? Hope Grant's okay as well.

Exactly! You were high holing me you little grease monkey!

Ironically enough I think Dave fits into my back pocket. Literally.

Next time for sure buddy! Shocking isn't it Roy? I never really responded properly in the other thread, but this is a good opportunity. I currently have 5 licenses in my pouch for steelhead fishing: Ontario, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. I fish for them everywhere....wherever I think my best odds are. Variety is the spice of life and personally I feel privelaged to be able to fish all the waters that the great lakes has to offer. I feel sorry for those of you, who for whatever reason, look down on stateside fishing. First and foremost Ontario doesn't have exclusive rights to so called "superior" wild fish. If you don't believe me travel to Michigan, you'll be blown away. As well while some of the other states support what's basically an artificial fishery...in many cases the experience to be had is second to none. There's not many places in southern Ontario where you can walk miles of river and not see another soul all day in an absolutely pristine wild setting. The many fish that are put on the bank are nothing more than a huge bonus. I could go on and on...

I'm familiar with the term as is Dave. In Ontario you're constantly get low holed. As well as high holed, sidesway holed and corn holed. You learn to live with it on our busy trib's or you look elsewhere for more peace. Regardless, Dave is a friend and he's welcome to fish out of my back pocket anytime he wants to.

You have a keen eye, indeed it is. One of my favourites.

By 4:30 I was getting loopy from lack of sleep. No co-ordination...stumbling around tripping over everything from exhaustion LOL! Totally worth it though.

Maybe, but if someone takes an unwarranted shot at me I tend to respond.

Yeah for sure, I never fish in Ontario. (Well actually truth be told I avoid the eastern ditches like the plague. I prefer to fish actual rivers.)