solopaddler

Esker Lakes is about 40 mins. from my cottage and I've done a few day trips there over the last few years. Small lakes with most requiring portage to access. Decent but not great trout fishing, definitely better in the spring and fall. Small, very pretty park, off the beaten track and lightly used. There's also an Aurora trout lake that (I think) is open this August near the park entrance on the west side of the hwy.

That's incredible! I can't wait to see the ending.

My smartass answer would be Musky. Otherwise they'd be called Tiger Pike, no?

When I lived in Port Carling (right on Brandy Lake actually ), I caught a ton of lake trout on Lake Rosseau. There's all kinds of places where you can walk out without a machine and catch fish, that's how I did it. It goes without saying that the other 2 big lakes, Joseph and Muskoka are good as well... Lake Jo doesn't open 'till Feb.15th though, but it can be amazing.

Let me run it by the warden and I'll get back to you .

Hey bud, I can't believe you chimed in LOL! If I were you I wouldn't be so sure....you might be in for a big letdown.... My 4 year old daughter Riley says nobody can beat giants, they're too big! Can't argue with that logic, so I say the Pat's get squished!

This makes me chuckle a bit. My cabin is in N/W Quebec, and honestly, it seems to me that the locals up there have one thing in mind when it comes to fishing: keep everything caught regardless of size or species, LOL! I'm not painting everyone with the same brush, that's just been solely my experience...so I don't want to see any hackles raised here... They don't seem to be very conservation minded in the nether regions of the province . 3 falls ago I travelled to the Chibougamau area with a buddy of mine from Rouyn Noranda to fish brook trout. The limit in that zone is 15 trout (crazy eh?). My friend was on a mission to bring his limit of trout home. When he realised I wasn't keeping any to bring home he was ecstatic since he figured he could take my limit as well LOL! He wasn't too impressed when I said no way! (he got over it though )

That would be funny to see. Did the 2 old guys happen to look like this? LOL! I love Algonquin in the early spring as well. Funny though, I've always found that it's the smaller, shallower lakes that break up first, not the bigger ones.. Last spring I fished Lavielle in early May and caught a ton of fish. Been fishing the interior for well over 25 years now. Best fishing has generally been in the smaller "dead end" bush bash lakes that aren't part of any route.

I've fished literally hundreds of wilderness walleye lakes over the years and trust me the fish aren't that fussy. All I use are 3" twister tails three colours, white, chartreuse and yellow. Jig heads in 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8oz sizes. Colour's not "that" important although the hot colours seem to work well in tannin stained waters.... One small plano box can cover all of my jigging needs for a month in the bush... Keep it simple, especially on a fly-in! The only other thing I'd recommend for your trip is a flat of nightcrawlers packed in worm bedding (much lighter than dirt). Tipping your jig with a piece of crawler will usually result in many more fish. It's not always necessary, but on a fly in trip I like to have all the bases covered. Beyond that a small portable fishfinder is worth it's weight in gold to find humps, deep weedlines, dropoffs, etc. Edgar by all accounts is a great fly in lake and by and large the fish will be relatively easy to catch. Don't over analyse things, I'm sure you'll do well!

That's correct. If you use a credit card there's no delays...

Ted, great story and beautiful fish! Masterb8t, "many 40" pike"? Wow.. Mike, Chandos sounds like a winner, book that cottage immediately!

Depends on how the spring goes, but usually the last week of April, first week of May is prime time. Sounds like a fun trip!

Depending on who you deal with up there in Mount Hope the price will vary LOL! The standard replacement charge is usually $40 which isn't bad IMO considering the cost of the rods. They'll generally charge $75 if you're looking to upgrade. Case in point I brought a broken 111/2' IMX in a couple weeks ago and paid $75 to get a 13' IMX instead... Fact is though, the guys at Loomis Canada are closing up shop for good as of July 1st this year, so maybe they're not too concerned about customer satisfaction . For those that don't know, Loomis was bought out by Shimano. Canadian warranty concerns on Loomis products might very well be through Shimano in Peterborough in the near future...

You got it bud, we just camped wherever we wanted. Unfortunately this option is not legal for non residents on Wabatong though.. (However, if that's the kind of thing you're interested in, pm me and I can give you some other very good options )

I like 'em. For shallow water pike and bass I like to take off the heavy lead stock jig head and replace it with an almost weightless resin jighead. You can work the bait much slower across the tops of the weeds without getting hung up...

If you're willing to paddle and portage, Quetico provincial park just south of Atikokan has the best smallmouth fishing I've ever experienced. The topwater fishing in early June is incredible. In one small spot I caught 5 in a row topping 5lb's...

I'll assume you want a drive-to lodge? Fly-in gives you a few more very decent options in N/E Ontario.... But anyway if it's a drive-to you want check out Camp Localsh/Loch Island Lodge on Wabatongushi Lake in the Chapleau game preserve. Wabatong is an awesome lake, over 22 miles long with excellent walleye fishing. I've fished it with my own boat. Never stayed at either camps, but they both look damn good from the water LOL! The gravel road to the landing is long and dusty and very few people beyond the lodge guests use it. You can also take the Algoma Central Railway in and out (it's quite cheap) as it hits the west shore of the lake. A very good option if you don't want to drive the gravel road... http://www.lochisland.com/index.html Cheers, Mike

A fish that size through the ice on such light tackle? That is truly outstanding, congrat's to everyone involved!

That was hilarious . Never mind your bike, I can't believe you managed to dredge up your cel phone. Nice report and some sweet fish!

Neither would be my choice, LOL! But between the two definitely Cochrane air. I've fished Nettogami and it was pretty good, lots of walleyes. Bear in mind there's 2 camps on that lake, the island camp and the peninsula camp so you might not be alone. Between the 2 camps the peninsula camp is better IMO.

This is the time of year when the Niagara really starts to come into its own if you can stand the cold . Buy your NY state lisence so you can double your shore fishing opportunities. Sometimes the U.S. side fishes better than ours....

If you're willing to drive further north there are deals to be had. I bought my place in N/W Quebec, 61/2 hours north of the GTA 5 years ago for 25k. I've got a lot of sweat equity invested in it as I've pretty much renovated and/or rebuilt the place entirely. I had a local realtor apraise it for me last year at $95,000. Good investment for me and a good idea for anyone who's handy and able to do the reno work themselves...

Funny I thought the exact same thing myself when I read the post, LOL! Nice sled!

Wow very sorry to hear, hope he's back on his feet soon.