solopaddler

“When”, said Joe, “Are we going to go on a fishing trip?” Joe is my oldest friend, we've known each other since we were 12. Some of my most vivid memories as a child are of the two of us biking down dusty country roads, fishing rods balanced on the handlebars in search of tiny creek specks. Kids, mortgages, work and life in general tend to overwhelm us at times and it's easy to lose touch. But Joe's the kind of friend who can call after 2 years and it's like we just spoke yesterday. He's also been sick for the last couple of years. Very sick. He's had two operations this year alone, the latest one a minor procedure in early July. On the plus side he's finally put it all behind him now and for the first time in years is 100% healthy and ready to live life again. Just like me he has a young family, and his son Cameron was just itching to go fishing. The plan, hatched virtually overnight, was for Joe and Cam to join myself and Brendan on a short 3 night fly in trip. Bro's only, reconnecting being the aim. As most of the best trips are, this was a last minute idea and a little over a week ago I was scrambling to set something up. With time being so limited a long drive was out of the question which left the Chapleau region as a logical choice. As most of you know I've flown numerous times with Park's Fly In Fishing, most recently to their Cam lake outpost in the Chapleau Game Preserve in June. A quick call to Martin Wearn confirmed that his Ribes lake outpost was available for the dates we wanted. I flew into Ribes last summer with my daughter and we had a great trip. It's a very small cabin, but just fine for 2 dads and 2 small kids, and the walleye fishing is fantastic. Martin penciled us in and the stage was set. We were under the gun with only a couple of days to prepare for our trip, but it's not my first rodeo and packing for a 3 night fly in is like falling off a log. Dead easy. The drive north was flawless, including the 80km long Sultan road shortcut from 144 over to 129. That hour long stretch of gravel can be a bone jarring experience at times, but this was the best I've seen it in over 25 years. Taking that route to Chapleau is a huge time saver if the road's in good shape. Best part was the kids were getting along famously, lots of laughter and good spirits was coming from the back seat. After checking into our motel the boys were still yukking it up. This was going to be a good trip! Our flight was scheduled for early the next morning. At the airbase on the Chapleau river we soon checked in and unloaded. Waiting on the dock for our pilot spirits were still running high. The kid's, especially Cameron who's never done it before, were more than a little excited. Seeing as how it was his first bush plane flight Cam rode shotgun upfront with the pilot. The rest of us squeezed into the back seat and we were off. As usual the vistas flying over the Game Preserve were stunning. The roar of the venerable old Beaver as it skimmed northward, the anticipation of what's to come, watching the excitement in your sons eyes...even for me it never gets old. It's a short flight, maybe 15 minutes, and in no time we were circling Ribes lake ready to land. It's not a big lake, but an absolutely stunning one with tons of rocks, cliffs, islands and structure with the southern basin dominated by an incredible bald rock mountain that looms over the lake. I shot this short video of the landing that shows the beautiful terrain surrounding the lake: It always fosters a true sense of remoteness when the plane takes off leaving you in the middle of nowhere. After landing and unloading on the dock I shot this short clip. Alone in the wilderness with a fish filled lake all to yourself. It just doesn't get any better. I was here last year so already knew the ins outs of the camp. In short order we hauled our gear up to the cabin and unpacked. I lit the pilot light on the outdoor water heater, got the fridge running, the boats in the water and quickly began to ready our tackle. Not surprisingly Brendan was begging me to rig a spinning rod with a jig so he could fish off the dock, he just couldn't wait. Rigging two light spinning rods, one for each of the boys they went right at it. It didn't take long... Knowing how small the cabin is I'd brought along a small screen tent and tarp which I erected next to the cabin in a perfect flat grassy spot. It would prove to be worth it's weight in gold allowing us to eat and relax in comfort. With the chores out of the way it was time to fish. Knowing the lake well I suggested we all go together in one boat at least to start, that way we could help both kids better. On Ribes I catch most of my fish by first prospecting with worm harnesses and bottom bouncers, then once concentrations of fish are found will switch to a jig. Right off the bat the harnesses proved lethal... Not only was it Cameron's first ever fly in trip, it was also his very first time fishing. What absolutely amazed me was how fast the kid caught on. It didn't take him long at all and he was casting a spinning reel like a champ. There were a few bumps along the road, but overall he did incredibly well. Of course it doesn't hurt being on a lake like Ribes, the learning curve tends to be pretty short. Here he experiences his first ever “lost” fish: Then success!!! Even got the lad to hold it for a still shot. Once I figured exactly where the fish were we switched to jigs with enormous success. As usual the jig and twister with a chunk of worm was deadly. Surprisingly even more effective was a 31/2” Northland Impulse Minnow in this funky pink and yellow color. Rigged clean on a jig head it out fished everything else 2:1. With really only 21/2 full days of fishing we didn't have a lot of time but we made the best of it. Once the pattern was established the fish never stopped biting. The pattern for those that are interested was anchored and jigging on a couple of super productive mid lake shoals. Both spots topped out at 11' and were surrounded by deep water on all sides. Hoards of fish were stacked on these spots and most times the fishing was as easy as dropping your line over the side of the boat. What makes Ribes really unique beyond the fantastic numbers, the average size of these fish is remarkable. They're REALLY chunky fish! Also worth noting there's two distinct color variations on these fish. One is a more typical golden color, the other is a remarkable shade of blue. It seemed to me the blue ones came from predominantly deeper water. Interesting phenomenon regardless. I have a ton of pictures from this short trip, but can't possibly post all of them. Here's some of the highlights: The smiles on the boys faces are priceless. I havn't really mentioned pike yet, but we caught tons mixed in with the walleyes. Nothing super huge, although there are some giants in this lake. What we did catch were thick and muscular, beautifully colored and full of fight. Great fun for the kids especially! Over the course of our trip we had numerous double headers, a bunch of triple headers and at least twice that I can remember quadruple headers. If not for the fact that we were mostly busy helping the kids the numbers would have been off the charts I'm sure. In between baiting hooks, untangling lines and landing fish for the kids the dad's had time to catch a few as well. One big bonus while at Ribes was the abundance of blueberries. It's a bumper crop from what I can see this year, and we enjoyed the bounty. Some ended up in our pancakes for breakfast, just incredible! A trip like this just wouldn't be complete without fresh fish cooked over an open fire. Brendan and Cam were my helpers, a task they both relished. With two young boys along we enjoyed campfires every night as well. What is it about roasting marshmallows that kids love so much? Things got a bit gooey at times and all I can say is thank God for wet naps. As mentioned the cabin at Ribes is quite small, but perfectly comfortable. Great for groups of two, adequate for two adults and two kids. It really is a pretty spot... One really cool little perk at the Ribes camp is an outdoor shower stall with hot and cold running water. It looks rustic, but works great. You honestly wouldn't believe the water pressure! Being at the camp last year I've already done a video tour of the camp, and really not much has changed. There are however brand new mattresses on the bunks which was a nice surprise and a brand spanking new bbq that we put to good use. Also new was the 4 stroke Merc outboard that we primarily used. Our flight out was scheduled for 11am on Sunday so we scrambled a bit when Dennis flew in unexpectedly at 9. While everyone else was hauling gear and packing I quickly shot this short video tour of the camp...the 2013 edition. For what it's worth I've fished all of Martin's camps now and can honestly say that Ribes lake is EASILY his best lake. People seem to be scared off by the tiny cabin and I guess I can understand that. Martin did say he's considering building a new cabin at the site, something larger and more comfortable. I'm not sure whether I love that idea or hate it though. On the plus side it would be nice to have a bit more room. On the downside almost no one flies in there now and I'd like to keep it that way HAHA! It's a bit of a conundrum... For obvious reasons this trip was a special one. It was great to share the experience with a very old, very dear friend. Having our sons along, living the moment through their excited eyes, and watching the two of them bond themselves made it even better. A huge thanks to Joe and Cam, and of course to Brendan. You helped make this trip special and I know we're going to do it again! Finally thanks once again to Martin Wearn of Park's Fly In Fishing for making this trip happen with almost zero notice. You're a great host and I can't wait to get back up there! Hope you enjoyed, Cheers, Mike

Some pretty good and underfished Musky in Restoule. Good enough that if I was going Musky would be my target species of choice.

Great news Roy, congrat's to you and yours!

Can't believe there's walleye in your lake Chris, how recent is that fishery? Back in the day when my uncle had a place on that lake there weren't any...

Can't believe he took the time to get all the line on his reel. It's not like the fish was going to run LOL! On a number of occasions I've portaged over very similar stuff in far N/W Ontario. Most notably a 3 day portage overland from the headwaters of the Frog river (a trib of the Winisk) over to the Fawn. That's world class brook trout country and you've really got me wondering now. Lots of little interconnected potholes just like that up there. Pure hell to portage through. Only bonus was the ability to drag rather than carry the canoe. Still I ended up waist deep in quagmire a million times, and the blackflies were beyond brutal.

Kanzen is by far the worst braid I've ever used. Breaks like crazy, terrible stuff. Give Power Pro a shot.

Great story! If the river you fished is a great lakes trib my guess would be holdover rainbow. There's always a good number of fish that stick around sometimes all summer. Always a surprise when you hook one...

Congrat's to the both of you, that's just amazing!

Beautiful fish and small world. Ironically my friend Dan from Thunder Bay showed me pic's of the exact same spot including the privy sign last year. You guys should start a club. Only brookie fishing Dan's from Thunder Bay need apply LOL!

Once again thanks for the comments gents, really glad you enjoyed it! I think it's a great idea! I'm more than happy to help, will send you a pm shortly. Cheers

Glad to hear, and I think we should talk.

Outstanding! Glad you enjoyed your time back in the Great White North.

Can't believe they got a crane in there to remove that tree, wow! Looks like a pretty good lake as well Chris, bet it won't take you 20 years to get back. So I'm guessing your back is better?

You're sporting a nice chub there TJ.

Hey great report man! Some solid info there too.

Nice report Cliff, glad to see you got a few!

Kudos to everyone involved, it looks like a huge success. Much like Wayne timing for this event always seems to be tough for me. Hopefully next year I can make it.

Some truly outstanding shot's Joey, looks like a great trip!

Hey congrat's to the both of you!!! Has Kevin overcome his fear of moving water now? LOL!

Of course that's the proper Francophone pronunciation. Doesn't mean it's right though. Just ask anyone Stateside who cheers for good old Noter Dame LOL!

Congrat's indeed, that's quite an impressive feat!

Thanks guys, once again your comments are appreciated! It's always a pleasant surprise to see you chime in Rick. Here's hoping we can get out together in the fall with the long sticks. Kind of whets your appetite for September, eh buddy?

Gorgeous fish, congrat's!

The back lake looks great! Looking forward to the report with a canoe.

Tank for sure, gotta love beer bellied lakers!