MrSimon

LoL!!! I have plenty more sunshine and apple pie pics if you want to see them .... just say the word.

You guys seemed to like the pics from my last report, so I dug up some from a trip a few years back. We went to Crotch Lake, which isn't too far from where a lot of you guys live. It's widely considered to be "fished out". Well, it's not if you like smallmouth bass!! I do admit that the pike and walleye were few and far between. They certainly are still there in fishable numbers, but I wouldn't really recommend Crotch if you only want pike and walleye. With that said, it's a stunningly beautiful lake! Very few private cabins and only two lodges. It feels a lot more remote than it is. Also, there are lots of FANTASTIC campsites and shore lunch spots spread out around the lake. It's a decent size lake with great rocky structure and plenty of bays, nooks and crannies to explore. We enjoyed ourselves and would go back for the scenery and peacefulness alone. Especially since it's about half the distance of NWO.

Everybody is different. I have a buddy who makes fun of me cause I fish .... jokes about how boring it must be to just sit there and watch a bobber all day .... "backwards and un-civilized he calls it" But he loves to run. You know, for exercise (whatever that is). Just goes out and runs around for an hour and comes back. Talk about boring!!!! He also likes fancy coffee shops and wears skinny jeans. He's still my friend, but I feel bad for the poor fellow. My wife always reminds me of the saying, "not wrong, just different". But somewhere inside of me I can't help feeling there IS something wrong with those city-dwelling, tree-hugging hipsters.

A lot of comments have mentioned this ...... but I think it's awesome how a lot of these money-saving tips actually help you to spend more time with family. Like cooking together, hunting/fishing/foraging for food together, retiring early, etc etc. Good stuff!

That's a pretty good analysis! I think a good quality paddle tail swimbait would also be a good choice, using similar logic.

What time of year were your trips .... any idea the water temp?

That is an all-in price that includes the fly-in (1,195 per for a 5 man group), taxes, outdoor card, license, lures, gear, food, beverages, fuel & food for a 2,200 mile round trip, night in a hotel, sat phone rental, tolls, bait, and tips. I consider it a bargain.

The more I cut expenses and invest the savings, the sooner I can quit the corporate world. I might not be "living it up" with expensive trucks and boats .... but I'm on target to quit my job at 50 and live off my investments quite comfortably, and debt free. My goal isn't to have expensive toys or huge bank accounts .... its to spend as much time with my friends and family as possible.

In another thread someone asked for more fishing reports. Considering this forum can get pretty grumpy sometimes, I figured that guy was right ..... this place needs more fishing reports. I posted this on Walleye Central but don't know if I ever posted it here. Due to the excellent advice from Chris Brock and Mike Borger, we took a trip last summer to Quantz Lake with Hearst Air. In a nut shell, it was AWESOME! Hearst air was a pleasure to deal with from start to finish. Quantz lake was full of big pike and countless numbers of medium sized walleye. The cabin and boats were great!!!! This was the best fishing I've ever experienced. The pike were shallow and hungry. The walleye were literally everywhere. We had great weather, no major injuries, good food, awesome friends .... all for about $1,800 per person, all in. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. One box of tackle was more than enough for me. No issues in the morning - smooth sailing all the way. Great cabin at a great location on the lake. All the comforts of home. And there were pike ..... We caught a couple decent walleye, but mostly they were small to medium. Endless numbers though. And last but not least .... some beautiful scenery.

My buddies and I have always talked about doing a three day trip where everyone only gets to bring one lure .... well, maybe a handful of the same lure. We've never done it, but due to this thread we are gonna try it this year. I LOVE the idea of a thread where the folks on here post pictures of fish they caught on their chosen lure .... it would be really fun to see how it plays out over the season. I must admit though, the jig and twister crowd will most likely have the best results.

Why not cut back on the wasteful spending so you can retire sooner, spend more time with that great wife, and not be stuck working such long hard hours? It's exactly like you said .... we only go around once. Time with loved ones is a whole lot more important than expensive toys.

I really big brook trout .... like 5 pounds or bigger.

I don't know if Michigan is like Pennsylvania where I live, but the State Park Campgrounds aren't the only game in town .... there are lots of smaller private campgrounds. It's a little harder to find information on them, but sometimes they are the real gems. I bet a google search of "Michigan private campgrounds" would get you started. I had a college roommate from Michigan who used to RAVE about the beauty of northern Michigan and all the great fishing ....... granted, he'd never been to Ontario

Great topic!!!! What are we willing to give up in order to pad the bank account??? There are four areas where most of us bleed money. Car and boat payments. There is no need for them. Period. There are plenty of perfectly safe and capable vehicles out there for a FRACTION of what most folks pay, and they can last a LONG time with proper care and maintenance. Restaurants. Sure they are fun, but you literally pay 10 times the price for the food .... and all you get is some convenience and atmosphere. TV, internet and smartphone services. Should we really be paying $250 a month just to disconnect from reality? Consumer spending. It's sickening how much we spend on clothes, electronics, furniture, etc ..... and sometimes with a *gasp* credit card. It takes sacrifice and diligence to save money. Everyone has to decide how much of sacrifice they are willing to make.

In various sizes, I could catch just about anything with a basic in-line spinner. I really like the blue and silver. They are incredibly simple and easy to fish .... you can count them down to any depth, troll them, and even slow roll them on the bottom.

Definitely do what makes your group happy .... but you certainly don't have to spend that much money to catch big fish in a remote location. If you want fancy food, plush accommodations and personal attention though, that budget seems on target. It's all a matter of preference. My group prefers to be left alone in a cabin in the wilderness surrounded by great fishing .... it typically costs between $1,000 and $2,000 per person to get just that.

I have pretty much the same boat as the original poster .... a 16' Sylvan Super Snapper. I have a 40HP Honda 4 stroke tiller on the back. It is super quiet, very smooth and easy on gas. I can get about 28 MPH by myself in smooth water .... about 22-24 with three guys and gear. That is WOT. I generally run around 15-18 mph which feels like a nice cruising speed. My set up is from the mid to late 90s .... I'd imagine the newer fuel injected 4 strokes are even nicer. I'll never buy a 2 stroke again!!!!!!!!!!! Except for the pontoon boat I bought yesterday that has a 90 etec on the back =)

I work in the financial world ... specifically related to retirement savings/investments. I know a thing or two. We can talk for hours about where/how to invest .... good debt vs bad debt .... tax laws .... etc etc etc. But there is one simple rule that almost everyone ignores. STOP SPENDING YOUR MONEY!!!!! If you are willing to sacrifice a bit and get creative, you can EASILY live on half of what you bring home and save/invest the rest. It's amazing how fast it adds up if you don't have car payments, credit card debt, cable bills, cell phone bills, etc. You can save TONS by eating at home, buying used clothes, quitting smoking, quitting drinking, etc etc. Most people aren't willing to make those sacrifices ..... but then again they are the ones in their early 60's complaining that they don't have enough money to retire.

If I catch it somewhere close to a certification scale and proper freezer .... I'd keep it and have it certified and then mounted. If I'm at an outpost or fly-in, I'd take pics and video and let it go .... wouldn't have the ice or cooler to transport it back.

When my 40 Honda is cold, it certainly starts better if I have the throttle right at the "choke/start" line .... although better is relative, this things always starts easily.

I got some excellent advice on where to stay in this area with my RV, but now I have a few questions about the river and the fishing. I'd like to know about the fishing, but I'm more interested in the "feel" of the river between Rolphton and Mattawa. Are there lots of houses and docks or does it feel remote? What is the scenery like? Is it rocky or muddy? Any weed beds? Would a pontoon boat be OK? Are there any smaller rivers or streams to explore? We love to load up in the pontoon boat early in the morning and spend all day exploring and fishing. Sometimes we cover many miles of water and don't get back until midnight. Would this part of the Ottawa be conducive to our style. Thanks!

Excellent information guys! Thank you very much. I will look into all of these options.

I had a 30HP Honda fourstroke and now have a 40HP Honda fourstroke ... both from the late 90's. Both are excellent motors!!! They run smooth and quiet. It's easy to change the oil. They do need a good five minutes to warm up on cold mornings. Here is a video of my 30HP before I sold it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIffFz_s1E4

Hi there, I'm looking to do a long weekend RV fishing trip in Eastern Ontario next year. Here are my criteria. Any suggestions? Within 5 hours of the Thousand Islands bridge Need decent fishing for walleye, bass, pike, etc - doesn't have to be amazing, just decent Good scenery is as important as the fishing - the more remote/secluded the better Would like lots of water to explore. Maybe on a big river, or a big lake with lots of islands and bays. Campground must accommodate a 30' RV ... need electric for sure, water and sewer would be nice. Would like to have a bathhouse, fish cleaning house, little store ... that kind of stuff. I've heard that Morning Mist Resort on the Ottawa River is nice, so that's certainly on my list. Any other ideas?

I've towed and launched with a mini-van, Honda Civic, Nissan Altima, and various 4x4 trucks/suvs. On paved ramps with a light-weight boat, FWD is perfectly fine ... even if its wet. You'll never have a single issue. On un-paved ramps, you will have all kinds of issues with FWD. If you have a heavy boat, I'd say 4x4 is required for un-paved ramps.