bigcreekdad

I love topwater....my only two landed this year were on them. Conditions have to be right though.....those darn sunny, still days don't work. After dinner, it's the only lure I throw.

Forgot to post this pic once I got home. This is the 47" lunge I caught after dinner on a TopRaider. I was by myself so, just the fish in the pic.

rich....sorry we didn't cross paths. Your report reminded me I have not yet posted the pics of my 47"+ muskie. I'll do so shortly. Congrats on your catches....3 in a trip is awesome!!

Has anyone fished this area at that time? I was there a few years ago in early October and had pretty mediocre fishing (for muskie and pike). I'm thinking of a later trip, but am hoping for some thoughts from the forum.

Not familiar with that lodge. Where is it?

Just returned from 8 days of fishing that area. Bass fishing for first four days was awesome. THen cold front came through, and bass fishing never ret'd to what it was. Pike fishing was mediocre, as it has been for all three trips this year. Had a big muskie follow a surface plug (actually created a big wake) last WEdnesday. THen....nothing til last night...really windy all day, but it dropped off around 7pm. decided on one last hour of fishing for the year up there. Third cast on a Top Raider.....wham!....47.5" lunge. I'll post a pic when I get back to my home (drove to my cabin today, and my connection for camera is home- don't use a chip). WAs by myself, so netting was a bit tricky. Missed my first attempt and he then made a short run, and jumped....I almost died. Got him on my next attempt. Great way to end the season.

I'm up at Crane's now. I have green on white Alumucraft with 60 Yam tiller....wave if you see me. Been up since Monday.....first several days warm and calm....not good for casting for muskie. Spent a lot of time on bass....excellent this year! One woman in camp has hooked large muskies twice this week drifting worms....lost both, but both were at boat side at least twice so they got real good looks. I raised a large muskie on a topwater after dinner Wednesday.....it created a large wake right up to the boat....I did figure 8, but it did not hit. Why do the fish gods do this to you? Rainy and windy today....staying until rain quite....I can take rain or wind, but as a near senior citizen, not both. A nap will do just fine. Good luck to those coming up.

Rollie and Helen's.....specializing In muskie tackle for years.

Why don't we go barbless? I've always thought how hypocritical it is to worry so much about reviving a fish, when the barbs clearly can impede that process.

Why don't we go barbless? I've always thought how hypocritical it is to worry so much about reviving a fish, when the barbs clearly can impede that process.

loaf of bread actually....I've "fly fished" for them with canned corn...3-5 kernels on a # 10 fly hook.....worked good....Green Giant brand is my "lure of choice".

JUst ret'd from a week at Crane's Lochaven Lodge. Fishing, while not great, was way better than our trip in July. Bass fishing was quite good with many slot fish and several over slot....largest 19.5 SMB on a small rebel popper. Only one walleye, but we are not really fishing for them. Two smaller muskie....28" and 37", however the latter was a fat fish, I'd guess at 15 pounds....caught on a surface plug after dinner and it jumped clear twice. Surprisingly, only about a dozen pike, with largest at 34" All in all...good trip. Heading back in 3 weeks for some serious muskie hunting.

Unless I'm with my sons, I'd rather fish alone. A lot of my fishing is fly fishing the trout streams of northern lower Michigan....that is much preferred as a solitary sport unless you are sharing a guide boat. Wading is definitely solitary. I take 3-5 trips to Canada a year....most to the French River. I take my sons when they can go, but my September/October trips are usually solo. I much enjoy these....no hurry, no worry about whether others are having a good time, etc. I especially enjoy the solo evenings.....a couple glasses of wine, a good book, and just contemplating life as the sky goes to dark. Love these times. AS for other boaters, I've had words with idiots on occasion who blast into a bay I'm casting, and start flinging less than 100 yards away. Fishing etiquette has gone by the boards. One nice thing about being over 60....you don't give a hoot about what you say to idiots.

Moosebunk.....if you are looking for a fill in 2013, let me know. I love to fish, but I'd settle for just the meals. Your reports and pics continue to be first rate.

I was using floro as a pike leader on a fly rod for a few years.....still getting bit off even when I went to 60lb test. Anything above this was just too hard to get a good tight knot. Most of the bite offs were on smaller fish ( sharper teeth?). In any case, I'm back to wire ....small test ...25 lbs or less. It's the small pike that drove me away...losing too many streamers.

I'll be in same water at Crane's same time....I've go a white Alumacraft with green trim and a 60 hp tiller....if you see me, wave me down and we can meet and tell lies about our favorite spots.

I'm heading up the 10th for a week, then back again second week of September. I was up in late June and fishing was off. I think you'll find bass fishing pretty good when you are going, but walleye might require some checking deeper areas.I've not been up before in August, but SEptember has usually been pretty good. My main target is muskie, but I take breaks to rest my arm throwing soft baits for bass. It might boil down to whether nights are starting to cool off the water temps a bit. I fish below the Chaudiere dams. I have head the upper French and Nippising has been good for walleye this year. What part of the French are you going to be on?

About 50 years ago, I was driving a boat, not long after refueling, and it blew up. Four of us escaped with very minor burns. Boat burnt to the water line and sank. We were damn lucky. I didn't go on any boat with an enclosed engine for 2 years afterwards.....and only then because a girl I was dating was invited on a 48' boat for an after dinner cruise....that 2 hour cruise was probably one of the most agonizing times of my life. Scary stuff.

I'm mostly a catch and release guy, but I am suddenly quite hungry!!

I have been thinking about this for a few years. I've got an Alumacraft 165 Magnum, with a 60 Yamaha 4 stroke tiller. Great setup, but I fish quite a bit by myself any more, and am leaning towards a console for comfort and safety issues. Been looking at an Alumacraft Competitor Sports 165CS. Only a few inches longer, but 5 inches wider, so a bit more stable. Has anyone moved away from the tiller and regretted it?

Although I have the French River in my blood, and will always go there, I like to take one trip a year somewhere else. I've taken several Manitoba/NWT/northern Quebec trips, but they are awful expensive. So, I've started to look at some other and somewhat closer lodges. Last year I went to Fireside Lodge on Little Vermillion Lake in August, and had great fishing. This year, I'm thinking about an August trip to the Timmins/Cochrane area, and am looking for some recommendations. I'd appreciate any thoughts from the group.

I'd say it was pretty low.....as low as last Fall.

Just got back from 6 days on the French. As usual, we stayed at Lochaven, which is just a great lodge, run by Ed and Sue Crane. I cannot recommend it highly enough. However, this trip goes down as my worst in over 40 years, and 90 odd trips, to Canada. My best day was 6 fish.....I used to catch this many just going out for a couple hours after dinner. Biggest was a 28' pike, and a 15" smallmouth. Oh....I also caught a catfish that was likely 8 pounds or so. Never saw a muskie. It wasn't just me. Almost everyone in camp was doing as poorly. One poor guy came up by himself for a 2 day trip, and didn't catch a single fish. I tried to tell him that he should not consider this normal by any means, by I doubt he'll return. It was quite warm most days, and that usually puts off the fishing, but I've always had success under such conditions by concentrating on morning, late afternoon, and evening fishing. As for methods, we did it all.....live bait, wacky worms, Gulp minnows, spinners, surface patterns, cranks, and even fly rod streamers. I saw a few mayflies, but not enough to indicate that there was a major nighttime hatch (where I've experienced bad fishing as the fish gorge themselves on the emerging nymphs all night). In any case, I'm not whining or complaining, and I have no qualms about continuing to fish that area, I'm just perplexed.

[ I had a Yamaha 50 tiller 4 stroke for 10 years....flawless. Traded it 3 years ago for a 60 tiller 4 stroke.....flawless, and increased my top speed from 29 mph to 35 easily. I also think, but cannot prove, my mpg have not changed. Although this is likely my last motor, if I bought again, I'd buy a Yamaha with no hesitation. I quote name=TrueNorth' date='02 July 2012 - 08:54 PM' timestamp='1341276899' post='711023] Hello all, Ive been doing alot of research lately on which 60hp tiller motor ill be buying new next year but have not been able to find a good comparison thats 2012-2013 models. I have found alot of comps of 50hp but they are from 2008-2009-2010 would like some perspective on which models offers the best Tiller options. thanks