Rod Caster

Good day. Best of luck on the water.

haha, and they also overcharge on some of the food items. $ 4.00 for a to-go soup!!

What's wrong with the gas there? or are you being sarcastic about my pizza at a gas station comment? I actually buy food and gas there quite often... they make good pies too! Now stop making fun of my gassy food preference, guys

Very cool! Your mum looks very focused on the fishing and not the camera haha.

Very nice brookies ya got there! The males get fiery red this time of year. The curse is broken!

I'll try the Harbor View next time I'm there. Wings' cheeseburger pizza is something... . But yes, they are expensive there.

Have fun. The Shell station on the highway makes great pizza, try it!

Sounds like a hit! My gf would make a good product tester... She likes using odor masking products but hates the chemicals they are injected with. She'll often get sore eyes and sometimes rashes because of it and she's not even super sensitive to most products in general. The "scented" garbage bags are a prime example of a product that gives her watery eyes and headaches. Anything that works and is not toxic is a GREAT thing in my opinion. Best of luck Cliff!

Yup

Hahaha she's not much of a fighter.

You offer me fish and you haven't even caught them yet? I'll take 6 jumbos and a laker please.

The surface water was very cold so it must have turned over... In fact I though that would push the big ones into the shallows,(?) but instead the bite was just off this day. Its funny that you said that and ice fishing because we were thinking the same thing. Especially during late ice that third lake might be a gem.

Ever since I received a tip I've been eyeing this chain of small lakes, supposedly flush with good sized pike. The back two lakes are only accessible by portage and offered a good challenge for someone who has been challenged in catching any good pike this year. My Sportspal, even though it is a light and durable canoe it is not a good "portaging" canoe because it does not have a yolk. This presented a large obstacle in the "exploration" stage and required two strong participants in order to cover the land in between lakes not knowing which trails, if there even were any usable trails, led to our target destination. The first visit to the lead lake was with my lovely and non-canoe dragging GF who "just loves spending time with me" and doesn't care much about backlake fishing. We leisurely rounded the far side of said lake and focused on the shoreline for signs of portageable trails. After several passes I identified a receding opening that did not match the surrounding shoreline forest. We landed the canoe, stepped out and put our toes ahead of our heels as we hiked up a very old logging route. "Lombard Patent" was embossed in a set of iron hitches used during the log run and further up the trail and we explored an old wood and steel crate, barely distinguishable from the pine needle blanket on the forest floor. 500 meters of "nobody has been on this trail this year" marked the second lake in the chain. <BR>Today, a week later, the second strong participant joined me for some pike fishing and exploration. We efficiently crossed the first lake in early hours of the morning and knuckle dragged the Sportspal through the old logging path and into lake number 2. With three rods (of course only two in use at a time) we tied on a large worm harness, a 6 inch Husky Jerk and a black spinner bait to our 20lbs micro-wire leaders. The next hour was spent casting and trolling, wash and repeat.<BR>Approaching the far side of lake 2, our desperate attention shifted to exploration mode as we began looking for a trail that would lead us to lake number 3. Low water levels had receded the shoreline back nearly 200 meters in a swampy area that I had previously mapped out as the trail entrance. We made several passes before we decided to "take a look" and forgo the paddles for legs. As I had guessed, at the end of the once navigable swamp we stumbled onto a gem of a trail. It was no longer than 100 meters and connected lake 2 with lake 3 with a small, along with a dried out creek. I can only imagine this to be one of the most interesting creeks I've encountered. Beginning to end, this creek ran through a topographical anomolie interspersed with caves, massive fallen boulders and tall rock bluffs. I hope to return to this creek in the spring, just to see it with flowing water. We walked around and amazed and generally enjoyed ourselves in this special spot. As a bonus we had found my target lake. Due to time restrictions, we chose not to carry the canoe into lake 3. Two more hours of casting and trolling and we had absolutely no indication of any fish life. Not a nibble, not a follow. It was cold and windy, which pretty much describes the fall season in general so I don't know if the weather conditions affected the bite or if it was a combination of slow predators and low numbers. We still quibbled over who was the best angler of the day and as it turns out, it was a tie. I've got the information I need to access the third lake, which was always my main target, so I know I'll be back.... Hopefully in the spring and with a yolk on my canoe. I keep thinking you don't know until you find out.

I guess this means I've never caught a huge fish... All these years I thought I had.

It wants its belly scratched!

Great bass!

Can't wait for it! Skipper "D" you should come join us for the Nipissing hardwater g2g. We have no rules against catching and keeping herring on our lake!

Incredible and captivating writing.

The Walleye surgery was a success!!!!

I know where that wasp nest is located

Great report! How did the walleye- eyes taste?

That's better!! Pics look great!

Hahahaha. Sinclair called it... Dana posting that photo was Dana exploding. Back to the OP ... I'm glad to see an OFNer pulled off the "impossible" I'm inspired to give it another shot as well. 3 years is a long time to wait for another opportunity.

I see you got a new reel, two new rods and one hell of a new workout routine! You had me for a second.

What a catch! Once in a lifetime catch for many of us... Very jealous. Dana: I'm betting you'll be out there this weekend after seeing these photos haha