green&orange

Thanks for the post. I always enjoy reading about your adventures. I appreciate that you often have a DIY type of trip because it is something that I can relate to. Some of your earlier trips down river systems you posted this winter were classic as well. What ended up being wrong with the Yamaha?

Steve Rinella is the guys name. He is also an author. I read a book of his about a buffalo hunt in Alaska called "American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon". Great read.

Don't get me wrong - there are some excellent opportunities in Michigan for fishing. Most (not all) involve the Great Lakes or its tributaries. Saginaw Bay, Detroit River (spring) for walleyes; Lake St. Clair for musky & smallmouths; Manistee River for steelhead; Grand Traverse Bay for smallmouths, etc. The NW part of the lower peninsula has some excellent smallmouth fishing in inland lakes as well. That muskie pictured above was caught out of Torch Lake - an even bigger one was caught a couple years later in Lake Bellaire (connected to Torch). Michigan also has some beautiful places - I'm fond of the Sleeping Bear dunes/Traverse City area because I live there. The lakes in this region are ultra clear and just beautiful. Trust me - I like living here and there are plenty of places to fish. The point I was trying to make is that the state parks in Michigan don't compare to the PP in Ontario. Overall, the angling experiences don't compare as well. There are some excellent fisheries for sure, but you also have a lot of people. I take two DIY fishing/camping trips to northern Ontario every year (typically camping on an island on a remote lake) and for ME Michigan can't offer that combination of great fishing, great scenery, and solitude that I crave. I'm always willing to help if anyone is interested in visiting Michigan.

I live in Michigan and our state parks don't compare to your provincial parks IMO. Crowded, small campsites, and most of the time - poor fishing. Let me put it this way - I don't even consider camping at a state park in Michigan. I'm not saying that you can't have a good time, but in general the PP's allow a much better experience than a Michigan state park. You guys are so lucky to have the camping & fishing opportunities (not just campgrounds) that you have in Ontario. Be very appreciative. Hope this helps.

Fish farmer summed it up pretty well. I would add automatic stop when the cannon ball hits the water line. You don't have to worry about stopping the cannon ball on the way up. Really nice feature when it is hectic. Also the length of the booms and if they are adjustable or not. If you have a small boat you don't need really long arms to get the ball away from the boat. Speed is a big one to me. I like being able to bring it up quick to reset. A lot of times if that rigger goes off, I leave the ball down in the water as we fight the fish - so I don't forget the depth it was set at. I tend to forget the depth in the heat of a battle with a nice king. A fast rigger will have the ball up in a few seconds ready to reset. Just my thoughts

That is what I used as a "backing plate" as well. I would guess that large washers would work too.

I have Traxstech tracks, rod holders, downrigger mounts, beverage holders, and an "accessory" piece that slides in the track to mount my grill on over the water. I have nothing but positive things to say about Traxstech. I have called with questions, spoke to a person on the phone from the get go (no answering machine) and had things delivered in two days (I have ordered most of my stuff directly from them via phone). The stuff has worked flawlessly for me. I love the flexibility the track system provides for fishing or even a day on the water with the wife and kids. They even custom made my brother-in-law a downrigger and rod storage system for his pontoon boat that he uses out in Lake Tahoe. I am not a handy person by any means, but I installed my tracks on my gunnels (aluminum boat - Crestliner) within a couple of hours. You just need to be careful when you drill that you don't hit the trottle cable or electric wires that run under the gunnels. I know that Traxstech sells backing plates and if you have a question on whether you would need them - just call and talk to them. My gunnels are aluminum and I don't have a backing plate and I have not had any issues. I am sure that Bert's/Cannon and others make good stuff as well, I just have no experience with them. Good luck

Nice work as always! Did you get a new boat?

Just got back from the Chapleau area. Water temps were in the mid 70's. We did well with pitching jigs in shallow weed edges. Best colors were chart/black/orange. You will have a great time. Good luck. I will second the Columbia as the place to eat in Wawa.

Appreciate the reply. Probably won't be getting to bed when I should be! Mornings get tougher and tougher as I age.

Tyler - thanks again! Hope you are slaying them in the SSM area.

Anyone have a Chapleau area fishing and bug report? Water temps? I am heading up on Wednesday into the backcountry and would appreciate any relevant info. Also, what online weather source is the most reliable for that area? The several that I have found have widely different weather forecasts for the week. Anyone have an idea about which one is best? Thanks in advance!

Wow, those Lake O salmon are nice. What I would do to catch a 29 pounder over here in Lake Michigan. Great fish.

Man Lake O gets some nice fish. A 20 pounder like that would make my season here in Lake Michigan. Good work.

Just paint them black or leave them natural and call it good. Just from my experiences, but I am no pro so take it for what it is worth. There are other things that are more important while downrigger fishing IMO like lead lenghts, release types, the weight of the ball, etc. Good luck.

Looked like a great trip. Good job. How were the black flies? I am heading up to the Chapleau area in a few weeks and I am hoping they won't be too bad.

Lund, Alumacraft, Princecraft, Starcraft, Crestliner all build quality boats. IMO the layout of the boat that fits your needs is more important than the name of the builder on the side. Find one that fits your needs and where the price is right and go with that. FWIW, I have a Crestliner and have been very happy with it, but I wouldn't hesitate to purchase some of the other brands I've listed either. Good luck.

Nice report! You do an awesome job of fishing for a variety of species. Good luck heading North.

Put it on a track system - traxtech and berts make nice ones. Stay away from Tite-Lok. That way it is very easy to take it on and off. You can also use the track for so many differnet things - rod holders, grill, cup holders, ect. Very versitile.

MI has a lot more natural reproduction of kings as well.

Agreed!

Fish - First off, I am a recreational guy and not a charter capt. so there a lot of people who know the salmon fishing game a lot better than I do. Plus, I fish Lake Michigan exclusively and I don't know a thing about Lake O other than they get some real pigs there (20 pounder is a big Lake M fish). That being stated - I would run two riggers and two dipsy divers to start. I would keep it real simple for a while until you know how to fish them effectively and not get tangles. The simple four rod set up WILL catch fish. Catch a few fish, figure out how to bring a fish to the boat and net them while keeping your other rods in the water. When I first started, we would hook up with a fish and I would start pulling the other lines because I was afraid that the lines would get tangled and we would lose the fish. That was a mistake, but it just takes time on the water to know when you need to pull a line or not. Trust me, getting a big one into the net is a challenge - don't bring them to the boat too soon or it is trouble. Once you get comfortable with that -then add the lead core out there. As for lures, I would keep it simple as well. Run spoons off the riggers (talk to the people at the port to find what colors are working) and flasher flies on the dipsy's (I like greens/whites/blues). Buy good ball bearing swivels. I like the fly leaders on the shorter side as well 20-22". Other general advice - fish low light conditions (get set up in the dark in the am), get good rod holders for the dipsy's, buy a big net, keep the floor of the boat clear (chaos when you have a double header and people are tripping over gear on the floor), talk to as many people as you can, buy Dan Keating's book (Keating on kings), fish often (you will learn so much on every trip especially early on) and have fun. Salmon fishing is not like other types of freshwater fishing and it is addicting (that is all I really fish for in August/September any more - it just consumes my mind). Good luck and I hope you hook into a few.

Use the heartland rod with the Okuma reel for the dispy diver (I am assuming the Okuma reel is a line counter - sorry not familar with Okumas I use Diawa's). Spool it up with a little bit of mono then at least 30 pound Power Pro the rest of the way (it will cost some $$). That will be a good all around dispsy diver rod. The TDR rod will be a good downrigger rod. I don't know enough about where you are fishing, when, & how deep the fish will be to know if you should bring the boards. If the fish are shallow (<30') bring the boards. If they are deeper than that, we are talking lead core and copper and that is a whole new ball of wax that can add up $$ in a hurry.

I second the sealine 47's.

Absolutely no disrespect to anyone here, but I think that towing that boat with a minivan is a mistake. The tow rating of the vehicle typically includes gear and passengers in the vehicle. The hull itself is 1500 lbs. I'm not sure about the motor you are talking about but my 90 HP Merc 4 stroke is 400 lbs so you are at 1900 lbs minimum. Add gas, boat gear, batteries, trailer itself, fishing gear and you are easily pushing 3500 lbs. Add in gear and passengers and you will be right there. Maybe if you are only going a few miles back and forth on the ramp. But that would be it. Pulling that rig up the ramp will be a challenge with the van IMO. Sorry, just my take. Good luck.