gordy28

Happened to be near the Mississauga store today and popped in The place was picked pretty clean for rods, reels and camping stuff but a half decent amount of tackle left (limited terminal tackle) okay selection of line. For musky guys pretty good slectikn of lures left. While in there they actually changed over the signs and it was now 40% off lures and terminal tackle so i loaded up on what I needed/they had and grabbed xome rapalas i didnt need but will be good backups Apparently Markham location has a bit more selection but can't comment on 40% off as stock update was from a friend who was there on Monday Gordy

On our recent outpost trip the camp haad 4 Lund WC14s with 9.9s and one older Lund a 14 with a 9.9 No boats had floors. WC 14s were very sturdy and ran fast enough for a small lake not sure about making bigger runs on a kawartha lake The a was not a sturdy but noticably quicker. We helped oull the boats up dry and the a was much lighter For fishing comfort found the split seat in the back and wider frame made the wc 14s the preferred boat for our group but again small lake 5 miles long maybe a mile wide Gordy

MB Yes Birchdale lodge on Eagle Lake here is a link http://www.birchdalelodge.com Cheers Gordy

Cant comment on the fishing as i have never been but i have had guys i respect point me in the drection of Birchdale lodge for what its worth

Thanks JD If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a pm We have fished Pickle and now Shekak w WRA

Thanks - I enjoyed writing it Definitely gets the memories flowing of that trip plus old ones Cheers Andrew

A bit of a delay but finally got around to writing a report on our Shekak Lake Trip I was a great trip but we definitely found the fishing a bit tougher this time around Bigger lake and some crazy weather seemed to scatter the fish and it was a really light bite Full report is up here if you are interested http://www.canadafishingguide.net/forum-2/member-trip-reports-1/lake-fever-shekak-lake-with-white-river-air-aug-22-29-2016/ Cheers Gordy

Brian = thanks for the edit and feedback MB - thanks was a great trip and I definitely found it to be a walleye factory. Farthest north I have even been which was maybe the best part of the trip Not going to lie - little intrigued that I have fished somewhere you havent as I tend to think you and Mike B have fished everywhere lol Cheers Gordy

This is going to end up being a banner year for me when it comes to fishing trips My group goes every other year and we leave in 16 days to fish Shekak Lake with White River Air was all that was on tap until an invite from my father in law changed that Every year my FIL takes a group of guys up to either Strikers Point Lodge or Miminiska Lode through Wilderness North - its a work thing. In late May he asked if I could join them A quick check on the home and work fronts and hell yes, I am in Mim is a widening of the Albany river and to get there we would take a flight to Thunder Bay from Toronto and then we would fly on a Pilatus PC 12 to the lodge. Over time the group had come to prefer Mim as it didnt require the drive from T Bay to Armstrong like Strikers Point does. Its about a 50 minute flight in the wheeled plane The Lodge Mim is a very nice lodge, nestled on a sandy beach not far from where the Keezhzik river flows into Miminiska Its a full service lodge and I mean full service - made to order breakfast, choose your own sandwiches and if you wanted it the lodge will meet you every day on the lake to cook your shore lunch for you (we did this one day) or pack all you need to do it on your own The lodge runs 16 foot lunds with 25 horse 4 stroke Yammys. Each boat was equipped with a Humminbird Helix 5 depth finder/gps combo which was great - its a big lake and easy to get turned around in with all its various bays and inlets The Lake Mim is an interesting lake - lots of structure, lots of bays and inlets, rocky in parts, weedy in parts and sandy in parts When we got there part of the orientation was to be mindful when running the boats - the water levels were down almost 5 feet and that meant many rocks and shoals which normally wouldn't be an issue were now a hazard. Trust me - we found them, thankfully boat insurance was paid and the engines have rock guards on the prop. The Fishing What can I say - best expression I can come up with is "shooting fish in a barrel" Here's an example - on our first day my bro in law and I were the first guys in the boat and were circling around the dock waiting for everyone and to get a feel for the boat. Rather than waste time we put on Berkley Flicker shads and just started to troll - well we found a nice little hump in 15 feet of water about 400 yards from the dock and proceeded to catch about 10 walleye and 5 pike in 20 minutes That set the tone - basically the walleye and pike are everywhere - and what surprised me the most was in spots that I would only expect to catch pike (3 feet of water in lily pads) you would hook walleye or trolling in 9 feet of water on a rock shoal one of our crew caught the biggest pike of the trip a fat 37 incher I was also impressed with the average size of walleye we caught - the lodge has its own slot, only 2 fish under 18 inches in your possession and a few days we struggled to get fish under the slot - avg size was about 20 inches and fat If there was a key it seemed to be finding sharp breaks - one day we circled a big rock in the North Arm that was surrounded by 17 feet of water but had small shoal around it that was 1 foot deep - the three boats pulled in easily 35 walleye and a few pike in about 45 minutes I love gear and I love to fish and I can honestly say I caught fish (both species) on just about everything in my tackle box - spoons, cranks, jigs, harnesses on bouncers, spinner baits - it didn't matter but if I had to pick my top 3 I would say Rapala Minnow Rap in Bleeding Olive, Blue and Silver Hot n Tot and any bright harness on a 2 ounce BB Biggest pike was 37 inches (but my FIL lost what was a solid 40 + incher right at the boat...) biggest walleye was a 22 and 3/4 incher caught by yours truly. There was another group in camp and they did qualify for 2 master angler pins - a 26.5 inch walleye and a 41 inch pike You can fish parts of the Keezhik or the Albany for Brook Trout - but with the water levels you could only get there with a very long portage or pay premium $$$ to get a flight past the low water to the better pools. Bryan the lodge manager gave us directions to go up the Keezhik but about halfway to the portage a lightning storm rolled in and we werent keen in getting stuck on the water. Bryan mentioned that the week before Mark Melnyk from the Real Fly Fisher was there doing a brookie show and got 14 fish including 2 5 pounders on the afternoon the filmed The Experience I have never been that far North in my life and loved every second of it - the scenery was astounding and we made long runs in the morning typically to see it all - we ran up the Keezhik one day but could get to far as a lightning storm interrupted us. We headed all the way to Snake Falls down the Albany river - that was a butt clenching run as the water levels were so low. We went and visited the church which was set up by Missionaries years ago, we visited the old abandoned mine in Wottam Bay and we had shore lunch at an abandoned native hunting camp near Caribou Island One of the coolest things was started by a not so good omen. Fishing w my father and law we hit a shoal pretty hard and knocked a wire loose on the engine - anytime he tried to rev the engine out of trolling speed it died on us. So after many false starts (and some foul foul language) we decided since we were close the our shore lunch spot we would just troll in the area. As we got set my FIL said - whoa check out the beach over there - out came a large white Timber Wolf - he jogged up the beach and watched us - we tried to get close to get a good photo but every time we moved closer he would start to trot away, when we slowed he would stand still and watch us - I swear he was saying"this is my house - who the f are you!" Bryan and Kate the camp managers along with the rest of the crew were amazing - friendly, helpful and just great all around Meals were very nice, accommodations all of that was top notch. Overall it was an incredible trip - its not a cheap lodge by any means - normally way out of my groups budget but it was amazing experience that I was so glad to be a part of I have had no luck uploading images so here is a link to a small folder of pics http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/gordy28ca/library/Miminiska?sort=3&page=1 Thanks for reading Gordy

For a good breakfast i love the Norval Pancake Factory in Georgetown Here in Mississauga we are big fans of Pho Mi 99 in the heartland centre pho is amazing, best pad thai ive ever had and these wicked vietnamese spring rolls

I have not posted on this forum in a long time - mainly due to a lack of fishing opportunities Managed to sneak out for a night time fish in the Kawarthas this weekend 2 walleye caught - one about 19 inches and the other just shy of 18 - both in the slot, both caught trolling the outside weed edge Hoping to get out a few more times at the cottage and I am lucky to have two fly in trips planned this summer Cheers Gordy

Ill second Goodfellas Anothergood one close to where you are is Union Social Eatery. In the plaza w tims at mississauga road and derry South of you Mississauga road is Rib Eye Jacks epic beer list seriously thijk they have over 200 beers in the menu, good tasting flights and a good steak Cheers Gordy PS as a musky guy try to check out JBS DEPOT if youve never been 401 and Kipling one of the better musky selections jn the GTA

August 21 we are doing a week on Shekak lake with white river air So pumped Also hope to do more fishing w my daughter at the cottage

Awesome report The couple from the Orkneys caught my eye I am a first gen canadian by way of Glasgow. In a trip through Scotland years ago i had the pleasure of seeing a play in a small church in a smaller town. The play was based on a short story by George MaCkay Brown, poet, novelist, native Orkney son If your interested in Orkney check him out Gordy

I just bought the pro qualifier jacket and bibs Have only worn twice but very happy w it One thought: had my 6 year old with me and was sbout to walk out with it. She said Daddy if you fll in the water no one will see grey but they will see this one (bright orange) she was right so thats what i bought lol

Congrats and good luck Mike Looking forward to the first issue Gordy

Man those are awesome bows and looks like a great time Your way up on me for trout havent fished for the in years but i remember 1 pound trout being and incredible fight on a medium light spinning rig Cheersand confrats Gordy

Great report and the custom info is awesome - like others have said i learn a lot from your posts Cheers Gordy

2008 tracker targa 18.5 w 150 merc optimax Solo w gear 42 mph fully loaded w 3 guys 36 mph all day

Mike, One other question re patterning. How much would you say is instinct, time on the water, prep before hand? Are you generally relying on time on the water over the years or do you find map study, research etc is equally important? Magasines or books you refer too? I have the in fisherman walleye series books and find them helpful but interested in what you would pick up.

As I said in my reply to your thread this morning - your posts are both entertaining and educational, I enjoy them and learn for them and I don't pay a dime for it - whatever benefit you get - good for you When looking at planning trips you have been very helpful to me - highlighted camps but didn't show a bias in anyway and offered advice - and I appreciate it and I am guessing so do most

As always awesome report. Was a great way to spend time w a cigar on the deck after work Love that you take the time to explain your thoughts on the pattern and how you found fish. Ahead of the few trips ive done i go back to your posts and read to give myself some things to try/look for on my outings. (Hence my dissapointment that you didnt fish Shekak this year as we are booked for next August) lol. In all seriousness your reports are awesome both entertaining and educational Gordy

As always great report. Reminds me of what fishing is about spening time with friends and family Photos of your 3 ladies on the deck are priceless.

I have the same Panasonic Camera and have really enjoyed it Also great if you have kids - mine love playing with it in the lake, pool etc Gordy

About 20 years ago the musky bug hit Brother bought a cottage in Hali that had a small musky pop. Finally spent the dough on a real musky lure. Bought a jointed shallow raider from the little bait shop off Hali main street. Was prob $25 On the lake, literally first cast I snapped my bail close to early, 30 yards from intended target. Sure enough a ski hits it before I can crank the handle. Fight it to the boat where buddy and I realize net is on the dock. He tries to grab it, pins line against boat and snap. Muskie swims away with my almost brand new lure It's funny. Long time ago but remember the lure, purchase and experience vividly. Still a good fishing story between my buddy and I. More about the loss of my new lure than the fish lol Gordy