gordy28

For sure-have already touched base w Mike But it will take our groupa while to nail down some times-Spring doesn't seem like an option at this point. Hence posting so early-best to get details explored to finalize and motivate. Not to mention negotiating with our better halves

Both of mine were new Gen (foam handles)

Probably doesn't read that way but my post was more about the greatness of Grimsby Tackle IMO and less on the Compres I will reserve judgment with this new rod - could have been a bad batch, could have been user error, could have been 2 pieces versus 1 piece (all of my other rods are 1 piecers) I will say I loved the sensitivity of the rod - generally $100 is my max spend on a rod - on our trip certain dyas the walleye bight was quite light - with the Compre - NP - both feel and responsivness were awesome. After I broke the rod I had to use my finesse set up (Abu Garcia Vendetta, 6'10 ML) and I know it cost me fish - some of it was just the lighter set up IMO but it did not have the same feel either Anyway - hoping 3rd time is a charm - at $20 a pop for the replacement for the price of this Compre I could have easily had a Crucial or close to a St Croix Avid

Few months ago I bought a 7 ft 2 piece spinning Compre for an upcoming trip. I used it once before the trip and on the 3rd day of the trip the tip snapped coming off a weedy snag. Took it back to Grimsby Tackle-no issues w exchange-got the same rod and it only cost me $20 to ship the old rod back to Shimano. Took brand new rod to Balsam lake this past weekend and 15 minutes into our first trolling run-same issue-tip snapped. Since Grimsby isn't exactly around the corner and the fact that Shimano warranty states any dealer can do the exchange-I called two different Miss/GTA dealers to see if I could take it there-long story short answer was no. Emailed Grimsby-NP come back in, which I did today. Little leery of the two piece again I got a 1 piece 6 8 mh rod. Will be trying it out this weekend and the guys at Grimsby were very helpful and accomodating. Anyway-thanks to the guys at Grimsby-they are now my preferred tackle store hands down and I'll be back in the fall when I plan on upgrading my musky combo! Cheers Gordy

Thanks for the offer Mike-will pm you once soon to chat for sure I've read enough reports and looked at enough pictures of it fish to know it's an amazing offer Gordy

Chris-thanks for the input and then generous offer. Right now it looks like April/May are out-but it might change one we have a formal planning (excuse for guys night) meeting. If we do go for trout exclusively will let you know. If you were fishing small mouth would you still avoid Hwy 60? Woodenboater-thanks as well-great tips, definitely want to avoid white water and we definitely don't mind limited paddling even if it means less lakes visited or more portages Cheers Gordy

I have success using the San Diego Jam knot to tie flouro directly to your bait (believe it was in an article by Aaron Martins) To connect braid to flouro I use the Seaguar knot - one lesson for me, know more than 3 twists of the loops of you connection knot is to big Gordy

Your list is solid Adds from our recent trip north: Worm harnesses (we liked the Northland ones) on bottom bouncers for walleye Wacky rigged senkos for bass Spinnerbaits for both sm and pike

Thanks guys Info appreciated - will definitely contact Algonquin Outfitters Pettawa sounds interesting - and so does just a July Smallmouth Chris - thanks, you got me thinking that perhaps we skip the guide... We could always get canoe practice in ahead of time Any other things for first timers to consider re routes etc

Its the time of year (for our group anyway) where we start to plan for next years trip The new goal is to do a short camping/fishing excursion in 2013 - to be followed by a week long trek in 2014. Looking at all the reports here we are thinking maybe we would like to go off the grid a bit instead of the lodge route We are not campers or canoers - one option for 2014 is a guided trip into the BWA for Small mouth so... We are planning to do a 3 day trip into Algonquin - we will be going guided and I'm looking for input on: Outfitters So far we have talked to 3 = prices vary quite a bit so I am wondering if anyone has ever used any of the Outfitters around the park (either guided or unguided)and has positive (or negative I guess)feedback/reviews or would feel comfortable making a recommendation Timing Right now trout opener may not be a possibility - and we don't mind fishing for bass (but would love to try for trout as well) - based on that when would you recommend you we go (assuming we miss bug season) - late July? August? September? In case anyone wondering why guided - we have limited gear and don't want to stock up to find out we prefer the lodge, none of has camped in years (and never in the interior) and finally we aren't experience in canoes Why ask now - its only Sept? Guys need to dream and plan to cope with a long winter Anyway - any input is appreciated as always Gordy

Thanks for posting-looks like an amazing trip and a report that does it justice Once again getting me thinking about ditching our "luxurious" trips and try roughing it a little to really see the North May have to hit you up for some Quetico and Alongquin trips Mike

We fishing with Captain Rick Knox out of Tarpon Springs/Dunedin area-and were very pleased We only did spin fishing in the flats for sea trout-think he also does snook, redfish and tarpon-not sure about fly fishing though Google him he has a website Cheers Gordy PS-if you go with Cptn Rich the little restaurant at anclote Marina does an amazing fish 3 ways meal-with fish you caught if you like-second to catching lots of fish that was our highlight

We never did -closest we got was some of the shoals just past green island Weather was good enough that we fished the channel all week Thanks again for the input CTDD

Thanks for the comments-enjoyed writing it now I just need to do more fishing For trout-they are there rainbows for sure and the lodge owner said lakers as well-just very deep. If you had a big boat-not a huge run to clear the whalesback and head out to the North Channel where I believe there is a healthy salmon and trout fishery Wish we got some pike as well Gordy

I personally like braid for everything I recently fished steady for a week - so I tried a little test 10 lb power pro on one spinning reel and 10 lb fireline smoke on the other I will now use fireline exclusively - liked the feel and sensitivity better than power pro I fish it with a 3 ft Seaguar Flouro 8 lb leader for walleye and bass Best thing - on special at Lebaron right now...

The Background: Interestingly enough researching for this trip was what brought me to OFC last winter (and its now a prt of my nightly reading) A trip for my brothers 40th birthday, a week fishing a new body of water for 4 good friends who love to fish but don't do it nearly enough with all of lifes other commitments After a month or so of research we decided on fishing Brennan Harbour on the Whalesback channel of Lake Huron. Reports on the fishing as well as the lodge were extremely positive, plus we liked the idea of the 5.5 hour drive The trip After meeting up at 6:45 the trip began in earnest - we gave ourselves plenty of time to hit the 1:00 PM check in and have time to hit the LCBO for final provision yet critical provisions. We had time to stop for lunch in the restaurant in the Spanish Hotel - and were glad we did - if your ever up this way - I recommend it - great food and a diverse menu I was not expecting. The Lodge and our Hosts We arrived at the lodge to be greeted by Barry - the mechanic for the lodge - he quickly introduced us to Casey and James the owners - a few quick details and we were getting our stuff loaded into the ATV and trailer by Barry and Andrew the resident dock man. Nicer people you couldn't ask to meet We had cabin 4 - a nice little cottage just off the path leading to the boat docks - comfortable, spacious with a full kitchen and bathroom We had upgraded both of the boats we would use for the week - Lund 17 Foot outfitters rigged to fish - one with a 50 horse Yamaha Tiller and one with a 30 horse Honda Tiller The boats were in good shape - however we were glad we had the 50 horse as the 30 with 2 guys was underpowered for some of the long runs. For most of the week we ran 3 w the big motor and 1 with the 30, and then switched back at our spots We had chosen the American plan - breakfast in the main lodge at 7:30, packed lunches (or fixings for a shore lunch) and dinner in the lodge again at 5:00 - or if you were catching fish or wanted to be on the water earlier they had no problem putting your meals in your cabin to be eaten at your leisure. The food was amazing - James the owner made awesome breakfasts, and the dinners were incredible home cooked meals - 3 courses for every dinner with a large helping of fresh homemade bread - highlight for me was the waldorf salad, roasted chicken with homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans followed by a brownie and ice cream! The Lake The Whalesback Channel is an offshoot of Lake Huron near the mouth of the Spanish River - separated by Aird Island and John island from the big lake. It seems and fishing more like a shield lake than the great lakes of Southern Ontario - deep main basin, huge looming rocks faces, large boulder strewn shoals, many little islands and big off shoot bays. The water is always slightly stained (compared to the Kawarthas where we normally fish). On fist glance and our first outing - its a tad overwhelming, it seems huge and everything looks fishy - especially when you can target just about any species of fish - the picture books in the lodge show fisherman with trout, pike, muskie, walleye, smallmouth bass, sturgeon, catfish and perch. Fishing For us - the fishing was amazing - maybe not to some of the folks here, we didn't have 100 fish days but we were able to quite well - more detail with the pictures. Our plan was to primarily fish for walleye and bass and try a few spots for muskie/pike We had a great routine - walleye till 11 AM, explore a bit, have lunch, fish for bass, back to the lodge for dinner, evening fish for walleye and back to the lodge for R and R - get up and repeat We hired a local guide to fish with each boat for a day and it was well worth it - Nigel was great at both showing us spots (some we fished, some he pointed out on our way to and from) and techniques. As mentioned most of us do our fishing on the Kawarthas and primarily for bass and musky - so deep structure fishing for Walleye or even the type of smallie fishing was quite different - and I am convinced that without the lesson on how to properly rig (2 ounce bottom bouncer minimum) and troll the walleye spots, plus the pointers on the types of structures we wanted (large main lake structures with steep breaks to the basin for walleye, shoals with rocks and weeds within a cast or two of deep water for smallies) we would have caught 50% less fish Our totals Walleye - 100+ fish for the week, the average size was about 17 inches, with 18 - 20 inchers and only 4 fish that broke 20. We did however get lots of 14 - 16 inch fish - perfect for our shore lunches Smallmouth - 40+ fish for the week, the average size was about 2.5 lbs with 4 fish over 4 lbs including 3 that were over 4.5 lbs Pike/Muskie - only 2 and both were incidental - we spent one 2 hour session targeting mainly pike following the guides advice but only had one large pike blow up on a spoon and 3 hooks ups that never made it to the boat. We also had a few big hits when fishing for eyes and when you brought your bouncer and worm harness in it was sheered at the leader about 2 feet away from the bottom bouncer - our guide said many of the big pike sit on the same structure the walleye do - feeding on the walleye Our go to baits were: Crawlers and harnesses for walleye - on a 2 ounce bottom bouncer. best colours were metallic gold with green or orange, flourescent firetiger, white w gold and pink and perch Our secondary pattern (which produced both walleye and smallies) was long lining original floating rapalas or husky jerks in hot orange/white, clown and black/silver with an orange bottom Okay - some pictures The view from our cabin porch our first night: Stringer from our second day Shore lunch - great spot on a small beach on one of the islands with a picnic table, campfire, fileting station and a cooking station - it was so good we decided we must do it again one more time before we left (ask James - he will tell you where it is) Walleye - a few of our larger ones Smallies - big uns and others We ended up finding and milking a great walleye spot 5 minutes from the lodge on our first night - we then refined our pattern with what we learned from the guide - but best of all was this, pretty much every night before we rolled home Finally - the group shot - our first day fishing and probably the only time we got the 4 of us together in a photo Trip Review Overall it was a great trip - we got lucky with the weather - we only had one day with high winds that brought in big waves (and I'm talking rollers of the 6 to 8 feet variety), we started fishing in 28 - 30 degree weather and finished the week with highs of 20 and post frontal conditions - yet we never got skunked and our last day was probably our best for smallies and we found a new walleye pattern One of my favourite moments was probably ruminating over the map at the cabin table with Scotch and stogies pondering the next days fish based on the front - and then going out the next day and putting a whooping on the fish! Lodge Review Pros - great people, the food was awesome, very reasonable prices, nice cabins and access to truly incredible fishing, close access but you never felt crowded - we rarely fishing with more than 2 boats within eyesight and after labour day we hardly saw any other fishing boats except for other lodge guests, access to town - its 5 minutes from the lodge - which was great when we ran out of beer and smokes! Cons - its big water - the wrong week of weather and you could get blown off the lake every day. Boats - the 50 horse was great, but the 17 ft boat with 2 big guys and a 30 hp did not make for fast rides. We had a long run to 2 of our best bass and walleye spots and after the 2nd day we primarily put 3 guys in the boat with the 50 and 1 with the 30. One other thing was that gas and bait is not included in the American plan pricing (only other trip I have done of this type it was) - we felt the final tally was fair - but I would prefer it all be taken care of upfront I'd give it an 8 out of 10 Considerations Think about hiring a guide through the lodge - we found it very helpful Definitely upgrade to the 50 tiller or think about bringing your own boat - we drove a lot and our prop/lower unit was never in much danger if you use your maps and pay attention Bring a GPS Do some research - through this board and many others we had lots of spots to check - most of which proved to hold fish Think about going with your family - they have a nice kid friendly beach, a play area, firepits and other things to keep kids busy Overall - we had a blast, and at somepoint I will go back - maybe with the family when my daughter is a bit older or we have tried a few more spots - we have decided to do it again in 2014 with a few shorter trips between now and then - right now its a toss up between a guided Quetico/BCWA trip or a fly in to one of the many fine outposts we have seen here (Beteau Lake, Parks Fly In, Kesagami) Thanks for reading and to all of those who helped along the way - many thanks! Gordy

Glad you got them-other option is to hit BPS in the spring-usually they put there wraps on for 30 to 50 % off (things a Scotsman like myself would know )

Well - gear is almost packed, cigars and Scotch picked up! We leave Sat Am for our week at Brennan Harbour - many thanks to all of those who have replied or send me PMS for tips - greatly appreciated! Weather man good right now - although a small cold front is blowing in mid week - but wind looks down which is the main concern - we will fish no matter what - even if we are just piking in the bay where the lodge is Will do my best to post a good report when back - taking my new camera and will also try for a few videos Any last minute tips - spots. areas to fish when weather is rough - fire away Cheers Gordy

Thanks Mike A kind offer and greatly appreciated This trip is for my bros 40th and we are determined to get him a PB musky/pike/smallie or walleye

Thanks for the report We head up there in 3 weeks Interested re the weather. I have heard that even when it's windy etc there's still spots where you can fish out of the chop (bays, the river). Was it so bad that wasn't an option or you just didn't want to bother with the combo of wind and rain Finally love to know any thoughts you have on muskie-we have a guide for 2 days but Casey pre warned us that he's a walleye/bass guy. So any thoughts you have on lures etc would be great. If you'd rather send a pm cool. Would be appreciated Cheers Gordy

Ive had a few - but this one is top of mind Had one two weekends ago - on the golf course Friend hits his ball over some trees and into a farmers field - we are waiting shot to shot so I venture into the "forest" really a strip of trees maybe 10 feet deep Just before I step into the field (keep in mind I am scanning everywhere on the ground for said golf ball) I almost step on something - like when you get up early in the am and almost walk on your dog - I cant of jump to the right and look A small fawn - head up, breathing slow - just sitting there - didnt move, didnt flinch just sat there - called my buddy over - he came through, fawn still just sat there Not sure if it was the heat (was 33 degrees out) or it just heard us coming and froze - but I have never seen that before - see lots of Deer at my fther in laws place - does, bucks, fawns - but the moment they hear/see/smell you they bolt

I"ll do the intro My name is Andrew - but most people call me Gordy - I live in Mississauga and with my wife, 17yr old stepdaughter, 3 year old daughter and cant forget Roxie our 4 year Boston Terrier Have fished all my life - primarily on Balsam lake as my family has had a trailer there since i was a baby Favourite species is a tie - smallmouth and musky - although the last few years I have fished more walleye Love the board - great info, great reads and great tips Cheers Gordy

Wow awesome stuff Now where in Quebec are you and is real estate cheap or are you willing to adopt a 38 year old "little brother" lol Seriously great stuff Gordy

Someone else posted a few months back-I believe there is only one outfitter on the lake-google will help you find his name Here's my reply; 19 March 2012 - 07:35 PM Actually looked at this outfitter as well as a co worker goes every year We chose a different route but here's what he told me Here is his verbatim instead of my memory Name of the Lodge – Camp Coucoushee Time of Year you go – late May Quality of fishing – Un-f***in-believable. You’re an experienced fisherman – better than me by far – and I catch at least 80-100 fish (mostly pickerel, some pike, some lake trout) over 4 days …couple years caught 200 fish Quality of the cabins – Rustic. Not the Holiday inn, but have the basics, bunk beds, propane fridges, stove, bathroom with shower. That's all I have but hopefully its helpful I also found a few other reports (if memory serves me) all positive just googling Cheers Gordy

Sept 2 to the 8th for us