Cheepas Pike and Eye Report.

[Moosebunk]

Last minute hatched a plan. "Must get out camping this weekend."

 

Had heard of good water levels on the Cheepas River. Hadn't been there since spring when a buddy and I made the rip and prop tear up through endless miles of shallows to fish the few deep eddies and pools the river offers.

 

Who better to come with... Bren.

 

My wife coming off the nightshift she had found a willing sitter the night before and, when she got home she dove into bed that morning for a 4 hour nap then woke at noon so we could hit the Moose and begin the 31km trek to the mouth of the Cheepas.

 

Arriving it was obvious there was tonnes of water in the Cheep, but, the Moose was still so dry water only trickled through narrow channels, over debris, rock and sandbars at the mouth of this trib. I had to walk, wade and pull the full boat alone through and over some pretty skinny poop. At a point sometime between one temper tantrum and another bout of profanity I lost one paddle overboard. Eventually though, sweaty and tired, we got through it. Just inside Bren dropped the anchor long enough for me to jump back in the boat, start the motor in shallow drive and proceed to get the damn out of that mess. From there on it was the smoothest sailing I have ever experienced on ANY trib coming into the Moose at ANY season. Full out, hammer down, weaving through the turns and ripping up any swifts and rapids..... it was perfect.

 

 

Never ever, even with that kind of water, did I stop checking depths in the areas I remembered to be shallower. Best be safe... especially with one paddle, a 20ft 300lb canoe, about a 500lb payload and home 30+km away.

 

The Cheepas is a really scenic river. It's smaller than most others giving it a more intimate feel to travel upon. I've known a couple people to agree that there are those who think the river is haunted. With alot of poplar lining the banks when the winds blow the tree trunks creak alot when they sway and their leaves rustle, unlike the needles on the usually dominant black spruce stands. When it's calm... it's dead silent.

 

Pike and eyes are at home on the lower reaches and it's said trout can be found waaaay up. My best walleye this soft water season of 5lb's came in the spring on the Cheepas. Hunters use the river more for Moose and grouse and it's nice that gill netters leave it alone. Could say, since first exploring the Cheepas in the spring of 06, I've grown to really like escaping there.... probably equal to the North French, but nothing as close to amazement found on the Missisicabi or Ekwan.

 

We toured up about 3 to 4 km to our second spot. The first spot usually great, was not. The second spot usually poopty, was great. Bren got into a few surprises right off the start... walleye..?

 

 

I picked a couple snakes too. Fall fishing for eyes usually sucks for me. Never really had much success on the Moose and French... but this wasn't either of those bigger rivers.

 

We pushed up further and further on the river. From the time we got into the Cheepas around 4:30 I figured we had until around 7:00 to find a suitable spot and make camp. The fishing remained consistent along the way, we picked up mainly small pike during our brief stops. Bren did continue to find gold... and she'll need it to pay for the Abu reel she broke and yards of braid I had to cut from tangles. Ohhh well.

 

 

We were fishing at the train bridge over the Cheepas at the exact time the train pulled up and stopped there on the tracks. After it pulled away we could see two people in the distance standing on the bridge and waving to us, so Bren and I went over to say hello.

 

There are cabins at the train bridge and some weekenders catch the 5pm friday train out of Moosonee and get dropped off here. On Monday when the train rolls back on through around 1pm they flag the train down and jump back on to go home. It's an easy way I guess, but not really do-able for a lone angler out of Moose Factory with a boat that would need carrying to the riverside.

 

Bren and I left the young family behind to find a spot private to us.

 

 

Finally we found some good space with a nice view a few kilometers up from the train bridge. With all the rain the river's edge was pretty saturated but a spot within a spot proved flat, drier, devoid of rocks and the perfect size for our tent. Bren was quick to tend to getting the tent up, the air mattress inflated and all the sleeping bags and bedding out. The sun down and in the last bit of light, I was in the trees looking for dry tinder, then chopping the few pieces of the sadly wet wood I had brought. We're a good team.

 

Bren had switched gears and got the Coleman going to heat up our Chili supper.

 

 

The tinder took quickly. Redneck note to all campers out there, the lint and dryer sheets people normally throw into an empty soap box beside the dryer, well, this super dry waste compacts a tonne into a bag and weighs nothing. Helps make fire... yes it does.

 

Building slowly wet onto dry in a pyramid, before long Bren and I had an awesome fire with a centre of glowing hot coals. I broke out my two faves... some Jelly Bellies and Single Malt.

 

 

The night air dropped to near zero but we were good and warm in 3 sleeping bags. The patch job on the air mattress held up too. I had wizzed my couple beers all around the camp to ward off visitors, but a beaver coming by sea did happen on by in the darkness and give a couple startling tail slaps.

 

No frost in the morning but stiffed boned anyways we were up about 8:00. Started with the essentials first.......

 

 

....... but afterwards got the much needed layer of fat on. The ham and egg muffin with cheese. GULP.

 

 

It was a grey morning. Looking off to the west you could see a line of clouds that looked to be rolling over itself on route to us. The breeze was picking up but it was out of the east though. We ate and packed up camp.

 

 

While loading the boat the strangest orchestra of honking erupted over the treeline above. Bren's like, "what's that?" "Geese of some sort," I asked back. "Bren the grand goose authoritarian master says "THOSE AREN'T GEESE!!!" Overhead a flock of cranes were circling around low like drunken vultures. I had never seen anything like it. I think they were calling out for other cranes to join them heading south. I snapped a pick of about 25 of them but all totalled there were likely around 40 birds. Never seen a flock of cranes myself.

 

 

9:00am we were back in the boat pushing up river again but, we didn't go too far. I had one spot in mind to go to, we fished it, yet wouldn't go any further because the next 6-7km or so was just straight away with few eddies and pools. Bren got back to business as usual, working hard got her tongue hanging out too.

 

 

Turning around we toured back past the train bridge and when fishing a little incoming creek I got a SPANK... a good solid hit on the current seam.

 

On a 4 1/2" WW 1/2&1/2 this good 22 1/2" walleye makes the net.

 

 

On our way off the Cheepas we kept at the fish. Again, we had to leave some spots that were producing in order of staying on schedule. Figure Bren who caught the most walleye (but not the big one) should get the shot of her (our) catch.

 

 

These were the first walleye we had kept for us since March on Kesagami, and they should make for a good and proper Thanksgiving meal.

 

We were at the river mouth by 1:30 and after a feed of chowder we scraped through the mouth, knocked the motor a few times, then hit the chop of the mighty Moose.

 

Last stop was a bay I had been to a few days earlier to troll for pike. Bren had never trolled before and within 1 minute she was saying it was stupid, and she was a caster and that's her thing, and yada yada yada. "I'm stuck" she then says. "Reel it in Bren it's a fish." "OHHHHH it's a FISHY, it's a FISH!!!" she shouts in between huffing and puffing to bring it in the boat. "Like trolling now?" I asked.

 

We worked the Bay for an hour and got a couple double headers and about a dozen small pike. Bren got into it more with every fish.

 

The Moose was windy getting home but suprisingly not kicking up as bad as I thought it would be. By 5:30 we were home and a half hour later into some PizzaHut.

 

 

 

Total count Bren 7 eyes and 8 pike, me 4 eyes and 18 pike. One lost paddle, another 100km for the war canoe, one busted Abu, one lost spoon, 20-30 less yards of 30lb Stren, the beginning of throat infection, and wind burn.

 

Awesome outing on the Cheepas yet again.

[irishfield]

If I've said it once,,,I've said it twice Bud ! Stellar report, as always !

[carll2]

another awesome report

it always amazing to see the golden color of the walleyes up in your area compared to northern quebec

looking forward to the next report

[Joey]

Awesome report and pictures as usual Andrew.

 

Nice Ring on Bren's finger. I see her angling it toward the camera now since the wedding

 

Joey

[Golfisher]

Moosebunk never fails to deliver; thanks for sharing a great story with us yet again.

[tbayboy]

ditto the comments above. Great pics and great descriptions to go with it. Long live the war canoe.

[Weeds]

Thanks for the read, beauty time of the year for a little camping. You've inspired me......

[bpsbassman]

Great report as always MB. Good to see you and your new bride enjoying some quality time together.

[Roy]

I hope you're keeping a diary, Andrew. When I was a kid, MANY years ago, stories such as yours were what inspired me. I would stay up nights and pour over maps planning the next adventure. Now, fifty plus years later, I read reports such as yours and they still inspire me and send me back to the maps. You're living out a lot of my childhood dreams. Good on ya for sharing your adventures with us.

[solopaddler]

Yep, that was a great read bud, many thanks for taking the time.

Interesting about the cranes...I saw a flock of about 100 feeding in a stubblefield

just north of Ville Marie on the way home last Sunday. Obviously they do migrate

together like geese, but I've never seen it before either.

[lew]

Thanks Moose, reading your tales is always an excellent way to start my day.

 

What a wonderful life you live !!......but I spose you already know that

[Dano]

Good stuff bunk, always look forward to your posts! Thanks.

[fatherof3]

great report

[b2kptbo]

Great report and pictures, thanks...

[John]

Thanks for sharing Andrew. Amazing part of our country you call home.

[dow33]

Fantastic outing!!!!

[TennesseeGuy]

Very nice. Your contributions to this board are always an excellent read.

[wallyboss]

Moose was that your Honeymoon!!!!!!

 

Nice color on those eyes!!!!!!!!

[mattyk]

thanks for sharing with us! Great report!

[ccmtcanada]

Wow...I got tired just reading your report....LOL. I dont know how you do it...seriously!! I get in our canoe for 3 hours and my back is killing and I'm exhausted and there are no portages, very little water that's too shallow for the trolling motor etc....

 

Amazing report as usual Moose....the story and pics allows me to imagine what you two experienced.

 

Very pretty scenery...almost as nice as the Shire...you'll have to come fish here sometime. The fish are a little smaller, but we do ok down here....LOL.

[dustink]

Thanks for the little get-a-way.....great read!

 

dk

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Another spectacular report! I thought the fishing up there was as easy as finding water, casting and catching but it sounds like you work hard for your fish. Sorry to hear the cheepas wasn't so cheap but over all it sounds like another great adventure in the great Canadian north!

[Tomcat]

As always, thanks for sharing your getaways with the rest of us. Great report!

[bassmaster4]

great report

[highdrifter]

Would ya just look at the colour on those eyes?! Your lady has the midas touch!

 

Ya got the gift of the gab Andrew, something we can all aspire to, myself especially.

 

SHWEETLY done bro.

 

cheers

HD