How was your year fishing the Kawarthas?

[ccmtcanada]

The Kawarthas (Division 6) is closing in a few short days. I was just wondering how everyone's year was on those lakes? Did the carp die off that started in Scugog and spread to other lakes affect your decision to fish the Kawarthas? Did the lower than normal water levels affect fishing or where to launch/fish from shore?

 

This was my first full year fishing, and although I didn't get out a whole lot, I did manage to fish a few lakes. Fishnsled was kind enough to take Bly and I to Stoney, Pigeon and Cameron hunting muskie and bass. Basskicker took me to Rice to chase down some bass. Bly and I fished Chemong Lake with a good friend of ours and my cousin met up with us late in the season to fish Rice again. We also took the canoe to Scugog, rented a boat there and then fished in our own boat there a few times in the past few weeks. Also had a few shore fishing trips there as well. Oh yeah...I also attended a mini carp G2G up in Peterborough and met up with MJL, Wolfville and Victor.

 

I did manage my personal best Muskie on Scugog, and we did get into some bass and walleye during our outings as well, but nothing that I could call BIG numbers overall. My answer, only because it was my first year and have nothing else to compare it to is it was an average year for numbers.

 

The Carp die off did curtail many trips to Scugog where we like to shore fish with my daughter, so I have to say it did affect our fishing decisions this year.

 

Anyhow, how did you do?

Edited November 13, 2007 by ccmtcanada

[Terry]

it was hard to do the poll

muskie where way up for me but walleye were way down and walleye is what I mostly target

 

but the dead smelly carp did affect my fishing there

[Whopper]

and although I didn't get out a whole lot

 

Cliff your kidding right?

[Raf]

i only fished the Kawarthas once this year, on the muskie opener.. maybe once more on the closer thursday.

 

too many people!

[keram]

My vote is little bit "out of wack" The reason is that from all the Kawarta lakes I've fished only one, (my favored) excluding two trips to Scugog on the end of the season) I've landed lots of fish on this lake:

150-200 pikes with PB 32", 10-20 LMB with PB 4.5 lb , quite few walleyes biggest 25" 8 LB, not PB. . On Scugog my PB was 40" Muskie. I know this is not much, but I've enjoyed every minute on the water.

[jediangler]

I fished the Kawarthas 6 times for musky catching 7 fish including a personal best 48". I also caught 2 walleyes on musky baits during those trips. Good year for me.

[irishfield]

I had a great DAY on the bog !

[ccmtcanada]

Cliff your kidding right?

 

Ummm...no I wasn't, but after going back and counting the trips, I guess we did get out quite a bit. If we had our own boat all season long, we'd have been out there even more....LOL.

[wuchikubo]

Cliff, you and Carole have gone out about 4 times (if not more) than I have this year (including ice fishing). I guess on the whole, bass has been down a bit for me, however Rainbow trout and walleye have both been up. My search for laker and whitefish were all empty handed this past hard water season (too short). I didn't get out for any crappie fishing.

 

Clarification: Rainbow trout were not caught in the kawarthas.

 

The few bass I caught in Chemong were smaller than the average I normally catch. I still have yet to land my first legal sized 'ski (mind you I haven't had much opportunity to target them).

 

Everywhere I go shore fishing, the water is way lower than normal making some places all the more difficult. Hopefully, an early ice fishing season will help set things straight again. Bring on the ice! (after Nov 15).

 

Stan.

[Rich]

If I remember correct I only managed to get to the kawarthas once this season and it was about an average trip. 5 muskies in 3 days, lots of bass, lots of panfish and a few walleye. Wish I could have got up there more but it was a busy year outside of fishing for me. On the other hand, I had probably my best season in about 8 years on Long Point Bay.

[ecmilley]

I had a good year on the kawarthas, more so that I live there and can fish on any day I choose, if it's a bad day not like i gotta fish can just walk back into the house and watch tv or something instead of toughing it out after driving there

[fishindevil]

Well any trip i made there this year i did well and caught walleyes everytime....yummy-kawartha lakes walleyes....cheers

[Weeds]

I just moved up here from Toronto a year ago and this was my first season living up here. I love it. Had a great season for me. Managed my fist 4 muskies in numerous outings (basically the only species I targetted) and caught a few panfish here and there. Looking forward to next year already, plan on catching alot more bass, carp, walleye, etc, etc. I think technically some of the kawarthas are open year round, you just have to get North of Burleigh Falls a bit. Maybe by then it's not considered to be the Kawarthas any more, I'm not sure. Next year I want to explore as many new lakes as I can, This area is great and I've just begun to scratch the surface for what it has to offer!!

[fishdawg]

only got up to our trailer once for a weekend in June & it was the best walleye action ive experieneced in 15 yrs

[Jer]

Overall, I would say I had an above average year as far as bass were concerned. I picked up my PB LM on one of the smaller cottage lakes and my buddy caught his PB LM on Chemong this year (both were pushing just over 5 lbs). Pickeral were almost non-existent, but I'm getting used to that and I think we only managed 3 musky all year, but to be fair, we don't really target them very often, just usually get more incidentals.

[bigbuck]

41" Muskie on Pigeon, 3lb smallie on Upper Buckhorn, tons of panfish on Pigeon and Upper Buckhorn, NO WALLEYE this year!!! Not enough time to fish between work and family commitments and no trip to the inlaws. Next year will be a different story, I plan on spending 3 weeks up at the cottage with the outlaws (LOTW so it makes it tolerable - I take off for hours every day to fish and explore the lake).

[tbayboy]

This is the first year I've even been to any of the Kawarthas let alone fished them so I followed Cliffs lead and chose average. I did wait a bit for the carp stuff to calm down before hooking up to check it out (and started up at Stoney to avoid any). That said it was a great year and I was really surprised at the fishing to be had.

 

Started with my first day on the Kawarthas targetting walleye in Stoney. No eyes but...

<a href=" title="My first muskie by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1422/558571838_f772c8e245.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="My first muskie" /></a>

 

My first ever Muskie.

 

Best thing about the Kawarthas for me was that I don't own a boat so all my Kawartha fishing was via OFC hookups - got to meet Manitoba Rob, Bitsmith, Mikeh and PatrickG for trips to these lakes and they're all good guys (even if they learend that I have no idea what I'm doing in a boat hehe).

 

Thanks to Mikeh in particular I got to spend several days on Scugog and though I'm still not sure if I hate that lake or not it did cough up this 43"er

 

<a href=" title="43" Muskie by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1154/1430951592_26f152de8d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="43" Muskie" /></a>

 

Along with several smallies and my only kawartha walleye of the year:

 

<a href=" title="Scugog walleye by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/1108560739_c8d4ffda55.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Scugog walleye" /></a>

 

I really liked Pigeon as well, nice mix of open water and protected spots. Didn't get a lot of fish there but I really liked it.

 

Didn't have much look on Lovesick though I liked the looks of it and finally I hit Balsam twice without any luck at all but then went out on a Muskie charter with Mikeh and what do you know, that lake has some decent fish: (so yeah, I just reeled him but still counts right?):

 

<a href=" title="A new personal best by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2131/1781194265_ee2811bce9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="A new personal best" /></a>

 

 

Ended up with 5 or 6 30+ muskie and a few snot rockets, a few 3lb+ smallies and largies and one walleye (plus a zillion panfish). Sure seemed like a great year to me but there's always next year - I'm sure I can top it (or get skunked all year - never know right?)

Edited November 14, 2007 by TbayBoy

[knotaclue]

I finally made it to Lovesick lake this year

And had such a good time, I went back three more times !

[mattyk]

i got my two personal best this year on Kawarthas a musky and smallmouth.

[Garry2Rs]

I live 25K north of Burliegh Falls and although that's not exactly in the Kawarthas proper, I answered the poll, because most of the North Kawartha water flows into the Kawarthas.

It was a hot dry summer. I'm sure that effected everyones results. The weed growth was extra heavy...water levels were generally down. On the other hand, there weren't many rain-out weekends...and the cottage people were on the water a lot more than usual.

I saw a couple of what I think were PB's caught...whether they were or not , they were damn nice fish.

 

 

 

I know that being so close to the Golden Horseshoe, this area isn't very exotic, but in my opinion, it's hard to find a better bag for your buck.

Garry2r's

[Raf]

hey garry, how is "walter" doing?

[mikeh]

Fished for crappie in the spring on Rice Lake , when you find the schools of fish it is a lot of fun. I fished with EHG from OFC and we fished the north end of Pigeon Lake a few days, caught some musky and lots of smaller bass. Also fished Scugog,Balsam,Lower Buckhorn,Pigeon, Little Bald with TBAYBOY and caught a few muskies and bass. I personally lost more musky on Scugog than I caught but its nice seeing them attack your bait right beside the boat. Enjoyed fishing with both guys and will have to get together again next year.

 

I fished the slop and lily pads a lot less this year and think thats why I caught smaller bass,seems like the bigger ones are hiding in that stuff. Something about smelly carp in an area where there is little wind,that kept me away from those areas.

[The Urban Fisherman]

Cool thread Cliff.

 

Well, Considering I only fished "the bog" once this summer, and rice once about 15 years ago I'm not a very good judge of the kawartha lakes. But, considering I only fished scugog for about 4 hours, on a BLISTERING hot late morning/early afternoon I can't complain.....

 

I only managed this little largie....

 

But my Dad Managed a couple smallmouth....lost a nice musky boatside....

 

Landed this Walleye...

 

 

And his PB Largemouth...we didn't get a weight as she wasn't in great shape so a quik pic and off she went...

 

That was his first day using a baitcaster - and he SCHOOLED me...go figure.

 

Hope to get back out that way next summer.

 

Cheers,

UF