Chandos Lake?

[setomonkey]

Hi, would appreciate any feedback/advice on Chandos Lake, my wife and I are thinking about renting a cottage here with some friends of ours who also have young children, so we can hang out, relax, and if I'm lucky do a little fishing.

 

Would appreciate your input on the following questions:

 

1. How's the lake for noise? I know any lake can get busy on the weekends, but it's important to us to find a place that is quiet during the week, i.e., not filled with jetskiers & powerboaters roaring around.

 

2. How's the fishing?

 

3. Anybody on Chandos who might be interested in meeting up with an OFNCer for a few hours?

 

Thanks, Mike

[davew3]

Mike, Chandos is a big lake and very deep in spots.

There is a nice beach up at the NW end and lots of Bays to go and hide in for a lunch.

For fishing it is great, bass, pike , lakers and all the pan fish.

If using downriggers be carefull as the bottem can come up real fast.

Like I said a big lake, have fun.

by the way, the OPP like to visit.

Edited January 22, 2008 by davew3

[Casey123]

Can't help you out with a cottage BUT early season Pike rock in this lake. Fishing the south west bay's has produced many 40"+ pike for us in late May, and the best part is as longas the water is still cold enough the fish are really shallow and you can top water for them.

In the Summer the deep drop offs on the with Spinner Baits, I usually make my own, Double Willowleaf Blades(size sevens) add a 4" or 5" twister tail to beef up the size.

Also, some of the locals have told us that there are walleye in the lake, we have never seen or caught any but this spring when we go I am going to bring my camera and do a little looking.

[tschirk]

A Chandos fish story...

 

 

 

After many conversations about hitting Chandos Lake (Just east of Apsley Ontario), my neighbour up-north, Harry, who is an avid laker angler and I decide to grab my boat and head over to Chandos in search of the legendary fishes that inhabit it. We launched at the north end around 2:30 pm just after a mild storm front had moved through and preceding what would be a larger storm later. We where fishing in clear sky's and the steamy heat of a mid-day in early July. We cruised for about 15min until we found 70+ ft of water depth. All of a sudden my Lowrance lit up with more fish marks then the demo screen. The marks where so thick and many, that the Lowrance kept changing auto-depth, thinking that the fish ½ way down was the bottom of the lake!

 

We set up the down-riggers each with lucky strike canoe spoons, pearl colour with big red dot, tipped with minnows. Almost immediately Harry's rigger goes off, he feverishly grabs the reels and begins to haul in a big fighter but alas it has only grabbed the back of the minnow, bit it short, leaving nasty looking, ragged entrails drooping from the minnow head.

 

With great expectation we quickly re-rigged and setup for another run. No more than 15min later his rod fires off again. This time we have a hook set. He begins reeling, drag starts peeling. I quickly pull in the other line and riggers and throw the boat in neutral. Still more drag going. 200+ FT of 50lbs Power Pro is being peeled off of the reel. Finally Harry starts gaining line. The 9ft TDR rod is just-a thumping. I ask Harry if he wants the net...his reply was the memorable line of the day..."I don't think that net is big enough!" Not sure if he was messing with me or not, so I grab both the net and gaff. By this time a SeaDoo with 3 spectators pulls up to watch the commotion.

 

Finally after 15 long tense minutes we see a flash beneath the surface "Holy @#$^!? "

I drop the net....and wrap the gaff strap around my wrist. The beast comes to the surface and Harry manoeuvres it towards me. I slip the gaff under the gill plate and heave it into the boat. The SeaDoo audience gives us a standing ovation.

 

"Oh my gawd...." ~20lbs of glistening gray beauty, 36 inches in length. With only 1 point of the fine wire treble holding it by the mouth. Harry had skilfully loosened the drag and avoided horsing the fish which would have lost it for sure. His previous personal best was 10lbs this was almost double. He didn't stop shaking for an hour!

 

 

 

[tinbanger]

I hate this ! Just when the weather cooperates for ice fishing , you have to post this !

Now I'm busy building my ' must fish' list for teh soft water season.

 

Great storey and mike maybe if timing is right we could meet up one afternoon on this lake.

 

TB

[rapala14]

a buddy of mine has a cottage up there. gorgeous lake and the fishing is definitely decent. caught some nice largies and some pike. the pike we caught werent huge but i had a biggun follow my bucktail. some big fish in there for sure. who knows might see ya up there in the summer

[douG]

Now THAT's a 20 lb laker. Great story, Ted.

[Casey123]

Another thing that we really enjoyed about Chandos ......THe attitude towards conservation of the locals!!!

 

Apparently the fishery was in serious trouble about 10 to 15 years ago, with closed season(hard water), fishing sanctuaries and good resect for the lake, it has become a real gem close to southern ontario.

[Casey123]

That is what a 20lb Lake trout looks like!!!!

[mattyk]

real nice looking laker!

[solopaddler]

Ted, great story and beautiful fish!

 

Masterb8t, "many 40" pike"? Wow..

 

Mike, Chandos sounds like a winner, book that cottage immediately!

[paulyboy83]

My friend's in-laws have a cottage up on Chandos. It's a wonderful lake and the pike fishing is fantastic. Some decent sized smallmouth in there as well. As for busy and noisy, that's two things Chandos isn't. Was very peaceful and not a whole lot of boat traffic even on the weekends. If I had a chance to go back I would.

PB

[Casey123]

At the end of may 36" to 42" pike are the norm, we like the bays on the south end of the lake. When the water heats up towards the end of June the big pike are harder to locate but there are still plenty of 8 to 10lbs to be had.

Every spring a group from the Marina on the south end of the lake have a catch and realease pike tourney.

[tschirk]

Shhhhh! It's a secret.

 

"There are NO fish in Chandos... "

[setomonkey]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback on the lake. Not that there are any fish in it.

(except for that 20lb laker! Nice fish)

 

Looks good, my main worry was that the non-fishing folks in our group would find the lake too busy. I'm happy at the chance to go after some smallies or pike.

 

Mike