Spring Algonquin Report (2nd Week of May)

[Ramble]

Well this will be the last report out of me for a while. I’ll be leaving Thursday for Kesagami. I can’t wait. Made a lure run today, for some of the “essentials” and made a pretty good score. There are still a few odds and ends to round up but other then that I’m ready to go. I’ll post a photo later if I have time.

 

Anyway, back to business... I should probably point out now I won’t be using lake names; however I’m sure many of you will recognize these lakes. I saw some lurkers up in the park, and I’ll be damned if I contribute. If you want details talk to me.

 

Dad and I made our annual spring trip up to Algonquin to see if we couldn’t find a laker or two, as well as generally enjoy the spring scenery before I take off. It was a very nice day, if not a little on the cool side. Driving was good and we made the park in good time.

 

 

We unloaded the van and filled the canoe with more stuff then anyone really needs. (We bring lots of everything if we don’t have to portage to our site.) On our way in we chatted with some fellow canoeist and their fishing reports were grim. No brookies or lakers reported from anyone. Not encouraging, but hardly discouraging…they have to eat sometimes. So we piled in and took off to unload our cargo.

 

 

We arrived at our temporary residence, one of the parks old ranger cabins, and unloaded our stuff, and then we piled back in for an afternoon fish.

 

 

The 1st fish of the day came to me off a wind swept point, a small pike. After a quick release I switched lures and we continued on our way.

 

 

We were casting with various lures in a bay we had seen a school of lakers cruising in about 5 years ago. I was watching for follow ups and had an enormous pike following my rap. I stopped and pointed out the fish out to dad. He was amazed at the size of the fish; I estimate she was right around the 40” mark. So there the fish was looking at my, lure and there we were looking at it. With not much else to do I started reeling again, she pulled along side the bait and made a half-hearted effort at striking it. She closed her mouth on the line about 8 inches in front of the lure on the line.

 

“OH NO!” I thought.

 

I didn’t have a leader and there was only 10lb mono between me and my lure. I opened the bail hoping she would open her mouth as she swamp off. She swam away for about 15 seconds before I closed the bail again. The line went tight, and the pole thumped a couple of times as she gave a couple of good head shakes. Next thing I knew the line was limp. I reeled in to find my lure still present…she had cleared the line from her mouth on the head shakes. I had beaten the odds and had my rap back. I was pretty happy. There is no way to gently remove 2 sets of barbed trebles form a 40 inch northern in a canoe without a cradle, so I figured we broke even on that encounter.

 

 

The rest of the evening we saw no other fish, despite working some deeper water. There was a very large ring around the sun, so we figured there was better then a 60% chance of showers which had been forecasted for the next day.

 

That night we had dinner and crawled into our sleeping bags, glad to be back in the park.

 

We awoke around 6am the next morning with an overcast sky, and the coals in the fire still glowing. We re-stocked the wood stove for a little morning blast of warmth with breakfast before hitting the lake. We did two portages up into one of our favorite Algonquin lakes and began hunting for some lakers. The 1st fish of the day was a smallmouth which was released without a photo. We canoed up one of our more productive shorelines without as much as a sniff. The sky continued to look threatening, and the wind was making threats of its own. Around noon we stopped at an empty campsite for a lunch of oatmeal, tea and an apple.

 

 

Just as the oatmeal was done cooking, the clouds opened up. So we responded with rain gear.

 

 

We fished the rest of the afternoon with one warm up break around 4pm for a fire and tea. The rain kept coming.

 

 

 

 

I had tried on about every lure in our arsenal without success. We tried trolling, jigging, and casting without any takers. We tried shallow and deep….nothing. We tried shoals, points and holes without seeing a fish.

 

We warmed up again on the portage back, and had hot pasta for dinner. We were back at camp around 9pm. It was still raining. After 9 straight hours of rain and about 18 rod hours on the lake we hadn’t a laker to show for it. The finder had marked plenty of fish. We started wondering if our trip was going to end without any trout. The hot food improved our spirits and figured the sky couldn’t have much water left in it, so we hatched a plan to try a new lake for specks the next day.

 

There was blue sky peeking through the clouds when we loaded the canoe the next morning and the wind was out of the north. The weather was clearing. If the fishing didn’t improve at least the sun would make an appearance.

 

 

After paddle-fishing our way across a lake and a half, we arrived at our portage. I couldn’t help but make a few jokes about what state the portage must be in if they nailed the sign to a tree like that!

 

 

I wish I had of been wrong. The portage was about 480m and the lake we were heading to was 76m higher in elevation then the one we were leaving. Up hill the whole way is the only was to describe it.

 

 

There were trees across the trail, and a small creek running directly down the portage path. After one hell of a cardio work out we reached the lake, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a beautiful little clear lake, with a beaver lodge and loon.

 

 

Several hours and a couple spinners later we gave up fishing for a hot dog lunch.

 

The lake had to hold fish, but the lake was right in the middle of an impressive mayfly hatch, and the high pressure system which just moved in wasn’t helping things. But at least it wasn’t raining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished lunch and after a little casting, we decided that the hill we were already most of the way up would have a beautiful view, so we tied the canoe up and climbed to the top. The hill is one of the tallest in the part, and we could see for miles. I climbed up a tree to get a few of the pictures without tree tops in it.

 

 

 

 

On the way off the hill we came across a beech stand with some of the best bear claw marks I’ve seen in a while.

 

 

Once back to the canoe we fished a while longer before paddling back to the portage. We went to investigate a pool bellow the beaver dam and I found some frog eggs.

 

While attempting to cross the outlet of the pound on an old submerged log, the log broke and I received my 1st really good soaker of the year. Dad managed to get this photo between his fits of laughter.

 

 

We had a lovely portage back down the hill, and since I wasn’t on the verge of stroking out, like I was on the trip up, I took this video of the path.

 

Back at the lower lake it was about 6:30pm so we rigged up with laker tackle and began the paddle-fish back to camp. Once out in the middle dad asked me to tie on a new swivel for him since his glasses were in the bag. I fired out my jigging spoon towards the center of a 40 foot hole, flicked the bail and started to tie the knot. A little over half way to bottom my rod tip thumps, I look up and it thumps again.

 

I dropped the swivel grabbed the rod and set the hook. Next thing I feel several of those classic lake trout head shakes. A battle ensues and the fish is burping bubbles long before I can see her. A little bit more scrapping and the fish comes into view. To my horror I can see my main line is caught on the barb of one of the hooks. I immediately back off my drag and the laker makes another run for the bottom.

 

A short while later I have carefully maneuvered the fish along side the boat, and with hands trembling with excitement, I lifted her into the boat. She was a BEAUTY.

 

 

She measured in at 27 glorious inches. With the hook in her gills, she was destined for the pan.

 

 

After a few high fives and a few photo’s we were back fish paddling our way to camp.

 

As a side note I held my lure and my line about a foot up, gave it a little tug and it broke easily where the barb had caught the line. Glad I went with the 10lb instead of 8.

 

On the way back to camp we were coming up the last drop-off when dad gets a solid hit trolling small silver blade bait. A decent fight begins, and we figure he might be into a small laker, but as the fish nears the boat we realize its something else… A beautifully colored smallmouth. We had to get a photo of this one. As it turns out this is one of the best pictures I have of my dad with an Algonquin smally.

 

 

The next morning, we had the arduous task of breaking camp. We had time however to get a picture of our “water level meter”. This picture shows the water line when we came in, and were it was when we left…and the water was still higher then ever.

 

 

Grudgingly we managed to get back to the access point. After turning in our key, and a long chat with the lady at the desk about all things wildlife and we hopped back in to the canoe to fish until dark. We paddled out toward a cluster of shoals and as we closed in we started marking fish. So we started jigging.

 

 

About half an hour later I give the rod a jig and all I felt was weight, then once again those beautiful head shakes started up. What to do but hold on?

 

Bull doggin’ never quit headshakes in 40 feet of water makes for a slow assent. I backed my drag off a tad after the hook set to make sure the hook wouldn’t get pulled from her fleshy mouth. Part way through the battle dad fires up the video option on his camera and gets a great video of my personal best laker, around the 30 inch mark. We didn’t do a proper measure because she was being released. A quick hook removal and a couple of photos’ later she was back in the lake. I was felling pretty good at this point.

 

 

Video of the Laker.

 

The day progressed and we had lunch on another camp site. We tried a stream for some brookies, but again came up empty.

 

So we went back to chasing lakers and around 7pm I hook into a feisty little cuss in about 40 feet of water. Right attitude, wrong size as my dad says lol.

 

 

The sun was setting and we were still at it.

 

 

Dad had yet to catch a laker the entire trip and I was at 3. We were fishing off a small island, and the sun was below the tree tops. Dad gets yet another snag and when it comes free, there is a fish fighting at the end of his line! He reeled it up and he had his laker!! The smallest he has caught yet.

 

Not his best picture ever lol

 

After a pretty good laugh we loaded up the canoe and headed home.

 

At the end of the trip we had 1 pike in the boat, about 5 bass and 4 lakers. The weather and water conditions made the fishing difficult. We didn’t find the surface temps on any of the laker lakes over 48 degrees F. The speck lake on the hill was an even 50 degees. The water was still very high when we left. There was no insect action to speak of on the lake trout lakes and the minnows where buried in the cover along shoer. But sun was forecasted, so anyone in their right now and for the next while probably has the water temps in the low to mid 50’s and that should get them going. The day we left, May 9th, we saw the 1st black flies of the trip. So if you are heading in, be warned… they have begun.

 

Anyway we had a BLAST as always, and we’ll be back up to the park for our week in August.

 

Anyway that’s my report. NOW I have to get back to packing for Kesagami…I wish I had more time to fish……all this packing gets in the way lololol

 

Tight Lines and I’ll be back the end of July.

 

-R-

Edited May 13, 2008 by Ramble On

[fatherof3]

great report,congrats on a good trip

[Smokey]

Congrats on a great trip in the park and I hope you have a great summer up north.

 

Thanks for the report.

 

Mike

[danc]

Right on Ramble. I enjoyed that. Thanks..

[Pachone]

Great Report! I enjoyed it very much. I will be heading to the AL in 2 weeks, and I think im going to be on the same lakes you have chosen. The action should be great and the blackflies will be hectic, but i cant wait! Thanks again for such a great report!

[tibbs]

Great Report as usual!!! Have a great time at Kesagami!!

[solopaddler]

Great read thanks for posting, and good luck up north!

[Moosebunk]

Absolutely fantastic Dave. Getting to share days like that with your dad must be awesome.

 

Have a great summer on the big lake. You'll be seeing Rob for the first few weeks I know that... start thinking of your pranks now.

 

Should be lots of water for you up there this spring and it seems we're a little behind in the usual climate for the season. Looking very forward to the next report. Good luck.

[danbouck]

Loved the report! Have a great summer up at Kesagami!

[Tomcat]

That was a great report and the pics were super! Thanks very much for sharing that adventure with us.

[addict]

to lazy to read but the pics speak for themselves nice trip great scenery.

[Minnow]

Great Report and Amazing Pictures and some nice fish!

[ehg]

Took a bit of time to read but was well worth it. Some nice fish there!

Thanks for taking the time to post the details and other tidbits from this Algonquin trip.

 

ehg

[Musky or Specks]

Thanks for the report have a great summer at Kesagami

[Ramble]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I write these so that my fellow OFC'ers can enjoy them. I have always enjoyed hearing good stories, and i take a certain pride in telling them. Your feed back is much appreciated.

 

-Dave

[Golfisher]

This is manna for the poor saps like me chained to the desk. Thanks for taking the time to write up the report; enjoyed it very much.

[mattyk]

wow, amazing report. Some real beautiful pictures, and really nice fish. I really miss home. Thanks for sharing.

[Victor]

Thank for the report and sharing the pics. That's some beautiful scenery right there!

Congrats on the PB laker! These father and son trips are just priceless!

 

have a great summer!

[johnnyb]

Definitely worth the read, as usual...thanks for sharing!

[sharper]

Great report! I'll be up there this long weekend coming up.