Spring Gold, Silver & Bronze. Report (42 pics)

[Moosebunk]

Waiting for the ice to clear the river, the latter half of April brought high waters, much mud, a chance to get some jigflies tied, and some quality time with the girls when I wasn’t choppering to work and staying over on the mainland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NORTH FRENCH TO KIASKO

 

The softwater year kicked off Friday May 2nd about five days after the river cleared of debris and ice.

 

The James Bay break-up was a high one and it left the rivers flowing at flood levels. Not expecting much for fishing, because everywhere was a blown out muddy mess, I was still so eager I roused at 5:00am.

 

First stop was to the minnow trap... seven dace. Even the bait spot was blown out from the flooding. By 6:45am I was off and headed up the Moose River under cold and calm skies, but a welcoming warm sun. Forty-five minutes later I rounded the bend at the mouth of the North French River finding clearer water and pleasing sun-lit, spring landscapes.

 

 

With plenty day ahead and easily navigable water levels the motor wouldn’t slow. Every destination came quick and I found myself just continuing to push on up river. After reaching a spot called Kagowask Rapids before 9am it was decided to just keep going and motor up to the Kiasko River, a junction on the North French about 55km upriver from home. Reaching this point would allow me to make my way back during the remainder of the day and fish 22 spots I have marked on map, along the 45 km stretch. The ride up was perfect.

 

 

 

1045 and I made it. Four hours under 15hp against the current. I started casting to flooded shoreline near the mouth of the Kiasko and plied the backside of a couple islands too, searching out pike. Nothing, so I dropped back down through 1/4 mile rapids and receded 5km to some creek mouths. Only a few short casts at these spots with a spoon, spinner then jig and I remained fish-less. Surely the next spot called the S-Bend would hold some pike in the slack water eddies.

 

Arriving there the shoreline trees were flooded out. With a Johnson spoon I cast as deep in and around the thick stuff as possible, actually not expecting fish to be around. I was drifting when on about the 20th cast into some dead grass I got a boil when the lure smacked down and felt the weight of a fish. A good one it peeled some line and B-lined to my right towards some flooded out alder bushes. I tried to put the brakes on it’s run and tightened the drag while lifting the rod to turn it’s head. Then there was slack.

 

 

Guess they don’t make Johnson’s like they used too. This one was brand new, I put the tape on it the night before.

 

I stuck around the bend continuing to pepper the shallows but after twenty minutes or so never saw another fish.

 

Moving on downriver I stopped at a great spot for eyes, although I had never fished it this early in May. Walters weren’t open but I had also caught a number of pike here before. Started casting with a spoon, then switched to a dressed in-line when finally changed to a bucktail jig. The jig was the ticket, working it real slow drifting the outflow. Sure enough, before long... pike on, first bit of bronze in the softwater season.

 

 

Sticking with the jig in standard Mickey Finn colors, a dozen more casts later and I found a second pike eager for the offering.

 

 

Being around 1:00pm I broke out the Coleman and heated up some chili. While doing so I managed to release one more smallish pike but then after some lure changes couldn’t entice anymore. I was happy to catch no incidental walleyes thinking that they’re up that creek getting their freak-on making success of a well timed spring orgy.

 

Further down river it was mid-afternoon in the narrows of calm back bays that I managed one more pike from some dead shoreline weeds. Here I spent an hour or more covering everything but the pike numbers were nowhere to be calculated.

 

 

5:00pm rolled around fast. On route down river I was met by an old pal, 76 year old Jimmy Sutherland. Jimmy was out working his trap-lines for beaver, mink, marten or whatever, and he asked if I had seen anything while out. I had in fact, I told him. While up river I saw four beavers, a couple otters and a marten up a tree, not to mention a number of eagles, ospreys, cranes, and geese and ducks of every kind. Spotted one beautiful black cormorant as well. I gave Jimmy mental GPS waypoints to his sought after pelts and said goodbye once he finished his tea.

 

A big rapid was last stop for the day. Mostly a walleye spot, I still often catch pike there fishing the early green weeds that grow in the northern shoreline shallows of an eddy. Spoons, spinners and a Smithwick proved useless so back went on a jig. After three nice walleye this size in about ten minutes I packed it in and called it a day.

 

 

 

CHEEPAS TO MOOSE TO FRENCH.

 

Two days after the first day of the softwater I was back on the river. The morning was supposed to be cool with trace rain but on route the 30km up to the Cheepas I was hit with two snow squalls. Sucks driving with your head between your knees but when the weather let up I was at the Polar Bear train bridge that crosses the Cheepas.

 

 

The Cheepas was the highest I’d ever seen. Dirty, dirty, dirty too. Once I got on it I couldn’t help but push up this river and take advantage of the easy travel, just like I had done on the French. Rounding every bend holds hope of locating that perfect fishing spot.

 

 

I finally found myself at noon fishing an eddy about 40km up this river and 70km from home. On route this far up, I don’t think I’d ever chased so many cranes off the shorelines.

 

 

It was a mistake to go all that way though. There weren’t many good fish-able eddies because of the flooding and within the 40km stretch I knew I had eight holes to try on the way off the river. Do the math... All spots produced nothing, as I guessed they would after coming up empty handed on the third attempted stop. All were eddies except this one creek. I actually made my way out of there pretty quick, eager to try the Moose River’s back bays.

 

 

Back on the chocolate-milk Moose River...

 

 

... under temporary sun I got down to business and really beat a few back bays. This one bay here was way too chilly yet, or at least it felt that way.

 

 

A number of spots were still loaded with shoreline ice actually.

 

Only place I knew fish were biting was the French. The water there was clearer, likely a little warmer and I guess more feeding friendly. Ripping over there as a last ditch effort to avoid a 12 hour day skunking I didn’t find any pike waiting either. Did find three of these though, which all got a quick release.

 

 

 

BUTLER AND WAVY

 

Work and a sick little one kept me off the water nearly two weeks, in May, that’s freaking torture. Friday was planned for Bren and I to leave for a couple overnights up the river but, forecast was calling for 100% humidity, heavy rains and zero degrees this evening. I decided we’d wait a day to let it blow by. In the meantime the early part of the day was expected to be alright, so I grabbed the trouting gear and made a short trip to search out any searun beauties that may be running up the local cricks.

 

First stop was Butler.

 

 

This short creek just runs up to a dam where dirty bubbling water spills over the rocks creating perfect frothy pools below. Caught a few nice ones here in recent years, but not today. Fished a black then white bucktail tipped with a worm, then chucked a #3 silver inline.

 

 

There’s no real clue as to when the fish will show up. The best local knowledge to go by is to fish brookies when the trees just first split their buds. This is a good cue to get at it, but since 2002 I’ve logged every trout day and know that a number of great fish have been caught sooner than the signs of green leaves in the trees. One of the best was caught May 2nd 2002 and was in fact the first speck I caught here in the Moose. Loved this fish....

 

 

Anyway, back in real time I took off out of Butler and headed to Wavy. This creek is officially my favorite for specks, because they come in best numbers here. On Wavy you troll for them though, which isn’t as fun as casting but I get to take in more scenery.

 

 

I gave it an hour or so of fishing and about two hours of just touring around and exploring areas of this creek I never have before. The water was still sickly high and when the tide came in it did not raise the levels one bit. Normally this creek can rise and fall 1 to 2 meters every 12 hours, and this time of year each tide could bring a new run of speckled trout.

 

As far up Wavy as I could go it opened into an awesome pool with an incoming creek. I chucked a few bucks then dropped a minnow out there to sit while I in turn ingested a piece of lemon meringue pie, washing it down with a Blue. That would be it for the day, and on the way off the creek back onto the Moose thought I’d snap a shot of some leftover ice from the break-up.

 

 

 

NORTH FRENCH.

 

Eight... counted a measly eight sticklebacks in the minnow trap at a brisk 6:00am in the morning. Thank freaking gawd a few days earlier a warm rain brought the worms up onto the road, and so when coming off a nightshift I spent an hour getting soaked and walking around eyes half shut picking a few dozen.

 

Bren and I were busting out early, no other trucks at the launch. Our boat fully loaded we made good time getting up onto the North French, happy to see water levels still high.

 

We were less two hours traveling before easing off the throttle and anchoring off the back of a small island. The two converging currents there formed a hump and the eyes like waiting along side it to pick off food passing by; usually fallfish and sucker. Bren wasted no time getting her first fish of the softwater season.

 

 

Couldn’t stay long catching fish as we wanted to be sure of getting a certain campsite on the busy May long weekend. Eagerly we hurried on and found our spot uninhabited. Bren made camp quick, as she always does.

 

The early afternoon was warming up nicely and from our site up to the Kiasko was only about a two hour ride. Bren and I fished a couple spots along the way and caught a number of smallish walleye.

 

Along the way we had found a tiny, maybe two foot wide runoff that trickled off the bank then over into a calm pool. Bren and I anchored out in the flow and pounded the slack water and out to the current. She got the first nice one and after a few more the bite slowed. Figured we’d stop again on the way back.

 

 

It was four hours from our campsite later when we arrived at the Kiasko. I had planned fajitas for dinner and brought a bottle of wine which we were supposed to have at camp. Being hungry now, we skipped the drink and got busy with supper.

 

 

Heading to Kiasko proved to be a good ride up. In Quarter Mile Rapids I bumped the motor only once, surprised at how shallow it always is there even when the river is up. Fishing at Kiasko proved poor and so while retreating back down part of the rapids (more like shallow rock garden) I snapped this pic.

 

 

Going up Quarter Mile took 35 minutes in shallow drive, coming down... about ten.

 

We couldn’t pass by the runoff spot without a cast so we stopped again, anchoring out into the current adjacent the head of the pool.

 

Bren was doing well for the most part using bucktails and for a change I was using plastics. Had rigged up a 3-inch pink and white grub when I tossed it into a foot of dirty water just a meter from shore. SHHHTICK

 

What was momentarily thought to be a rock started moving slow, then gave two solid head-shakes before jetting into the main current. My light rod buckled before the reel started singing. For a second I thought Bren might be lifting anchor cause there’s never much line on an ultralight, but, the fish turned when I tightened the drag a little and it seemed to hold. Before long, the fish was coming back our way.

 

 

I said to Bren when I saw it come up, “This could be my biggest!” I didn’t like how it was hooked though, on the outside of it’s right cheek right back at the end of it’s mouth. Thought that one bad turn of it’s head and it’d easily cut line two inches above the jig. Got nervous during a fight that pushed on to ten minutes. The fish was using the current to rest while I carefully dragged it up, then once it got close to the boat would take off again.

 

 

I tried netting it myself once it got sort of close but missed a few times. Finally Bren helped out when I asked, and so moving more to the bow she came in behind so I could just drop the fish back into the net. It worked... and then we (me) got picture happy.

 

 

 

Fish came in at 7 ½ pounds equalling my personal best softwater walleye. Post spawn this big golden girl was really healthy looking for her likely old age. My first fish of this size couple years ago, I had mounted and that one was a little more beat up. For a river fish from these parts I can’t stress how rare a catch a fish this size can be... only my second in three years. Both came on pink, I was really pleased with this fish. Here’s an OOD cover bull if ya wanna....

 

 

I told Bren we could home now as the opener was already my best, but, she was having fun and chose to stay. Before heading back down river we picked off a few more eyes on what was turning out to be a great evening.

 

 

 

A near full moon came up at camp and the stars were out. We had a short lived bonfire to warm the bones before bed then retired to the tent.

 

6:00am and through earplugs I hear the pitter patter of rain overhead. Still asleep really, I remembered before leaving home the forecast was calling 40% chance of scattered showers for today. 9:00am it was still coming down.

 

Under shelter of a big spruce we cooked breakfast and once waved to some unknown friends that called out “Hey Bunker” as they drove on by. Bren and I had planned to fish the morning up river, then drop back here to pack up camp, then fish our way off the French. I began thinking it was big fish karma that the rain had arrived now. Before long it was 11:00am and the downpour showed no sign of letting up, so we broke camp and made a soggy exit down river.

 

Along the way we passed a number of boats and campers, as we had the day before. Us heading down river now while they were all heading up. Seemed we were either one step ahead in the plan, or they knew something we didn’t. I guessed the rain must be expected to stop if campers were coming out today.

 

Along route there was a spot a friend had “traded” to me in kindness. He told me where he had caught trout a few days earlier, because I had added a couple fishing rods to a LeBaron order for him to buy when they arrived up here. His rods were all recently stolen and he was not happy to have to pay $70 a piece for new Ugly Stiks at the local shop. Told him I could get him two rods for $80. The trade was mint.

 

I had passed by his spot over the years and never stopped. When we arrived there, even with the rains I was quick to find where he had landed, then I followed footprints to where he had likely fished. Bren took a minute to comb the rocks finding a few fossils and a crayfish skeleton. The bottom along the bank felt like a mix of sand and stone with the odd dead weed.

 

Same pink grub, I cast out, retrieved, took three steps down the bank, then did it again. Doing this about a dozen times finally a fish hit. On the surface I saw it was a silvery searun speck and almost instantly I got a boner on.

 

Attempting to land a 15 to 16 inch trout on shore it spit the hook in the shallow sand and flopped back into the river. I ran back to the boat to tell Bren, grab the net and hook a new worm onto the jig. I was praying that I hadn’t just stung the only trout in the pool. Those prayers were heard for a couple casts later I landed an absolutely gorgeous 17 incher.

 

 

After pics it was the same thing. Another worm, back to the spot, and within a half dozen casts, THWAP & SPLASH, here comes some aerial assault tactics and a whole bunch of “Happy Scrappy.” This super silver fish about a 15 incher.

 

 

But it wasn’t over yet. I got a pink bucktail onto Bren’s line and together we set off for another. We weren’t two minutes when another speck took my bait. This one I could tell right away had some shoulders as it peeled a little reel before going airborne. Man... I was excited. Once landing this stunning 18 incher I knew this was the best single day casting for searuns I had ever had. Kind of began to understand why some people get that sickness for fishing the chromers. These trout were KA-to-the-ROME YO

 

 

I had to bonk a couple. Painstaking a little for me to harvest these gems but my three girls love eating trout more than any other fish. They picked that stuffed succulent lemon salsa buttered meat clean and had a fish eaten in three minutes back home. The second fish I made sure I got at least a taste. Cleaning the fish I found mostly yellow stonefly and recently hatched crayfish in their bellies, and a few other odds and crawlies too.

 

 

That’s May so far. In just the four outings the war canoe has seen over 400 kilometers in the pursuit of fish. Arriving home the forecast remains rainy with the likelihood of a little snow for the next few days, Weather Network totally blew that one.

 

 

A bummer really, as I still have four off work and had planned a quick repack here at home then a few days camping alone on the Cheepas. Good fishing karma is getting me bad as 7 of my 9 days off for opener look to be rain and snow. But I ain’t complaining, cause the one overnight with Bren where we caught some sun, silver and gold, made up for it all.

 

Bunk.

[Photoz]

When I die, I want to go to your neighbourhood . . . . that's close enough to heaven for me!! This article belongs in a NATIONAL fishing magazine . . . . thanks for taking all the time & effort to take me right along with you . . . . I've now gone over it 3 times! I guess the only down side of all this beauty are the bugs that come with it. I hear the only way to tell the difference between a raven and a black fly up there . . . . the raven is the smaller one, and has feathers!

[silveradosheriff]

Awesome report - thanks for sharing!

[salmon]

WOW is all I can say

Awesome report as usual

[Moosebunk]

When I die, I want to go to your neighbourhood . . . . that's close enough to heaven for me!! ..... I hear the only way to tell the difference between a raven and a black fly up there . . . . the raven is the smaller one, and has feathers!

 

That was good Photoz.

 

No blackflies out yet. Should be a couple more weeks. They aren't all that bad on the river, in the breeze. Would never set foot in the bush though.

 

It's good times up here fishing. I agree, heaven somedays for sure.

[Terry]

that is not a report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it's a short story

 

 

 

another great one

[Joeytier]

wow, that was an awesome read!

Thanks for supplying me with dreams.

[mattyk]

thanks a lot for sharing. Amazing again!

[Tarzan's Jane]

A fantastic read...great pics too. What's a boner?

[Pachone]

That was great. Thanks alot

[canadian_copper]

SIMPLY AMAZING AS USUAL BRO!!!

THAT RUST STAINED LOOKIN WATER IS AWSOME!!!

[tibbs]

Awesome Report!!!!!!!!!

 

:worthy: :thumbsup_anim: :thumbsup_anim:

[solopaddler]

On the surface I saw it was a silvery searun speck and almost instantly I got a boner on.

 

Your writing is so descriptive.....maybe a bit "too" descriptive!

 

Seriously man that was incredible, thank's for taking the time to put it together .

[ccmtcanada]

Man oh man...what a report! Even when the fishing is tough, I'm still glued to every single word. Congrats on your PB walleye....a monster for sure!

 

I could see memoirs of your journeys in a book one day....and being on the best sellers list.....

 

The trips you get to go on...are ones I can only dream about. Thanks for taking the time on this one!

[Photoz]

'BONER' . . . . . . abbreviation for bonefish maybe . . . . . ? Didn't realize they were that far north?

[Musky or Specks]

Another fantastic report. I absolutely look forward to your next. Those sea run brookies are very silver. I imagine as sea run fish they have a little more fight to them than residents do.

[fishindevil]

WOW..Absolutely amazing !!!!! ..man thats another stellar report as usual,it sure is gods country up there,and the scenery & fishing seems to be,just incredible, thanks for the great read and all the hard work you put into your posts !!!!!!

[shane]

Well......that was a half-hour of my life not wasted. Thanks for the great read.

[Cookslav]

Absolutley awesome Bud,

The pictures in your reports are just great as always

Nice Eye too!

 

Sea run Spec's are one I'm yet to catch, but I imagine they's be a riot when they come in!

Thanks for shareing that.

[Smokey]

Great report and another quality trip for you. Congrats and Thanks for the positng it.

[Joey]

Another truely awesome report Drew. I felt like I was there all the way.

 

Thanks

 

Joey

[Rybren]

Superb story and pics.

 

Thanks for sharing with us. I'm jealous!

[wallyboss]

Great one again Moose!!!!!

[bucktail]

Awesome!!!!

[fatherof3]

awesome report,thanks for sharing