solopaddler & ccmt's Excellent Northern Ont. Adventure!

[solopaddler]

Sometimes the best trips are spur of the moment, completely off the cuff.

While there was "some" planning involved for this one, it was only a couple of weeks and not the usual several months.

My original destination was a back lake N/W of Nakina that I'm familiar with, but we opted to go with the Cochrane area because of time constraints.

Jason (Basskicker on the board) helped me out with some info. As well I contacted an MNR district biologist who was an absolute font of information.

We had a general idea where we were headed, but nothing was etched in stone.

 

In any case I was packed and ready and left straight from the office last Tuesday night.

I was hoping the drive over to Cliff's wasn't an omen, the rain and storms I endured were of biblical proportions!

Seriously, I havn't seen rain that heavy in a loong time. I actually had to pull over and stop for 10 minutes it was that bad.

 

Thankfully I made it to Cliff's, we loaded his gear and were on the road headed north by 11pm. The further north we drove the clearer the skies became and by the time we hit North Bay I was in cruise control and Cliff was snoozing.

 

Between 3am and 5am I have to admit I struggled a bit. I downed 3 Red Bulls, my grogginess was INSTANTLY gone, and the back of my head started to tingle and go numb LOL! (the stuff really does work).

After the Red Bull wore off I stopped once more to go for a short jog along the side of the road while Cliff continued to snooze away blissfully unaware.

Eventually we managed to make it all the way to Cochrane incident free.

 

 

A quick pit stop for coffee, ice and fuel and we were headed into the backcountry.

 

 

Along the way we poked our nose into a couple of side roads all of which led to various different back lakes.

We were hoping that we'd be able to drive all the way in, however not being prepared to portage or having an atv we were thwarted.

Still, it was fun exploring!

 

 

 

There was one lake in particular we knew had good access as well as a campsite right near the launch and that's where we eventually headed.

Unfortunately it seemed as though everyone in Cochrane had the same idea.

 

Seriously there was an entire caravan camped there including a freakin' teepee. I couldn't believe it!

 

After a brief discussion we decided to push on to another lake that the MNR had recommended to me.

The landing was unoccupied so we quickly set up camp amidst clouds of flies and sweltering heat.

 

 

A quick dip in the lake and we pushed off for our first fishing of the trip.

 

The reality was the lake was a dissapointment. Basically round in shape and bowl-like in structure (typical of the James Bay lowlands actually) it didn't excite me very much.

Worse, the fishing was very slow as well.

It did start off with a bang though!

 

 

After besting my trophy clam we settled down and managed to scrape out a handful of walleyes:

 

 

It was slooow though. The day was still early and we made the decision to pack up camp and head back down the road to another lake and campsite we had passed on the way in.

We were hoping that the greater size and structure of this other lake would equate into better fishing..

 

So once again we set up camp. This site was pretty nice actually beside a small rushing stream with a view of the lake, heck it even had a picnic table and an outhouse!

By the time we were done setting up it was dinner time, so I fired up the bbq, threw some steaks on and kicked back with a cold one.

 

 

That night it rained heavily, but fortunately stopped near morning and we awoke to a calm, humid, muggy, overcast day.

After a quick coffee we launched the boat and headed out with high hopes.

 

Cliff doesn't like bugs as you can see, and it was a BUGGY morning!

 

 

We worked the lake over systematically and did catch a bunch of fish, but they were all small. Tiny dink walleye and snot-rocket pike. Still....it was fun .

 

 

After a fun but long day we once again fired up the bbq and settled down to a relaxing dinner and a couple of cold ones in the comfort of the screen tent.

 

 

Lazed around for a bit then went out right at dusk for a quick evening fish. Once again we caught a handful of dink walleye, but enjoyed a particularly gorgeous evening on this calm, remote arctic watershed lake.

 

 

That night we discussed our options for the rest of the trip. We had 2 full days left to fish and I REALLY wanted to put Cliff onto a bunch of fish.

My place in Quebec was only 2 hours or so south of Cochrane so we decided that we'd pack up first thing in the morning and head over there.

The back lakes in that area are a known commodity to me and I felt reasonably confident that we'd do better down there.

Cliff had no objections so the plan was set..

Once again it POURED rain all night and into the morning and we hurriedly packed up camp and loaded the truck whilst getting soaked.

Of course as SOON as we hit the road into Cochrane after being thoroughly drenched the skies cleared .

We weren't complaining though..

 

A quick pit stop in Cochrane at Tim's...

....and we were on our way back down 11.

 

The plan to be more specific was to head over to my uncles place and either stay there or camp nearby.

He's got 2 wicked back lakes very close to him and I figured we'd fish one on Friday and another on Saturday.

He just bought the place last fall and it's currently under construction. When we arrived the grounds were all ripped up and there was a team of carpenters working on it.

No biggy, we walked over for a look at the lake though and quickly had to re-think our plan.

There were 3 foot waves and whitecaps streaming down the lake, not something I really wanted to subject either of us to in my small squareback.

No problem though, I quickly got on the cel phone and called my dad, he was at our camp by himself putzing around and doing a few reno's.

1/2 an hour later he picked us up at the landing and we headed over to the cabin.

A big step up in the comfort level .

 

 

After relaxing for a bit all 3 of us headed out to catch some walleye for dinner. Amazingly enough my dad has never managed to catch a fish up there in the summer by himself. This was the first time ever we were there at the same time and it was a golden opportunity to show him where and how to fish the shoals close to camp..he was pretty happy about that.

 

The wind was bad on my lake as well and boat control was tough, so most of the time I just played guide.

Not too surprisingly we managed to squeak out enough for dinner with my dad catching the largest one (he was VERY happy ).

 

 

The next day was our last day of fishing and I wanted to make it good.

My dad wanted to tag along so I opted to take the boys to the same back lake I'd fished with my wife back in June. Beyond the fact it's a great lake there was a couple of old boats cached at the end of the trail.

With 3 of us fishing I figured it'd be a lot more comfortable to fish out of one of those..

 

Well it was a day to remember for sure. There were some serious thunderstorms passing through the area and twice we were forced to take shelter in the old hunt camp that was on the shores of the lake.

It saved our bacon, but man was it ever disgusting!

I've been in a lot of run down shacks before and this one was by far the grossest most vile place I've ever set foot.

Fishing wise things started off slowly (the weather sure didn't help!) But picked up bigtime in the afternoon.

My dad caught a gorgeous 271/2" walleye in between thunderstorms which proved to be the largest of the trip (he was a VERY VERY happy man).

Cliff caught a pile of fish also including a couple of very decent bass and I'm pretty sure had a blast in the process which pretty much made my day .

 

It was a long day, finally unloading the boat and hitting the trail back to my squareback at 6pm.

 

 

We had all wanted a few fish to take home so we kept a 2 man limit of walleye, all nice eaters!

 

 

When we arrived back at the landing the other guys packed up while I cleaned the fish on the bridge.

A nicer spot for a sometimes tiring chore you'll never find.

 

 

That evening we had another fabulous (but late) dinner, shot the breeze for a bit then crashed big time, tired but sated.

 

The next day Cliff and I packed up as early as we could and hit the road home.

All in all a great trip. Cliff's boundless enthusiasm was infectious, and man let me tell you, you were a pleasure to fish with!

I know Cliff has some short video snippets, including one of a particlarly vicious storm we endured. Not sure what they're like but hopefully the quality is good enough to post.

He's also got lots more pictures including one of a gigantic bull moose we saw on the way in (could you post that one bud?)

 

'Till next time!

 

Cheers, Mike

Edited July 29, 2008 by solopaddler

[tibbs]

WOW!

 

Fantastic report!

 

Looks Beautiful up there!

[PatrickGG]

Awesome report and Pics looks like a good time indeed.

[danc]

I've been waiting for this report Mike. Despite the so so fishing, it looks like you guys had a blast. If I was either one of you guys, I'd be happy to spend the time with the other. I see another adventure on the horizon for you two. No doubt the fishing will be better next time.

[Leecher]

Great job Mike.....your Dad sure looked very happy about the biggest walley on the pic

 

That was a good read and thanks for sharing

Leechman

[MCTFisher9120]

Looks like a fun trip. Thanks for the read!

 

Mike

[Wild]

And what a perfect way to end my day.

Thanks

[Mike the Pike]

Now I really enjoyed that boyz always a pleasure to fish with Cliff one day I hope to fish with you.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post that for a guy who earns his living from the weather you sure can write.

 

Not sure I could look at Cliff with a bug net on his face all day kind of looks like Little Red Riding Hood

 

Well all I need is a Sportspal canoe.I have the same 2hp need to go far North sometime in the near future when my grows a little bigger and stronger.

 

Excellent now I can't wait to see the videos

[Terry]

looks like a great trip

[Joey]

Now that's what I call a report. Way to go you guys

 

What an excellent adventure

 

Joey

[ccmtcanada]

All I can say is WOW! I had an awesome time....even though it rained, hailed and the fishing was slow. For me it really was an adventure...as I'd never been on a trip like that before.

 

I learned a TON from you....from reading a lake (What structure to look for both on the shore and under water), to jigging, and the use of worm harnesses. It's all stuff I'll take with me whenever I'm fishing.

 

We should try to do it again....I'm willing to be more adventurous....maybe even a moderate portage....LOL.

 

Thanks a lot Mike...I'm telling everyone who will listen about the trip.

 

Anyhow...here's a short video of the place we took cover in...as well as a little bit of the storm that we encountered.....

 

<embed width="320" height="240" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i120.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/ccmtcanada/solopaddlerstorm.flv">

[ccmtcanada]

Not sure I could look at Cliff with a bug net on his face all day kind of looks like Little Red Riding Hood

 

Ahem...you're one to throw stones with what ppl wear fishing....LOL. Do I need to dig up some pics of you???

 

I only wore it on shore and as we were leaving where we launched...and in the evenings when we were not in the screenhouse. He snapped that pic about a 100 feet from shore....LOL. I was just impatient and started to cast right away....I caught a pike on my 3rd cast....

[Dondorfish]

Nicely done guys! - but even thou the fishing was slow - I'd bet we would see some monster fish caught if a certain lady angler had been there with you guys. LOL

 

 

Don

[ccmtcanada]

I didn't really get much video of the actual fishing, but here's a few more quick videos....

 

This is Solopaddler catching his favourite species....you can see the excitement on his face and hear it in his voice!!!

 

<embed width="320" height="240" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i120.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/ccmtcanada/solopaddlerpike.flv">

 

This really doesn't do it justice....but here's a little of the scenery. It's amazing to me...because I'm used to fishing lakes with endless cottages lining the shore and seeing other fishing boats, water skiers and jetskis all over the place.

 

<embed width="320" height="240" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i120.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/ccmtcanada/soloscenery.flv">

[solopaddler]

All I can say is WOW! I had an awesome time....even though it rained, hailed and the fishing was slow. For me it really was an adventure...as I'd never been on a trip like that before.

 

I learned a TON from you....from reading a lake (What structure to look for both on the shore and under water), to jigging, and the use of worm harnesses. It's all stuff I'll take with me whenever I'm fishing.

 

We should try to do it again....I'm willing to be more adventurous....maybe even a moderate portage....LOL.

 

Thanks a lot Mike...I'm telling everyone who will listen about the trip.

 

Anyhow...here's a short video of the place we took cover in...as well as a little bit of the storm that we encountered.....

 

<embed width="320" height="240" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i120.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/ccmtcanada/solopaddlerstorm.flv">

 

That's a great little video clip Cliff, love it!

(We'll do it it again for sure bud)

 

Thanks everyone else for the comments!

[Musky or Specks]

Great report guys. Ive seen worse hunt camps beleive you me.

[solopaddler]

Great report guys. Ive seen worse hunt camps beleive you me.

 

Thanks bud.

 

I've seen worse hunt camps though too, been in 'em in fact.

What the pic's or video don't convey though is the smell. It was like a skunk that just crawled out of another skunks butt .

Beyond the stench and filth every single surface in that place had some kind of unknown disgusting sticky substance on it.

 

It was baaaaad!

[Moosebunk]

Glad you could squeak this report in before I leave Mike.

 

Too bad about destination 1. I can only imagine the big clearing at that spot before the launch being full of tents and summer campers, must have been packed. Everyone has 21 days but I'm sure the place gets it's fair share of squatters and no one gets pushed to move along. Looks like a few folks from New Post erected a real tent too. September there were no bugs and no people there.

 

I swear I recognize where you were in pics 1,3,4 and 5. The sidetrips I found often start out OK, but then end up 4-wheeler narrow. Did one 18-point turn with the Silverado to get out of one jam, and had to make about 2 dozen attempts to angle cross a bride not wide enough for a truck.

 

Bill McCord. That was the name of the MNR guy whom I spoke with and faxed me up the stocking lists. Talk about A1 CO's for the Cochrane district.

 

Too bad the fishing wasn't better, but truth is... I think it'll only make Cliff want to get back there that much more.

 

Good show fellas. I'll have to view the vids at home later.

[Musky or Specks]

Thanks bud.

 

I've seen worse hunt camps though too, been in 'em in fact.

What the pic's or video don't convey though is the smell. It was like a skunk that just crawled out of another skunks butt .

Beyond the stench and filth every single surface in that place had some kind of unknown disgusting sticky substance on it.

 

It was baaaaad!

We needed the video in Smell-orama. With little scratch and snifff cards that you smell on cue. Does anyone remember that gimic?

[scuro]

Really nice smallies...and so it goes sometimes. Nice report...thanks for sharing...those stunted trees haunt me everytime I look.

[sharper]

Looks like a great time! cool custom plate as well

[Roy]

You're right guys. That WAS an excellent adventure. Thank you for taking the time to post that. A really well documented account of a coupla buds having a good time and making the best on inclement weather and really working at finding the fish.

[Greencoachdog]

An Epic reprt for sure!!!

 

I think Cliff looks good in that bug suit... hides some of the damn ugly!!!

[Rich Clemens]

Sounds like that trip was a world of fun. Great reports guys.

Edited July 29, 2008 by Rich Clemens

[MrMike]

great report neat pics