Huge Brookies !

[camillj]

Well ... this may qualify as the worst post of the year ... just a warning - no pics ... no fish (there, that's the short edition)

 

Now for the longer edition ....

 

 

I got up around 3:00 this morning all excited at the prospect of getting out for my first day of chroming of the season ... an eastern trib was my original plan ... but after a few minutes checking in at OFC and such I ended up with a drool-on for some monster brookies in a back lake I stumbled across while doing my 'homework' ... two 3lb plus fish caught there in the past couple weeks (supposedly)

 

 

Anyhow ... after much GPS plotting and map printing and re-packing for hardwater (and bushwacking) ... I headed out the door ... at just before 6:00 ... where does the time go !

 

So ... I drove out east ... and headed north on 35 .... and north ... and north .... and stopped in Minden to try and extract info from a local .. buy minnows and get a fresh copy of the regs and to be sure that there were no exceptions for the particular lake I was seeking (especially live bait restrictions for example) ... all seemed good ... and while I sipped a double double from Timmies ( waiting for the all important nature-room which was wrapped in yellow police tape with a sign that read 'CLOSED FOR CLEANING' to be 'cleaned') ... I plotted my latest waypoints into my handheld GPS and repacked my kit for a bush wack of about 3.5 km .... I figured I could be on the water by about 10 AM ... a little later than I would like .. but still plenty of time for a great day ahead ...

 

 

And finally ... I was back on my way .... well after about another hour of driving ..... apparantly I had miscalculated my point of entry and I ended up near Dorset before I realized that I was NOT going to be able to get where I needed to be before starting my bushwacking ... I had essentially travelled 30km x 30km X 30 km AROUND the perimeter of a square I was not going to be able to close.... to make matters worse there seemed to be ALOT of open water on many of the small lakes I was passing ... not encouraging to say the least.

 

I reassessed the situation because I was now in a vicinity of about ten Brookie lakes that I have often wondered about ... but ... NO .... I would NOT be distracted today from this mission .. so I backtracked (about 90 Km) ... and headed up the road I SHOULD have gone only to find about 5 solid KM of NO TRESPASSING signs ... bummer !!!

 

Well ... as I hit the dead end of the last possible entry point I passed a friendly fellow walking his dog who helped me find a skidoo trail that (while it does cross private property - has apparantly become accepted as a entry point to the back woods)

 

 

From there I found a walking trail and a nice lady walking her dog who knew of the lake I sought and was quite certian that the trail I was on (although it ended about a KM ahead - was in the right general direction and I would most likely be able to get through beyond that to the lake I sought) ... what a rush !!!

 

My new target was 12:00 to be on the water .... really later than I had hoped .. but I didnt care now .. the weather was fabulous !

 

Well the trail was alot rougher than I had expected and I actually had to backtrack a couple of times because of a couple wrong turns at forks in the trail .... mental note PAY ATTENTION to the topography ... not just the direction ... some REALLY steep cliffs got in my way ... anyhow ... about 45 minutes in I was almost at the first lake I would have to go around .... and .....

 

 

Thats when it hit me ....I was making ALOT of noise crashing through the bush .... what with my bells from my hardwater setup jingling and the sound of the sled I was pulling crunching through the snow and crusty ice ... enough to wake up.. or at least get the attention of all the bears in the area ...

 

 

 

And ohhhh yesssssss I completely forgot - There's no spring Bear hunt anymore - cripes !

 

I Stopped for a minute ... I hadnt realized how hot I had become ... composed myself .. after all I am an outdoorsman .. quite comfortable being alone in the woods ... and what a plesure not to have to fight the bugs ...

 

.... BUT ....

 

 

Just as I passed by the base of a 40' cliff I realized there was a cave off to my left ... it appeared to be about 15 feet deep and had LOTS of tracks (mostly dog .. but a few VERY BIG ones) ... I stopped to assess the situation and realized how alone I was out in the bush completely unprepared if Mama Bear decided to come out to protect her cubs from me ... or worse if Daddy decided I might be fun to chase for a while ....

 

I looked at my GPS ... I was exactly where I needed to be ... right on course ... but this darned escarpment with untold other ideal denning locations seemed to go on for about another half mile or so ...

 

I checked my cell ... heh .. go figure ... no coverage .... I thought you could get coverage anywhere these days ... not in Haliburton !

 

Anyways I was still about a mile and a half away .... sooooo close .... too far too hear ANY sounds from the roads ... and way too close to the best den sites in Haliburton ....

 

 

***shameful look****

 

 

So I decided to call it ... better to wait until I have someone with me ... I trudged back to my car ... feeling like a wimp ... put my gear away and decided it might not be too late to head to one of my tribs for that chromer I had originally set out for ... but knowing I would never be able to live down the humiliation (even if only to myself in the mirror) of giving up sooooooo close to my destination ....

 

 

So I drove around for about another half hour seeing if there was another way in to the lake (where I wouldnt have to walk the gauntlet) ... no luck .... but

 

 

Just when I thought all was lost, I noticed a sign for another brookie lake ( I must have driven right past it) ... this lake was a little TOOOO easy to get to so I wasnt holding out much hope for monsters .. but what the heck at least I wouldnt have to resort to rubbing shoulders on the trib ... which there will be plenty of time for anyways (maybe tomorrow)... and more importantly, Mama Bear would be on the OTHER side of the road

 

 

So ... I plodded out .. in front of a bunch of cottagers who thought I was nuts ... drilled a few holes and found OVER 20" of SOLID ice ... heck we can fish up there for at least another few weeks ... as Arnold says ... Aw'll be back

 

 

Anyhow ... no hits ... no runs ... no misses .... but all in all an exceptional example of what TRUELY INSANE fishermen will endure in the name of our sport .... and to be completely honest .... it was fabulous day ...

 

 

For any who really think I was nuts ... you need to stop for a second and remember the most important lesson in life .... (and in fishing) .... its the JOURNEY that makes life worth living .... not the destination.

 

gnite all... I am bushed.

Edited March 21, 2009 by camillj

[irishfield]

Ahhhh the adventure !!

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

haha.

there's no bad day fishing. even when you have no clue where you're headed.

i've found myself in some pretty silly places.

cheers.

[smokin joe]

The journey is one of the best parts, and good on ya for playing it safe. To many times this year that people took that extra chance and lost

[Sinker]

Hey, its all about the adventure!

 

I've gone on 3 separate trips this season in search of the almighty speckled trout, only to be stopped by private property, blocked roadways, roads with the wrong names.....etc. its all in the adventure.

 

If your ever looking for another insane guy to join you on these back lake adventures during the week (off wed/thurs) pm me.

 

I'm more than willing to ward off bears or other animals with canines, and I don't mind a good hike thru the woods. My orienteeting skills are not too bad either

 

Ahh....the joy of speckle trout fishing.....ya gotta love it!! Even with no fish, its always a satisfying trip!! One fish makes the whole day that much more worthwhile!

 

Sinker

[SNAGKING]

That was a fun read even though there weren't any pictures of fish. Sounds a great day in the outdoors exploring and having a great time. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Joey]

Well you got out there anyhow, you'll get em next time.

 

Joey

[Cookslav]

Lifes a journey, not destination Bud...LOL!

Thats a great way to spend a day regardless of the out come.

 

Thanks for shareing the report anyway.

[singingdog]

City folks! We purposefully keep the cell-phone coverage sparse up here just to keep the density of 416/905ers to a bare minimum

 

Really, no need to abort an adventure because we cancelled the spring bear hunt. In all my time crashing into backwoods trout lakes I have never even seen a bear. Any time I have seen a bear at other times of the year, it's a brief glimpse of them running the other way as fast as they can.

[camillj]

Heh ... thanks .. now I am bound and determined to get in there

 

Truth is I have seen too many ... and unfortunately the way things have been going they are just a little too comfortable these days ... especially in Haliburton/Muskoka

 

A few summers ago my brother in law who was admiring a sunrise from the dock turned around with his young daughter in his arms only to see a big blacky right behind him between him and the cottage ... he stood there in shock cause he never even heard it coming ...

 

I have seen more than a few and while I have never had an 'incident' - I believe its at least partially due to a paying them the respect they deserve ....

 

Anyhow ... you have no idea how painful it was to abandon ship so close to glory ... but you gotta go with your gut.

[Tarzan's Jane]

Great read. I applauded your decision to turn away from being near that cave. Where did the fearlessness of being a child go, you know, exploring those caves? lol

 

I for one am fed up with myself and my fears. But I just don't know how to muster up the umph to go it on my own. I can't seem to feel at ease in unknown territory.....perhaps if I go when I'm pmsing I may even scare the bears.

[Cookslav]

... but you gotta go with your gut.

 

Absolutely,

We have instincts just like animals....we just choose to ingnore them most of the time because we don't put ourselves on their level.

But when in doubt its always better to play it safe then sorry.

Besides who wants to be looking over their shoulder all day

Better to go at new water with company, be it because of poor ice conditions, unknown wilderness or other(AKA bears)

 

Beleive me I've had a run in with a big Bruin in the west arm that turned out good, but boy was it a tense couple of hours...

And yes that Spring hunt cancelation is to blame...

[camillj]

Hey, its all about the adventure!

 

I've gone on 3 separate trips this season in search of the almighty speckled trout, only to be stopped by private property, blocked roadways, roads with the wrong names.....etc. its all in the adventure.

 

If your ever looking for another insane guy to join you on these back lake adventures during the week (off wed/thurs) pm me.

 

I'm more than willing to ward off bears or other animals with canines, and I don't mind a good hike thru the woods. My orienteeting skills are not too bad either

 

Ahh....the joy of speckle trout fishing.....ya gotta love it!! Even with no fish, its always a satisfying trip!! One fish makes the whole day that much more worthwhile!

 

Sinker

 

 

Thanks Bud I may just do that .. I tend to go fishin mid wek more often too ... it feels more adventurous when I am also playing hooky ... and what the heck you gatta have some perks from being the guy who pays the bills