Manitoulin Guide Part 1 – South Baymouth to Providence Bay

[Fudd]

Manitoulin Guide Part 1 – South Baymouth to Providence Bay

 

So here i am thousand of kilometers from home and reading all your fantastic reports. Jealousy starts to take hold. So i thought to myself, how can i contribute to this site. This is what i came up with. A Guide to fishing arguably one of the strongest fisheries in Ontario, Manitoulin Island. This guide has been written for the summer months June-September.

 

 

I have broken the island up into 3 parts. Section 1 and 3 are mainly Rainbow,Salmon and lake trout. Section 2 will cover the inland lakes.This is section 1 and i mainly cover boat fishing, however do not despair shore anglers your time will come, there are several incredible shore angling spots on the island and i have a few tantalizing ones here to tide you over.

 

 

Section 1 – Wet your line with Lunker Lake Trout and Monster Pike.

 

 

This section is mainly boat fishing based, there is however one very good option for the shore based angler after the “big one” and this is were we will start. I have only included my sure hit spots. There is a multitude of fishing spots on the Island but unfortunately i don’t have the time to show you them all.

As you head out of the town of South Baymouth (approx 3kms) on the right hand side you will need to turn right on Lakeshore Road. This will lead us to our first stop, a small boat launch (tinnies and small trailerboats) you will see it marked at the top of the above map. You will find the Slash creek (not sure of its real name), so begins our adventure.

 

1b-Pike – The weed beds at the mouth of the slash creek are best fished in the evening 7-9pm. The largest pike i have ever seen caught have been taken here. 20+ pounders are not uncommon. My tactics here is to fish the weed beds and the channel leading into the river but not the river itself( heaps of snags). This can all be fished from shore. Large soft pastics are the go, as well as surface poppers and frogs. Be patient, the pike here did not get this size by being stupid. Looking out on the bay fish on the right hand side of the bridge (launch is left hand side) casting out into the weed bed in the channel. The water depth in the channel is 6-8ft.

 

1c-Perch – The spots i have marked on the above map are nearly spot on, each one is located in a slight cove. Look for 14-16ft of water in these coves and anchor up. The perch schools travel up and down the shore, so once again be patient because they will come. Minnows work very well here but i prefer the smallest version of Gulp bait. Now for my first real tip, rest your rod on the side of the boat when fishing for perch. Why you ask? The rocking of the boat provides the perfect action for your bait, this will increase your sucess rate for perch and most others when still fishing.

 

1d-Pike/Perch – This is the area where i like to troll for the big pike. Large Raps are my weapon of choice here generally in perch colour. Troll the area infront of the small creek inlet, then up and down the east shore. This area is best fished in the morning and the perch are also abundant here. Same water depth and rules apply for the perchin’ here as above.

 

1a-Lake Trout – When i am fishing the Lakers here i generally launch at the Slash creek. There is plenty of excellent Laker water out from the launch. As you motor out of the bay, you will see a large point . This is our starting area. Once past the point you will notice the water drops fast. From the point along the coast north, there is a limestone shelf and 60 feet from shore will find you in 100ft of water. I normally troll this area first, making 500m passes down the shore heading north. I generally make my way out to the middle of the bay a bit more with each pass. The water in the middle is about 125-135ft. Set your line 10ft off the bottom and troll your heart out. Lakers are abundant here with the average 10-12lbs. I generally use Lucky Strike willow leaf lake troll with a silver spoon. The lakers here are not that fussy to be honest and almost any medium size spoon will take them. For a bit of fun try a few drifts (providing the wind is blowing right) along this shelf as well. The old faithful Swedish pimple is my favourite jig to use here.

That is it for this section, bare in mind there are literally hundred of spots in this area to fish. Explore the possibilities, no water is bad water for fishing.

 

 

Section 2 – Summer rainbow in the creeks... i kid you not.

It is general belief that rainbow run the rivers in the spring, spawn and then make there way back to the lake. While this holds true for the most part, the Bluejay Creek and Manitou River are blessed with a small tree knawer called the beaver. When the water is high in the spring the rainbow have no problems getting past the dams. However some are not so fast to leave the river and become trapped. From a personal point of view this is my favourite fishing.

 

The bluejay Creek is a small winding waterway that goes threw some of the most dense scrub on the island. This is were we begin. There are hundreds of fishing spots along the Bluejay, most however are on private land so i will not be pointing you in the farmers direction. I will show you one spot on the Bluejay that can be accessed from public lands.

 

Bluejay- Rainbow/Specks – As you travel out South baymouth on the highway you will travel 6 kms before you come across a side road, it is on the left hand side. There will be a sign to Tehkummah. Just as you turn onto side road on the lefthand side you will see a path/old road heading into the bush. Now if you have a 4x4 you can drive most of the way down to the creek. If you don’t you have a 3 km walk infront of you. This path that you are following will lead you right to the creek and it is the original road to the town Micheals bay. That would put this road cira 1860, and it sure shows it, massive boulders and large ruts make it a real 4x4 journey. Once you reach the creek, you will see the old pilings from a bridge that is long gone. Venture left down the creek and fish the holes and log build ups as you come to them. Free floating worms or local bait (grasshopers, leeches,etc) are the best methods. Fish the holes for 5/6 casts maximum. If the bow is going to hit or if it is holding one, you will generally get it in your first few casts. Be sure to walk with a soft foot along the creek. It is only 8-10ft wide and the fish will spook easily. Fish 4-5 holes, with 5/6 drifts on each then start over again. A general day down here will net you 3-4 nice bows. Be warned, this is rough fishing, the walk is tough and the bush along the creek dense. But if you are willing to tough it out, the rewards can be massive. Also be sure to bring some rubber gloves. The mosquitoes will be lined up on the fence posts waiting for you.

 

Manitou river-Rainbow Canoe or Punt – From Tehkummah take the Government Rd to Providence Bay. You will come to 20th Side rd. Take a right and travel until you come to the first left, take this to the river. Here you will need a canoe or small boat to fish as the river and the holes are not accessible by foot. I generally launch my canoe here and then have the missus meet me at the bridge were the providence bay rd crosses the manitou. Fishing this stretch of the river can be very very productive. Unlike the bluejay the manitou is more of a true river, with wide sweeping bends and some very nice holes to fish. You can use the same tactics here with the worm and local bait but i prefer to lure fish this zone. My staple is a Worden’s Flatfish x4 size in Blue Herring or coach dog colour. I also carry an assortment of mepps spinners. The Manitou is very clear here so you can guess how easily the fish will spook. Great care needs to be taken when coming to a hole as to not disturb these fish. Once you reach the bridge you can continue downstream in the boat or you can just jump in the car and take the road that leads down to Micheal’s bay. The road follows the river and you will see some of the best trout water Ontario has to offer. There is a multitude of areas to fish along this road. Please be kind to the landholders, if they have there land posted do not trespass.

 

Fishing the big Water... Rainbow ahoy!!!

So this is the story with this zone. There are fish everywhere. I can not pinpoint the exact location of the salmon schools for you so i am going to focus on the rainbows. First however, i will give you some general guidelines to the salmon. I generally launch at South Baymouth, with my bigwater boat this is the easiest location for myself. Smaller midsized boats can launch at Micheal’s Bay if they so choose.

Salmon – As soon as you leave Soth Baymouth you are into a fishzone. The channel markers straight out from the mouth is a great place to start searching for some fish. 80-100ft of water is the standard around here so just start looking for fish. I personally motor out and then point myself west and head towards Micheals Bay until i start marking fish. As a general rule mid July to late August is the best for this area. The only “sure fire” spot that i can actually point you to is off the island at Micheals Bay. If the salmon are around you will find them here. I will go into more salmon detail in section 3 Meldrum Bay. Don’t get me wrong the salmon abound here, but there is a lot of water to cover, and giving you exact locations are impossible.

Rainbow – Micheal Bay – Fishing rainbows is much easier for me to explain as they are generally always in the same area year after year. When i target rainbows i head straight for Micheals bay. Early morning, late afternoon put the downriggers away and break out the planer boards. As i generally come from my launch at South baymouth my first location i target is the small island at the southern tip of Micheals bay. Troll up and down the rocky outcrop of the island, it extends out 150m from the island straight west until it disappears into the lake. Be sure to troll on the south side of the island and the rocks, the water is 40-50ft just 10 ft off the rocks. Don’t be shy about trolling between the island and the shore as well, only 15-20 ft of water and you can see the bottom but i have caught plenty of big rainbows here in the early morning hours. Once again when fishing for bows i generally troll Flatfish U20(size) in various colours. I also take an assortment of spoons, it all depends on how aggressive they are. I have found a flatfish iwll trigger a strike from picky fish. Now once you have trolled between the island keep on heading into Micheals Bay. You can troll very close to shore as the water gets deep very fast 30-40ft just a stones throw from shore. Troll down the south shore until you come to an old A frame cottage. Once you are this far there is no point going farther. At this point i generally motor across the bay. Just were the point comes on the north shore and bends around into carters bay, this is where you want to fish. Once again planar boards out. The water here is much shallower and you will see large rock reefs (huge boulders) in the water. I want to target this ground. Don’t spend much time here but i often pull a nice bow from this area.

 

Providence Bay

“Prov” as the locals call it has one of the finest launches and fisheries on the island. I am going to spend the least time here as there is alot of water. The bay as a whole is rather shallow, and you will have to fish a bit more off shore here. Just off the southern point of the bay it is worth a shot at targeting a few bows. Same techniques apply as with Micheals Bay. As for the salmon, straight off the lighthouse is a good place to start. Once again you will have to motor around a bit until you start marking fish. I generally start about 1km off the lighthouse and troll towards Micheal’s Bay. Once again 80-110ft is the depth you are look at here. Beware there is a whitefish fishery based out of the Prov and you will encounter nets. So be on the lookout. Now i troll south for a reason, as you will notice on the above map, i have a marker for Rainbow that appears to vary from my close to shore markers. This ladies and gentlemen is a bow hot spot. With deep water all around it there is a reef that rises to 10ft. This is probably my favourite spot outside the island at Micheals bay on the Island. At the right time of year i have produced some really nice salmon just off this reef as well. In fact i would drive to the Prov just to launch and fish this reef for 30 mins. It is that good.

 

 

Well that is all for this first guide, the next one will focus on the inland lakes of the Island and we will hunt down Walleye, Lake trout, Perch, Pike and i even have a spot where the Specks are so big you will need a winch to bring them in ( well 2+lbs at least).

 

Cheers Dave

Keep your lines tight.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Fudd

[ADB]

Great report/guide Fudd - I look forward to your next.

 

I sure wish Manitoulin wasn't so far though.

[irishfield]

Some great info Dave that I'll be passing along to my s-in-law that owns Manitoulin Resort (ex- Holiday Haven), but I'm sure this info will also ruffle some locals feathers....

[BUSTER]

very nice report, i have a lot -1 acre in prov, and cant wait to get back in early aug. , great info and tips

[Terry]

great info

thanks

[River Rat]

wow....

 

that's alot of info. I can see how some recent "look at all the fish I caught and exactly where we were" posts may have inspired you to share what looks like 30 years of angling experience with thousands of total strangers but geez guys.....this is getting crazy.

 

I have seen this before of stout fellow.NET, when I was a mod on that board. During that time the board was getting an average 3500 unique hits per DAY. Guys would post pics with backgrounds and the whole place would be a write off the very next day, and the rest of the week and in some cases, forever. Tons of meat hunters would lurk on the board and converge on the areas where the runs were concentrated. The runs are now in serious trouble and the internet is the place to go find new areas for harvest.

 

I am just talking from experience, I obvously have no authority on the OFC board and it's my opinion only. I would be interested however in the stats on unique IP's that view this site daily......sometimes when people make a post they figure it's only going to be read by the local regulars etc and don't realize how many people will see the info they have made public. It may be a good idea to let everyone know how many people see these posts.

 

Anyway, what can I say...thanks for the info. I head up there a two or three times a year already for a 3 or 4 day weekend with the boys. I guess this year I'll drag the boat and stay for the week. I will likley see you out there scratching your head wondering where in the hell all these boats came from.

 

jus sayin

 

RR

[River Rat]

oh ya, that web sie was float fishing . net......not stout fellow ?????

[Whitemikeca]

Wow, great report, thanks. Several members of my family have cottages up on Manitoulin so I have spent a lot of time up there over the years. It truly is an amazing fishing destination.

 

Have you ever fished Lake Kagawong? Best Smallmouth lake I have ever fished for numbers. Not uncommon to catch 50+ fish per person in a session. I can't wait to get up there this summer!

[Gerritt]

Fudd, thank you for the time you put into this to help you're fellow anglers...

 

G.

[Fudd]

wow....

 

that's alot of info. I can see how some recent "look at all the fish I caught and exactly where we were" posts may have inspired you to share what looks like 30 years of angling experience with thousands of total strangers but geez guys.....this is getting crazy.

 

I have seen this before of stout fellow.NET, when I was a mod on that board. During that time the board was getting an average 3500 unique hits per DAY. Guys would post pics with backgrounds and the whole place would be a write off the very next day, and the rest of the week and in some cases, forever. Tons of meat hunters would lurk on the board and converge on the areas where the runs were concentrated. The runs are now in serious trouble and the internet is the place to go find new areas for harvest.

 

I am just talking from experience, I obvously have no authority on the OFC board and it's my opinion only. I would be interested however in the stats on unique IP's that view this site daily......sometimes when people make a post they figure it's only going to be read by the local regulars etc and don't realize how many people will see the info they have made public. It may be a good idea to let everyone know how many people see these posts.

 

Anyway, what can I say...thanks for the info. I head up there a two or three times a year already for a 3 or 4 day weekend with the boys. I guess this year I'll drag the boat and stay for the week. I will likely see you out there scratching your head wondering where in the hell all these boats came from.

 

jus sayin

 

RR

 

I know what you are saying mate, all the areas i posted "meat hunting" is not an option, you will still have to work for your fish. I am just giving people the area to go and what to target. The only area that could be harvested is the Bluejay, however i only provided a spot where people will have to work for there fish. The rest of the creek unless you know where you are going and have the land owners permission is hard yakka.

As for showing up and seeing hundreds of boats.. not going to happen. The distance and/or the ferry ride makes this place pretty quiet in comparison to most.

[msp]

Thanks for the info. It was a great read. I dont think that I will be heading up there any time soon, But if I do I will bring along the info that you provided. Never mind RR.Those areas are big enough, and far away. You wont have to worry about over fishing ect. Not many people would give away that much info about their fishing locations. Your damned if you do and damned if you dont. Thanks again.

[Fudd]

Wow, great report, thanks. Several members of my family have cottages up on Manitoulin so I have spent a lot of time up there over the years. It truly is an amazing fishing destination.

 

Have you ever fished Lake Kagawong? Best Smallmouth lake I have ever fished for numbers. Not uncommon to catch 50+ fish per person in a session. I can't wait to get up there this summer!

 

Yes i have fished Kagawong plenty. I have not seen better Smallie fishing anywhere then we find on the Island. I am not including bass in my guide as i don't generally target them, and i truely only have so much time. If you ever get the chance and you want to target a few bass at a different location, try South Baymouth down at the Slash. The creek has many snags, but if you can keep off them and keep the pike off your line, there are some monsters here.

[River Rat]

MSP, that's exactly what anyone who has never seen the power of the internet on a fishery first hand would say. I head up to the area 2 or 3 times a year and OK, not a ton of meat hunters but every year there are more guys that just show up.....every pocket and seam has been hit. There is a mis conception that it's huge water so it won't crowded and over fished....there used to be tons of fish on the east coast too....and the west coast ? ...come to think of it, did they even open the Thompson up for fishing this year...last creel report I heard was that 4 fish returned to spawn that HUGE system.

 

Sorry guys, I guess I am old school.....it used to be that you had to earn info like that by either going there yourself and putting in the time or befriending someone that goes and eventually pry it out of them as you become good fishing buddies.

 

It seems too many people don't build friendships the old fasioned way anymore....I see groups of internet anglers that meet in parking lots all over great lakes north america for the first time to travel in groups of 4 to 8 laying the boots to fish in concentrated numbers based on a web site they got info from. I have been on simcoe after certain posts and seen 60 boats in a one acer area for perch....80 huts in an area for whitties a day or two after a postthat someone beat on them. I used to do opener for bass on Deerock lake, never more than a handful of cars, they did two tournament there in 2007 and for the 2008 opener, there was at least 60 boats on the lake the night before ready to go for opener....I had to sleep in the car cause every island was JAMMED......

 

you guys should keep that info for people who have earned it, and share back. Personal friends....is there such a thing anymore ?

 

RR

[Fudd]

Nobody has earned it more than me mate... i have spent every waking hour fishing those waters for 30 odd years. I grew up fishing since i can remember. When i was very little we used to troll the Thames river for Pickeral at the season opener, and if we saw a shore fisherman the old fella would invite them to come with us. There is no better feeling than teaching someone/informing them on how and were to fish. Since that day i have lived by the same rule, there is no secret spot in fishing, just a spot to enlighten others to what we so fondly love.

 

Keep your lines tight mate.

 

Cheers Dave

[Guest nuker]

I not saying you didn't earn that info bro....I'm saying the thousands of total strangers that read these boards didn't earn it.

 

I help others when I am fishing all the time, just like the old timers did when I was growing up, just like your old man....but I was out there, stuggling and learning. I was the kid on shore while you were in the boat...not some guy that has a computer and an internet connection. The guys that helped me out only did so because I was trying my hardest and dedicating time to learning on the water.

 

That's how you earn it. How do you gain satisfaction from blastin out an email to the masses?...it's not the same thing as picking up a shore angler in you roat and showing them some stuff....you simply can't compare the two IMO.

 

just my take on the new internet anglers man, it's getting out of hand IMO but of course the general fishing public will disagree.

 

P.S. I don't know if you fish Simcoe in the winter....have some fun next year and post a report to all you internet friends that you smashed the whitties in a certain area and go there the next day....you will undersatnd what I'm talking about then.

 

RR

 

 

where's part 2! i just posted regarding fishing manitoulin and this would have been perfect info!

[Terry]

he has not been on in almost a year...me thinkth... part deux will not be forth coming

[asdve23rveavwa]

Very comprehensive post, with a good amount of effort put into it.