johnnyb Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Finally have some time to myself on the computer....time to put together the Long Weekend report. Doing my best to keep this brief and let the pictures do the talking...but I make no promises In a nutshell....I have been going CRAZY thinking about the May long weekend/walleye-pike opener. It had been a long winter and spring, and no matter what stood in my way, I was going! Even up until the last minute, I never really had a solid plan in place, other than I was headed up to the Temagami area, and was going to hit a few lakes I knew I could access easily, as there was a good chance I was going solo. My usual partner in crime, Bicephalic, was fairly certain that he'd be able to accompany me....and with just 2 days to go....we got the crushing news that he couldn't make it due to a ridiculous snag at work. My other long time fishing buddy, who seems to fish less and less now that he's moved a bit further from me, said that Temagami was just too far for him, and he didn't want to "burn the candle at both ends". Normally I'd compromise....but not this year. It was Temagami or bust. Luckily....I have another cousin...Bicephalic's younger brother...who jumped on my invitation without even knowing where we were going....just that it was fishing J Gotta love his enthusiasm. Bicephalic loaded him up with a bit of gear, and I picked him up from work on Friday, and we were off! Ok....see...I've already rambled enough....gonna try and let the pics do the work.... Left Mississauga around 4:45pm on Friday afternoon...and traffic was really not as bad as I thought. Made it to the first stop....bait! Worms were already packed in the cooler....but I grabbed some of these from the bait shop with the most generous $5 scoops ever: Next we had to detour into Muskoka to grab the boat. Allllmost forgot the oars, but thank goodness my dad reminded us before we pulled out Back on #11 and we still had plenty of daylight....awesome! In fact...we were making such good time that we figured we could hit Callander by 10pm....which is when Lu Lu's closes. Lu Lu's, for the uninformed, makes what is unequivocally the world's best pierogie pizza. Called ahead from South River, and snuck in to pick it up just before closing time. YYYYEESSSS!!!!! Topped up the tank...plus the tanks for the tinner, and back onto #11...sensing Temagami's pull grow stronger and stronger. I was torn between Net Lake - a popular walleye lake just north of town – and Temagami itself for the first day. I knew I could acess Net off of a couple different roads, which would likely lend themselves to car-camping a little easier than the Temagami Access road. So, with 10 minutes to go until opener, we settled beside a creek flowing into Net Lake. It was a crappy night's sleep crammed in the back of the Jeep....but better than setting the tent up in the dark. At 5:30 am, the moon was still shining in a clear sky, and we were ready to get crackin! Rods were rigged....a couple cereal bars were scarfed down, and the boat was launched. Started by trolling minnow baits....and about 5 minutes in....Brian was trying to figure out if his flimsy Rhino spincast setup was dragging weeds or a fish. Turned out to be a half-decent pike Not quite thick enough to be worth cleaning...so back he went. Unfortunately....it was a lonnnng while before we saw any more action. Saw fish surfacing in the shallows....possibly still spawning? Marked fish on the screen....but just had zero takers on worm harnesses...jig and minnows....crankbaits. We worked into the afternoon, under a ridiculously hot sun, getting nothing. We would work for eyes until we came upon pikey looking water...then switch to casting. In one particular cove, I said "this looks like good pike territory"...to which Brian said "you keep saying that...." LOL . I resisted the urge to smack him, and puttered into the cove. We work our way half way to the back, and I'm starting to lose faith. As I deliberated pulling the plug on this quiet little bay in exchange for some lunch back at camp....I caught sight of a low 30" range pike on bottom. Then it caught sight of me and disappeared in a cloud of silt. "Brian! We found'em!!!" Now we start casting in earnest....me with a big spinnerbait that is getting a couple follows, and Brian with a Boogie bait that he's hopping along bottom. Bicephalic's last words to me were "if you do anything....get my brother a 10lb pike". Well you know what happened next...FISH ON!!! I wish I had video footage....'cause I could sell it to Zebco for the Rhino rod ads. I thought for sure the rod was gonna bust as I kept telling Brian to calm down and let the fish run...while he furiously cranked the rod into a tight "c" while the big pike tried to take up residence under the boat. The rod held....the net came out, and we had 36 inches of thick, scarred up pike in the boat. Brian had the shakes....he couldn't take his eyes off the fish...it was awesome! He was a bit too shaky in fact, to hold on to the big girl for the release, so I made sure she swam away strong. Ok. Big fish in the boat. CHECK! We settled down, worked the rest of the cove, but only had a few follows while the heat continued to punish us. Back we went to camp...had a bit of lunch and beverages....then rigged up the trolling rods to try for some of the trout I'd been marking. All I ended up with was scenery photos and a nice tan. Sigh. Oh yeah....I caught a couple OOS smallies....this one had about 6 friends come out to chase him as I reeled in and quickly released. Brian was quick with the camera, so it was all good. View from our camp And the temperature...brutal! Ended the day with some exploring further down Red Squirrel road....man oh man is this ever a great road! Packed with lakes and all kinds of room to pull up and camp. Many spots had camper trailers backed in....I couldn't believe it! Note to self: Find out if they plow this thing in the winter....cause icefishing opportunities could be fantastic. We broke out the glo-bobbers and did a bit of night fishing...again...to no avail. Any fisherfolk we talked to had been striking out on 'eyes all day as well....so we weren't alone. I should mention that the surface temp started at 59F, and rose to a whopping 68F through the day. And that was sitting over 100FOW!!! The next day we headed down to the big lake...Temagami. The weather was still calm, although mercifully it was cloudy, so we headed for the hub with the trolling gear ready. Water temps in Temagami were a frosty 56F, which had me feeling a lot better about our chances. Got out past Ket-chun-eny and saw a few boats trolling. Everybody using downriggers....interesting. I would've thought flatlining would be the ticket. Brian started at 20 feet with just a few colours of leadcore out and I set the cannonball at 35 feet. Made a few passes....didn't mark much...didn't see the boats around us reeling much in besides one small shaker. We moved started island hopping and found a nice dropoff....and I got my first fish using a cheater on the downrigger! I was running a spoon, with a silver/black minnow bait as my cheater. The little guy just devoured it, and was bleeding bad...so we devoured him I really wanted to get Brian his first laker, and was sure that we would when I lost another one near the surface....but the action seemed to stay quiet, and we started getting rained on pretty good. The Jeep was already packed up....and there was a chance that Bicephalic was going to start heading North....so we shortened his drive and met him in Trout Creek. Set up camp on yet another back road between a couple lakes. I usually turn my nose up at car-camping, as I prefer to paddle or boat into more remote areas....but I really couldn't complain about the spots we were getting. Bicephalic made great time on the drive up, and showed up just after dark.... arriving at precisely the same time as a nice little thunderstorm. It didn't last long....and after a few beers and a fire...neither did we. The morning consisted of fishing the two lakes surrounding us....which were supposed to hold splake...and possibly speckles...and even the odd laker....but all we found were bass. Aggressive, hungry, out of season bass! So no more pics....but lots of good times and that wonderful feeling of relief that I FINALLY got up north. Ahhhhh. Hmm. Now that I think about it...the rods and backpack are still in the Jeep.....better leave'em in there just in case
danc Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 What a great read and report. Your enthusiasm shone through. Thanks for the read.
irishfield Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 I sure wouldn't be riggin Temagami at this time of year, we flat line 'till the play offs are over most years. Len Thompson and Linquest Brother Cisco spoons running about 8 or 9 feet down. Nice report Johnny... I was hoping for some Kokoko pics just to remind me of the beauty!! lol And NO.. they don't plow Red Squirrel road in the winter... TTBOMK.
adempsey Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Nice trip! BTW, what the heck is a pierogie pizza???
lew Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks Johnny, that made for a great early morning read. Sounds like a great trip.
splashhopper Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 great story... makes me want to drive up there
Homer Is King Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Great report! Thanks for putting it together. Sounds like an awesome trip.
g_clot Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks for the morning read, sounds like a great unplanned adventure!
thatleetboy Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 This is an AWESOME report, many thanks for going to all the trouble of posting it! Cheers
corvette1 Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 great report johnnyb sounds like you guys had a good time on short notice
danbouck Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Awesome report! Red squirrel road is awesome!
Rod Caster Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Awesome report! Red squirrel road is awesome! x2- and like Wayne said, definitly NOT plowed...found out the hard way in March and had to reverse for 2kms. Great report man, next time, give me a heads up... I'm crazy like you.
RickOnt Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Hey Johnny Great Report, Fantastic Pics. Thanks for taking the time!!! Rick
Nipfisher Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Great read. Temagami is only 45 minutes away from me and I hardly ever fish it. I guess that is because Nipissing is only 2 minutes away? Never fished Net lake but I have seen plenty of boats.
Mike01 Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 It's beautiful country up here! P.s. My cousin owns Lu Lu's(callander tavern). I'll let her know you enjoyed the food.
johnnyb Posted May 27, 2011 Author Report Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks for the kind words, folks....glad you enjoyed the read. I sure wouldn't be riggin Temagami at this time of year, we flat line 'till the play offs are over most years. Len Thompson and Linquest Brother Cisco spoons running about 8 or 9 feet down. Nice report Johnny... I was hoping for some Kokoko pics just to remind me of the beauty!! lol And NO.. they don't plow Red Squirrel road in the winter... TTBOMK. I really wanted to hit Kokoko, but my partner for the weekend was a bit green for that kind of undertaking....so I figured easier access stuff was better. As for the flatlining...I was really surprised not to see anyone doing it. Spoke to one guy who says he fishes bottom all season long with steel line. Don't know if his brother does likewise, but that guy pulled in a 16lb'er on the Saturday. Apparently not ALL the lakers move up. Nice trip! BTW, what the heck is a pierogie pizza??? Instead of pepperoni --- thinly sliced (and spicy!) potato. Instead of pizza sauce...sourcream. Plus bacon, green onions and plenty of cheese. MMMMMMmmmmmmmm. There's no way I'll make that trip without grabbing one, whenever possible. Might....MIGHT even replace Chinese Food in Temagami. MIGHT. It's beautiful country up here! P.s. My cousin owns Lu Lu's(callander tavern). I'll let her know you enjoyed the food. Yeah...we took a pic of it on their counter and said it was going on Facebook ....which it did
Joey Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Great read Johnny, thanks. Looks like it was a great trip. Glad you found someone to share the experience with
asdve23rveavwa Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 Awesome report!! Man, that pizza looks almost...ALMOST, as good as that nice pike!
limeyangler Posted May 28, 2011 Report Posted May 28, 2011 SHOOPERDOOPER report! Good to see you got out, holy man, sleeping in the jeep...thats dedication for ya! Pizza sounds awful BTW. I literally laughed out loud at your restraint from slapping him...lol...your a better man than me! Great read JB, great pics, and good to see you got out. I like your fishfinder set up
Moosebunk Posted May 29, 2011 Report Posted May 29, 2011 That was wicked Johnny. Took me back to a few places I once made the stop at too. My close buddy I refer to as Stevie Zebco fishes much the same set-ups your buddy does. They do hold up those Rhinos. Hope to see ya get more of these chances over the summer. Enjoyed the report, thanks.
lunkerbasshunter Posted May 29, 2011 Report Posted May 29, 2011 entertaining read thanks for sharing cheers!
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