Every Inch of 31. Report.

[Moosebunk]

Forecast of three days was calling for warm, warmer, hot with a mix of sun, sun and sun. Timing for 31 was mint... and with my buddy Keith primed for the tour we set off stoked to Maniwaki.

Scoop for fishing the PQ up in the Gatineauz is whitefish. Lakers are closed but are always an incidental and quite often more than occasional catch. I go micro jigs and small spoons for whites, fishing the 15-45 fow ranges on a variety of structures, while enjoying the common release of many hard fighting greys found in the lake.

Simply put, this year the whiteys were jerks. Many places we punched holes there were fish on sonar, but they acted slow and cautious, and we often missed hook-sets or were sniffed out before fish would take. Lost a few too. Whites are tricky like that, not only can they be really tough to find most times, they can be really tough to coax. Most fight like panfish and rather wimpy, but then you have to fight them soft anyways. For me, it's the whole process of seek, coax, finesse and catch, and there's not many fish out there that can be as wily as whites to make this all happen regularly. Three years in I'm still kinda new to chasing them too, but so far they're keeping me interested.

On the lake by noon our first day we found a few fish on usual spots. Lost a likely white early and moving around iced 10 or 11 lakers to make the day quite fun.





Into Maniwaki later that evening, we filled our bellies to tilt and hit the hay fast.

5:30am wake-up we were on the lake with holes drilled by 8:00. A most productive whitey spot last year proved to be loaded with perch, and also one laker. With perfect skies, mint weather and easy riding, the rest of the day would be one big lake tour for hole hopping in search of fish. Many others were seen out fishing the lake too, including the QMNR. Keith and I would kick-in or punch new holes in more than a dozen different locations from the north end of the lake to the belly, and on the east and west sides. Not a single whitefish caught, but what an amazing day it all turned out to be.

Exploring 31 was incredible and by sunset we were burnt right out.

























Next morning we were on the lake by 7:00am. Temps were hovering around zero already and there wasn't even a whisp of wind. On the ice you could hear your echo when you spoke, and listen to all the birds waking up.

With nearly two dozen spots all having fresh holes to just boot open, we figured on plenty touring if unable to get on top of fish. Thing was, the morning bite early appeared promising and we actually iced some whites.





And we also lost a few too.

Of course there were still some lakers hooked. In fact, many. All mine caught were cookie-cutters, while Keith popped some similar and also the best of the trip.





Midday sun was incredible. The fishing turned slow so Keith and I opted to go for a good long ride to fish where other's had been seen the previous day at the north end of the lake. Daytime high was
to hit 6C and when blowing out of our fishing hole I mounted the Go-Pro on my helmet to catch some of the amazing riding we were able to enjoy on the lake.

This 5 minute video showcases a highlight of the trip. The sledding. Lawr's 660 Cat and my 250 Bravo rip up the trippy shorelines to the tune of Black Sunshine.

 

BRAVO SUNSHINE!

Minutes after losing the sled the Bravo was accelerating to speed and then just cut out. Bummer!!!



First thought... overheating. Second thought... fuel blockage somewhere. Final thought... air. Primer had been acting up all trip and it was the likely culprit... but why just then after blazing trail no
problemo?

Ran the machine OK back to the truck with the choke on full, loaded it up, then set back out onto the lake with Keith training up both sleighs. Unfortunately, we only lasted a couple more hours back on the spots we had fished, before deciding around 3:00pm we'd had a full 8-hour day already in.

So, tough whitey fishing this year but everything in stride... it was wicked fun on 31. Having my old friend Keith along for his first tour on the lake his take on things was... "I'll be coming back again..."



... Me too.

[Joey]

Superb report. Love the video.

[solopaddler]

Some of those photos are stunning, well done bud! Looks like a picture perfect trip.

[irishfield]

Hey... I told you to buy a new primer for that thing!!!!!! You can only expect a bath tub tap washer to last so long you know. No warrantees on MacGiver work my friend.....

[Old Ironmaker]

Great report, thems' some nice fish and super photos. Being new again to the site after many years away I can tell you I have seen more fantastic photographs by amateur photographers( I presume most are amateurs ) that a pro would be envious of. Is it a coincidence that all share a love for fishing or are good fisherman good at everything else too?

 

Great balance, colour and composition in all the pics. What camera are you using? Please don't tell me it's a telephone. My college art instructor would roll in his grave, can't get much better with a 2" format Hasselblad that went for $3000.00 in 1972.

 

Quick question, where are you that you still have all that snow and ice? We are all melted out here, a few buds of mine played 9 holes of golf yesterday near the lake, no walking on the greens. Plus 12C and the wind dried a lot of the turf.

 

Good work, hope the sled is feeling better.

[NAW]

Awesome Video man. From a Bravo owners perspective that was cool. Plus my fishing partner runs a similar cat.

 

Not to often you get let down by a bravo. But it happens.

[mr blizzard]

Fantastic pictures and video, there are probably 40 or 50 members who would like to go to 31.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Moosebunk]

Hey... I told you to buy a new primer for that thing!!!!!! You can only expect a bath tub tap washer to last so long you know. No warrantees on MacGiver work my friend.....

 

 

Yeah... ya did... probably. Your work bought me an extra year but early next fall I'll have to do sliders, carbides and primer. Thanks MacG Wayne!!!

 

 

Great balance, colour and composition in all the pics. What camera are you using? Please don't tell me it's a telephone.

 

Quick question, where are you that you still have all that snow and ice?

 

 

Might as well be a telephone. Just use your average camera. Panasonic Lumix. Always liked them. Also have a 10 year old and simple Jasc Photoshop program to bring out the best in the darkroom.

 

Snow here is going quick too. We were about 2 hours north of Ottawa into PQ to do our fishing. Still lots of snow in the bush.

 

 

Awesome Video man. From a Bravo owners perspective that was cool. Plus my fishing partner runs a similar cat.

 

Not to often you get let down by a bravo. But it happens.

 

 

Hear ya Bravo brutha. Even when they let ya down, they don't really let ya down. Treat it well to beat it like Hell and it'll still never cost you your first born if it does get sick. Riding with Keith on his Cat sure made me miss my old Renegade... but the vid is probably cooler from the Bravo. lol.

[misfish]

Great pics,and the video was stoke.Were those animal tracks,or human? Looked big enough to be moose.

[G-Man]

nice fish

[can u fish]

Great report guys love the photos and great video on the sled love Maniwaki spent a lot of summers there as our family cottage was on Lac Joseph just off the Gatineau River lot a great fishing in the area and would allways make a few trips up to Parc de la Verandrye for some awesome walleye and Pike fishing.

 

Cheers Mitch

 

 

[Sinker]

Great report Drew. That video was cool. Good stuff!

 

S.

[Terry]

buy a new primer for that thing!

 

seems to ring a bell

 

great video

[Moosebunk]

Thanks doods!

 

 

Great pics,and the video was stoke.Were those animal tracks,or human? Looked big enough to be moose.

 

 

Saw one set of moose, one set of wolf and a billion sets of deer tracks. Watched two wolves cross a bay off in the distance, in broad daylight.

 

 

buy a new primer for that thing!

 

seems to ring a bell

 

 

Yes, yes Terry. Season is done... next year. lol.

[ehg]

Enjoyed this report!

Kinda reminds me of reading a great article w/ pics in fishing mag like decades ago.

[johnnyb]

Dang I miss this board....reports like this are great! Altho I thought I was going to see a 31" whitie.....sniff....guess I'll wait till next year

[limeyangler]

Fantastic as always Drew.

 

Love the video.

 

 

What setting is your GoPro on and what editing software ya got.

 

I just got a Gopro but have not used it much cuz my existing computer has the processing power and memory of a 1980's digital watch!

 

But that looked awesome and i'm getting a top of the line Mac in a month and wanna get busy with my new toys.

[Moosebunk]

Fantastic as always Drew.

 

Love the video.

 

 

What setting is your GoPro on and what editing software ya got.

 

I just got a Gopro but have not used it much cuz my existing computer has the processing power and memory of a 1980's digital watch!

 

But that looked awesome and i'm getting a top of the line Mac in a month and wanna get busy with my new toys.

 

Hey Simon.... total tech dummie here so this is the best way I can tell it. Others might laugh too if they know better.

 

So, the GoPro is set to HD... whatever it is... like 1080P. File is recorded as an MP4. All I have at home here is Windows MovieMaker and so that MP4 stupidly needs converting to an AVI otherwise WMM won't even recognize it's existence. Once I convert to AVI the HD is pretty well lost. In WMM I edit and play around to make the movie I want, but then WMM to "publish" it and save turns it into a WMV file.

 

So that software... is Window Movie Maker. And your Mac ain't gonna play that. You'll likely have better tools to play with.

[Jet]

Always enjoy the "unconventional" fishing photos.

 

I've always preferred chasing Lakers north of Simcoe when given the opportunity. Just something special about them.

 

Thanks for sharing yet another adventure!

[chris.brock]

cool report and video,

 

regarding the Bravo aspect, with the crusty snow, we were bush riding on Thursday in Haliburton, pretty far in the middle of nowhere, I was surprised to see 4 sleds parked in front of an old camp on Wolf Lake, and smoke coming out of the stack. 3 of the sleds were Bravos, 2 of them LT's. We smiled and waved as we passed each other. The BR trapper is the ultimate bush sled!

[RickOnt]

Hey Bunk

 

Great trip!! Fishing and photos,

 

Fantastic report

Rick

[limeyangler]

Hey Simon.... total tech dummie here so this is the best way I can tell it. Others might laugh too if they know better.

 

So, the GoPro is set to HD... whatever it is... like 1080P. File is recorded as an MP4. All I have at home here is Windows MovieMaker and so that MP4 stupidly needs converting to an AVI otherwise WMM won't even recognize it's existence. Once I convert to AVI the HD is pretty well lost. In WMM I edit and play around to make the movie I want, but then WMM to "publish" it and save turns it into a WMV file.

 

So that software... is Window Movie Maker. And your Mac ain't gonna play that. You'll likely have better tools to play with.

lol....if you a tech dummie that makes me 'tech pond life"

 

I use moviemaker too......gonna have to spend more time messing around with the tech stuff.