Algonquin park lake inquiry

[muskymatt]

I'm trying to decide between returning to the lakes we've been at the last several years or picking a new couple lakes for our annual portage into the park.

 

Does anyone have any info on Luckless and Lynx lake off the Nippissing?

It shows a 2960m portage right after a 9.45km paddle, has anyone done this and knows what the terrain is like?

Any comments on the fishing back in there?

 

Our usual portage takes about 7 hrs and this one is considerably more, was wondering if taking 2 days to get in would be in order as we do each portage twice with the gear we have.

 

Thanks

[wallacio]

I personally haven't done that trip but do know that the portage is mostly uphill with a fairly steep climb at the end. The whole portage sees a total elevation change of about 120-150m.

 

As for the fishing, both lakes have Brookies and Lakers. While you can't rely on this as an accurate indicator of how productive the fishing will be, the Algonquin fishing surveys do offer a reasonable snapshot into the fishing success experienced on various lakes. The 2010 survey has the most data for the two lakes in question (scroll down in the link to find the various survey links).

 

http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/recreational_activites/fishing-in-algonquin-park.php

Edited March 18, 2014 by wallacio

[jedimaster]

I have done this loop and its a heavy duty one. Awesome but pack light. The luckless portage is a rough one. This coming from a guy that every year does a 10km on foot portage every spring for a one day brookie trip. Its not impossible lots of people do it. Are you going to go in clockwise or counter clockwise or are going to just go in and double back?

[muskymatt]

I have done this loop and its a heavy duty one. Awesome but pack light. The luckless portage is a rough one. This coming from a guy that every year does a 10km on foot portage every spring for a one day brookie trip. Its not impossible lots of people do it. Are you going to go in clockwise or counter clockwise or are going to just go in and double back?

 

We've been talking about going in the Nippissing river and doing the 945m, 230m, and 2960m portages in and out. Haven't really considered any other alternatives so far, but it's a good point.

Sounds like an overnight stay at the Nippissing and Luckless trail start is something to consider. Packing light and doing the portages only once seems like the best option.

We usually go the opposite way through little cedar and laurel up into carl wilson, which is a shorter but still worthwhile hike that can be easily done in a day.

 

Thanks for the link Wallicao!

[jedimaster]

Its a nice trip, as for the fishing, I didn't catch anything worth noting while we were there but I think it could have gone one way or the other. There are easier to get to places for better fishing that's for sure but as I said its a great trip. I try and limit my single legs to under 5km's of relatively flat ground so this is on the upper edge of uncomfortable.

 

Oh yah, watch out for the muck on the nippissing

Edited March 18, 2014 by jedimaster

[muskymatt]

Its a nice trip, as for the fishing, I didn't catch anything worth noting while we were there but I think it could have gone one way or the other. There are easier to get to places for better fishing that's for sure but as I said its a great trip. I try and limit my single legs to under 5km's of relatively flat ground so this is on the upper edge of uncomfortable.

 

Oh yah, watch out for the muck on the nippissing

Great info and will be discussed as key points for decision making with my buds, work vs rewards has to be balanced to some degree!

Thanks

[passthepitonspete]

Well, um, I guess you won't be going in there anytime soon, with the ice being what it is this year.....

 

I have fished Luckless a few years ago, and we actually had pretty good luck. We had fished a nearby small speck lake with some success, almost all of which came over a two-hour period one afternoon or evening, and not much thereafter. They were smallish. I definitely remember my dad catching the biggest speck of the trip in Luckless - a bit to either side of 3 lbs, can't remember which way. We fished a lot of hours for that fish, however, and didn't catch much more. On the way out, I caught a "screamer" laker in the north side of the lake, couldn't believe he was only around three pounds. So a decent lake, with a nice campsite.

 

Have never caught a fish in Catfish, having trolled through several times. Not sure why. Definitely fish the rapids on the Catfish outflow, along with the swifts. One time on a rocky point with some deep/slow current, I hooked something BIG down deep on a spinner and worm, never even saw him before he let go. It's not so bad when you at least SEE the damn fish.... Reckon it was a big-ass speck.

Anyway, I would STRONGLY recommend you do the loop in the clockwise direction. You really do KNOTT want to paddle UP the Nip. River, against the springtime current. Better to go in via going upstream in the Petawawa - there is no current to paddle against anyway, the 2345m portage is long and uphill but not terrible, and more significantly, the cumulative amount of portaging you will do to reach Luckless is not much more - if any - than what you will do paddling up the Nip. River. And did I mention you don't have to paddle against the current??

 

If you are going this way, check out the rapids upstream/south of Catfish Lake, as you can usually nail a few specks here.

 

I would *love* to try North Cuckoo, Macoun/Plumb and Hayes Lakes for specks. They must NEVER get fished, owing to how difficult it is to reach them with all the long and barely maintained portages. My only concern with the quality of fishing is that these lakes do not appear to have a lot of catchment area, so perhaps not enough springs to maintain a quality speck fishery?

The portage from Luckless downhill to the Nip River is not bad at all, and then [not sure if I have mentioned this yet....] but you will be paddling the Nip. River downstream!!

 

I see that the Friends of Algonquin Park no longer gives you the PDF of the canoe routes map for free - I have it if you want me to email it to you. My user name at that warm email place dot comm with only one M, eh?

All I ask is that if I give you the "beta", you write me back and tell me how you did! Also, I might have a few top secret secrets I could share .....