Bustard Islands

[davey buoy]

I originally thought a weekend trip to Pointe au Baril this summer would be a nice fishing weekend with a couple fellows.Most likely Friday afternoon till Sunday.A fellow member mentioned Bustard Islands.Looked it up not having been in that area before,it sure looks like a good camping and fishing area.Anyone have any input on this area?sure looks enticing.Looks like a good map would be needed boating in that area .lol.Any help in where to launch and anything else you care to share would be helpful.

 

Dave

[Terry]

we stayed at a camp on a island, can't remember the name right now. it was in very poor shape

 

bass fishing was good. everything else sucked for us

 

hit the prop a few times and took a chunk out of the lower end on the way down the river to get out to it

very shallow very slow going

 

got the new boat now so will not be back

[davey buoy]

we stayed at a camp on a island, can't remember the name right now. it was in very poor shape

 

bass fishing was good. everything else sucked for us

 

hit the prop a few times and took a chunk out of the lower end on the way down the river to get out to it

very shallow very slow going

 

got the new boat now so will not be back

Looked like a rock magnet,but couldn't help noticing the rock drop offs.Thanks for the info,That whole area is hit and go ,parden the pun.Looked really different/interesting.May have to stick to our original plan?

[Fisherman]

Ditto: we did it a number of times back in the late '80's, Georgian Bay Fish Camp http://www.georgianbayfishing.com/ rustic to say the least. When thunderstoms come, man do those rocks shake and rattle. We dropped the trucks at Key River and 400, then boat taxi out to the islands. You really have to follow the markers and even then there's a prop mangler around every corner. Their rentals had prop and skeg protectors and the boats were the old steel hull titanics. Nowadays the GPS will really help. Tried some night fishing, man, talk about getting lost. One trip had a total of 1 walleye and 1 hammer handle, another was nothing but OOS bass.

[Big Cliff]

Lived in French River for almost 15 years, fished the French and the Bay including the Bustard Islands.

 

Like everywhere fishing has it's good and bad days but to travel that area without a guide for the first few times at least would be just plain asking for trouble. I have seen areas in there where a boat would/could go through and the boat behind him in his prop wash would be hitting rocks!

 

IMHO it just isn't worth taking the chance!

[Headhunter]

Pretty dangerous waters as Terry said. Not only is it extremely rocky, but it is also pretty secluded and can become a very difficult place to get to and away from based on wind and fog.

The yacht folks use them as a stop over while running the North Shore.

From what I gathered when I had a cottage nearby-ish, smally fishing can be outstanding as well as pike, but there is a lot of areas to fish, to find 'em.

Lauching is usually out of either Key River, if the water is high enough or Byng Inlet. Just be sure to follow the marker buoys or you'll find yourself knee deep, or deeper, in trouble.

HH

[Headhunter]

Ha ha... Georgian Bay Fishing Camp is also where I spent a week. That was almost 13 years ago!

BTW - they still have the same boats and motors!

Cliff, my wife and I were fishing a bay one evening. She at the front, me at the back with the fish finder.

The ff is reading 15ft and suddenly were are dead stopped. There was a rock submurged only 6 inches below the surface at the bow and 15 ft of water at the stern. And no, you can't see them in the water due to water colour!

I had to get out of the boat, stand on the rock, in the middle of a big bay, and push the boat off the rock... and that rock has dozens of relatives hiding beneath the waves!

HH

[mattybculp]

We would go to Georgian bay fishing camp for ice out pike, its a beautiful place (not Georgian bay fishing camp), but its easy to get lost. We always cruised around with one guy on the bow with a good set of polarized glasses. I've been twice and was lucky both times finding some huge gators. Weather can blow in pretty quickly there as well. The only thing I will say is the fishing can be ridiculous, the hard part is finding them in such a vast area with tons of good looking structure.

[Big Cliff]

Yup, was with a bunch of fellows one time trolling for pike out in the middle of nowhere and out of the blue we were on a rock. Tore a good size hole in the bottom of our cedar strip and water was gushing in. We made it to the nearest shore but this was before cell phones and we were way off the beaten path.

 

We ended up pulling the boat up on shore, cutting some pieces out of the floor boards, squared up the hole in the bottom of the boat and melted some pine gum to seal the patch with and pried a few nails out of the floor boards. You know, that stupid patch was still holding 5 years later and to the best of my knowledge it never did leak.

 

Oh, and to top it all off; while me and two of the other guys were fixing the boat, stupid that was driving the boat grabs his rod and starts casting off shore and lands one of the biggest pike we had ever seen.

[davey buoy]

Thanks for all the info guys.Looks like a place I won't be travelling in my boat.The islands and area look aweasome.One day maybe with a guide?,.May have to still go with our original plan,but open for any other safer waters and areas that might fit what were looking for.Thanks again for your input.

[chris.brock]

 

Have you done the lower French from Hartley Bay down? There's still the risk of hitting rocks, but not as bad as the Key River to the Bustards. I've got a map I could send you with the major hazard areas marked. It's still great scenery and good fishing but in more sheltered waters.

 

When I did the Bustards I ended up fishing more around where the French River dumps in anyways.

[davey buoy]

No I haven't Chris.I will look into it though.Sounds better sheltered as well.I may take you up on that map.I'll do some more research of the area you mentioned and get back to you.Thank you.

[akaShag]

Well................it can be a fairly SPIRITUAL experience fishing up there because of the challenging navigation. But I had my boat there at least three times and only ever pranged the prop once, and that was my own fault, started the motor without looking over the transom.

 

I wrote up the Georgian Bay Fishing Camp at least twice for the Ontario Fisherman Magazine and the pieces were not light fiction! I caught my PB walleye up there (12 pounds, early June as I recall) and had one bass trip there that was fabulous for good numbers of smallmouth. It is like everywhere else, there are good times and bad times for catching. That one trip to which "Fisherman" refers (and which I was a co-conspirator) was still a blast, and I am just now having a chuckle thinking about the seagull he caught on a fishing rig!!!!

 

The camp yes indeed was a pretty rustic one as fishing camps go, but I still visited (and paid full price) five or six times back in the 80s. GREAT memories!

Doug

[davey buoy]

Thanks as well Doug.The "fairly spiritual experience" is something I'm not so fond of with running just one boat and a fair distance from civilization lol.

I'm sure the fishng could be aweasome just looking at the water.As mentioned fishing certain areas can differ from day to day anywhere.

I'm now looking at more sheltered and calmer waters with the chance of seeing the odd boat at least every hour or two for safety's sake!!.

[OhioFisherman]

I spent 25 years going to Pointe Au Baril, if you are not careful in your travels there you can run into rock problems, but that is probably true of anyplace up there?

[irishfield]

If you're not careful ANYWHERE along the East side of Georgian Bay you'll find rocks! .. and knock on wood I've never dinged a prop in the 32 years I've been boating it. Now on the other hand.. my F-in-law was up to 5 lower units and 13 props back when I stopped keeping track in 2000 !

Edited April 18, 2014 by irishfield

[fishforfun]

Coming out of Byng Inlet heading north your first stop should be Black Bay, very sheltered and lots of places to camp and fish. 10 minutes north of that is Henvey inlet same applies there. Your still below the Key River cell phone reception is decent and so is the fishing. I've cruised/fished and anchored in both these areas with a 30' sailboat and now a 24' power boat. I've also been to the Bustards but would not recomend it for all the reasons above.PM me for more info if your interested.

[davey buoy]

Coming out of Byng Inlet heading north your first stop should be Black Bay, very sheltered and lots of places to camp and fish. 10 minutes north of that is Henvey inlet same applies there. Your still below the Key River cell phone reception is decent and so is the fishing. I've cruised/fished and anchored in both these areas with a 30' sailboat and now a 24' power boat. I've also been to the Bustards but would not recomend it for all the reasons above.PM me for more info if your interested.

Thanks,that sounds a little more reassuring.I may be in touch.