25 family/friends to 2 Moon on L Kipawa/ Que

[scuro2]

We opted for Two Moon lodge for a family and friend gathering. We could have the lodge to ourselves if we had 12 adults and previously we had rented cottages together when our children were young. Getting a money commitment well before the actual date is not an easy thing. Originally we were looking at 9ish adults plus grandma and grandpa and were hoping for others to possibly commit to lower the overall price. When the time came our two original families had all of their kids commit plus 4 boyfriends. Then we had my brother and his family commit along with one of my best friends and his family. Out of that 25 there were four people who ever seriously fished and three were my wife, daughter, and I. What would the others who had never been to a fishing camp think of this experience?



Expectations were high, based on the 2 Moon website, it looked like there was plenty to do including yoga for the women with great accommodations. The activities came as advertized but Quebec does a poor job rating the cabins with 2 Moon having mostly 4 Star accommodation. Later that week we looked at another camp and they had the same inflated ratings. It is a remote fishing camp but in no way would the accommodations measure up to even a Cuban three or four star rating. Initially there was a bit of let down especially for those who had never been to a fishing camp. One pitfall, especially obvious when the cabins are full, is that the two largest cabins of 7 and 8 don't have walls that go all the way to the ceiling in the rooms or bathroom. That is intimate living!



But what 2 moon has going for it in spades is the setting and the "kids" quickly banded together into large groups and took advantage of the surroundings.



...so did those who liked to fish and canoe. They had some cedar strip canoes available.



...I'm a rare breed in that given the choice between walleye and laker fishing, I'll always laker fish, zero time was spent targeting walleye although we a caught a few in the eater size down around 30 ft.



I've fished 3 entirely different sections of this 25 mile long lake and laker fishing was the best I had ever seen it on Kipawa. It could be the cold summer. Being one of only two people experienced enough to go solo fishing I had a lot of different people on my boat.



...and it was a welcomed change to fish with new people.



Unusually, we kept 3 Lakers from my boat. Usually it is only one for me for a fish dinner. Our host generously offered to smoke our fish so we took him up on that offer.



It was great to see two of my best friends and their families. I hadn't seen some of the kids in several years



My daughter Sara's boyfriend took his two dogs out for a mountain bike ride down the trails into the wilderness. Unfortunately he went down a little used hunter's trail and soon got disoriented and totally lost. He did use the sun to find his way 2 bays down on shore. He was visible about 2 km down the lake, but not at that time of day because the sun was behind him. Dave the owner went out to find him and did a thorough search for him with the ATV for two straight hours. We could hear the odd spoken words in the distance but wondered if that wasn't fishermen. My daughter Tess and I hung out on the shore trying to get a response but we never heard a response to our calls, and that was probably because of the wind. Then one time I distinctly heard, "Tess". Only he would know her name so we raced out onto the lake in the setting sun with spotters and flashlights, and found him! Ironically what he had really yelled was, "Sara, look west". He had dragged that bike through the bush! All were well including the dogs.



In the end the outdoors and nature lovers generally enjoyed the trip. The ones not used to remote living, well they may not be back next year. Kipawa, ideally is a place best enjoyed when one is on the water. For canoeists and fishermen the place is ideal.



Many new bonds were formed and we will most likely be back on Kipawa next year. We won't be back with 25 but ideally 2 Moon would be best enjoyed with about 16 people.

[chris.brock]

I've had trouble researching stuff in Quebec too, the language barrier, archaic websites or no websites at all, they're losing a lot of out of province clients, if they want them?

 

Adam sent me a few Quebec links, it still left a lot to be desired, maybe he'll chime in

 

anyways, there's plenty of fish pics, but it's the other pics too that make this another great report, I'm a fan!

Edited September 4, 2014 by chris.brock

[4x4bassin]

Looks like you guys had a good time ( at least most of you ) I'm a lake trout fan as well and I enjoyed the lake trout pictures .

I hear the lake trout fishing on Kipawa is pretty good . What were you guys using ? Trolling or jigging ?

Edited September 4, 2014 by 4x4bassin

[scuro2]

Kipawa is nice because it is so big and yet still mainly wild and undeveloped. That type of lake no longer exists in our near north. There is fishing pressure with a fair number of lodges, and the limits for lake trout are a bit too generous. It once produced consistent LT trophies but now high 20s low 30s would be exceptional. I'm a leadcore fan and never had the need to try different. If I wanted to jig I'd be fishing walleye. I like AC shinners and flutter spoons but I use other stuff with success too.

[Joeytier]

Nice report. I've been hearing great things about the laker fishing from many people this year. Not sure how a 2-fish limit with a 21" minimum size limit is considered 'a bit too generous' though? Regardless, the province is taking some serious steps to protect the touladi. There was already no ice season, but starting next year any lake that has lake trout will be 100% closed to winter fishing. Good thing none of the local operators depend on much of a winter season

[Moosebunk]

anyways, there's plenty of fish pics, but it's the other pics too that make this another great report, I'm a fan!

 

Same opinion here...

 

Again, it's good to see you back here Chris. You bring interesting perspectives to share... and thoughtful reports. Been another good summer for ya too dood! NICE!!!

[ssminnow]

Was at 2 Moon last year for a week and really liked the location. The outdoor pizza oven and eating area around it was a nice set up as well. Great location for a big get together like that.

[scuro2]

Nice report. I've been hearing great things about the laker fishing from many people this year. Not sure how a 2-fish limit with a 21" minimum size limit is considered 'a bit too generous' though? Regardless, the province is taking some serious steps to protect the touladi. There was already no ice season, but starting next year any lake that has lake trout will be 100% closed to winter fishing. Good thing none of the local operators depend on much of a winter season

I had that discussion with Dave the operator of Two Moon, he likes the ice fishing ban. He thinks further restrictions may be premature. Perhaps up on that part of lake but I've fished the other parts and you get many 12 to 15 inch fish but not many over 21. If you ever get the chance to fish LT waters where the laker fishing is light the difference is startling. If one is happy fishing many dinks with the odd keeper then there is nothing wrong with a 2 fish limit. If you want to see the lake get back to it's past trophy lake status then a one fish limit or catch and release would be the way to go. Who really needs to keep two fish over 22 inches for dinner?

[Spiel]

Great post Scuro. It's been far too long since I relaxed and fished in the beauty that is Kipawa.