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'nother Nip' trip


Rod Caster

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I got a pm from Dutch asking about Callander Bay for Friday, I said: "wanna join with me instead?"

 

This worked out perfectly, we met on time and got along fantastically. His brother in law joined him, and really, they couldn't be better guys to spend a day on the ice with. There is an open invite anytime guys! (they said the same so I'm holding them to it :))

 

We drove the two vehicles on the ice. The pressure-crack crossings were in good shape, so Dutch's pucker levels were kept under control.

 

The fishing was, what I would consider to be, slow. We had a hard time finding any consistency during the day, but the bite picked up around 4;30 and the numbers started rising. All in all, the fishing wasn't as good I've known it to be, but this one beast made it worthwhile! 28"

 

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This was Dutch's first hook-up, we joked that he was the only guy on Nipissing to be batting 100% for keepers. 23"


 

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I've been hearing the keeper ratio is close to 1 in 100 this year. We ended up with 4 keepers out of around 25 total fish caught.

 

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'nother great day on the ice!

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Great report. I've always found the best Walleye fishing on Nip and other bodies of water in fact ae the first few hours after Sun up and the last few before Sundown. Ice fishing and softwater as well. The middle of the day was for throwing the ball around, catching rays or loosing balls, and money, Golfing then back on the water.

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Well I finally rolled in late last night, got the truck unloaded and promptly crashed out. All I can say is WOW, what a trip! :thumbsup_anim: :thumbsup_anim:

 

Chad pretty much covered Saturday, except for him this was a "bit of a slow day" (lol!) while to me, it was a truly epic adventure!

 

I rented an ice bungalow last year and drove out, so it's not like I'm "new", but the most ice I've been on all year is 9" so I was definitely on the edge of my seat when we headed out. Crossing the pressure cracks was way better than I had thought. They probably don't help THAT much but driving over 2x10's adds a little confidence. I think they were "all for show" and if I hadn't been there Chad wouldn't have bothered with them!

 

Then when we got there all my concerns went away:

 

 

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There was easily 22" of ice!

 

 

We quickly drilled a bunch of holes - I have an 8" gas auger, no way am I hand drilling 22" of ice! Josh (my bro-in-law) and I got to work on setting up the hut and in no time we were fishing.

 

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(Don't worry Chad, I blurred the shoreline out, your spot is safe!)

 

 

 

The best fish were already posted but we caught lots of these guys, as has anyone who has ever fished Nip!

 

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A note about Chad's fish - the pictures really do not do it justice! It was a true hog, and I'm not happy that I forgot my scale. I would have guessed 7 pounds easy, online charts show even higher for 28" fish. The best part is that it was the fishing equivalent of a "called shot". He told me he was going to <secret technique redacted> and catch a "walleyezilla", and he did! He really put on a clinic and it shows that often the locals know best. He did nothing that I have ever read in a magazine or seen on a tv show, and he out-fished us two to one. Great job man :worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

 

As the day wound down we were treated to yet another pretty sunset over the lake. I really love the skies up here:

 

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Josh and I grabbed a motel and stayed to fish another day. We didn't have our expert guide with us, and the forecast was looking a bit ugly, so we just drove out on Callander. Loads of trucks out there and we were on at least 18" of ice where we drilled. The wind was brutal and was blowing the snow sideways. No setting up a pop up in that so we fished in the lee of the truck. If not for the survival suits, we would not have lasted out there. Really glad we had those. I was able to get three pickerel (all slot) but it was definitely a slow day. Still better than a day of not fishing though! When we got there I took one picture and my iPhone promptly froze. I left it in the truck and hunkered down in the wind, so only one pic from Sunday:

 

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We left a little after dark for the run back to the city. I never like driving away from that place. For all the flack it takes, I have had so many incredible times on Nipissing. It will always be one of my favorite lakes.

 

If anyone ever gets an offer like that from Chad I suggest you take him up on it! Super great guy and it was very generous of him to take us along for the ride. Thanks again Chad.

 

Dutch

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I have never fished nip....one of these days. Great going.

 

Remember that Nip is a huge lake with some areas heavily overfished, you need to know what you're doing in order to be successful.

 

If you're with Chad no doubt you'll do well.

 

If you're with me I hope you enjoy beer and a good conversation!

Edited by Sterling
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Remember that Nip is a huge lake with some areas heavily overfished, you need to know what you're doing in order to be successful.

 

If you're with Chad no doubt you'll do well.

 

If you're with me I hope you enjoy beer and a good conversation!

Yep, nip can be difficult to fish. Took me a while to hone in on consistent action. My spots in callander bay seem to have slowed down over the years

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