arthur Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 (edited) Canada Pike Report Water Temps: 58–67, warming over the five days. Visibility: Less than three feet, tannic color. Weather: We got it all, but weather was usually comfortable temps, 60–80 daytimes. Times: 9AM till 8PM on most days, with a lunch break. Fishermen: Mike M and John Glynn, John’s friend Tim, and myself. Note: We know that many here, and in esox fishing in general, frown on the use of jaw grippers and verticle holds. Please know that our hearts are/were in the right place. Cameras were out and ready to grab one quick shot and all fish were handled minimally, slime layer intact. all fish were immediately released and swam away strong. We apologize in advance if the holds offend anyone's sensibilities. We love these fish....OK..... After much anticipation, extensive planning, and four flights, we finally arrived at Little Vermillion Lake in western Ontario. Reports from the previous days and weeks were not good. Snow, rain, and generally cold weather had made the usual spring bite very tough. Even experienced regulars had a tough go of it, though many ended up with at least one trophy. Not to be discouraged, we fished hard and despite the generally neutral fish, we boated many fine pike. Three of us got a personal best, so no complaints. Add to this a constant barrage of small northerns and relentless walleyes, we enjoyed ourselves learning and exploring this 12-mile lake. In the lodge’s 16ft V-hulls, outfitted with 15HP push-button start Hondas, we could fish the day away. These little four-strokes, even after being run nearly all day, still had plenty of gas left in the 6 gal tanks. Impressive. Quiet too, and perfect in reverse as makeshift trolling motors when we decided to work long shorelines. We searched for viable patterns over the first day or two, trying to locate good fish, working main lake points, structure and cover in bays, rock, rushes, etc. It didn’t take long to see that fishing was best in the emerging grass and rushes, particularly around incoming water. Even better fishing was found when spawning habitat was close by. Our last two days were spent focusing on just such spots. Even in prime spots hours could go by without a quality fish. We continued to fish like hell and wait. I was able to boat eight fish in the high 30s and break my personal best twice. Mike had similar results with many quality fish. Tim, the newbie to pike madness, of course caught a 42” monster, plus several other good ones. We were all impressed with Tim’s dedication out on the water, which rivaled our insanity, fishing in weather that included brutal heat, pouring rain, and 4ft waves. Tim also became a Walleye jigging expert and must have boated close to 50 on our last day. John is a diehard piker, originally from Ireland, so he knows big fish and techniques. He also had a 40 and 42. It was great learning more about big fish handling and release from such an angler. Hammer handles reigned and many were caught (or got in the way, depending on how you looked at it). I had 28 under twenty inches one day… .enough of that! Just about all our pike were caught in less than five FOW and as little as a foot or two. There was no sight-fishing however, as the water is too stained for that. The lures….walleyes responded readily to Gulp grubs and ¼ jig heads, while also being caught on pike lures occasionally. The big pike responded well to slow-worked Suicks, and generally hit on top. (Search for Kevin Geary and Suicks to learn the technique.) They missed often and one in the low 30s even flew clear out of the water like a porpoise chasing one. It was a common site to see tremendous boils around the Suicks, even close to the boat. Another amazing site was to watch one of my walleyes get grabbed under the boat by a 45+. Other productive lures for the pike were a variety of spoons, in- lines, soft plastics, and spinnerbaits. The curious thing was how unresponsive fish were to so many lures. Hard jerkbaits, topwater, and especially all the typical pike/musky baits (Believers, Jakes, Reef Hawgs, etc.) were essentially failures. We all want to extend a big thanks to JP Bushey for his invaluable advice on fishing the lake, as well as Sportman’s Lodge regulars Connie (Tennesse Guy) and Bob Bramlett. Thanks also to Brett Geary at Sportman’s Lodge. He runs a great camp. Fishing is good there all season long, so book now, go catch ’em yourself this summer. <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w112.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w112.photobucket.com/albums/n168/arthur_rotfeld/Canada 07/1182093721.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed> Edited June 20, 2007 by arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snag Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Wow, that was brilliant! What a great read. What are the GPS co-ordinates for that gold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whopper Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Awesome written report! Sounds like another satisfied customer! Thanks for posting Whopper PS Where did you find the eagles nest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennyman Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 That looks like my dream vacation. Thanks for sharing ALL those pics. I couldn't stop watching. Thanks for the great report on bait choices as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mistyriver1 Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Great report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbayboy Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Great report, thanks a bunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennesseeGuy Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I'm glad you guys had a good week on the water. Thanks for the excellent report. Gerritt seems to be doing well as he's into his second month in camp. You had much less rain and more green stuff growing than we saw during our stay. It looks awfully inviting right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyk Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 great report! I think i may have to take a trip there myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
setomonkey Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Nice report! Really enjoyed the slideshow... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorhead Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 GREAT read... good going on the slideshow... I`m going to have to save some cash for one of these trips, looks like a fantastic time had by all.. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnsled Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Awesome slide show! Thanks for the report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur Posted June 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 Gerritt seems to be doing well as he's into his second month in camp. Great kid. Very helpful guy. ------ Thanks guys for the kind words..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raf Posted June 25, 2007 Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 Well done guys I've heard that JP fellow knows a thing or two about fishn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whopper Posted June 25, 2007 Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 I've heard that JP fellow knows a thing or two about fishn. Ya think Raf This was one of the best reports I ever read Whopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishindevil Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Great fishing report & pictures, truly amazing pike,they are huge.. ..thanks for the interesting way of doing your pics...cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur Posted June 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 PS Where did you find the eagles nest? Just south of Bullwhip Creek. The nest is set back a bit and it was tough to get a good vantage point for a photo. BTW, that gold was found by the dockhand in Red Lake. It was in ore on his property. Red Lake was/is a big gold-mining town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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