ccmtcanada Posted June 24, 2007 Report Posted June 24, 2007 (edited) Friday June 22nd Well, Bly and I dropped the kids off on Friday morning and were on the road by 9am. The drive was uneventful....had a nice lunch on the way up...and arrived at Lakair at 1:30 in the afternoon. The view from the docks was breathtaking...the water was sooo inviting. I was only hoping that I'd be able to get into a few fish while I was there!! We quickly set up our campsite....here's our home sweet home for the weekend. Soon after we got there, Gerritt dropped by, and was eager to get out on the water with us. We only had a few hours before he had to leave...he was hoping to get us into at least a few fish. Gerritt is a great guy (despite what everyone else says!! LOL), and was an excellent guide for us. Fishing in a boat was very strange for Bly and I...it was a different experience for us that's for sure!!! We were heading from spot to spot looking for some pike in advance of the tourney the next day. Unfortunately, the fishing was slow...those darned cold fronts!!! Near the end of our few hours on the water, I have a fish on!!! I let Gerritt and Bly know and as I'm reeling it in, I notice it's putting up a really good fight!! These Nipissing pike are very active!!! Suddenly, it comes right out of the water...not once, but twice...head shakes and all!! At that moment, I knew it wasn't a Pike. I landed my FIRST ever Muskie!!! It measured at about 32"...not a huge one, but a catch I will NEVER forget!!! Here's the pic.... We got back in and had dinner. Soon, tons of OFNers we've been dying to meet in person began showing up at our campsite. TJ, Rick, Greencoach, LadyWalleye, Big Chevy, APlumma, Daplumma, John, Loonietoon, Spiel, Beans and a bunch of others I know I'm forgetting!! (sorry to those I didn't mention...it's all kind of a blur right now...LOL ) Rick then invited Bly and I to do some Walleye fishing! Rick was the only one to pull in one...one that was in the slot, so back it went! The temps then started falling BIG TIME so just after dark, we headed back to the docks. Rick also is a GREAT guy....we had a great time out there with him. Thanks Rick! When we got back, Joey and Tybo had arrived, so we spent the rest of the night over there by the warm fire and chatting with everyone. Got to bed somewhere around 2ish I think. Here's a pic of Joey and Roy. Saturday June 23rd Had a great sleep, and awoke around 830am. Bly was already up and had hot coffee waiting!! She's the best!! Anyways, Nipissing headed down from the other end of the lake to fish the OFC Pike Tournament with us. He arrived by 9am and I bought him a well earned coffee! The waters were pretty rough for him....took him over 2.5 hours to boat to Lakair. We chatted for a while and then decided to pre fish the tourney for about an hour. We didn't catch anything, but hey...it didn't matter at this point....LOL. Finally, at 1145am, TJ called us all down to the docks...we got ready for the beginning of the tourney. Here's a shot of the activity... Just before we left the docks, Avery was there selling his home made lures. I thought I'd be nice and buy 2 of them to try out on the water....and it's a good thing I did!! Bernie took us out in his luxury boat...wow...it's a great one thats for sure!! We tried a bunch of spots that looked promising...and mostly drift fished. I tried some of my spinners, husky jerks, spoons...but nothing was working!!! I then looked at those lures I bought from Avery...and said...what the heck...I'll try it out. Soon after, a pike came out of nowhere and I had a fish on!! Here's my first fish of the tourney. Notice that lure?? haha. I got a few more, for a total of three....all around the same size as the one in this pic. Bernie then decided to put Avery's lure on as well...and wouldn't you know it...he gets a nice one!!! Bly was having a tough time out there, but she did manage to get a small one to get on the board!! This was caught on the classic Red Devil. In the middle of all those Pike, I had a great experience!! Using Avery's lure once again, I had a hit! I set the hook and this fish went crazy...going left and right....under the boat, but it felt heavier than the Pike I'd been catching. When it came up, I was looking at my first ever Small Mouth Bass!! This one measured in at 18", and weighed 2.5 pounds. Wow...what a rush! That Bass gives me my 5th species for the OFAH awards, so I managed to complete my goal for this year....Avid Angler status!!! I have another pic with the OFNCommunity sign...Taper, you have a PM!! The tourney ended at 3pm, so we headed in to have all the measurements recorded. Here's a pic of some of DouG's haul from the afternoon!! I managed a 6th place finish in the tournament and came away with a nice Shimano rod/reel combo! Not bad for a few hours work...LOL. We then prepared the the famous fish fry! TJ, using his secret batter, did all the cooking...and man, I have never tasted better fish in my life! The following are some pictures of the evening and night. DouG, Rick's father and I played guitar/harmonica, and we had a blast singing songs around the fire. Irishfield and his wife Leah Spiel and BITEME TJ and Monique Playing some music.... Bly and Leah Sunday June 24th Wow...it's hard to believe that Bly and I had to leave already!!! We had such an AMAZING time there. EVERYONE, was incredibly friendly...I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to meet up with any of them given the opportunity. After packing up our site, and then walking around saying out goodbyes, we decided to head down to the docks to do some good ole shore fishing!! I managed to pull in one 18" Pike. We then left Lakair and began our drive home. The experiences and memories of this fantastic weekend will be with us forever!! Thanks to everyone...and I mean everyone! Thanks Gerritt, Rick and Nipissing, for allowing us the honour of fishing with you on your boats. It was very much appreciated. The weekend was the best that we've had in a long long time. We'll be back again next year that's for sure! CANT WAIT!! PS...Avery...get ready for another order of your lures!!!! Edited June 25, 2007 by ccmtcanada
BFSC Kevin Posted June 24, 2007 Report Posted June 24, 2007 great report.. looks like everyone had a blast! and also it appears that everyone likes to take pics of the "Lakair Lodge" Cabin/garage there.. haha wish i could've made it. cheers
Rich Clemens Posted June 24, 2007 Report Posted June 24, 2007 Congratsd on your first musky Cliff ..... Just like the rest of us, you'll probably want another. Pleasure meeting yourself and Bly.
Raf Posted June 24, 2007 Report Posted June 24, 2007 congrats on your first ski. your fishing life as you know it is now over. before you know it, you'll have thousands invested in muskie gear. LOL welcome to the darkside.
cisco Posted June 24, 2007 Report Posted June 24, 2007 Great report and pics! Nice to see a musky caught! They're a darn rare thing during the JUne OFC gathering for some reason!
Bernie Posted June 24, 2007 Report Posted June 24, 2007 Glad to see you and Carole made it home ok Cliff. Sorry I didnt stay for breakfast like I said I would but when I woke up the water was calm. So I took the opportunity to take advantage of it. In calm water it only took 1 1/2 hr. I really enjoyed the music last night Cliff, thank you very much. You and Carole were very much like professionals in the boat yesterday and enjoyed fishing with you two. Hopefully you will join me for a days fishing next year as well. You were just a little modest with your bass weight too Cliff. It was 2.8 lbs. Really nice fish!!!
sonny Posted June 24, 2007 Report Posted June 24, 2007 man, all these reports are killiin me,,,wishin i coulda made it up there,,,glad ya had a good time and congrats on the musky!!
lunkerbasshunter Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 great report! Congrats on your first musky! Cheers!
Dondorfish Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Yet another great report Cliff - thanks - was wondering how all of yous were doing up there. Don
OhioFisherman Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Great pictures and report! Nice to hear everyone had a good time!
Gerritt Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Glad to see you guys made it home and had a a great time with the remainder of your weekend! It was my pleasure to have the both of you aboard my tin can, and you are more then welcome anytime! Dont believe everything they tell you about me... as it is probably true! LOL.. But seriously it was my pleasure to spend a few, albeit short hours with the both of you. I just wished the winds had died down a bit so we could spend a bit more time on the water.. but that north wind on the way back to my lodge was BRUTAL! to say the least LOL.. As for the fishing... I was trying my Walleye spots at first but I think the combination of the clod front and it being the middle of the afternoon hindered our chances a bit... so off for pike it was!...dang.. could get any of them either... shallow calm bays, weeds and rock structure.. I could'nt buy a fish that afternoon... I was started to get frustrated.. and I said I have one more card up my sleeves lets see what kind of trouble we could get into... Man was I relieved to see Cliff nail a healthy Muskie! it took my frustration away and brought a smile to everyones face! If anyone here gets a chance to fish w/ Cliff and Carole RUN... Dont Walk at the chance... better people you will not find. Glad to hear you had a great outing. I was happy to be a small part of it. Gerritt.
bassmastermike Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Hey Clifff it was great to meet you and Bly hope to see you guys again next year and dont forget to bring the Guitar you sounded great!!!!
RobHall Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Excellent report and pics Cliff!! Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you both made it back safe and sound. Congrats on getting 2 new species (your first ever ski and the Bass) and also your new Avid Angler status. I'm sure the time must have flew by....before you knew it, it was time to go home. I hope to see you, bly and the rest of the gang next year. Cheers FOTB
motv8tr Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 It was good to see you both again, congrats again Cliff on your two new species...that Bass was a nice one!!! Maureen
Daplumma Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Great Report was a pleasure to meet both of y'all.We got in around 7:30 this evening and I'll be posting some pics tomorrow. Joe
Whopper Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Good report Cliff! Raf's not that far off Congrats on your first ski! Thanks Whopper
SlowPoke Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Great report Cliff and nice fish! I enjoyed chatting with both of you and I hope we can get out sometime! -Brian
mason05 Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Looks like a lot of fun up there. Congrats on the 2 new species. Nice report CCMT. Corn Nug
007 Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Well done Cliff. Great report and good to see you holding something other than a carp for a change! LOL 007
ecxstriper Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 welcome back family great to see your report . Congrats on the the ski and smallie . Wolfville will be able to sleep tonight unless you and Bly are going out carping tonight ??
Victor Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 congrats on getting your 5th specie for your avid angler award ... looks like an amazing weekend ... great pics!
wolfville Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Sounds like tons of fun, wish I was there and not spending 10 hours ... LOL Please don't forget out nightly feed of your report ;-)
Carp Posted June 25, 2007 Report Posted June 25, 2007 Good to hear your trip went well Cliff. Some nice fish caught, great company in the boat and also around the campfire. Life doesn't get much better.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now