Canada June 2017

[jkwildhunting]

Well another June trip to Canada is in the books.  It was another "solo" trip as in just dad and I
 Our other group members had to cancel days before we left due to a death in the family.

Travel up was a breeze.  Little to no road work so that was a relief as both trips last year left our rig COVERED in tar. 

The fishing was average.  Numbers were way high.  We had a few days that the Ol man and I easily caught 150+ fish with average being 14-15". We always attempt to take the lodge owner son out.  So he went early in the week and he had to try his "hot spot" from the previous year which was up the river channel in another lake.  Unfortunately the fish were not there and my local I talk to on a regular basis had showed me a "secret" spot that had been loaded with fish.  So with a young kid on board I made the 10+ mile ride back to the "main" lake to fish a sunken reef very few guys know.  (It pays off having local knowledge as he showed me several other hidden treasures and says he will show me some every trip,  I just supply him with jigs I make!!!) 

Got to the reef and instantly had fish coming in.  His dad wanted him to catch his limit for dinner so it was the perfect spot for a 10yr old to catch his 4 fish for the family.  We fished for about 2 hours and in that time span we had 23,24,25 and over 15 between 20-22" so the lil guy was busy and once he found we had pop tarts and Snickers aboard he was happy.

Most years we troll spinners but after buying higher end reels and rods for jigging I brought a full arsenal of jigs up and wanted to use them instead or dragging spinners around.  Lucky for me the spinner bite was slow so the jiggin rods were used A LOT.

We adapted to a "new" technique which is drop shorting.  We have done it down home all fall and spring with VERY good results.  We used the vmc spin shot hooks or trokar helix hooks 2-4' above our jigs.  I went thru a pound of leeches just myself in that week and we used plenty of minnows. 

I am slllowllly trying to get myself to use plastics but still feel bait has its time ans place...

Few pics of week.

Later.
Joe

[ctom]

Sounds like a great time.

[Lines]

Great job, nice of you to take time out of your trip to help a young angler. Sure looks like you put a smile on his face!

[jkwildhunting]

Several weeks before we arrived at a different camp on the lake a guy landed a fish of a life time.  That was a 34" walleye.

Week we stayed out camp biggest was 29" and there was at least 10-12+ in 26-28" range.  Unfortunately we could not find any. 

[2XL]

Glad you had a good time Joe.   Bet he caught that beauty on plastic. LOL

[Mike J]

Looks like am awesome trip. Love the pic of the kid. And I'm with 2XL, I bet the 34"er came on a plastic! Probably a swimshad lol!

[Apdriver]

Glad you guys had a great time and caught a lot of fish. I agree, bait has its place!

[Muskygary]

There's nothing better than a trip to Canada!

[Fishermanbt]

Many fond memories from trips to Canada years ago. Any pike?  I have a soft spot for those smelly, slimy, water wolfs.

[jkwildhunting]

Just few small ones in mid 30s.  Had one on that took one of our 19+" eyes we were reeling in.  That was a mid 40 fish.  Pike are very close to bass too me.  It just ant right  I can't stand them at all , but I am an diehard walleye guy. My local goes "out west" on the chain of lakes and catches plenty of 5-10+lb Lakers that is on my list of "things to do" up there.  Along with visit old Indian sites possible.

[WALLEYE WACKER]

June has been a great time up there in the past for me on the couple trips I made up. Glade that you had a awesome trip. There's nothing like a trip up there.

[Lamar]

  Sounds like a great trip. I was up in Canada the first week of June and the fish were in three feet of water. That was a little different then I'm use to. I've never liked trolling, it's just not my way to fish. I like taking a jig and cast it to a drop off and work it's way down. There's nothing like that little pop or tick on your line and watching it swim off before you set the hook. And catching 20" plus walleyes on lite line and tackle is a blast. I could do that all day long.

[ctom]

My local goes "out west" on the chain of lakes and catches plenty of 5-10+lb Lakers that is on my list of "things to do" up there. 

I used to go to Ontario bear hunting each spring back in the very early 70's. Late April/early May. We'd paddle-troll a canoe on the open fringe water of the lake we camped near....the ice would be off the lake maybe 400 yards off-shore. #15 Rapalas did the trick on the lakers as they'd be within ten feet of the surface and the slower, lazy pace of hand propelling the canoe did them in with uncanny regularity. Some of these lakers would be in the 20 pound range. We'd troll right along the edge of the ice/open water maybe 200 feet behind the canoe and when we got a trout on it was way cool to see the line run under the ice sheet which is where the hooked trout would head.

Huge pike would be cruising the same water as the trout too. My largest pike was taken up there on Dryberry Lake on a early May trip in 1973. It taped just a hair under 45". I got the pike one morning [released after the tape] and shot my bear the next morning.

We'd carry that fiberglass reinforced packing tape to wrap the Rapalas with after doing war with pike and the larger trout. Those #15 Raps cost about a buck an inch back then and  were good for maybe two pike or four trout or a combination of the two and the taped Raps would still catch fish. There were 4 of us that went up each spring with two canoes and each of use took at least 6 of the big Raps....black back on silver.