Chandos Lake Pike opener

Despite the blackflies driving me nuts all day the pike were in bite mode. Went with my buddy Matt, fished 13 hours Saturday and half of Sunday. We had our best opener for numbers, catching 18 pike. The biggest was 39" by myself. I also had 2 other nice ones, 36" and 35". Matt's biggest was a nice 37". Most of our pike were in the low 30 to 20" range. We used 2 different setups for our pike fishing. Both were on 7ft MH rods, baitcasters spooled with 50 pound power pro and 50 or 60 pound florocarbon leaders. 2 lure choices were a Rapala Xrap (XR12) in silver and a 3/4 oz spinnerbait in white/red. Primary choice was the Xrap and when we began to see pike were in follow mode we would switch to the spinnerbait for a bit. Fish were in both the weedy bays and on rocky structures but no deeper the 10 feet. If you've ever fished Chandos you know the lake has plenty of them both so it keeps you busy all day. Definitely feeling the burn, from more than just the sun, but it was totally worth it!

 

Balsam walleye opener

Not the nicest day on the water but not the worst day either. Fished for 8 hours, that was enough for me. Weed growth was sparse and cloudy condition had fish scattered. Fished anywhere from 6-12 feet of water, pitching a 1/8 oz green jig on a green/black 5" TriggerX curly tail. Water temps ranged from 51.5-54.8 degrees. Caught 1 walleye, over the slot about 23" and 5 pike. One pike was so hungry it chomped on my hand. Hand is sore and swollen today, oh well those are the joys of fishing. Next weekend plan it fish Chandos Lake for pike opener.

Finally the seemingly never ending  winter has passed and spring is taking shape. 6 more days till the Kawartha walleye opener and my first outing of the year. The plan is a day trip to Balsam Lake. I often target this lake on opening day, not for the dinner plate, but to have some fun. The plan of attack is simple, hair jigs and the old reliable jig and grub. I have a feeling this year could be a good bite . The last few openers gave us some warm weather and water temp making for some tough action. The cooler more slow developing springs have yielded a better bite and this year falls in that category. Like always, there is a back up plan just in case the walleye have lock jaw. Baslam has a booming pike population and they make for some great action. Plus they taste good! A full report to come next weekend. Hope to see you out there.

What can I say, I'm terrible at keeping my blog up to date. I went to entire season without even 1 update. Now the season is over. A short recap of the fishing season goes like this. Started my season in late March in an attempt to get some iceout pike. That idea didn't pan out. Saw a few but no takers. Did walleye opener in the Kawarthas(2nd Sat. of May), 2 weeks of pike fishing on Chandos Lake and Lake Vernon, Musky fishing(way too much), a little bass and a little more walleye. The season was a tough one. Summer heat and not enough fish in the boat. However, I did manage to put some nice fish in the boat. Biggest fish were as follows, musky 48", walleye 27", pike 41", Bass 3.5pounds. Took 2 week long trips to Cedar lake lodge(musky) and Horseshoe Island camp(bass & walleye). My fishing ranged from Perrault Falls, French River, Georgian Bay, the Muskokas and the Kawarthas. Next year I promise to be on top of this and take more pictures too. Hope everyone had a good year. See you next season.

A new season brings new challenges! Don't let one of those challenges be a accident that could have been avoided, take a bit of extra time make sure of boat trailer is in travel shape each time you use it. Far too often this aspect of your trip is overlooked but it is the most important tool you own and is the difference between a fun day or week of fishing, or sitting at the side of the road. A good tip is, make a list of things you need for a safe and successful trip. At the top of your always put check trailer, then break it down to some fine points. Tire pressure, lights, loose nuts( both wheel and leaf springs), hitch lock works and anything else you feel is important. Not all trailers come with a spare tire. I highly reccomended picking one up. You never know what might happen and keeping a spare would make things alot easier if something were to go wrong. A couple other things I keep spares of are lights and a extra winch strap. If you've ever broken a strap you know why I keep an extra. This is how a good way to turn a fun day or week into a giant headache. Enjoy the new season, be safe on the road and the water.

A new season on the water is drawing nearer and nearer.  A warm week ahead could mean the end of the ice. First on the fishing list will be some ice out Lake trout. Maybe Lake Vernon or Lake of Bays, we'll see.