# My 2010 Ontario trip recap



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Well we got back last evening from our annual trip up north and the trip was very good as usual. We caught a lot of fish in all but the best quality fish came in the bass again this year. We had several SMB in the 3-4# range with a small handful over that. The real prize in the smallmouths was my best one so far from up there. I landed this 21" pig that was just barely shy of 5#. I have gotten other 21" SMB but never one with hips like this one.









My boys had pretty successful trips as well. My youngest was a fishing machine this year and caught a lot of nice fish. Here is one of his better smallmouths.









My oldest boy didn't get as many big fish this year but still managed to find some nice ones. Here is probably his best one (largemouth) at I believe a bit over 19".









We got more pictures but I have not had the chance to get them all organized so I will post more soon.

Overall the walleye fishing was pretty decent for us compared to recent years in this lake. We had not really targeted them much in recent years because it was too much work in comparison to the bass and pike. We got several on worm harnesses off a bottom bouncer but the majority of them came this year on crankbaits. We found a pretty decent bite in 10-12' water on various crankbaits. Some of the better producers were shad raps, Bomber 6A's, Kaboom, and Wiggle Wart. This lake has seen quite an increase in development around it in recent years and as a result the water quality has changed substantially. As in recent years there was an alga bloom to deal with on the surface most days. The best colors we found in this water seemed to be white, green, and yellow. The largest walleye boated this year was my middle boy's 26" 6# fish on a spinnerbait fishing the transition area between the rocks and the weed bay in about 8' water. Every now and then we find them deep in the weeds where we typically only find the smaller pike and the largemouth bass. I did hook up with what I think was a brute of a walleye but she found a way to cut me off in open water. I am not sure what she got me on but she stayed down and cut me clean when she made a turn away from me. I am thinking perhaps a gill plate job. I was using mono and paid the price on that one although I still prefer it at times for trolling and casting cranks.

The pike fishing was above normal as far as numbers this year but below normal in terms of quality of fish. Like most years a large number of them came on spinnerbaits in the 1/2 ounce and 5/8 ounce sizes. Best colors seemed to be neon green, chartreuse, and yellow. We probably boated somewhere between 150-200 pike during the 6 days of fishing but none went above 24" this year. Most years this lake produces at least something in the low 30's and several in the upper 20's but we could not find them this year, even with all of the deep water trolling that we did. They are there though and we will hopefully find them again next year.

The bass fishing was pretty consistent with what we find most years as far as locating them. Most of the largemouths were in the heavier weeds and some were sticking tight to the reeds although the bigger ones tended to be deeper. Most of them came on spinnerbaits but we got several on cranks with X-Raps and Husky Jerks being the top cranks. The topwater bite was not too effective this year but I did manage a handful on the Zara Spook. The smallmouth bass were found more consistently on the rock structure although if you could find an area with scattered coontail weeds it seemed to produce better. Most of the SMB were taken on cranks and top baits were Bandit 100's, Bomber 6A's, and X-Raps/Husky Jerks. I had a real pig of a smallmouth on a Husky Jerk that came unbuttoned on a desperation dive at boatside. No way of knowing but I think there is a good chance that it would have outdone the one in the picture above.

I will post more pictures soon.


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## triton175 (Feb 21, 2006)

Those are some great fish! Sounds like you had a blast. Thanks for posting all the details as far as which presentations were working, I'll try some of them out when I'm up there in about 3 weeks. I hope the top-water action picks up, that's my favorite.
We're going to Windermere Lake near Chapleau, what lake were you fishing?


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## Pappylachia (Jun 28, 2009)

Thanks for the great pictures and report. 

Best part is that you share your trips with your young sons. Very cool.

Pappylachia


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

We were fishing in Bright Lake which is near Thessalon, about an hour east of the Soo. This lake is about 6 muiles long and average depth of main lake is around 25', the deepest being one hole around 40'.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Nice trip guys!! that smallie is built like a tank!!


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## thebige22 (Oct 26, 2007)

bkr43050,

I talked to you a couple of years ago before my first trip to Tunnel. Did you give it a try while you were up there? I'm considering heading back up there sometime.

thebige22


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

thebige22 said:


> bkr43050,
> 
> I talked to you a couple of years ago before my first trip to Tunnel. Did you give it a try while you were up there? I'm considering heading back up there sometime.
> 
> thebige22


I have not been back to Tunnel in about 3 years. I plan to take my boat up next year and hopefully do some nearby day trips. I am not sure whether I will hit Tunnel or not. I need to do some research again around the area. My new boat is a bit deeper hull design and requires a decent ramp access whereas the boat we used before we could put in/out by hand. Tunnel has some very shallow water in some areas as you know. That scares me a bit. I am thinking about hitting up Chiblow or Big Basswood.

Tunnel is a very neat lake with some great fishing as well.


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## mirrocraft mike (Mar 17, 2006)

Looks like another GREAT trip to the North. Thanks for sharing the family pics. Congrats on the fine catches.


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## thebige22 (Oct 26, 2007)

bkr43050,

FYI. When I was up at Tunnel 2 years ago they had just finished upgrading the ramp just north of the Trading Post. I would say by Canadian standards it is pretty decent, however it is still fairly shallow. I have a 17 ft. deep-V and had to stay pretty well centered near the ramp or you would be in the sand.

thebige22


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## Buzzin (Jun 22, 2010)

All three posted fish got some good hips on em  Good job to you and your boys! I can only hope when I plan a fishing vacation its half as decent as yours was!


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

Thanks for the report!

We pass the entrance to Bright Lake on 17 heading for the Blue Heron in Spanish.

I'm somewhat surprised at the presence of largemouth in such numbers. While we catch the very rare occasional one (about one every six weeks) they are indeed the exception rather than the rule. We are only about 80 miles apart and on the same latitude.

Congrats! You discovered that crankbaits trolled in 10-12 foot of water are the main walleye producers and that shad-raps are the primary baits. I haven't used a piece of live bait in ten years up there and catch all of the walleye we want on shad or gold colored shadraps.

The primary rule for catching fish in Ontario is "fish where they are."
I guess I sound arrogant when I say that you don't need sixty different presentations, but you don't. 
Blue Pearl, Salt and Pepper or Chartruse grubs will get you all of the smallies you want in the spring and pike in the summer. In the summer throwing a black crank bait will do the trick for smallies, and the top-water action produed by a Pop-R is incredible.

I could take a plastic tackle tray box and put in it a pack or two of grubs, 2 or 3 shad raps, a few Bomber-As, a couple spinner baits for weeds, and a few Pop-Rs along with a couple packs of Invisa-Leaders and head to Canada without taking another bait. 

Congrats again on a great week!


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## BassCrazy (Oct 11, 2007)

Nice fish and even nicer memories with your sons.

My boys are 4 and 8 and we've only just started taking day trips together, but I do look forward to trips such as you took when they get a little older.

Thanks for posting the pics and a trip report.:B


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

BMustang said:


> Thanks for the report!
> 
> We pass the entrance to Bright Lake on 17 heading for the Blue Heron in Spanish.
> 
> ...


There sounds like a good bit of similarity between the two lakes but I don't get the opportunity to ever get up there earlier in the year than August so I never really get to experience the best of the fishing. You mentioned that the cranks are the ticket for the walleyes for you guys but this is by far the bast year we have had catching them on cranks. There have been other years that I could drag cranks all over the lake and not get a sniff but could dredge up a few with a worm on a jig or harness and bottom bouncer. I figure we could have still caught them this year on the harnesses decent but when the cranks prevailed we saw no need to do so. The one morning there were 3 of us in the boat (me, my son, and my father-in-law). We were mixing it up quite a bit sort of experimenting since it was our last day. We were fishing a spot that has historically produced well for eyes. This was I was tossing various cranks while my boy was throwing spinnerbaits to the larger weeds on the line. My father-in-law decided to drop a harness on a bottom bouncer and he starts slamming eyes right and left. So rather than doing the same I kept trying to get the cranks to work for me. We were running over 8-12' water and I was tossing all of the cranks mentioned earlier and then some, changing colors depth of presentation, etc. I could not tempt a single walleye to bite while at the same time my FIL had boated about a dozen eyes. I even tossed a white jig tipped with worm since his harness had a white/red blade and beads. Still nothing. I put on a harness and caught a fish on the first drag with it. So I think there are times in this lake at least where they want that meat and flash combination and nothing else.

So do you ever make trips up this late in the summer? Or do you do mostly June/July trips? I am just curious as to how the fish change their behavior over the summer. By the time we get there the water temps in this late are almost what you see on inland lakes around here. We had surface temps ranging from lowest of 74° some mornings to as high as 80° in the late afternoons. This year was maybe 3-4° warmer than most years and I think may have had something to do with us not finding any pike of size. I think they were cruising all the deeper water but we just did not find them although we tried.


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## river runt (Apr 10, 2004)

Brian.
looks like you did ok for yourself.you go next year try red rock..its right above iron bridge..you can also fish the river,i've taken alot of eyes out of there....and of course you know how i feel about tunnel....Greg


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

river runt said:


> Brian.
> looks like you did ok for yourself.you go next year try red rock..its right above iron bridge..you can also fish the river,i've taken alot of eyes out of there....and of course you know how i feel about tunnel....Greg


Yeah I know you how you feel about Tunnel. If they upgraded their ramp access up there I may get back up there. Who knows? Of course we could always still take the smaller camp boat up there as well.

So tell me more about Red Rock. I know it is pretty close to me. I was considering Basswood as well but Red Rock is not much farther.


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## river runt (Apr 10, 2004)

They put in a new ramp in at tunnel a couple years ago..as long as they dont drop the lake you wont have any problems....red rock is just up above iron bridge off 546....there is a small dirt ramp right beside the dam....nice lake that is fed by the mississagi river....real good day trip...i have pic of both...i will send you as soon as i find them.....i am going up sept 27th...you want to go lol......Greg


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

river runt said:


> i am going up sept 27th...you want to go lol......Greg


Boy that sounds tempting!


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

river runt said:


> They put in a new ramp in at tunnel a couple years ago..as long as they dont drop the lake you wont have any problems....red rock is just up above iron bridge off 546....there is a small dirt ramp right beside the dam....nice lake that is fed by the mississagi river....real good day trip...i have pic of both...i will send you as soon as i find them.....i am going up sept 27th...you want to go lol......Greg


Greg,
I tried to send you an e-mail but could not. Check your PM's.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I finally got a few more pictures uploaded.

My father-in-law getting in to the mix with the eyes.









My boy showing off the biggest walleye of the trip.









Here are a couple of picture to show that it is not just smallmouth in this Ontario lake.

I think mine here was about 18", didn't weigh it.









We demoted the cameraman after this one because it would have made such a great photo...had they taken the entire fish. This fish was just about 20", again no weight. My guess is near 4.5#. Very thick fish.









Me with an "eater" pike.









This next one made my day. This is a picture of my niece. She has made the trip up a few years off and on but has never gone out to fish, never caught more than the occasional small perch and gill from the dock. She decided she wanted to go out and catch something "big". Well we were not able to get her anything too big in the 2.5 hours but she was able to boat 3-4 pike and 1-2 bass. She surprised me when she said she wanted to hold her fish for the picture. I know a lot of girls would not jump at that chance.









And to just show that not everything we caught was keeper size we did have to get a picture or two of the little guys.

My future trophy pike.










My father-in-law somehow managed to land this monster logperch darter...on a spinnerbait nonetheless.


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## sberickson (Aug 28, 2010)

Looks like a great time. Thanks for sharing.


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Nice fish and better memories!


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

Thanks again for sharing your vacation with us.

The point you make about worms/crankbaits for walleye is well taken.

When we there in the spring, we make fun of the fishermen who walk down the steps armed for their day's fishing with worm boxes. All we have ever needed were #7 ShadRaps and 8 to 12 feet of water, and we would catch all of the eyes we wanted.

Perhaps in the late summer/early fall the fish do get choosier - I know that the smallies do - and it takes a worm to entice them to hit.

Whatever, you seem to have figured it out.

Continued success!!!


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## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

Great pics Brian! Those are some nice bass. I'll echo the thought that those times are best shared with family (and friends).

Tim


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

More great pictures Brian. Those are really nice pictures. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to get up to Cananda. One of these days.


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