# Canada trip essentials



## midoh39

I figured this thread would be a good idea for all of those who are making trips to the great white North this year. 
Pretty much for those of you that have made these kinds of trips before what would you consider essential lures to bring? Species I personally am going after on the French river are walleye pike and maybe smallies? But, if you have lures for muskie or trout please chime in! Also what rods do you bring with you? 
I figured this would be helpful for first timers or veterans looking for other options!


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## Snakecharmer

Bug spray and more bug spray. Headnets can help if you like to stay out and fish at night. Headlamp. Med spinning and baitcasting rods work fine but you may need a heavier rod if you are throwning 2oz lures+ better.

The old standbys still work. Creek Chub Pikies, Canadian Wigglers, 1oz Dardevles. Hot-n-tots. Spinnerebaits.
Depthraiders, Shallowraiders, Believers, Hawg Wobblers, Mepps Spinners, Buchertails Bucktails. Mr. Twisters. Rapalas - f18's, husky jerks. Flickershads


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## Mickey

midoh39 said:


> I figured this thread would be a good idea for all of those who are making trips to the great white North this year.
> Pretty much for those of you that have made these kinds of trips before what would you consider essential lures to bring? Species I personally am going after on the French river are walleye pike and maybe smallies? But, if you have lures for muskie or trout please chime in! Also what rods do you bring with you?
> I figured this would be helpful for first timers or veterans looking for other options!


Having some Raid Flying Insect Killer to spray the cabin down with before bed time can be a real help for a good night of sleep.


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## Mi-Mic-Kay

100% DEET!!! Take some Jigs-Swim baits.


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## gumbygold

Thermocell
Battery operated fan for sleeping
Reel maintenance - tools and oil
Crawler harnesses for finding fish
GPS (in case you return to the lake in the future)


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## Shortdrift

Snakecharmer said:


> Bug spray and more bug spray. Headnets can help if you like to stay out and fish at night. Headlamp. Med spinning and baitcasting rods work fine but you may need a heavier rod if you are throwning 2oz lures+ better.
> 
> The old standbys still work. Creek Chub Pikies, Canadian Wigglers, 1oz Dardevles. Hot-n-tots. Spinnerebaits.
> Depthraiders, Shallowraiders, Believers, Hawg Wobblers, Mepps Spinners, Buchertails Bucktails. Mr. Twisters. Rapalas - f18's, husky jerks. Flickershads


As above and be sure to include a change in socks and underwear plus rain gear. Enjoy the trip.


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## 1more

Rapalas, Williams Woblers,shad raps and plenty of beer! And don't forget to bring the essentials for a shore lunch!


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## BMustang

Keep it rather simple.
Bugs are only an issue if you are there in very early spring when the black flies can be a bit testy, and Mosquitos in the evenings and they even go away after dark.
I too carry insect repellant - 100% Deet, but prefer bugs to high winds and simply consider them a condition of the environment. Wearing a head net will tab you as a first class tourist from Ohio. Don't embarrass yourself!

I've fished fly-in to Pine Portage Lodge out of Wawa on numerous occasions and my go to plugs for pike are 7 inch perch rapalas, Johnson Silver Minnows, and large Buzz Baits and Zara Spooks. I use nothing more than Garcia Ambassadour reel with 17 pound test Stren Lo-Vis Green mono on a 6 foot Ugly Stick. That's it!!!!!!!! 
SR7 Rapala Shad raps are all you need for walleye.

I've fished the North Channel of Lake Huron annually since 1991 and have done four week trips since 1995. Here I really downsize to 6 foot Medium Action rods and Bass Pro Carbonlite and standard bait casters with 10 pound test Stren Lo-Vis Green mono. My absolute go-to bait is Blue Pearl Salt and Pepper 3 inch Kalin Grubs and 4 inch Chartruse Yammomoto grubs on 3/16 oz jig heads with 3/0 hooks, 3/8 ounce white spinner baits, Johnson Silver Minnows to throw into the pucker brush, and frog colored Rapala Skitter Frogs or Silver Pop-Rs. These will catch all of the smallmouth and Northern Pike you desire. 
For Muskie I use that same 6' Ugly Stick outfit and throw BIG Buzz Baits and Multi-Colored Spinner Baits. Make sure you have a LARGE dip net. For walleye again we simply troll Rapala SR7 Shad, Perch, or Fire Tiger Shadraps. That's it. 

Don' be intimidated by the border crossing. Have a valid passport and a clean criminal record and you are home free. Right now the exchange rate is 35% in favor of the American Dollar, making this an ideal year to fish Canada.

In my opinion there is nothing here in the states that remotely rivals the Canadian Wilderness for incredible fishing opportunities. Lake St. Clair, while located in Canada is NOT pure Canada and is merely a shallow saucer. Put on your big boy pants and travel above Sault Ste Marie and do some real Canadian fishing. Good Luck!!!!


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## Spaniel235

We've had tremendous success with F18s, P10s, and Elite 8s. Firetiger and Clown have been the go to crankbaits.


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## midoh39

When I was younger we would stay in Windsor and fish the Detroit and St.Clair. But, as you said not pure Canada haha. I think this trip will be pure Canada from what I've heard about the French river.


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## Saugeye Tom

LORD I LOVE THE FRENCH !!!!! Used to drink the water outa it....all we had...


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## buckeyebowman

Saugeye Tom makes a good point, bring water! You can't count on drinking what's in the lake or river. My buddy tried that one time and wound up puking his guts out. 

We fished Lake Ostaboningue in Quebec for a while until the outfitter screwed it all up. How you manage to get cedar boats to rot is beyond me! 

Then for a while we'd drive to Wawa, then over to Hawk Junction, get on the train and go to Lake Oba. Very good fishing lake, a little shallower and more fertile than many. The last time there all I needed was a 1/8 or 1/4oz red jig and a minnow to catch 'eyes. Pike? Throw just about anything you want! As Snakecharmer said, the Canadian bush is a place where all the "old stuff" still works. 

Bug dope is an absolute must! The bugs you will face depends on when you go there. For both lakes we'd go about mid-June because there were places where you couldn't fish, weren't even allowed in, until after June 15th. And the black flies were horrendous! Of course if you go far enough North, mid-June can be considered early Spring! 

The outfitter we used at Oba told us a couple of things. One, if we wanted to come up in late August, there would be no black flies, and the fishing would be great since that's actually Fall up there. Two, black flies are attracted to the colors blue and black! 

There we were in our blue jeans, and my buddies wore lots of Steelers shirts with a lot of black in them, and we were getting eaten alive! Even after slathering on enough 100% DEET to change our DNA! The outfitter told us, "Why do you think everybody who works up here wears khaki?" 

We also discovered something about DEET. It melts plastic! About melted some of the paddles right off our reel handles!


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## Saugeye Tom

Yes...my friends that still treck up there said the water is no longer drinkable out of the river......


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## JC heir

Where I have fished in the goin res, you could spend a fortune trolling plugs, whereas crawler harness worked great to find them, then jigs with a worm.


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## 1more

The last time we fished Gouin the water level was way down and put a big hurt on the eyes and big pike. On 2 consuctive days we were bringing in a 3# eye and right at the boat a 40" plus pike would try to take the eye!


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## JC heir

2 different times I have netted a pike that wouldn't let go of my eye.


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## Saugeye Tom

JC heir said:


> Where I have fished in the goin res, you could spend a fortune trolling plugs, whereas crawler harness worked great to find them, then jigs with a worm.


the old man i fished was a harness only type of guy. The only other bait he'd use was a black rooster tail with a half crawler and JIG it up n down


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## 1more

Saugeye Tom, who did you use to fly in, we used Air Melacon and I don't know if they are still in business?


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## Flathead76

1/8-1/4 ounce black jigs and a flat of crawlers.


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## Saugeye Tom

1more said:


> Saugeye Tom, who did you use to fly in, we used Air Melacon and I don't know if they are still in business?


Well put a boat in at the dokies indian reservation and went to our island....8 mile run...not bad


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## Bleeding Minnow

Besides what has been mentioned you will obviously want some tools for dealing with toothy critters at the boat. Hook remover, pliers, jaw spreader, boga grips, gloves, etc. Also it's been mentioned already but I really want to emphasize the importance of Canadian beer.


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## gumbygold

We filter water which saves a bunch on fly in weight.


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## I'm G'na Ms Her

I take a ton of equipment to the point that my buddies laugh at me but I could fish a week with 1/4oz lead head jugs with chartreause tails for walleye and spinner baits for pike. I'm a purist and use a 5' ultralight, makes for a world of fun. I suppose if I ever hook into a 45" pike I'm screwed but short of that it's doable.


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## joerugz

Where we go, Ogascanan Lodge in Quebec, all you need is 1/16 to 1/4 once jigs tipped with a third of a crawler and you catch eyes and pike. I find the whistlers and road runners enhance a little. And if targeting pike exclusively, Johnson silver minnows. July is "bug free" the locals say!
I agree with the battery fan, rain gear and plenty of water. Orca/Yeti cooler. Clothes for 40-95 degree weather. One thing I personally customized was cut out the toe of old socks and wear them bunched up above your shoes as an extra layer against the flies that bite through one layer of socks.


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## midoh39

Great advice guys! This has definitely made making a list for my trip much easier! Hopefully others can gather the great info from this too!


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## midoh39

Alright, so I am done with most of the essentials, big spray, rain gear and batteries. We are planning on getting beverages at the duty free store, the lodge offers clean drinking water.
Now for the tackle I picked up a lot of jigs and twisters, 4 white 1/2 spinner baits, a few hot n tots, x-raps, and 2 F 18 rapalas which was highly recommended by the lodge owner. Anything else you guys would bring along? 
We leave in about 3 weeks so the anticipation is rising.


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## Saugeye Tom

midoh39 said:


> Alright, so I am done with most of the essentials, big spray, rain gear and batteries. We are planning on getting beverages at the duty free store, the lodge offers clean drinking water.
> Now for the tackle I picked up a lot of jigs and twisters, 4 white 1/2 spinner baits, a few hot n tots, x-raps, and 2 F 18 rapalas which was highly recommended by the lodge owner. Anything else you guys would bring along?
> We leave in about 3 weeks so the anticipation is rising.


I've done may trips there in may...Augest was my favorite time.....cold weather gear is a must in may went 12 times, its a little different now that its a providential park but still fun hope you get a blue walleye...bring some 1/4 oz jig heads and 5 inch zoom fat alberts


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## Bassthumb

FYI I believe bear spray is considered a weapon I. Canada that you cannot take across, you may want to confirm that


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## midoh39

Saugeye Tom said:


> I've done may trips there in may...Augest was my favorite time.....cold weather gear is a must in may went 12 times, its a little different now that its a providential park but still fun hope you get a blue walleye...bring some 1/4 oz jig heads and 5 inch zoom fat alberts


I will have to pick some of those 5"ers up!


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## joerugz

To combat the flies and skeeters, I cut the bottom out of old socks and pull them up around my ankles and let them gather there over my socks and up inside my pant leg. They provide an extra layer so the bugs dont get me. Also the same idea for my wrists. Great for bugs that land out of your sight. No worries!


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## joete1218

If you are taking your boat up there id bring a spare prop the french can be a rocky endeavor. Be careful as far as lure cant go wrong with the 3/4 oz. Weedless Johnson silver minnow id suggest also spro 80 lb flouro leaders for the toothy critters and tubes with an assortment of jig head weights for the small jaws. Also as recommended good rain gear is a must also expect there will be a much colder than expected day and you will want clothes to combat that. Bring more than one rod in case you break one and if you only bring one have a rod tip repair kit. 100% deet spray as well lil tip dont spray on your lips its no good. Bring a joe bucher top raider and maybe a big x walk for fun top water bite over shoals. Good luck the french river is a blast.


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## MDBuckeye

Lots of guys mention crawlers but I love leeches up in the great north! Also, my favorite pike bait is a spoon called a Loco. Blue/silver was the best most times.


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## BMustang

I'm G'na Ms Her said:


> I take a ton of equipment to the point that my buddies laugh at me but I could fish a week with 1/4oz lead head jugs with chartreause tails for walleye and spinner baits for pike. I'm a purist and use a 5' ultralight, makes for a world of fun. I suppose if I ever hook into a 45" pike I'm screwed but short of that it's doable.


I too use a 5'5" light rod with a Bass Pro Carbonlite reel with 8 to 10 lb Stren Lo-Vis Green and have a ball. I also use 3/16 oz Gamatsku (sp) jig heads with 3/0 hooks and get the job done. My two go-to grubs are 4 inch Chartruse/Black Speck Yammomoto and 3 inch Blue Pearl Salt and Pepper. I would make the trip with only those items and have a ball, out-catching most of guys who pack 50 lbs of equipment.

Comment on the person who recommended 80 lb Flourocarbon as a leader for Northern Pike: Seems like GROSS overkill. I have used South Bend 8 inch/18 lb test Invisa-Leaders for years and have never had a bad experience. I even catch crappie while using them. I throw my grubs on them and smallies don't seem to mind. They are truly nearly invisable. Order them on-line from Cabelas.


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## joete1218




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## joete1218




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## joete1218

Bmustang I use the spro 80lb flouro because im fishing for pike like one in picture above in Qubec im not going to risk using an 8 in 18 lb leader and possibly lose a fish of a lifetime because of my leader. Overkill maybe but im not gonna have my leader break one one of these dogs thats for sure! Id rather be safe than sorry.


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## MDBuckeye

That fish is ridiculous. Congrats. Never seen a pike that big in my life.


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## midoh39

10 days!!! I have everything I need (I think.) My buddy still hasn't ordered anything haha but I told him a lot of suggestions based on all of the awesome input!


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## midoh39

Driving up to the great white North! I will let you guys no how we do, hopefully the rain holds off


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## BMustang

joete1218 said:


> Bmustang I use the spro 80lb flouro because im fishing for pike like one in picture above in Qubec im not going to risk using an 8 in 18 lb leader and possibly lose a fish of a lifetime because of my leader. Overkill maybe but im not gonna have my leader break one one of these dogs thats for sure! Id rather be safe than sorry.


OK, we agree to disagree.
I've caught a few "fish of a lifetimes" myself. IF I'm fishing for muskie or big pike such as the trophy you pictured I do upgrade to 8inch-27lb. I only do this because it comes with a stronger clamp.
The fish shown below (48inch/30 lb) was caught and landed successfully two weeks ago on 8 lb test and an 8inch/18lb Invisa-Leader. He hit a 4 inch Zara Spook Puppy.
Fish don't break lines. Fishermen do!!!!!

Remember, we are responding to a first-timer who is looking for "Canadian essentials." 80lb floro leaders is not something to be used on a daily quest for wallies, smallies and pike. An 8inch/18lb Invisa-Leader is much more suitable to his needs.

Hell of a Northern incidentally!!!


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