# Annual Canadian North Channel-Lake Huron Trip



## BMustang

Just returned from our annual four week stay on the North Channel of Lake Huron, based at the Blue Heron Resort on the Spanish River in Spanish, Ontario Canada. (May 10-June 9th)

Here is the link to the complete trip report:
SchabellSpanishRvrFishingTrip18

Following a tough, cold, flooding, late spring three weeks at Pickwick Lake, Tennessee, it appeared to be more of the same as we pulled the boat from Sault Ste Marie, Michigan/Canada along Highway 17 east to camp, only to see bays frozen over, a sight that I've never seen in May in Cananda, and then snow on the south shore when we hit the water and did our first fishing. Water temperature was 43 degrees - another all-time first for cold water.

I had pretty much convinced myself that we were too early this year, but was pleasantly surprised, when the sun came out on our third day, the water began to warm up and the fish began feeding vociferously.

We caught our usual assortment of Northern Pike, Walleye which were up shallow, and Smallmouth Bass. One of my first fish was about a 3 pound largemouth, our first ever caught in the open water of the big bay. We later caught 5 or 6 more which speaks positively for the future possibilities of the largemouth populations. The Northerns were right at home in the cold water, and had already spawned. Our first few smallmouth bass actually had a pinkish tone, having just come out from under the ice, and weren't very aggressive, early on. The walleye gave us a head start in putting a few in the freezer to bring home, and serve a fish dinner or two.

While the air temperatures dipped below freezing overnight for the first two weeks, it rose into the mid-fifties on most days, and then on our third week, got downright hot, rising to the seventies and eighties for an extended period of time, driving the water temperatures to 64 degrees in the big water, and higher in the creeks and small bays off of the river.

It took the Black Flies a while to come out, and when they did, the heat and dry conditions killed them off quickly. Mosquitos are always a factor before dark during Week Three and Four.

Overall I would guess that we (Bill Hagedorn and myself, Dave Schabell) caught about 800 fish, and were we fishing in Ohio would have qualified for about 100 Fish Ohio awards. Every fish, with the exception of the walleye, were caught and released unharmed. Of the myriad of fish caught, we had only two fatalities.

On Week Four my brother and his son arrived in camp and my brother caught a 45 inch muskie his first night in camp while trolling for walleye. We were all really happy for him, since this was his first lifetime muskie. He then followed up by catching a 40 incher on a spinner bait the following night, and then another 45 incher his fourth night there - and his muskie catching exploits were wearing thin on us, since no other mamer of our group caught a major muskie this trip.

Our biggest Northern Pike was only 32 inches, but man, we caught a lot of 22 to 26 inch fish, with many in the 26-28 inch range. Bill Hagedorn caught a 27 inch walleye, which was his lifetime best, and we caught a lot of 23 - 25 inch males. Smallmouth Bass, although out of season, dominate the landscape. They are plentiful and plump, closely resembling footballs pre-spawn. They keep things interesting. Our biggest was a 21 1/2 inch brute that weighted in at 5lbs, 8ounces, by my all-too-honest digital scale - a six pounder in anyone else's book.

With the late spring, we did not get to fish the evening summertime conditions that we enjoy, when the fish are active and hitting surface baits. The weeds were just beginning to poke their heads through the surface in our final days, but we had a ball running spinner baits just under the surface and having bass and pike blow up on them.

We stay at the Blue Heron Resort on the Spanish River, which sells out annually throughout
May and June. We fish the Spanish River, Gagen bay, and Frenchman's Bay in the North Channel of Lake Huron. I have a 17 foot Bass Tracker Deep V with a 75HP Merc, which suits the conditions admirably. Wind is a major factor, as it blows hard from the west some days and will put you off of the water shortly after noon. Since the overnight temperatures were cold, and I and Bill are in our seventies, we simply delayed our fishing until about 10 am when the temperature reached 45 and then made a day of it. We were never caught out in the rain on this trip, which is a rarity. I got to fish in white pants about 7 times, equal the times that I was armed with long underwear.

I followed with interest the exploits of Saugeye Tom and his buddies at Lake St Clair, where they spoke of the "boat pack." Our boat pack was normally one boat - ours - as far as you could see, and their hooking up with others after they came off of the water. We are fortunate to dock our boat at the bottom of a flight of stairs only about 150 feet from our cabin. On a normal day we are on the water by 8:30am (temps were in the 30s earlier) and then fish until 3pm, when we nap until 5pm when we fix dinner, then it's back on the water until 10pm when it finally gets dark, and then into the fish cleaning house to clean walleye until 10:30pm, take a shower, go to bed and then do the same thing again the next time. No time for socializing.


I hope that each person on here who is serious gets to experience a trip like this sometime in the future in Canada. Crossing the border on both sides was a flash, and the exchange rate favored the US Dollar, $1.28 Canadian for each greenback.

I have presently done a fine job of outliving my assets, so I'm not sure if there will be repeat trips to Canada in the future. They will be a top priority should the opportunity present itself.


----------



## Snakecharmer

Beautiful fish!


----------



## Saugeyefisher

And great report thanks for sharing


----------



## island troller

Is there enough to spend a week and target Musky there. Got me interested. Looking for a new spot maybe next year.


----------



## BMustang

island troller said:


> Is there enough to spend a week and target Musky there. Got me interested. Looking for a new spot maybe next year.


If you go through my past reports you will see that we encounter muskie on a regular basis during our four week springtime stay. We are sports fishermen, who use artifical baits extensively for whatever jumps on our hooks. This year Bill and myself fished for them occasionally and came up empty, but my brother caught three in four days. Go Figure!!!

They were originally native to the Spanish River, killed off by pollution, and then re-introduced in the early 2000's and seem to be thriving. They are presently protected in the Spanish River and there is a ridiculously high minimum size limit (54 or 56 inches) in Frenchman's Bay.

We seem to be the exception to the rule, as a guide who has been there for the past seven years all season, has only caught one.


----------



## newmrc

Nice write up. Sounds like a trip I hope to make someday. Thanks


----------



## robertj298

I've fished the McGregor Bay area just to the east of the Spanish River for over 50 years. Fantastic fishing and scenery .I prefer the fall over spring though. Usually mid September.


----------



## BMustang

robertj298 said:


> I've fished the McGregor Bay area just to the east of the Spanish River for over 50 years. Fantastic fishing and scenery .I prefer the fall over spring though. Usually mid September.


It is indeed "God's Country".

I have not had the privilege of fishing the Spanish/North Channel area in the fall, but it is very popular. I broadcast football games which keep me close to home in September/October.
There was talk of fishing all of the way into December last year, before the ice came on.

I think that fishing the area we fish, it that the fishing is always good, but occasionally there are periods that are better than others.


----------



## Mr. Basskisser

Great report as usual. Still on my bucket list.


----------



## redhawk fisherman

Just got back today from our third trip to Blue Heron. Fishing was excellent as usual. The pike fishing was ok and we ate a bunch of walleye and brought our limit home. The smallie fishing hitting our pike surface baits was amazing,and several we caught had just finished spawning. I swear several spots we fished had "bmustang fishes here so you must leave immediately written on them". There were tons of dead trees I guess were the result of high water. Cal and Deb are terrific hosts as usual.


----------



## BMustang

^^ Glad you had a good trip!

The dead trees are the result of the raised water levels. They have created a false shoreline, which is actually behind them. They are very rotten and I don't know what is going to happen to them.

The Blue Heron/Spanish River/North Channel is not where I would go specifically for pike. While we catch a lot of them, it is the combination of pike/bass/walleye/muskie that makes the area so attractive.

It is amazing how good the walleye fishery has been over the past ten years. It has really exploded. It used to be that there would be a "walleye run" that would last for about a week, and then you would have to really work for them, but the walleye fishing has been good since opening day again this year, as evidenced by the plethora of boats that you have to navigate on a daily basis down at the mouth/pilings.

Any muskie encounters???


----------



## redhawk fisherman

I caught a baby 24 inch muskie in boomcamp. We tried the recommended river spots for them with no success. I think your brother stuck them all! Lol! Weeds were emerging but not prevalent like our first two years. We booked same week again for next year. As much as I love dale hollow, I pretty much count the days until next year's ontario trip as soon as I get home.


----------



## BMustang

redhawk fisherman said:


> I caught a baby 24 inch muskie in boomcamp. We tried the recommended river spots for them with no success. I think your brother stuck them all! Lol! Weeds were emerging but not prevalent like our first two years. We booked same week again for next year. *As much as I love dale hollow, I pretty much count the days until next year's ontario trip as soon as I get home.*


That is why our first trip of the spring is to Pickwick, Tennesssee.

Were I to go to Canada first, there would be no Pickwick trip.


----------

