LAKE OF THE WOODS 2010 TRIP

Wow....what a great time. A group of Muskies Canada members co-ordinated a trip to LOTW'S for a week of fun and fishing muskies.

The trip up was beautiful as Lake Simco's North shore has fantastic scenery.

Breaking up the 23hr drive we stayed a night in Nipigon to rest before the final leg the next day.

A quick stop in Rainy River for supplies and we were 30 min from Red Wing lodge which would be our residence for the next 7 nights.

Our view as we left the dock for our first afternoon of fishing and a quick pic of the lodge behind us

Our gang!!

My boat released nine Muskies over the duration of our stay with the biggest being 43.5", no giants but all beauties none the less.







We were lucky enough to have one of our group be an experienced guide in the area and he treated us to a shore lunch fit for kings. Fresh Pickerel, potatoes and all the fix ins along with wild rice native to the LOTW area. You da man Keith...thanks.




Some scenery pics.


After the trip had come to an end we made our way North to Kenora to visit some MCI members who opened a store on the shore of LOTW in Kenora called "Figure 8 Muskie Baits", great store guys and awesome spot.....congrats. A quick overnight in Vermillion Bay to attend the inaugural meeting of the newest Muskies Canada chapter "North Western" Brian summed up the trip pretty good.

Congrats to the new chapter and best of luck.

A marathon 23.5hr return drive and we were home.

Some pics

Great trip guys...thanks.

Surprise Walleye On A Muskie bait

Casting bucktails is a favorite of mine, follows are regular and the slam of a big muskie can get the adrenaline pumping pretty good. Sometimes other species like to take a crack at a bucktail and on this blue sky day while casting a mid river hump this adventurous Walleye slammed the bucktail in full view at boatside. She weighed in at 6.5lbs ans was released back to the river to swim again.

New trailer upgrade makes good sense

Out with the old and in with the new. The old trailer didn't quite fit my Springbok Sp190 very well in length and in height. Being a bit short of what was needed and held the boat high off the ground, add the fact it was getting rusty it was not hard to make the decision to go with new.

The new trailer is galvanised, has drum brakes, double bunks and lights up like a Christmas tree.

It also hold the boat much lower to the ground making for a more aerodynamic ride.

Just in time for my LOTW's trip the first week of October.

Polly want a cracker?

Dr.John Casselman refers to it as "Parrot-beak phenomenon" and describes it is common in tank raised fish who continuously bump into the glass.

This male was caught on the Ottawa river and although rare is documented through several pictures from various anglers. Are stocked Muskies entering the Ottawa? Is there a behavior displayed at the fry stage that makes them develop this condition? Whatever the case may be they don't appear to be affected by it too greatly as they(the pics I have seen) appear to all be very healthy.

My good bud Arnaldo, who visits Ottawa to fish with me a couple times a year was fortunate enough to hook up this 40's Muskie on a "Brian Peach" Double 10 cowgirl look alike.

Two days of hard fishing and this was the result, Saturday was blue sky, hot and flat water but we pounded some spots and saw several fish. Getting them to bite proved to be a bit more difficult.

Sunday brought us overcast, strong winds (I hate wind) and rain but we felt it was better weather for Muskie fishing and we were right.

Teeny tiny muskies need loving too!

Short report.Lot's of wind.....not much muskie!On by 8am off by noon due to wind.

Little baby muskie but still fun topwater.

Bigger ones to come hopefully....LOL

Sun, rain and topwaters

Clear blue sky conditions at 8am with flat water is not what I was hoping for but with conditions expected to change I was willing to see if pre front conditions would be good on this particular day.

Trolling 12'-15' of water lead to nothing so off to the shallows we were in search of fish activity and it was immediate we knew we had made the right decision. With 3 fish follows on the first 5 casts (2-very nice ones) we had some high hopes creeping in until a pontoon boat decided to run the weed bed 75' off our bow..I wasn't impressed.

So locating to another similar spot and with a bit of cloud setting in due to a pick up in the wind we settled in a bay surrounded by a decent muskie chop.

This 42" decided a Weagle top water was just tasty enough to eat. A bit of gill damage was unfortunate but seemed not damaging enough to prevent a strong release. The best was this male hit like a freight train and did 3 incredible jumps which ranks it up with the best fight action to date...not bad for a 42" muskie.

Full moon and Muskie

It's been tough to nail down an outing due to weather issues this year but things seem to be stabilizing a bit lately and with a full moon and only a few hours to fish I had hoped to make the most of my efforts. On the water immediately after work shallow running appealed to me the most but with water temps dropping 6-8 deg in the last several days who really knew what to expect. So shallow to start it was, hitting a regular hump I was discouraged to see the weeds or lack there of but decided to give it a good trolling over but after 2 hrs (it's a big hump) I moved just off the hump to see if any fish were holding just off in the deeper water. It wasn't long before I bailed to another spot certain to have plenty of vegetation. Now at this point I was keeping it in mind that full moon rising was at 7:30pm and I was on a troll that had netted me plenty of big fish over the years and I was....well...excited at the least. On return from the first pass my reel started screaming and at the end of my line was a 36" muskie. Was this to be a good couple hours??? Playing around with the underwater camera and this time having some sunlight I snapped off a decent pic of the 'skie in the net. Another pic with the camera propped up on the dash as I was fishing solo and then a great sunset pic that the Ottawa river never fails to deliver with awe. Another successful evening on the Ottawa, a fish to show for the efforts but not the size I was hoping for...oh ....I had hoped to stay out longer but my trailblazer was needed to pick up 7 screaming teenage girls from a concert!!!!!!

Damn you Justin Beiber...LOL

Solitude, Sunsets and Silence

What's the best way to beat life's daily frustrations?

Hook up and go!

Fish are always welcome but not always needed, being able to move and search new spots and get away from the grind is priceless and good for the soul.

A great sunset and the tranquility that goes with it is hard to top.

Something is wrong here

Launching at a stretch of river I had not fished at for a long time I was shocked to see the water quality. The stench in the air was almost overpowering and altough I couldn't figure out exactly what it was it was brutal.

Trying my hardest to find clear water I decided to take a run up river to see what was causing the dirty water only to see it get worse, much worse. Almost a 20 mile run later I had come into clearer water and still hadn't seen what the cause was so I pulled into a marina and asked a couple questions only to be told that they weren't sure but figured a new marina was being built on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river. If so it's a complete shame and travesty they are permitted to affect the water like they did as I was also informed that dead fish had been collected the day before.....by whom they didn't know!



Having found clear water I started my troll and it wasn't long before I hooked into a fish that had a great fight but was disappointed to see a pike on the the end of my line..even though it was close to 40". Several pike later I switched to a different area and the reel started screaming , a short fight later I see a nice mid-high 40" 'skie about 10' off the back of the boat. A quick head shake and she was gone.....oh well....can't win em all.

There is Muskie after all.

2o1o has been a strange year weather wise in Ottawa as we started out with temperatures in the mid high 30's with humidex readings in the mid-high 40's for almost all of July pushing the water temp into the mid 80's making Muskie fishing dangerous to the fish. Add to that water levels were down almost 3' making launching difficult in areas favorable for Muskie.





August wasn't that much better with torrential rain storms almost daily turning the Ottawa river into a cesspool and causing the water temp to plummet almost 12 deg.

Lately things have started to return to almost "normal" and mid 70's water temps and semi clear water is making for more favorible fishing conditions.

My buddy Brian and I experienced one of the freekiest T storms on the water recently with storm after storm rolling in and around us while sitting on the ramp waiting for a clearing to head out to a favorite casting bed. With a break in electrical activity we drove the short boat ride to the area and started casting. Brians second cast had a Muskie follow to boat side but was not in the mood to bite. Shortly after I had a big girl slam my hook very aggressively at boatside but I failed to get a hook in and then all hell broke loose.Lightning, thunder, torrential downpour wind...we got it all and deciding to hightail it to the launch we realized we had to drive into the storm.
Encouraged with the action we had in the short period we had previously experienced we headed out a couple days later to the same area for a night fish and had some success....finally!!

This little critter was lodged deep in the gills of it's host and wasn't about to let go without a fight. But a little pursuasion and it was free from the gills with no damage to the fish. Playing around with my new Fuji underwater camera I took the opportunity to snap a couple underwater shots and as you see murky water and night conditions make it tough for a good pic. A couple of tries and I was able to get a few neat shots, will have to try again soon in more light and better water quality conditions.

She measured 44" with a 17" girth and was full of energy not wanting any part of the net or being held but a quick pic and a couple release shots and she was off and swimming strong.

One for the album.

Release shot #1

Release shot #2 Good times on the water.

Off to a slow start

With a full schedule and commitments outstanding I have been off to a slow muskie start this year. Holidays are planned for July so the muskie boat will be parked briefly. August will see plenty of muskie action...can't wait to get out and get the big one..
Stay tuned!!

My Custom Baits, Painted!

Here they are, after several coats of paint layered to give a blended look and a good clear finish I'm pretty happy with my baits. I'm sure with lots more practice I'll improve on the airbrush techniques.

I crafted two different styles and will paint different patterns on the next batch...maybe a walleye pattern or sucker!

At $50 plus for some custom baits making them is not only economical but a fish caught on your own bait is even more of a thrill.

Off Season Muskie Bait Making

With a six month layoff from fishing Muskies there is lots of time to sharpen hooks, grease reels re-spool and do boat fixes. If you like Muskie fishing and want to save a little cash and have a creative edge you can also make your own Muskie baits.

I have chosen a couple styles of baits that are good for casting or a slow troll. To start I gather all my materials required, wire, wood, lexan, glue and tools to shape the baits.

Having a pattern to trace getting ready to cut your bait out is a good idea when making multiple baits. I use a band saw to make quick work of this balsa wood.

Next step is to bend up the thru-wire and glue the baits together with a good waterproof high strength durable glue. Clamping and letting sit overnight is a very good idea.

Make sure a good quality fising wiire is used and you'll have a durable long lasting bait.

Next carve out and sand to the correct size and install the lexan lip.

I drilled 2 holes just behind the belly hook to give the bait weight and stability into which lead will be poured.

Pour the lead and get ready to paint.

Painting comes next, 3 coats of primer sanding between coats and then airbrush to your favorite pattern.....stay tuned for the finished product.