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.

Paradise In April/ Lake "O" Browns

Another cross province trek yields yet more spectacular Lake Ontario Brown action.
For the second time in 3 days I found myself driving long distances in search of Brown Trout, this time hitting a completely different part of that big fish tank know as Lake Ontario.

Being one of the nicest days of the year so far , temps reaching the low 20's and the sun bright and high in the sky, water clarity was amazing....I mean amazing!!

The short boat ride to the fishing hole from the inlet was very scenic even though we were dealing with water levels approaching 2.5' below the norm.

You can tell the health of an area based on how much wildlife you see and these waters were full of fish , aquatic animals dotting the shore line and birds everywhere...I knew we were in for some good fishing.

On the lake the scenery was even more impressive with shoreline rock formations thousands of years old and still a slave to nature.

We set up the troll and made several passes on a previously proven break line but the fish were not active or had moved out to deeper water due to the clear, bright sunny day and no wind conditions. We decided to see if changing up our tactics would prove successful for us.

With 2 anglers and 2 lines per angler and planer boards set we were covering approx 200' of water and were running different baits at different depths to see what would work.It wasn't long before we had the first fish in the boat and had switched the other baits to run at that depth

The bite was on and with each pass we were having hits/ losses and hook ups

Great fighting fish and clear water makes for plenty of eye opening action!!

The last one of the day fought the best with plenty of aerobic leaps and powerful runs but was no match for patience and a skilled net man.

What an amazing day of fishing in April....the lake was as perfect as it can get.

Can't wait to get out again!!

Special thanks to Laker John.