2018 Spring Fishing Adventure
Newboro Lake, Ont., CA.
May, 2018
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We had talked about a trip to Canada for a few years now, and this year we finally made it!
Once again, we planned to go over the Memorial Day weekend for our spring adventure, and once again Jon's boys played hooky the Friday prior so we could get a an early start and spend as much time on the water as possible. Unfortunately Roger could not join us, but we hope to see him in the fall for our 20th anniversary trip.
We chose Clear Lake Cottages on the Rideau Lakes / Canal chain as our destination and we would be fishing a group of lakes close to Newboro, Ontario. As it turned out, Newboro Lake proper would be the best option this trip. We also fished Clear Lake (from the cottage dock) and Indian Lake.
DAY 1
After crossing the border without incident we stopped at a grocery store to stock up for the weekend, then headed to camp. We arrived mid-late morning and were greeted by one of the the proprietors, Chris. I don't know if everyone else in Canada is as nice, but I sure hope so. Chris and Wendy Cadue are both just genuinely very nice people.
Our rustic fishing cabin had everything we required, and as much as I think the "roughing it" aspect of Saranac Lake has it's charm, it sure is nice to take a shower!
Not sure what Jon is doing with the dustpan at this point, but he looks
happy! Hard tellin',
not knowin'.
Our first spot on Indian Lake yielded some of these healthy Rock
Bass, but no Northerns.We also managed to catch and release a few Largemouth Bass, so we quickly decided to find a new spot since bass season was not open yet.
We decided to head out to Newboro Lake and it wasn't long before Jake would catch his first Pike of our trip, and not his last, believe me.
It wouldn't be too long before Uncle Chuck was on the board as well
Jacob with another Pike and a hefty Perch
One thing that will make this trip memorable was the abundant wildlife. The fish population seemed very healthy and there were Loons everywhere! We saw many pairs diving and feasting on fish and this rare opportunity of a female nesting on a small island (that she was sharing with a turtle).
Had to zoom with the camera so it's not super clear but we didn't want to disturb her either.
We also saw Bald Eagles, many Blue Heron's, Turtles, a Beaver, a Mink, a Black Squirrel and a Deer swimming across the lake. There was also a pair of does that greeted me every morning right behind our cabin. It was like Jurassic Park !
Day 1 came to an end with a nice sunset at the cabin
Unfortunately Wyatt had quite a bit of homework to do. Don't know if I helped or hurt his grade.
DAY 2
We awoke to nice weather, and I must say that we were actually blessed with good weather the entire trip contrary to the forecast a few days earlier. We headed right back to Newboro Lake and found a good spot adjacent to an island and once again the pike were cooperative.
We also found a good weedy flat that was close to an inlet and other islands, and this would prove to be a spot we did well at all weekend.
Wyatt got his first and second Pike ever here, and Jon also got on the board for this trip.
We managed a few more pike from this spot and try as we did not to, we also landed a few nice Bass that hit our big Pike lures. Of course we put them back quickly and gently.
We decided to keep a few of the fatter Pike for shore lunch.
Before
and after
They were tasty but I do need to learn how to remove those "Y" bones.After lunch we decided to head back out and see what would bite, the fish we very cooperative.
Team work makes the dream work!
Another Pike for the captain with a net assist from the first mate!
Jake with another pike, it was at this point we took notice of his lure and presentation I think.
Somewhere along the line, I put on a red /white spoon and decided to stick with it and it seemed to pay off.
Jake with another, and a pretty nice one!
Jon with another Pike and another hefty pre-spawn Bass.
Wyatt also switched to a red/white spoon on the advice of his favorite uncle and landed another pike. In fact, if he landed as many as he hooked, I think he would have had quite the tally for this trip. Only experience will help him put more in the boat.
Day 2 came to and end, everyone caught some fish and as we headed back to camp, we were greeted by a surprise visitor.
Shortly after Jon and I got off the boat, this Pterodactyl (Blue Heron) landed on the dock while the boys were still in the boat. Apparently he thought we had some fish to hand out.
I told you it was like Jurassic Park up in here!
I was able to walk down onto the dock to get my picture and the boys took some real nice close-ups from the boat.
Here's a short video of me trying to see just how close I can get. - Click Here
DAY 3
Once again, we awoke to dry but slightly cooler weather, and after a hearty breakfast (thanks Jon), we headed back out onto the lake to see if we could entice a few more Pike to bite our lures.
We had pin-pointed a couple spots on the map the evening before, so our first stop was another flat adjacent to islands that we didn't drift over the day prior.
Another decent pike, I think I have a pattern!Jon and Jacob landed a couple more here as well!
The bass that Jacob landed here was a real brute, looks like she either got "almost" eaten by one of those pterodactyls or she just had spawning wounds.
We moved on and tried another "flat" way up at the north end of the lake and it did not disappoint.
I think this was the best pike of the trip. It was really eating well as you can see.
We caught a few more while drifting along the flats near a group of Islands, I think one of us pulled in a Smallmouth as well, I though we had a picture but I guess not. We headed back to camp for a mid-day break and snack and just enjoyed the sun and atmosphere for a while.
It was still really nice out so we took one more crack at the fish at the aforementioned weedy flat near the inlet and group of islands.
Jake with another while Wyatt mean mugs for the camera.
Jon rounded out our 7 species slam with a nice Crappie, I wish we had
found some of them when we decided on a shore lunch.We headed back to camp fairly early so we could relax and eat our last supper in camp. The plan was to get up fairly early and start the eventual packing and cleaning so we could get on the road at a decent time. The one downside about going to Canada is the long drive.
So in summary, it was a very nice trip. The relative luxury of a cottage was nice. Jon cooked some great meals for us and like I said a hot shower every day is always a bonus. The fishing was excellent as far as activity. I omitted a lot of pictures, it seemed like every time we turned around Jake was catching another one. He should do a commercial for Mepps, because he used the same lure all weekend, that thing got bent and scratched and beat up but he just kept catching fish with it. We've never caught that many fish over 3 days at Saranac. Of course we do get bigger Pike on Saranac from time to time and good Smallmouth fishing as well. So we may very well make another trip to Canada, and maybe back to Clear Lake Cottages, it's hard to say at this point. Our fall trip is already planned for a return to Saranac in October.
See ya next year