Fall Lakers 2011 day 1
I’ve just returned from a fall lake trout fishing excursion. I say excursion because we drove 11 hours and then flew and additional 45 minutes into the remote Ontario lake. We fished the same lake last year and got there a week too late. Being the intelligent creatures that we are, we selected a week earlier this year. We were a week early. Ah, yes, that’s par for fishing. However, we still caught fish, and enjoyed our time in camp.
Day One was our flight in and camp arranging day. Everyone hustled and we managed to get on the water by about 1pm. The lake was down about 3 feet from last year, and rocky reef was more like rocky peninsula. The day was bright and the fish hung out in deeper water. Bill Graebel took the end point of the reef while the rest of us spread out looking for the lakers at other points along the shore. Bill spot proved to be the epicenter of the fish concentration, and he took 6 lakers from 6 to 9 pounds. Scott Snead took a couple more, as did I. All in all, it was a warm, lovely fall day with enough fish to keep all of us happy.
Dinner that night was walleye fillets provided by our fishing host, Dave Graebel. Mmmmm, good.
We flew out of Ear Falls, Ontario, with Excellent Adventures.
The big Otter handled all six of us and enough gear and food for 12 people.
Setting up includes removing the bear shutters, getting all our gear stowed, mowing the grass, setting up the kitchen, splitting wood, putting the boats in the water, mounting the engines, and all the other details needed for six guys to like happily in the wilderness.
Rocky Reef was more like Rocky Peninsula.
Bill was the first one to hit the lakers with a 9 pound beauty.
Lake trout are char, and closely related to the brook trout.
Most of the lakers were over 26 inches in length and weighed 6 to 11 pounds. The net is 30 inches long.
I used a 9 1/2 foot 7 weight on this trip. It performed very well.
The Down and Dirty Icicle was the fly that turned them on.
Hi Gary, great great great…..thats all I can say. You must have been the happiest man in the world to be there in that paradise and fish for those nice fish. That great nature, those big lakes, those nice friends to fish with…what can I say…you must be blessed. Never caught fish like that when I was in your country or Canada, looks like that I have to go there and fish with you once. Have enjoyed your writing very much…thanks. Theo