Shine On

Central Lake evening troll.  Courtesy of Happy Pharwaha

The sun has been shining for about two weeks now on us in the Opasquia Provincial Park.  The lazy days of summer have finally graced us here in the north country.  Thankfully, the warmer temperatures have decreased the bug activity allowing fisherman to focus more on the fish instead of swatting flies. The bugs haven't completely vanished, but the annoying creatures have drastically reduced their assault on us fishermen. 

The current weather we are enjoying is typical for this time of year.  I have always enjoyed the last two weeks of July into the first two weeks of August.  On average, the weather during that time is the most stable and one thing fish love is weather stability.  

The great weather has allowed Dad, Tyrol and myself to complete several summer projects.  The boardwalk at Central Lake has now been completely renovated with pressure treated lumber.  Also, a new 32 foot floating dock is now in operation at the big cabin.  Cocos, Southwest, and West Lake each received a boost in power with an additional 240 Watt solar panel. Furthermore, all three camps refrigerators have been switched from propane to green and economical solar powered Stecca fridges.   

Fishing 

Remington party 30.5" walleye 

Typical summer patterns for walleye and pike are now in play.  Walleye have can be found hovering around reefs and wind blown shorelines in around 10-20 ft of water.  Larger fish have been caught in waters as deep as 30 ft.

The hot lures for walleye are rather simple.  I could stock my tackle box with just a couple of baits.  3/8 oz jigs with a variety of twister tails or gulp would take up most of the space, however I would have to leave some space for Shad Raps #5 and #7. Chartreuse and fire tiger are my favorite colors but they all work.

The Echotails I mentioned in a previous blog have really started to shine now that the walleye have moved to deeper waters.  Of all the six different color combinations I purchased all have been just as productive.  I highly recommend these baits for vertical jigging.  They take a little tuning as I have found the hooks will often tangle.  A simple solution to avoid this is to tuck the rear hook into the plastic tail.  

One of 20 South Lake walleyes over 26" for the week of 7/19

Pike have been hovering in the dense weeds as of late.  We are finding at Central Lake the peak bite has been later in the afternoon from 6-9 pm.  Last night for example, we couldn't keep the fish off of Musky Killer bucktails and Esox Assault double blades.  Slash baits like Suicks, Delong Eels and Hellhound are also doing well.  I can't forget to mention Johnson Silver Minnows for those thick weeds, and don't forget those twister tail trailers!

OUTPOSTS 

Burnt Lake
Hotspots #5, 6 and 10 are the place to be for nice pike.  Windblown points are the most effective spots for walleye.
Central Lake
The west portage continues to offer up trophy pike.  Three fish over 40 have been boated in the last seven days.  Trophies are prowling around hotspot #3, one of my favorite weed beds on the lake.  Last but not least is to always take a couple casts on the windsock if you are passing by.
Cocos Lake
A 44" monster was boated and released on the Sagiwitchewan river.  The deeper pools near the Burnt Lake rapids are starting to produce some great walleye action.
Lemonade/Favourable
Hard to make the Lemonade lake reports not sound redundant, but the lake continues to churn out the quality walleye. As usual, fish the west side of the island.  Pike alley gave up several nice 38+" fish over the past couple days.  Hot spots #4 and 12 are great place to focus for those monsters.
South
Two guests, 20 fish over 26" up to 30.5" last week means south lake is heating up with lots of big walleye.  The current guests had 12 over 25" up to 28.5 on Tuesday.  Bigger fish are deeper in 22-30 ft.  Slow jigging techniques have been best.
Southwest
Excellent numbers continue from this body of water.  Watched a guest battle a nice 37" fish on 6 pd test and a jig the other day, nothing more fun to see.
West
Work the upper half of the narrows towards the Fish Bowl.  I guided there on Tuesday and rolled a fish that was pushing 48".  I got a good look at the old girl and she got my heart beating.  Bucktails in the Horseshoe also yielded plenty 30+" fish.

Good luck on the water everyone!
-Nathan
www.bighookcamps.com

Mad Season

A crisp Central Lake morning

Our summer has been running about two or three weeks behind this year.  Typically these following seasonal events have already occurred.  First and foremost is the mayfly hatch, which has now finally finished on all the lakes.  A typical year the mayflies hatch around the end of June to the fourth of July.  Second, the growth of plants and berries has been at a snails pace.  At the moment wild strawberries have just ripened enough for a tasty topping on pancakes.  I see a great potential for a bumper blueberry crop this year, as there are a ton of green berries throughout the boreal forest.  However, it takes a long time for them to ripen here and I fear we will have our first frost before then.  Finally, the water temperature is cool.  We still have not cracked 70 degrees at Central Lake, and if we do not get a round of warm weather soon it will not happen this year. Keep in mind our warm season ends in about five weeks.

Weather

The weather has been far from stable over the past ten days.  We have transitioned from high pressure to low and back again at a rapid pace this summer.  The past week has been filled with cloudy skies, warm temperatures and thunderstorms.  The forecast for the next several days is some much needed warmth along with variable cloudiness and continued warm temperatures. For updated weather info you can click the Environment Canada weather banner in the upper right corner of this blog. 

Fishing

Nice pike from SW lake. 

Walleye fishing was slower last week as a result of a dense mayfly hatch on the majority of the lakes.  However, camps managed to find some great pike fishing action.  The weeds are not as dense as years past but they are holding some quality pike.  The sparser weed beds are allowing anglers to cast a variety of baits without worries of getting fouled on foliage.

Burnt

The pike fishing was great up in Big Boy bay with several 39+” fish released.  Walleyes were stacked in hotspot #5.  Most fish have been found shallower than normal in around 8 ft.  This has probably been one of the best years for perch fishing at Burnt.

Central

The west portage was hot for pike.  Six fish over 38” were released in two days.  All were caught in the same weed bed, and if you have fished the west portage you know which spot I speak of.  The falls are still pushing lots of water and the walleye have been congregating to the current.

Cocos

A nice catch and release from Cocos Lake. 

The rapids have starting flowing at a slightly higher rate over the past several days.  Great walleye action is still found around both flowages.  The rapids that exits the north of Cocos is one of my favorite places to fish in the entire park.  There is just something about standing from shore and catching walleyes. 

Lemonade/Favourable

Weeds are still pretty spread out on Lemonade so the walleye action has been very active.  The east points seem to have been slightly more active than the rest of the lake.  A nice 43” beast of a pike was boated next to Johnson’s Island last Tuesday.  Trolling shad raps in about 12 ft of water was a great way to locate schools of walleye. 

South

Just last night two gentlemen boated a 29.5”, 27.5” and four 26” walleye in a period of two hours fishing.  The spot unfortunately was kept under secrecy however they said the big fish were boated in 25’ of water. 

Southwest

I don’t think there has ever been a bad day of fishing on Southwest Lake.  It is probably the most productive outpost we have for numbers.  Yes, the fish may lack some size but you will catch more 16-19” walleyes than you can ever imagine.  The points to the east of the camp have been just stacked with fish.  A nice 37" pike was boated on Hot Spot #4. 

West

With the cooler water temperatures the bulk of the action still lies in the Fish Bowl.  Walleyes have been holding on the perimeter of weeds while the pike stalk within.  With some warmer weather the north end of the lake will turn on like a light switch for big walleye.

Good Luck on the water everyone,

Nathan

www.bighookcamps.com

They're Heeeere!

The little girl from the movie Poltergeist quoted it best with "They're Heeeere!"....and no I am not talking about ghosts.  Another entity has risen from the depths in the form of an insect to torment fishermen, the dreaded Mayfly.  I should begin to call these short lived bugs July flies because the last four or five years the hatch has occurred around the 4th of July.

About five days ago Lemonade Lake exploded with the winged creatures, covering the skies and surface of the water.  Cocos and Southwest Lake hatch followed a day later (last Sunday). While, last night (July 9th) Tyrol and I witnessed a big hatch on Central while trying for some top water pike at 8 pm.  Needless to say, the hatch is in full swing throughout the Opasquia Provincial Park.

If you'll reference some of my previous blogs from years prior I note some tactics for combating those pesky Mayflies for the prized walleye attention.  In a brief recap: 1. Scale down on your size, if you love to jig remove those 4" tails and use 2-3" tails.  Many of the walleyes that you'll be targeting will have a full belly and will be quite lethargic on their strikes.  Often they will just barely hang on the tail and attempt to slowly swim away with your jig.  2. Note where Mayflies hatch, in the mud.  Go there cause that is where the walleye will be congregating.  3. Don't get discouraged with a slow bite for a day or two, walleyes digest mayflies quite quickly and will be on the prowl before you know it.

Weather 

The woodchucks of West Lake do a great job of mowing the lawn

Sunday July 6th, we received roughly 5" of rain.  It was quite possibly the most rain I have ever witnessed in a 24hr period at Big Hook Camps.  The result is the lakes are still rising, some faster than others.  Waterfalls and rapids drastically changed overnight into raging currents.  The rain however, was well received as we had begun to experience several forest fires popping up throughout the park.  

For the most part, the torrential downpours last Sunday was the only weather to discuss.  The temperatures are still cooler than normal, directly resulting in cooler water temperatures.  We have received an occasional 80 degree day but they have been few and far between.  And yes, because of the cool weather, the bugs are still feisty.

Fishing   

The summer patterns for both species are slowly developing.  Walleye will gradually making their way to the reefs as soon as the mayfly hatch has expired.  Pike are holding in the weeds and windblown points.  Weed growth is picking up steam, however with all the additional water from the rain the weeds are far below the surface. As I noted earlier the water is still cool, hanging around 63 degrees at Central.  This time of year I usually see 70-72 degree temperatures on the surface.   

Some outpost snippets:

Burnt

Big Boy Bay or Hotspot #5 is the place to go.  Several nice pike were photo'd and released from the Kennedy party while standing right on the beach.  The perch action is still holding strong.  

Central 

The action below the north rapids has been steady.  With lots of water flowing the walleye are congregating in the current.  Two 40+" were photo'd and released near Trophy Bay.  When the winds change to the South fish Husker Rock for trophy walleye.  Guests have seen five moose in the last two days. 

Cocos

43" from Cocos

Guests should use caution when attempting to shoot the rapids this week, the current is getting stronger everyday.  Walleye have been flocking to the rapids with the increased flowage.  Duckling Island has been holding some great pike. 

Lemonade/Favourable 

Lemonade has slowed a bit with the ample mayfly binge.  The action should only be a temporary lull with the hatch on the tail end. Favourable's weed beds have been harboring just about all the fish.  Fishing has been slower on the rocky points and ledges.  

Great release shot. 

South 

The big walleyes woke up with the rains, lots of 25+" fish being boated and released.  7 yr old Tate from the Cox party even boated a 26.5" on a surface bait.  Now that shows the fish are feeding!  Fish are shallower than normal, try 12' or above if you aren't catching anything in the deeper water. 

Southwest

Southwest Lake has just been on fire with numbers this year.  I can't really expresses the hotspots because everytime I ask the guests where to go they just respond with "Everywhere!"  Several dandy 37" pike have been boated and released in the last two days.  

West 

Fish still seem to be holding in the Fish Bowl half of the lake.  The windblown mudflats in the fish bowl are dominating the action. The narrows leading to the Fish Bowl have been consistent.  

Good luck on the water everyone!

-Nathan

www.bighookcamps.com

The Numbers Are In

If you are patient, the Grey Jays will eat from your hand. 

Last week Mother Nature finally, and I mean finally blessed us with some superb weather. Pleasant temperatures and blue skies dominated the week of June 21st to the 28th.  The fish responded positively to the warming waters.  A couple camps reported some astounding numbers, which I'll get to in just a bit.  The bugs, unfortunately are still hanging around.  So, as I mentioned in a previous blog....bring your spray and coils.  This has been the summer of the black fly and the mosquito.

Weather  

The streak of stable weather patterns recently departed for our current guests.  The past two days (6/30 and 7/1) have been chilly with far belwo normal temperatures and howling winds.  I woke up this morning to 38 degrees, misty skies and 30 mph winds barreling out of the north.  Future forecasts however, are positive and show a warming trend will return to NW Ontario.  

Those of you who have not been following the weather trends for NW Ontario, the Dryden and Ft Frances area has been under flood watch for the past several weeks.  The waters in those areas are extremely high. It was recently brought to my attention there are sections of HWY 105 that have short detours around water over the highway. So just be advised you might have to add another 20 minutes or so to your drive to bypass some flooded highway. 

Fishing 

The water temperatures on Central crept into the high 60's yesterday with some bays even touching seventy for the first time this summer. The warmer waters have finally encouraged the weed growth.  I am starting to see many lilly pads and grass beds while flying over all the lakes throughout the Opasquia Park. 

Still no signs of the pesky bug that emerges this time of year.....the Mayfly. 

As I noted earlier, some camps reported just amazing numbers last week.  Southwest and Cocos were the frontrunners for action.  The guests at Southwest set a new Big Hook record for fish boated in a week.  The Valley party of eight, clicked their way to 5503 walleye, a did not include pike in their total. The See party of four at Cocos had an impressive 3250 fish, with a 44" and 43" pike to top the list.  

Burnt

 Those Burnt Lake perch will make a tasty dinner.

Guests last week focused on boating some perch and were rewarded with great stringers of fish.  The schools were spotty but you could catch 3-6 fish before hopping to the next spot.  Most fish were tight to the weeds.  A nice 38" pike was boated and released next to Moose Creek. 

Central 

Above the north rapids produced several nice walleye topping at 27".  Weed growth in the north narrows is good and is starting to hold trophy pike. 

Cocos

Lower Cocos outfished the Sagawitchewan River last week.  All the big fish came off of wind blown points and the weeds north of Duckling Island.  

Lemonade/Favourable

Lemonade was in prime form with plenty of nice 18-22" walleye being caught.  Favourable produced best along the two sections of the Severn river. 

South

South known for it's walleye fishing, offered some great pike action last week with many fish over 36" caught and released.  The north end being shallower than the rest heated up with warm temperatures. 

SW

The guests tried to find spots on the lake that didn't have fish and failed.  Just about every nook and cranny held and walleye or a pike. The east arm held great fish and Hot Spot #5 was one of the top locations.  A giant 45" pike was released.  

West 

The fishbowl was the place to be.  According to the guests, the rest of the lake was super slow compared to the action in the fishbowl and the narrows leading into it.  This makes sense since the fishbowl is shallower than the rest of the lake and the fish were craving warmer water temperatures. 

Good luck on the water this summer everyone.

-Nathan 

www.bighookcamps.com