You guys do such an awesome job with your trip reports that it really didn't seem like much exciting happened to us to report. I asked John about doing it and he said, "We left, we fished, and we came home." So I will try to fill in the spaces. :) ;)
We made our annual trip this year for 2 weeks from July 28 to August 12. We left about 6:15AM on July 28. When we got about 4 miles up the road, I made the statement to John, I don't think we forgot much this year. Those words will come back to haunt me. We hit the border with very little wait, one car ahead of us. Made our annual stop at Webers. The line seemed longer than many other years, but the service was typical Webers, great and the burgers very good. We started staying in North Bay our first night a few years ago at the Bo-Mark Motel. It is a little out of the way, but a nice clean motel run by an older couple with great beds. We don't think you can ask for more than that. Remember me saying that I didn't think we forgot much, and so the saga begins. John who is extremely cold blooded discovered he had forgotten his two hoodies he had laid out. So we went to Canadian Tire and Marks that evening and he found two new hoodies. I looked up on the net for restaurants in North Bay. And we decided to try out the 50's Diner on Rte 63. Our food was excellent and the service was great. They close at 8PM, so we wanted to be sure not to be holding them up for closing.
I slept in the next morning headed out to Lake Ogascanan. I can't imagine that but I did, so we were about 45 minutes late leaving North Bay Saturday morning. Stopped at Pronature for my leeches. There seemed to be a mixup with my order, but he had some leeches for me. The next stop was the grocery store to get last minute food. Finally into Lake Ogascanan at a little after noon. Ginny was there to greet us as Brad and the boys were getting another group settled in. Our Point cabin looked as great as ever. We never stayed at the main camp until three years ago, but this cabin gives us the feel of seclusion with the amenities of the main camp.
(http://i64.tinypic.com/iyj761.jpg)
@morganjp moved into the cabin next to us roughly an hour later. We had a good week with them. He and his dad are great people and was truly enjoyable sharing the camp with them. His dad even made Lake O's Fresh Fish page with some quality fish.
When we are getting ready to leave, I have about 50 lists to not forget everything. The key to these lists is once you make them, look at them. ::) I had some good sliced roasted turkey breast I was going to take up. On the list, nope missed it. John loves sausage gravy and biscuits. Nope, forgot the biscuits. John always takes a propane lantern along even when we stay at the main camp, just for insurance. Had three bottles of propane. Yep, you guessed it, no lantern. We always take two way radios along so when John doesn't go out fishing, he can keep track of me. He had put the radios in a bag, but took them out and you guessed it, didn't put them back in. It was an extremely good thing our behinds were attached.
I did remember to take a notebook with me to jot some notes down for my trip report. I just didn't take the time to do it. Our first week was better than the second week. The second week was just tough catching fish. The first week we were catching any number of fish in the 12-14 inch range. With it seemed like we had problems catching fish in the slot. Both weeks the fish were in about 22-23 FOW. John has a tough time in the morning getting all the kinks out, so I went out every morning alone. I think JP kind of helped keep track of me. One morning I was fishing near he and his Dad, I got a nice fish on. He saw I was having a battle on my hands, so they started over my direction, but I was oblivious to what was happening outside of my boat. Got the fish in, had a bit of hard time getting the hook out of the cartilage. Turned out to be a nice 26 incher. So I put it back into the water as I thought it was stressed enough. The fish swam away quickly so maybe not as stressed as I thought. I looked up and JP and Dad was motoring over to get a picture of me. Oh well. I appreciate their efforts. It turns out that spot was the hot spot of the week for large fish. JP had gotten a 26 incher there, his dad got 1 or 2 in the 24 inch range there.
One thing I learned from this trip is that all jigs are not created equal. The very first snag I got, it straightened the jig right out and I didn't jerk that hard. I hate to admit it, but I did a girl thing. I bought them because I thought they were pretty. :-[ ::) :o I will pay more attention to quality from now on.
(I did try to get a selfie of one of my 23 or 24 inchers, but it turned out to just be part of the fish. Guess, I am going to have to get the timers and selfies figured out before next year. )
John and I have loved fishing for pike but it seems over the last couple years, we do less and less pike fishing. We started out a couple afternoons when it was crystal clear blue bird skies, and it wasn't long until it clouded over and we went to walleye fishing. We did get one 30 incher walleye fishing.
The second week we were there, the last four days it stormed every day at some point in time throughout the day. This is just one afternoon, I was making a race back to the camp. I was just going out for a little while. The weather looked nice when I left so didn't take the rain gear. (Not that I forgot, just didn't think it was necessary) Wrong. This was my race back to the camp.
(https://s5.postimg.org/dtu5rpstj/ogas_105.jpg) (https://postimg.org/image/h0opbcd9f/)
All the unsettled weather lead to this sunrise and rainbow.
(http://i68.tinypic.com/2ir8042.jpg)
(http://i68.tinypic.com/14sjs5u.jpg)
The second week the fishing was slower as I said but it seemed like the fish we were catching were slot fish so that helped us with our limit for fish to take home and enjoy this winter. There was some discussion that week that possibly the lake may have started to turn over. (I am not sure when that usually happens up north. )It seemed everyone was having a tough time catching fish that week until about the day before we left.
(https://s5.postimg.org/fmx2g1e07/ogas_106.jpg) (https://postimg.org/image/sr2msq61v/)
It is always difficult leaving there as it is truly heaven on earth, but all good things come to an end. Just as this day painted this picture for us.
(http://i64.tinypic.com/16ks278.jpg)
Anyway after 2 weeks of bliss, our time came to go home. Little did we know of the devastation we would be facing with some of our friends. Our cell phone carrier does not provide cell service in Canada, so when we stopped at the motel in Gravenhurst, I got on the motel's wifi and my Facebook messages started blowing up. My last boss had died in his sleep that morning, age 50. He was one heck of a nice guy. They milked 150 cows, so his wife is left with more than her hands full. If that wasn't enough, lightning hit the barn of some good friends on August 2. It was in the middle of the night. They lost everything. 120 head of cattle, a little equipment, 17,000 bales of hay. So when we got back, we were going every direction possible to be as much help as possible. I told John that night at the motel, let's just turn around and go back, but I knew there were people waiting on me. So, count your blessings. One never knows what tomorrow may bring.
Nancy and John,thanks for sharing !!!
Nice report Nancy. Don't sweat the small stuff, everyone forgets something.
Hope your friends receive the help they need.
Glad you had a safe trip Nancy!
Great pictures... and great on you for helping out others upon your return. Unbelievable and amazing pictures and videos of the "down south" weather and devastation the last month.
Greg
Great report Nancy...thanks...good read...and sounds like a successful trip.
Getting blasted with bad news upon your return is no fun though. And you're right...you just never know what tomorrow will bring...hence my signature line to embrace every moment....
Bo-Mark...hmmm...may have to give that a look for our trip up next week.
Thanks again...
Glad to read that you and John had a great 2 weeks in your part of paradise. Thanks for your report and pictures.
Jay
Thanks Nancy, great report and pictures. I'm glad you and John had a safe and enjoyable trip.
Thanks for sharing, nice report and pictures!
Great report Nancy!! Thanks for the pictures!!
This is my first year fishing this area and it truly is heaven on earth!
Don't feel bad my wife fished with jigs that matched her nail polish! Disclaimer, she's not a girly girl, she was just being funny LOL!
If your jigs straightened because they are thin wire, that's what ya want to stick that tough mouth of a walleye ;)
Great report...just got back from a week in Maine (Bangor/Bar Harbor area) and the area constantly reminded me of Kipawa. It was all the pine, birch and granite I think. Makes me "homesick" for Kipawa!
Great report... Totally understand the list and forgetful aspect... I think I make up several lists before our trip and nevertheless we always miss something.
Hoping your friends make out ok.
Nancy, great report. I'm much younger than you and John and have forgotten things each trip, that's where you must improvise "paper towels for napkins" come to mind ;D nice fish! That's a real keeper. Sorry about the mess at home, life truly is fragile.
Nice reading report. Thanks!
Making a list and checking it twice is highly overrated.
I think I know the jigs you had; they sound like thin wire crappie jigs. When you snag them, pull and straighten them out to retrieved, then rebend to reuse. Works good for the paper mouth crappie, but not real good on a walleye mouth.
I too had some bad news coming home. Starting with a hurricane that I drove through it's remnants, and a buddy that had just lost his wife.
My father and I had a great time as always at Ogascanan. It was great to share a week with Nancy and John. I wish I had yelled to Nancy to place the 26 inch walleye in a net and let it start revieving in the water while I was heading in her direction....it would have been a great picture of her with a NICE walleye.... "After Thoughts" .....my mistake.......Hope to see them again next year.
@Nancy your statement " it really didn't seem like much exciting happened to us to report" couldn't be further from the truth.
You went north fishing, if that's not excitement enough then I don't know what is!
LOLOL
All kidding aside, really great job on the report (this and the other one), and the pictures are amazing!
Its so nice having this board so that when we can't be north we can live through others who are (or just recently returned anyhow).
I'm sure I can speak for many on this board when I say there have been many days when we're stuck in the daily grind, not anywhere close to Kipawa (or surrounding area) and a trip north too long off when
looking at this board and reading the reports is about the only thing keeping me from all out losing it.
Thanks for sharing!
I'm sure I can speak for many on this board when I say there have been many days when we're stuck in the daily grind, not anywhere close to Kipawa (or surrounding area) and a trip north too long off when
looking at this board and reading the reports is about the only thing keeping me from all out losing it.
FW, you speak for me!
Fort Wisers has said it for all of us.
The daily grind is what it is.