Lake Watson 2023

[NortonJoe]

Well, now that I have had time to catch up at work and home after the annual trip, here we go...

Travel

Our group of eight left Akron Ohio at 6:00 a.m. on July 21 under clear skies in two trucks loaded to the hilt with equipment, supplies, hopes and friends.  We arrived a few hours later at our first stop, the Angola rest area ready to grab a quick Egg McMuffin and a gas fill up.  NOPE, rest area closed...so it was gas only and off to the border. We stopped at duty free to grab liquid refreshments and headed to the border.  The wait was about 15-20 minutes and actually would have been quicker except that the computers were acting up; soon we were through and on our way.  Traffic north was pretty good with the typical slow downs around that Barrie/Orillia area where 400 and 11 diverge but there were no long stops.  Soon we saw the granite outcroppings and knew we were getting there.  As always (we are creatures of habit), we stopped in Huntsville for lunch and a few beers at the Boston Pizza on the Muskoka River. We relaxed, chatted, laughed and, after some good food and a few beers we were back on the road to North Bay.  After checking into our hotel in North Bay and a brief rest, we headed to Wacky Wings for a late bite and then it was bedtime. The next morning it was time to grab the last of the groceries and head to Trapper Joe's for bait.  Finally, the last leg of the trip was here.  The Maniwaki Road and other roads back through the bush were decent.  Of course, as we got further back, the roads got more "challenging" but around noon we were pulling into camp. I was a beautiful day and the sight of the camp as we pulled out of the woods was perfect.

Weather

The weather throughout the week could not have been better.  The temperatures were in the high 70s to low 80s, most of the time under partly cloudy skies. We had one day of rain and a few showers in the afternoons but it was generally good. Evenings were cool and sometimes downright cold, good for sleeping. There is nothing better than sitting on the porch in the evening or on the beach in the afternoon enjoying a cold beer and good conversation. Mosquitos do not generally bother me but they seemed less bothersome to the others this year than in years past. Black flies were non-existent (which is why we choose the time of year we do) although the biting horseflies were a bit of a pest.

Fishing

Now for the fishing! The pike were biting like crazy and the walleye weren't far behind.  The pike seemed to bite on anything, all the time.  We didn't target them a lot because we were catching them while trolling for walleye. We kept pike between maybe 24" and 28" because those seem to be the best for eating and transport. We regularly threw back pike in the 30"+ range.  Largest pike was 41". They are so much fun to catch! Walleye were a bit more of a challenge. Generally, they seemed to be hanging in the 15-20 FOW range, although one of our best days was in a fairly shallow, rocky area in the Kipawa River just upstream from Wolf Lake. That day we caught a load of walleye and basically filled our take-home quota. Otherwise, we trolled all the familiar places and a few new ones.  Most of the walleye were in the low range of the slot, but we were able to catch many in the upper range for travel. The biggest walleye was a 25" followed by a 23". All in all, we we had great fishing with few outings where we were completely skunked. I used hot n' tots almost exclusively along with a few other crankbaits.  I did spend a little time casting spoons and surface lures for pike which is always fun! The other guys used everything from night crawlers on jigs to crankbaits to hot n' tots. Nearly everything caught fish.

Another Great Trip

We all know there is something special about the Kipawa area; the fishing, scenery, the camaraderie. I love that first time you get on the boat, motor to your favorite spot and wait for that familiar tug on the line.  Pulling in that first walleye (or pike) is the best!  Then it's time to spend a week where the biggest decision I have to make is "am I fishing over here or over there and what crankbait am I going to use"? "How many waters/beers/whatever do you want to take out?" "Is there enough gas in the tank?" But soon the week passes and its time to head back, rested, relaxed and looking forward to the trip next year.

[limacharley]

Nice trip report Joe. Glad you had an enjoyable week.

Did you enjoy the talent at that place below Wacky Wings?

[Netman]

Thanks for the report Joe! Glad your group had a great time.

[Kill Switch]

Joe, Great report.
Is there a link you can share to get info on Watsons, including location.
Cheers

Patrick

[Jay Thomas]

Thanks for the trip report. It's always a pleasure to read about trips into the more remote lakes.

Jay

[Hodgey1]

Great report Joe ! Thanks for sharing. Can you tell/show where Lake Watson is?

[Thirdson]

82 days Joe.

[NortonJoe]

82 days Joe.

Can't wait!