3 SEASONS CAMP JUNE 10-17

JLG · June 20, 2017, 07:04:35 PM

Sounds a lot like our week last year same time of year. Big blow and Storms early n week shut the eyes down for the remainder of the week. Only one of my honey holes produced a consistent bite but it is only big enough for 1 boat so the grandson got to catch a few eyes there in the morning of our last day on the lake. Since the location of the hole is narrow and sheltered from the wind it is buggy all day long so with the bug reports this year I would imagine It would have been suicide to try to anchor and fish it. Did catch nice bass and trout consistently but the trout were all under the new length limit and I agree still a great place to spend a week every year. Hope the trout are responding well to the new regs as well as the walleye recruitment.

SgtCrabby · June 20, 2017, 10:17:46 PM

A fantastic and eloquent report, thank you.
It has made my evening to read it.

T-Bone · June 21, 2017, 09:00:09 AM

Quote from: CaptainCrappie on June 20, 2017, 06:09:30 PM
I'm sure that constantly changing wind had something to do with it. That's my best excuse. I'm not going to that "Galloping senility" excuse. When everyone in camp is not catching much of any thing, it says says a lot. When the veterans in camp.... up to 85 years old with over 40-45 years fishing the Kip are getting skunked, it is not just your luck.

Like I said before...wow...the only thing to say about that is it stinks. We've been up when the wind is variable for a day or so at a time. West one day, north the next two days, south for a day...etc. I have no idea if that matters or not, but probably indicated unstable weather which is no good. Most people say they don't like an East wind, but I recall some of our best fishing on Kipawa being when the wind is consistently out of the East. Well...there's always next year, I suppose...and just being on Kipawa for a week is worth it, like you said.

Cmdr. Bluegill · June 21, 2017, 01:51:24 PM

Nothing much to add to the Captain's report but at least now I know why there are dead day lilies next to the garage

. I do think the facilities at Tem Rose are nicer than at the Auberge Canadienne but I would not stay there again, at least not on a Friday night. What a rowdy crowd! Despite the weather causing the difficult fishing we had a great time. Met a lot of new fishermen and really enjoyed ourselves. We had been gone for four years and it seemed like we never missed any time.

Here are some pictures from the sparse catch:

Note the rain suits, head nets and even surgical gloves. Those black flies and mosquitoes were the worst! Of course there are more pictures of me than the Captain because that is how I am!

I can't post more pictures right now because I am getting an error from the Tinypic program. Maybe I will try later.

Commander Bluegill

Cmdr. Bluegill · June 21, 2017, 02:37:26 PM

Can't have pictures without a setting sun on Kipawa and the Captain's favorite spot

Until next time ...

Commander Bluegill

T-Bone · June 21, 2017, 02:38:51 PM

Those are some dandy fish, if you ask me...quality over quantity I guess. I started laughing out loud...the pic of Captain...scrunched into the back of the boat with a huge tub in front of him AND the (what appears to be) the Super-Mega-Colossal tackle box next to it. That can't really be a tackle box...could it?

Thanks for posting...pictures are worth a thousand words...

Cmdr. Bluegill · June 21, 2017, 05:10:42 PM

Quote from: T-Bone on June 21, 2017, 02:38:51 PM
I started laughing out loud...the pic of Captain...scrunched into the back of the boat with a huge tub in front of him AND the (what appears to be) the Super-Mega-Colossal tackle box next to it. That can't really be a tackle box...could it?

Thanks for posting...pictures are worth a thousand words...

Welll - yes that is ONE tackle box. He had two tackle boxes, that big tub, an underwater camera and a depth finder back there. He is no small guy, either. I could not quite balance out the boat even sitting all the way in front. Those tackle boxes cost us about 10 mph at full throttle

I don't remember him opening them except when he was fooling around at the dock. But, a boy has to have his toys

Commander Bluegill

CaptainCrappie · June 21, 2017, 08:02:06 PM

T-Bone, I left my big box at home! T have an UMCO Possum Belly with 10 cantilever trays, (can actually double as a cooler but don't have room for the ice!) Had it since 1972. I have some treasured memories associated with that box and with some of the lures in it. They don't make boxes like that anymore and it will belong to my son Brian. someday. Those two boxes that I took... I call em my walleye boxes. I always say that I'd rather be looking at it than looking for it. Yeah , probably a bit of overkill but if you have ever wished you would have brought something but didn't.... Well,I never worry cause I got it.

Now you can see why we call that rock formation "Snoopy" See Snoopy lying on his back.. on his dog box... with Woodstock? Reggie says that we're the only guys who fish it but Rhybak fishes it too. Not all the time but he does. Some very big fish have been caught there. My son-in-law's brother caught an eleven pounder there. I had a fish hooked there fishing with the Commander in 2001 that broke the snelled hook. I had him on for several minutes. I named him "Moby and I swore back then that I would track him down. Ahab has nothing on me.

C.C.

T-Bone · June 22, 2017, 09:03:49 AM

Quote from: CaptainCrappie on June 21, 2017, 08:02:06 PM
Reggie says that we're the only guys who fish it but Rhybak fishes it too. Not all the time but he does. Some very big fish have been caught there.

Maybe Reggie says that because he knows it the hottest structure in that area. HA!!! By the looks of it, I'd say that Snoopy would hold fish all day, everyday, including pike, smallies, 'eyes. That's the kind of thing we look for when out exploring, then make a dash for it once we ID it.

I'm torn this year on how much tackle to take. 95% of the fishing I do is jig fishing, but I still bring a box full of stick baits, crank baits, etc. My box is maybe 25% the size of your biggie there, but I'm thinking about taking about 5-7 lures out of that and leaving the rest at home. But, like you said, I'd hate to need something and not have it.

Still laughing on that pic....

Greg · June 22, 2017, 01:26:16 PM

Great trip report... I'm amazed at the anti-bug "costumes" - including the surgical gloves? wow.... get a hot day and put that outfit on and come back in 20lbs lighter!

Nice fish by the way!

I think I will be taking extra effort to purchase and pack some bug gear!!!

...23 more days....

Greg

limacharley · June 22, 2017, 01:41:52 PM

TBone-even at 25% of that biggie that's still way too much tackle for jig fishing.

Greg-In 23 days you won't need bug gear.

Greg · June 22, 2017, 01:46:22 PM

Limacharley - I hope you are right!

I guess it will depend/help if we get a serious 3 or 4 day heat wave - but just in case, I am going to double check my gear.

Greg

T-Bone · June 22, 2017, 02:10:16 PM

Quote from: limacharley on June 22, 2017, 01:41:52 PM
TBone-even at 25% of that biggie that's still way too much tackle for jig fishing.

That's all the other BS I take OUTSIDE of my jiggin' stuff. What I need for jig fishing could fit in the front pockets of my pants...

CaptainCrappie · June 22, 2017, 05:58:33 PM

When day dreaming about Kipawa, how many times do you think about different lures/tactics that might work? For example, When I saw the Lindners fishing with Storm's 360 GT search swim bait I had to get it! They were catching walleys, bass, and whatever was there. At first, nobody had those lures available. I talked to Cabelas and Bass Pro Shop and they did not even know what they were. There was a company in Australia that had some stock but it was Australia! It was about a month before the lures became available so I bought 3 colors of 2 sizes. That's 6 packs of lures. Gotta put em somewhere. Uh, how many times did I fish with them? None! I was going to.... but there's only so much time. I bought some killer leech looking scented plastic lures too. Ditto on the use. What is better than the real thing? I did try a couple of Gulp products without a bite. I can say the gulp stuff does work for crappies. They don't call me Captain Crappie for nothin!

C.C.

Cmdr. Bluegill · June 22, 2017, 06:12:02 PM

Greg, we only fish real early morning and evenings - the rain suits aren't a problem then. Well, except the day it was 80F until about 9 PM but the netting is a must when the bugs are that bad. I usually wear my rain suit top and have my life preserver underneath so I can pull the netting over my head and have it wrap under the collar to keep the bugs out -very effective. I have used surgical gloves for years, primarily to keep my hands dry when we are fishing in the rain. We just decided to try them to see how the bugs would react. Kinda fun watching black flies crawl around on your hand looking for an opening that doesn't exist

I wasn't uncomfortable and came home with only the bites I got at the dock on the way out

Those bugs are one reason to pray for wind but since the wind came from all directions throughout the week, it kinda dampened the fishing as per the Captain's report. BTW - if you get used to wearing the netting all kinds of interesting things happen - like trying to drink and remembering too late you have the net on!

Commander Bluegill