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Post by wilmsmeyer on May 25, 2010 5:11:45 GMT -5
It's almost that time again. Leaving June 11 for the Gouin Reservoir in Quebec. 6 Guys this year...3 boats...
Anyone interested in huge waters and 1000's of miles of broken shorelines ought to google this place. Mostly fly-ins and a few really bad, really long roads in. (That's what we do) For newb's, GPS is a must. This place makes it's own weather.
Started tying worm harnesses a few weeks ago and have all I need for 6 full days on the water.
Methods this early will be finding warm shallow bays. By shallow I mean 4-10 feet. Trolling with 1/4 oz sinkers and harnesses at about 1 mph. Not unusual to catch them in the prop wash this early.
17 days......................
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Post by youp50 on May 25, 2010 9:52:44 GMT -5
17 days......................
But who is counting?
Sounds like an adventure worth recounting for us "French impaired"
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Post by smokeeter on May 25, 2010 16:06:18 GMT -5
Good luck Wilms. We are heading up to Temagami on Friday the 28, walleye and lakers we boat in and camp for the week, it's an hour and a half boat ride loaded with gear. Hope the bugs aren't too bad but I think that's wishful thinking.
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Post by DBinNY on May 25, 2010 21:47:31 GMT -5
Bugs, that was my first thought. Good luck to you guys and don't forget the bug dope. At least if you're out on a lake you might get a favorable breeze. Fishing a trout stream up there can be just brutal.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on May 26, 2010 4:58:38 GMT -5
I'm not a big gadget guy so I usually rely on cancer-causing amounts of deet for a week. BUT.....has anyone tried one of those "therma-cells"?
For those that don't know what I mean, it's a $25 item that has batteries and bug repellent pads inside and supposedly fends off bugs around your body.
I would get one if I had a few reliable reviews.
16 days...........
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Post by youp50 on May 26, 2010 9:43:34 GMT -5
Someplace there was a thread on insects. Therm a cell got good reviews. I did a search and the Boarhog liked his. It was in a 'cooling rod' thread.
If you have to deal with black flies or no see ums I can attest to the effectiveness of a product from Shaklee called Basic H. Its a soy based soap they will not bite through. They will crawl all over you looking for an uncovered spot, so do not miss,
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jun 1, 2010 5:05:19 GMT -5
10 DAYS.....
Just heard a report that there are some massive wild fires in Quebec. Anyone here able to pin point where these are? If they are anywhere near the penetration road we travel, it could interfere with our plans
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Post by minst7877 on Jun 1, 2010 16:32:48 GMT -5
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Post by boarhog on Jun 2, 2010 15:19:29 GMT -5
Thermacell works great on these Eagle sized skeeters we have in our Arkie swamps. Not sure about Black Flies and Noseeums.
I am wanting to learn how to Walleye fish. My camper is on Lake DeGray and I have not managed to catch the first one. I have been told it is one of the top 3 Walleye and Striper lakes in AR. Of course, I never get to take a vacation, so have only been there 2-3 times in 3 years! Sob! Do you have a pix of the famed "Worm Harness" that you can post? Boarhog
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jun 3, 2010 5:12:52 GMT -5
8 DAYS.........
Boarhog,
I don't have a picture but the worm harness is a simple concept and can take many forms and be customized in many ways.
A basic worm harness will have 2 hooks about 2 inches apart on the same line. Then 4-8 beads in colors of your choice and a clevis that holds a spoon that can vary in size, shape and color.
It works best when trolling and fished just off the bottom. If you are in shallow water and want to be well off the back of the boat, you use very little weight. If fishing deeper, keep adding weight up to a bottom bouncer if you have to. Honestly, for me, once the fish have moved into 20+ feet of water, I go to something else like a Husky jerk and lead line. Although jigging is also popular and effective it has little appeal to me and our group. It's very boring. We like to cover lots of ground, find fish, and then pound them until they cease biting.
8 days.....
I bet Kerry B has a picture...
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Post by Al on Jun 6, 2010 2:51:40 GMT -5
I'm not a big gadget guy so I usually rely on cancer-causing amounts of deet for a week. BUT.....has anyone tried one of those "therma-cells"? For those that don't know what I mean, it's a $25 item that has batteries and bug repellent pads inside and supposedly fends off bugs around your body. I would get one if I had a few reliable reviews. 16 days........... Unless they changed, mine runs on a little butane cartridge, which heats a fiber strip that has the repellent in it. Worked like a charm up in Manitoba spring bear hunting.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jun 8, 2010 20:17:08 GMT -5
It's time now. Boats are ready, groceries purchased....except last minute stuff. Gas cans and coolers stacked up....bags packed. Passport ready.
So....I didn't get a therma-cell. Will rely on the old bug spray.
Leaving at 3 am Friday...ETA 7-8 pm Friday. Fish 6 full days and leave Fridat at 5:00 am as it's getting light. Be home by 9-10 pm 6/18. 17 hrs each way...dragging boats on bad roads fully loaded with a weeks supply of food, gas and enthusiasm.
As for a forecast: Reservoir is low...fish should be more concentrated based on previous years. Temps look like mid 70's all week. GOOD! Last year was 90-100 all week. Caught fish but exhausted every day. Forest fires are no deal breaker anymore after the past few days and geography of our route in.
3 days man...3 days. Have not taken a day off work since the trip last year. I'm ready.
Fishing is always better earlier if you like shallow water bites...trolling harnesses. Been part off many of these bites up there and when it's right....look out!
We like to say that if the fish are biting harness's or husky's in the prop wash, we won't have enough bait...a good thing.
This year I am bringing my trail cam. Gonna set it up over a bunch of leftover shore lunch the 1st day and see if I can get a wolf, bald eagle, bear or Sasquatch. Won't know until I get home. Should be fun.
3 days.........
Walleye's...........mmmmmmmm good!
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Post by deadon on Jun 8, 2010 20:23:58 GMT -5
Wilms, I am very happy for you sir Got a laptop and an air card so you can keep us posted every day? No, If I had one, I would leave it home also. Have a great trip, Rusty
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Post by DBinNY on Jun 8, 2010 21:45:24 GMT -5
Good luck Buddy. Save the cheeks.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jun 9, 2010 4:51:24 GMT -5
Don't worry about those cheeks DB
Cheek chowder is a tradtional soup on our last day.
Half and Half - 1 qt tomato soup - 3 cans Cream of asparagus - 3 cans 1 stick butter 2 small cans minced clams 2 small cans baby shrimp a little spice Bring to a slow boil
Then add a quart baggie full of cheeks and wait 10 minutes....done. Nice.
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Post by DBinNY on Jun 9, 2010 15:10:19 GMT -5
Works for me.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jun 19, 2010 13:58:56 GMT -5
Well we survived another adventure to the Gouin Reservoir.
Weather was "flat"....water was 6 feet below pool...and the fish were sulking. Caught enough to eat and bring back a limit (8 per man).
Navigation was not for the non-adventurous. Imagine...you are 1/2 mile from land in any direction and using your running motor to get somewhere. You are in 30-40 ft of water Then....your graph goes from 40 ft to 6 ft in 2 seconds. You cut the throttle and idle around only to find you are in a minefield of rocks the size of a dump truck 1 foot below the surface. Happens often in huge reservoirs of flooded landscape meant for Hydro-electric production. The lower the water the more "issues" even in waters that were once not as scary at full pool.
Biggest Walleye caught was 26 3/4". I won't say who caught it because you'll think I was only bragging ;D (Second year in a row ;D) We put $20 per man in a pool each year so beer was free ;D
So we get in there...out of there with nothing but 1 flat tire...always a challenge on 100+ miles (one way) of gravel logging roads. Successful plugging job...portable compressor...bing, bang boom.
Then, after 14 hours on the road just south of Watertown a deer decides to bolt across I-81 south like a pack of wolves was on her tail. NO time to react....if we did react it would have been worse. Smashed the heck out of my truck. Our guys ahead of us went to the next exit....headed back noth...got back on in Watertown and met us at the scene. After cops and tow truck, we transferrred all our stuff into the remaining rig and limped home heavily loaded hoping we would not have any further issues.
Got home at 1:30 am instead od 11:30 pm. So my truck is in Ellisburg...along with my buddies boat...with an insurance adjuster to come along "sometime" this coming week. The front end is toast. Tranny and radiator fluid was coming out in gallons!
Things happen fast. I've never in my life been in a rig that smashed a deer like that. All I can say is never swerve or panick. Just cream the deer and deal with the fallout. It could have been catastrophic. Here's the kicker: 5 miles earlier, we had topped off on fuel and my buddy was driving my truck....giving me a needed break. He is feeling very bad about the truck. I've told him to chill out and thanked him for his excellent reaction. He said he tapped the brakes hard for a split second....felt the boat lurch into the truck and let off the brake without even swerving an inch and SMACK!
His reaction was perfect and we have only this very inconvenient situation to deal with concerning logistics of getting this thing fixed.
Can't imagine what would have happened in a small car going 65-70.
Becareful out there
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Post by deadon on Jun 19, 2010 18:03:57 GMT -5
Wlms, glad you are OK. Those fish are good eating.
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Post by DBinNY on Jun 20, 2010 20:45:35 GMT -5
Sorry about the deer incident and glad you caught some fish. The would be a worse nightmare if it happened on the other side of the border! You'll have to take out revenge on the local herd this fall.
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Post by youp50 on Jun 25, 2010 5:32:39 GMT -5
First the bad news; I am sorry to hear of your misfortune.
The good; You had a very memorable trip. Somehow overcoming adversity is icing on the cake. We just need to be sure the cake is worth the icing.
I sure would like to see some images.
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