2014 Canoe Trip - Day 5
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 2:16 pm
Day 5. Fun type: 1
Got up early to check out the lake which was looking amazing as things were absolutely still, with just a little mist around. There were fish breaking the water all over the place, and a couple of canoes headed out, I was in one with Jason and we got onto a couple of bass as well as a couple of small pike all of which we released since we had so much fish left over from the previous day. There seemed to be a bit of a sill across the lake just west of the camp and this seemed to be where most of the fish were. I caught a really nice bass of 4.3 lbs but we let that go too. There were otters playing in the little bay just next to camp and a big snapping turtle cruising the shore right in front of where we had set up. When we got back Mike had pancakes ready (special gluten free recipe) which was really nice.
The weather was still fantastic by the time we broke camp and hit the water, and I got a really nice walleye just short of 20” trolling up the lake. After that the paddling speeded up and it was good weather for all the way through Flint Lake. We stopped on an island at the pinch point in the middle of Flint and had lunch which was fish tacos using the bass from the day before which we had preserved in lime juice. The paddling out of Flint Lake and on to Cedartree Lake was really interesting, much of it following a nice little river with very clear water. We had a couple of short portages around little falls and roads but nothing major. We got to Cedartree in mid-afternoon and had a rest and a swim where the river leaves the lake. There was a big snapping turtle sunning itself (just like us) on the other side of the river and Jason and mike snuck up on it and got pretty close. After that we moved on directly to the camp site on a small island in the middle of the lake which was where the camp had been the previous year.
There was a small boat with a group of locals in fishing in the area when we rounded into the central part of the lake. We could see smoke coming from the island we were going to camp on and the sound of the boat’s outboard seemed really intrusive on what was still a remarkably calm day. Fortunately the boat and its crew left for the northern shore of the lake soon after we spotted them so we weren’t faced with having to find a new camp. There was a bit of scratching around to find a tent site for everyone, but in the end all fitted well. There was more swimming and preparing for dinner as the sun was setting, and the fish didn’t seem to be biting much though later that afternoon Jon and Chris fished a rock bar at the entry to the eastern part of the lake and had a bit of luck. Dave made an Italian themed dinner which was great and didn’t require a lot of fish. After dinner Mike and Ada caught a lot of crayfish and Mike was particularly keen on this. The method was mainly putting out some bait and then spotlighting with a scoop net. We tried to keep them in a net overnight but, by morning, almost all had escaped.
Got up early to check out the lake which was looking amazing as things were absolutely still, with just a little mist around. There were fish breaking the water all over the place, and a couple of canoes headed out, I was in one with Jason and we got onto a couple of bass as well as a couple of small pike all of which we released since we had so much fish left over from the previous day. There seemed to be a bit of a sill across the lake just west of the camp and this seemed to be where most of the fish were. I caught a really nice bass of 4.3 lbs but we let that go too. There were otters playing in the little bay just next to camp and a big snapping turtle cruising the shore right in front of where we had set up. When we got back Mike had pancakes ready (special gluten free recipe) which was really nice.
The weather was still fantastic by the time we broke camp and hit the water, and I got a really nice walleye just short of 20” trolling up the lake. After that the paddling speeded up and it was good weather for all the way through Flint Lake. We stopped on an island at the pinch point in the middle of Flint and had lunch which was fish tacos using the bass from the day before which we had preserved in lime juice. The paddling out of Flint Lake and on to Cedartree Lake was really interesting, much of it following a nice little river with very clear water. We had a couple of short portages around little falls and roads but nothing major. We got to Cedartree in mid-afternoon and had a rest and a swim where the river leaves the lake. There was a big snapping turtle sunning itself (just like us) on the other side of the river and Jason and mike snuck up on it and got pretty close. After that we moved on directly to the camp site on a small island in the middle of the lake which was where the camp had been the previous year.
There was a small boat with a group of locals in fishing in the area when we rounded into the central part of the lake. We could see smoke coming from the island we were going to camp on and the sound of the boat’s outboard seemed really intrusive on what was still a remarkably calm day. Fortunately the boat and its crew left for the northern shore of the lake soon after we spotted them so we weren’t faced with having to find a new camp. There was a bit of scratching around to find a tent site for everyone, but in the end all fitted well. There was more swimming and preparing for dinner as the sun was setting, and the fish didn’t seem to be biting much though later that afternoon Jon and Chris fished a rock bar at the entry to the eastern part of the lake and had a bit of luck. Dave made an Italian themed dinner which was great and didn’t require a lot of fish. After dinner Mike and Ada caught a lot of crayfish and Mike was particularly keen on this. The method was mainly putting out some bait and then spotlighting with a scoop net. We tried to keep them in a net overnight but, by morning, almost all had escaped.