Mustang's 2016 Canadian Fishing Report

[Mustang]

Pulled out of Northern Kentucky early May 11th and returned to the real world on June 11th.

 

We fished the North Channel of Lake Huron which we have done every year, less one, since 1991.

 

We had our usual encounter with smallmouth, many of which measured 21 inches. The populations are incredible and bass are caught by walleye fishermen and we plug-throwers alike. We caught enough walleye for two fish dinners and a limit to bring home, although our biggest walleye was 23 inches - not exceptional by even Canadian walleye standards. We also caught a plethora of tiny walleye, which I nicknamed "walleye sliders."

 

We caught a lot of Northern Pike in the 22 to 26 inch range but no wall-hangers per se. Our largest pike were a pair of 30 inchers.

 

The water temperature was 47 degrees when we arrived, but after a few frigid remnants of winter, escalated steadily to 67 degrees during Week Three, before being cooled off to 61 degrees by a cold front during Week Four - the week my brother Mark, his son Andy, and Andy's daughter Kaitlyn joined us.

 

We had four muskie encounters. The first of which was a 40 incher. I caught a second walleye that went 32 inches. My brother Mark had one in the 40's throw the hook back at him, and Bill and I broke one off (my first in ten attempts to hand land them) when he caught one in the 45 inch class at dark.

 

All of the fish we caught were released to fight another day with the exception of a few walleye which we kept for dinner and to bring home.

 

The water levels in the Great Lakes were up about a foot and a half, putting the river and bay water in the willow trees (they are not really willows). Hopefully, that trend will continue as we are still about two feet short of the norm from back in the 90's.

 

Andy took some awesome photos of the resort and the Spanish River with his Go-Pro drone.

 

Enjoy the report:

SchabellSpanishRvrFishingTrip16

[TAC]

That second Muskie must have been something special. Loved following your trip on the bmustangs site.

[Bengal Maniac]

I have no idea why but I love reading these reports every year. I don't fish and really have never enjoyed it. I find this very interesting, though

[Mustang]

That second Muskie must have been something special. Loved following your trip on the bmustangs site.

Word filter did not like the word describing dragging a plug behind your boat at a slow speed.

[justsayin]

I have no idea why but I love reading these reports every year. I don't fish and really have never enjoyed it. I find this very interesting, though

 

Next year, as TAC mentioned, you should follow the daily exploits on bmustangs. You never know what @Mustang is going to bring ... Very entertaining.

[sumoroyal]

Nice job Mustang, hope u had fun!!!!!

[spindoc]

Glad you had a good trip.

[Mustang]

Sumo/Spindoc:

 

Excellent trip. A few COLD days early, which is to be expected, but perfect weather the next three weeks. To measure how the weather was, I will use this example. I like to wear "white pants" - lightweight Docker style. There have been many trips to Canada where I never have had the chance to wear them a single day. This year between Week Two and Week Three I wore them most of the time.

Unfortunately, Week Four (the week my brother, nephew and niece arrived) started with a cold front and the wind blew cold northwest wind for four days, and the "white pants" went on the shelf and the jeans came back out.

 

I also take along long underwear which were put to good use during Week One.

 

I always take issue with folks who call major fishing trips like this one and Pickwick, vacations. As I'm sure Spindoc will attest, Fishing trips are NOT vacations. Adventures yest, vacations no. Vacations are being at an all-inclusive or on a cruise ship having your dinner served to you.

 

I probably sleep better while on a fishing trip than I do at home, due to being out in the elements for 9 to 10 hours every day. I experience countless fever blisters on my lips, and I depend on Jergen's lotion to keep my hands from hurting so bad that I can't sleep. I literally lose the fingerprint on my thumb, due to handing fish.

 

We are always rigging and re-rigging rod and reels, changing leaders, or replacing hooks - We broke off three hooks from Johnson Silver Minnows, and I replaced about 10 sets of trebles on Bill's trusty Zara Spook and a couple sets on my Skitter Frog.

 

In between (with exception to my mandatory two hour nap - 3pm to 5pm - we cook meals, clean fish, fix cocktails, update the website, and wash our clothes. A trip to town is required about every third day for groceries, supplies, and beer or booze. A case of beer in Canada is over $30 a case, and a gallon of Crown Royal is $60. Gasoline was $1.12 a litre for the car, and $1.30 a litre for the boat. We had nine fill-ups in our 29 days at about $70 a fill.

 

We are fortunate to stay in a nice cabin with a full bath, hot and cold running water, and electric heat. There is even a ceiling fan above our dinner table. The camp has deep fryers in which to fry our fish, and a smoker should we wish to have brisket or bring something along to smoke. The screened-in, well lit, fish cleaning house is immaculate with each fisherman who cleans his fish, scrubbing and pressure washing the porcelain table. All remains are put in a "plastic" bag and deposited in a freezer just outside the door. There is never a bad smell in there unless we had beans for dinner.

 

This was my 26th trip to the Blue Heron. The cabin that rented for $150 a week now goes for $650, but splitting the costs between two of us, and saving up for the trip with a portion of racetrack winnings and loose change eases the pain. The exchange rate was 28 cents to the dollar in our favor this year, and the prices quoted above are Canadian funds.

 

If you have a clean record (no felonies or DUIs) crossing the border is a snap with little or no delay, and coming home is stressless as well, despite sometimes sitting in line for 20 minutes. Travel time from the Ohio River at Cincinnati is 12 to 13 hours IF you drive it straight through. We always leave a day early, travel to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, spend the night and then the next morning purchase our groceries and supplies, cross over, change our money and drive the remaining two hours east on TransCanada Highway 17 to camp.

 

This is a great time to visit Canada. There were days that I know we out-fished everyone who fished that day in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. The fishing is pretty incredible and the pictures do not do justice to the size and quality of the fish.

[TAC]

@Mustang I'm confused. You say it is not a vacation. It can't be. You have not worked for several years.:laugh:

 

Hope to have your Issues sooner than later. Lol.

FYI. Just ate fish From Canada at my bro in laws house. Yummy

[Mustang]

@Mustang I'm confused. You say it is not a vacation. It can't be. You have not worked for several years.:laugh:

 

FYI. Just ate fish From Canada at my bro in laws house. Yummy

 

I sure hope it was walleye!

[TAC]

I sure hope it was walleye!

 

Not this time. Bass and crappie.

[Content1]

Great pics, other than the cold spell it looks like a good time was had by all. I always enjoy seeing pics of multi-generations enjoying a good time together....fishing and catching doesn't hurt either!

 

I'm intrigued, just might have to make a trip up there sometime.