Fishing in the Great Northern Outdoors

The biggest catch! A 30lb log!



When ya gotta go...ya gotta go


Me with a couple keepers


Craig with a couple Keepers

The morning of September 1st, my buddy Craig and I departed for untamed Northern Ontario to do some fishing in Red Cedar Lake, near the town of Temagami. The day before we spent packing, gathering supplies (BEvERages, food, and "crap wrap"), and loading the boat we borrowed from a friend of Craig's into the truck. It was an old boat but we were informed it was reliable.

I'm not sure of the hoops Craig had to jump through to convince his wife to stay at home alon with their two children, but lucky for me I have a wife who understands and respects the hobbies I have. It takes a lot to watch two kids for four days on your own when you are used to a second pair of hands! Actually, if I take a second to look at it form her point of view, it may be easier to take care of two kids instead of three (me being the third!!!). It's an opportunity not many wives would be understanding enough to allow their husbands to embark on a relaxation trip leaving them to deal with the offspring.

The trip North is a solid 5 hour drive, which is short as some roadtrips go, but it's a very straight drive with a constant scenery...trees, rocks, and farms with the odd town thrown in.

Once up there we waste no time unpacking and getting to the business of fishing. We get the boat in the lake, get the gear loaded, and head off. 5 minutes later our shoes are getting wet...the boat has a leak...from a one inch gash on the underside of MY seat. In less than 30 minutes we have a 3 inch deep lake in the boat...time to get the bailer into action. In true fisherman fashion, we continue fishing and got one Pike each, with Craig claiming the larger pike. The score: Matt 1 Craig 1.

The next day was kinda cloudy and we had high expectations from the day before. We borrowed some aluminum putty to fix the boat which really helped out! We set off for the day...and caught nothing all day except a little pike which wasn't worth a mouthful to keep. We were mystified and retired to the relaxation of a nice fire and lamb chops for dinner. The score: Matt 2 Craig 1.

Sunday was real crappy weather. Overcast and drizzly all day. We donned chest waiters and rain jackets and set off in search of fish. We decided to fish a river behind a dam using minnows and worms. I caught nothing. Craig claimed three small bass (of which I only saw 1!), but all were too small to bother keeping. We went back in the boat and finally caught a Pickeral each...in the black of night! At least we weren't stumped! We went back to the cabin in better spirits but wishing we had caught more! The score: Matt 3 Craig 5.

Monday was a mixed feeling kinda day. We were glum knowing it would be the last of the fishing, but we were glad to know we would be returning to our families. We packed and cleaned up and then went for one last trip. It was worth it! We each caught two pike, three of them keepers in only two hours! It was a nice way to end the fishing weekend....

The FINAL score: Matt 5 Craig 7.
Matt: 4 pike (3 keepers) and 1 Pickeral (a keeper)
Craig: 3 pike (2 keepers), 1 Pickeral (a keeper), and 3 Smallmouth Bass
Biggest Fish: Craig's 1st pike at nearly 5lbs!