Algonquin Spring Fishing

May 9 - 13, 2005

Trip Reports

Algonquin Spring Fishing 2005

Trip Preparation
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
What worked well
Lessons Learned

Frontenac Provincial Park

Petawawa River

Day Six

Time to pack up and head home. Not really sure where the time goes on the last day. We get up about the same time, eat the same breakfast, then break camp and load up. We do troll on our way up Pen, so that adds a bit of time compared to just paddling. We only had one fish between us on the way up, a Laker just before the channel by the island at the north end of the lake. This one was Eric's again. Seems to me I'm seeing a pattern here. We were both using EGBs almost exclusively so it wasn't likely a difference in lures and we were both using 10lb line so it wasn't likely a difference in line thickness (in the past when I've used 6lb or 8lb and Eric has used 10lb it never seemed to make a difference so I switched to 10lb this year since you tend not to lose as many of the lures that you do snag). All I can think is that the fish were hitting the first lure to go by and since Eric was paddling in the bow that tended to be him.

We did have a brief flurry of excitement about halfway from the middle bay up to the island when Rick and I both thought we had fish on at the same time. It took a few moments to realize that it wasn't a fish pulling back on each of our lines, but that we were actually caught on each others line. Oh well, it felt like a good sized fish.

Anyway, we probably had everything portaged across to Rock Lake by about 1pm. Only took 2 1/2 trips for the group on the way out, guess we must have eaten a bit while we were in there. Then we ate a leisurely lunch by the shore of Rock before loading up.

Back on the water we stopped to fish the pool where the water cascades in from Pen Lake. Eric had another Laker on his first cast and shortly after that Rick caught a Brookie. Both fish were released, the Laker would have been in the slot anyway. After that we started back down Rock Lake to the takeout. Strangely enough we had the wind at our backs on the way out too. This was a pleasant surprise, although it seemed too good to be true. I always troll a line back through Rock though we don't work too hard at following the shoreline, which probably explains why I've never caught anything there either.

It was about 4pm by the time we had the vehicles loaded up and the canoes tied down. Then it was time to go find a SHOWER. The good thing about spending a week fishing in May is that it's usually cool enough you don't get too stinky during the week, nonetheless that first shower comes close to being priceless. The Rock Lake campground wasn't going to be opening until the May long weekend this year, so we had stop at the Mew Lake campground to find an open shower. After that we were presentable enough to stop for the traditional going home meal at the Harvey's in Huntsville.

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