May 20, 2011
It has definitely been a slow start to the season for me. Between boat rigging, work constraints, and the miserable weather, the itch to cast a line has certainly been great.
I was fortunate to receive an invite from Yannick of Ottawa River Guided Fishing to fish the season opener. I jumped at the offer. Having corresponded with Yannick over the last few months, I could tell the day would be one full of laughter, fun, and definitely some fish. And although I have a love/hate relationship with the Ottawa River when it comes to finding and catching fish, spending some time with an experienced guide would be just what the doctor ordered.
I arrived at the Rockland launch just before 7am and we were on the water shortly after. The day was warm already, the sun was shining and their was barely a ripple on the rivers surface. A beauty of a day.
This would be a scouting mission solely for pike, as that was the preferred specie for clients the next day. We began working typical back bays – shallow with muddy bottoms, sparse weed and wood. Other than a few hammer handles – caught on spinnerbaits – the morning period was a bit tough. But that is what scouting is about and we were determined to locate active fish.
As the back bays warmed and a small front came through, the action began to pick up. Working water as shallow as two-feet, we began picking off pike from a stump-strew bay with a mixture of vegetation types. Most fish were typical for this section of the Ottawa River and ranged between three and six-pounds. My most consistent action came on a #5 Mepps Bucktail Spinner (white) while Yannick stuck to his spinnerbait. We also picked up a few fish tossing topwaters and landed a few working a short-line, prop-wash trolling pattern.
Here is Yannick with a typical Ottawa River northern:
We ended the day with approximately twenty-five pike landed – and some sunburned skin! Another highlight of the day was seeing three bald eagles. Sadly, I forgot the telephoto lens at home.
For those looking for a fun day on the Ottawa River, be sure to give Yannick a call – you won’t be disappointed.
http://www.ottawariverfishing.ca
May 24, 2011
Decided to hit a favourite section of the Rideau River today in search of pike, crappie and ‘gills. Another glorious day weather-wise. Headed down the river to a favourite back bay of mine. Water averages between one and five-feet in depth and has more of a tannic stain to it. It also seems to warm up the fastest.
Second cast throwing the Mepps and the first pike was in the boat. What surprised me on this day was the number of follows and short strikes I was getting – close to twenty when all tallied up! Ended the day with eight pike making it to the net.
Locating the crappie was a bit of a struggle. They certainly were not relating to shallow cover, but I did find them tight to submerged stumps quite a distance from shore. Most stumps held only one fish but most were willing to bite. Definitely an exercise in sight-fishing! The ‘gills were another story. Located some decent schools of fish on sand flats and in full spawn mode. Put a few in the boat but they had other things on their mind, and most would refuse to hit, no matter how many times I dangled my offering in their face.
May 26, 2011
Woke up to gloomy weather today. The forecast was for a thundershower, but sensing a window of relative calm, I decided to head out for a couple of hours. Snuck over to the same back bay:
The fishing was fairly consistent and close to a dozen fish were landed. Most came from water less than two-feet deep. Exciting fishing to say the least.
The new Humminbird units and Navionics charts are working flawlessly. Again, my thanks goes out to both companies for providing me with these top-notch products for the 2011 season. Head over to my “Support” page for links to both websites. Throughout the coming months I will be providing reviews, video tips, and additional information on how to get the most out of these fishing aids.
Thanks also to Ed from Paddletales for getting me the RAM mount…
Another great start to the fishing season. Have a few trips planned over the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for the next report.
Yours in the Outdoors,
Justin
(click on images to view full-size)
Love the aggressive spring pike in the shallows. Gotta say that new setup looks great in the boat. 🙂 Looking foward to trying it out next week!