The weather was good. It stayed in the lower to mid 90’s most of the week. That would make the walleye go a bit deeper than normal, but it was great for the smallmouth fishing. We caught several bass in the 17″ range, but Brian topped out with a lunker at 19-1/4″, and around 6 lbs. Even though the walleye were a little bit deeper than normal, we still had plenty for the frying pan, as we ate fresh walleye every day that week.
As everyone knows, the real prize of the north is the toothy and ferocious Northern Pike. Some lakes in Ontario are completely polluted with Pike to the point that you get tired of catching them. However there are pike in those waters that are absolutely huge and would look great on anybody’s wall. And nobody knows that better than Sean. I’ll make this story as short as I can. It goes something like this:
Sean hooks into a huge pike. Sean spends the next 20 minutes battling the huge pike. Sadly, the pike wins by snapping the line, and smiling as he swims away. Sean heads back to camp, wondering, what could have been.
The size of this fish was estimated at 48″ (maybe a larger), a real trophy. Anyhow, I haven’t seen Sean that upset since the retirement of Mario Lemieux. The real reason for the loss of this huge pike is still up for debate. And the truth will probably never be known. Even though this was a tough defeat for Sean, he would hold his head high, gather the pieces, and move on to fish another day.
Bruce topped out with the biggest pike for the week at 35.5″. A nice pike, but, there are bigger ones out there.
This was my sixth year going to Ontario, and by far the best year yet. The fishing was excellent, the beer was cold, and the laughs were plentiful. I already can’t wait to see what next year will bring.
Greg
I am not familiar with Lake Nippising but I have fehisd in Canada numerous times. Here is what I’ve found- Most Border and Canadian Lakes can be easily fehisd with only a handful of various bait’s and lures. Bait’s?- Leeches and Shiners will be your best bait for Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, medium-sized Northern Pike. If you are dead-set on catching trophy Pike with bait an 8-12 Sucker would be your best bait. Lures?- Jigs are probably the cheapest and most productive lure. 1/4-3/8 OZ being the best weight’s and Black Chartreuse being the better colors. Berkley Gulp Leeches and 4 Curly-tailed Grubs are good trailers for your jigs. Jigs are also perfect tipped with a live minnow or leech. Spoons can be fantastic for Northern Pike/Musky. Rapala’s can be productive in the shallower sections of any Canadian lake. Any Rapala that resembles Cisco’s, Shiners, or Shad can be deadly if trolled behind the boat. It’s important to use Fluorocarbon leaders or a low diameter Braided line in some clear Canadian lakes because of the amazing clarity of the water. I’ve used Fireline 4/10 smoke-colored braid and Power Pro 3/8 braid with very good results. Dog -walked Topwater lures can be esp deadly on Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. Try to find current or a stream flowing into your lake. This will increase your odds of catching fish. Remember, it’s not unusual to catch 50-100 fish in one day in Canada! Hope this info helped ya? Good fishing. Was this answer helpful?