This trip was also a good one to us both for weather and the fishing result. The pods of fish came and went. The fishing had its highs and lows, just like fishing anywhere. A couple pods of 70+ fish were sighted, which - as it turns out - is more fun to try to video and photo than fish to once you land a couple anyway. Most pods had 3 to 9 or 10 fish and if you ran down the beach and got something at the right depth in their path, one of 2 or 50 casts would be taken if you wanted to chase on the available shoal. Not terribly difficult but fun sighting anyway.
This trip was certainly windier and for 1/2 the trip you simply couldn't launch a jon boat. Thankfully we found reaches of shoreline with nobody else fishing periodically. That isn't to say there aren't people, however. At one point we found ourselves feigning to fish while waiting for our friends to wrap up. The beach can come alive with drunken fools and anglers launching fish back into the lake like a shanked NFL punt - 20 yards high and 25 deep, the "football" wobbling. This was of course all serenaded by another group in their 1978 Pontiac Parisienne with 800 Watt bass tubes belting out the Mexican Top 40, enjoying the quaint moment. In hindsight the locals poaching massive cutts right in front of everyone on our last trip should have been a clue.
But by our last afternoon the 1km section of shoreline available to wade fish for cruisers (due to very restrictive land use laws and sheer rock cliffs) was shared with a couple of other anglers, which quickly spelled out just how few people this location could handle while still feeling freedom to fish.
So, when you look at the photos, realize the reality of the above, and please note that we try our best to reflect the best locations have to offer with pretty photos. It is a pretty spot, but... if you only looked at the photos, you'd be fooled as to the reality of the situation.
To be responsible both to the folks that fish there already and don't need to be crowded out, as well as the folks that only look at the photos and salivate at big cutts and just have to go, it's not all heroes and open water.
We wanted to share this so if you decide to figure out where we went, you know what you are getting yourself into.
I wouldn't want to be responsible for tempting you into what might be your personal hell in terms of fishing surroundings, if such factors aren't your bag, especially given the time to travel, the time off work, and the costs involved. We want to respect your time. A couple evenings it certainly detracted from the experience AJ & I had. The upside & central reason for the return trip was to escape the last of Alberta's clinging winter and to feel the spring sun. That mission... accomplished.
On a scale of 6 second hang times, the fishing experience was a 2 or 3 given the shenanigans. For photos, spring air, and some down time in a pretty spot... a good 5 seconds on that punt. ;)
Check out our full album at our Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150183391976441.302481.688531440
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