Eagle Lake, Ontario - May & June 2011

The sky, it seemed, extended well into forever. Bluer and somehow clearer than any clear blue sky I've seen above San Francisco, it was flecked with wisps of white flitting about in the crisp spring air. The sound of water, the smell of old trees, the sight of acres upon acres of water and forest unblemished by any trace of another human being - yeah, this must be the first week of June, I must be in Canada, and I must, again, be on Ontario's Eagle Lake. Right where I belong.

Dad and I have been taking more-or-less annual fishing trips to Canada since I was pretty young. For a while we spent those summer weeks chasing a myriad of species on the Ottawa River. Later, as life and circumstance took us west, we rejiggered and settled on South Shore Lodge located on, yes, the south shore of Eagle Lake. 68,000 acres - that's sixty-eight thousand acres - and hundreds of islands made Eagle Lake, at least according to advertising copy, an angler's paradise. A flight to International Falls, Minnesota, a three hour drive north into Canada and, finally, a short boat ride to camp was all it took to find us in the heart of some truly beautiful country. Our first trip to Eagle was in late July and was quite successful - Pike to 37", some big Smallmouth, decent Walleye, a half-dozen follows from giant Musky (one being easily a mid-50 inch fish) and an unending selection of nooks, crannies, and bays to explore. We wanted to be able to target Smallmouth more consistently in the shallows and Gord, the lodge owner and former guide, recommended early season for this as the bass would typically be up shallow in pre-spawn, spawn, or post-spawn mode. Thus our second year found us on Eagle Lake for the first week of June. Gord's word proved true, as the Smallmouth were thick over rock piles and other shallow structure. On the days they were willing they wolfed down Senkos with abandon and chased down shallow crankbaits with ease. A 4-5 pound smallmouth was not an uncommon fish that year. The big Pike, also theoretically in the shallower parts of the lake at that time of year, proved to be somewhat scarce, with a 32" being the biggest we boated that year. But we had seen enough, and learned enough, to know that we were coming back for round three in 2011's first week of June.

If I had one word with which to summarize our 2011 Eagle Lake trip it would be gangbusters. Without question, our best year of Canadian fishing. Our first day, we got to camp in the early evening thanks to Delta Airlines, who was kind enough to provide our luggage with an extra night of accommodations in Minneapolis while we had already flown to International Falls. Not wanting to forgo any more fishing time than we already had, we unpacked a few rods and hit the water for a bit of fishing immediately after dinner. One of the best aspects of South Shore Lodge is that it is close to a number of great fishing spots. Thus we headed around the corner to Blind Bay, where we had found much success the year prior. 30 minutes after our last bite of dinner, we were blind casting to shore in about 4 or 5 feet of water (fow) at the entrance to a small cove in Blind Bay. Dad was throwing a crankbait and I was tossing about a Rainy's CF Baitfish on my 8wt fly rod and Rio Grand floating line. The water was clear enough that I could see the fly, some 8-12 inches below the surface, and a couple of feet around it. It's hard to describe how exciting it is, then, when you see the giant head and body of a large Pike appear out of the shadows around your fly, rush forward, and inhale your lure. Luckily I ignored my heart palpitations and was able to execute a good enough strip set and the fight was on. After numerous runs and contortions, we boated a 35" Pike, no more than an hour after we had just finished dinner, on a quiet bay devoid of any sign or sound of civilization. Starting out like that, on our first night, I knew we were in for a good week of fishing.

And in for a good week, we were. Our second day of fishing brought a number of fish to the boat, including another huge Pike on the fly rod - this one nearing 40 inches and 15 pounds that went aerial twice during the fight in one of the most impressive displays I've ever seen from any freshwater fish.

The smallie bite proved to be a bit elusive for the first couple of days. For some reason, they didn't seem as "on" at many of the spots that had produced last year. We found some, to be sure, but not quite in the same number as before. That began to change in the middle of the week. If it was the weather, or the length of day, or the moon phase, or some kind of hatch that was getting in the way, I'll never know, but at one point the usual spots started to produce again and what a treat that was. Our old friends had obviously been eating well since we had last crossed paths, and our average size of Smallmouth was significantly better than in previous seasons. It would not have been impossible for dad and I to have put together a 5-fish "tournament" limit of 25 pounds in one day! For Smallmouth, that's pretty incredible. I landed one smallmouth by the inflow of a creek in about 6fow that, while 'only' being 20 inches in length, was one of the fattest Smallies I've ever seen. She weighed a rather incredible 6 pounds!

Six pounds of Smallmouth on the fly rod

It is trips and experiences like this that continually reestablish the Smallmouth Bass as my favorite freshwater gamefish. It is cliched to say that they are, pound for pound, the hardest fighting fish in freshwater, but the tenacity, the acrobatics, and the sheer violence with which they fight makes for a truly commendable foe. Some of the smallest Smallmouth, in fact, are some of the most willing and pugnacious fighters, pulling with a strength that would trick you into thinking you had a much larger fish on the end of your line. It's the never-say-die attitude of these freshwater bulldogs that has earned them that special place in my angling heart. And while there are an unending amount of options when it comes to destination angling - exotic flats teeming with jacks and bonefish, bluewater adventures for billfish, jungle battles with tarpon or peacock bass - give me my choice and I'll take a Canadian shield lake in spring, a bronze bomber on the end of my line, charging off for points and destinations unknown.

This Smallie went 21 inches and just over 5 pounds - a massive, spawned out female

In addition to the constant action for strong, well-fed Smallmouth, Walleye also provided an interesting quarry on the fly rod. Typically a deep water fish caught by jigging or trolling some kind of bait, they are quite willing to take all kinds of lures and flies in the early season when they are in the shallows. We pulled out Walleye up to 22 inches in less than 4 or 5 feet of water. And while I make a point of releasing essentially every fish that I catch, we always keep a few eater-size (15, 16 inches) Walleye for the weekly shore lunch at camp, which is stupendously delicious. Fresh fried Walleye, potatoes and beans on a shore overlooking Eagle Lake in June - aren't too many times that get better than that.

Last but certainly not least, our 2011 trip to Eagle Lake also marked our first two Muskys - ever. Nothing huge (high 20 inches), but gorgeously colored fish and certainly thrilling to finally boat a couple examples of the elusive predator. Both came on shallow running crankbaits and light spinning tackle.

So gangbusters it was, and I'm already looking forward to 2012. Big Pike, world-class action for trophy Smallies, a few Walleye and even a couple of Musky tossed in for good measure - all battled and boated under the expansive Canadian sky amidst all the natural splendor that I could really ever dream of.

One of the last fish of the trip...

 A mix of fly and spinning tackle was used - for the fly, an 8wt was the weapon of choice, with an 8wt floating line and an intermediate line both seeing action. No metal leaders - got away with 30 or 40lb fluoro at the business end. Best fly was a Rainy's CF Baitfish in Fire Tiger or Chartreuse/White. A red/white Dahlberg Diver also produced well. Spinning tackle included Medium and Medium-Heavy power rods mated to 2500, 3000, and 4000 series reels from the Stella and Stradic families. 20lb PowerPro was standard, usually tipped with 20 to 30lb fluoro. Lipless cranks in minnow or crawfish color patterns produced well and could be fished at a variety of depths, though we were usually in less than 10fow. Yo-Zuri drums, or Lucky Craft LV500s. Shallow running, lipped cranks also worked well, from YZ Crystal Minnows to LC Pointers. Topwater bite was there, though we didn't pursue it as much as we have in the past. But buzzbaits and propbaits still produced. Daytime highs ranged from the high 50s to the mid 70s, with lows reaching as low as the 40s on some nights. Crisp and variable is an apt description for early June on Eagle Lake. There are usually one to two good days of solid rain, and this year was no exception, though Mother Nature did see fit to put on a hail storm for us one day as well. Good rain gear (even including waterproof shoes) is a must.