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View Full Version : Re: WAY OT, but I'll be gone a while.


Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
September 28th, 2003, 01:28 PM
Well, it's taken a while, but I finally got my thoughts together about my trip and assembled them in
a reasonably coherent form. If anyone cares to read about my bear hunt, the article can be found at
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=146

To keep it slightly on topic, we did go fishing one day. Steve, the outfitter, Dan and I did go to
one of the local lakes. We made one pass by a point, trolling shallow diving crankbaits, and picked
up two nice, eating size walleyes. We then anchored and using a jig and crawler, with a PowerGrub
teaser, proceed to catch out limit in the next 30 minutes, including one nice 5 pound, 25 inch
walleye.

Steve had to go back to the landing and go bait some bear stands, so Dan and I decided to fish for a
while longer. We went to a rock pile in the middle of the lake, and began casting, hoping for some
bigger walleyes. I was hoping for some smallmouth bass, thinking that this location looked ideal
(kinda on topic, notice the reference to bass?). Dan was throwing a jointed shallow diver when he
set the hook and the drag screamed. On light spinning gear and 10 pound PowerPro, he had his hands
full with 39 inches of not pleased northern pike. I weighed it with a digital scale and it weighed
25 pounds! A picture can be seen at

http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=My_eGallery&file=index&do=showpic&pid=29
2&orderby=dateD

Shortly after that, we had to return to camp for Dan's afternoon bear hunt. We decided that the
stand to use wouldn't take two people, so we used a camera mount that strapped to the tree and left
Dan sitting 30 feet up in a big Balsam. Back at camp, Steve and I decided that it wasn't doing
anyone any good to just be sitting around, so we went fishing again. This time, we were armed for
toothy critters.

Back at "Dan's Rock", Steve was throwing a Zara Spook and I was casting a 1/2 oz. White Secret
Weapon. A huge explosion on the Spook told us that there was at least one more active fish on the
rocks. Continued casting resulted in a vicious strike on the Spook. A short while later, I slid
the net under another 39 inch pike, but this one was a touch skinnier and only weighed 20 pounds.

http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=My_eGallery&file=index&do=showpic&pid=29
1&orderby=dateD

That fish was released and we decided to give the rock one more drift. Not really expecting
anything, I continued to cast and due to my muskie upbringing, do a figure 8 with the lure at the
end of each cast. Five minutes later, just as I started the 8, a BIG pike hammered the bait with
about 10 inches of line out from the tip! A quick snap of the wrist and quickly putting the reel in
free spool, I let the fish get away from the boat before starting the fight. I knew it wasn't
hooked very well, so I backed off the drag and played it cautiously. Run after run the pike made,
until I finally had it up on the surface. We could see the white skirt of the Secret Weapon
dangling from the gill plate and I thought, "Oh man, I've deep hooked and killed this fish, Janet's
not going to like this taxidermy bill." I could see that this fish was even larger than the other
two, probably in the mid 40 inch range and THICK! This was a 30 pound pike! I also noticed that
the fish wasn't pumping blood like it would if it was gill hooked. Maybe I could release this fish
after all. Just as Steve was getting the net into the water, the pike made a weak head shake and
the Secret Weapon came flying out like a rocket! Steve had to duck or it would have clocked him
right in the forehead. With a flip of the tail, the pike was gone. Oh well, I had the best part of
the fight anyway, and I did want to release it. I just wanted a photo op with the rascal before
letting her go.

So, between these couple of paragraphs and the article, that's how my 4 days in Ontario was.
--
Steve
OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com



"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" > wrote in message
...
> Hi Everyone,
>
> As the subject line states, this is off-topic and I will be away for a bit. I'll be on-duty on
> Monday at the firehouse and leaving as soon as I'm off duty on Tuesday morning. Dan and I are
> heading for Hornpayne, Ontario for a week of walleye/northern pike fishing and most importantly,
> bowhunting for black bear. We hope to get some prime footage of both the hunts that Dan and I are
> going to do. I'm pretty pumped up about the whole thing, especially considering that the
outfitter
> told me that the largest bear he's seen in a long while is coming in to one stand.
>
> He also told me that none of the archery hunters have wanted to take this stand, for the simple
> reason that it's not in a tree as usual. In this location, there are no trees large enough to
> support a hunter, so he built a ground blind. I'm going to try for this one! Steve Rock says
that
> this bear is somewhere in the 500 pound range! I want that BEAR!!!
>
> So, wish me luck, I'll be on tonight, but that's about it until next week.
> --
> Steve
> OutdoorFrontiers
> http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
> G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
> http://www.herefishyfishy.com
>
>
>