Equipment --- get an electric for sure. not sure you can get solar chargers that push sufficient amps but you can charge off the vehicle when changing spots and really extend your weekend. Do it as soon as you get off the water - if you're driving back to a campsite or back out to get beer
- get the charger on it right away - extra minutes charged == goodness. Depth finders are handy too but we're usually are to lazy to carry extra (canoe fishing) so we do without.
The one item no one mentioned would be a winch - electric mounted on truck or even a come-a-long. I've personally seen a small boat on a trailer launched on a winch down a "cliff" --- a non-traditional boat launch if ever. Would also help lug your trailer out of a lake in muddy launches where truck would sink in or drag boat up a steepish road-side lake with no actual launch. I've seen many places we can launch with a canoe, that would work with a boat if you only could drag it up/down with some power.
Back lakes for sure. The trout lakes get all the attention - start with calabogie, then north and west of calabogie, and then crown land surrounding algonquin as you go further. Many of these lakes can be reached by car directly, or via creeks crossing roads and you "boat in" (easier with canoe) or even within 100 m with some bushwacking. We lug a canoe, battery, electric and it's worth it. There are some small lakes right by the sides of roads in lanark county and west too. Some cough up nice pike. If you can see roadside water try it ...
If you use the fish online site, and you find pike/perch lakes, give em a try, not trout lakes but they are usually great for action. If you find a "bass only" lake , they can be crazy good, they just don't seem to get hit as hard as trout lakes and the bass are not educated so they hit everything.
If you want lake names and locations, they're only revealed after the blindfold comes off and I'm in the boat with ya
There are some nice lakes in Quebec too - many with small boat access only. Others on the site can comment probably more than I can but we've fished some small cottage lakes with crazy good fishing. If you know someone with a cottage on a small lake and the owners said they never fished the lake and no one else does either - go there !
Post pictures when you find your secret honey hole.
