Fish-Hawk.Net

With all the talk of summer on FH lately, we have been thinking of where to go this year. I fancy the Kawarthas and have been looking for cottage rentals. So far we have found Pigeon and Stoney. Mainly interested in Bass and Muskie and will probably target early July.

Any FH'ers had any experience around this area???

Early July is a nice time in the Kawartha's. Stoney lake has a fantastic fish population and is a great lake for fishing and doing water activities with great chances for muskie, bass and walleye This lake is clearer than Pigeon. The downfall to this lake is you must get knowledge of the lake. There is alot of areas where you could lose a lower unit hitting rocks, and the lake could be very confusing without a good quality map or gps if going on long boat rides. Pigeon is also a great fishery. It will be easier to navigate but still have some tricky areas. I would recommend a good map again, but at times the fishing can be feast or famine. Depending on where you are staying and if you are only going for a fishing trip or a family holiday. If it was purely fishing I would go to Stoney. If it was a family vacation I would choose Pigeon. Pigeon has the opportunity to fish 3 lakes without locking and has more tourist things close around for the family. Either choice will be a great trip and I have had great success on both bodies of water for fishing.

Ady,

I fished the Kawartha's pretty hard the past two summers and hands down will suggest Stoney. Blaker is very right though you could lose a prop in a second if you dont wathc what you're doing, it's called "stoney" for a reason. Big Musky, great picks, and tonnes of Bass. Have you considered Rice lake? An even better fishery, bigger fish as a rule and less chance of getting hung up. Except for the submerged rail bed but the channel through it is well marked. Good luck wherever you go...if you get a chance maybe hit the Otanabee river that flows through Peterborugh out of Rice, a beautiful river wiht big Musky.

I may be biased because my Uncle used to own this place, but there is a place in Keene on Rice Lake (just south of Peterborough) called Whispering Pines. They have well maintained cottages, boat rentals, gas and just about everything you need as well as a pool for the wife & kids or whatever. I can speak from experience that the fishing is top notch on that part of Rice Lake for bass and there were always lots of guys getting muskies down there too when I was younger. You might want to check it out and see if it suits your needs.

http://www.whisperingpinescottages.com/

pigeon is attached to the tri lakes, giving you a world of water to fish.

stoney is a beautiful lake that makes for very tough fishing if you dont know the area.

hhmmmmm. Thanks for the tips guys, this looks like it's going to be a tough choice. I'll have to think about the rocks, new boat and don't want to think about a new lower unit just yet - I need to look if these lakes are on my navionics chip.

From all Iv'e heard, I think it will be great wherever we go - but it's probably just me and the wife so looking for something private and no kids - been there done that.

Thanks again all.

I have fished both of these lakes alot over the years. There is something about stoney that keeps me going back every year many times.It is very picturesque and with 1148 Islands you can always be out of the wind.I will be going there for Muskie opener which is probably the 7nth year in a row. The walleye fishing can be amazing in the last week of May and the first week of June. I have a ton of pictures I have been scanning so I can eventually figure out how to get them up here and lots from stony.
When your decision is final on which lake you are going to let me know and I will give you all the info you need for muskie, walleye and bass and where to go, what to use and so forth. Stony scares alot of people with the rocks and the potential of losing your lower unit but hey look at it this way.....structure...structure...structure.
Stony hands down
Teppy

Over the years in the Kawarthas I've fished Pigeon (fish the northern part, it's got more depth), Stony, Jack, Lovesick, and Upper and Lower Buckhorn. I don't want to give away a musky honey hole online, but it's one of the two "Buckhorns." In 3 weeks I landed 30 muskies there. I like Jack Lake alot too..it's a very pretty lake, and the average size musky is larger there (lots of 40" + fish), but the fishing can be somewhat slower with occasional annoying boat traffic. I actually like Pigeon better than Stony, if I had to chose between the two. Never fished Rice, but I'd like to someday. Good luck.