Booth Lake May 2008
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:10 am
For all you Pike Hunters!
I had unexpected company over the May long weekend and was not able to get out fishing. I had not wet a line since ice out. (I was getting real jittery) so I decided I would try Booth Lake in Algonquin Park for lakers and specks. Since it was a last minute decision and all my fishing buddies were busy, I ended up going solo. I left the west end of Ottawa about 5AM on the Monday (May 19). If you remember that weekend it was cold and windy! By the time I had got to Golden Lake it had started to snow and by the time I got to Wilno there was about an inch of new snow. I considered turning around but continued on in the hope it would clear up. I got to the Shall lake registration office about 9AM and it had cleared up with just a few scattered showers. When I was registering the guy in the office said that although there had been a number of parties on the lake over the weekend he thought that they were all coming out that day and if I did not hurry too much I would have my pick of all the camp sites and I would have the lake to myself for the next few days. He also asked if I was going into Booth to fish and mentioned that about 10-12 years ago some how pike had got into the lake. Apparently they do not know if the pike got into the lake naturally by getting over the dam at the bottom of the lake or someone dumped them but they sure have changed the ecology of the lake. I had fished Booth in the mid 70's and always caught enough lakers and specks for a few good meals but not this trip
It was windy and rainy and a bit of an S.O.B. paddling solo into the wind all the way in. By the time I had portaged into Booth (550 meters), I started to meet all the parties coming out. A few warned me that it was too windy for me to travel up the lake as it was rolling with white caps. I also met a guy who said he had caught two specks over the weekend but everyone else had been skunked.
Anyway rather than sit at the end of the portage I decided I would try to paddle up into the first bay so I would not be in the way of the parties coming out. I found that although the conditions were not great they were not all that bad. (I've been out in worse
It took a while but by early afternoon I had worked my way up and across the lake to a nice camp site on a sheltered bay on one of the large islands. I had camp set up and wood cut etc. by 3PM.
Cooked an early supper and when the wind dropped in the evening decided to try the fishing. Put on a small silver Cleo and started to troll the drop offs off the islands. After about 15 minutes I hooked into this pike.
With my small trout landing net and my 8 lb test line with no leader it was a little while (maybe 15 minutes) before I could lead him into the net. He proceeded to swim right through the net and I had to bring him back from the other side with the line through the net
(Since I have never really fished pike I have no idea how big he was but he was too big for me to eat so I let him go.)
The next day Tuesday the weather was a little better but still a little windy. I decided to troll down to where the Opeongo river comes into Booth in the hope of catching a few specks.
No such luck. Just more pike similar if not a little larger than the first one.
For the most part as long as I was not out in the wind and could control the canoe I could play them out and land them but if I was caught in the wind they were just too big to handle.
Over the three days I hooked into 14 and landed 10. On average, I was catching one for about every km paddled and I was not even fishing for them.
Since I have never really targeted Pike and I did not have a scale or a measuring tape I have no real idea how much these fish weighed but I 'm guessing about 10 lb. What would be your estimate?
The other surprising thing was that all the fish were within a lb. or two. (No small fish!).
I was disappointed in the trip as I got skunked on the trout but I'm sure some of you less sophisticated fishermen would have enjoyed it
Cheers
Namaycush
I had unexpected company over the May long weekend and was not able to get out fishing. I had not wet a line since ice out. (I was getting real jittery) so I decided I would try Booth Lake in Algonquin Park for lakers and specks. Since it was a last minute decision and all my fishing buddies were busy, I ended up going solo. I left the west end of Ottawa about 5AM on the Monday (May 19). If you remember that weekend it was cold and windy! By the time I had got to Golden Lake it had started to snow and by the time I got to Wilno there was about an inch of new snow. I considered turning around but continued on in the hope it would clear up. I got to the Shall lake registration office about 9AM and it had cleared up with just a few scattered showers. When I was registering the guy in the office said that although there had been a number of parties on the lake over the weekend he thought that they were all coming out that day and if I did not hurry too much I would have my pick of all the camp sites and I would have the lake to myself for the next few days. He also asked if I was going into Booth to fish and mentioned that about 10-12 years ago some how pike had got into the lake. Apparently they do not know if the pike got into the lake naturally by getting over the dam at the bottom of the lake or someone dumped them but they sure have changed the ecology of the lake. I had fished Booth in the mid 70's and always caught enough lakers and specks for a few good meals but not this trip
It was windy and rainy and a bit of an S.O.B. paddling solo into the wind all the way in. By the time I had portaged into Booth (550 meters), I started to meet all the parties coming out. A few warned me that it was too windy for me to travel up the lake as it was rolling with white caps. I also met a guy who said he had caught two specks over the weekend but everyone else had been skunked.
Anyway rather than sit at the end of the portage I decided I would try to paddle up into the first bay so I would not be in the way of the parties coming out. I found that although the conditions were not great they were not all that bad. (I've been out in worse
It took a while but by early afternoon I had worked my way up and across the lake to a nice camp site on a sheltered bay on one of the large islands. I had camp set up and wood cut etc. by 3PM. Cooked an early supper and when the wind dropped in the evening decided to try the fishing. Put on a small silver Cleo and started to troll the drop offs off the islands. After about 15 minutes I hooked into this pike.
With my small trout landing net and my 8 lb test line with no leader it was a little while (maybe 15 minutes) before I could lead him into the net. He proceeded to swim right through the net and I had to bring him back from the other side with the line through the net
(Since I have never really fished pike I have no idea how big he was but he was too big for me to eat so I let him go.)
The next day Tuesday the weather was a little better but still a little windy. I decided to troll down to where the Opeongo river comes into Booth in the hope of catching a few specks.
No such luck. Just more pike similar if not a little larger than the first one.
For the most part as long as I was not out in the wind and could control the canoe I could play them out and land them but if I was caught in the wind they were just too big to handle.
Over the three days I hooked into 14 and landed 10. On average, I was catching one for about every km paddled and I was not even fishing for them.
Since I have never really targeted Pike and I did not have a scale or a measuring tape I have no real idea how much these fish weighed but I 'm guessing about 10 lb. What would be your estimate?
The other surprising thing was that all the fish were within a lb. or two. (No small fish!).
I was disappointed in the trip as I got skunked on the trout but I'm sure some of you less sophisticated fishermen would have enjoyed it
Cheers
Namaycush
