What do you think of this?
Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:57 am
SO, I went fishing Friday night with another friend from a canoe, on the Ottawa river, here is town (below Deschenes). It was late - 9/10 pm - and we were pretty much skunked, fishing for bass and pike along the shoreline.
We were heading back downstream, and thought we may as well troll a spoon (all we had at the moment). So we did that but the spoon wouldnt sink and just kinda splahed aruond on the surface, so we stopped and reeled it in, - continued padling downstream. I looked back shortly after and there was a wake of something large folowing the canoe. It was making a VEE of significant size, and in the calm night was easy to spot.
We stopped the canoe, and whatever was making the wake continued towards the boat, then suddenly swerved off about 20 feet away and continued moving, sinking below the surface again after 15 seconds or so.
I was casting a topwater (torpedo) and John had a spinner because we werent really prepared for something like this. For the next hour, whatever this was would circle around, and pop in and out periodically surfacing. It didnt get alot of response from our cast. I did have it follow the torpedo to about three feet from the boat before it disappeared. One other time it followed the topwater, then swung out wide - 20 feet - and came at the lure from the side, rolling over it but no strike.
Thats all the attention we could get from it. This fish (you could tell by the way it moved when it turned) was large,and it made a sizeable wake in the water at times. It didnt seem to be feeding off the of of the water but just cruising around, in an errant pattern.
I would guess the water depth was 10 feet ish, about 50 feet from shore.
So, my question is, what do you suppose this fish was? And secondly, how do I catch it?
My first thought was a muskie, because of the long follows, and not hits, plus the roll over the lure. I also considered gar? But those are usually schools (no?) and I didnt see any "beak" sticking out when it would surface.
Now what do I do?
(It was a blast, sight fishing for something like that, on a dark night, with a spincast rod and 10 lbs test).
P.
Great site BTW.
We were heading back downstream, and thought we may as well troll a spoon (all we had at the moment). So we did that but the spoon wouldnt sink and just kinda splahed aruond on the surface, so we stopped and reeled it in, - continued padling downstream. I looked back shortly after and there was a wake of something large folowing the canoe. It was making a VEE of significant size, and in the calm night was easy to spot.
We stopped the canoe, and whatever was making the wake continued towards the boat, then suddenly swerved off about 20 feet away and continued moving, sinking below the surface again after 15 seconds or so.
I was casting a topwater (torpedo) and John had a spinner because we werent really prepared for something like this. For the next hour, whatever this was would circle around, and pop in and out periodically surfacing. It didnt get alot of response from our cast. I did have it follow the torpedo to about three feet from the boat before it disappeared. One other time it followed the topwater, then swung out wide - 20 feet - and came at the lure from the side, rolling over it but no strike.
Thats all the attention we could get from it. This fish (you could tell by the way it moved when it turned) was large,and it made a sizeable wake in the water at times. It didnt seem to be feeding off the of of the water but just cruising around, in an errant pattern.
I would guess the water depth was 10 feet ish, about 50 feet from shore.
So, my question is, what do you suppose this fish was? And secondly, how do I catch it?
My first thought was a muskie, because of the long follows, and not hits, plus the roll over the lure. I also considered gar? But those are usually schools (no?) and I didnt see any "beak" sticking out when it would surface.
Now what do I do?
(It was a blast, sight fishing for something like that, on a dark night, with a spincast rod and 10 lbs test).
P.
Great site BTW.
You see a REALLY REALLY big wake following a CANOE.........AFTER DARK..........paddle like hell for shore........and next time be carryin the 12 ga. 
He who screams and paddles away, lives to scream another day!!