Bowzog and I went to the cottage on the long weekend to fetch the boat and kayaks. Of course, we can't go to the cottage without taking the fishing gear, so we tried to find some walleye and pike.
We were fishing in one spot where quite a few other people congregated. I was using a pink and white plastic minnow that I had bought at the Carp show, Bowzog was trying other stuff, like minnows, crankbaits, etc. I finally hooked into a nice 28" pike.
Later in the day, I started using some topwaters - jitterbugs, hula poppers, skitterpops. Everytime I'd reel it in, something would go after it, but never actually take the lure. Once, it even cut the line and left the lure floating. Obviously something with teeth. Luckily, the lure wasn't too far away, so we were able to snag it with a rod and get it back. Never did catch that fish. Next time


One spot offered a glimpse of the love life of a smallmouth bass. We could see two smallies swimming in circles over a bed of white rocks and shells (clam/mussel?). One would swim on its side and then the other. Once in a while one would speed off somewhere, probably to chase away a competitor. One fish was also darker than the other. We watched them for about 10 minutes, then we moved on, to find another spot where we wouldn't bother the spawning fish.
A trip to the cottage isn't complete without some wildlife pictures. Here's a family of foxes we saw not far from the cottage. There was the mother and 3 kittens (or is it cubs?)
and here's a beautiful sunset on Round Lake
Now, here's one for the "How stupid was that!" file. Just as we're ready to hitch up the trailer to the truck, I ask Bowzog if he has the key for the hitch lock. No was the answer. They were still hanging on the key rack at the house. So.... we had to drive back to Ottawa without the boat on Sunday. We got up real early on Monday and drove back to Round Lake, this time with the key. How stupid was that, doh!