The Lunge Lodge: July 2006

July 31 Report

Smallmouth bass are continuing to hit well, with Chatterbait the HOT artificial for catching ‘footballs’. Mike was provided with a sampling of these lures from Karen Gainey following her departure after spending three weeks in camp filming a ‘How to Fish at Lunge Lodge’ DVD. She also got enough footage to produce three segments for her weekly TV show.

The bass fishing is so good, that guest George Bush, Jr., and his girlfriend Jamie, caught 16 smallies out in front of the Lunge Lodge rock last night (Sunday, July 30th). They were using leaches on a single hook with a splitshot attached about 18” up the line. Depths in front of that rock run 24-30 ft.

Jim Mariano missed on two Musky opportunities. He reports that a 50” class fish, encountered many times by guests since the opener, was lost after a short struggle at The Triangle. A second fish, which liked the action of his Leo Jerkbait, gave him a thrill somewhere up the Little French.

Walleye fishing continues to be decent, right around the camp area. Simple is best: light-weight jigs tipped with nightcrawlers.

There is still room during the first week of Musky Madness (September 9-16), so if you’ve got vacation time available, call Mike (705) 763-2180 and book it! A bass tournament, complete with a weigh-in at the docks, is scheduled for Tuesday the 12th, with the actual Musky tourney running on the 13th, 14th, and 15th.

Regulation Changes for 2007

For those that may be interested, there will be new fishing regulations for the Upper French/ Nipissing watershed before the start of the 2007 season.

The fishing season for Northern Pike, Bass and Muskellunge will extend to December 31st (currently closes October 15).
Muskellunge: - Minimum length - 48" (currently 36")
Northern Pike: - Only two (2) greater than 24" of which only one may be greater than 34".
Walleye: - No change in current regulations or slot. Walleye season precludes October 15.
The Upper French River and (most) of Lake Nipissing currently fall under Division 27. Next season it will be known as Fisheries Managment Zone 11 (FMZ 11)

J.

July 24 Report

Weather was the big story last week, when tornados touched down, felling trees and power lines all along the river. The camp experienced some fallen trees and a loss of power that lasted about 5 days. No injuries, or major damage was experienced, and things are “back to normal”, according to Jake.

Of course, fishing slows during a front, especially one of this magnitude, but with winds from out of the south now, and cooler air temperatures (70°- 75° air temperatures) making it more comfortable to fish, activity is on the increase.

Last night, Todd and Jake went out after dinner and found walleyes in 28’ of water. Todd was successful using brightly-colored jigs tipped with a night crawler, while Jake stayed with his favorite slip sinker rig (Carolina-style) and a live worm.

Bass continue to be aggressive and willing to take a variety of artificial lures, as well as live bait.

There haven’t been any musky hunters in camp, so there are no reports of catches, but as Jake says, “they’re out there”.

Mid-July status

The River is in great shape this year; the surface temp this month is at 74º. Water levels and weed growth are very good.

Mike got a reprieve from the rigors of the camp and caught and released 2 smallmouths on consecutive casts, 5 lb. & 4 lb., using smaller-sized pumpkin colored (green) tubes, Texas-rigged. "Smallmouths are plentiful, and really under-fished", according to Mike. He also noted that he's catching some nice pike using this method – just be prepared to get bit off once in a while!

Notable catches in the last 30 days:

7-12-06 John Binder caught and released a 40 lb. Musky (Not inches, pounds! Imagine a 50+" fish with a 25" girth) with guide "Musky Bob"!

7-10-06 Ken Mayland caught and released a 48 inch musky while trolling for walleyes.

7-7-06 Tom and Karen Connors caught and released 28 walleyes and over 100 bass during their stay. One walleye weighed in at over 8 lb.

Mid June, Jay Whittaker caught and released a 50 inch musky on a 4 inch Yo-zuri crankbait!

Mid June, Jim Jordan caught and released a 31 inch 11lb. walleye.

Mid June, Wally Topa caught 8 walleyes over 7 pounds during his stay.

Walleyes are still relating to relatively shallow water (25' or less) in the main river channel.

Karen Gainey has been guiding at the lodge throughout July. So far, her clients have caught some nice pike including 40 and 38 inchers. Her drop shot technique has been deadly for both bass and walleye.

The month of August is well booked with only limited openings. If you are thinking of squeezing in a trip, the next two weeks can accomodate a group of 4 to 6.

Mike noted that there are several nesting pairs of Bald eagles on the river this year! If you are lucky enough to capture a sighting in a digital picture, send it to tonypetras@aol.com so we can share it on this site.