After way too much work this spring and summer, it was finally time to leave it all behind and head to the waters of northwest Ontario, where they say big muskie are at their happiest and hungriest. One of the great bonuses of fishing up north in late August is the chance to get away from the hot and muggy conditions I suffer through every summer, in my hometown in south-central Kentucky.
For me, fishing in Canada has long been a bucket list activity for as far back as I can remember. Luckily, I ended up becoming good friends with Pete and his wife Laura, who happen to be from the Lake of the Woods area in northwest Ontario. I got acquainted with them over the course of a half-dozen or so spring seasons, on my native Lake Cumberland, when they came down in the spring to escape the Canadian cold. I finally decided to take them up on their invitation to come up for some summer fishing on their lake.
Even though I had done my research on Lake of the Woods, I was still shocked by the absolute beauty of the place. According to Pete, the place gets its fair share of anglers and other visitors in a years time, but the place sure doesn’t show it.
Sadly, the Muskie population of Lake Cumberland has been steadily declining for some time now, so this was my chance to land a fish I’ve lusted after for some time. I came equipped with a full tackle box, and a couple of casting rod and reel combos with 15 and 20 pound test lines.
Pete took us out to a narrow passage between two of the many small islands and peninsulas that dot the lake’s interior. I started off with a couple of brand-new Dr. Spoons I purchased just a few days prior to the trip. I found out pretty quickly the lake had its share of walleye too. Even with my relatively heavy gear, the medium-sized walleye put up a valiant fight. But the real battle came when my red and white swirl Dr. Spoon found itself engulfed by what turned out to be an almost 40 inch muskie. It’s really something to feel that power on the end of the line, and that feeling is what’s going to keep me going back north for many years to come.
Yellow Bird Products
1803 Holian Drive
Spring Grove, IL 60081
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