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11/14/2017 1:27 pm  #1


Late Srping trip options with young kids

So my kids will be close to 10 and 12 by next spring ... we have done interior trips but with kids that age I have to be a little cautious ... I have been to Sec lake a few times, hwy 60 car camping, yurt at Mew ... day trips on rivers along hwy 60 .. etc.  I usually do the trips in summer. 

I have lots of options for summer but was considering a late spring trip where there's a chance for them to get their first trout and see a moose chowing down in the wild (they've seen lots along hwy 60) .  Size does not matter .. .for the trout that is !  I have to be careful of water temps and also getting too remote ... most times I'm alone with them so this is a rare time where some traffic is good. So a few places come to mind ...

- water taxi up Opeongo ... stay close to the Proulx portage and day trip to proulx ... crow river to LC and even the crow leading out of BC ... I know in June there's still some smaller trout hanging around the river. 
- Rock Lake ... stay on rock or penn ... side trips for trout ... not sure about moose spotting areas here though ??
- any other suggestions?  I'm not looking for specific fishing suggestions .. just the general area ... a bonus here is that we could try for some other species of fish as well that's in season. 

I could also consider McManus put in and the other lakes upstream ... but I don't think there's a lot of options for moose or trout along there .. and I really don't like to fish bass areas prior to spawn ... 

Any other ideas would greatly be appreciated ... as I said it needs to be an area that has some traffic, chance of a moose and trout ... and I can't go too far back because they are limited in what they can carry ... one long portage or a couple of short one ...  

thanks
   
       

 

11/14/2017 1:58 pm  #2


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

Clydegale from Rock Lake would be a good option. I saw 3 moose in 2 days this past season, and that was late July. I've read lots of reports of moose sightings from other people as well – I guess all the marshy/wetland sections of the lake make it a popular moose hangout.

The portages are easy and have nice waterfalls along them, which should be flowing well during Spring. The sites on Clydegale are pretty nice as well. And for one last piece of adventure you can hike the Booth Rock trail.


Trip Reports & Campsite Pictures
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11/15/2017 6:21 am  #3


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

I'd do Big Crow and day trip from there.  But I wouldn't do it in June - the bugs might eat them alive and make for an awful experience instead of a great one.  Third week of May the trout will be active and the bugs will be relatively light compared to June (a guide, not a rule).  

Plenty of day trip options - climb the fire tower hill, do the white pine hike, explore the Crow River downstream of Big Crow - and that's where you'll get your fish action as well.

From the water taxi dropoff at Proulx it's an easy 4 hours to Big Crow after an easy portage.  Kid friendly, I would say.

 

11/15/2017 8:35 am  #4


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

I think Pen Lake is a good idea, people do see moose on the marshy western shore. Get a campsite with a view of said shore. Perfect beginner portage destination and there are specks to be had right in the lake, though if they're not biting Gem (stocked) is an easy day trip and Welcome (trophy-managed) is a somewhat tougher but still doable one.

Tim Lake would be worth considering but given your east-side suggestions maybe it's too long a drive from home for you? Tim takes no portaging to get to (but is motorboat-free), there are lots of moose down the river from there, and probably some brookie holes too. Or to make it a more adventurous trip you could camp on Rosebary instead of Tim, just one short portage along the way but many beaver dams, you'll probably see moose and/or catch brookies along the way. There are lakers in Rosebary but I don't think it's a real "numbers" lake.

Dead_Weight (DW) wrote:

a bonus here is that we could try for some other species of fish as well that's in season. 

I could also consider McManus put in and the other lakes upstream ... but I don't think there's a lot of options for moose or trout along there .. and I really don't like to fish bass areas prior to spawn ... 

I don't think there's anywhere in the park that has pike or walleye but not bass. (Heck, I'm not sure there's anywhere in central or near-northern Ontario that has pike or walleye but not bass. But that's a different discussion.)
 

 

11/15/2017 9:44 am  #5


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

pa paddler .. .yeah I love ope and can see a trip there with the kids ... so many great day trip options ... one of my favorite memories of a trip there was starting down the crow river from BC ... sun was just coming up and lots of mist ... as we went around the corner we came within 20 feet of a young moose that we didn't see in the mist ... what a youtube moment that would have been ...

I have to admit ... I am warming up to Rock/Penn/Clydegale areas ... Bo has recommended it to me for the kids a few times as well ... and with waterfalls there's a chance at a catfish perhaps . .another species they have not caught yet.  

What about the Galipo river at the south end of Penn ... I'm guessing there might be small specs there in spring ... what about the Madawaska at the bottom of clydegale?  

Any particular campsites that you like? 

Thanks again guys ...

 

     Thread Starter
 

11/15/2017 9:45 am  #6


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

I meant to add ... any fishing spots you don't feel comfortable posting here you can PM me ... if you want to keep it a secret then I totally get that as well (I have a few too ... )

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11/15/2017 1:20 pm  #7


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

Dead_Weight (DW) wrote:

pa paddler .. .yeah I love ope and can see a trip there with the kids ... so many great day trip options ... one of my favorite memories of a trip there was starting down the crow river from BC ... sun was just coming up and lots of mist ... as we went around the corner we came within 20 feet of a young moose that we didn't see in the mist ... what a youtube moment that would have been ...

I have to admit ... I am warming up to Rock/Penn/Clydegale areas ... Bo has recommended it to me for the kids a few times as well ... and with waterfalls there's a chance at a catfish perhaps . .another species they have not caught yet.  

What about the Galipo river at the south end of Penn ... I'm guessing there might be small specs there in spring ... what about the Madawaska at the bottom of clydegale?  

Any particular campsites that you like? 

Thanks again guys ...

 

Read through my trip report here: http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=46110

I don't fish so won't be much help for that, but it has in depth pictures and descriptions for campsites, and I talk about the Madawaska river south of Clydegale as well.

If you want some campsite info for Penn send me a message, I took some videos of my thoughts as I paddled by the sites which aren't in the trip report. I'll just have to find the video when I get home from work.


Trip Reports & Campsite Pictures
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11/15/2017 8:33 pm  #8


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

We did Clydegale for 3 nights from Rock. 4 kids and 2 dad's.  Was a reasonable paddle in with easy portages.  My boys were 8 and 11 at the time. Was a great long weekend. Crashed at AO oxtongue lake Thursday night and headed in Friday morning. Good option if you have a long drive.

 

11/15/2017 9:09 pm  #9


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

Dead_Weight (DW) wrote:

and with waterfalls there's a chance at a catfish perhaps . .another species they have not caught yet. 

Bullheads perhaps, channel cats no. Channel cats in Algonquin only live along the Petawawa corridor from Cedar Lake downstream.

 

11/17/2017 3:27 pm  #10


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

Dam ... its fun catching catfish ... so whats the rough paddle time from the rock put in to Clydegale with two kids that like to stop and smell the roses along the way ?

Also I'm wondering how rough Rock and Penn get in windy weather?  They are long and lean so I assume they are better than most of the larger lakes .. .

     Thread Starter
 

11/19/2017 4:04 pm  #11


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

I caught my first trout on Pen lake many years ago. My brother and I went in the week after opener.  It snowed the night before we arrived and had pen pretty much to ourselves. After fishing for a few hours in the morning my brother had a few and I was skunked. So while he cleaned fish at some random spot along the shore I was relaxing, almost asleep in the back of the canoe waiting for him to return. A trout hit my lure while dangling at the back of the canoe. Tiny little guy, but my first trout. Last year mid summer we went back to the same area and my brother took the kids fishing in the same area. 4 kids under 15 got there first trout in a matter of hours fishing time. So I would say if you can get them mid summer, spring should not be a problem. Plus I would say 2/3 of the time early in the morning you will see a moose on the western shore north of the island just after the portage into pen. Early am. I like to camp on either the land spit or the island. You can hear the plop plop as he walks along in the water eating, even from the island.

 

11/21/2017 2:32 pm  #12


Re: Late Srping trip options with young kids

Hi Shark ... that's really good to hear ... I'm naturally hesitant to try places close to hwy 60 for fear that its fished out .. .or its good in early spring and that's about it.  My kids would be happy with any size ... its the fishing stories that we are after ... not necessarily the fish. 

It seems like Rock and Penn is a must at some point ... we camped on Coon lake at the campground one time so that the closest that we have got ...

Thanks

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