I have been going to Ahmek district for years, it gets much nicer and quieter once you get passed drummer (altho no more lean-to's), as dummer has begun to get busy these days beleive it or not. I was looking for that same paddle this summer and went way past drummer, all the way out to E.U lake from there looking for it along portages. Damn passed it on Drummer!! Hahah

I have tried cooking trout every way possible and yes, French cuisine has a classic boiled trout recipe called Au Bleu. Google that and give it a try, basically you first make vegetable broth then poach fresh trout with skin on in it.

Blueberries just recently came out around here, seem to be having an average year too. As for mew lake airfield, I would avoid that area for blueberry picking. Due to social media and how busy Mew lake campground is, it has become a battle between those who think all the berries need to be left to bears, vs people who understand a little recreational picking wont hurt anything. I've heard recently by Park staff friends that they get calls of people reporting eachother picking blueberries and what have you. 

Otherwise, Low-sweet blueberry shrubs can be found on nearly any rocky exposed area in algonquin park, with the other spieces, Leatherleaf Blueberry occurring around the periphery of lake and wetland. Faya lake most likely has its own bluebery stash.

It is an option, sometimes a pain to deal with. I live on the road that leads to Hollow River / Dividing lake access for algonquin park, meaning 15 mins I could drive to the parking lot access. However to get permits, I would techincally have to drive all the way to Canoe lake permit office like an hour in the wrong direction. Over the years of calling and pleading my case to the East Gate office, they quite often issue me a permit and get me to write a # down for the dash and to carry with. Just a thought.

Chuck Enwinde wrote:

It's been a few years but if the portages were bad they paled in comparison to the bushwack up to Band L. from Boot.  That was no fun at all.  

My plan that day was to make the bushwack from Boot to Band just didnt expect to hafta bushwack the whole way to boot hahah.

From my background review, Band looks "worth" the bushwack

It can be a bit of a nasty end of the park to be in during the heat and humid times i find

Too small for Radiant I'd think, I am going to guess the south site on the island on Mcraney Lake - looking south

And one more from a midsummers day:




That should be enough motivation for ya!

The best time of year to catch trout in numbers, besides the May blackfly hatch, is peak summer when its hot. On medium - small lakes they are all piled into one location and are super easy to predict. There are a few ways to achieve accessing them and the one I use ive been doing for around 10 years after inheriting the rig from a grandfather. Id like to say more but I feel like the trout population benefits greatly from the fact that most people mistakenly think dead-summer heat is a bad time. I do think this method is hard on the trout so even catch and release should be done so in a limited fashion on small lakes especially.

Here is the old man with a deep-lined lake trout