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Hi folks, I'm somewhat new to canoe tripping and this is my first post here. I've been on 3 trips so far, all last season. I've never been in the park for the spring season. I know to expect very cold water and sloppy portages with lots of blow downs etc. Any other advice for me? I am wondering if anyone can tell me how difficult the 2435m Little Misty to Queer Lake portage is? I plan on doing a little fishing while in the park, advice for that is also welcome!
I'm hoping to get in the first weekend in May for 4 days. My route so far looks like this.... Let me know what you think?!
Access #3 Magnetawan
Hambone
Acme Pond
Daisy (camp)
Petawawa R
Little Misty
Queer (camp)
Little Trout
Butt (camp)
Hambone
Magnetawan
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I did that portage about 3 years ago from queer to little misty. Found it surprisingly easy. Smooth and flatter then I had expected. That will be a relatively high traffic portage even in spring I imagine. I wouldn't be surprised if the blow downs are cleared within the first couple weeks after ice out. Enjoy. Albeit a popular area of the park it's one of my favorite access points.
Last edited by Shayne74 (2/01/2017 4:47 pm)
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You've got some pretty short days in there, especially the first and third... maybe that's intentional to leave more time for fishing, but for that purpose my preference would probably be to merge a couple of the travel days to allow for a stationary day or even two. Save yourself some campsite setup/breakdown, and give yourself enough time in one spot to dial in the trout or explore off-route.
The other option if you don't want to stay in one place all day is to use your time to lengthen your route a bit... instead of doing the long portage from Little Misty to Queer, continue down to Misty, then go through Pandion, Shah, and up the Tim River to Queer before continuing your route as planned. That makes for a route that I've done in 3 days (and once in 2, though that was rough) and you have 4.
Fishing would be for lake trout your last night's lake and brook trout in the lakes closest to it, as well as along the river(s). Do you know the basics of going after those species and were asking for something more specific?
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I like the idea of going up through Shah to the Tim R, how bad are the beaver dams through that section of river to Little Trout? Any issues going upstream in the spring? I've seen that the water levels on the Tim can be an issue as well, not a problem in the spring?
As far as fishing, I am a rookie, I have an idea of what to use to for lures (sounds like everyone has their own ideas about that). Will I have more luck fishing around streams? Look for structure in the water (I plan on bringing a little fish finder)? What time of day is good? Do I need to get deep or can I troll near the surface this time of year? Any advice is welcome.
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Hi Cat,
I like Dan's suggestion - partly because it reflects my tripping preferences of getting to a camp, get set-up and then explore with a lightweight load for a couple days.
You will have far greater luck fishing the rivers/streams compared to the lakes - more fish (although generally smaller ones) and easier to locate. Try any deep holes or riffles/rapids and places where streams enter into the river or where the river enters into a lake/pond.
Small spinners, rubber stuff (little tube jigs, twisters) and small rapalas or stickbaits that imitate minnows tend to produce the best results. Take your time, enjoy your journey!
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I would fish both lakes and streams. The beauty of spring trout fishing is you don't have to get down deep. Best times to fish are the first and last couple of hours of light, especially for lake trout. Lake trout will be near steep rocky shorelines, especially off points. I like to cast spoons at such structure and let them sink a bit on a slow, intermittent retrieve. If your campsite shoreline fits the description, try casting from shore even. That can be a great way to pick up an extra laker while you're waiting for the fire to heat up in the evening, or waiting for your partner to get up in the morning.
In streams, the best spots for brook trout are deep pools at the downstream end of waterfalls, rapids etc. You'll pass one or two obvious places like that on the journey, don't worry if it's not at the ideal time of day. Since these will often be at the start or end of a portage, fishing makes a good excuse to take a breather. PaPaddler has some good tips on the how. A worm on a plain hook with a split shot under a slip floater can be great for these stream brookie fishing situations, but it's not the most convenient setup for a canoe trip, so I'll tend to reel a small spinner across the pool.
I don't have much experience with brook trout in lakes, but I think the system would be similar as for lake trout.
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