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9/09/2015 11:13 pm  #1


Must see

So I'm off work all next week and planning on spending it in the Park. I think I've decided on access 17. Lots of options of lakes to visit in the area both in and out of the park. Not sure if I want to go in and out, do day trips from a base camp or do a loop. Question to the more experienced trippers is, what are the "must sees" in this area. Also, is it possible to travel up opeongo river.

K


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
 

9/10/2015 12:54 am  #2


Re: Must see

Can not comment on what to see in the area but yes it is possible to travel up the Opeongo River to Annie Bay but with the low water levels it may be a but if a walk/drag in places.
Might be worh a call to the Park to check the water levels of youa re thinking of heading that way.

 

9/10/2015 5:20 am  #3


Re: Must see

Thanks for the info Rob. Will do

K


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
     Thread Starter
 

9/10/2015 8:57 am  #4


Re: Must see

Lots to see and do in that area...

Ryan lake... transparent blue water good for swimming and snorkeling. The toxic algae bloom is a mystery since no camping is allowed at the moment, swimming may be OK. Maybe worth a look to see what is going on there.

Shirley... large sand beach campsites, may be road noise from logging trucks.

Crotch/Farm/Booth... fishing for smallmouth and pike. May be crowded, esp on weekends.

Bridle... a one-campsite lake, privacy, campsite not bad for a low-maintenance (black) campsite. Try the fishing for smallmouth.

Boot... a harder access area, ports maybe difficult to find, blowdowns possible. Should be remote, off the beaten path.

Mykiss... find the old road along the north shore of Booth that leads to the road going to Mykiss. Probably best in fall for the color (maple and oak forests). Don't get lost.

Opeongo river above Tattler... has smallmouth in pools below rapids, flyfishing. No fishing near the dam.

Any brook trout lakes (see Jeff's map) in the area may be worth a try in late Sept if surface temps cool off (15C).

Good luck!
 

 

9/10/2015 9:54 am  #5


Re: Must see

frozentripper wrote:

Ryan lake... transparent blue water good for swimming and snorkeling. The toxic algae bloom is a mystery since no camping is allowed at the moment, swimming may be OK. Maybe worth a look to see what is going on there.

The park advisory about the closure basically says you shouldn't swim there:

Contact with associated toxins may cause skin irritation or gastrointestinal problems if ingested. Park visitors using the canoe network through Ryan Lake should take the following precautions:


  • People or pets should not drink lake water (even if treated or boiled);
  • Do not use the water for food preparation or bathing;
  • Minimize direct contact with the water surface; and
  • If consuming fish, avoid eating the skin, organs, and fatty tissues.

(emphasis added) http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/news/2015/2015-09-09_ryan_lake_algae_closure.php
Also not sure what you mean about a mystery; the closure is because of the algae bloom.

In terms of other things to do... one or two of the campsites on the northeastern shore of the southeastern basin of Booth Lake (sorry, can't remember which exactly) have access to a little lookout over the lake. The McCarthy Creek-Godda-Rumley loop (could be a day trip from Booth) would take you through quieter lakes and wetlands, hopefully water levels are okay on McCarthy. If you want to camp on that loop I suggest the western campsite on Godda.

If you're really feeling adventurous you could try to get up to the former Preston tower site, the highest point in southern Ontario. It would be basically a bushwhack from Tattler with some *very* faint trails part of the way. When I was there last July the mosquitoes were thick enough to make us abandon the mission pretty much before it started, but that probably won't be a problem now.

 

9/10/2015 10:16 am  #6


Re: Must see

Thanks for the correction, Dan... I didn't have time to check the advisory, instead rattled off all the features... "mystery" since Ryan is a clear, transparent lake with low nutrient levels and blue-green algal blooms usually occur in the opposite sort of situation where water transparency is low due to heavy algal growth (eg. farm pond). Why blue-greens would bloom in such a lake is a mystery.

Gotta run.

 

9/10/2015 10:54 am  #7


Re: Must see

Oh okay. Yeah I'd just read the advisory yesterday. Actually I thought clearer lakes were more susceptible to algae blooms because of sunlight penetration. Though I know it takes nutrients too. I'm not much of an expert on that though.

 

9/10/2015 8:00 pm  #8


Re: Must see

Thanks for all the info everyone. My trip will likely be Mon- Sat so I don't expect much traffic. I'll definitely check out some of the above suggestions ( minus swimming in algae :-)   ). Got a question about the algae if anyone knows. What is the danger of contamination to other lakes due to passage of people and canoes through contaminated areas. Can it spread from one body of water to another? I wouldn't want to impact a surrounding lake negatively by bringing any foreign bacteria, algae ect on the surface of my canoe. Is this possible?

K


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
     Thread Starter
 

9/12/2015 8:43 am  #9


Re: Must see

Just got back from crotch lake. Best bass fishing of my life. I camped out on the point right on the narrows between Crotch and Shall. I caught at least 10+ 2.5+ LB small mouth bass. I could hear every logging truck drive on the road though which is why I left a day early, but I guess it cant be perfect right?

Last edited by token (9/12/2015 8:44 am)

 

9/12/2015 9:31 am  #10


Re: Must see

Kelly,

"What is the danger of contamination to other lakes due to passage of people and canoes through contaminated areas."

Water foul (sorry couldn't resist)... waterfowl will fly from lake to lake and carry the blue-greens anyway. Blue-greens are often present but in low numbers so toxicity isn't a problem.

 

9/12/2015 9:33 am  #11


Re: Must see

token wrote:

Just got back from crotch lake. Best bass fishing of my life. I camped out on the point right on the narrows between Crotch and Shall. I caught at least 10+ 2.5+ LB small mouth bass. I could hear every logging truck drive on the road though which is why I left a day early, but I guess it cant be perfect right?

Congrats on the haul and sorry to hear about the other haul (couldn't resist either). It was all smallies biting, not pike? I'm a bit surprised.

 

9/12/2015 11:01 am  #12


Re: Must see

@ token
I'm bringing my rod and hope to have some luck. Sounds like you had a good time despite the trucks but I will keep that in mind. I'll let you know how I do 
( fingers crossed! ).

@ frozen tripper
Thanks for the clarification. I haven't spent any time looking at algae bloom info so I know nothing about it. I'll feel better now if I do visit any lake that's effected.

K


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
     Thread Starter
 

9/12/2015 11:06 am  #13


Re: Must see

DanPM wrote:

token wrote:

Just got back from crotch lake. Best bass fishing of my life. I camped out on the point right on the narrows between Crotch and Shall. I caught at least 10+ 2.5+ LB small mouth bass. I could hear every logging truck drive on the road though which is why I left a day early, but I guess it cant be perfect right?

Congrats on the haul and sorry to hear about the other haul (couldn't resist either). It was all smallies biting, not pike? I'm a bit surprised.

Not a signle Pike was caught.. was using tube jigs in only a few feet of water

 

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