The article below is about the K/O Lodge/Woods & Waters Adventure Week as it was featured in the January, 2005 issue of Woods & Waters Magazine. It is reproduced here, with permission, exactly as it appeared in the print issue. We would like to thank Chris McCotter for the wonderful article and Jeff Poling for the accompanying photos in the original article. We look forward to having them both back this year, along with those who choose to accompany them, for their 10th annual trip to Canada and the K/O Lodge! For 2006, the Woods & Waters Adventure Week will be July 29th through August 5th. For additional information about the adventure week or to book your spot, please contact us on our toll free line at 1-877-584-2411.
As you sit back and take a moment to read this article, prepare yourself. The after effects could include an immediate longing for a warm, summer afternoon on a remote Canadian lake where the smallmouth bite on just about every cast. This is normal and the cure is available. Read to the end of the piece and find out what you can do to remedy your symptoms.
Each year, for the past eight, Woods & Waters Magazine has traveled to K/O Lodge in Ontario, Canada for a week of adventure. Officially dubbed the Woods & Waters Week, this experience has become well-known among our readers and the 28 slots fill up quickly.
Before we get to the daily log, here's a little background of the trip, so you will know what to expect if you are considering a Canadian trip this year. Remember, the K/O experience is a little different from other trips and here's how.
What makes the week so desirable is the variety available at K/O -- over 30 lakes, five river systems and the private lake the lodge overlooks. There's not just one lake to fish with two or three species of fish. The K/O experience offers smallmouth, northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, crappie, perch, sturgeon and more. They coveted Canadian Grand Slam consists of the first four species.
Meal time at the lodge is another standout aspect. Instead of home style meals where all guests are fed the same fare, at K/O each night is a dining extravaganza. Two dozen different meals are available from filet mignon to seafood and pasta. A full bar and delightful desserts start and end your meals. Soup and salads are made fresh each day, too.
Logistics are handled by lodge manager Ed Fick. Each night the guests gather around a wall map of the surrounding area and choose where they wish to fish in the morning. Boat choices are then recorded and maps distributed. Fick has his staff gas up the rigs and charge the batteries every night. Canoes are loaded for you if necessary. Also unique at K/O is the ability to use their trailerable Lund 16' and 17' rigs. Just bring a tow vehicle with a 1&7/8" ball hitch and you can go just about anywhere you can drive to.
Oh, and when you get back to either your lodge room or cabin, the beds are made, fresh towels are in place and the place is straightened up. All you have to do is get ready for supper. Now, let's hear about the 2004 W&W Adventure Week...
Arrival Day: Sullivan Lake
Over the years, our group has refined how we make the trip up to K/O Lodge. At this point we usually make the 13 hour trip in two stages. This way we can arrive by noon on Saturday, unpack and do a little evening fishing on the home lake.
At about 200 acres, Sullivan Lake is K/O Lodge's "front yard". The cabins and lodge are a couple of casts from the quiet shoreline. A fleet of aluminum bass boats with trolling motors and casting decks awaited our group and by 2 p.m. we had five rigs on the water trying to land that first fish of the trip. Sullivan holds largemouth, smallmouth, walleye, pike and even a few muskie.
It didn't take long to find out the fish were "on" that night. In fact, one of my boat mates, Jeff Bruce, caught a fat largemouth on his first cast! As we trolled further from the dock, our Dave's Tournament Tackle and Gerkin spinnerbaits were being engulfed every few minutes by aggressive northern pike. The strike zone was along the edge of the silver dollar lily pads, their light green leaves in beautiful contrast with the dark lake water.
Whoops and hollers were heard from all over the back portion of the lake during the height of the evening feed and it was dark when we headed back to the lodge for our first night's meal.
Day One: Black Bay/Islands of Petawawa
Our '04 group was very diverse, however there was a distinct younger demographic trend. Accordingly, these guests were up for adventure and had plenty of stamina to fish all day. This core group consisted of seven anglers, all under the age of 38, all with tow vehicles and a "take it to the limit" attitude.
Today we planned to cover a lot of water. The theory each year is to fish as hard as you can early in the week, sampling as many fisheries as possible, so by the end of the week, I know which ones to recommend to the other guests.
Black Bay was our first stop. Four Lunds where launched into this portion of the Petawawa River flowage early that clear morning and the Adventure Week was officially begun.
My partner, Jeff Poling and I headed straight up the river. We had found, in prior years, that the fish tended to school up in the upper or lower portions of the flowages in August. While I had been on Black Bay once before, I had never fully explored the upper reaches.
The 50hp Mercury four-stroke powered us until we had to use the Minn Kota trolling motor. At this point, we reached a section that alternated between shallow, weedy riffles and deep pools, all heavily vegetated with lily pads, reeds and submerged grasses. Poling, amazingly, caught a muskie on his first cast of the day in this area!
We forged on, though, excited at the thought of what lay undiscovered before us. At a final bend, where the Lund could go no further, we could hear what sounded like a waterfall. A 10' deep pool marked the extent of our boat travels. Here we caught dozens of smallmouth, just as we had hoped, using a drop shot rig with Berkley Drop Shot Minnows. Another boat in our party eventually joined us and together we hiked along the river and discovered the source of the noise was a tremendous two-story waterfall in a deep gorge. The overlook was the perfect lunch spot.
We spent the rest of the morning at the other extreme of the lake - just above the rapids that marked where the Petawawa emptied into the Ottawa River. Here, too we also caught loads of smallmouth. One angler even landed a muskie that ate his smallmouth during the fight!
With more desire to explore, we put the Lunds back on the trailers and headed over the nearby launch at the Town of Petawawa and within the hour were back fishing in the now, very windy afternoon on the mighty Ottawa.
All the rigs headed for the relative calm of the mouth of the Petawawa. We could not fish the many islands due to the gusty winds. Instead we probed the area just below the fall line, catching a few more smallies up to three pounds before we decided to call it a day and head back to the lodge.
Day Two: Clear Lake
This was to be another windy day. Experience has shown, when winds over 15mph are predicted, you fish back country waters. Ed told us of a new lake he wanted us to try and we were instantly curious enough to try it. It took approximately 45 minutes to drive Jeff's Trailblazer and another 4x4 back to Keene Lake towing a 14' V-hull and a Kevlar canoe. Once we located the landing we rigged up the trolling motors, loaded our gear and made haste to get to the opposite, leeward shore.
Keene looked to be about 150 acres, offering a good mix of offshore rocks, weeds and lily pads. Jeff and I moved immediately to the upper end in search of schooled fish. It didn't take long to find some three-pound largemouth willing to take our Tiger Shad and Gerkin spinnerbaits. Every time we retrieved them over some three-foot deep rocks in the middle of the lake, our rods loaded up. Smallmouth bit intermittently, too, around a beaver hut and a patch of lily pads near the off shore rocks.
It wasn't until we tried fishing a massive fallen larch tree that we really found the smallmouth concentration. The tree had to be 40' long and had fallen into a good 15' of water. Every cast with a soft plastic stick bait or tube produced a strike. We lost count at 37 smallmouth and largemouth from this one spot.
At day's end, the two boats that had fished Keene landed around 90 fish up to 3-8. Not bad for our first visit to a new lake.
Day Three: Ottawa River Schyanne Point/ Dumoine River
With predictions of a calm day, we decided to get back on the Ottawa River. The crew that fished Black Bay again launched the Lunds, this time at the Deep River ramp, and we motored down river to Schyanne Point. In year's past, I had fished this 40-acre point extensively and found certain reliable areas for smallmouth, walleye and northern pike.
The weather man turned out to be correct, the morning was absolutely beautiful. It was like we were fishing on ice, the river was so becalmed. Using a Fishing Buddy II depth finder on our rig, Poling and I were able to position our boat on the drop off - 5'-30' where we broke out the drop shot rigs and blade baits. As we probed deep, smallmouth would break the surface from time to time chasing river smelt. A quick cast with a soft plastic jerkbait would usually nail them.
Once locked on to the right depth - 27', our drop shots and Krazy Blades began to produce smallmouth and walleye on every presentation!
We quickly called over the other boats to get them in on the action. One angler even caught a nice northern pike.
With a limit of 'eyes in our livewell and plenty of smallies for pictures, we decided to pull out and trail the boats up the road some 20 miles to fish another, more sheltered portion of the river.
Our afternoon session was to be spent on Upper Holden Reservoir (on the Ottawa River) but we would motor the Lunds up the gorgeous Dumoine River. Here, there was no sign of development, and the river flows through a heavily forested valley. About a mile up, further passage is stopped by a wide waterfall. Even if you catch no fish, the Dumoine is sensationally scenic with deep, dark woods beckoning you to explore.
We did catch fish, though. Smallmouth bass up to 4-4 were registered on our Berkley digital scales. In one area where Jeff and I caught fish from four years ago, we again found the fish willing to hit. The drop shot was once more our savior.
I have never covered so much water or road in one day. You have to be extremely motivated to do so. I can look back and say it was a great effort.
Day Four: Shadow Lake
I have a special place in my heart for this extreme back country lake. Five years ago, myself and a party of four, set out to find it and it's reputed excellent smallmouth and walleye fishery. Three hours later we still hadn't found it, though we had explored plenty of tight moose trails. I have never forgotten that miserably futile effort.
This year, Ed had arranged for us to be led to the lake by guide, Walt. Our guide turned out to be a transplanted New Englander, a knowledgeable and very personable back country angler that fished Shadow a few times every summer. After a half hour drive to the turnoff, it took another hour of four-wheeling through streams, over rocks and straddling ruts before we saw Shadow through the trees. Walt had done it and we were to become very thankful by the end of the day.
On the water around 10 a.m. we had six hours of fishing. With a 250-acre lake to explore, we got right to work. It was windy, so we automatically eliminated half of the lake and headed to the lee bank.
Throwing Power Tubes, a Venom Hollow Hog and drop shot rigs with Berkley Drop Minnows, Drop Shot Worm and Wave Worm Tiki Drops, Jeff and I immediately began to catch fish. Most were biting shallow, something we had not encountered in clear, back country lakes. Every downed tree we casted to with tubes held a smallmouth. Every time I dragged the drop shot in less than 8' of water I had bites, too.
In a one quarter mile stretch, the entire bottom consisted of oval rocks the size of bed pillows. Smallmouth were everywhere in this part of Shadow. Many were within a foot of the bank eager to dart out and gobble up Case Magic Stiks, Bud's Sinking Sticks and Gulp Sinking Minnows.
I would say during our day there was no more than five minutes between strikes in my boat except when we broke for lunch. I lost track of the smallmouth at 62. The biggest was 18". My 33rd fish was a 23" walleye that fell for a Berkley Power Tube. Walt and Jeff Bruce confirmed equal success at day's end, though they noted catching a number of sizeable largemouth.
Perhaps the only drawback to Shadow was the extreme travel time and lack of true trophy fish. At four o'clock we loaded up the boats and made the long trek back to the lodge for the cookout.
What awaited was coolers of iced Canadian beverages, grilled walleye, home fries and dozens of homemade dishes and desserts prepared by the lodge staff. We topped a great day of fishing and a good meal off with a healthy dose of Texas Hold'em that ran past midnight.
Day Five: Lower Ottawa River
Jeff and I switched partners for today's adventure. He fished with my brother's friend Pete and I fished with my brother, Doug. Jeff and Pete went to Sec Lake in the Algonquin Provincial Park - a smallmouth power house that does not allow any powered craft. Doug and I teamed up to fish the lower Ottawa River, returning to the islands of Petawawa launch. He needed a river pike to complete a Canadian Grand Slam, I had some areas on my river map that needed some serious exploration.
At this point in my Canadian travels, it's more about finding out what's around the next bend and figuring out how to catch the fish there, than returning to lakes I've fished before.
Our day was humid with low clouds and a breeze that promised to gather strength. Due to these conditions, I did want to linger around some protected, nearby islands before setting out into the frontier of the main river. Leon Lowe and his party had told me smallmouth were busting bait here earlier in the week. I knew they were good anglers, so I trusted their report.
It proved to be sound advice. We did see scattered feeding activity within 10 casts my brother landed a 3-12 smallmouth using a Bandit crankbait. In another 15 casts I had my Fenwick Eagle GT just about ripped from my hands by what turned out to be a 4-8 bronze bruiser that engulfed a Swimming Image. And by 10:30 Doug had his river pike, caught from a shallow weedbed on a white Gerkin spinnerbait.
While still overcast, the morning was turning windy. The main river is not a good place to be when the wind gets over 15 mph, so we began to seek out sheltered areas I'd marked on my map. One, near a beautiful lighthouse on the Quebec side of the river was perfectly calm and featured a narrow entrance to several quiet weedy and rocky bays. Here, we caught a dozen small brozebacks before a solid three pounder ambushed my Chatterbuzz buzzbait. On the way out through an equally narrow egress, we decided to fish an area I'd marked, but ran off our map.
It looked like a large, protected bay. It turned out to be much more. Doug and I kept fishing, catching a number of small pike until we reached a portion that narrowed and was full of rock points, small islands and cuts. Oddly, current was present. We followed this and discovered a faded sign, high on a bluff that read: "Danger, Big Rapids, Do Not Enter". Do you have to ask what we did?
Carefully, we idled further into the bay, which was more like a river now. Sticking to the left bank, we discovered the bay was actually a flowage. The left side backed up behind some serious rock and earth islands. The right side became a rushing river with Class III rapids we definitely wanted to avoid.
Fishing and exploring the quiet water above the rapids, I caught another three pound smallie, this one on a three-inch Power Grub, just above where the water squeezed through a two-foot wide rock chute.
Itching to explore the rapids we could hear over the rocky hill in front of us, Doug secured the boat at what looked to be a portage point with a rough path. Fishing rods in hand, we clambered up the bank, over and down a rock tumble and saw a beautiful vista. Dark pines lined the far bank as those "Big Rapids" churned. Down and to our immediate right, was a rock pool about 30' by 10' formed by a small waterfall that originated from the log jam at which to we tied the boat.
The pool was clear and we could see several large fish holding in the well oxygenated water. A closer look revealed they were sturgeon. My brother was up for a challenge so we took a moment to offer some grubs to these prehistoric fish. Incredibly, we hooked up immediately and landed three fish in succession. They fought well in the small pool, one even ran up into the fall.
The quote of the week was generated at this time. Commenting on the experience my brother said: "What an epic day; smallmouth, pike and now sturgeon."
It didn't end there, though.
We shoved the boat off and again, carefully maneuvered our way toward the final pools above the rapids. I must stress, this is not for the faint of heart or novice boater. There were two-foot whirlpools. Our boat was at the whim of the water without aggressive boat handling.
Breaking down the fishing possibilities , there looked to be two back eddies above the rapids. The first was below the small rock chute we had fished above. Here, my brother and I caught 30 smallmouth up to 3.4 pounds on soft plastic stick baits and the drop shot. We also caught walleye and fall fish.
The second eddy was along the far bank and just above the rapids. Here, Doug and I tied off to a tree lap and caught another 40 smallmouth and walleye. The 'eyes were up to 21" and the smallies up to 16". It was exhilarating fishing just above Class III hydraulics. The catching was truly epic.
With over 80 fish in the boat and a tricky half hour ride through The Islands to get back to the ramp, Doug and I took some pictures and turned the Lund homeward at 5:30 p.m.
Day Six: Lower Ottawa River Take Two
Guess where I went on my final day of fishing? Once again teamed up with Jeff, we headed back to what is officially known as Ile de Allumette. Back at the lodge the night before I learned from the wall map, this flowage is an offshoot of the Ottawa River that doesn't blend back into the main flow until a few miles down river of Pembroke.
Jeff and I fished the same areas as I did the day before, however I also focused on the rocky areas about a quarter mile before the rapids. Here the bay narrowed and flowed through a number of rock channels. The day was again unusually humid but nicely overcast, so the Chattbuzz was the bait of the morning.
We soon found out there was a good northern pike feed on. We had blow-ups about every 30 yards. The biggest fish we had on was not landed, but we did boat several pushing 10 pounds. It was hard to leave this special area.
We finished up the day by catching a few more smallies from the main river islands near the launch and Town of Petawawa. I wanted to snap a couple of photos of the vacation cottages and the mountain/river landscape. What a great way to wind down a busy week of tending to my quest for adventure.
In retrospect, our eighth year of fishing K/O Lodge was characterized by the successful exploration of three new fisheries - something you don't expect after so many years of return visits to normal, one lake lodges. This incredible and vast potential is what keeps the veterans coming back and first timers excited to make the trip. Also the rate for the week is still unbeatable for what you get - five star accommodations, all meals, use of modern bass-style boats, lightweight Kevlar canoes and Vhulls, trolling motors, batteries and access with logistical support to over 30 lakes and 35 miles of river.
To book your trip with K/O Lodge call them at 1-877-584-2411 or go online to www.kolodge.com.