Post by Eugene on Sept 3, 2010 10:52:30 GMT -5
Family and I were on Lake Kagawong, Ontario through 27 August. This has been my regular summer haunt for nearly 4 decades now. Filling the cooler with 10"-plus perch was easy to the point of silly this year. A few moderate-sized pike (to 30") for our amusement.
What Kagawong may be best known for is its ability to produce ridiculous numbers of quality smallmouth. Almost any place one parks boat or canoe, you can catch 12-15" bass almost at will, dozens in any day one makes any effort. After fish move off the shallows in July, it's harder to find bigger fish, and the biggest we found this year was a 16.5" fish my daughter caught and released (although I have caught them to 20.25" on that lake in other years). Regarding growth and the ability to produce more large fish, this is the kind of population that I believe would actually benefit from a little more harvest. Thus, I admit to indulging in a few fresh fillets in the evening back in camp. Mmmm...
Because of Ontario's recent regulations on non-resident use of bait, it's relatively rare we use live bait when visiting the province. This year, we didn't use any form of live bait at all. This year's technique of choice was dropshotting soft plastics. My favorites are Venom Dropshot Minnows or Berkley Power Minnow Grubs (the former in colors Ayju or Erin's Magic and the latter especially in Bleedin' Minnow for smallmouth). The water there is very clear, and my color choices might differ with more turbidity. Mrs. Eugene does just as well on Berkley Power Minnows and Berkley Dropshot Power Minnows in various colors. For me (I don't know that the fish care), I prefer soft-plastic minnow imitations to feature a recognizable eye. Those I've listed deliver nicely.
What Kagawong may be best known for is its ability to produce ridiculous numbers of quality smallmouth. Almost any place one parks boat or canoe, you can catch 12-15" bass almost at will, dozens in any day one makes any effort. After fish move off the shallows in July, it's harder to find bigger fish, and the biggest we found this year was a 16.5" fish my daughter caught and released (although I have caught them to 20.25" on that lake in other years). Regarding growth and the ability to produce more large fish, this is the kind of population that I believe would actually benefit from a little more harvest. Thus, I admit to indulging in a few fresh fillets in the evening back in camp. Mmmm...
Because of Ontario's recent regulations on non-resident use of bait, it's relatively rare we use live bait when visiting the province. This year, we didn't use any form of live bait at all. This year's technique of choice was dropshotting soft plastics. My favorites are Venom Dropshot Minnows or Berkley Power Minnow Grubs (the former in colors Ayju or Erin's Magic and the latter especially in Bleedin' Minnow for smallmouth). The water there is very clear, and my color choices might differ with more turbidity. Mrs. Eugene does just as well on Berkley Power Minnows and Berkley Dropshot Power Minnows in various colors. For me (I don't know that the fish care), I prefer soft-plastic minnow imitations to feature a recognizable eye. Those I've listed deliver nicely.
