I’ll keep the history short. During March of 2005 Brenda and I fished a half day on Kesagami Lake catching about 20 walleye. Two days after that first time there, I returned with my friend John and his father. Over another four hours or so, we hooked into another 50 walleye give or take and my first ever pike at 40 inches. Now fast forwarding to the present, this is Kesagami ice fishing 2006.

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Thursday night Fishforfun “Marty” left Georgetown to meet up with Ottawa’s Floatfishin’ “Kevin” the next morning in North Bay. Together the two of them were coming to me in Moose Factory by Polar Bear Express. and they’d be getting in for supper on Friday.

I was waiting at home with Bren, praying for the ceiling to lift and a threat of freezing rain to diminish, because Bren and I were going to fly into Kesagami for an annual meat run. But, the weather didn’t clear.

What ended up happening then was, I called the outfitter and arranged for a full day of Kesagami on the Saturday instead of a previously agreed upon half day. As back up we still had a half day charter on Kesagami for the Monday as well, so if need be, even that could be stretched to full if weather screwed us out of any more time.

I really just wanted 12 hours with friends and family on Ontario’s Kesagami Lake. And I wanted a big pike and a handful of walleye too.

Friday evening the boys came in along with the rain and warm temps. I gave them their first taste of the ice road across the Moose River.

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The road was soaked the 1.5 kilometers across with 12-18 inches of dirty water.

After getting the fellas settled in, made some surf and turf on the BBQ, hit a few Molson and got off to bed in good time.

The next morning it all began.

We landed on Kesagami at 9:00am. Quickly I drilled four holes in close proximity for eyes while Marty set out the gear and Kev watched on. Once finished drilling I said, “Martin, why don’t you drop down a minnow and get the first fish.” Kev was already on that though, and after about a ninety second count there Kev got a tap, and real quick he loads up and says, “HE F#$KING SMOKED IT!!!!!” Yeah, so a bit in disbelief he’s got the first fish in no time.

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I walked off towards the shoreline about fifty meters or so from the walleye holes to start drilling for the pike, but not before Martin got his first fish too.

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And then, before I could get away still, the two of them hit a double header. They haven’t been fishing five minutes I swear.

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So here are some details about how I set up for these fish. In the middle of a wide channel between two points, six to eight holes were drilled pretty much in a pair of parallel lines. This area is for the eyes. For pike, we moved in about fifty meters towards shore and drilled three holes in a line well spaced apart running in a parallel line with the shore.

Kev used a Buckshot, Martin stuck mostly with Cleo’s and I used Champs. We also had twelve dozen shiners. This was all for the eyes.

For the pike, the boys had tip-ups with heavy Dacron and I had the PIKE SLAYERINATOR with 50-pound braid. Williams spoons tipped with fallfish or whitefish was the bait.

At 11:00am the tip on the SLAYERINATOR dropped and the bell rang. Booting it over there, the snow’s crust was turning softer with the warm weather and my foot went through to the slush several times, resulting in a couple good face plants as well. But, when I got to the SLAYERINATOR the reel was still singing music to my ears. At the set up I leave a blanket with a heavy rubber glove, scale, long nose pliers, jaw spreaders and a measuring tape. I call it the operating table. For the time being, I put on the one glove and grabbed the braid. “THIS IS A HEAVY FISH FOR SURE” I yell out to Martin who’s on the way. Finally up she comes.

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I’m on the board with a 37″, 12+ pound Kesagami northern pike.

Wasn’t long after we were back jiggin’ eyes. The numbers decent and we were averaging about ten an hour with some hours better than others.
Around noon Kev’s flag goes and he bolts for it…

Get’s to the tip up and the lines peeling but Kev puts the brakes on. Having those flags pop or the bell go on the pike lines is a rush. Kev’s flying now too and he’s yelling “it’s a good fish” from his post at the hole. In due time it’s up.

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Pretty fish Kev too bad it’s just a snot rocket 31″er. 😛

As Kev is getting his picture taken Martin’s flag pops at his southern hole. I bolt the long distance to help him.

Martin is ecstatic cause he knows he’s into something huge. The moments on the ice kneeling down at the hole with him were fantastic. We were both really excited. Martin took his time and finally managed to turn the head of his fish into the hole. Not an easy task because all our pike lines were only in about 12-18 inches of shallow water beneath the thick ice. I look down, see a full set of teeth and grab the gill plate. It’s up! Awesome Martin.

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He rests a minute with his prize.

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Then the pose with his PB 39″ but whopping 18-pound Northern. Congrats!

Back to the walleye. It’s around 2:00pm. We’re doing well. Martin added a snot rocket to his pike tally and I picked up another pike at 28 inches. The walleye numbers are good as Kev and Martin had great starts, so were about 50 walleye total so far.

Banana bread, sandwiches and Labatts down the hatch, the SLAYERINATOR dings and drops. Off I go…

At the hole it’s zzzzt zzzt time. Long story short, heavy fish, good tussle, and it’s soon on the ice.

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This beeeyotch was purdy thick!

Off in the distance we here a buzz from the sky and then a big plane breaks over the trees. It’s friendlies in green, three of them, and they have a fish sniffing dog and a warm pizza too.

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The Ministry boys set down. The familiar pilot Clifford remembers me, for he was the pilot who flew us in the previous year to fish.

The dog’s out sniffing, the boys take our card numbers, and one gent measures a few of our fish then checks the bait on our lines. At this point the pike lures are loaded up with 6-8 minnows on the hooks cause we’ve all lost our meat from the earlier pike.

Kev he just can’t rest though. So he keeps catching eyes as the boys in green are talking with him. We thought it was a Kodak moment.

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Then they left, only to fly back over an hour later and check out our meat pile one last time.

Day one was drawing to a close yet Kev still wanted a pike. It was about 5:00pm and we had caught a staggering 80 or more walleye. The last couple hours I was catching up to the others just hammering the eyes when the PIKE SLAYERINATOR had me rush out for a near miss. The tip just dropped hard and when I got there something in one foul swoop took six minnows cleanly off the hook. It was about then when Kev shouts out. “IT’S A FISH, IT”S A BIG FISH!!!”

Back at his walleye hole he has a pike on his jiggin’ rod. A small Buckshot and 10 pound floro for a lead, he’s having waaaaay to much fun. This great little battle ensues and finally his fish comes to the surface. Scary, the leader is a good four inches down the pikes mouth.

But still, the fish is up.

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Kev’s very own 37″ Northern Pike weighing in at 12 1/4 lbs. Wicked BRO!

An hour later and the day was done. We flew home really sunburnt but sooooo pleased that we just used up twelve dozen minnows, caught about ninety walleye (biggest 20.5″) and nine pike too.
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For day two I took the fellas on a skidoo tour of the Moose River with the help of a friend from work. We got skunked fishing at Kwetabohigan, followed by supper and the luxuries found at Hancock Cabin. Then we rode home under the stars and a great display of Northern lights.
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The final day for Kesagami came. This time Bren was getting her chance to go, and so the night before we all agreed any first pike was hers.

When we touched down on the lake the clock started and we had just four hours. Able to kick or chop into some holes, Bren was immediately getting hits but was a little rusty with the jig and hookset. Before too long though, she was on them good and out-fishing us with her favorite Pixie spoon. Bren was keeping her every fish this day, as she does so a couple times a year to feed the rest of our family.

The PIKE SLAYERINATOR goes off. It’s hers. She’s out there with the help of Kev and Martin and manages a snot rocket to the hole.

Over the next three hours no more pike will come. We learned that the day before the MNR had been back in and fined two Moosonee people. (one for over limit and the other no license) By the end of our half day on Kesagami we caught another 65 walleye or so. Bren about 20 and us boys around 15 a piece. Here’s some pics along with Kev’s nice walleye, the biggest of the trip.

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God love it. What a great time we all had. Bren wants to go back to fish the soft water on Kesagami now. YES!!!! But, in due time cause we’re still fresh off this high.

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Back at the house that afternoon we had a few pops while I filleted some 28 walleye. Then, at the supper table did we ever feast.
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Thanks Bren and the lads.

Bunk.
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