My old man told me once, better to be a pessimist than an optimist. That way your highs will be higher and a pleasant surprise, and your lows won’t bother you for they were expected.

I was optimistic.

Kesagami has been really great on the ice. The big pike are there in great numbers. The plan was to originally take my bride to be Bren for some easy fishing, but as things unfolded she had to bail for a number of reasons. In came Kevin aka FLOATFISHIN’ to the picture. It was at this point that my trip pressure changed from rather relaxed to, “we gonna slay ’em!!!”

He gets the Hound and ONR out of Ottawa, and I nab a seat in the “bar car” on the Polar Bear Express. Last Thursday we met up same time in Cochrane and got right into a few drinks at the motel. Flight time Friday morning is at 8:30am.

Kev and I arrive at Cochrane Air base only to find the flight delayed due to a nasty front up north. We plunk our sunken asses at a picnic table when suddenly Chris (aka Scuro) and his wife Leslie pop around a corner to say hello.

The day wears on for everyone. By lunch time the four of us hit Cochrane for a bite to eat then take to some back roads for an afternoon tour to a nearby fishing spot I know. A great time out it becomes.

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Returning to the Airbase we waited some more. And wait and waited. By 5:00pm we get the nod that we’ll be taking to the air. Great. Entirely missed day one’s fishing but at least we’ll get in for supper, get settled, and be ready to fish first thing.

Kesagami Lodge is awesome. Greeted right away by half the staff, the guides and the lodge manager, all are quick to assist and answer questions.

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Our cabin for the stay.

After supper during the sunset a gang is gathered by the dock. I meet a young guide named Dave. He fills me in on the fishing saying it’s been tough but gives me a plan for the morning. The “plan” is sort of the same as my guide buddy Rob from Moose Factory offered as well. Go there there and there, fish the cabbage and weed edges in 3-5 fow with this this or that.

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At sunset the booze is flowing and everyone is relaxed…. everyone but Float. Kev’s high energy on rye and pints and the owner of “President’s Choice” foods, Boris, and a large group of his associates had taken to a sauced up Kev like Memories of Kobe on beef. Scuro is tanked too, wiping out a few times on the pathways and wishing he could video tape Kevin’s fishing seminar. And truly a seminar it was. A dozen or more guys captive audience in a cabin hanging on FLOAT’S every word of wisdom. It was nuts. All awesome advice from the FLOAT for sure, but these guys had fished the lake 7 or 8 years in a row…. Kev and I, never!

Woke Kevin up day two morning with a loud, “GET UP BEEYOTCH!!!”

Outside a cold front had hit. Four footers kicking up on the main lake, temps dropping from mid 20’s down to 6C with a high of 10C forecast and winds gusting to 50K… I gave it an “ahhhh fawk!!!”

We took off being one of the first boats out of the gate and headed north against all the terrible shit and nastiness. Turns out everyone else… everyone, headed south or west. The ride was wet but the 23 foot canoes handled amazingly. Up top of the lake in the bays the chop was settled but we were quick to find the fishing tough. The “best” area only saw a few follows for us.

By mid afternoon we were scooting down to a bay on the west side after having covered three others already. At a point on the lake we guessed to give some trolling a shot. I threw on a 4.5″ Wabler and Kev a Whitefish and only minutes after the lines were down I get a snag.

But it’s no snag. My lure stopped dead in it’s tracks. I threw the boat into neutral and it’s forward drift is brought to a quick stop. The snag starts to move slow towards the shoreline and I tell Kev “it’s a big feesh.” I lean on that sucker and I swear the boat moves backwards to it as it still swims slow to the shore. Put more pressure and then the thing takes a sudden quick run and gives a headshake and spits the lure. Devastated I’m reeling in the slack when the fish jumps clear out of the water belly aimed right at us and I see then the full length and size of the pike I just lost. It was by far my biggest loss to date. I cursed single hooks, weather, myself, the fish, anything I could really!…

We troll another pass off the same point. This side of the lake and particularly this point is calmer and more protected from the wind. Kev’s whitefish turns on for him and he bags two quick good fighting pike… a 35″ followed by a 32″

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And my consolation prize for the big pike loss is a whopping big dink of an eye.

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Day two was done in no time. Tough cold front fishing, later back at the lodge not one of the forty some anglers had bagged a 40+ fish. In fact, the lake had seen one 43 in the last 3 days which a young woman caught while jiggin’ eyes. Chris came in with a 37″er that he plucked from somewhere in the south end and he was tickled pink to have a new PB.

Day three was nearly worse for weather. The temps were warmer with a daytime high of 16C, but the winds were still north and strong, and now raining hard as well. Periods during the day a little sun would try it’s damndest to break through and that would allow some comfort but, it was still a hard day on the water.

Kev and I fished the south arm and right up the Kesagami river to the first rapids. At that point we figured we would at least find some eyes but there was only one caught. Kev on a troll hooked a small pike that had a medium sized pike latch on to it for a minute, and at the river mouth I dropped another big pike at boatside. A fish that we never saw because it sure didn’t like the boat and went screaming away.

Scuro fished a bay after we had been in and plucked a 41″er out of some weeds. Great PB for him but I was pulling my hair out by the end of the day and didn’t need to hear it. Kev and I were first out, last back, and didn’t stop fishing hard for 12 hours. Mother nature, bad luck, shit skills or maybe the wrong information was killing us.

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Day four promised better. Getting in the boat first thing I think it was only more eager beavers Andy and Frank that were a little quicker to get out, as they skipped breakfast. The lake was glass. Weather was sunny, warm, humid, calling high mid 20’s for the day and a calm 5K south breeze. This was a pike day so we headed back to the north end on the advice of our favorite guide Dave.

The plan was to slow things right down. Fish an area more thoroughly instead of running and gunning. We had a set time to be at a set spot as well, and were told to wait it out for the fish there. Kev and I stayed just ahead of two guides all day and fished their spots before they did.

We were sitting on a weedbed early morning when from up the lake we hear swish, swish, swish, swish on the shoreline. Turn to look and a woodland caribou off in the distance is making it’s way right towards us.

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The beast stops once it knows it’s being watched and walks out into the water to cross the bay. I ask Kev to slowly and quietly pick up the anchor and once the ‘bou is swimming we’ll jet over to it for some pics before it can escape.

The plan works.

Kev and I set forth……

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….. and as we approach the mangy woody’bou bolts and a sequence of great shots unfolds.

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An awesome moment it was. Was likely the best thing that happened all day.

Kev and I fished on. So much promise in our spots we hooked and released a good number of smallish to mediumish pike and had some bigguns roll on topwaters. I missed a nice pike when a snap failed. It was funny cause we could see the spoon on bottom and Kev poked at it with his rod for a long time to try and get it back. Then, the lure moved about 5 feet away. Turns out Kev had been poking the tired pike in the head and it decided to swim away with the lure still actually in it’s mouth. We went back to the guides spot for the time he said… sure enough, I lost a nice fish there after a very long wait. The pencils tied the fish up.

After a turkey dinner we snuck out a few hours for the evening bite. In one bay in less than a foot of water Kev got a big boil on a buzzbait and so he was quick to follow up by tossing a 6-inch Flappin Shad to it. The pike took close to the boat. Looking down on it the fish had the lure right at the tip of it’s mouth and it held the plastic for the longest time. Gargantuan head, a 40 for sure, Kev never even attempted to set the hook before the fish spit the lure. Said he would have never got the hookset and the fish would only be spooked thereafter. He should know, he was looking right down at it the whole time as it was pretty much at his feet for a full minute holding that bait.

Over at another weedbed he got the boil on a buzz and I followed with a shad. Not much the plastics guy as not much a bass guy I may have waited a second too long; especially after witnessing Kev’s big fish’s antics earlier in the eve, and when I finally drove the hook the 65lb Seagar was cut in half immediately.

I sunk. Three days in a row in all sorts of weather Kev and I were both losing a big fish a day. I swore not to use floro again. The combination of all losses was turning me sour. The day two fish still weighed heaviest in my mind as I know it was the pike of a lifetime.

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At sunset that night some single malt, a little reflection, and hanging with the guys turned the pessimism back around. Kev and I learned the fish were holding tight to shore and right into the weeds. That fact went against everything all my sources were telling me the pike would be doing for that time of year. Water temp at 58C we should have paid more attention to that reality, and the knowledge that the lake was only at about 20% it’s usual weed growth for that time of year, which made many beds off shore much less dense and fish appealing.

Back at the lodge two +40’s for the day had been caught. Guides were shaking their heads a little. Huge mayfly hatch over the past three days they predicted the pike were likely feeding on the frenzied whitefish that were after the mays. How could anyone notice mayflies in high wind, cold front rainy conditions with the exception of the day we just had? The one truth was the fishing was tough. The head guide, who’s anglers had caught 57 forty plus pike the year before had only three weeks left in his season and he was at 15. Weather all spring had caused more flight cancellations than any past year and the pike were often lock jawed in the strange spring conditions. Takes were not as aggressive either. All this added up to excuses, cause really, Kesagami is a big pike factory and anyone knows this.

Day five presented itself with nasty, strong gusting south winds switching westerly as the day progressed. Rain came down half the day and the main lake was kicking five footers in places. Kev and I had a slow early morning until finally deciding to make a long trek south to any bays we figured might be protected.

By noon we knew it had paid off. At a weed edge I cast a Johnson minnow deep and had a big blow up. The fish cut my line above the leader on it’s attack. ARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But the pencils and lily pads kept paying off. The fish were biting well here. I fumbled with spoons and Kev stuck with the Flappin Shad. He started to out fish so I switched to my fly rod and noted pike really seemed to like some of the slower, bulky presentations. We got sort of hung up at one edge and Kev had missed a few on his sets when I threw out a shad myself, and second cast had a solid fish suck it up.

It was on. Good fish. Good fight. Took me off the weeds and eventually broke our crappy cradle. A skinnier 38″ was in the boat.

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The fishing was on after that. Kev and I peppered the area to pick up about 35 fish by days end. One more good chunky 35 inch pike off the weed-edge whistled up a shad and played a good tune for me too. But Kev got a HUGE 10.5 incher that may actually end up being the most valuable fish of the trip.

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Chased a cow moose with the camera but the beast was twice as fast a swimmer than the caribou and really bolted through the shoreline bog. Pics didn’t turn out.

Scuro’s wife Leslie picked up a 35 incher as well, might have been the day before though..? She was fantastic to have around the camp and hang out with us. I think she’ll be right hooked on fishing now. Great person who brought much fun.

Back at the lodge was all good times. Stayed up later and got a good buzz on knowing that come morning we were flying out and the trip was all over. Angryman Andy and Frank had one more day and were planning on heading right back to our glory hole for the next morning, so we wished them well and hit the hay.

Day six and we’re going nowhere. All morning we waited around for the word on the plane. Thunderstorms and scattered patches of heavy rain make hazard of the skies all day long. Kev and I wait it out by taking a walk…

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… but, there’s only so far you can go.

I unpack the fly rod and stand on the dock. In the next couple hours I catch six small pike and miss double that. Then we break for lunch.

Unable to wait any longer Charlie the lodge manager gives us the go ahead by 1:00pm to head out for a fish but to stay close to the lodge. Kev and I jump at the chance and in the scattered showers hit some nearby weed beds and start raising a few fish. Kev does alright bagging the best, a healthy 35″er that gave him a good run for the money.

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Before too long though it’s supper, and then after that thunderstorms keep us off the water… Well, I head back on the water against Kev’s fear of being struck by lightning, and we keep fishing but eventually are forced to retreat early.

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And that pretty much capped it for the trip. Overall it was tough fishing due to some real tough and changing weather, some seasonal weirdness and some misinformation. Kev and I both believe it was a valiant first effort though. On a huge and foreign body of water under the circumstances we both saw amazing potential during the periods of time when the lake calmed and was more pike fishing friendly. Every day we at least spotted and even hooked big fish, and as time wore on we began to get onto their pattern. Four days actually fishing wasn’t enough for the learning curve under such stormy skies, cold front conditions and drastic weather. That’s my excuse anyways.

The lodge, staff, guides and manager Charlie are all top notch. Andy and Frank re-booked and they’ll likely be seeing me again there sometime too.

Was great hanging with my bro Kev on another unforgettable trip.

They advertise an “experience” and they give just that.

Bunk.
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