Anyone who has fished northwestern Ontario in the spring knows that the weather is unpredictable at best. You can expect snow, sleet, hail, rain, wind, or sun, and possibly all in one day. However, the die-hard fisherman knows that if he’s prepared to battle the harsh conditions of Canada’s north in the spring, he could be rewarded with the fishing experience of a lifetime.
The season of 2007 at the Old Post and Village started out cold. Then, after almost two whole weeks of beautiful weather when the staff was busy opening camp, a thick blanket of snow greeted the opening of the fishing season. Never before did I have to shovel out my boat before I went fishing! This cold snap, especially since it had come after a long stint of warm weather, had a negative effective on fishing and lasted throughout my first week of guiding. Although we did have success, including a couple of trophy fish, and saw some good action over the five days, the fishing was not quite up to expectations. However, my second week of guiding would prove to be the absolutely best fishing I have experienced during my five years at the camp.
On the first day of my second guided group the cold snap had not quite lifted. If it hadn’t been raining, I would have sworn that it was below zero. Nevertheless, Jonathan and I, and twenty-six keen anglers of the Bowman group from Deerhead, Minnesota, set off down the lake. After a long and bumpy boat ride we finally arrived at our prospective honey hole, the legendary K.O. Bay at the mouth of Searson. During the previous week, I had found that the cold weather had pushed the fish a little deeper than normally expected in the spring. Rather than rushing to the shallows at the back of the bay I directed the group to fish in the mouth and channel at depths between five and fifteen feet.
My initial plan did not produce the results I was hoping. I looked at the other twelve boats around me and noticed that although a few rods were bent, the action was slow. However, one particular boat had begun to slip further into the bay and as it did, the two happy anglers began to catch one walleye after another. I quickly scooted over to check to see if the bite was genuine. A quick double convinced me that it was and I hollered at the other boats to move towards the back of the bay. Although it did take a few minutes, by the time all thirteen boats had moved out of the deep channel and into the shallow, mucky bay, in short order the stringers were bulging with fresh walleye. After another hour or so of a non-stop spring walleye action, Jonathan and I lead the group to another bay in the mouth of Searson to cook lunch.
While slicing up the forty plus walleye we needed to cook lunch, Jonathan and I began to discuss the morning. I soon realized why my original plan to fish the deeper water had failed. Simply, the water was too cold. The water temperature at the mouth of the bay was a frigid fifty-two degrees Fahrenheit. A fairly stiff southwest breeze was blowing across the main-lake into the mouth of the bay. Although there was enough wind in the bay to concentrate fish along rock piles, points, and sand bars, it was not powerful enough to push in the cold main lake water, keeping the bay at a warm temperature. A small creek that dribbled into the back of the bay also increased the warmth of the water. By the time the bite began to die off, just before lunch, the water temperature at the back of the bay was fifty-eight degrees. During the early spring, all species of fish on Lake St. Joseph search for warm water to spawn and feed. The six degree difference between the back and mouth was enough to concentrate the bait fish in the area and create a walleye feeding frenzy. Water temperature was the key to our success in the morning and I knew that it would also be the key to our success in the afternoon and for the rest of the week.
After lunch I lead our crew to another legendary spot on Lake St. Joseph, the Pig Pen. This particular spot has a series of “gates” made up of rocky points and smooth rock narrows. These act as a barrier against the bay waters mixing with the cold main lake waters. Upon entering the first gate, I noticed the water temperature was fifty-seven degrees and climbing. A instructed the group to begin to work slowly through the gates and towards the back of the bay. It didn’t take long before the group saw their first forty-inch northern pike of the trip. However, the fish to follow made the forty-incher look small by comparison. The first boat to reach the back of the bay hooked into a monstrous forty-five inch pike. That ‘gater’ took the camp record for the summer.
Over the next two days, Jonathan and I bounced around the lake searching for the warmest waters. Our strategy paid off as we had two days of incredible fishing. However, nothing we saw over the first three days could have prepared us for our fourth and last. Banking on the temperature bite, I led the group strait to the mouth of a river in one of the larger bays on the south side of the lake. (To find out which one, you will have to hire a guide). After winding through about a mile of shallow bog, the river finally exits at a black rock narrows. On this particular day, a warm breeze was blowing lightly from the south, pushing all the warm water from the bog right through the narrows. When we arrived in the morning the water was still fairly cool, about fifty-five degrees. However, the fish were still biting. As the sun came out and the air temperature began to push into the high seventies, the water temperature also rose. As the water temperature rose, the fishing intensified. All thirteen boats anchored in the middle of the narrows and sat all morning catching walleye after walleye. The only time the walleye bite slowed down was whenever a monster pike moved into the area. The group landed four northerns over forty-inches before the day was out, including one that was caught from shore as Jonathan and I were cooking lunch! This outstanding fishing continued well into the late afternoon before we finally headed back to camp to ice our shoulders and brag about the day.
In my five years of guiding at the Old Post, I had never experienced this quality of fishing. I estimate that well over a thousand fish were caught and released that day (minus the forty or so for lunch). I know that I will remember this week of guiding, not only because of the phenomenal fishing, but also because of the valuable lesson it taught me about spring fishing – the warmest water holds the hottest fishing.
-Michael Delvecchio