We just finished a shoot in Algonquin Park and I’ve got to say, what a great place. Although we didn’t slay the fish, we did have a successful shoot. The beauty about the park is the whole fishing experience.
Angelo and I set out for a trout shoot. We mainly wanted Brookies but would take anything else. We used canoes and paddle power so it was something we weren’t quite used to now-a-days. Ang did a lot of portaging/fishing in the park years ago so he knew what to expect and I totally relied on his past experience to get an idea of what I was up against.
We were destined for Longer Lake, a small Trout lake with a lot of character. After trolling up a couple of small Lakers, we made it to our Speck area. Using small spinners and spoons tipped with worms, we were able to nail a few 12-14” Brookies, one around 2 pounds and Ang latched into a beauty… probably about 3 pounds. Man what a sight; a stout Algonquin Brook Trout, complete with a great fight and a 2 foot jump.
We really went out of our way to try and give the audience the “Algonquin experience” with the portaging, camping and canoe fishing. I really hope you enjoy the episode when it airs (probably Sept. 08).
This may sound odd to you, but another highlight of this trip for me was getting to talk to Mark Ridgeway (Director, Research Scientist (OMNR) ) at the Harkness Lab. I have spoke to Mark in the past and he’s a genius in my opinion in the world of fish. He gave us the quick lowdown on both Speckled Trout and Smallmouth Bass in the park and I’ll tell you, if you want some interesting fish info, just listen to a guy like Mark. If you check out their site, I’m sure there’s something there that will interest you.
I would also like to thank Glenn, the boys at Big Trout for the fantastic shore lunch, Wayne, Peggy, John Winters and especially Brad Steinberg for the outstanding help with this shoot and his vast knowledge of the park.