If you are ever looking to watch a bizarre or unique fishing episode then this may very well be the ultimate one for you. This adventure took Angelo up to Agich’s Kaby Kabins on Kabinakagami Lake in the Algoma region of Ontario. Here, he experienced some of the most exciting Pike fishing of his career.
KABY LAKE
Kaby Lake, as it’s referred to by the locals, is a big lake that’s over 25 miles long with 147 islands, and under normal conditions it covers over 30,800 acres of surface area. This trip, unfortunately, wasn’t under normal conditions. Finding post-spawn Northern Pike was very tough and catching them was even tougher. Add to that a fluctuating barometer, and the Pike were not going to be exerting themselves. Their strike zone is going to be much smaller, and that means you have to put that bait right on their noses before they’ll eat it.
After the first day, things were looking pretty grim. Kaby Kabins’ Stuart Agich knew it; so while Angelo was out fishing (and not catching), he was out running around the lake looking for fish. At dinner that night, he said he saw something interesting near the top end of the lake: dozens of terns and seagulls diving and apparently feeding on the surface. This immediately alerted Ang; if there were baitfish on the surface with birds feeding on them, then something must be driving them there.
FEEDING FRENZY AT BOOT BAY
With Stuart’s directions and map in hand, Ang took the ride to Boot Bay, and sure enough, after a few minutes he could see lots of birds diving into what appeared to be a swamp. As Angelo got closer, though, this swamp revealed itself to actually be flooded brush on both sides with a narrow clear channel. But what really blew his mind was the sight of thousands of baitfish jumping and scurrying across the surface because they were being preyed upon by masses of Pike. It was a feeding frenzy!
MAYHEM IN THE SHALLOWS
Ang said, “I realized that this was not a river. The bottom was actually the tops of brush a foot below the surface, and when I looked up I could see open water maybe a hundred meters away. Obviously, the high water had flooded a depression in what appeared to be a little peninsula, creating a little island out of it. What a bizarre area.”
Upon closer inspection, he could see scurrying baitfish and boils from predators—more specifically, Northern Pike.
Since the fish were slashing bait on the surface, he rigged up a Mighty Mo topwater and commenced to catch Pike after Pike, of all sizes.
After catching numerous Northern Pike, as well as some bonus northern Ontario Walleye, Ang capped off the show with a true giant “Gator” as he called it. It definitely was mayhem in the shallows!
