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So What Is A Splake?
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The Splake is a hybrid of two fish species resulting from the crossing of a male Brook Trout and a female Lake Trout. The name itself is a hybrid between 'SP'eckled trout (another name for Brook Trout) and 'LAKE' Trout, and may have been used to describe such hybrids as early as the 1880s. Hybrids of the male Lake Trout with the female Brook Trout (the so-called "brookinaw") have also been produced but are not as successful. In some locales, the fish is referred to as the Wendigo. Although the hybrid is genetically stable and is, theoretically, capable of reproducing, Splake reproduction is extremely rare, for behavioural reasons, outside the hatchery environment. The only known natural reproduction has occurred in 5 lakes in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada and, in each case, only a handful of progeny were produced. Wilderness North Resource writer Gord Ellis, has posted an article about finding and catching Splake at Ice Out. Click Here
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Historic Flight Arrives in Toronto
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Two Beavers came home yesterday, gliding their way along the shores of Lake Ontario, splashing past the CN Tower and landing at the Toronto City Centre Airport.The aircraft, de Havilland Beaver seaplanes, built here in the 1950s, are in the last stretch of a more than 16,000-kilometre circumnavigation of Canada that began early last month in Seattle and wound its way through the Northwest Passage.Piloted by a pair of U.S. businessmen with an affinity for adventure and an affection for the DHC-2 Beaver seaplane, the aircraft came ashore near the same spot where the first prototype took flight 61 years ago.To read the complete story from the Toronto Globe Click Here
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Back "issues" of the Fishing Reports and Newsletters
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If you would like to go back to check a story in one of our past e-mails of either a Fishing Report or a Wilderness North Newsletter you can do so in our archive file.
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Music From The Wilderness
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It's called "Music From the Wilderness" and has 15 cuts of relaxing piano, guitar and string music that captures the tranquility of the Canadian wilderness. It is the music you hear as backdrop on our podcasts and it is available now for just $15 USD delivered to your door.
To learn more about "Music From the Wilderness" and to meet the composer and hear sample songs, click here.
Or call 1-888-465-3474 and order yours today.
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An Adventure Inside an Adventure !
...by Alan Cheeseman
We are all familiar with the saying, "So close and yet so far." That sums up what our guests often tell us once they are here-often a very long way from home- and yet surprisingly close to special "additional" adventures within their basic fly-in fishing adventure.
For example, guests to our Strikers Point Lodge, have for years scheduled fly out trips - about a 20 minute flight - to Lake XP, and caught dozens of Northern Pike with action so fast they often do NOT believe us when we tell them about the lake.
So this summer we set up some adventures from our Miminiska Lodge, Ontario's only Orvis Endorsed destination, and offered up these "additional adventure trips" to our guests. Adventures that were not available on Miminiska Lake itself.
You have no doubt heard of our day long Brook Trout Fly Out Day Trips down the Keezhik River. Or heard about the surprise successes of Lake Trout anglers who fly out to Emerald Lake and return the same day.
Well in late August we went one step further up at Miminiska Lodge - 51 degress north on the Albany River.
Louisiana's Markham Dickson, his sister, Mattie, and his father, Mark Sr. (upper right hand header photo) along with two First Nation guides took a two-day trip down the - let's just call it River XP - for Brook Trout. And boy did they catch 'em! Mark tells us more in the podcast where he describes drinking from pure bubbling springs, catching very big Brookies, and staying one night in a tent with a great Canadian sunset (left header photo). He remarked how valuable and caring the guides  were, and how he was fascinated by the "holding poles" the guides use to stop the canoes in shallow rapids to allow for casting. He also took the one-day "drop off" trip to Emerald Lake, where guides were not necessary and the threesome caught and released over 50 Lakers.
Listen to Markham Dickson's comments by clicking here.
So as you plan your 2009 trip, ask about our "Trips within Trips" so that you too may enjoy more of what a fly-in fishing adventure has to offer.
By the way, thanks to Rick Stoffregen of Michigan, who, last week, read our story and listened to Jenni McDermid's report on her research on Lake Trout in Ontario. If you missed it Click Here. Rick writes to ask if we know about "Splakes" a hybrid of Speckled Trout and Lake Trout. Good question. See the side bar story to the left, or read Gord Ellis report on an early spring trip he took with his father - just for Splakes. The link to Gord's story is at the bottom of the side bar report.
Keep in touch. I welcome your phone calls and e-mails. You can send one now.
Alan
Alan@wildernessnorth.com 1-888-465-FISH (3474)
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Goodbye Summer - Hello Unsettled!
...Professor Graham Saunders 
While today - September 10 - will barely reach 62, tomorrow is unsettled. That is to say, 60% chance of light rain, with calm winds will be the call.
After that a slight warming trend comes our way, but I see nothing that will get us to 70 in the next week, and our southwesterly breezes, will likely turn to northwesterly, and strengthen. Then it will feel cooler than it is!
Krista mentions in her report that she thinks the fall colours are two weeks behind last year - and she is right.
Due to the considerable moisture we have experienced in the past two months, and the lack of any really HARD frost, the trees still think it's summer.
Here are your September SoLunar Times. Next week shows as a "hot" time with the emerging New Moon on the 15th.
A 2008 SoLunar Table is easy to read and download from our Download Page at the Website. Click here and select Moon and Sun Data PDF file.
Graham Saunders, is professor of meteorology at Lakehead University here in Thunder Bay, and weather commentator for the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal and for Wilderness North.
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Big Pike at Dawn Lake
...by Krista Cheeseman
As the season draws to a close, we still have a few avid anglers who know that Fall is a great time to be in the Boreal Forest, fishing the "Fall Frenzy" - especially for big Pike.
Congratulations to Robin Keller, of Hickory, North Carolina, who caught and released a 41 inch Northern Pike, while casting his diving Rapala up at Dawn Lake.
Other groups at both Mojikit and Kenozhe Lakes, are reporting really good numbers, but no Master Anglers. It seems the big Pike are coming up shallow to chase down the Walleyes, especially at low light times of the day.
Next week, Chris Clemmons and his group will be out at D'alton Lake the final group in our GULP vs Live research. These anglers really know that body of water, and they like to fish with big Ciscoes, so the "face off" should be interesting.
In last week's report we mentioned that Mark Fell at Zig Zag had a great trip - opps - that should have been Mike Fell, who did - by the way - have a great trip - and joins the ranks of 195 Master Anglers (124 Pike and 71 Walleye) for the 2008 season. Remember that record Pike may be just a cast away! My podcast is just a click away.
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Fall is in the Air
...by Tyler Lancaster
We are finally starting to see the true signs of fall here at Striker's Point Lodge. Temperatures plummeted this week and for the first time this season, fishing became somewhat challenging. Water temps have dropped to the low 60's in the main lake and already into the 50's in some of the back bays. Despite the decline in numbers this week, there were some trophies taken.
Manager, Marg Carroll who does not get a whole lot of time on the water, finally convinced husband Bill (co-manager) to take her Pike fishing. She told me all year long she was going to catch a 40in  Northern, and she did just that on September 4th. She was trolling a gold Williams Whitefish in 5-6 ft. of water near the "Bay of Pigs" at the eastern end of the lake as it reforms into more of a river.
Do you recall George Balla from last week's report who along with his father caught a 46in Pike? He wasn't quite done at press time last week. He had one day of fishing left after my last report.  George added a 44in monster to his portfolio. He got it while trolling a shad rap in the mouth of the river, in 10-12 ft. of water. What a great start and finish. The first fish of his trip was 46in, and the last was 44in.
With us this week from Richmond, Virginia are brothers Bob and Bill Davidson, both of whom are very familiar with northern Ontario Pike fishing. On day two Bill landed a scrappy 43in Pike in the "Bay of Pigs" while trolling a gold Williams Whitefish.
So with colder weather on the way, Whitewater Lake is STILL coughing up numerous large fish. We are looking forward to a bit more stable weather and the continued fall feeding frenzies.
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Patterns Change at Makokibatan
...by MacArthur Hobson
Fishing this past week at Makokibatan Lodge has been decent with the majority of the fishing taking place in the up stream river. Guests are catching between five and twenty Walleye a day in the river along with good numbers of Pike. Walleye are being caught using jigs while fishing the eddys and deep pools. Pike are being caught on a wide variety of spoons. The river will produce fish all day for those anglers who head there. Makokibatan Lake has also been producing some fish on the deep shoals and weed beds, mostly early in the day. Lake fish are being caught on jigs tipped with either a live leech or the Berkley Gulp leech. Lake fish are being caught around shore lunch island and sand point in water depths of 15 to 22 ft. Happy fishing! |
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