The days are growing longer, the temperatures are rising, and the ice is retreating, which means open water season is around the corner. Once again in 2018 I’ll be doing a lot of fishing, including both “serious” trips, and casual outings with family and friends. Here is a look at my current 2018 lineup – it’s shaping up to be a great season.
April 2018: It may be an odd spot to start, because I’m not sure I’ll actually be on the water in April, but I’ll be calling my dealer to arrange for my boat to be prepped for pick up. I purchased, service and store my boat with a local Princecraft Dealer in Branford, Ontario. Ryan from Trailerwold Industries is top notch when it comes to fishing boats, so if you are in the market, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not calling him. One thing Ryan will be doing for me is to relocate the switch panel in the boat. Where it is located currently leads to my control switches being inadvertently knocked, so I’m moving them over to a better location. Once I have the boat back, I’ll begin the process of loading back in the gear, rods and tackle, in preparation for my first outings.
May 2018: This coud be a busy month if the weather holds. Right now the plan is for at least one trip to the Bayfield Inlet for early season Pike and Walleye, along with an opening weekend day spent on Conestoga or Belwood Lake. Last year Belwood treated us to a great day on the water. My hope is to get out at least once with my brother and a buddy, and once with Carolyn and the kids, before the real feature of May, which already has its own post.
June / July 2018: For the middle part of the summer, I mostly watch the weather and my calendar to take short trips on the water. It could be the short drive to Conestoga Lake for a BBQ and evening fish with the family, or a longer trip to Georgian Bay, Haliburton Highlands, or a lake in the Kawarthas. Now, depending on final booking details, I may have something at the end of July, but it’s likely the start of August…
August 2018: This August I’m finalizing plans to take Carolyn and the kids on a short (3 or 4 day) Fly In Trip. Both kids have caught the fishing bug and have demonstrated the touch and patience to be successful. We don’t have the final lake down, but we expect to be with White River Air during the August long weekend in Ontario. I’m really looking forward to spending uninterrupted family time together!
Later in August we will be doing our family vacation with friends at Tomiko Lake, which represents the only time in the season that I fish primarily for Bass, but the kids love it.
September 2018: I love fall fishing! The weather cools down, the colours are out, and it’s time for my annual Father and Son Trip! This year we return to Bayfield Lodge, where we have spent most of our time over the past 30+ years. I’m also hoping to fit in a trip I call “guys weekend” with another group of buddies, but I’m running short on holiday days, so we’ll see!
October / November 2018: This time of year I begin to slow down, taking a few final trips. I’ll get up to Haliburton to fish a few lakes in the area for late season Bass and Musky, and I’ll make day trips to Conestoga Lake or the Bayfield Inlet based on weather and availabitly. My goal each year is to fish as late into the season as I can! Two years ago we had an amazing fall with plus temperatures well into November, but 2017 was not as kind. Hopefully 2018 will present some nice opportunities to shorten my “off season”.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to scott@canadianfisherman.ca. As always, don’t forget to sign up and have my most recent post sent right to you!
Hello Scott, I love fishing and your blog is really very interesting. I loved the way you have described the complete plan of yours! I am also planning to enjoy fishing soon!
Thanks fo the feedback!