Fall 2020 and everyone was looking to get outside and enjoy the amazing weather in Ontario. Many resorts / lodges were not open do the the global pandemic, and those that were able to open were booked solid. A friend doing some research came across a resort that had room for us, and thus we booked our weekend at Rock Pine Resort, in Pointe au Baril.
Rock Pine Resort is located in Pointe au Baril, in Georgian Bay. There is access to excellent fishing for Northern Pike, Walleye, Small and Largemouth Bass, Musky and more. The area has long been a favourite of mine both for the quality of the fishing, as well as the incredible scenery.
This trip was a father and kids get-a-way. The three of us headed up for a Friday afternoon arrival, heading out after breakfast on the Sunday morning. It wouldn’t leave a lot of time for fishing, but for the kids, two nights in a cabin, the chance to plan the menu, and to hopefully boat a few fish was exciting. While I’m familiar with the general type of water we’d be fishing, I had never fished this specific location, and had no intel to work with. Normally I like to have some maps or tips from others who have fished the area.
The resort does offer boat rentals, but we had brought up our own rig for the weekend, so we had all of our gear pre-stowed. Our first day we did a combination of fishing / exploring. We stuck to a predictable pattern of working common structure such as points and drop offs, and where we could find it, green weed. The area is known for a lot of rocks “just” under the surface, so I was keeping a keen eye on my graph to prevent losing a prop. I was also happy to be trying out a new top and hat from Weedless Apparel!
We were able to catch a number of smaller fish, a couple 25 inchers, and one good sized Northern. The one pictured above crushed a spoon shortly after I cast to the back half of an island. I was actually lucky to land this fish as my drag was stuck, so it had no play at all. A quick measure (37in) and a picture, and she was swimming away in great shape.
Over the course of the weekend we went out fishing 3 times, and each session we caught fish, so the kids were happy. Landing one bigger fish was nice to keep me engaged, but this was really more of a weekend about spending time together. It was a great reminder for me not to be too worried about how many fish we got or how big, as the kids were as excited about the smallest fish as they were about the biggest, and they didn’t bother to count.
If you are considering a trip to Rock Pine, have a watch of the video below. I give you a tour of the grounds, as well as the cabin we stayed at.
If you have any questions, or I can help in any way, just email me at scott@canadianfisherman.ca