FISHING DAVE BROWN


just south of the Barrett Chute Dam. Today the entire area is


The call of the If you do a Google search to find a place


for the “best walleye fishing in Ontario” you’ll get 167,000 hits. Do the same search to find the “best


pickerel fishing in Ontario” and you’ll get 767,000 hits. A similar search using the terms Ontario “walleye” fishing and Ontario “pickerel” fishing will get you 296,000 and 582,000 hits respectively. I guess that solves the debate as to whether


these fish should be called “pickerel” or “walleye”. Whatever you call them, with their


beautiful green and gold colours and glowing eyes, pickerel are one of the tastiest fish you will ever catch in Ontario. They are undoubtedly my favourite edible fish. I don’t exactly recall when I caught my


first pickerel. I believe it happened when I was a kid in the 1960s and I accidentally caught one while fishing with my father on Cameron Lake near Fenelon Falls. I still recall the excitement of having that fish on my line, and Dad and me debating about what exactly it was that we had caught. I don’t think we ever came to a definitive


conclusion. Whatever it was, the image of that fish has been indelibly imprinted in my mind ever since. And I was hooked, as they say, “hook, line and sinker” to the sport of fishing. As an adult, my memory is much clearer,


even though a few of my friends might debate that. I remember when Bounder (Brian Warren) and I, along with Greg Henderson, fished for pickerel on Redhorse Lake in the early to mid-1980s. For those of you who are not familiar


14 BOUNDER MAGAZINE


with Redhorse Lake (not to be confused with the other Red Horse Lake located near Gananoque, Ontario), it is situated in the Madawaska Highlands close to the village of Ompah, and is managed as part of the northeastern region of the North Frontenac Township “Park Lands” tourist area. The region provides outdoor enthusiasts


with one of the best recreational opportunities they will ever experience in some of Eastern Ontario’s “back country” lands, including access to some of the best fishing in the province. The area also provides incredible opportunities for family camping, hiking, canoeing, back-roading and snowmobiling activities. When Brian and I first went to Redhorse,


Greg owned a small place right in the village of Ompah and on any given weekend a group of us would drive up to Ompah on Friday evening, fish all day Saturday, and then stay overnight at Greg’s. Of course, when it was only the “boys”,


no trip was complete without frequenting the “Trout Lake Hotel” for a couple of brew and a round of pool after a long day of fishing. At the time, Redhorse was only accessible


using a Crown access road that divided Palmerston and Canonto lakes, and which skirted past both Arcol and Labine lakes until it reached the road to enter Redhorse. This road was not well maintained by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), was always a travelling adventure, was unusable in the winter, and was to be used at “your own risk”. It continued on to provide access to Hungry, Mair, North Granite and Govan lakes, ending


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managed by the Township of North Frontenac as part of its park lands management unit, in association with the MNR. Unlike the 1980s and early 90s, when it was “first-come-first-served” to any campsite in the area, nowadays pre-paid road access fees and camping reservations are required for anyone to travel and camp in the area. To make online reservations, contact: www. northfrontenacparklands. com/index. php?option=com_content &task=view&id=44&Item id=56 In total, the township


manages 184 “Crown Land” campsites on 12 different lakes. Eight of those campsites are situated on Redhorse, my favourites being campsites 3, 5 and 8. Camping on those sites with family and friends sure brings back a lot of good memories. On one occasion, Bounder and I even introduced some cub scouts to camping on the lake. That was an experience! In terms of fishing,


Crotch, Fortune, Lucky, Mair, Mosque, Palmerson and Redhorse are the only lakes I have attempted to fish in the area, and some of them only during the winter. During the spring,


summer and fall months, I have been successful fishing for pickerel on Redhorse using a variety of different coloured jigs, in


combination with either a continued on page 42


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Certified Home Inspectors • wood energy technical trained • plumbing & electrical • on site report • construction consulting • wood stoves & fireplaces • Canadian Lumbermans Association trained • environmental - radon gas • structural - roofs & floors • mold inspections


Phone: 613 836.6500 Fax: 613 836.6382 • Pager: 613 780.8478


WAYNE CORBIN home inspector


pickerel


Photos by STEPHANIE BROWN


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