Moak Lodge 2013
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| Jim with a Cross Bay beauty |
Day One, Thursday: It was the last week in August and the warm weather that had been holding southern Manitoba in its grip all month followed us as we headed up north the four and half hours to Grand Rapids. An uneventful drive for the most part we arrived at Moak Lodge just after the lunch hour. Lodge owner Chris McCuddon had reserved Cabin Ten for us…a beautiful new building that held nine anglers, the number of keen fisherman coming along on this trip. Friends Russ, Boyd and Perry were to arrive on Friday but Jim Price, Dan and Robert had driven up at the same time. I had friends Pete and Phil along, both on their first trips to this fishery. After unpacking and getting some lunch we headed out for some pike on Cross Bay. The wind direction was from the north east, making the waves manageable and the eight kilometre boat ride quick, painless and dry. Jim and his crew had decided to try a bay north of the one we were in but joined us an hour later. We had landed a number of pike in our boat already, most of them on lipless crankbaits ripped through the weed edges.
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| Phil with dinner |
It seemed the relative calm, bright conditions had these fish sitting tight to structure. When Jim and crew pulled in, they decided to throw out the slip floats and drift, while we trolled and cast hard baits. After an hour, we had landed a few more average sized pike with Jim’s boat pretty much shut out. I decided with the slow action to head up north to see if we could find some walleye. We ended up catching some pike and walleye on the north end of the lake, but none were of the trophy variety. Still, we had discovered some real good water we had never fished before. Meantime Jim and the lads had waited out the fish and with an increase in wind speed and wave action, the big pike turned on after we left.
The biggest fish landed that afternoon was Dan’s 43.5 inch beauty pictured below.
Tomorrow, Day Two and some hot walleye action.
