November 15

Hello All,

Was definitely looking forward to this outing. The plan was for good buddy and fellow fishing writer, Tim Allard, and I to head up to Quebec and hopefully savour some of the bass and bluegill action that I enjoyed the previous week. Conditions were perfect – slight wind, warm temperature, and a mix of sun and cloud. What could go wrong?

Making our way over the Ottawa River and into Gatineau, hopes were certainly high. This was short lived. Less than a kilometre into our journey, a bump on the road, a loud “BANG”, and the extremely unpleasant sound of scraping metal. This didn’t look good. A quick look in the rear view mirror and all I see is the boat in a precarious slant on the trailer. Tim’s thought is a blown tire. My guess is a blown bearing. We were both wrong.

I gingerly guided the rig through a left turn and eased it into park at the side of the road. The look on the faces of the pedestrians in response to the loud metal noise was not a good omen. A quick look and we make the diagnosis – a complete break of the leaf spring. Not at the joint, but through the thickest part of solid steel. The audible metal noise was one half of the spring scraping on the pavement. Worst of all, the clearance between the tire and fender was less than a centimetre or two. In my mind the day was over. Actually, I was thinking the season. Tim had other thoughts.

Regardless of the situation, we knew that getting the boat back to Ottawa was imperative. After a brief period of brainstorming – in between bouts of language I can’t repeat – an idea was hatched. Using a couple of pieces of wood, some electrical tape, and a bit of brute strength, we were able to fashion a “cradle” on the frame, to take the weight off the axle and level the entire boat. It didn’t look pretty but it was the fix we needed. Tim deserves a huge thanks on this one. It was his idea, and with it being a two-man job, I certainly couldn’t have done it solo. Thanks a tonne, bud!

As we slowly made our way back over the bridge, with yours truly cringing with every bump we hit, Tim made a few phone calls. We decided to tow it to Stittsville for repairs. Now, this boat trailer is 23 years old. Would it be worth putting the money in to fix it? Buy a new trailer instead? I had some decisions to make as I cruised down the 417.

Before arriving in Stittsville, Tim made a few calls to boat dealers for a price on a new trailer – as did my Dad. All three marinas offered varying prices. And as we found out shortly after, the cost for repairs was too great to bother fixing. Off we head down the 416 to Kemptville.

Having done business with them in the past, Pirate Cove Marina is a top-notch operation. They were able to offer us a brand new, galvanized 2011 EZ Loader trailer – with some great heavy-duty features – for considerably less than one of their competitors could do for a painted version.

In less than two hours we were good to go. Moe and his staff completed the paper work effortlessly, prepped the new trailer perfectly, and made the transfer of my boat onto its new throne efficient and without hassle. They even powerwashed my whole rig for me!

For those in the market for a new boat or service, definitely give Moe and his staff a call at . I highly recommend them.

Here is a shot of the new trailer:

To say we were stranded in Quebec at 9am, it was quite astonishing to be back on the road by 12:45pm. With Quebec out of the question due to distance, we decided to head to a favourite Eastern Ontario lake and salvage the last few hours of daylight we had. Besides, we had brought a stove, pot, and hotdogs to cook up on the water, and we were both getting hungry!

We launched the boat and headed to a known weedline that always produces largies at this time of year. Depth ranges between 7 and 10-feet, and most come from the edge or the clumps themselves. Bucktail jigs are the weapon of choice. Although it took some time, we finally started connecting. Nothing huge, but aggressive fish that love to hit the jigs with reckless abandonment. What was really on our mind was the big crappie this area routinely coughs up. They can take a little work to locate, and generally turn on right before dusk, but once found, the action can be fast and furious.

We played around with the bass for a couple of hours, while searching for signs of crappie. And then it happend. A tell-tale tap on my bucktail jig (at this point I was still trying to tackle a few more bass or a bonus walleye) and a chunky crappie came to the boat. It was on!

Tim worked a float and jig combo with a light action rod – I stuck with my larger bucktail jig on baitcasting gear. The fish didn’t seem to mind. For the next hour we had a flurry of action. A few double headers, multiple cast fish, and some 20+ slabs in the boat when the dust settled. The biggest went 12.5-inches, and most measured between 11 and 12.

Forgot to add – the hotdogs were a hit out in the boat! Definitely something I will be doing in the fall from now on. And if all of the above wasn’t enough to turn the day around, I ended the evening with a sweet catch. Twenty-two inches of solid gold!

It hit a black and white bucktail jig at boatside – in seven feet of water. Was an awesome surprise!!!

So, a bad day turned into a good one in the end. 12 largies, 20+ crappies, and a bonus walleye. All in just over three hours of fishing. I’d say the new boat trailer gave us a bit of good luck.

Until next time….

Good Fishing,

Justin

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