June 1-7 Guarascio / Podracky trip in photos

The Sweeney Report for June 1-7

Toronto Pearson Airport is absolutely the worst. Last August Steve Schmitt and I got hornswaggled in there and now this year Steve Ciambrone and I were eaten alive. Long story short: don't go out to smoke and expect U.S. Customs to be open past 8:50 when they are suppose to be open till 9. Our flight was delayed till 1 A.M. anyway and United let us change to early morning flight no charge so all was well anyway. Fishing on the other hand showed shades of yesteryear. 711 fish caught by Steve and I skewed by a 190 fish day in Thubin with 9 Trophies.

4 Lake Trout biggest 12 1/2 lbs.
14 Inconnu biggest in the 20-25 lb. range
226 Walleyes biggest 27 1/2 " and 28" (note: some of you know I have been blessed to fish many places all over Canada and U.S.---- Well the 2 biggest Walleyes I have ever caught are on Great Slave Lake NWT) Go figure.
32 Northerns over 41"
1-45 1/2
2-44 1/2
1-44
6-43
6-42 1/2
9-42
3-41 1/2
4-41
Also 5-40's and 7 that fell just shy of the 40" mark.

Amanda and Randy were great in the kitchen and at cribbage. Dean, Garrett, Jimmy, and Morris did a yeoman's job at the helms of the fleet. Thanks Don for floor boards in our 18 footer. Helped stand level and save feet. Nice to meet Jim Schlarb who has experience up in that neck of the woods. But oh those Gurascio's. Fishing machines. Hope next year Herb, Matt, Joe, and Doug are there again. Sure is fun to eat, sleep, snore, and fish with that family.

Hottest lure going - 1 oz. grinder red and silver with matching flashaboiu. Large orange doctors now sporting flashabou. Bulldawg. William's wabler any color as long as it's silver. Thanks Herb and Matt for the Bondie baits catching Lake Trout.

Couple months off and ready to do battle with these toothy critters once again. Can't wait to fish with the August Cronies.

 Rick

Report #1 is in!!! June 1-7

Report #1 is In!!  Herb Guaracio writes: 

 Nice time as always.  I was joined by my sons Joe, Matt, and Doug.  Rick and Steve were in camp and we were joined by first timer to Taltson, Jim Schlarb.  Great group.  Amanda did a great job cooking for us (including some caribou soup that I think Don helped with), and guides Garret, Jimmy, Dean and Morris were excellent.

 Weather was interesting and kept changing, but was mostly very cold and rainy. Winds were too strong to even fish at all on Friday. Becks channel was like a washing machine full of chocolate milk.  Ice went out late this year and was very close by, creating fog that made visibility about ten feet one day.  We spent an hour in Becks cabin another day dodging lightning and letting the guides tow one boat back to camp for another one when Rick and Steve's motor died.

 We broke through patches of thin ice beyond Thubin to go trout fishing on Thursday. We momentarily got stuck on an ice flow on the way home to camp.  Matt and I caught 10 nice lake trout about 7 to 10 pounds each.  Rick and Steve added to the bag including a 12 pounder. A nice change of pace....except for the guys in the bow of the boat on the way home, who after the winds picked up, had a two and a half hour rodeo ride (once we found shoreline through the blinding fog).  The trout fishing was fun and scenery was beautiful, including a bear and water clarity over 10 feet deep.

Thubin  channel warmed quicker and stayed calmer, so it was good fishing and handed out its share of trophies.  Becks  was good, as always, though in different spots this year.  More fish moved in as the week moved on. Next week should be a banner week.

 Cold water meant lots of incanu, some over 20 pounds.  I had a monster slip out of the cradle at the boat - not easy to get an incanu in!  I did land a much "smaller" one that weighed in at 23 pounds. Nice fights!
 
 Biggest northerns were 45's and each of my sons caught at least one.  I don't think the spawn was over, but we nevertheless had about 20 fish over 40" each, which was good, especially considering our reduced fishing times.
 
 I counted fish for my boat each day and totaled out at 570 in about 5 1/2 days of fishing.
 
 The walleyes were everywhere in Becks and they were big.  Joe had a 30"; Doug and Matt had 28+", and there were lots of big ones.  In fact, we had a contest for the smallest fish  one day and I think the winner was 16" and some guys struggled to get one below 20".

We had one "switcheroo".  Doug had a trophy pike following below his walleye as he reeled in.  He paused it boat-side for only a second. Next thing we knew, the walleye was "gone" and the pike had the hook in the corner of its mouth. I've seen T-bones, but never a clean hand off.
 
All in all a great trip.  And even watched the Blackhawks win to make it to the Stanley Cup.

Start your engines!!!!

Welcome to the 2013 fishing season at Taltson bay Big Pike Lodge where we specialize in world class trophy pike fishing!
  If anyone has any fishing reports please send them to Jamie at jamie@customfish.com or thejc3@gmail.com !  Include any pictures you'd like to and we'll get them up on this page and our facebook page.

  Show us what ya got!!!   

 Thanks!