Jimmy’s Double D Fishing Extravaganza – Balsam Lake

Great fishing trips can still be great even if the fish aren’t in a co-operative mode. This was the case this year as we hit Balsam Lake (Kawartha Lakes, Ontario) for spring walleye fishing that unfortunately happened to coincide with that inopportune post-spawn transition time. While walleye fishing was slow, the food and festivities were excellent. Our CEO, Jim Parker, once again outdid himself on organizing a great trip. Deep fried everything was on the menu throughout the day and dinner was done up on the JP 6001 – a custom built charcoal grilling perfection machine (and successor to the JP 6000)… think steak so tender that plastic knives are all you need.

Shorelea Cottages, our home base on Balsam Lake, offers reasonably priced, clean resort style cottages with docking out front. A public boat launch is a next door on the canal to Cameron Lake. Our friendly hosts, Gail and Grant Cottrell, work hard to keep the place in great shape. We try hard not to wreck it too much.

While fishing was slow for walleye at the start of the trip, jumbo perch nicely filled in for our fish fry. I was actually able to spot and track down schools of perch along emerging weed-lines using my StructureScan HD sonar. Using this we could “call our shots” as no sooner than when I had backtrolled over the school and said “there they are” – one of my boat mates or I would catch a perch. Hardly seemed fair… I my defense though, they were extremely tasty fresh out of the deep fryer.

Walleye fishing improved as the days progressed and the best fishing happened late into the evening on the last night of our stay. Fish were finally starting to show up at known late spring/early summer hot spots. Larger minnows on yellow headed jigs seemed to outperform hook and sinker rigs and as the darkness set in, glow-in-dark jigs added a few more to the catch.

I will of course, be back for Jimmy’s Double D 2015…