In 2019 I made both a spring and fall bass fishing trip to Algoma Country; that beautiful region of northern Ontario around Sault Ste Marie and west to the Spanish River and northern shores of Lake Huron. To say I fell in love with the area and the fishing would be an understatement and the magnetic pull for a return trip early this spring was anxiously looked forward to all winter. That is until this danged pandemic hit and ruined our plans as well as all those who love this part of the province. Fortunately by mid-September 2020, with all COVID 19 precautions in place, my youngest son Izaak and I were invited to try out Melwel Lodge just west of Blind River, and we jumped at the opportunity.
This would be Izaak’s first venture to Algoma Country and I wanted him not only to experience some of its fine fishing but as a keen hiker, also the hiking opportunities it’s renowned for. So, our plan was to spend five days at Melwel Lodge where we would fish from our base camp lake – Big Basswood and also a couple of the other surrounding waterbodies, then leave the boat there so that we could drive without trailering it 1 ½ hours west on Hwy 17 to Sault Ste Marie to explore that historic northern town and hike one of its legendary trails nearby along the majestic Lake Superior Coast. Here’s how it all went down …
Fishing on the way up: Along the Hwy 17 route to Melwel, which is about ½ hour west of Blind River, lies one of Algoma’s top largemouth waterbodies that my brother Marcel and I fished last spring (read article here: http://www.wilwegman.com/Articles/an-early-season-bass-fishing-trip-to-algoma-country-in-ontario-canada.html ). Izaak and I left our home in southern Simcoe County and reached Melwel in 6 ½ hours of carefree driving, met the amicable manager- Erik Novak and then headed to this lake for some bass and walleye. The free public boat launch was in good shape but with low water levels, I had to back the trailer way further than usual to get my bass boat off. There was a strong headwind so we headed for the opposite shore and found many patches of luscious green cabbage and some coontail that wasn’t there in the spring during my last visit.
We caught a couple small bass from these but the pending cold front must have really shut the fish down- with the exception of northern pike. We didn’t catch any giants but easily got into double figures. Little did we know this would be par for the course almost everywhere we fished that week except for Big Basswood Lake. Fortunately, we did continue to catch a few decent smallmouth bass here and there and hooked into a nice sized walleye as well that would come back with us for dinner.
Wil’s trusty Rapala XRap acounted for this nice walleye on the first day of their trip
The above walleye and entire meal was prepared by Melwel manager and professional cook Erik Novak. Algoma Country guide Adam Valee joined us for the feast that included an amazing pasta dish with chanterelle mushrooms picked locally that day by Erik; a master forager who really knows his wild mushrooms. Needless to say the meal was outstanding and the comradery that evening provided a wonderful memory.
On To Little Basswood Lake:
The next day we woke up to texts from both Erik the manager of the lodge and Adam – the area’s top guide. Due to expected high winds and rough seas they recommended Izaak and I re-evaluate our plans to fish Big Basswood and to try nearby Little Basswood instead … so we did. The free public launch was a beauty and it was no problem going in and out with my Nitro bass boat. This was a beautiful Algoma Country lake and although we caught some nice smallmouth the unsettled weather conditions resulted in rather slow fishing. It is a good lake for both full sized fishing boats and fishing kayaks though and we met and spoke with a kayak angler that day who was the only other boat we saw. He too was having a slow day but normally does ok here.
As expected, it didn’t take long to find the northern pike in this mini, yet still decent sized version of our ‘home lake’ that we were staying on. What we didn’t expect … was that one of these pike on the end of my line would suddenly leap into the air right near the boat as I was about to land it, impaling not only one but two sets of treble hooks deeply into my right hand.
Jerk Baits like the X Rap and the new 13 Fishing Loco accounted for most of the pike caught on this trip. It’s surprising some of these northern Algoma waterbodies have such prolific aquatic plant growth – with broad leafed cabbage most common, followed by coontail, native milfoil and eelgrass. Pike were basically found everywhere these plants grew- especially if they were still green and not dying off yet. As an added bonus smallmouth were often not far from the same ‘weeds’ although usually not right in them like the pike … and sometimes bonus largemouth were if the waterbody we fished had them.
An Algoma pike similar in size to this one – caught with a similar Rapala X Rap, was responsible for the challenge Wil and Izaak faced below.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW
READ AT OWN RISK: When the pike jumped boat side, two of the trebles became embedded into Wil’s hand while the pike was still thrashing. Immediately Izaak came to his assistance and carefully yet quickly unhooked the pike and tossed it back in while Wil was trying hard not to curse too loudly. The next step was to cut the line, then remove the lure from the hooks. Wil carry’s a set of high end Rapala cutters for this specific purpose and Izaak masterfully snapped off one of the hooks. Immediately a great deal of the pain caused by the two sets of trebles that were initially pulled into each other, was relieved and Wil let out a huge sigh of relief. To save the nice treble hook for future use, they elected not to cut it, so Izaak removed the split ring instead. In between whiny wimpers from his dad he had the foresight to take this quick photo.
Now, to remove the intact treble, the well proven line trick came into play. Unfortunately Wil has had to use it on several occasions – both on himself and others. Izaak double wrapped an 18” piece of 10lb line along the bend within the treble while Wil pushed that bend downward to depress the hidden barb. Then when that was fully in place and with a sharp downward tug, Izaak yanked on the line and snapped the hook free. Wil hardly felt it come out and even greater pain dissipated. Now for the tricky hook that was cut, and still had the barb and a tiny piece of it left in Wil’s hand. There wasn’t quite enough of it showing to get a loop around it, so Wil used a set of needle nosed pliers to gently pull it out as far as it would go before the barb stopped it. Then they tied a slip knot around the small bend that was left (a loop would just slip out), Wil pressed down on the remaining bend hoping the barb was pointing out towards his son but not entirely convinced it was. Izaak yanked downward and ‘voila’ what was left of the hook was now gone in one fell swoop Izaak's dad was without any pain!
The entire process may have taken 5-10 minutes and the father and son duo did discuss visiting a hospital to have it removed, but Wil wrongly thought Sault St Marie had the closest one available. There was both one in Thesalon and Blind River – either only about ½ hour away. Also, quite frankly with all the Covid restrictions in place, he was even more reluctant to enter a hospital. For those not experienced or confident in this hook removal method, a hospital visit is usually in order, but Wil knew if they stayed calm, took their relative time to think n’ talk through their next steps before proceeding with caution; all would be fine … And after immediate disinfection and all bandaged up it only took an hour or so for the golf ball sized welt on Wil’s hand to disappear. He was fine and continued fishing unencumbered afterwards and for the remainder of the trip.
The next day, Izaak decided to take time off from fishing and to just enjoy the amenities around Melwel Resort that included a sauna and use of canoes.
Izaak and Wil’s waterfront home away from home for the week. Besides the comforts of the usual features, fan-forced electric heat was a blessing in the evenings when temperatures dropped close to the freezing mark. During Covid, all the cabins undergo an even more rigorous cleaning and disinfection regime and they were immaculately clean.
Blind River With Adam Valee:
Meanwhile, I joined Adam at one of his many special waterbodies near this town about 30 minutes from Melwel. Here we would be fishing for a combination of both largemouth and smallmouth bass with a variety of lures and techniques at our disposal.
Wil’s first bass of the day was this big, dark smallmouth that came up and engulfed his Rapala Skitterwalk. “I like the one knocker sound this saltwater version creates when you walk the dog with it and it really seems to pull extra-large bass up from even deeper water”, he said.
After our first smallmouth stop, Erik brought me across the way to a shallow water largemouth area where we flipped and pitched jigs and threw topwaters for big ol, slow growing northern largies. From there we began a 20 minute scenic run, with a quick stopover under a bridge to hammer out a few smallies. Then, on to another waterbody known to locals for lake trout but to Erik and many of his clients as a top Algoma smallmouth destination.
Adam Valee of Algoma Fishing is so fortunate to live in a region of the province where smallmouth bass like the one on the left are very common in most lakes. The largemouth that he caught with Wil on the right came from one of the fewer Algoma lakes with Big Buckets. Ironically, neither largemouth nor smallmouth bass anywhere are nearly as popular as the oftentimes harder to find trout and walleye that many locals prefer. Typically though, with the Michigan border so close by, the vast majority of Adam’s clients are usually American, “and they love fishing for our northern Canadian bass,” said Adam. So, he usually keeps busy chasing down his favorite species for most of his clients... That is until 2020.
With COVID 19 restrictions dominating this fishing season and our borders closed, Adam has had to revamp his marketing strategy to attract more Ontarians and use his multi-species fishing skills and experience to get these anglers on more than just bass. Although overall his business is way down from 2019, over the summer and fall months he has still managed to attract many new Ontario clients and therefore to stay relatively booked up. Due to the early spring shutdown everywhere when hardly anyone was travelling, he kept busy self-isolating on the water honing his skills and expanding the reach of new areas he can bring future clients to. Spring is usually a super busy period as bass season is open in many parts of Algoma year round.
Adam Valee with what is most likely a ‘Pumpkinseed-Bluegill mix’ that he caught mid lake with Wil.
Most bluegill are light to dark olive in color whereas pumpkinseed are particularly colorful; with a bright orange spot at the tip of its ear flap. Their cheeks and gill covers are marked by wavy bright blue bars. Bluegill meanwhile have a straight black ear flap and the rearward edge of the soft portion of the dorsal fin carries a dark blotch. Whether pumpkinseed, bluegill or hybrid, largemouth or even smallmouth bass have an important symbiotic relationship with all sunfish wherever they cohabitate. Young sunfish are a major food source for adult bass in many waterbodies across North America – even this far north. However, the tables are turned in the spring as adult sunfish prey heavily on bass eggs and young bass fry. Bass and Sunfish are both members of the sunfish family; which is distinguished from most other freshwater species in that both are nest builders with the female laying eggs, taking off and the male becoming a single parent to guard eggs and the young fry once they hatch.
Adam and I went on to have a productive afternoon catching smallmouth at two of his favorite spots on a large lake north of Blind River. Here my Rapala X Rap and new 13 Fishing Loco-Special jerkbaits came into play while Adam caught more than his share on drop shot. After these two known producers, it was fun to explore an entirely new portion of the lake for and with Adam, and find some real quality smallmouth in areas that he can bring clients back to and most likely get them on fish for the rest of the fall period.
That evening my son and I had a wonderful BBQ steak dinner back at our cabin and enjoyed another peaceful night by the campfire before we headed out the next morning on the very lake we were gazing the stars over that night.
In the evenings, Wil and Izaak would often sit by the fire, listening to the Blue Jay games in their quest for a playoff spot.
Finally On Big Basswood Lake: Big Basswood is one of the cleanest and largest inland lakes in Ontario, and the lodge says it consistently ranks Number 1 by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for water clarity. The lake is about 7,000 surface acres, 300 feet deep, with 30 miles of shoreline. You can drink the water right from the lake the website claims! Approximately 75% of the shoreline is in its natural uninhabited state including majestic granite bluffs, as well as secluded sandy beach coves. Most anglers fish the lake for lake trout … but that season closes the day after Labor Day and the entire lake closes to all fishing from Oct 1st to the fourth Saturday in April to protect the lake trout. All that was fine and dandy because Izaak and I had one singular purpose on our last full day and that was to quickly decipher this huge northern waterbody to catch and release smallmouth bass and nothing else!
Whenever I fish a new waterbody there is one feature that I try to never ignore trying … and that’s a major point. Interestingly enough a close second, is a secondary point nearby – which is often overlooked as it’s not quite as obvious to other anglers. Although we had a few areas suggested to us by both Erik and Adam, Izaak and I stopped at a point well before those suggested spots and did not regret the decision.
Wil nailed the first smallmouth on Big Basswood at the far end of the lake off of a major point long lining his Rapala X Rap after he noticed several smallmouth suspended from bottom on his Lowrance HDS Unit.
Izaak took over the bow for a while and caught this beauty off a secondary point nearby
And then this one ….
Izaak had “a good feeling” about a sandbar that extended off of one of the islands at the far end and it paid off handsomely with several of these nice smallmouth. They spent most of their first day on those waters catching fish here but tried a spot on the way back within sight of their cabin and did extremely well too. In fact, they wondered that last evening of their stay at Melwel if they may have caught just as many nice smallmouth within the same bay that their cabin was.
The next morning would be our last one at Melwel and we spent it out on Big Basswood exploring new waters, catching more smallmouth and looking forward to our next return visit. Most of the bass we caught were deep and caught on drop shot Vertigo Minnows by 13 Fishing, Storm 360 search baits, Storm Arashi Spinbaits, tube jigs and long lining jerkbaits. “This would be a really interesting lake during the early bass season here in the spring dad, when bass are shallow … hint, hint,” Izaak quipped as we sadly packed up to head off to Sault St Marie after lunch. “It does open again by the end of April,” I shot back so who knows – I know I can’t wait to come back.
Ledges like this were abundant at the far end where the calm waters crystalized the super-clear-clean habitat that the smallmouth at Big Basswood Lake live in
Both the above water and below scenery at the far end of Big Basswood is nothing short of spectacular. These calm-peaceful waters would be an idyllic setting for those who love snorkeling or even scuba diving. The latter is incredibly popular at the legendary Manitoulin Islands area – which is more or less across from Melwel and Hwy 17 way out into northern Lake Huron.
Wil and Izaak certainly didn’t get tired of the scenery around the majestic shores of Big Basswood Lake
Off To Sault St Marie:
Our drive from Melwel Lodge to Sault Ste Marie was a pleasant 1 ½ hours through historic towns like Thesalon and Bruce’s Mines. Most of the countryside along Hwy 17 is a rare (for northern Ontario) mixture of farmland and forest and only some sections are the typical rugged Canadian Shield the north is famous for. When we reached the Sault, we grabbed a hotel room at the local Quality Inn – which put us within walking distance of that town’s magnificent waterfront … the St Mary’s River. Then we decided to treat ourselves to Sushi and found one called JC Sakura. Here full Covid-safety precautions were in place that included an electronic all-you-can eat menu with full photos of each item. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and easily thought it was the best all you can eat suchi joints we have been to in a long while.
Our walk along the waterfront afterwards was a perfect way to wear off some of our dinner and the sites along the way were a pleasant surprise.
This sign asks anglers fishing the waterfront and boardwalk not to clean their catch right there where they fish … a very reasonable request … unlike so many waterfronts in southern Ontario with nasty signs that prohibit fishing all together.
Wil wishes he had a fishing rod handy so he could fish alongside this big bruin he bumped into along the SSM waterfront
Above: The St Mary’s River connects Lake Huron and Lake Superior and separates the twin cities of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario and the city by the same name in Michigan. Needless to say the twin cities are strategically placed and have a long and interesting history. The construction of the landmark American hydroelectric plant facility shown above was completed in 1902. At the time of completion, it was the second largest hydro facility next to Niagara Falls. It still functions today and is known as the Cloverland Electric Cooperative
The sunset over the St Mary’s River and the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge to the USA were equally inspiring. That bridge is usually quite bust but since the border has been closed due to COVID, hardly anyone uses it.
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, the next day we packed up and headed north in order to reach our hiking trail along the Lake Superior Coastline. Our plan was to hike all morning, and then head back to Melwel, hook up the bass boat and then drive home to be back right around dusk. Basically … that’s exactly how our day went. It was the perfect way to finish off am memorable trip and in an amazing part of the province. We hope by next spring Algoma Country can fully re-open to once again accommodate all the many visitors who can’t wait to return … like yours truly and his son! We’ll close out with a few photos from our hike.
We found our way up the rocky ridge in the background and the view was well worth it
Some of the terrain wasn’t the easiest to traverse but if you watched your footing and took your time it was fine. The views overlooking Lake Superior were spectacular.
Wil and Izaak had a tremendous fall trip to Algoma Country
For More Information on Melwel Lodge, please visit: www.melwellodge.ca
To contact Guide Adam Vallee … just visit www.anglingalgoma.com or https://www.facebook.com/AnglingAlgoma
To contact Wil, please visit his Focus on Fishing webpage at www.wilwegman.com
Wil Wegman is an award winning outdoor writer from Bradford Ontario. His articles have appeared in most Canadian and several US outdoor publications. He was inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame in 2017, the same year he also won the Rick Morgan Professional Conservation Award and the National Recreational Fisheries Award. The fishing seminars he hosts bring him across many parts of Ontario and the US.
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