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From: Ed Brink
Date: 19 Nov 2004
Time: 15:57:09 -0500
Remote Name: 152.163.101.9
I remember the days when we would cross the Peace Bridge in the early evening, stop in Ft. Erie for a couple large drafts then start up the long trail to Kipawa Lake. In those days there was no skybridge over the "Canal", and we sometimes spent hours waiting to cross the bridge that had to open to pass ships and boats. Once we cleared that we were really on the way. The highway above Toronto was usually clear and had little traffic to deal with. Above Barrie we would start going through the smaller towns, no big highway 11 back then. Up through Bracebridge, Huntsville( another swinging bridge here), then a stop at the hotel in Burks Falls for a couple more drafts in the basement Stag Bar, no women allowed. Up through Powassan and into North Bay by way of Callander(anyone remember the Gateway Restaurant there?). Then on out the 63 to the next stop at Little Jocko River, here we would catch some much needed sleep, heading into Kipawa at first light. My Dad always wanted to skinny dip in The Little jocko, said the cold water kept him young, maybe he was right he lived to 90, fished Kipawa til he was 87. A quick stop at the restaurant in T-Lake for a coffee and pick up a fishing license. Then launch the boat over the RR tracks across from Cunningham's Store. Load up all the gas and groceries and gear and head up the lake while it was still calm. A stop on a big rock between Beauvin Narrows and Corbeau Rock to cook breakfast and watch the beautiful sunrise over Kipawa, then back in the boat for the long ride to Red Pine Chute for the next stop, to visit with "Uncle Joe McKenzie", unless we were staying at his Camp that trip, then we would be home for a week. After the visit, it was back in the boat and another long ride to Ragged Chute. We would cache a 16 gal drum of gas about halfway between Red Pine Chute and Ragged Chute for the return trip. Then we would load the boat on the little RR cart for the trip over the portage on the tracks provided, above the chute we would launch the boat again and continue on to Lake Brennan (Saire), where we would occupy the old Ranger Cabin. We caught minnows on the sand bar at night, using a sein and gas lantern, we had no ice and used the lake as a cooler and source of drinking water. On one trip we portaged up above Turner Falls to a spot on the Kipawa River below Wolfe Lake. Here my two uncles ( Bill& Dutch) and I experienced the most fantastic fishing ever. It was a hole where you could not go any further up river without portaging, we had no live bait, only lures. I remember I was using a yellow and black shyster, just toss it in and when it sank out of sight there would be a fish on, usually in the 2-3 pound size, but we caught several 5-10 pounders that day. I have only had fishing like that on one other occasion, which was just below the Ragged with my two Sons some twenty years later. But those times are some of what keeps me coming back to Kipawa, hoping someday to hit them again. It took us, on average about eight hours to go from Town of Kipawa to Lake Brennan. 16' Lyman with 18HP Johnson motor.