French River, Ontario
August 5-12, 2023
A Culp family adventure to Canada!
Canada holds a special place in my heart. I bonded with my brother, cousin, and my Grandfather in the wilds of Ontario while chasing walleye and pike amongst the solitude of the Canadian shield. It shaped me.
I decided it was time to see if my kids could be similarly shaped. I can't say for sure that they got the same deep soul-touching impact as I did, but it sure was funny watching Addie scream when Charlie threw a rubber worm into her bed after the lights went out.
The memories might be different, but they are memories nonetheless, and I'm eternally grateful to have spent a week on the French River with Amelia, Charlie, Addie, and Henry.
That stick has been on a number of our adventures. I have no doubt it will be on many more.
Stopping by Niagara Falls
I decided to break the drive up and stop in Niagara for the night. We got a nice hotel with a pool, drove by the Falls (no trailer parking anywhere), and had pizza. The pizza in Canada is different than home. Good, but different.
Driving up to Canada through New York was interesting. Amelia was in charge of navigation and music. So we avoided highways, got lost, and listened to Inspiring Instrumental for hours. I wouldn't trade it for all the highways and Waylon Jennings in the world. We had fun at the hotel swimming in the pool and laughing at poor Charlie for having to make his own bed out of pillows. He was a good sport and let his sisters have the bed.
The drive home was ... interesting. Amelia had a melt-down about 18 hours from home and said she wouldn't go another minute in the car. The pool was closed. Traffic around Toronto was un-bearable. But, we found road-side pie that made it all better and we survived.
Driving up to Canada through New York was interesting. Amelia was in charge of navigation and music. So we avoided highways, got lost, and listened to Inspiring Instrumental for hours. I wouldn't trade it for all the highways and Waylon Jennings in the world. We had fun at the hotel swimming in the pool and laughing at poor Charlie for having to make his own bed out of pillows. He was a good sport and let his sisters have the bed.
The drive home was ... interesting. Amelia had a melt-down about 18 hours from home and said she wouldn't go another minute in the car. The pool was closed. Traffic around Toronto was un-bearable. But, we found road-side pie that made it all better and we survived.
The Tilted Toque - Cabin 7
What a great lodge. Terry and his son Ethan were amazing hosts. He sure does love us, which he kept telling us. The Toque is a boat-in lodge, so we launched the Crestliner at a nearby marina, dealt with a clogged pee hose on the motor, dealt with a dead starting battery on the boat, packed massive amounts of gear into the boat and headed off into the unknown.
A five-minute-long boat ride later and Terry met us at the dock and helped us unload. The cabin was great, the island was awesome, and the view was fantastic. It didn't have the solitude of the trips from my youth, but the family atmosphere and friendly people were quite nice.
The Toque has a comfy main lodge with games, cool stuffed animals, a ping-pong table, and even a TV. We spent some time there during the huge rain storm that passed through for an entire day. The kids loved the jumping rock, the paddle boat, and catching plenty of fish right from the huge wrap-around dock. I enjoyed cooking meals in the cabin with the kids, and they pitched in .... a little. The fried fish was amazing and Amelia made brownies. I think even took a boat ride to a nearby store for ice cream. You can't beat that with a stick.
A five-minute-long boat ride later and Terry met us at the dock and helped us unload. The cabin was great, the island was awesome, and the view was fantastic. It didn't have the solitude of the trips from my youth, but the family atmosphere and friendly people were quite nice.
The Toque has a comfy main lodge with games, cool stuffed animals, a ping-pong table, and even a TV. We spent some time there during the huge rain storm that passed through for an entire day. The kids loved the jumping rock, the paddle boat, and catching plenty of fish right from the huge wrap-around dock. I enjoyed cooking meals in the cabin with the kids, and they pitched in .... a little. The fried fish was amazing and Amelia made brownies. I think even took a boat ride to a nearby store for ice cream. You can't beat that with a stick.
The Mighty French River and its Fish
Boy what a gorgeous huge river system! There are islands, rocky bluffs, bays, and weed beds forever. The fishing structure is fantastic. But, as with all easily accessible and heavily pressured systems, the fishing isn't quite what it could be. That doesn't mean it's bad, there is just a noticeable impact from the pressure. I'd say the smallie fishing is quite good. We were able to find large pods of fish relatively easily and caught plenty of medium sized bass, with some real tankers thrown in. The smallie fishing is good enough for me to go back just for that. The walleye fishing is solid, but not great. They are there, but you have to bounce from structure to structure to find the pods. The size is there though. It's hard for me to judge the pike fishing since we were there in the heat of the summer. We managed just a few from amazing looking weed beds, with only one being of any size. Maybe the fishing is good in the Spring, but I would not go back hoping to load up on pike.
We had a ball cruising around just taking in the beauty. The kids picked up fish here and there and had fun playing with them in the live well. I believe some of the fish received names and were given flowers to play with (Addie's doing for sure).
When you go fishing there is always an aspect of luck. That's what makes it so unpredictable and fun. We had a little bit of good luck in finding a completely non-descript weed bed in a small bay that had fished just stacked up on the edge. Largemouth, smallmouth, and walleye were all there, and in good size. That particular spot was hands down a game-changer for us.
Scenery and good fishing, with my kids, what could be better?
We had a ball cruising around just taking in the beauty. The kids picked up fish here and there and had fun playing with them in the live well. I believe some of the fish received names and were given flowers to play with (Addie's doing for sure).
When you go fishing there is always an aspect of luck. That's what makes it so unpredictable and fun. We had a little bit of good luck in finding a completely non-descript weed bed in a small bay that had fished just stacked up on the edge. Largemouth, smallmouth, and walleye were all there, and in good size. That particular spot was hands down a game-changer for us.
Scenery and good fishing, with my kids, what could be better?