Category: Quetico Provincial Park

French Lake, Quetico Provincial Park, Ojibwe Campground, Quetico Provincial Park

Fishing French Lake

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Wanting to catch a couple of fish for dinner, we went to a rock behind the Teaching Center, that a ranger had recommended. Martha patiently watched and played games on her phone while I fished a variety of lures with the regular spinning rod and the ultralight rod. Nothing. No hits, no runs, no errors.

After lunch we launched the kayak on French Lake. Two guys were loading up for a two-week trip. My plan was to fish around an island in the middle of the lake. I set off with two rods, a tackle box and a box of trout lures. Smallmouth bass, walleye and pike are the three main attractions. I put on a tiny torpedo, my go-to lure in Virginia fro smallmouth.

I saw a couple of rises in the middle of the lake and threw toward them. Fishing from a kayak is a little dicey. Throwing sideways and behind me, I tipped the boat a bit. I hadn’t put a life jacket on. Really, who needs one in the middle of a calm lake? Every other person I have observed was wearing one. Half way to the island, I realized it would be very difficult to catch my gear, flip the kayak back over and get back on board – probably impossible for an old fart like me. I would be more careful.

I had to rest a couple of times before getting to the island that didn’t seem very far away. My first throw got the lure half way to shore. Paddling the kayak and keeping it in position to throw would prove challenging. My second throw was perfect, landing between the rock cliff and a log. Wham! A big strike , but it surprised me and I missed. Now I approached this adventure with more enthusiasm. As I slowly followed the shore, I found I could put in a straightening paddle stroke without putting the rod down. I had six strikes with no catches. It was more like I was making them mad than giving them something to eat. They will do that when they are on the beds, but it is way too late for that.

Martha had asked how I knew it was an island. I thought that a silly question until now. I began to question if it was really a big peninsula. After being totally immersed in fishing, I looked around to get my bearings. Was I going around something or going further away from my put-in? Further ahead I could see power lines that follow the Trans Canada 11 highway. I kept fishing, but with a bit more speed. I was relieved to see the big rock cliff where I had started. One more smash hit with no catch. I don’t know how a fish can do that without getting snagged by two treble hooks. I pinch the barbs down, but that has little effect on catching fish. If a bass jumps out of the water, it can shake loose more easily, but it’s worth it for the show.

I threw at the spot where I got my first strike, but nothing happened. Now I looked up the lake for the beach where I had launched. I couldn’t see it. I searched the shore for topographic features. Suddenly I felt what it would feel like in the wilderness where these paddlers would go. All I could see were forests on both sides, all looking so similar. I searched the left shore slowly. I could see the rock where I fished this morning, and I paddled toward it. I should have trailed a lure behind me, but I was intent on getting into familiar territory.

I cast toward the rock to no avail. Similar results through a grassy cove. Then a good hit near some rocks. I had it on for a second, but then it was gone. I could see a beach ahead. A person was sitting on a big rock ahead of it. There was a beach on the other side of the rock, and the person pointed to it. Ahhh, it was Martha. She was pointing to a big rock with about eight ducks sitting on it. Several were playing in the water. Martha wanted to know what kind they were. I couldn’t tell, and I didn’t want to disturb them. It brought back images of Kelly sitting on a rock in the middle of the Farmington River in Connecticut with three ducks sitting behind him and two swimming below the rock.

Carrying the kayak back up the hill made us appreciate the importance of weight of the boat, especially in this environment where you have to portage. Some of these canoes are so light you can see light through them. One person can carry them over their head. They are also broader, which aids in stability. Martha’s kayak is built for stability, so it is not light.

Ojibwe Campground, Quetico Provincial Park, Red squirrel

Paul Kane Trail

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Monday, September 8, 2025

39 deg at 4 am

I laid in bed readdressing my furnace problem. Sail switch, I decided. Was I blocking air flow with my tape? I could hear the technician I might hire, laughing at my Velcro tape job.

Moonset

On our way to hike, we stopped at the canoe launch parking lot. On a Monday, it was busy. We watched a family loading up for a week of paddling. They were all so friendly, answering all our American questions while they continued to load three canoes. The young girl had a 7-month old baby, who was smiling until I took a picture. She had a good topographic map, showing us their route for today. They have done this many times, probably since she was a baby. I asked how she finds her way. “Oh you recognize topographic features. We also have a Spot GPS, and even if you don’t have cell service, Google maps will show where you are.” This is really what this huge park is about. There are 2500 campsites on a first-come-first serve basis. The father, or grandfather, said some are great, but all are acceptable. We wished them well and walked back up the hill.

  • Our red squirrel’s table
  • Hooded merganser family
  • The Artist’s Cabin

We drove across TCan 11 to the Paul Kane Trail at the top of the waterfall where Indians as well as trappers portaged around the falls. Paul Kane famously painted this spot as he traveled with the Hudson Bay Company. It was an hour hike. then we drove across the Trans Canada Highway back to Quetico and walked a while on the Pickerel Creek trail before going into the Visitors Center. A fire was going in the incredible fireplace in the center of the room. It was a pretty warm day of about 67 degrees and sunny. Still, the mood set by that unique fireplace is great. A young ranger lady greeted us with a smile.

We went downstairs to the library, sitting on a very comfortable leather couch, and perused a camping cookbook that caught our attention. There were some great tips and recipes with tantalizing pictures. Martha is a good camping cook, and she was picking up tips. 

Starving to death now, we went back upstairs and talked to two rangers beside the fire. Martha asked when the recent storm came through and did such destruction to the trees. I mean trees that were spun around 90 degrees  before being snapped off. The gentleman said a tornado came down in Quetico in July and did a lot of damage. It was a miracle that no one was hurt. They had gone around telling people to go to one of the buildings.

One gentleman did that. Later returning to his campsite, a big tree lay right on top of his tent. Trailers were damaged, but people escaped. One lady was in panic mode because trees trapped her from leaving. When rangers came and removed the trees, she gave them big hugs.

Then another event came through in August, not a tornado, but strong winds. More trees were destroyed. Their crews have been very busy, and they have contracted outside help. Volunteers for this park are amazing, clearing many of the portages and 2500 remote campsites. We bought two bundles of firewood for our last two nights here. Martha encouraged me to go fishing while she did the laundry. Sounded like a good plan to me.  

Over lunch Martha asked if I was going fishing or working on the furnace. Finally I said, the furnace. I got my tools and opened the furnace door, studying the wires and their connections, checking my before-pictures. Satisfied, I turned it on and it fired up!! OK, I guess I can go fishing.

I drove up to a spot one of the rangers had suggested. It’s a rock outcrop near a beach. There were secluded picnic tables in grassy areas with fire pits. The more I explore, the more I like this park.

The power of a storm that can splinter a tree like this

I changed lures for the tenth time when the winds picked up and it got cooler. I went back to the truck and got another shirt, sure this lure was the one. Then the thunder came and it started raining. I got back to camp just in time to help Martha fold laundry.

She made an excellent split pea and ham soup and a salad with smoked trout. 

French Portage and Falls, Furnace, Ojibwa Campground, Quetico Provincial Park, Quetico Provincial Park

Hike French Portage and Falls

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Sunday, September 7, 2025 

39 deg at 6 am

Still having trouble with the furnace, I went out and surveyed the problem again. Of course there could be one or several problems, so I have watched some videos, which were helpful. All the wires were connected, but the cover for the flywheel was loose and there were a couple of screws lying on the bottom. I remembered that I have had this problem before, and I drilled a hole and placed a new screw. The problem is this whole bracket is plastic and it breaks around the screws. I can find every other part online, but not a new bracket. Since the cover is loose, airflow is not being directed properly.

At 10:00 we hiked the French Portage and French Falls Trail. The portage was one used by Native Americans and Colonials to get around the cascading waterfall. It was a one-hour hike to the falls, then one hour back. The Indians likely used birch-bark canoes, so maybe this wasn’t so bad, but the Colonials were carrying goods to trade. I can’t imagine carrying all that for this distance.

  • MBW
  • MBW

Quetico Provincial Park is known for its paddling. It is a vast area with over 2,000 lakes. We drove into a parking lot beside French Lake. It is a boat launch and the parking lot was full. There are hiking trails in Quetico, but the water trails are the ones most used. 

During lunch I searched fishing in Quetico. The best article was one asking which lake is your favorite to fish in Quetico. Mostly, people don’t come to fish. They come to paddle, camp out under the stars with no one else around. Build a fire and let all the worldly stresses disappear. 

One commenter said the fish in Quetico die of old age because there is so little fishing pressure. The paddlers might catch two for dinner, but mostly they are paddling. The fish here are smallmouth, walleye, pike and lake trout. These waters are so clean, any of those fish would be great to eat. Motors are not allowed in the park, so that limits fishermen. 

People replying to the article like different lakes. The smallmouth are plentiful and can grow to large sizes. I could find nothing about fishing the two creeks running through the park. After reading the article, I looked for some of the lakes they liked. These are not day trips! How do you find your way! 

It was time to work on the furnace that sometimes lights and sometimes doesn’t. I have had the problem before, and I remembered there is a plastic two-part cover over the flywheel. Four screws held the two parts together, but the plastic holding them over thousands of bumps are now broken. Only one screw held it loosely together. One video showed taping it back together. I opted for velcro that I might be able to remove. After a lot of searching, I could not find a replacement cover anywhere.

It’s a tight area to work in, and truly it is amazing it has done so well for 10 years. Is it the igniter, the sail switch or the loose cover not controlling air flow? I took it all apart, taking pictures so I would know where all these wires go. 

Three hours later i proudly had it all back together. I think I reconnected all the wires correctly. The fan came on, but it still didn’t light. There were no error lights on the circuit board. A man walking behind me asked if I had fixed it. “Well I did what I set out to do, but it didn’t solve my problem. Have you ever done that?” “Many times,” he said, continuing his walk. 

Chez Martha, Ojibwe Campground, Quetico Provincial Park, Whiskey Jack Trail, Quetico Provincial Park

The Whiskey Jack Trail

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September 6, 2025 

36 degrees at 6:00

We are on Central Time now.

All the stars were out this morning! I should have gotten a picture, but it was too chilly to lay on the picnic table. We waited until 10:00 to go exploring the park, hoping for a little warmer temperatures.

There were lots of trees down, some being twisted around. Others were uprooted. We saw 7 grouse this morning, some just walking down the gravel road, tame like a ptarmigan.

With an appetizer of smoked trout and spiced mustard crackers, Martha made dinner of roasted vegetables and pickerel cheeks. It was a good day.

Ojibwa Campground, Quetico Provincial Park, Quetico Provincial Park, Thunder Bay to Quetico Provincial Park

Drive to Quetico Provincial Park

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September 5, 2025 at 5:46 AM

41 deg at 6:00

Martha had learned about a special sweet roll while she was waiting on a bench at the shower house back in Rabbit Blanket campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park.  “If you go to Thunder Bay you must try a Persian!” said the young lady who was also waiting for a shower.

So we went to the Bennett Brothers’ Persian Man for a “Persian”, which is sweet bun with a unique pink icing that uses fruit for coloring and flavor. It is a happening place, selling Persians and coffee, but they have other interesting things, like egg salad sandwiches, soups, chili and more. We shared one and Martha got one to go for tomorrow morning.

OK, we are cold, having brought lots of short sleeved shirts and shorts for our August trip. I bought a nice hooded sweat shirt in Wawa, but we need another layer. We could have walked to the sporting goods store, but we drove one block. Our lucky day, there was a going out of business sale. Spending more than an hour in there, we came out with long johns, socks and a nice shirt. I bought a new pair of Keens.

Around the corner, we went to Laura’s recommended coffee roaster, Rose N Crantz Roasting Company and bought two pounds of coffee and two good-looking oatmeal raisin cookies. We asked the nice girl, who gave us a cup of the coffee we bought, where we would find good granola. She referred us to The Bulk Zone, another two blocks away. She said she loves going there. It was truly a cool, unique place. They had everything! No frills, but isle after isle of useful things. From 10 granola bins, I chose 4 and will mix them.

From their website

We made a quick stop at Safeway to buy milk and shaving cream. We were happy to have supported the economy in Thunder Bay, but I was ready to hit the road. We hooked up and pulled out at 11:30. It was very windy, and cold enough that it cut right through you.

On our way west, we stopped at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, the highest falls in Ontario. It is an impressive site, like a smaller Niagara with a solid granite island in the middle. It is also a beautiful river above and below the falls. We thought we would have lunch at a picnic table, but it was too windy and cold, so we ate in the trailer.

The Trans Canada Highway splits in two for a while, 17 going north then west to Winnipeg. 11 goes west, bumping into the border before turning north through Sioux Narrows and rejoining 17 at Kenora. 

Not that 17 is terribly busy, but 11 is much less busy. It winds through hills and forest. There is serious construction of a big power line following the same route. Otherwise I felt I was taking Martha into the middle of nowhere. We passed huge lakes, a few rivers and streams. The conversation was quiet. It was cold, windy, and I wondered if I had made the wrong choice of choosing Quetico. I couldn’t even remember why I chose it, other than the fact that I love Canadian Provincial Parks.

Finally, we made the turn into the park and went into the Visitor’s Center. It was raining and raw. Opening the door, we saw in front of us a big fireplace in the center of the large room. It was warm and a young lady stoking the fire greeted us with a smile. We already felt better.

Registering, Martha felt we needed an electric site, because we were going to have to run the heat pump maybe night and day. I had booked site 21 that backs up to the lake, but we traded that for a pull through with electric. 

It was a tight turn pulling into the site, and I had to pull as close as I could to the left side to get close to the electric post. In a drizzling, cold rain it was still a stretch to connect to power. Martha went inside to get the heat going. 

We enjoyed the warm trailer, observing little movement outside. French Lake was in front of us, about 200 yards away. Martha fixed a nice salad with smoked trout in it for dinner.

The thing about a heat pump is it works very hard to convert 40 degrees to 65 degrees. Every not and then we turned on the heat pump, which runs on propane, to get the floor warm. Again I wondered about this choice. The good news was we had four bars of cell service. No radio or TV stations, but four bars! At least we could get weather reports, and there was a warming trend over the next five days.

Salad with smoked trout
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