What an incredible season at Pine Cliff Lodge! We have many updates to share from 2024, and news for 2025.
In this edition:
"The BEST bass fishing I've seen in central Canada." - Jay Siemens CANADIAN ANGLER / YOUTUBER
Jay Siemens visited the lodge again this August and brought the whole family! Watch here. (And if you missed last year's video of Jay and friends catching incredible lakers, smallmouth and pike, be sure to check it out.)
Jay's wife Sam with personal best 4.5-pound smallmouth
New Pine Cliff Lodge highway sign installed spring of 2024
NEW ELECTRONICS
All 20-foot Xpress boats are now equipped with upgraded electronics - Lowrance HOOK Reveal 7 at the center console and HOOK Reveal 5 at the bow. These units feature increased screen size, better downscan clarity for fishing deeper water, and improved mapping detail.
NEW TROLLING MOTORS WITH SPOT-LOCK!
Beginning in 2025, all boats will be equipped with new Minn Kota PowerDrive trolling motors, complete with spot-lock and built-in transducers. Experience better boat control with the ability to hold a position with the push of a button. Plus, no more loose wires and exposed transducers at the base of the trolling motors. We are also installing brand new swivel seats.
"I have never been more excited for the future of this fishery." - Derek Zimmerman OWNER, PINE CLIFF LODGE
GROWING POPULATIONS OF FISH SPECIES ON BIG SANDY
Pine Cliff Lodge has never been a walleye destination, but that may be changing. In years past, we have seen one or two walleye caught per week, usually in the 25 to 30-inch range. Walleye have always been a difficult species to target on Big Sandy because of the sparse population. This year, there were accounts of several walleye caught in multiple locations, most small-to-average size, with the occasional lunker. In 2024, we implemented a catch-and-release policy on walleye in hopes to see continued growth in the population and age class. If you watched the Jay Siemens video from this past August, you'll see he too was surprised at the amount of walleye caught during his short time on Big Sandy this summer.
New catch-and-release policies on walleye and black crappie
Guests also reported a few black crappie caught in 2024. Sully, our resident 7-year-old who keeps us apprised of the fishing report from the dock, spotted schools of hundreds of juvenile crappie around the dock throughout the summer.
In Big Sandy, there is an abundant food supply of smelt, cisco, suckers, yellow perch, crawfish and bugs to support a growing crappie population. Crappie will also be an additional food source for well established predatory game species of pike, smallmouth bass, and lake trout that will keep crappie from overcrowding. Crappie will be a great addition to the fishery, serving as an additional food source for game species as well as a new target species for anglers and excellent table fare.
The first reports of crappie in the lake were more than 10 years ago when highway construction crews reported juvenile crappie in Finlayson Creek during bridge reconstruction. In 2020 and 2021 we saw rare individual mature crappie around the dock. It's now apparent that crappie have established themselves within the ecosystem. Based on the amount of mature and juvenile crappie seen in 2024 and knowing their prolific rate of reproduction, there is a good chance that anglers will be able to target and harvest 10 to 14-inch mature crappie within the next few years.
The influx of young walleye and crappie could be a result of massive spring floods in 2022, which likely brought additional numbers into Big Sandy via feeder creeks. The flood levels provided safe havens within the expanded nursery habitat throughout the spring of that year.
In addition to crappie and walleye, we saw more small-to-medium sized lake trout caught in 2024. In previous years, anglers were hard-pressed to catch lakers under 30 inches long. We were excited to see many trout caught between 18 to 28 inches long in 2024, indicating continued reproduction and diversification of age class.
Ecosystems evolve and change over time with population fluctuations based on a variety of natural and manmade factors, many of which are beyond our control. We can, however, make a positive impact with habitat conservation and harvest management strategies. Pine Cliff Lodge, in conjunction with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources, will continue to monitor and implement best management practices to maintain a healthy and balanced fishery, with a primary focus on managing for high age class trophy fish.
NOW OFFERING GUIDED WALLEYE AND CRAPPIE EXCURSIONS
"The crappie fishing was unreal! We had our limit in about 15 minutes, stopped for snacks, and then caught and released about 30 more. I couldn't believe the average size." - John Erickson
John and Judi Erickson
A LIVESCOPE EXPERIENCE
The past couple summers we have taken our three boys on the occasional excursion to a few nearby remote lakes. By boat or kayak, we targeted walleye and crappie to learn the seasonal patterns and expand our knowledge of the remote lakes in our area. In 2024 we purchased a few Livescope units to invest in our education on Big Sandy and to develop curated guest excursion experiences.
Livescope is a game-changer when locating fish, learning how they react to different baits, and ensuring the bait presentation stays within the strike zone. It is an incredibly fun experience to place a cast, entice a strike, feel the bite, and watch it all play out on the graph. There's nothing quite like it.
In 2024, we invited some guests along for the ride and the positive feedback was overwhelming.
“It was great to experience Canadian walleye fishing as good as you read about. They really knew how to get us into the fish.” - Dave Kline
Dave Kline
We're offering a limited amount of guided trips in 2025. Whether you want a Livescope experience on Big Sandy or an excursion on a nearby lake, we look forward to providing a curated fishing experience. Contact us for more info or to reserve your trip.
Photos of crappie and walleye from nearby lakes (NOT on Big Sandy)
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR GOES TO...
This guy right here - Cody Bardy. Cody shouldered many of the maintenance tasks throughout the season and provided a huge help implementing improvements in 2024. Cody spent many of his off-hours on the water "studying" in preparation to lead guided excursions in 2025. He knows how to catch 'em, folks. He is also the expert tracker and photographer of Northern Lights. We were extremely blessed to have his help in 2024 and looking forward to his return in 2025.
QUICK LINKS
If you want in on the action in 2025, let us know!
Or call us at 1-800-391-7463
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