| Wendell McCargar's winning Bear Hunt to South Shore Lodge in Ontario, Canada |
| After having my name drawn for this bear hunting / fishing trip to South Shore Lodge (SSL) , on Eagle Lake in Western Ontario the months seemed to drag. But like any other trip of hunting or fishing we ended up scrambling to get all the proper paper work and loose ends tied up before we set out. The person who went with me was my lifelong friend Bill Gould ( who is also a NYOC member ). We arrived at SSL later in the afternoon on Sunday then we wanted. It was actually a little too late to be taken in to be shown the baits in fear of disturbing the evening movement of the bears. We instead got settled in for our week long stay. That night one of the other two hunters filled his tag with a 200 pound boar. It was right at the beginning of a storm front and the animals were active. The next day Gord Makara, the owner of SSL, took Bill and I into a couple different baits that were active only a couple of days earlier. You could see where the bear tore the bait areas apart trying to get to the treats that were there for them. Very impressive to say the least !! After being shown the areas of where we were hunting that evening Bill an I set out to catch some walleyes. Once we had our directions on where to go.... catching was not too much of a problem. When you hit 30 feet in depth it's on. Eagle Lake is a BEAUTIFUL lake consisting of more then 490 islands spread out on over 60,000 acres. It has some unbelievable structure to fish. You can be in 7 feet of water and go 30 yards you are in 65 feet. |
| through, a front of sunny warm weather set in on us..... and stayed !! That evening we were sitting in the woods with the sweat running off us. It was too warm for any animals to be moving That was the story for the whole week. Wednesday afternoon Bill set up on a different were set up at our respective baits by 4:00 p.m. After that front on Sunday evening went through, a front of sunny warm weather set in on us..... and stayed !! That evening we were sitting in the woods with the sweat running off us. It was too warm for any animals to be moving That was the story for the whole week. Wednesday afternoon Bill set up on a different bait to see if his luck would change. The bait was off the road that led to SSL's private parking area where you parked your vehicle to be picked up by boat to be taken to the lodge. That afternoon it was 86 degrees at 4:p.m. It was like that everyday for us. Great for fishing but terrible for bear movement. We did have movement on one bait but it was well into the night in the cooler air of low 70's . Gord Makara said that the weather was very unusual to be that warm for that long of a stretch. So the bears were 1 and Bill and I were 0. Enough said for the bear hunt of trip, lets get you more familiar with SSL. |
| It is located on a peninsula where the cottages are spread out along the shoreline. The main lodge sets upon a hill in the middle of them. It has spectacular views no matter where you look. The loons are everywhere and you can hear their unique call non stop wherever you are on the lake. Not to mention all of the Bald Eagles we saw. The fishing is phenomenal. Bill and I targeted walleyes where there was two gentlemen after nothing but Musky. They were telling Bill and I that they had a dozen or so located that were between 45- 50 inches located. Musky fishing is their passion and they have been all over the country chasing them. They talked about the St. Lawrence River liked they lived there. They were out of Wisconsin and fished all of the lakes in the mid-west. They felt that Eagle Lake was the best in North America for Musky. Another group of 6 were there for 5 days and caught over 500 northern pike.You can go on and on over the fishing in this lake. Bill and I only experienced a small part of it but we had no complaints at all. The beautiful thing about SSL is all of the fishing action you want on several species is right there..... You don't need to travel any distance at all and you are in battle with some kind of fish !! |
| Gord and Sharleen Makara are your hosts and they will make your stay as enjoyable as imaginable !!! You won't catch them together too often because they are always so busy staying ahead of all their guest's needs. You don't go without at SSL. The lodge itself is beautiful with a family type atmosphere. The food is second to none and you will not go away hungry. Which brings me to Wednesday shore lunch. You go catch your fish , bring them back. They will clean them and then prepare them along with roasted potatoes over the grill, baked beans, rolls, and beverage for a meal not soon. SSL is located by Dreydon Ontario on Eagle Lake. From Northern N.Y.it is quite a distance but don't let that deter you from a chance to go there. The trip is beautiful. We went across lower Canada into Michigan , UP, Wisconsin and went back into Canada at International Falls. If you are looking for a get away to relax and catch fish to your hearts content, keep this place in mind. If you choose to try bear hunting along with your fishing don't let our experience keep you from going there. They have many bears located and working their baits, they just don't have a handle on the weather yet......If given the chance to do this again , would I ????? In an absolute second !!!! In fact I'm pondering next summer already. If this article perks anyone's interest, then go to SouthShoreLodge.com and look for yourself. If you need more info contact me Wendell McCargar 315-639-4495 or slriverdogs3@aol.com and I will tell you all I can about it. It truly is a beautiful place and the atmosphere will put you at ease no matter how stressful your life is. Anything you need is there at your disposal. The boats provided are all Lunds with Yamaha engines. Bring what you have for tackle but check in with Gord because he will save you a lot of time and get you heading in the right direction. I want to take this time to thank Gord and Sharleen Makara for allowing this trip to be offered to NYOC!!! They made it a very enjoyable trip. If you are so lucky to be able to go...... DO NOT PASS this one up. It is what " little outdoors men" dream of. Last but by no means least.... I want to thank Jim Hanlon and Dan Leonard for busting their butts for making NYOC the MOST it can be !!!! They are trying to make it the best outdoors membership organization in the country. They go above and beyond in their efforts. They do this all in their personal time for US. Thank You, Wendell McCargar |
