Bark Lake questions

Post by **MLR** » Sat May 15, 2010 6:04 am

moonshine wrote:The low water shouldn't have too much effect on the fishing on Bark Lake. Every winter they purposely lower the levels 25ft. Once the ice melts they slowly raise it again. Where the Madawaska flows into Bark Lake there is 90 ft of water in some spots so i can't see low water being a problem there. Generally we have some luck opening weekend with different colour Wally Divers. Jig and small minnows work well at the mouth of the Mad. I am predicting a great year for Bark Lake. Winter and early spring before the water levels peak, are the best times to fish there. The levels usually peak around June 1st. The fishing is never as good there for the rest of the year.
If you watch the locals, you will notice that they are going out to fish just before dark.

Good luck

Where can we launch a boat when the water level is this low?

Post by **moonshine** » Sat May 15, 2010 8:01 pm

I am sure that you can launch at Sunny Hill Resort. it is the only camp ground on the lake.

Post by **MLR** » Sat May 15, 2010 8:21 pm

moonshine wrote:I am sure that you can launch at Sunny Hill Resort. it is the only camp ground on the lake.

Thanks

Post by **troutnmuskiehunter** » Sun May 16, 2010 5:09 am

MLR wrote:
moonshine wrote:I am sure that you can launch at Sunny Hill Resort. it is the only camp ground on the lake.
Thanks

I think you have to be a paying guest staying at Sunny Hill to use the ramp....at least that is what I was told years ago..you may want to call first!

Post by **MLR** » Sun May 16, 2010 10:26 am

TroutnMuskieHunter wrote:
MLR wrote:
moonshine wrote:I am sure that you can launch at Sunny Hill Resort. it is the only camp ground on the lake.
Thanks
I think you have to be a paying guest staying at Sunny Hill to use the ramp....at least that is what I was told years ago..you may want to call first!

Yeah, and I would have a tough time giving Sunny Hill a nickle of my money. The owner is on my top 10 list of morons that I have dealt with in the past.

Post by **troutnmuskiehunter** » Sun May 16, 2010 10:43 am

MLR wrote:
TroutnMuskieHunter wrote:
MLR wrote: Thanks
I think you have to be a paying guest staying at Sunny Hill to use the ramp....at least that is what I was told years ago..you may want to call first!
Yeah, and I would have a tough time giving Sunny Hill a nickle of my money. The owner is on my top 10 list of morons that I have dealt with in the past.

You to eh???.....ever deal with Ruth?

Post by **MLR** » Sun May 16, 2010 11:03 am

TroutnMuskieHunter wrote:
MLR wrote:
TroutnMuskieHunter wrote: I think you have to be a paying guest staying at Sunny Hill to use the ramp....at least that is what I was told years ago..you may want to call first!
Yeah, and I would have a tough time giving Sunny Hill a nickle of my money. The owner is on my top 10 list of morons that I have dealt with in the past.
You to eh???.....ever deal with Ruth?

Only thing I can say is "at least they are not wrecking two homes"

Post by **DropShotr** » Mon May 17, 2010 5:27 am

Several years ago Sunny Hill went up for sale. The owner was coming down with alzhimers. His son owned Pine Cliff Resort. We stayed at Pine Cliff a very long time ago.
I suspect if Sunny Hill did change hands it stayed in the family. http://www.pinecliff.com/

If you wanted an alternative launch to Kaminiskeg I'd check with Pine Cliff.

DS

Post by **Mike_D** » Tue May 18, 2010 10:40 pm

All this negative chatter about sunny hills resort is starting to worry me. I'm going there this Augest with almost my entire family (about 23 of us).

So what's the story behind this resort? If you don't want to post your personal story on the forum you can PM me or maybee just give me a heads up on what I can expect out there.

Seeing as though my trip is already booked does anyone have any bass info there willing to share? This will be my first time fishing this lake.

Thanks in advance for the info.
Mike

Post by **Beeracuda** » Wed May 19, 2010 9:07 am

Hey guys, first post and have been itchin to contribute if I can. I've camped this lake a few times and my friends still go every year. They do very well for walleye but they are local and go consistently. Beautiful lake mainly due to the fact there are virtually no cottages. Too hilly to get roads I believe and probably alot of crown land. Remember him getting them on silver canadian wigglers if you can believe that. Seen other locals doing well trolling the longer cotton cordel (sorry, can't remember the name) in the shallower end where the river comes in. I think the damn end is the best fishing though. I like trolling with a gold or chartreuse worm harness but didn't have any luck there. Watched my buddy clean up on SM bass one day in August using pumpkin seed salted tubes.

Post by **DropShotr** » Wed May 19, 2010 4:53 pm

Mike_D wrote:All this negative chatter about sunny hills resort is starting to worry me. I'm going there this Augest with almost my entire family (about 23 of us).

So what's the story behind this resort? If you don't want to post your personal story on the forum you can PM me or maybee just give me a heads up on what I can expect out there.

Seeing as though my trip is already booked does anyone have any bass info there willing to share? This will be my first time fishing this lake.

Thanks in advance for the info.
Mike

It's been a few years since we were at Sunny Hill.

The cabins have finished basements. The beds were top notch. the furnishings were top notch. Matching silverwear. Matching dishes. Plenty of electrical appliances. Bell Expressvu sat TV. Porch with BBQ. He was putting in jacuzzi in some of the cabins. It has an indoor heated pool.

I would put those cabins up aginst anybody's anywhere.

The fishing is what it is.

Enjoy your trip,
DS

Post by **clayt** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:27 am

I have been fishing Bark Lake for 30 years. Bark Lake is an OPG resevoir and levels will fluctuate somewhat throughout the year as white water users are provided with outflow to satisfy their game. The lake is drawn down each fall and brought back to "normal" operating conditions in the spring. This year has been an exception. The lake is down considerably, basically because there was very little run-off. My boat continues to sit on a trailer at our place on Bark Lake. The water is "coming up" but it is not expected that the lake will reach normal operating conditions this summer. The latest news is that some water will be released into Bark Lake from Algonquin (Opeongo etc.). This is a result of the heavy rains that have occurred recently. This is good news for the owners & users on this Madawaska section. I originally came to Bark Lake to fish Lake Trout. The Lake Trout fishing in the early 80's was outstanding. The Lake Trout are still there and I continue to fish this species but not as often. Steel line at depths of 60 to 70 feet work well in summer. Flat lining with a J-11 Rapala in the spring is effective. In my experience on Bark Lake you can never have too much line in the water when flat lining. I often will spool out until I can just see the bottom of the spool on a 300 yard capacity reel. This holds true for Walleye and Lake Trout in Bark Lake. Forget about everything you thought you knew about Walleye when fishing this species in Bark Lake. (There are some awesome Walleye in Bark Lake). Eight to Ten pound Walleye are common with some reaching 12 to 14 pounds. The Walleye fishery here seems to be very healthy with all sizes . You may keep one Walleye over 18 inches . The other three you are allowed must be under 18 " The fact is, it is difficult to catch Walleye under 18 inches in Bark Lake. I troll for Walleye using an HJ14 Rapala with a full spool of line in the water. I troll rather quickly and find that most of the Walleye thast I have caught in Bark Lake have been over very deep water. I have been most successful trolling over the deepest section of the lake. (280- 290 feet). I have caught about an even number of Walleye in the mornings and in the evenings just before the sun fades.
A productive area in Bark Lake in the evenings is in an area that we locals call "the flats". This is an area adjacent to Hay Bay. A common trolling run is from the mouth of Hay Bay to the small cabin on the other shore. Don't get too close to the other shore as the shallow depth here is not productive for Bark Lake Walleye.
Remember ....get lots of line in the water....Good Fishing...CLAYT

Post by **clayt** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:37 am

Yes, you must be a paying guest to use the boat launch at Suunny Hill. I just came from the area . The docks at Sunny Hill are high and dry. There are no docking facilities because of the very low water level. The shoreline is very very rocky...big rocks...a real treat to get your boat in the lake not to mention the fact that you have to get it out. Say goodbye to your boat if you leave it in the water unattended and the wind comes up. The Lake is wild when the wind blows...have fun...
CLAYT