Well, we made it home tonight at about 5:30. Hit some traffic on the 401 near Milton and Guelph which was expected. Can't really complain about the drive overall since we had only left the ice at the Temagami Access Road at 11:15 this morning.
So, I'll quickly summarize the overall experience with the outfitter first, then get straight to the goods...the fishing!
Rielly from Great Spirit Lodge treated us awesome. Comfortable transport from the parking lot out to the bungalows. Bungalows were nice, roomy, warm and more than comfortable for the 6 of us. We did have 2, 4 person bungalows which worked out nicely. The extra bed in each hut was perfect storage space for gear, which allowed you to fish and cook comfortably. I would recommend planning a trip this way if at all possible. Overall, we agreed it was a good experience and we would go back. Highly recommend giving the ice bungalows a try if you haven't before. It brought a new sense of adventure to the trip knowing you'll be out there for a few days, no matter the weather.
ANYWAY! Let's hear about the fishing, right? I'll try to post pictures here shortly after, too.
Ok, first afternoon was SUPER windy, so we were limited to inside the bungalows only. We didn't catch anything while the sun was up, but overnight we caught 3 small ling, all on a spreader with live minnows. It was odd...all there fish were exactly 2 hours apart. 1am, 3am and 5am. Strange! Maybe it was the....twiLINGzone?!?! Doo, doo, doo, doo... lol.
Sat morning was our first laker sighting. I caught a small fish on a sidewinder spoon tipped with a minnow. (trout picture inside the hut) This little gaffer was released to grow and be caught again.
We then packed up a few rods and jumped on the quad to test a spot nearby. 4 of us set up and started jigging various depths... We each marked a couple fish and caught another small laker. (smaller trout picture outside) This one fell for a live target lipless crank.
We tried for a while longer without any success, then decided to head in to cook a late breakfast.
With full bellies, we headed out to try the next spot we had scouted. This time, there were 5 of us with the last guy staying back in the hut. He had just caught a fair sized white fish and was still marking another, so he wasn't moving. Fair enough. (see white fish picture)
Once at our new spot, we did the same...each set up a slightly different depth and started to jig. Not 10 minutes into things, Travis says, "Oh, marking!....ON! Weight! Weight here!"
We were pretty excited so of course we all run over to be closer to the battle.
I s*** you not, the fight was over 18 minutes long. Travis would gain a few inches and the fish would take a few feet the other way. A few times when it wasn't pulling drag, it was like the fish just said, "Nope, you're not moving me anywhere, sir." And things would turn into a stalemate! Rod bent to the handle and neither side able to budge.
Finally we watched the swivel come up through the 36'' tunnel of ice and snow...I'm sure you all agree this is the most nerve racking part of the battle with a good fish..trying to land it!
After a few sideways fly-bys under the ice, the monster was tired enough to get it's head in the hole. This HUGE set of jaws were on their way up towards us...I think Drew was in shock, because it took a second to grab it's gills and finish hauling it onto the ice...Then, there we were... 5 Temagami first timers laughing and staring at a 37''x18'', Lake Temagami TROPHY LAKE TROUT! WHAT A BEAST. Awesome colors, a massive noggin and huge, scarred up trout lips. We took a bunch of pictures and set this behemoth free to grow a little more. Take a look at the photos, it was awesome! This fish ate a lipless crank.
We ended up staying in this area until dinner time. We put 3 more trout topside...I caught two more lake trout which were small, but very aggressive! Both fell victim to a white and blue tube jig. Jordan caught the 3rd on a...wait for it...a lipless crank. These baits were hot!
Saturday night each hut caught 3 more small ling all on minnows.
That wraps up the fish action! Pretty successful!
Sunday morning we cleaned up the huts inside and out, then packed everything up.
Thanks again for all the tips and advice on Temagami.
We filmed as much as we could and will put together a little highlight video soon. I'll let you guys know when it's up so you can see the scrap with the biggun!
Great Spirit LodgeFive1Nine Outdoors - Youtube Page 
REPORT INCLUDED - Temagami - first trip on feb 22, Let's chat about structure, baits, etc.
