Rain, Rain, Go Away – Camping Near Killarney

After all these years Darrell has gotten used to me having crazy ideas, so when I suggested we go camping at a lake near Killarney, on Thanksgiving weekend, with rain in the forecast, he just started packing the camping gear.

To be fair, he’s not one to turn down a couple days of fishing and camping.

In the days leading up to the trip I checked the forecast over and over. Yes, they were calling for rain, but it wasn’t supposed to be heavy. A couple of days with 5mm of rain each is plenty do-able. Most of our camping trips this year have involved rainfall warnings and tornado warnings, so a little bit of rain wasn’t a problem.

Of course, weather forecasts change. A lot. Frequently. This one was no exception.

We had most of our gear packed Friday night and just had to hook on the boat and throw the last few things in the truck on Saturday morning. It was lightly raining as the dogs circled around the truck, eager to head out on another adventure.

The dogs must have realized that having the boat hooked on meant we were going somewhere further away and they all quickly fell asleep. Our plan was to stop in Parry Sound to stretch our legs and let the dogs have a pee break. We also needed to grab some ice since I had left the ice packs at home. Oops. We always forget something. I checked the weather forecast again while we were in Parry Sound and now it was calling for 15-20mm of rain in Killarney that afternoon. Uggh. Oh well, we were not turning around.

We drove through rain the rest of the way and I checked the forecast before we left the highway (and lost cell service). Now the rainfall amounts were back down. Perfect. I should have known better than to trust that forecast.

Turning down the lane to the lake we took in the beautiful fall colours. Such amazing shades of red, orange, and yellow mixed among the green of the pine trees. The colours may have been wonderful, but the rain was not. It started pouring as we launched the boat and then headed for the campsite. Darrell had to back the boat trailer down the very rutted and already muddy path to the site. It wasn’t fun. The trailer kept sliding in the mud, causing the truck to get off track. We eventually hand-bombed the trailer the rest of the way into the site. That trailer is so much heavier than the one for the smaller boat!

With the rain continuing to teem down, we sat in the truck hoping for a break so we could setup camp. The dogs were less than thrilled with the weather and kept sleeping.

Finally, the rain let up and we jumped into action, getting to work on setting up the tent. We had brought the Woods Pinnacle 4 season for this trip, assuming we would need the warmth. It was a good call. The campsite is surrounded by white birch and the leaves were lovely shade of gold, making for quite the setting while we worked. As we were putting the finishing touches on the tent, I swore I could hear music playing. Darrell went down to the boat launch to make sure we weren’t in anyone’s way, but no one was there.

Ignoring the music, we went on to setup a tarp over the back of the truck for our cooking area. We often take a canopy tent with us for cooking under and staying out of the rain, but we’re trying to go with less bulky gear. The tarp seemed like a better option and it worked great, even if it took us a few tries to find good attachment points.

With camp set it was time to head out fishing, and apparently that meant it was time for the rain to return. Darrell went down to get the boat ready while I put coats on the dogs. They were not enjoying the rain but their moods improved drastically once they had some protection from the weather. I used to shake my head when I saw people puts coats on their dogs, but now I get it.

Because of the rain we started by trolling so we could both sit under the bimini top of the boat and stay somewhat dry. By that point my my coat was feeling damp on the inside and in my mind I was gleefully spending hundreds of dollars on 100mph rain suits.

It had been several years since we had the boat out on this lake and we looked at the changes in the cottages as trolled along. There are some new large cottages that really don’t fit the lake. And at some point the majority of the boats have switched from fishing boats to pontoon boats. Our lures weren’t catching anything but by then I was playing with the GoPro and didn’t really mind.

We made it to the other side of the lake and the rain had stopped so we picked up our rods and started casting in a weed bed. A few casts later I heard music. Again! The mystery was solved as we noticed a pontoon boat cruising towards us with the tunes cranked. If the occupants weren’t our age I’d be pretty surprised. They basically played the hits list for our generation, so of course we had to sing along.

The first fish of our trip was a little smallie I caught on a jerkbait at the edge of some lilypads. That was one hungry fish and it spat out some minnows when I lifted it into the boat to unhook it. The fish were few and far between, coming on a variety of baits, and though I was up on Darrell at one point, he quickly caught a pile more fish than I did. In behind an island there are some excellent patches of lilypads that always produce nice fish. This time was no exception and Darrell pulled in a bunch of them, both largies and smallies, including a few in the 18-inch range. He caught most of those fish on a soft swimbait.

The action dried up and I sat back, enjoying the sights and sounds of the lake. Fall fishing is always fantastic because of the colourful backdrop. The dogs and I just relaxed while Darrell continued to cast.

The rain started falling again and we headed back to camp at dark to make dinner. Absolutely everything was muddy, but at least the tarp was keeping the rain off of us. Dinner was the Beef Burrito Mix from OTG Meals. It was the perfect meal for that wet day and we made it go a little further by having it on tortillas. After a tea we headed to bed.

For this trip we decided to buy the dogs their own sleeping bags. We normally bring a couple of blankets for them to lay on, but knowing that it could be wet and cold, we decided a sleeping bag on either side of ours would be a better idea. I’m so glad we did this. The three of them happily curled up on/in the bags and fell asleep in no time.

It’s usual for me to wake up several times during the night while camping because I’m always having to roll to my other side. On this occasion I woke up twice to the sound of rain pelting down on our tent. I wondered if it would ever stop.

Erza decided it was time to wake up at 4am. She’s always an early riser. Darrell took the dogs to check on the boat and make sure it was still floating after all that rain. Laying in the tent I could hear the rain start again, then get heavier, and heavier. The dogs made it back to camp before Darrell did and decided to join me, wet coats and all. They went back to sleep as I curled up with Panda. The tent floor was damp but we were all good on top of the sleeping pad and the sleeping bags. Darrell got soaked on the walk back and decided to head for the chairs instead of coming back in the tent.

We had breakfast under the tarp and I pulled a weather forecast on our GPS. We had toyed with the idea of staying for second night, but given how wet all of our equipment now was, we weren’t sure. When the forecast came in on the GPS we decided a second night wasn’t happening. It was calling for another 30mm of rain starting late afternoon. We packed up camp and headed out for more fishing.

Fishing started a little slow that morning. We’d get the odd fish here and there on jerkbaits, swimbaits, and a curly-tailed grub. Since most of the bites were coming right after the lure hit the water, I decided to switch up to a Rapala DT-1. That turned out to be a good decision. I started getting fish, and not just small ones. I landed the biggest largemouth bass I had caught in AGES. It was one of those fish that made me squeal and laugh and get all giddy. I love catching fish, but I especially love catching nice fish. That one was a beauty!

The wakebait/topwater bite produced quite a few fish, included a hungry smallmouth that initially hit on the Scum Frog Darrell was tossing (is there anything better than a fish hitting a frog?). When he missed getting the hooks into it, he followed up with a wacky-rigged worm. The fish went for it but grabbed the worm and pulled it off the hook. Darrell quickly put a new worm on and for the third time this fish hit! This time it was hooked. As he lifted it into the boat the fish spat out the first worm. What a crazy fish!

In background that day was the sound of cottagers closing up for the season. The sounds of ATVs and an Argo out hunting, some gunshots, and boats heading back to the dock. But while the fish were biting, I wasn’t noticing them all that much.

The rain had let up and the sun even tried peaking through the clouds. Although we had planned to stay later, we decided to head back to the ramp around 2pm and start the trip home. We had caught so many fish, had a great time, and honestly we were still pretty damp and looking forward to being dry.

Some people might consider it a bummer to get rained on during a camping trip. Heck, I used to feel that way. But I’ve gotten to a point where I’m just so happy to be having that adventure, with my favourite person and our crazy dogs, that the weather isn’t that important. The rain might shorten a trip when it makes a campsite unusable, but it doesn’t make the trip any less fun.

We’ve got at least one more fishing/camping trip scheduled for the year, and if the weather stays nice hopefully we’ll fit in an overlanding trip where we get to explore some new areas. It’s just so much fun to get outside and enjoy it. Whether it’s for the camping, the fishing, or whatever, get outside. You won’t regret it. Even if the forecasts are way off and you get swamped with rain!