I have been organizing mid November trips into Kenauk for several years now.  13 of us rented Sugarbush and Green Chalets for two nights.  We couldn't have picked two colder days this November.  On either side of our trip it was double digits on the positive side.  We had double digits in the negative!  And a cold wind to boot.  But we managed to have some pretty good fishing in spite of it all.  The only major issue was iced up guides.  Early morning just before dawn and the last hour before sunset proved the best fishing again.  Over at Green the fellows were all using different flies and different techniques and all were catching.  Fish were all through the water column.  The same was true at Sugarbush.  I was using a #4 sink while others were using intermediate and one fellow was using a sink tip.   I liked the #4 sink because of the thinner profile brought up much less water to freeze in the guides.  Not much was seen on the scope until the last day when it warmed above freezing.  For some unexplainable reason I started to see signal down 15 to 30 feet. 
On that last day, I was out on the water by 0615 and by 0645 I had landed seven fish and lost four.  It was common to lose more fish than hook up.  The fish were lazy fighters so I'm thinking for that reason alone, we may go earlier next year. 

ST was 42F.  Last year at the very same days, the temp was +15 and +5 for the days and ST 46F.  We were there a few years ago at the end of November and the temp was +10.  It is a bit of a gamble when you have to book in advance.

Most of us were using black leech patterns.  My best combo on the #4 sink was a balanced Vampire Leech as the dropper and a black Coney Leech at the point.  Half of the fish were caught on a fast retrieve over 30 FOW.  Casting to shore was not successful for anyone other than a couple of trout between us all.  Often you would troll and for no apparent reason start a fast retrieve.  I believe they were always following the fly and needed that little bit of tantalizing movement to get them to hit.  Of course on that last day when you could see some signal, you would have a reason to start retrieving and most often it was successful. 

One can't get too much credit as the lakes are full of trout.  It reminds me of my youth in central BC 50+ years ago.  Now you have to pay to get this kind of fishing.  It doesn't have to be that way but as long as people insist on harvesting fish beyond sustainability for a vibrant fishery, we will have to get used to the new reality of sport fishing.

On that last day, I landed 20 fish which is not bad (and I quit at 1300).   The previous days were 7, then 14.   I got about four fish on the dry fly as well.   Most of the fish were 14-16" with a few 18" and at least two at 20".

Many of the fish are of the McIntyre strain which are heavily spotted.....very beautiful fish.  I was too cold to take more pictures.

Had some pretty good fishing at Kenauk last week.  I got a chance to fish at their show piece lake attached to their Papineau Lodge.  That is where they likely entertain prospective buyers.  Our cabin wasn't ready and no-one was at the Lodge so I was allowed to fish Otter.   On my first session of three or four hours I landed about 20 rainbows much like this one.   There are too many trout in this lake (what am I saying?) and they were all in one spot.   But first you have to find that spot.  Went back the next day and landed over 30 (I stopped counting).  Now this number is what was "landed".  I lost just as many not to mention the hits.   I lost a lot of flies too.  And my leader snapped a few times.  Best flies were the orange Hammill's and Sheedy's PT crayfish.  Many reported that orange flies worked well which they do at this time of year (as well as in the Fall).  We had guys at 3-Point so I thought I should go up there.  In a couple of hours I landed seven.  Again orange was king. Spent some time at our home lake, Taunton, but didn't do as well.  Finished my trip at their best brookie lake, Collins.  The guys at this cabin/lake weren't doing so well but that is because they couldn't find the honey hole.  I did. Got a few at 17 inches like this one.  The spot was near the launch so I figure they were recently stocked fish.  Interesting that some of the larger trout in the lake were fraternizing with the newbies.  Brookies always go in groups and go on the bite as a whole.

Another successful November trip to Kenauk.  For two years in a row there has been a warming up in the middle of the month.  The trout should be taking anything resembling food at this time of year.   However, it was only at dusk and just before sunrise that the fish really turned on.  All four of us had fish on at the same time on the first evening.  Although, on my last day I was catching quite regularly mid afternoon.  At this time I was casting to shore and paddling perpendicular away.  I would start to retrieve when half way across a bay in order to cast to the other shore.  Each time resulted in a hit.   Dragonfly nymphs only travel perpendicular to the shore, so this could be another trigger even though I was fishing a black Dazzle Leech and a Yellow HK (bait fish).  At one time I had two rainbows on at the same time.   My largest fish of 20 inches was caught on a small dry caddis cast to shore on my 3wt.  Kenauk claims to be stocking the same numbers as when they had a hatchery.  Maybe that is true.  I try not to take the fish out of the water so whenever possible, I hold onto the fly with one hand to take a picture.  A quick flick of the wrist and they are gone with no harm done.  Sometimes they are so active I have to use my soft rubber net.

It's finally trout season!  I start cruising for trout starting in September.  I was out once in early September but got skunked.    Six of us from the OFS went to Sugarbush last Monday to Wednesday.   This size of fish was common but there were a few in the sixteen to eighteen inch range that were caught and many fourteen inchers.   We suspected it might be slow but it was the only time we could get in September.  We go to Chevreuil Blanc in October.  Kenauk stocks their lakes according to the same formulas as NY State and Ontario, however they compensate for harvest, so that at any given time, you are fishing in a lake which is stocked to maximum capacity.  Unfortunately, MNR cannot do this.  During the mid morning to mid afternoon, the average catch was 1-2 fish/hour but in the early AM, just before daybreak it was common to get 5 fish/hour.  On parting day Wednesday, I had caught eight rainbows in 1/2 hour.  Then as the sun peeped over the hillside, it slowed right down.  It is still too early.  Surface temperature was 67-69F which is OK for trout but  only one was reported caught casting to shore.  Most were caught in deep water with full sink lines.  Not the most exciting kind of flyfishing.  Best fly for me was an Orange Hamills but Olive WBs were good too.  No trout were caught on dries and late evening fishing was no better than daytime.    Trout are still in the summer doldrums.  We need a few frosts to wake them up.  And by November even the much more cautious larger trout are grabbing anything that moves in order to fatten up for the long winter.  Quebec is more advanced than Ontario in this regard.  Trout are easy targets for ice fishermen.  They occupy a narrow band of oxygenated water during the winter.  Lakes can easily be fished out in winter, especially smaller lakes.  Quebec closes the trout fishery in the middle of September.  They should keep it open another two weeks as their closing date has not taken into consideration the documented increase in lake water temperature over the past number of years.  Hopefully this is just a cycle and not the disastrous man-made global warming claimed by the Alarmists.  A few fish were cleaned revealing not much food in them.  The anticipated boatman hatch was happening at Collins, quite a bit lower in elevation so this hatch will be happening in Calabogie any day.

We tried to time the trip to Kenauk to take advantage of a few weeks after ice-out, avoid Cast and Blast which tends to blast out the trout and hopefully not freeze.   We also thought to allow the lakes to rest a little from the weekend by starting on a Tuesday and leaving on a Friday.  We mostly achieved what we strived for, however we hit some cold, rainy weather.  This worked well for those in Muskrat who fished Collins as Brook Trout like that kind of weather, even some howling wind.  They bit like crazy.  Average catch for the 6 participants was 25/day.  And the sizes were good too.  A few 20 inch trout were caught but most of the fish were 14-16 inches.  They had heavily stocked Collins a couple of years earlier.  It might have had something to do with the hatchery closing.  Hopefully, the hatchery will re=open this year as the fishing has not been as good there since it  closed.  Green Lake did not fish well at all.  The fishers who spent the time on the water were lucky to get 15 per day, some got very few.  Rough Lake was occupied on the previous weekend and they caught on average 10 per day per fisher.  They are pretty small at Rough, around 13 inches.  Grey Ghost, Hammill's Killers, Orange and Black WB were best at Collins and Bob Sheedy's Pheasant Tail Crayfish was my best fly there.  HK's and Olive Leeches best at Green.