Lac du Rocher Fendu - an overnight trip

For several years now, I have taken the Sea Pearl 21 (SP21) on the Ottawa River at Lac du Rocher Fendu and gone upriver for an overnight camping trip. At less than two hours of driving from home, the area above Lac du Rocher Fendu is a bit of a hidden gem in the Ottawa valley for a great short camping trip on the water. It has a bit of everything -- the lake for sailing, the up-river channels for paddling, incredible scenery, a few sandy beaches, good fishing, and it’s mostly isolated from boat traffic and cottage developments.

Lac du Rocher Fendu, GE map

This year, when we got back from PEI in early September, I started looking for a favourable 2-day weather window for Rocher Fendu. The weather and my schedule began clearing-up for Sep 17-18 (Thur, Fri), so I packed up, and I was off for my 6th overnight on the Ottawa River above Rocher Fendu. 

The routine is to leave early (6 am or so) and hit the McDonald's in Arnprior or Tim Horton in Renfrew for breakfast. It's then a short drive to the Ottawa River public river access and parking lot at Acres Road (of the Kerr Line Rd). The overnight parking at this access point is reasonably popular in the summer for people going to their cottages on the Quebec side of Lac du Rocher Fendu (i.e. it's a pretty safe parking lot).

Lac du Rocher Fendu is not a big lake for sailing, it's about 5-6 km long by 1 km wide, and there are a few rocks and shoals to avoid (even for the SP21). On this lovely September morning (10 am or so), as I pulled out of the protected Acres Rd bay into the lake, I quickly realized it was a beautiful sailing day. The winds were out of the south at about 8 knots; just great for a relaxing SP21 sail with the Wood Duck (WD) kayak in tow. I headed downriver for 3-4 km towards Miller Bay. That's as far downriver as you can sail, it then gets narrow, treacherous, and there's a railroad bridge across the river after another kilometre. From Miller Bay, I turned around and pointed the SP towards Killoran Bay on the Ontario side (2.5 km away).

Killoran Bay is one of my favourite bay on the Ottawa River. It's only about 1.5 km of paddling (following the Ontario shore) to get into Killoran Bay. See my other post on a late May canoe/fishing day trip to Killoran Bay.

Lac du Rocher Fendu

Killoran Bay, Ottawa River, Ontario

I carefully sailed into Killoran Bay on its southern shore and set anchor in the second small bay/inlet. After a morning snack, I got my fishing gear organized and headed out in the WD for some Northern Pike. After trolling and casting for an hour, I landed and released a couple of medium-sized fish. Then, it was back to the mother ship for an on-board lunch. After lunch, I sailed out of the bay and headed upriver. Unfortunately, the winds had died quite a bit, and progress was slow. I crossed the river and hugged the Quebec shore, checking out the cottages and development. There doesn’t seem to be too much new from other years. Once I got to the north end of the lake, the winds were a bit stronger, so I continued sailing downwind into the narrow river dodging islands and rocks. From the north end of Lac du Rocher Fendu, it’s about 3.5 km of narrow river/channels to my campsite destination. There are no developments (cottages, etc.) in this beautiful section of the river.

As I was halfway in this narrow section of the river, I met a cruising pontoon boat and stopped to chat. The skipper told me that in 30 years, he had never seen anybody else sailing up this part of the river and how far I was going (basically, are you sure you know what you are doing!).

Today, I was heading for the only campsite in this area of the river. It’s on a small island on the Ontario side of the river and has a well-protected landing for the SP on the backside. I’ve camped and parked the SP here multiple times. I’ve never met anybody at the campsite, but somebody maintains this site. It has a nice outhouse, and this year it had a picnic table and bbq! If the deluxe site was occupied, I do have a few back-up options in the area. 

Deluxe campsite on small island

This is as far as the SP21 will ever get upriver from Lac du Rocher Fendu. From here, the river gets more narrow and treacherous with stronger currents. If you have good local knowledge and are brave, the river is navigable for another 3 km by motorboat. I've twice seen guys do it in their small outboard fishing boats, and I expect that the white water outfitters also cruise this area to pick-up the rafting clients.

After checking the campsite and an afternoon snack, I headed out in the WD for a paddle around Bruce's Bay and the Quebec shoreline. There's an old relic brick building from the logging days on the Quebec side, directly across the river from the campsite island.

Then, it was back to the campsite to relax and prepare dinner. On bug-free nights, I always sleep aboard the SP21 under the pop tent. On September 17 afternoon/evening, the downriver dam operators must have let out some water because when I went to sleep, the SP21 was secure to a tree and floating nicely just off the campsite landing spot. But when I got up at 2 am to use the great outdoors, I quickly notice that the water level was down, and the SP21 was firmly on some rocks and listing a bit! There was nothing I could do but go back to sleep. I was quite relieved when I awoke in the morning to find the boat afloat again. 

Lesson learned – beware of anchoring ashore on the Ottawa River; there are no tides, but the water level can be unpredictable from the dam operations. 

After breakfast, I moved the SP across the river to a small sandy beach and set anchor in deeper waters. From here, I headed upriver in my WD kayak with fishing gear, camera, lunch, snacks and lots of water. This is the part of the trip I enjoy every time! This narrow section of the river is very isolated; and has beautiful scenery, a few sandy beaches, and great bass fishing in the fast waters. I spend 2 hours or so going up to the first un-navigable rapids (Muskrat Rapids), enjoying the bass fishing and general scenery. At the end of the road, just before Muskrat Rapids, there’s an island with a great campsite where I stopped for lunch. The island campsite would be a mandatory overnight stop on a kayak trip in this area. According to Google Earth, this area is part of the un-serviced Ottawa River Provincial Park. 

Muskrat Rapids campsite

After lunch, it was time to make my way back to the SP, using alternate routes around islands and rocks. There’s one big island (no name) with a fabulous narrow channel (1 km) on the Quebec side that’s a lot of fun to paddle and explore.

Sea Pearl 21 and Wood Duck 12 kayak

By the time I got back to the SP, the wind was getting pretty heavy and coming upriver. So, there was no choice; it was Honda-power to get from here to Lac du Rocher Fendu. Once on the lake, I hoisted sails and had a fast sail back to the Acres Road dock/ramp.  

Another great Rocher Fendu overnight, well worth the effort!

Baskatong Reservoir, QC - camping trip

Day 1 (Monday)

At the crack of dawn on June 15th (Monday), I was quietly gathering the last gear and provisions for my 3rd Sea Pearl (SP) camping trip to the Baskatong Reservoir. By 5:30 am, I was on the road for the 230km drive to Chez Rainville outfitters – my usual launch point into the reservoir. But first, I made the usual pit-stop in Maniwaki for breakfast at McDonald’s (8 am). From there, it’s a short one hour drive to Chez Rainville (9:30 am).  

Maniwaki, QC for breakfast

On this trip, the plan was to explore the north-east area of the Baskatong where the Gatineau River enters the reservoir. 

Rainville to Baie Est is 32 km (one way)

It was probably around 11 am before I was ready to shove off from Rainville. It was a nice day with a medium westerly breeze, and perfect for me since I was heading NNE. Because I was sailing (i.e. SP only needs 2ft of water under sail) and on a broad reach, I had no problem taking a shortcut and passing Ile du Cimetiere to port. From Cimetiere, it was a great downwind sail to Ile aux Scouts (6km), where I made a beach landing for lunch. The first day's plan was to get as far as possible up the Gatineau River channel before making camp, so I did not waste too much time over lunch – especially with the favourable winds! By 4 pm, I was crashing the beach in a sandy bay across from Pointe Garde Feu (30km from Rainville) in stronger westerly winds. I made camp, had dinner (steak and corn-on-the-cob), and went for a short paddle in the Wood Duck (WD) kayak. It had been a great day and sail, but the excitement wasn't over just yet! I decided to sleep on-board under the SP's pop tent, but after I was all snug in my sleeping bag, I realized that I had hundreds of stow-away mosquitoes on-board! Option A was to go ashore and set-up the tent. But, I decided on Option B – to put on my bug shirt and go to sleep. It worked OK, only because I was so tired from a long day. That was the end of sleeping on-board the SP for this trip.

Baie des Trois Ruisseaux campsite	Ile Scouts for lunch
Bay/creek across Pointe Garde Feu	Campsite for day 1 and 2

The best way to cook corn-on-the-cob!

Day 2 (Tuesday)

The next morning (Tuesday), the weather forecast wasn’t looking so good. I had time for a dry breakfast but was soon under my rain tarp, waiting for things to clear. During a break in the rain, I went out in the WD for a paddle and some fishing (no luck). The rain wasn’t heavy, and there were no threatening thunderstorms, but the wind was picking up from the NE. By 3 pm, the sun was out, so I rigged the SP and, with the WD in tow, we were off to explore the northern entrance of the Gatineau River. Due to fairly high gusty winds, I switched to Honda-power as I approached the narrow section and proceeded as far as Pointe Baie Est on the east bank. Baie Est is a great little protected bay (1km x 0.25km) with many narrow, steep sandy beaches and a few high cliffs of sand! It would make a good protected bay for anchoring overnight, but unfortunately, there are no great campsites. I landed the SP and switched to the WD to explore and fish (no luck!). For this trip, that’s as far north as I got. I sailed back to my campsite across from Pointe Garde Feu, made dinner (chicken frico & corn-on-the-cob), went for a paddle (trolling), and then retired to my tent. Great sleep! 

Large sand cliff in Baie Est	Sand hill in the middle of Baie Est
SP and WD ready for the night

Day 3 (Wednesday)

I started the 3rd day with a little pre-breakfast fishing outing (you guessed it -- no luck). I’m not sure it’s worth buying a fishing license for this place anymore!

I broke camp after breakfast and started heading south (i.e. downriver) in a mild westerly breeze (2 turns on main; 0 on mizzen). I had all day to find a new campsite, so I was taking my time and enjoying the sailing. I went ashore at Crique a L’Ours for a break and took the WD out for some exploring up a sandy creek. It was then back to sailing downriver and entering the Baie du Fer a Cheval for a lunch break on a sandy beach. Camping on the shores of Baie du Fer a Cheval would have been OK, but I decided to go and explore another bay across the river (Baie des Trois Ruisseaux). I’m glad that I did; Baie des Trois Ruisseaux has two great campsites as you go behind Pointe Gauthier. I took the second site, which is deeper in the bay and better protected. After making camp, I went out with the WD to explore and try my luck at fishing again. Then it was dinner, campfire, and lights out!  

Sea Pearl in typical Baskatong bay	Add caption
More sandy cliffs	Baie des Trois Ruisseaux campsite

More corn-on-the-cob for dinner!

Day 4 (Thursday)

Since I was only 20km from Rainville in Baie des Trois Ruisseaux, I decided to make this another two-night stay. So, I had all day to explore, fish (ha), or whatever. After a delicious pancake breakfast, I headed over to the three streams at the bottom of the bay in my small 12ft Wood Duck kayak. Finally, at the entrance to the streams, I was getting some hits (walleye); but could not land a big one. I spend all morning in those three streams (nice spot), and meanwhile, I could hear the winds picking up. By the time I started back to the campsite, the winds were getting up there, and the bay was quite agitated. After a campsite lunch, I spent some time getting things for a possible severe storm coming through. The rain with high winds arrived by 3 pm and did not let up much until 6:30 pm. I sheltered in my tent with my book, and all was fine. I did go fishing after dinner (9 pm) and finally did land a legal size walleye (12”+), which I release for practical reasons.

Les Trois Ruisseaux	Campsite in the distance
Other campsite on Baie des Trois Ruisseaux

Day 5 (Friday)

I had the campers’ delight for my last day – a beautiful sunny morning for breakfast and breaking camp. By mid-morning, I sailed out of Baie des Trois Ruisseaux heading for Ile Capri. Ile Capri in the middle of the Gatineau channel is a bunch of rocks and a few trees, so I kept going downriver towards Pointe Gruyere with a nice tailwind -- the wind gods were still on my side. I did stop at Pointe Bruyere to check out some ZEC signage and development (but it was mostly a camping/trailer park). After a long walk on the 2-3 km beach, I headed downriver again (mostly wing-on-wing) and soon passed Pointe a Potvin, a vast sandy and marsh area. John Verbaas and I made a stop here on our SP trip back in Aug 2011, and we couldn’t believe the quantity/quality of the sand that has accumulated here!

Today, I made my last shore landing on the south side of Ile Crique Rouille on a small protected beach. After securing the SP, I loaded the WD with my camera, snacks, and lots of water and headed out to explore and photograph the area between Crique Rouille and Scullion. After a quick lunch, I made the final sail back to Chez Rainville in a relatively strong easterly breeze (3 pm).

Ile Crique-Rouille beach	Scenery between Rouille and Scullion

Trip summary:

 - Great weather on Mon, Wed, and Fri

 - Rain on Tuesday morning; a storm on Thursday afternoon

 - I had mostly favourable winds (Honda-san did not get much use)

 - The water was cold but not icy

 - The mosquitoes were sometimes a challenge in the morning and evening

 - Baie des Trois Ruisseaux has the best campsites (2) in the Gatineau channel

 - The wildlife is pretty limited in this area (or very shy)

 - The fishing was very poor (as usual)

Lower Allumette Lake, Ottawa River

I should have been working on our deck project on Friday, but the weather forecast looked too good to pass up for a sail. Lower Allumette Lake is an excellent Sea Pearl sailing area with its many sandy beaches. The sandy beaches make going ashore a lot easier and stress-free. A nice stretch of the Ottawa River with sandy beaches is Lower Allumette Lake. The public access/ramp to Lower Allumette is in the little town of Westmeath, ON. It's a bit far for a day sail (100km) but usually worth the drive if the weather holds. I made an overnight trip to Lower Allumette Lake a few years ago, and that's probably a better way to enjoy the lake/area.

Friday was pretty calm, but enough wind came up to travel under sail power. I sailed upriver, keeping to the Quebec side to avoid the shoals in the middle as you leave Westmeath. I probably did not have to worry too much about the shoals since they were all still underwater at this time of year. After passing the shoal rocks (to port), I turn SE towards the Ontario side and the beautiful sandy shore of the Westmeath Provincial Park (un-managed). The sandy shore is relatively isolated without any development and stretches for 2 to 3 km. Inland from the beach is Bellows Bay, which is shallow and somewhat boggy in the summer -- probably a good breeding ground for mosquitoes!

The beach at Westmeath Provincial Park, ON

Sea Pearl on the beach (Westmeath, ON)

After having a snack and a long walk on the beach, I headed up-river again. The winds were very light and relaxing at this point, so I tried my luck at trolling for pike. No luck! The winds soon pick-up a bit, and I made it to "lunch" island. Lunch island is a sandy island on the QC side of the river. When the water level is much lower in the summer, lunch island becomes a long sandy spit from the QC mainland.

On a hot day when the water is warm, this is also an excellent spot for a cooling-off swim -- make sure to keep something on your feet. There are lots of freshwater clams (or mussels) in this area.

From here, I sailed back to the Westmeath ramp (5 km) under increasing southerly winds, especially after passing Kelly's Point. It's always a great sailing day when the winds are enough to keep the Honda on the cabin floor, but (the winds) not wild enough to call for any reefing. It would have been nice to have more winds earlier in the day to go further up-river, but when under sail/wind power, you have to go with what Mother Nature gives you!

Sea Pearl 21 on the beach in Lower Allumette Lake

Killoran Bay, Lac du Rocher Fendu

Father's Day came early this year and brought me a new fishing reel (a nice Pflueger spin-cast reel). Both reels that I have are damaged and always seem to jam up when the fish is just about to bite! 

So on Sunday, I headed out to try the reel on the Ottawa River. My favourite boat for fishing on the Ottawa River is my 15ft Mississippi Yawl Skiff (MYS), but since the MYS ended up in PEI last year, I had to go with my canoe. I had decided to launch at the Bonnechere ramp and paddle across the Ottawa River to try my luck around some rocky islands on the Quebec side. But by the time I got there, the river was already a bit choppy, and stronger winds were forecast for the day. So I continued to the Acres Road access/ramp on Lac du Roche Fendu. It's a longer drive, but pike fishing is usually pretty good in Killoran Bay.

Lac du Roche Fendu

Killoran Bay

Killoran Bay is easy and safe to access from the boat ramp at the end of Acres Road. You can paddle downstream from the ramp following the shoreline (ON) and get to Killoran Bay (only about 1.5km). Killoran Bay is not that deep (10-15ft), and lots of small islands and rocks. It's a lovely bay, but there's some agricultural land right up to the shoreline at the bottom of the bay.

On Sunday, I did catch one pike on my way to Killoran Bay, and then two more in the bay. The pikes were not that big, probably in the 15-18 in. range. I decided to bring a couple of pikes home to try in foil on the bbq. I like pike, but way too many bones to spit out. I need to learn to fillet pike, including removing those small bones (the so called Y-bones).

I had a nice lunch onshore and then paddled back to the ramp. There was a bit of wind going up-river, so I used my spare/emergency paddle (a long kayak paddle). When conditions get tough (wind or/and currents), I find a kayak paddle to be a great help in solo paddling a canoe -- both for power and control.

I did not have my camera on this trip, so Killoran Bay's photos are from other trips.

PHC in Killoran Bay (2017)