Where is everyone going this year?

[LMFlyin]

Just curious whats the popular trend this year amoung the people reading this forum and Canada? What lakes/outfitters/time of year? etc etc. Are most of you already booked in or waiting to make reservations yet this year? Feel free to share, just wondering where everyone is heading this year.

Hope everyone that comes this year enjoys they're trip and what Canada has to offer. If you have any questions about Canada, does not even have to reguard the outfit Im with, feel free to ask and Ill gladly give some answers about any Canadian issues or lakes or my 2 cents on a topic.

[Quetico]

I guess I'm making my first Canadian trip in a few years. Heading for Caribou Falls on the English River. Late June walleyes, pike and bass. So excited.

[Pyrex]

Welcome L&M! I go in a group of 10-12 every other year. We all went to High school together and have been doing this for 10 years now. We have hit lac seul, Perrault Falls,Sturgeon,Wabigoon, All roughly the same area. We are looking for options for June '09, we usually go in July-August but would like to try earlier. I do have a question though, I was looking at a boat in and they said their outpost cabin, which usually sleeps 8 cannot accommodate for 10 because the Ministry wants only 8. I do not understand this place was the only resort on the lake why would that matter?

[budiva]

We are flying into lake Macdowell June 6-13th (fishing has always been consistent to great) for the third year in a row. We switched from flying out of Red Lake to flying with Wilderness Air from Vermillion Bay. Longer flight but no hotel room required and hopefully less Night Danger on the drive up. The first year we went we drove from vermillion to red lake around midnight and saw 27 moose and 3 bears very cool to see at first then crazy dangerous.

[LMFlyin]

Good to see you guys making it up or making plans to make a trip here in Ontario.

Quetico-I personlly have not been to Caribou falls but heard good things about the place from some past customers of mine that have been there in the past. Should be a good time for you.

Pyrex-In reguards to your question on the outpost with limiting your group size your referring too. I cant say 100% as it depends if the "outpost" itself sits on deeded lands or if it is an LUP (land use permit) that he leases the land the cabin sits on from the government. The land is leased but the cabin itself is owned by the outfitter. I know this from our fly in lakes, we operate LUP's which is a lease from the government, and we are regulated to how many "beds" we can operate in order to maintain the fishery that they (the government) figures the lake can substain to a certain level. Most of the outpost camps out there are on LUP, not all lakes but most outposts are set up this way. It doesnt matter if your the only cabin on the lake or if theres more than 1 cabin. They set each LUP as they see fit. On our fly in lakes, some lakes Im permitted to run 6 people and others up to 12 people. If the MNR (like the DNR in the states) finds out that the outfitters breaks the people allowed he could run into violations on his end, worse case, his LUP could be revoked. In some cases I think the rule is silly and in other cases I see they're point of view. Hope this answers your question. See you fished Wabigoon before, if you hit Wabigoon up again stop by our airbase someday and say hello.

Budiva-Wilderness Air runs a good show. Bob does well and Herb, the main pilot, is a good guy too. I can see why you rather not drive the red lake road at night, 27 moose I agree is alittle crazy.

Any one else heading up or planning to?

[prov1900]

L&M, we will be getting our taters in Dryden then proceeding on to Lake Minnitaki. Great lake, great fishing.

[Down Deep]

The Ontario border is only 2 1/2 hrs away so we make about 6 trips in CA during the open water season. We start around May 5 by heading just north of I-Falls and fishing lakes on the Cedars Narrows Road. We stay at Timberwolf Lodge located on HWY 502. This lodge has a new owner who is a great guy. We fish Pike on this trip.

Then on the Memorial weekend we are headed to Canadian Rainy and will stay at the Landings on Red Gut Bay. We are after walleyes and crappies.

June 6 we are headed north of Ignace and doing a fly in / camping trip into a chain of lakes northwest of Sturgeon. Walleyes and pike are the target The flying service is located in Ignace although I can't remember the name of the outfit.

June 20 I will be meeting some friends from KY at LOW & Crow / Nestor Falls for a long weekend of bass fishing. They are staying a Hanson's Resort on Crow. I will be in the parking lot staying in my camper.

July 4th we are headed to Separation Lake on the English River and staying in the campground. Walleyes, pike and smallmouth are the target. The 5 year old grandkids are going on this one.

September 7 we are headed north of Ignace and camping on an island. Lakers and walleyes are the target. Last year the bears ripped up by buddy's pickup topper that was parked at the ramp. The road to these lakes is getting almost impassable. Last year it took almost 8 hours to go 20 miles, as we had to chainsaw deadfalls and knockdown some beaver dams. We still had to drive through some door deep water. Hopefully, we can still get in there. We sound like idiots don't we, but the lakers at 20 to 35 lbs are what we are after.

Then sometime in late September it is back up the Separation for the annual pike hunt.

Then we are looking forward to ice.

[LMFlyin]

Down Deep-Sounds like you know the area very well. You do alot of fishing up in our neck of the woods. I pry know alot of the same lakes you fish when you head up in the spring via the cedar narrows road. I grew up at about 42 K up the road at Slippery Winds (camp between Yoke/Straw portage). Hopefully the weather turns nice and the ice is off the lakes by that time for your spring trip.

Anybody else like to share where they are heading this season?

[Mr. Weekend]

We are going to Lake of the Woods in August.

[GRH]

Are family is going up to Winoga lodge. We fish Abram, Minitaki. for Pike, Lakers, Walleye, and smallmouth. We've been going for 16-17 years annually in June.

[Down Deep]

L&M

I have fished Straw many times. We also used to camp back on Sucan before they restricted us pork and beaners. I"ve been into Elbo and flew into Four Star, and Gordon. Fished Essox, Manitou, Pickwick, Vista, Bat, Muskeg, and couple of other lakes that don't have a name. We've been working the Cedar Narrows Road for about 25 years the year of the big fire. Further up the road we've been into Bear Paw, Goddin, Wobigoon, Eagle and Dore. That road going into Dore is about as rough as I want to travel and the ramp going down that rock face takes some nerve. My buddy took a 33 inch walleye out of Dore. Just about any lake that had a ramp or some form of access we've been on using boats or sportboats.

I remember that Larry Adams owned the Yoke Lake camp. I once bumped into him at the Straw Lake landing and we had long discussion about the area and the smallmouth fishing on Yoke. He seemed to be a nice guy, but he didn't like the ramp on Straw.

The 502 corridor is a great area for anyone who likes to fish and see lots of different water.

[fishinlarry]

Down Deep, have you been in to Kekekwa, I have heard it is a muskie lake.

[Down Deep]

I don't know where Kekewa is. On the Cedar Narrows Road musky can be had on Essox and the Manitou. I've heard that musky also reside in Winkle, but you have to be guest at Timberwolf Resort to fish it.

[SimilarIsland]

Just north of the Upper Manitou.

[Down Deep]

Is that a fly in?

[SimilarIsland]

Looks like it, but don't really know - just found it on my map.

[LMFlyin]

Down deep-That would be my father who you ran into at the landing. He sold Slippery Winds a while ago and got into just the outposts afterwards. We have alot in common which lakes we both have fished, been to a lot of the ones you've mentioned and the rest I know where they are. We also use to operate the 4 star and Gordon lake outposts for a few years in the past before we moved out of that area (other outfitters operate them now). A lot of those lakes in that area are getting better and better for the small mouth fishing as they are spreading lake to lake fairly fast recently. If you head up the 502 this spring towards Dryden, stop in and say hello. Our air base is on Wabigoon, about 15 minutes before you get into Dryden. Any perticular lakes you're wanting to hit up this spring?

[DrJ]

Lake St. Joseph!!! This will be our 18th year will. Great fishing and we all bring our sons. His first year there(age 12) he caught a 43 inch pike. Still trying to beat that. Lots of 20-26 inch walleyes but not alot of trophies though. Tho Old Post treats us great each year. Can't wait till June 9th..Good Fishing DrJ.

[fishinlarry]

Kekekwa is north of Upper Manitou & south of Osbourne Bay of Eagle. It has some sort of road access, not sure how good the road is.

[grizzald]

Heading up to Reed Lake again at the end of May, which is part of the Grassy River..Hopefully the ice is off by then!

[Down Deep]

L&M

On the early trip I"m leaning toward trying Weller and maybe Pickwick or Muskeg. I haven't fished either for about 10 years. It just depends on the water temperature. I looks to be a cold start as the May 5 is only 3 weeks away. We might even have ice on some of the lakes.

Have you ever walked around the old abandoned gold mine at Straw? When my son was a little kid I would take him there. We had lots of fun walking around. I've got a couple good pictures of him in that old ore car.

[LMFlyin]

DrJ-Lake St. Joe is a good pick. Sounds like you got a good thing going there. I fly over St. Joe (west end over by Root Bay) every acouple of days during the summer heading to acouple of our fly ins, a lot of good looking waters.

grizzwald-I think you should be A OK with ice by that timeframe your going, but never know. I made a trip on the 502 road yesterday and lots of good looking ice out on the lakes yet. Not all the snow melted off the ice yet, some open water (not much) around the creeks and narrows. Airservice in Sioux Lookout still has a plane on the lake, on ski's. This next week we are suppose to get some ice sunny weather.

Down Deep-Its been many years since Ive looked around the old gold mine on Straw. It was neat looking around there. Good luck on your trip this spring, please do report when you get back this spring on how you do.

Anyone else heading up this year?

[BobT]

Been visiting Canada every year since 2001. Went to Ear Falls fishing the Lac Seul for four years and then started going to the southeast end of the reservoir and closer to home on Lost Lake near Hudson, Ontario for the past four years. Going again in early June as usual. Our main focus is walleye, walleye, walleye and we have yet to be disappointed.

Bob

[mittni]

we are heading to Dogtooh June 21st. This will be our 2nd year up there. Looking for huge walleye's. Not really looking for the number game ,but looking for the trophey, then the great Photo!!.

[magnum mike]

Down Deep - How is the path into Weller? I fished Weller & Tupman about 30 years ago and it was an adventure getting in there. We have a camp on Shikag which is about 50 air miles NNE of Ignace and I haven't fished open water in Canada since we got the camp. I have been meaning to try a few more trips at some of our old stomping grounds but I wouldn't even know where to start.