Brown's Clearwater West Lodge

[BobT]

Just thought I'd share an experience we had last week. We booked a trip to Brown's Clearwater West Lodge north of Atikokan, ON for a weekend chasing lake trout.

 

Strike one!

With the recent warm weather the guy that organized the trip called up to the resort to find out what the snow conditions were like so we could decide whether we should use snowmobiles or ATV's. He was told that there was plenty of snow on the ice so we loaded up the snowmobiles and headed up only to find that there was no snow on the ice making it very difficult to run the machines without overheating the track rails. Needless to say, we had to change plans and rather than running up to White Otter lake where we wanted to go we had to stay close to the resort. 

 

Strike two!

When we arrived we went into the office to register, shoot the breeze with the resort owners, and pick up some beverages we had requested ahead of time. There was nobody in the office so, thinking they were somewhere around, we stood in the office for about 20 minutes before one of the guys noticed a note on a door telling us to make ourselves at home in to cabin 3. No big deal but it became a little more as I continue this report.

 

Strike three! 

One of the amenities of the resort is the use of the wood-fired sauna. After we unpacked and had been out fishing we were looking forward to relaxing in the sauna only to discover there was no firewood cut for it. Now it is usually a little bit of a self-serve meaning we expect that we may have to split some wood but there was none to be found. I looked around but could not find any other supply plus the owners were nowhere to be found. This was about 5:30 pm so not real late and their operating hours do run later. We never were able to take advantage of this service for the entire time we were there. Again, not a show stopper but when added along with the rest of the story it becomes a bit more significant.

 

Strike four!

Another feature of the resort is that the bedding is supplied so we are not required to bring our own. When it came time to go to bed we discovered there was no bedding at all save for one thin blanket and a mattress pad. Fortunately some of the guys brought their own just in case. Others such as yours truly did not think about that.

 

Strike five!

When it came time to check out we went to the office to pay our bill. This was about 8:30 am and there was nobody around. Some of us waited for a few minutes in the office while others took a walk around the place to try and find the owners but they were nowhere to be found. We had no choice but to leave and the organizer would try to make contact later by phone. In fact, at no time during the four days we were there did we see any activity from the owners around the resort nor did they make an appearance to just stop in and say hi and check with us at all. It was like going to our own little fishing shack except we would have been far better prepared if that were the case.

 

Strike six!

When we finally made contact to obtain the bill they were not willing to negotiate for the lack of amenities and services they didn't provide. It is painfully obvious to us that they don't really care if we come again in the future.

 

I will give this resort a 1 star rating simply because we still managed to enjoy ourselves anyway.

Edited March 3, 2017 by BobT

[Handsonthepole]

Same experience for us two years ago.  The fishing is not that good either but the owner will tell you different when you call to inquire.  20 years ago, maybe more, this was a good place to fish but has dropped dramatically.  If you are looking for lake trout there are dozens of good bodies of water in the same area.

[rkhinrichs]

On 3/3/2017 at 0:40 PM, BobT said:

Just thought I'd share an experience we had last week. We booked a trip to Brown's Clearwater West Lodge north of Atikokan, ON for a weekend chasing lake trout.

 

Strike one!

With the recent warm weather the guy that organized the trip called up to the resort to find out what the snow conditions were like so we could decide whether we should use snowmobiles or ATV's. He was told that there was plenty of snow on the ice so we loaded up the snowmobiles and headed up only to find that there was no snow on the ice making it very difficult to run the machines without overheating the track rails. Needless to say, we had to change plans and rather than running up to White Otter lake where we wanted to go we had to stay close to the resort. 

 

Strike two!

When we arrived we went into the office to register, shoot the breeze with the resort owners, and pick up some beverages we had requested ahead of time. There was nobody in the office so, thinking they were somewhere around, we stood in the office for about 20 minutes before one of the guys noticed a note on a door telling us to make ourselves at home in to cabin 3. No big deal but it became a little more as I continue this report.

 

Strike three! 

One of the amenities of the resort is the use of the wood-fired sauna. After we unpacked and had been out fishing we were looking forward to relaxing in the sauna only to discover there was no firewood cut for it. Now it is usually a little bit of a self-serve meaning we expect that we may have to split some wood but there was none to be found. I looked around but could not find any other supply plus the owners were nowhere to be found. This was about 5:30 pm so not real late and their operating hours do run later. We never were able to take advantage of this service for the entire time we were there. Again, not a show stopper but when added along with the rest of the story it becomes a bit more significant.

 

Strike four!

Another feature of the resort is that the bedding is supplied so we are not required to bring our own. When it came time to go to bed we discovered there was no bedding at all save for one thin blanket and a mattress pad. Fortunately some of the guys brought their own just in case. Others such as yours truly did not think about that.

 

Strike five!

When it came time to check out we went to the office to pay our bill. This was about 8:30 am and there was nobody around. Some of us waited for a few minutes in the office while others took a walk around the place to try and find the owners but they were nowhere to be found. We had no choice but to leave and the organizer would try to make contact later by phone. In fact, at no time during the four days we were there did we see any activity from the owners around the resort nor did they make an appearance to just stop in and say hi and check with us at all. It was like going to our own little fishing shack except we would have been far better prepared if that were the case.

 

Strike six!

When we finally made contact to obtain the bill they were not willing to negotiate for the lack of amenities and services they didn't provide. It is painfully obvious to us that they don't really care if we come again in the future.

 

I will give this resort a 1 star rating simply because we still managed to enjoy ourselves anyway.

Hey bob! If you need a good resort in that area or lakes that are good let me know. I use to guide up their. send me a pm 

[Ron Vroom]

Unfortunately I have had similar experiences. Barry and Carol are no longer taking care of their customers and I have done many trips there. Last spring, I finally decided it was my last one and not worth traveling that distance for mediocre fishing and service at a premium price. We don't get any exchange for our US dollars which is not true of some other Canadian resorts. I have found much closer and better fishing.