Greatest Canadian Experience

[Hemlock]

Let's get this Canada link moving a little faster...I am working nights and I've got some time on my hands, so... What is your most memorable fishing or hunting (or both) trip in Canada you've had? I would hazard to guess that more people from the U.S. have been way into northern Canada than most Canadians have!

I'm spoiled at my cabin on Lake of the Woods-Sioux Narrows, ONT but I have had some amazing duck and goose hutning at the Delta Marsh just north of Portage la Prairie, MB. I also was up in Flin Flon, MB many years ago. Although I didn't fish, I had some friends that did and they caught lake trout like they were bluegills. I've also had the experience to get out west to Banff National Park and see wildlife (bear, moose, mountain goat...) like no tomorrow. Truly an amazing experience!

So, feel free to share a story or two and let us know some of the highlights (no lowlights please :-) of your most memorable experience(s) in Canada.

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[Guest]

Mine hands down was a trip to Wollaston Lake Lodge in northern Saskatch. with my dad. Landed my biggest pike ever, 41 inches. Not the biggest but the memories will last a lifetime!!! Oh Canada!!!

[Guest]

Hemlock,
If you see a Warrior with blue graphics and a 60 Yamy 4-stroke next summer in sioux narrows cruise over and say whazzzzz upppppp! Later.

Jake

[Eastwind]

My greatest Canadian exprience was also on Wollaston Lake in N.E Sakatchewan in June of 2000. We stayed at D&D Camps on the South end. It was not a five star resort like Wollaston Lake Lodge or Minor Bay Camps but it was very suitable for a four day fishing trip. Their prices were affordable and the owners, Dick and Lee Cossette treated us like family. Dick passed away in August of that year but Lee her son and his wife still operate the camp. You have to arrange your own transportation and bring all of your own food but it is worth the trip. You stay in one room log cabins that are comfortable, they have boats and supply all of your fuel. Their guide, which I suggest you use for the first day or two, was knowledgable and priced very fair. The whole trip, including the leasing of a plane and fuel, cost us less than $1000.00.
Now for the important part. we fished lakers and pike on the first day. In three hours we got limit of four to eight pound lakers then casted for pike. The bay we fished pike in was full of them, many in the ten pound plus range. Days two and three were spent fishing pike. Our party boated two over twenty pounds and dozens over ten pounds. On day four we fished walleyes and picked up a nice stringer of two to four pounders. The lake is so far north that walleyes are not what you would primarily go there for though. If you want to see and catch lots of big pike and catch lots of eating size lakers I recommend it. Just being there was a great experience.

[Hemlock]

Gooser, sounds good...I'll keep my eyes peeled for you.

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[northern blue]

Some of my greatest hunting/fishing memories were spent with my grandpa.

My parents divorced when I was very young so I spent a lot of time at my grandparents. My grandpa introduced me to hunting and fishing. He guided many duck hunters in the fall and commercial fished on Lake Manitoba in the winter.

The first time he took me duck hunting I was only 8 yrs old. I was too young to hunt and grandpa had to balance out the duck boat with a couple of cinder blocks up front with me. I remember one hunt years later. It was a cold day toward the end of season and there was ice on the marsh. We worked hard to paddle the duck boat through the ice creating a large open area for our decoys. The mallards came in by the dozen and in no time we had our limit.

I spent many spring breaks from school at my grandparents. We would get up early and head out onto Lake Manitoba in the bombadier for a day of perching. Grandpa could always find those perch and at times the action was non stop. I remember going back to school and the other kids commenting at how tanned my face was and what a great vacation I must of had. I explained to them that it wasn't a tan, it was wind burn and yes it was a great vacation.

Sadly my grandpa passed away from cancer. I still bring his old duck calls with me to the marsh and there's a lazy ike of his in my takle box that will never get replaced.

Thanks for starting this thread Hemlock. It brought back some good memories.

Remember guys....take a kid hunting and fishing. The memories last a lifetime. I know mine will.

[Hemlock]

I'm glad this thread is bringing back some good ol' memories....I'm surprised more haven't posted. Anyone else out there? What about a story about a Canadian? Fishing reports are still welcome too!

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[knoppers]

the funnist thing I have ever seen has happened up there. we were at the main lodge in january talking to the resort owners, and talking stories over a few frosties, and one of the stories was about the fisherman that had the huger laker on, while he was hand over hand realing line, when the line coiled over his finger, and the fish took off, and took the end of his finger too.
we were fishing dryberry lake one great sunnie afternoon, just talkin' and drinkin' some frosties, when out of nowhere, by buddies pole breaks in half, thats how hard the fish hit. I and many of use went to help, as he started to do the hand over hand, since his pole broke. my other buddie grabbed the line slightly, and felt a very big fish. he started to have thoughts about that story the night before, and was not holding tight enought, as I was windind up his real on a good pole so he could use the drag, but as soon as I got it ready to hand him the pole it let loose. all the people that want to go with us on this trip, we just tell that true story, and they go. what a blast.

[chudmon]

My Favorite experience WITH a canadian was Duck Hunting with Hemlock. Hemlock had shot a duck and it landed in the river, We had no boat. The guy whose place it was had an old boat back in the bushes. So he goes and gets this boat pulls it across a field with the biggest tow rope possible. During this time Hemlock and myself watched the duck float slowly down the river. We get the boat tie on a long rope to pull hemlock back in when we get the duck,(RIGHT) we also had two remanufactured 2x4(OARS??). Well by this time the duck is almost in the next county. To catch up to the duck Hemlock uses his great Canadian Knowledge (from the Mckinzie Bros) and places a 2x4 in each armpit and pretends he is a wounded duck and paddles after the duck. Needless to say we never got the duck. But we had a great laugh. EH

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Pass me Another!!

[Hemlock]

Well, I wish I could say that Chudmon glorified that story some, but in all honesty, he told it how it was. It just goes to show that you should have the proper equipment before you go out on your adventure. If not, things won't work out to your advantage and you'll probably come home with some stories to tell.

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[blkfrg]

Since I have only been up Nort' once, it would have to be last Sept. when a group of guys went out of Floating Lodges in Souix Narrows. Caught my first smallie, watched a MONSTER musky eat my brothers Clown Husky Jerk and just for the hell of it, threw out an ancient bass oreno that was my dads and caught a great tasting smallie right off the back of the house boat. Greatest fishing adventure of my life.....til' this year.

[Guest]

Great topic Hemlock! A bunch of my friends and I go up to Paint Lake Manitoba and stay at "Pats" but up untill about 10 years ago we used to drive north of Thompson to Lynn Lake area and drop our boats at the power dam of the Suanee (Sp?) and motor about 20 miles up the backwater to a camp site we had made over the years. The fishing was always awsome many pike over 20, and as many walleys as we could eat every night.
One day my dad and I were fishing in a little bay so full of dead trees we had to pull ourselves trough the opening to it by hand (16 ft. lund) anyways, if you have been there before, you'll know that it is kind of like fish/hunting when the sun comes out the big northerns sit right on top of the water sunning themselves and you pick out the one you want and cast at it, watch it attack your spoon and the fight is on. My dad got his spoon stuck in a tree, so we went over to the tree. My dad is a pretty big dude, not real tall but big, so you could imagine what it was like having this guy standing on the bow plate of a 16 ft. boat reaching up into a tree. Well he lost his balance and kind of did the Fred Flintstone foot shuffel and fell on his butt on the side rail of the boat and into the water he went like a scuba diver would leave a boat backwards. The sound was as if you droped a big boulder off a bridge KA-SPOOSH! I got to the bow of the boat as fast as I could but didn't see a thing, then out of the water came the tip of the pole, then the second guide, third ect.. till my dogpaddeling dad breached the water and clung to the nearest tree. I started to laugh because I could see he was okay and said "go to the back of the boat and climb up the motor" "I don't care what I do, just get me the he** out of the water!"
Short story long, he lost his glasses and had to walk around the rest of the trip with his sunglasses on day and night.
I could go on about the good times I've had in Canada, and about the good people I've met, people are always willing to share info. Barry.

[JZ]

Hemlock- from reading about your duck hunting experience. I was wondering if some time you could take me trout fishing in the fertile waters of LOW.

[Hemlock]

Great to see this thread is alive again. Great story and well told, Bear69. JZ, I'll be going up in a couple weeks if you are interested. I'm anxiously awaiting some guys reports from Nestor Falls area.

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[fishnutbob]

Hemlock, Just found your site I just posted on trout fishing On Lake Despair. Great Forums here. I own a flyin cabin up near Red Lake best experience is taking the boys and watch them catch one walleye after another, then wine their arms are getting sore, can we do something else then I Take them northern fishing. Good Fishing

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Advanced Angler& guide

[Vipor50]

It was the first Muskie I even caught in my life. Up on Stoney Bay on LOW. Have been back recent years and expect to catch more this year on Eagle Lake. What a powerful fish!!

[fishanytime]

Hemlock

Looking forward to viewing this site, as you know my brother and me fish Whitefish Bay several times in the spring and summer. One of our most memorable experiences was in 1979 in Whitefish bay when three of us caught 9 lakers in less than 2 hours using spinning rods with 8lb test line. We were dropping plugs in 40 feet of water and winding up as fast as we could. They were all between 8 and 20 lbs!

[Tonka Boy]

I was on the English river about 10 years ago. We'd been out for the morning and had a blast...as usual. I could go on and on about the fish I've caught there, but this is a little different. Any how, on our way back to camp, an unmanned aluminum boat came crusing full speed directly at us. We'd turn right, the boat would follow. Turn left, the boat would follow??? We couldn't figure it out. Once we got closer, we realized there was noboy aboard. Eventually I had my dad catch up to the boat and I was able to jump across (keep in mind we were doing around 30 MPH) and save the boat before it went into a rock wall. I'd have to say that was a catch of a lifetime! Beat that Babe Winkleman!!

A while later we did see two guys standing on the shoreline waving. Apparently they were a little tipsy and had flipped the boat. One guy needed medical attention while the other was very dazed. Had we not seen them, they would have needed much luck to make it through the night. I don't think we saw another boat the entire week.

There is never a lack of excitement on a Canadian trip. Many memories for a lifetime!

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Tonka Boy

[knoppers]

look out, here we come! mostly after lakers, but for on day we try for them other fish, da walleye. heard about the two lakers that went 26 and 33 pounds, pussie fiswh, we will gwt them up to 40. let ya know when we get back.

[Crappie Killer]

First off, I apologize that this is so long. I hope that for those of you that read this, it's worth your time. You can't post a topic like "Gretest Canadien Experience" and not expect a novel from me. This topic holds a special place in my heart, as you will read. Bear with me.

In July of 1997, six years ago already, my wife and I went on a canoe fishing trip with some friends up into Canada. The Canadien friends we have at that time lived up in Armstrong, Ontario. Some of you may have heard of the place. It's where the road ends. Seriously, it's two+ hours north of Thunder Bay. There's one winding highway leading up to Armstrong, and that's it. If you want to venture farther north, it's only by plane, water, or rail.

Armstrong's population is mostly Native. Only a few white folk to speak of, mostly teachers, law enforcement, or businessmen of some kind. It was a cultural shock on many levels, even to a guy growing up in the backwoods of Northwestern MN.

When we arrived, we saw bear paw prints on my buddy's front door. Seems he forgot to take his garbage out to the dumpster, and the bear was smelling a tasty treat. Needless to say, my wife slept with one eye open that night! Everything was bearproof up there. To see a bear was almost as common as us seeing a deer.

Anyway, on to the fishing. The first lake we went to was 3 miles out of Armstong, and loaded with walleye. Seriously, we caught fish like we were straight from In-Fisherman. If I remember right, we C&Red because we had t-bones thawing at the house.

Day two brought us to Chimney Lake,a small lake with towering cliffs. It was stocked with Splake Trout, which I understand is a hybrid between a brown trout and lake trout? Correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, my friend caught a 6 pounder, which I guess is a considerable size.(I've never caught one or seen one since). One of my buddies was going to relieve himself, and when he stepped out of the canoe, he sank up to his neck in a floating bog! Hey, it really did look like an island. We have pictures!

Day 3-5 brought us to Lake Pisigi (sp?) Wonderful time. My wife caught a walleye of a lifetime, enough to feed us all, since it was the only one we caught the first day. I would say it's the day my wife became a fisherwoman. She still talks about that fish and a picture of it is hanging up in the porch. Days four and five were much better. Many walleyes and northerns. We ate like kings. I remember wishing I never had to leave.

We could drink the water up there! Right out of the lake! We made a lot of Ice Tea and lemonade, but also a lot of regular old H2O. I know, in the BWCA, they say some lakes are potable, but in reality you'll end up with moose juice! Not up there. And there were no bugs to speak of. Not one single mosquito bite. (although they told me that was unusual) Usually the bugs are bad in July.

I felt like I was the first one to set foot on such wonderful beaches, or paddle such magnificent waters. Northern Ontario is such a beautiful place. If you consider yourself to be an outdoorsmen, you owe it to yourself to experience life that far north.
I can help you with some advice/places maybe.

One other reason this trip holds such memories for me is that it's the last time I saw my Canadien friend. He was killed in a car accident, and his girlfriend has since found a new guy and moved to Toronto. I haven't been to Canada since. I know, doesn't it seem like a soap opera?

By the way, I found the hospitality up there to be outstanding, similar to what I expect in my own neck of the woods.

Anyway, the whole reason I checked out this forum is to get advice about some Fly-in outfitters. My wife and I decided that the only way to even come close to that Canadien experience is to fly-in to a remote lake. I'll post that question at another time, closer to summer. We're still saving $ for that trip. Might not happen until 2004.

Thanks Hemlock, for starting a thread with such usefulness, and for bringing up some wonderful memories. Good fishing everybody.

Crappie Killer

[Hemlock]

Crappie K, great stories! Unfortunate ordeal with the friend, I'm glad your last memories with him were excellent ones.

Canada is an incredible resource that produces stories like yours time and time again and I agree with Crappie K, that you owe it to yourself to give a remote stay in Canada a try. It's just you and God's great Earth.

It's nice to see this thread pluck along with some great stories that pop up every once in a while. Keep up the good work.

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[Hemlock]

Anyone else? I've enjoyed the stories, as are the others I'm sure. Keep 'em coming....

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Hemlock
"Throw'm back"

[Hemlock]

Bumperoo...

[Guest]

Thats easy, catching a ton (2000 lbs. C&R) of cats on the lower Red in less then 24 hours.

My fishing partner on that trip did almost as well, 1600 lbs, all C&R.

Man was that a hoot!

I was a one whooped pup at the end of that trip. It was well worth all the pain though!

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Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

[vern]

Wow Eddy, that's about 100 of those big pigs! 20 of those monsters a day are enough to beat the heck out of me. I'm usually pretty sore & bruised up after that. So far, my only Canadian fishing experience has been a few catfish trips to Lockport. I'll never forget that first trip up there a few years ago. We launched the boat, set up below the dam & within 5 minutes I hooked a 37" channel cat. I was expecting huge cats, but you really have to see it to believe it. Over the years, I've caught some cats near the twin cities that were around 32", but I was shocked to see the length & bulk of that first fish. We didn't bring a net, so after wrestling a few more monsters to the boat we drove up to Skinners & bought one. Very fun! I've been back every year since. Vern