The Amateur Angler

Writing this post is long overdue, but also a wonderful walk down memory lane to the most impactful fishing adventure I’ve been on to date: my very first fly in fishing trip to celebrate my fathers 70th birthday. Dad had been taking his sons on an annual fishing trip for over 3 decades, so we knew how special these trips were, and how doing a fly in with his sons would be an incredible opportunity.

Planning a trip like this one was a bit of a challenge, as our previous trips had all been to places we could easily drive to for a weekend. However, I soon learned that things would fall into place. The first challenge was to find out where we’d go!

A few final details before we fly in.

There are limitless options for fishing camps in Ontario, and all we really knew was that it had to be a great outfitter, we wanted American Plan (meals provided) as this was to be a real special holiday, and we wanted it to have full amenities so my father wouldn’t be showing in the lake. I can remember vividly the day that I was at a charity BBQ flipping burgers when I was discussing the trip with a buddy from the office. I explained that I didn’t know where to start to find a great lodge. He looked at me and said the new memorable words “my college roommate owns and operates a great fly in lodge, I’ll give you his contact information…”. And thus I was connected with Esnagami Wildness Lodge, and owner Eric Lund.

Owner / Operator Eric Lund at the group shore lunch.

I remember my first phone call with Sue Lund, it was during the off season so they were in their winter home and she was as enthusiastic to receive the call as I was to make it. It would be the first of many phone calls and emails that I would need as an organizer, and both Sue and Eric were patient, thorough and professional in their dealings. We were able to secure a date and now only had to overcome over a year of anticipation and waiting for the big trip. Now, Esnagami Wilderness Lodge is not really any more expensive than other top quality lodges, but it was more than we were used to paying for our more “local” trips, plus we wanted to treat Dad, so we planned over a year in advance to save up enough money so that it wouldn’t be a burden to any one person.

Our group, resting after being well fed.

The extra time allowed us to make use of Christmas and Birthdays to improve our rain gear, fishing rod and reals, and of course tackle. We would be meeting in Haliburton Ontario where my Dad lives, and then making the drive to Nakina, Ontario to Cordingly lake where the float planes leave from. We would need to arrive the night before in order to make the long drive and be ready for an 8:00am flight. Our drive was full of excitement and anticipation, we were like school boys. We had everything planned out, breakfast in Huntsville, lunch in Cochrane, and then the final stretch drive to Nakina for dinner at the Nakina Train Station. Sadly, this restaurant is no longer in operation. Our dinner there consisted of great food, and the company of other anglers who were flying to various lodges the following day also through Nakina Air.

The main lodge is nothing short of spectacular.

Our accommodations for the night before the trip was actually a cabin right at the air base. It was great to have the space to stretch out, play some cards and do one last gear check. What we were not expecting was the note on the door when we arrived that asked us to be ready at the dock at 5:30 for a 6:00am flight (30 minutes to unload, weigh gear and load the plane). The trick was that we were counting on breakfast in Nakina, but would not have the chance now as nothing would be open. This concern would turn out to be unwarranted, as things worked themselves out :).

Sitting back and relaxing as the guide prepares lunch.

We arrived at the dock and watched an efficient operation take over. We were mesmerized by the speed and efficiency with which our gear was weighed and loaded onto the float plane. My Dad got to ride up front with the pilot, an extra special treat. If there was any part of the trip that was dissapointing, it was the flight. I think we had stoked up the “fly in fishing” part of the trip so much that we never considered how long the flight actually was. It was less than 10 minutes! Before we even had a good look around we were circling in and could see the buildings of Esnagami Wildnerness Lodge before us.

The cedar strip boats are both great to look at and to fish from.

I was and continue to be amazed on how a pilot can put a float plane up to a dock better than most anglers can do with a boat, but it happens each time. We were tied off at the dock and warmly greeted by owners Eric and Sue. This was a nice touch, and the first of many that week. After introductions Eric explained that our gear was already being taken up to our cabin and would be waiting for us. He then pointed out that because of the early flight we must have missed breakfast, so they had set an extra table for us, and come on up for a hot breakfast.

Not a morsel wasted.

That breakfast was the first of many great meals at the lodge. Each breakfast was made to order, so if you wanted eggs, and pancakes, with hash browns and bacon,you just had to ask. Each day I had something a little different just because I could, although I found myself ordering the fresh blueberry pancakes often. That first breakfast also afforded us It our first view of the amazing main lodge, full log construction with loft and qualify wood furniture, as rustic as you could hope for, but at the same time immaculate. Attached was also a common area where you could hang out if the weather was rough, watch some TV or play a board game, and it had a small tuck shop as well.

A beautiful ride to the next hot spot.

It was also where Eric met with each group to review a map of the lake with marked hot spots. What was interesting about the map was that he updated it as the summer progressed, so it identified the best spots that were currently working for Pike and Walleye, but also where they were the previous months so you could see the fish pattern progress.

After getting our fill we headed to our cabin, and what a treat that was. We were on American Plan but our cabin had a full kitchen, with living / eating area, three bedrooms and a  bathroom with shower. There were electric lights during the day until 11:00pm, with propane lights if you were up later. There was also a wood stove for heat and a nice sized deck to relax on.

What it’s all about.

We rigged up our rods, changed into our fishing clothes and headed down to the docks to see the boats, but to also meet the guide that we had hired for the day as a bonus for Dad, and hopefully some assurance for us of a good start to the day. The boats were 18ft cedar strips with 20hp mercuries. If you have not had the chance to fish from one of these boat you should try to find a way to make that happen. Spacious, stable and beautiful, a real treat to fish from. We were fortunate that our guide for the day, Mark, was also the head guide meaning he had many years experience working the lake. He met each of us and did a great job of asking just the right questions to learn what our goals were, and also what our experience level was.

Nice Walleye!

He grabbed some minnows for jigging, took a look at our rods and reels to see what we were working with, and then loaded the shore lunch kit into the boat and we were off to the first spot to jig for some walleye for lunch. A short boat ride later we pulled up to a spot that Mark said was working well the day before. We all fished it for about 7-10 minutes with no action when Mark asked us to reel in. We looked at him with surprise as we were used to fishing spots for a long time, even if we did not catch anything. He simply said the bite was not on in this location, let’s move on, and we did. It was an important learning opportunity for us to use in the future, to work an area or technique long enough to know if it will be effective, but also knowing when it was time to move on.

Another nice eye!

Our second spot had a Walleye on my line on the first drop, and it was quickly on the stringer. Seeing that beautiful dark green with the gold belley is so satisfying. Mark also dropped a marker bouy over so we knew exactly where we wanted to stay close. We had a great morning jigging up walleye and just enjoying our time together on the lake. At each location Mark was sure to make sure we saw on the map where we were. We pulled up on the shore for our lunch destination and again watched experience and efficiency as Mark started the fire, cleaned the fish, cut potatoes and onions opened beans and in about 40 minutes had us eating a meal all should experience, a shore lunch cooked over an open fire, on a remote Canadian Lake.

Trophy shirts for all, well not quite.

One thing that I should note is that the lodge has a fun contest that they use to also promote catch and release. All Pike 30 inches or larger, and all Walleye 24 inches and larger are to be returned to the lake. These are considered trophies for entry into their contest for a free trip back to the lodge. They give away two from all of the entries, as well as a trip for each person who caught the largest Pike and Walleye. Your entry also gets you a free trophy fishing shirt for bragging rights. That afternoon we decided to focus on Pike locations so we had some balance to our fishing options. Early in the afternoon my brother Chris lost a large fish at the boat, much to the dismay of the guide. I was able to land a 30.5 in Pike, which while not huge, did get me a shirt and an entry into the contest. Our trip was in the middle of August, where I find it to be some of the toughest fishing when it’s super hot and there is lots of deep water for fish to tuck into. We wrapped up our day having all caught fish, and headed to the first of many amazing home-cooked and plate-served meals. That evening, like most, we also went out for some evening fishing at some of the closer locations.

Getting ready at the portage lake.

The second day was the most challenging for us. While we had a map and had just spent a day with a guide, it seemed like when we were on our own we had all lost memory of exactly where each spot was, and which island was which. Esnagami Lake has 120 miles of shore line, that’s a lot of lake! After an OK day of fishing we returned to the lodge where I arranged for some additional guide service for later in the week. There are a few side trips you could book, one was  river Walleye trip, but the river that year was too low to use. There were also two portage lakes available, you just had to sign up. So the third day we headed to Spotted Lake. We chose this because the lake allowed for 4 people in 2 aluminum boats, and also because it was going to be a very windy day, so getting onto a smaller lake seemed wise. We followed the map to the portage destination and pulled our boats on shore.

We all caught fish 🙂

We made a short hike to 2 waiting boats on the other side, with gas ready. In a short amount of time we were off fishing. Eric and provided us with a map of this lake as well, and had made recommendations for fishing locations, technique and lunch spot :). We had a great day fishing, using casting, trolling and jigging to great effect. We caught several blue Walleye which was a treat. At one point during the day my Dad and I were casting a tiny narrow bay. I had caught about 8 Pike on 9 casts at the shore, while my Dad was casting back at the opening to the bay. He told me he was snagged, so I fired up the motor and started slowly back trolling towards his line. I was watching intently so I didn’t run the motor on a rock or log as I approached his line. I then stopped and stared in disbelief before shouting, “That’s not a log, that’s a huge fish!” Dad started to reel and as if the fish sensed it, it fired off and snapped his line like it was nothing.

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While it’s never a good story when the fish got away, to have seen this monster Pike was just as exciting and it renewed our efforts the rest of the day. Our lunch that day were sandwiches, fruit and home-made cookies. Each evening at dinner the staff would ask you what your plans for lunch were the following day. If it was shore lunch, they’d have a kit ready with everything you would need shy of the fish. If you were doing boxed lunch they would take your order and there would be a cooler that morning with your name on it and your pre-ordered lunch inside.

A group shot in one of the portage lakes.

Our fourth day we had booked time on another portage lake, Betty Lake. It was also a smaller lake, in fact this one only had 1 boat available, so we decided that two of us would use it in the morning, then we’d meet for lunch and switch. The fishing was great with lots of medium sized Pike who were ferocious with their hits. The funny part of this story (depending on your perspective) came when Dad was taking a lure out of a Pike. It was a bit of a job so he set his rod down to two hand it, and released the fish. He then reached for his rod which was nowhere in sight. He had forgotten he was no longer in the 18 ft boats and had actually dropped his brand new rod and reel over board. He was a bit sour the rest of the day. To cap off the day for Dad, later this same night we were out for our evening fish when he hooked into a huge Walleye while jigging. He was fishing with my older brother, who reached down and grabbed Dad’s line to crane the fish in the boat. From our perspective a few metres away, we knew this was a huge fish and just as we shouted to use a net… snap went the line and another massive fish got away. Dad consoled himself with a cold drink or two.

The guides clean fish.

Our fifth day had two features we were excited for. One was that we were back with a guide, and the second was that it was group shore lunch day. Once a week all of the guest who want to join at a predetermined location for a huge meal. This day was a Walleye day for us. Overcast skies with just that bit of wind to create a chop, we were set for some hot Walleye action. Our guide for the day also told us our two boats were tasked with catching enough fish for the whole group, and he hoped we were up for it, and so did we. That morning we fished shoals, sand bars, shore lines with wind, all the traditional spots. We used 1/4 oz jigs with platic grubs, mostly tipped with a live minnow.

Our boats successfully provided for the group.

We caught a lot of fish. Once we had enough fish we just kept going and releasing all we caught until it was time to head for lunch. We met at the prescribed location and I was again treated to an example of efficiency when two guides cleaned enough fish for 20 people in about 10 minutes, not wasting an ounce of meat. It is really impressive to see an experienced angler clean fish. Our lunch for the day included fresh walleye and pike, beans, fresh made onion rings, warm bread, and a Walleye chowder. Drinks were provided for all and we had a great time chatting with all of the other guests. It was a great experience to be connecting with people from all different geographic locations, brought together in one place by our common interest in fishing.

All are gathered for the feast.

That afternoon we headed back on the walleye hunt, at one point getting into a school where each fish was more than 20 inches but just less than 24 inches, a great problem to have.

Our trip had one day left, and while we had all caught a pile of fish, we were still missing one thing, and that was to get a big fish for my Dad to cap of his special trip. Our last day found us with our 3rd guide for the week, and we made it clear to him that our goal was to get a big Pike for Dad, so we asked him to take us to high percentage areas. Our morning saw us in various Pike spots, and while we caught lots, we were not getting the big ones, mostly mid 20s.

Dad lands a trophy.

Just before lunch we were at a spot called Betty Falls, which is the outflow from Betty Lake (where Dad lost his rod). We were enjoying the scenery and casting some great Pike water when I looked over to see activity in the other boat. My Dad’s rod was bent, the guide was getting a cradle net ready, and my brother was reeling in to get his line out of the water. It was a unique perspective to see it from another boat, and I grabbed my camera with zoom lens and started shooting. I took two of my all time favorite shots. One was of my Dad proudly displaying his 35 inch Pike (which until recently was his largest pike ever), and the other was a shot of the guide with the fish in the net, my Dads rod still bent, and my brother clapping his hands in support. That picture captured the moment perfectly.

Here is my all time favorite fishing shot.

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to add to our trophy Pike total, already beginning to talk about the long drive home facing us tomorrow. We decided to pass on the evening fish and spend time just chatting with each other and the rest of the guests down at the main lodge. Being on the American plan you have extra time when you don’t have to cook or clean up, and in fact each day staff came in a tidied our cabin, including making our beds and washing any dishes we did happen to use (again, a real nice touch). First thing the next morning our gear had been brought down to the dock where Eric and Sue again met us in person to thank us for choosing Esnagami Wilderness Lodge, and to wish us well.

Our final shore lunch is prepared.

I haven’t been back (yet), but it still ranks as my favourite fly in fishing trip for that perfect combination of a great lodge, great fishing, and great memories of fishing with family. I’ve since been to several different lodges/outfitters, but I’ll always remember Esnagami Wilderness Lodge as my first, and I know I’ll be back again.

Recently I had the pleasure of spending 3 days at Ellen Island Camp on Lady Evelyn Lake. This lake has 5 outfitters on it, and has been on my list as a potential destination for quite some time. I was further encouraged, and specifically to contact Ellen Island Camp, by Canadian Fishing Guide Mike Borger. One of the reasons Ellen Island Camp was appealing to me is that it offers a housekeeping plan so that I’m able to cook my own meals, which is something I enjoy while on a fishing trip. Dealing with lodge owners Jeff and Jane was a treat, with them being prompt in communication and very professional and accommodating.

A group waiting to get picked up at Mowats Landing, heading to a different lodge.

One of the special parts of this outing was that it was going to be a nice get-a-way for my wife Carolyn and I. Carolyn will come fishing with me on occasion, including our annual “couples trip”, but this would her first time at a dedicated fishing camp. I really enjoy that Carolyn is willing to participate in my passion for fishing adventures. So after dropping the kids with Grandma and Grandpa in Huntsville, we made the journey to Haileybury, just shy of New Liskeard. We needed a place to stay the night before we went to the lake, and chose the Leisure Inn based on recommendations from Lodge Owners Jeff and Jane. The Leisure Inn provided a clean and comfortable room, parking for my car / boat, and a complimentary breakfast in the morning, and all for a very reasonable price.

One of neat parts about Lady Evelyn Lake is that it is boat only access. The lake is man made, as part of flood control and hydro electric dams on the Montreal River. You access the lake by heading first to Mowats Landing. We made the appx 30 minute drive to Mowats Landing to prepare for departure, arriving to find cars and people everywhere! Each of the five camps on the lake use this location for the pick up, at staggered times. Most people do not bring their own boat, but use the camp boats provided. Because this was to be a short 3 day trip, we decided to bring out own boat. We launched, then tied off waiting for the staff from Ellen Island Camp to arrive to pick up the guests and act as pilot boat for us. It’s always great to use this waiting time to chat with other anglers who are heading in. We spoke with a few groups who have been coming to the lake for 2o years!

Our pick up time was slated for 9:30 and right on cue boats began arriving. In short order people and gear were loaded onto a series of tiller boats, barges and Stanley cargo boats. We made a short trip upriver to the base of the dam, where one by one the boats would be portaged over the dam by a local resident. In a surprisingly short amount of time we were all over and into the main lake. It was about a 20 minute ride to Ellen Island Camp. Upon arrival the staff took all of our non fishing gear up to to our cabin, and we took a few minutes to settle in. Below is a link to a video I shot describing the cabin we were in, and it was dynamite. I’ve been to my share of camps and this was one of the best in regards to the accommodations.

Jeff had provided me copies of maps in advance of my arrival, but once we were settled in he asked us to join him at the dock, where he provided a further full color map of the top section of the lake. These maps are invaluable to anglers on their first trip to a lake. Jeff though did far better, he loaded us into his boat and took us on a tour of the area including showings us many of the spots marked on the map so it would help us with our bearings. Lady Evelyn is in my opinion a huge lake, and you could easily get turned around or fish unproductive areas if you didn’t have this type of resource.

So with our tour complete it was time to head out. We had our first fish in the boat about 5 minutes in, a nice eater sized walleye caught trolling a wind swept shore. I quickly released the fish, thinking there would be plenty more to come…a decision I’d come to regret! What I learned from talking to Jeff and the other long time guests, was that the most effective way to fish the area of the lake we were on, was to drift over large areas marked on the map, dragging jigs or similar along the bottom or just above the bottom, preferably in the weeds.

That presented two challenges for this trip. First off, while I love to jig, I prefer to jig defined structures like drop off, rocky area, islands etc, and not so much weeds. The second challenge is that like most trips, you have to fish a style that everyone in the group is comfortable with. Carolyn not only does she not fish much, but her interest level in learning to jig let alone drift jigging on the bottom was zero. Further, the idea of casting of any sort such as shore lines, weed tops etc, was not on the agenda either :). This trip was 90% about her and I getting away, disconnecting from busy life and reconnecting with each other, so I wasn’t in a position to push the point. So the bulk of our fishing was trolling areas, focusing in on wind swept locations. The conditions were great, if not a bit too much sun, but the wind was up, and darn right aggressive. When I did do some drifting the wind pushed me almost 2 mph in some instances!

So I’ll disclose right now that while we did catch fish, we did not catch nearly the quantity that we should have, nor close to what the other guest we doing. Don’t allow our lack of success to be an indictment of the lake or the camp, this one is a winner. For those of you considering this camp, there are a few more key features for you. There is an excellent screened fish cleaning hut that is well equipped, but if you are not in the mood to fillet fish, not problem because the camp staff are happy to do it for you! The boats were 16 Lunds with 20hp 4 strokes, flat bottoms with fish finders. There is also a recreation building called Charlies Den that had a TV, games, bumper pool and comfy seating. Be prepared to fish a big lake! To put it in perspective I drive a 16 ft Princecraft with a 40 hp, and I was running about 25 mph. It took 20 minutes flat out to get to the camp from the dam, and about 25 more to get to the far end of the lake, and that’s just to top half of the lake. There is a whole other basin yet to explore that is at least as large.  I spoke with one guest who was up for his second year, and he shared his story that the first year he really didn’t get that many fish, but the second year he fished the lake the way it wanted to be fished, and had the luck you’d expect. A return to Lady Evelyn and Ellen Island Camp will have to occur so I can do the same, and experience the fishing this lake is known for.

I like to troll. It’s one of my favourite types of fishing, so I do it a lot.  Now, years ago trolling would have meant driving around in the boat for hour upon hour, switching out lures every 15 minutes hoping that one of them would get in front of a hungry fish who rewarded me with a bite…sound familiar? Well all those years of fruitless trolling actually helped teach me the right way to troll. As I was talking to my family on one of our annual fishing trips (we’ve been going to the same location now for over 3 decades), it dawned on me that while we trolled countless miles of water, most of our fish were caught in very specific locations, year after year. And thus, my focus on trolling the right way was born. Trolling for me now takes into account weather, time of year, depth, structure, speed, wind, lure size, lure colour, distance from the boat… you get where I’m going.

So last year when I purchased my first new boat, I got a tiller because I loved to troll and I wanted that added control. This year I added to that control when I installed the Mercury Big Tiller on my 40hp engine, and it’s been great. I was excited for a few of its key features. First off, it is longer so as I troll I don’t have to reach back so far, which is easier on the body and much more comfortable to control. Next, came the power tilt which is located right at the end of the handle. In the stock design, you have to reach over the tiller to the main engine, on the opposite side you sit, to raise or lower the motor. This is fine when you are docked, but when you are either at speed, or a shoal pops up unexpectedly, you may not have time to raise the motor and to steer, and this solves both issues.

The third, and arguably the most important feature, was speed control. The big tiller allows greater control of speed by allowing you to drop the rpm on your engine if you add on the rpm adjuster. This allows you to effectively increase or decrease your standard trolling speed, which can make all the difference. The other added benefit is that your gear shift is right up front on top, allowing you to put the engine into and out of gear with no difficulty, allowing you to “coast” for a time to control the speed. I have an electric trolling motor on the front as well, but in big waves or high wind, the added power of the tiller is often the ticket. While it was not an inexpensive add on, and I should probably have ordered it when I purchased the boat, I’m really pleased with this addition, as it makes both driving and fishing that much more enjoyable.