4x4bassin

Thanks for the editing help Bill , really appreciate it 

Myself and a couple friends travelled up to Uchi Lake Lodge in NW Ontario this August and had an absolute blast. The lodge is located in the Ear Falls/Red Lake area and is a walleye factory to say the least . Pike are a very unutilized fish in this lake due to the high demand on the walleye.Catching 80-100 walleye per boat in a day was not a problem for us   and the pike fishing was awesome as well. The average walleye caught was around 18-20” with the biggest being 27” As for the pike , several nice ones were caught with a 40” lost in the net boatside.....not my most brightest of moments LOL 

Lures of choice were your basic 1/4 oz jig in chartreuse or pink with a half dew worm for the walleye and for the pike , trolled deep diving cranks were the lures for the week. 
The lodge itself was great and had everything we needed and more including great staff to help us with any needs. Food was also amazing and plentiful so no need to go hungry at Uchi. It is also the only lodge on the lake which is a real bonus. The boats are clean and dry and powered by brand new Yamaha 4 strokes. Each boat has 2 or 3 padded swivel seats which are a real plus when you are out on the water all day.
The lake itself is a large lake with lots of structure and bays to hide in if the weather gets nasty as well as a couple portage lakes that are always an adventure and full of walleye. 
So enough of the talk , let’s get into some pictures......

There you have it , a quick report on our trip up to Uchi Lake Lodge. 
As well I would like to give a quick thank you to Shayne and the rest of the Uchi family.

One more thing , if a fly in to NW Ontario is something your thinking about go for it , the lodges up there really need your help with all the craziness of 2020 and if you need any info on Uchi send me a message or give the lodge a call and they will gladly help you out. 
 

Been fishing Manitouwabing for 35 years and have seen the highs and lows. 20-30 years ago the fishing was fantastic but like any other body of water with easy access the fishing goes in the tank (some exceptions) Mind you I have not fished it for a couple years now so cant update on present day fishing experiences.  Large lake with endless bays and structure with lots of deep water and like a couple guys have said it is a very busy lake. Now don't get me wrong it is a beautiful lake and the fishing is average with the chance of some big ones but it wouldn't be my first choice either at this point in time unfortunately.      

I have seen some crazy stuff on the water but this moron takes the cake....absolutely ridiculous and out and out careless on his part. 

By the looks of it they know who it is so I hope the law takes appropriate action against him  

I don't get on this forum as much anymore unfortunately but had to comment on your catch. I'm an avid lake trout fisherman and I have to say that's

a beauty of a fish  , well done and thanks for sharing

That right there is a great fish....congrats

Heading down to bass pro and sail tomorrow to pick up some stuff , thanks for the tips and insight everyone.

17 hours ago, Big Cliff said:

So what's the name of this lodge?

Our best results were in the 7-13 fow on the edges or into weeds, the lake we were fishing was tea stained. We also hit some good fish around a small inlet we found, they were right in tight to the moving water and it was only 2-4' deep. We caught a lot of pike too but because we were using light line and no leaders we had a lot of bite offs with the pike. 

I'm really excited for you and can't wait to hear more ?

Thanks for the tips Cliff .... The name of his lodge is Uchi Lake Lodge . This is the first season for him and by the sounds of it things are going well up there . Can't wait to get up there , its going to be a great time indeed.

11 hours ago, Snowball said:

Adam Dempsey's Article on Fly-in Fishing:

https://www.canadafishingguide.net/how-to-pack-for-a-canadian-fly-in-outpost-fishing-trip/

On it , thanks

14 hours ago, chris.brock said:

You mentioned it's a lodge. Does it supply meals, drinking water, fish finder etc?

Being a lodge, I'm sure the people working there will be able to help you get started, spots, techniques etc.

I use mainly jigs and twister tails and various crank baits to cover different depths for walleye.  For pike a few spoons, some weedless spoons are a must.

I 2nd the baby wipes, a handheld GPS, a filter pump for drinking water, 2 way radios if you've got buddies in another boat

 

Thanks Chris , everything is included so no worries there. Like I said my friend just purchased the lodge and it is a fairly large lake so there will be spots that I'm sure they haven't explored or found yet . Those are the spots I will be looking for. Weedless spoons are on the list...Hmmmm 2 way radios eh , that might be a great idea.     

15 hours ago, npt1 said:

Bring a quality First Aid Kit,  Imodium and "Baby Wipes"  for your personal hygiene area.

 

Done.... Thanks

16 hours ago, squirrel761 said:

We have done a lot of fly ins and for me a portable fish finder was very useful. Being in a remote lake is a great experience and having the fish finder made the task of finding the fish a lot easier. Spoons such as the 5 of Diamonds has always been a big producer for pike. Also William Wobblers.

For the walleye we had our best luck with white jig heads and green or yellow twister tails tipped with a worm or minnow. Depends on the lake. 

You'll love the experience and the stars at night reflecting on the lake are amazing.

 

Finders are packed and yes , so are the 5 of diamonds.

17 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Bring plenty of good quality Band Aids for the index finger on your spinning reel casting hand. For stuff you need to bring I've learned if you don't think you will need it you will. I've been to plenty of Fly In lakes that we portaged into over Beaver Dams with a 14' tinnies and 9.9's. Trained hard in the gym to prepare for those trips. Had 2/6 packs, one in each hand! The guys that flew in that we met were none too happy to know you could walk into some. But they were happy to know we could drop off a case of cans of Ale for them, which we did a few times. 

Never thought of the band aids but they are on my list now.

20 hours ago, Big Cliff said:

Well I would be happy to share my experience from my first fly-in but to be able to help with pertinent  information tell me more:

What sort of accommodations do you have? A lodge, a cabin, a camp site?

What's the name of the lake you are going to so I can look it up and see what you have to work with.

Does your outfitter have a weight limit?

I presume that you will have a boat and motor to work with. How many people are going on this trip with you?

We found the best rig for us was a pink 3/8 oz jig head with a white twister tail (bring lots) a slow day fishing for us was about 100 walleye each, it was crazy good fishing.

Bet you are excited, planning is half the fun.

 

 

The lodge was just purchased by a good friend of mine last fall and he is going to look after us (lucky me) so all the incidentals will be covered . We will be staying in cabins and the lodge will be supplying the food so no worries there . Funny you said pink jigs because that's what my buddy said to bring .  

22 hours ago, Chuck Enwinde said:

Fun times.  I'm heading up north of Nakina for the third week of August.  Check out Adam Dempsey's site for comprehensive lists of things you may want to bring.  As usual I'd expect current and wind to be a big draw for eye's.   If there not stacked on humps, I'd check inflows or neckdown areas.   Zman trickshots were definitely the hot bait on last years fly in.  On sale at Sail right now too. Need appropriate jig heads though as the plastic won't slide over the collar of a regular leadhead.

Thanks for the tips , actually heading down to Sail this week . Will take a look at those baits , any specific colour seem to work best ?

Hey everyone , well the time has finally come where I will be going on my first fly in fishing trip . Heading to a lodge just east of Red Lake in NW Ontario and leaving the 2nd week of August . The lake holds walleye (big ones so I have been told) and pike . Anyways , lookin for some tips from the fly in experts on what are some must haves and any pattern ideas for the walleye's during this time of year on a remote fly in lake. I would imagine the walleye will be stacked up on mid lake shoals but who knows. Thanks in advance everyone   

• Thanks for the updates and great pics. everyone , heading into the backcountry (near Algonquin) 2nd week of May for our annual lake trout trip so as usual I will be watching various ice out reports. Not sure if you guys have seen this but the backcountry permits and campgrounds in Algonquin have been delayed till May 3 so plan accordingly . I have heard that there is still 20" of ice on most of Algonquin's lakes so that May 3 opening might be optimistic but with the right conditions you just never know . Also remember its not just the ice out that can be a problem , a lot of the access roads/trails are still still snow covered and they need to be assessed before any permits are issued.     

Thanks again everyone for the input . After a long hunt for those spring sales on rods and reels and testing a couple different setups I went with the G Loomis E6X 820 DSR . Matched it up with a Stradic Ci4 2500 (reel on sale as well so what the hell eh...) . The 820 felt better then the 822 with this reel so I went with it. Beauty setup and I can't wait to lay the beat down on those open water small jaws..... 

Looking for some recommendations on a good drop shot rod between $150-300 . I have a St.Croix Avid X which I have been using but is a little heavy and I want a designated drop shot rod so I don't have to keep re tying . The Avid X is an amazing rod (you can feel a fish swim by your hook) and I am leaning towards another one but just wanted to hear what you guys think and use . Anyways thanks for your advice in advance everyone.  

Yep , well said

Agree with Sinker here , if there is significant water in that bottom end and she freezes over winter your going to have a big problem $$$

Seen it before on a friends 9.9HP . Bottom end housing cracked like an egg . For what it is worth I would just change it like you have been

doing and no worries .

Amazing video , thanks for sharing

Yah , I know what the float barriers are but what looks different is the workings of the actual dam that controls the water levels.

At some point not too long ago the dams water level was controlled by stop logs . Now it looks like a big airbag or something.

It is definitely not a stop log operation anymore or this would not of happened .

Have not been up in those parts for quite awhile now but did spend many days fishing that part of the river in my younger days .

One thing that caught my eye right away was that the dam is controlled by what looks like an airbag system that I have never seen

before . Back in the day that dams water level was controlled by stop logs which would not fail in a circumstance like this . Wonder

why they went to this new system . Stop logs are definitely more labour intensive so that's probably the reason $$$

Real shame , that will cause some issues with silt/mud in the river from the dam out to the bay.

My condolences Cliff