LucG

Great report and nice golden walleye. I like the idea of that prop/skeg guard. I could have used one a time or two in the past. Was this store bought, or manufactured in your garage?

My though are also out there to anyone in the NWT or other provinces that are being affected by forest fires. This was the first time I've experienced fires of this magnitude and my respect for their prevention has greatly increased.

Thanks for all the comments. Was an EPIC trip no doubt. I've been wanting to make the kind of trip for many years now. I've always seen amazing reports by other board members and though to myself I would never get such opportunities, I am very grateful I had the chance to experience this, and want to pass that feeling around to other. Your times will come!

WOW! Amazing. We were stuck in Fort Providence overnight on the 18th. Made it back in Yellowknife just in time to catch my flight!

Nice fish! When it takes more than one person to hold up a fish you know its a trophy!

You got that right! We were lucky to have made it by when we did. As we made our way through, the highway patrol was pulled over at a roadside blaze about the size of a house. As we got on the Mackenzie, we look back and saw this and we knew he had shut down the road right behind us. In about 5 min the same cloud looked like this. As you can also see there are two new fires on either side of it. Driving back I was amazed at the size and destruction. It looked as if a bomb went off.

Yes I was! Insane doesn't even begin to explain it. Can't wait to make my way back to the NWT in the future, you's have great fishing!

They are definitely different! I noticed you hammered some nice pike up there! Makes me feel stupid for traveling so far! haha Nah, it was an amazing trip and experience.

I hear ya! Love crossing off a new species off the list! Did not land any pike over 50 unfortunately. Might of have one or two hooked, lost a couple real good fish. Lost count of how many fish were in the 41-44" range. Real fat pike too! Biggest was 45"

I agree, I would rather this type of trip over any tropical beach! No weight. It measured 44" and was very girthy haha Those graying were super fun in the current and on light tackle.

Great report! And very nice fish! Good job bud!

I've just returned from my first ever trip to a fly-in fishing lodge and I am left speechless as this had been the best fishing experience I have ever had! The destination was Brabant Lodge, on the great Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories. On my arrival in Yellowknife, I was greeted by a province that was lit up a the time by over 100 forest fires. Simply getting to my float base in Hay River proved difficult as the only highway out of town was closed. After several attempts, we finally made it trough, and as we drove through the charred remains of what use to be a forest, I had no clue what was waiting for me once we got there. The Lodge Brabant lodge was perfectly set on the waters edge of this enormous river system and I was very excited upon getting my first look. The main lodge was very roomy and comfortable, their boats were 18' Alaskan Lunds powered by 50 HP Hondas, and their cabins were handcrafted log cabins that were kept just as clean as your standard 5 start hotel room. The meals were amazing and their complimentary bar didn't go unused. The guide we were assigned had been working with the lodge for over 30 years, and had even more experience with the waters we were on. I couldn't wait to wet a line! The fishing The quality of fishing and the shear numbers of fish blew me out of the water the very first night out. Some places you could catch pike on one side of the boat and walleye on the other side. At some points it was literally a fish every cast. During our stay we continuously switched back and forth from walleye to pike and went out occasionally for arctic graying in the evenings. But by far, the most exciting was the pike fishing. The average fish we were catching was in the 36-39" range with several dozen fish over 40". This experience has probably ruined my pike fishing here in Ontario haha There are way to many pics to post so I will choose my favorite. Arctic Grayling We caught these drifting a #2 mepps spinner in fairly fast current, maybe 4-5 fow with a rock/cobble bottom. It wasn't difficult to catch 10-12 fish per pass. They have amazing colors, especially when they are still in the water, and put up a decent little fight. And of course, look at the dorsal fin!!! Walleye were abundant with the average size being 4-5 lbs and schooled up by the hundreds. I don't think we caught anything smaller then 3 lbs. The pike was the highlight of the trip. Never in my life have I been able to pull up to one small weed bed and continuously pull out giant pike after giant pike. I'll let the pics do the talking. As my week concluded, and as we attempted to get back to Yellowknife, fires again prevented us. After spending the night in a truck at a gas station, the rd opened and this is what it looked like for over 20 km. I'll never forget this trip. Thanks to Max from Maximum Limit Fishing for bringing me along! If you would like to see exactly how this trip went, tune in to Maximum Limit Fishing on WILD TV sometime in December or January or visit him at www.maximumlimitfishing.com or on Facebook!

Definitely won't be my last. He did crash the surface, even more so than a bass. I marinated it in soy sauce and brown sugar, then slapped it on the BBQ. Cooked both sides, charred the skin real good, flesh flaked off perfectly leaving the bitter darker flesh behind. Was surprised to see how orange the meat was.

So after a long winter, pike and walleye opener is just around the corner, hoping this late ice doesn't effect their habits too too much. In the meantime, I found other species to fill in the gaps. Here is my first ever rainbow trout. Wishing everyone a fun and safe opening weekend.

Hit the open water for the first time this year, and after a fairly successful day on the water, I damaged the completely rotten bunks on my trailer when loading the boat. My question is what is the best wood to be using for replacements. The most common answer I am seeing is simple treated lumber. But I though I remember reading something about the chemicals and aluminium don’t mix, and could lead to corrosion to the hull. The other type of wood people suggest is cedar or marine grade but its a little expensive. Any suggestions? I plan on just wrapping them in some outdoor carpet or something similar Thanks

Yup, looks like it had been on the ice for a bit before the pic was taken.

hahaha I love that chorus.... I'm gonna catch some bass...only 20 minnows in my bucket.... I'll be singing this for the rest of the day lol

Well like others, I have used a reg tackle bag, and inserted pieces to make what you see. Kind of like the inside of a case of beer. I used an old election sign I had found. It’s a thick corrugated plastic. The corrugation has perfect little holes to place your hooks.

Sorry Bud! Working till 4:30

Makes sense.

Definitly pretty crazy! Also read this: What will happen tonight? Just before 7.30pm today, a 150ft wide chunk of space rock will whizz past us in the closest shave since records began. If it hit the planet, it could wipe out a city the size of London and do as much damage as 1,000 of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. Nasa has stressed that ‘no Earth impact is possible’ – but scientists say there is a small chance that TV signals may be affected. The asteroid will cut through the orbit of some satellites used for weather forecasting and for satellite phones and television. Mobile phones won’t be affected as they rely on land-based masts and cables. Asteroid 2012 DA14 was discovered last year by a Spanish dentist turned amateur astronomer and has been closely tracked ever since. Hurtling through space at speeds of five miles a second, eight times as fast as a speeding bullet, it will come within 17,000 miles of Earth at 7.24pm tomorrow. Astronomy expert Daniel Brown, of Nottingham Trent University, said: ‘In astronomical terms, that’s very close.’ Although the asteroid won’t be visible with the naked eye, it should be possible to see it with binoculars. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279020/Moment-meteorite-exploded-sky-Russian-town-doctors-treat-500-people-injured-sonic-boom-shattered-windows.html#ixzz2KySHKPfI

Thanks for the tips guys! I got a big piece of lead pipe from the scrap yard, but thanks anyways Bernie! I may take you up on that offer in the future though. Good to know wheel weights arent that bad afterall. Also read that smoking your molds under a candle will help get a good pour, and the carbon buildup helps in removing the jigs.

I feel ya! As much as I love ice fishing, and winter in general, I've had enough and can't wait for open water!

Somewhat off topic, but I noticed that a freshly oiled reel really helps in preventing the reel to freeze and stiffen up on you. But it dosent do much if dropped in the slush after landing a good fish haha Also, as much as I like the sensitivity of braid, good old mono dosent hold nearly as much ice/water. What is the purpose of the angled reel?