solopaddler

You don't need them.

Great report bud, I know how much this trip was anticipated!! It sounds as though despite a couple of set backs you had a good time and I'm glad!! FWIW that's very unusual for Dan to say 8am then not flyn until 11:30. They're usually super prompt. I've flown with him twice this year and both times we showed up at the airbase at 7am and were in the air at 7:30.

Good stuff! Glad to hear that both of you had a great trip!! Can't wait to hear how Pickle was. White River Air has honestly been an absolute joy for me to both fly with and work with this year.

I know, been sending positive thoughts and prayers for several days now. It's a horrible situation, can't imagine what they're going through.

Weird I have this recollection of you being sick for months after you got back from AK. Hopefully there's no repeat of the biblical rains.

Awesome! Hopefully you don't get sick again this time.

Thanks bud! I'm not a fly tyer but that pattern is the king of mouse patterns imo. It's the Morrish Mouse, incredibly durable and floats like a cork.

Mitch we took the Sultan road coming home from the John's Lake fly in earlier in August and it was fine! I cannot in good conscience recommend any restaurant in Wawa itself beyond Subway LOL! However, the Kinniwabi Pines located on hwy 17 just south of town is excellent! By far the best choice if you're overnighting in Wawa and looking for a place to eat: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g182156-d1873030-Reviews-Kinniwabi_Pines_Restaurant-Wawa_Northeastern_Ontario_Ontario.html I can also tell you that at least imo the Beaver Motel is a hole. In my experience, and I've tried them all, the Mystic Isle Motel a couple km's south of town right on 17 is the best and it's not even close. http://www.mysticisle.com/ It's on top of a hill on the east side of the hwy. Once at the top you can neither see or hear the traffic, it's very private. Rooms are all recently renovated and very nice with the added bonus being you can back your vehicle right up to your door which you can't with most other motels in Wawa. Hope your trip goes well Mitch!! On a side note you may want to send some positive thoughts towards Martin and Jenn. Their young daughter was in a serious car accident last week and is hurt pretty bad.

Looks look a heckuva trip, congrat's on the big pike!

Granite Hill looked like a nice facility from what I could see when I was there, glad you enjoyed the trip! And I'm looking forward to our trip in mid September, should be fun. Can't believe that's all it would take from Attawapiskat! Such a long way!

Aren't you supposed to be on your way to AK?

Great photography as usual Drew! You're certainly dialed into them.

Yep, Hearst Air. As far as I know they're the only outfitter currently flying into the Sutton.

No kidding eh? That must be quite the trek for them! Are they flying into Hawley? Dude, all those photos are mine! I have zero clue what the camera was or wasn't at LOL! (I missed your photo taking skills) I bought it when I was in Michigan last March, great little glove. http://www.thefirstcast.ca/mesh-tailing-glove/ Right on glad to hear! So you flew in with WRA to Buck Lake? Which lodge did you stay at? Normally they fly out of Hornepayne so that's a little unusual.

Honestly anything would work on the Sutton Chris, but your streamers kicked butt! The white and olive zoo cougars were lethal.

I'll never make a living at it, but I am finding a way to subsidize my sport. Experiences have always been 1000 times more valuable to me than things, so in that respect I'm a rich man.

Glad you enjoyed the teaser guys! Hawley is an interesting lake, it's nothing more than a deep featureless crevice with almost no structure. I'm positive you could get lakers on the fly earlier in the season, but the fish were too deep last week. We were jigging for them in 50-90' of water, 20lb braid with a stiff spinning rod and 1oz jigs. Almost every single time the jig hit the bottom you'd lift up and have a heavy hit. It actually got boring. The lake trout fishing is so good that a trip to Hawley just to fish for them alone is totally worth it.

Not perspective Brad, that was a big fish! Don't think my companion on this trip is even a member here Rob, so not likely. However I'm going to put together a detailed report that will be posted after the magazine article comes out. I have over 50GB's of video from this trip LOL!

I recently returned from another incredible trip to the Sutton River in Ontario's far north. You'll have to wait for the full story as it will be published in Ontario Out Of Doors early in the new year, but until then here's a short teaser! It was a different trip this time as I didn't paddle the entire length of the river, instead staying at an outpost tent camp in the heart of the best fishing. Water was lower than the last time, but if anything the fishing was even more amazing as the fish were concentrated in the pools. Almost all the fish were caught swinging streamers or skating mouse patterns across the surface and it was pretty much non stop action with literally hundreds of fish caught! I was able to spend a couple of days on Hawley Lake checking out the spectacular Sutton gorge and sampling the lake trout fishing in the lake itself. Although the lakers aren't huge, 4-8lb's on average, they're as thick as fleas and provided some icredible sport on light tackle. I've put together a short video with some of the fly fishing highlights from the river, pretty awesome stuff have a look! Hope you enjoyed the teaser, Cheers, Mike

Just got back from the Sutton River last night, shockingly I was checked by a CO on Hawley Lake just south of Hudson's Bay. They landed on the lake and waved us over.

Stumbled onto the Williams HQ spoons a while back and they're deadly! Also an excellent spoon for pike.

My friend Joe is accompanying me on this one.

Thanks guys Thanks! I had heard there were big brookies at the gorge, hopefully there's still a few left.

I'm glad to help but I'm leaving tomorrow and will be off the grid until the 29th. Drop me a line then. All of those lakes have pike, but it's usually kind of flukey to catch really giant ones. They're just not big enough bodies of water. Some of the lakes would for sure offer a better chance though. Unlimited walleyes no matter which lake you choose.

The footage of the take was amazing, wow!