Nungesser Lake

[carbennic]

I am considering coordinating a trip to Nungesser Lake next year and would like to hear more about the experiences people have had with the 3 lodges on the lake. I understand that the fishing can be decent with good potential of catching large northerns. To those who have gone this year where did you stay, how was the camp management, and of course how was the fishing.

[e-z-out]

Try this spot i hear it's great http://www.anglerskingdom.com/

Good luck and welcome to the fourms

[fishinggeek]

Piker, do a search for the lake here. I haven't been there so I can't say personally, but if I remember correctly, there's been some really mixed reviews regarding that resort. To be fair, perhaps read them all and make the call youself.

[scuro]

3 resorts?

[Terry]

I know some members of this board didn't have a good word to say about it after their trip there

they were more then disappointed in the lodge anglerskingdom

[fishinggeek]

I know some members of this board didn't have a good word to say about it after their trip there

they were more then disappointed in the lodge anglerskingdom

 

Thanks Terry. That was the thread I was referring to. Although I haven't stayed on any resort on that lake, just reading that thread made me shudder and I don't have the guts to take the plunge there, especially at gas prices so high and vacation time so valuable.

[e-z-out]

I know some members of this board didn't have a good word to say about it after their trip there

they were more then disappointed in the lodge anglerskingdom

 

 

Thats sad to hear Terry myslef i've never been there but i keep hearing great reports from friends and family that have been there.

[TennesseeGuy]

Two other couples joined my wife and me for a week at Angler's Kingdom in August 2007. We were treated like royalty during our stay. We had no complaints from any member of our party.

 

We won't hesitate to return. One of the couples spent a June 2008 week at AK. They had a good week.

[gombater]

My group has been staying at Nungesser Lake Lodge; 6 years straight for me, 10+ for the older guys. We always have a great time and are treated well. The lodge is not as new as Angler's Kingdom nor are the boats as nice, but the price is excellent. We also bring in/cook our own food [no American plan] but we actually enjoy this.

 

http://www.nungesserlake.com/

 

The lodge has new owners this year, so we'll see what differences/changes there are. New owner is long time resident though so no worries for our group right now. Lodge also has bear hunts for those who want the complete outdoors getaway...

[MelPiker]

Piker,

 

I made a visit to Nungesser Lake this past spring. We chose Nungesser for its remoteness yet still allow drive/boat in convenience. Fly in trips are nice for quality fishing but restrictions on weight can limit you considerably on what you can bring.

 

Nungesser is a decent size lake approximately 20 miles long. It is not overly wide and has many sheltered areas that allow it to be fished in rough weather. The lake is loaded with structure of all types. Weeds, rocks, sand, deepwater humps, rivers, and creeks are all over this lake. My only compliant regarding the lake is that hazards are not adequately marked. The hazards which are many are marked with small cylindrical noodle buoys. In normal water this is fine but when things get rough these markers tend to lay flat in the water and are nearly impossible to see. My advice to always watch your map, no exactly were you are, and lastly make sure your homeowner insurance will cover lower units on your rented motors. Also there are 3 camps that operate on this lake. One is fairly large while the 2 other are more moderately sized. As a result there are probably some 50plus boats out daily. If you prefer isolated fishing this may not meet your expectations.

 

The overall quality of fishing during the week we stayed was mixed. The weather was about 3 weeks behind with the average water temp about 52 degrees. There was little new weed growth. The water level seemed a bit high. The lake has a tremendous walleye population. Even the novice fishermen in our group caught walleyes at will. The eyes averaged 16 to 18 inches in length with several caught as large as 28 inches. The pike fishing was disappointing. A few pike were caught daily with the largest of the week being 38 inches. The only method that seemed to work with any consistency was using dead suckers on quick strike rigs. Fishing dead bait is a lot like watching paint dry and grass grow. However we did it anyways since it was the only method that was producing fish. Had I known this ahead of time I would have brought more beer. A handful of pike were taken using Grandma’s and Suick’s fished as slow as possible. My opinion of the quality of Pike fishing may be slightly biased. I go to Canada to fish primarily for pike. I live close to Lake Eire were I can go and catch walleye easily and consistently throughout the year. If am going to travel 20+ hours to fish ….. I want big Pike. Lakers are also welcome. Given the amount of structure and food source on this lake I think it absolutely has potential for Lunker Pike. I think we may have hit it at slow time. Nobody in the camp seemed to be doing well on pike although most seemed to be primarily interested in the eyes. The next time I try this lake I think I will shoot for an August date when the lake and weather are more stable.

 

Our Party stayed at Anglers Kingdom. The Camp is owned and operated by Kevin Geary from the old Outdoor Encounters show. In my opinion the camp has the best location on the lake. The camp is more centrally located thus reducing travel time to the river inlet where you will tend to spend many hours fishing in the spring. The camp wasn’t the Ritz but what Canadian fishing camp is. The cabins were clean and well equipped. The beds were comfortable; there was adequate seating, and what appeared to be and endless supply of hot water as a result of the boiler system they use for heating in some of the cabins. The electricity ran 24hrs. Lighting was a little poor making after dark poker a challenge. They provided deep fryers for cooking walleye dinner free of charge. Ice was also provided free of charge. However there is no ice machine on property and the ice ran out for a period of time at mid week and the week end.

 

The boats at the camp were some of the best I have ever used in Canada. I think they were 17ft Lund’s with decking and pedestal seats. They contained live wells and electric start Honda 40 to 50 HP motors. You could fish 3 in these boats with absolute comfort. They also came equipped with fish locaters. The quality of the electronic locaters varied from boat to boat. One of the boats in our party had a malfunctioning locater unit that the staff was unable to resolve. You may want to consider brining your own portable if you have one. Traveling all that way to Canada and then spending the week on unfamiliar water without use of a locater to find structure and break lines would be a difficult pill to swallow. The 2 guys fishing out of that boat were not very happy. I also noticed that some of the boats are equipped with 2 way radios and some are not. Not that I cared since I don’t think I ever turned the radio on once. However in an emergency situation it may have come in handy. Overall I have never been more comfortable fishing in Canada and the boats alone are enough to entice you to return to this camp.

 

The overall camp management was nothing to get excited about. Kevin Geary may be a good fisherman but his organizational and customer service skills need some development. Our party experienced some small problems from the onset with the bookings. There were lost or improperly recorded deposits. We never received receipts or reservation confirmations. Calls left were rarely returned. Overall the communication upfront was very poor and we started questioning our decision. We were instructed to call the camp from Ear Falls prior to traveling the all weather road to the pick up point. We attempted a few calls each of which went to voicemail. We started getting concerned that there may not be anyone from the camp to pick us up at the river. However it turned out we worried for nothing. As we arrived at the pick up point we were immediately greeted by the Anglers Kingdom staff. The staff made short work out of unloading all our gear and in no time we were heading into camp. Once in camp we were shown our cabin and unpacked our gear. By 3:00 pm we were ready to head out fishing. We asked one of the dock workers if we could get a map and if the could suggest some fishing areas that were relatively close to the cabin. We were told that Kevin needed to provide the Maps and that only Kevin discusses fishing areas with the guests. How odd I thought. Well Kevin was not in the camp yet so we ended up sitting around a couple hours waiting for him to arrive. Once Kevin arrived we met him in his cabin were a reviewed the MAP, pointed out some of the lakes hazards and provided suggestion on where to fish. Well that was the last time we talked to Kevin until we had to round him up on the last day to pay our bill. Well I was a little surprised that during the entire weeks stay Kevin made no effort to come by, see how things were going, and ensure we were satisfied with the camp. After spending over 10 grand even a “Hey…. Thanks for Business “would have been nice. Apparently the fact that people traveling to Canada to fish have literally thousands of camps to choose from eludes Kevin. He acts as if he is doing you a favor by letting you fish in his camp. Paying the bill at the end of the week was also a disaster. Kevin had no records of who paid what. There were some members of our party that paid their bill in advance to receive the 10% discount. Kevin had no records to supports this. These folks paid the provincial taxes in advance and then once again upon departure. There were no receipts issued, and in the confusion of paying for incidentals this was not determined until we were well on our way home. So much for that 10 % discount. The departure trip back up the river was also problematic. We left the camp in a steady cold rain. When we arrived at the first point on the river the party before us was still waiting there to be loaded out. We spent nearly 2 hours standing on that dock in the rain waiting for our turn to load. A little communication back to the camp letting them know they were running behind sure would have been nice. Maybe the radios in the boats don’t work after all.

 

Overall I think Nungesser is a quality lake and is worth a visit. The Anglers Kingdom camp was very nice and has a great location, very near to some high quality walleye fishing. The equipment other then one malfunctioning locater was great. The camp workers were very friendly and hard working. The Camp Owner/Manager….. Well what can I say. I have serious doubts in Kevin Geary’s ability to manage a customer facing business like a fishing camp. His organization, communication, and interpersonal skills as well as ethics are all questionable.

[johnnyb]

that's one heckuva post, MelPiker! Informative, detailed, and really, not very biased. Now I am SUPER curious to hear whether or not PikerIII goes, and how it ends up if he does!

[grt1]

If you are going to travel up to nungessor lake, why not go another 30 Km up the road and go to Stormer Lake Lodge, it is a drive in, the only lodge on the lake, full american plan, good food, shore lunch everyday with everyone at camp (its always fun) and great fishing.

 

I have guided at this lodge for a number of years when they need additional people to handle big corporate groups, and I eagerly look forward to this and love the lake,

 

Actually, it's two lakes, Stormer and Kirkness and to access kirkness, you go through a creek to it.

 

The owners are very hospitable and make you feel very welcome. It may cost more than anything on Nungessor (really don't know) but they have top notch equipment , 17 foot lund outfitters with 40 hp honda motors, each boat has a depth finder and they have guides if needed.

 

Walleye over 20inches are common, Pike over 30 inches are common, Walleye in the 28 - 30 in range are in these lakes and pike up to 45 inches are there too. (the knack is to find them and make them bite)

 

They have a regular return clientle and that means they must enjoy the resort, fishery and fellowship.

 

It is definately worth a look if youre coming this far, what the heck is 30 Km.

 

Just my opinion, have a good trip

[mepps]

Anglers kingdom gets my vote!