Attawapiskat River Adventure ~ Quest For Giant Pike

[solopaddler]

Introduction

 

Earlier in July of this year I was fortunate to become aquainted with Eddie Guergis.

Eddie had aquired an old run down camp on Beteau lake, a widening of the Attawapiskat river 260km north west of Nakina from the natives in Lansdowne House.

As many of you know it's difficult if not impossible for outfitters to open up new bodies of water as the MNR is not giving out any new land use permits.

The only way new waters are opened up in Ontario is by flying further north and leasing from the natives.

Eddie hit the jackpot with the Beteau lake camp. It's an absolute fish factory with tons of water to fish and explore and huge numbers of both trophy walleye and northern pike.

He started reconstruction of the old native camp earlier this spring and by August it was mostly transformed: A large separate kitchen cabin with all the amenities, 2 very comfortable sleep cabins, a storage shed and a fish cleaning shack.

There's still work to be done, but the bones are there already...

After speaking to him at length I was compelled to book a trip for prime time in June of 2010.

What completely caught me off guard was an offer from Eddie to come up and fish the 1st week of September.

He was flying in several planeloads of materials and promised we'd be able to squeeze in with our gear and hitch a ride.

A request from him to round up a couple more anglers to help him offset the plane's charter cost led me to make the public offer on OFC.

Needless to say there was a lot of interest and I truely wish everyone could've been accomodated.

In the end it was the very first person, "Skud", who contacted me who filled both spots.

Skud AKA Doug was keen to go and asked if he could also bring his dad. In his mid 70's and an avid angler in his own right, Gerd had never before been on a fly in trip. With Doug stepping up to pay for his pops as well I couldn't say no. (You're a good son. )

So the cast of characters was set: Myself, Jason (Basskicker on the board), Doug and his dad Gerd.

The excitement was palpable as we loaded the truck in the early morning hours of September 1st and hit the highway for the long drive north to Nakina....

 

 

A Flight Down Memory Lane

 

 

Arriving at the airbase early Wednesday morning we quickly unloaded our gear and readied it for the Otter:

 

 

Eddie had a bunch of stuff to load as well including a slew of outboards:

 

 

'Course we had to get a shot of the crew. From left to right, Jason, Doug, myself and Gerd:

 

 

With a crew from Nakina Air pitching in the plane was loaded and in short order we were strapped in and ready for the hour long flight north.

 

 

 

For me this area holds a lot of memories. For more summers than I can remember I travelled this region solo by canoe, sometimes for months on end.

Without even having to look at a map I recognized most of the waterbodies enroute to Beteau.

At one point we flew over Petawanga lake a large widening of the Albany. It was cool to see it from the air as it brought back a flood of memories.

I remember paddling down it's length when a thunderstorm suddenly started brewing. Looking for shelter I spied a series of cabins on an island near the lakes east end.

From a distance they looked in good shape so I made my way over.

It was an old native camp, probably used for hunting and up close they were in fact pretty derelict.

A squeaky door banged loosley on it's hinges, ragged bits of rotten cloth flapped in an open window. It had a forlorn abandoned air to it and there was a disconcerting feel to the place. I felt I was trespassing.

Nevertheless with a big storm coming and evening approaching I set up shop in the best of the old cabins.

Being alone in the wilderness for months on end nothing much would ever phase me, but for whatever reason I was unnerved in this old native camp.

With a strange feeling that I was being watched I fixed the old wood stove in the cabin making sure the stovepipe was solid and secure.

With night falling and a cold driving rain the cabin was chilly. I managed to scrounge up some dry wood, stoked up the old stove and settled in as best as I could.

Around 3am I was in a deep sleep when I suddenly woke with a start, instantly alert. Something had roused me, I just didn't know what.

Lying on the bunk I heard one of the doors slam on the other cabins. Every hair stood up on my neck as there was no way wind did that.

Just as I was about to get up and look, without warning the stovepipe which I'd secured collapsed into the cabin and the woodstove fell over on its side.

The cabin was instantly filled with blinding acrid smoke and burning embers.

In a panic I managed to get the door open and using my flashlight sweep everything outside with an old chunk of plywood.

3am or not with disaster narrowly averted I quickly packed my gear, loaded the canoe in the dark and left the old camp for friendlier environs.

I'm not one to get spooked by anything, but to this day the memory of that strange night still unsettles me.

 

 

Back to the present, after a little over an hour we were awarded our first glimpse of Beteau from the air and man did she look fishy!

 

 

 

 

 

As we taxied up to the dock we saw the new camp for the first time:

 

 

It appeared as though the water had risen a bit since Eddie had left. There were a couple of boats sunk in the water and the dock needed a bit of repair.

All in due time. The first order of business was unloading the aircraft:

 

 

With 4 eager hands it didn't take long and in no time we were saying our goodbyes to the pilot and checking out our new home for the next week:

 

 

 

The cabins were fantastic:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a bit of work to clean up the camp and get ready.

 

While Doug cut the grass:

 

 

Jason and I bailed out the 2 sunken boats and hauled them ashore while Gerd worked on fixing the dock.

 

Once unpacked and organized we readied the arsenal:

 

 

 

 

Getting Our Feet Wet

 

Once we settled in and readied the boats it was time to fish. We were all dog tired and didn't have a lot of time with the sun falling quickly, but the pull was strong.

Doug and his dad had about an hour head start on us. They were working a bay directly across and within sight of the camp.

We motored over to chat and it seemed Dougie had had a decent start. Throwing small bass sized spinnerbaits he managed a couple of chunky monkeys:

 

 

 

 

 

The boys were a wee bit stoked.

 

Suitably encouraged Jason and I set forth on the hunt.

The walleye in this river system are not particularly fussy and they're pretty much everywhere.

Casting a 11/4oz Silver Minnow I nailed the first of many incidental 'eyes:

 

 

 

 

Shortly afterwards slow rolling a musky sized bucktail above some deep weeds Jason hit this beauty:

 

 

 

 

Jason popped a decent pike then the walleye fishing really picked up:

 

 

 

 

 

 

With an almost full moon and a beatifully clear, calm night we stayed out a bit longer than anticipated.

Trolling back forth in front of a main lake point we hit fish after fish, Jason reeling them in with obvious sadistic pleasure.

 

 

 

 

Finally our bodies began to falter as the allure of some warm food and a comfy bunk called to us.

It was time to wrap things up, but man what a great start!

 

 

 

 

 

A Land Of Plenty

 

 

The next morning dawned clear and cool with a bit of a nip in the air.

 

 

With the summer like conditions we quickly stumbled onto a pattern. Daytime water temps were still pushing the high 60's, a bit too warm for big shallow water pike.

There was however a brief window each morning where we'd catch them shallow. The temps would generally drop to the low 60's overnight and for the first couple of hours we'd find the big gators in the shallow back end of the bays.

Early on the second morning found Jason and I in just such a spot. With a small creek filtering in one corner, submerged cabbage and scattered pads it was just about perfect.

Rolling a large bucktail across the top of the weeds I scored first:

 

 

 

 

 

What was amazing to me was the ferocity of these fish. While we weren't sight fishing for them you'd see the fish as they chased our lures back to the boat. The amount of water they moved as they swiped at your bait was heart stopping.

You'd see a wake behind your lure followed by a bathtub sized swirl before the fish attacked.

It honestly does not get any better than that!

 

Shortly after landing the pike we heard a commotion in the back corner of the bay: A huge woodland caribou had chosen that moment to make an appearance.

Ellusive nomads at the best of times in that region, it was a remarkable sight.

 

 

 

 

The second part of the pike puzzle was straight from the textbook. With the temps quickly rising in the unrelenting heat we found the larger pike at the mouths of the bays.

Especially the bays that were adjacent to the main river channel.

Find a deep weed edge at the mouth of a bay with deep water close by and you found the pike.

The amount of fishable water in the lake itself then both upstream and downstream is unbelievable.

We covered a ton of water that day, traversing a few rapids and in between catching a decent mix of both pike and walleye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later that day we drifted into another bay way upstream and were graced by the prescence of a bald eagle who stopped to pose for us.

He had a hungry look in his eye and I honestly believe he was watching us waiting for a fish.

 

 

 

 

Once again Doug and his dad hit a few that day as well.

Talking constantly about finding one of those legendary walleye honey holes, one of those "Cronzy-like" spots where you catch 'em hand over fist, they finally found their grail.

A prominent mid lake shoal within sight of the camp held the load. Even in the lake itself there was visible current and parked behind the point with a current seam in front of them they laid a beatin' on 'em!

 

 

 

 

'Course in between they played with a few big esox as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've travelled all over the north and never have I seen an area so rich in wildlife and fish. It truly is a special place and a land of plenty.

Once again the sun set on yet another perfect day in paradise.

 

 

 

 

Gluttonous Cannibals And A Trip Upstream

 

 

We hit the river early the next morning. The night before was a cold one and we were anxious to catch the early morning bite.

Bit of a chilly ride enroute to our destination:

 

 

The go to bait for us was undoubtedly large bucktails in a variety of colours. With each of us tossing our faves Jason scored first with this hungry devil:

 

 

Hanging from his maw was a near 12' baby pike. Absolutely amazing that it still felt the urge to feed!

 

 

 

 

The fish were definitely on and for a couple of hours the action was incredible:

 

 

 

 

Jase had a bit of a hard time holding this one.

 

 

 

We managed to capture some video clips of the action. The first one is a bit longer, I had a wee bit of trouble controlling the beast.

 

(Edit: I've included all 3 vid's in one link. Mod's if you can figure out how to embed them in my post and erase this note I'd be grateful. I've tried and can't )

 

Link: http://vimeo.com/

 

 

 

 

Continued......

Edited September 16, 2009 by solopaddler

[solopaddler]

Once again Doug and his dad kept pace with some bruisers of their own:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had made plans to meet up around mid day and join forces for a shore lunch.

The boys showed up on cue and we switched gears to walleye catching enough for a feed in a matter of minutes.

 

 

 

We had decided to travel as far upstream on the north channel of the river as we could in search of a lunch spot.

Amazing country this is, wild, untamed, haunting in a way, but there's no rocks anywhere LOL! (Pretty sure we saw 3 all week).

This far up in the James Bay lowlands the terrain is very boggy and marshy. Stunted black spruce, a few poplars mixed in, and dense alders lining the shorelines.

This type of terrain makes it challenging to find a decent shore lunch spot. Nevertheless after cleaning the fish we travelled on and on upstream navigating several mild rapids in the process.

 

 

 

 

The first order of business was firewood and I used an old solopaddler technique to collect it.

On my long extended trips into the bush using a gas stove for day to day use wasn't an option.

(Unless I wanted to carry a back pack full of naptha).

This meant I cooked on open fire almost every day. Being alone and with space and gear at a premium I also went without axe or saw. This meant using my wits to find dry wood.

Upon entering new water each day I always searched for the nearest beaver lodge.

Beaver lodges you see are constructed with beautifully dry mostly wrist thick bleached white pieces of wood.

Perfect.

After raiding a handy beaver lodge we continued on upstream in search of the perfect lunch spot:

 

 

 

Finally we found some higher ground and unloaded the boats.

 

I set about getting everything ready:

 

 

While Jason caught walleye after walleye right in front of me.

 

 

After a great lunch we slowly worked our way back to camp checking out some new waters enroute.

 

 

 

 

Aproaching the camp we decided to troll some oversized deep diving baits in the river channel.

 

 

Did I mention the walleye were aggresive?

 

 

A somewhat early arrival back at camp allowed us the opportunity to do some work around the camp for Eddie.

First and foremost was the installation of some foam in the underside of the cabin's roof. Doug had started the job earlier in the week and we finished it off.

The wee beasties had just enough room to squeeze through single file and patching all the holes was a blessed relief.

(All future camp guests can thank us now. )

After that chore was out of the way we installed a new full sized propane range and did a bit of clean up.

 

A relaxing evening around camp set the scene for another fabulous session of walleye fishing as the sun set on another postcard day.

 

Regarding the walleye, I'm a died in the wool jig man and there's nothing I love better than fishing jigs.

On this trip when we did key on the walleyes (which was rare) we found our best success slow trolling typical diving lures like Shad Raps upstream against the current.

Seemed as though every time we'd make a pass in certain key areas we'd bang a double.

Not my favourite way to do it, but hey whatever works!

I do have to say it was a relaxing interlude to the hours of intense casting we did each day.

 

 

Note the bling around Jason's neck in this next pic? Thankfully he wasn't morphing into Snoop Dawg, but instead had an extreme aversion to bugs.

When they were thick he wore a lit mosquito coil around his neck to ward off the hungry hoards.

 

(Not sure if it worked or not. )

 

 

 

 

Wolves, Moose, Bears And Giant Pike

 

The next day we navigated up a small inflowing river travelling for several km's before being stopped by a small rapids.

According to Eddie this was a walleye hotspot in the spring.

Not so in the early fall but we did manage a bunch of walleyes working the well defined channel in the lower two thirds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon entering the delta where the river spilled into the lake we slowly cast our bucktails in search of pike, weaving them in and out of the patchy but not dense weeds.

 

I managed to get on a bit of a roll:

 

 

 

 

 

After the action slowed and the chatter died down we heard something amazing in the back of the bay about 1/2km away.

 

A pack of wolves obviously agitated began yipping and snarling with the odd howl thrown in. We were enthralled especially since it was mid morning with a hot bright sun. It's just not something you normally hear at that time of day.

As the pack edged closer and closer to us we suddenly heard a huge crash and a harried looking cow moose stumbled out into the bay not far from us.

 

 

As both Doug and Eddie later said it was probable that the wolves had already brought down the calfs as the cow moose was alone.

 

As we approached for a closer look the poor beast caught wind of us and you could literally see its indecision.

Face us or the snapping wolf pack behind it.

We backed off and the bedraggled animal managed to slink into the alders without making a noise.

I suspect she didn't go too far though.

 

What can I say? The rest of the day was a pike fest (with the odd suicidal walleye thrown in for good measure. ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had the experience with the wolves and moose, and Doug and his dad were fortunate enough to see a bear:

 

 

Did I mention this place was teeming with wildlife?

 

As usual the dynamic duo held their own on the fishing front :

 

 

 

 

 

 

That evening back at camp we had another tremendous feed of fresh walleye. Amongst all of the many amenities, Eddie's got a propane cooker for outdoor use that we put to good use:

 

 

 

Mmmmm.....yum, a great capper to another fine day.

 

 

 

Intensity Rewarded

 

Never before have I ever fished so hard. Graced with perfect weather and the possibility of a goliath on virtually every cast we fished intensely every day.

Casting like machines for hours on end we really got into a rythym and after a couple of days pretty much knew instinctively what the other had in mind.

A well oiled machine if I do say so.

 

Our last full day we ramped it up to another level and were rewarded.

The morning was damp and chilly with a thick fog hanging over the water. For the first and only time we donned our goretex suits to ward off the chill as we set out on a milk run of our best spots.

 

Once again casting bucktails the day started off well:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit later in the day we made a long run to a large bay that we'd fished unsuccessfully twice before. Needless to say Jase wasn't overly thrilled with the decision but being the good sport that he is he went along for the ride.

It turned out to be a fortuitous choice.

In the middle of this large kilometer long bay was a small isolated pocket of reeds. After working the usual key spots with nothing to show we turned our sights to the mid bay reeds.

As is often the case something odd, something that sticks out and is just a little bit different will produce fish.

There were definitely a few fish hanging around this small isolated reed clump.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next fish was not only incredibly long, but fat. She looked like she had just swallowed a baby duck LOL!

 

 

As with all our large pike she was released to swim again after a short revival session in the cradle:

 

 

A truly fantastic day!

 

Continued......

Edited September 14, 2009 by solopaddler

[solopaddler]

I can't really tell Doug and Gerd's story in detail as we mostly fished separately. However once again their success speaks for itself.

 

 

 

 

 

Plane Late? Not A Problem

 

After an equally exhilerating and exhausting few days of fishing we were ready to head home.

Or were we?

On a fly in trip there are no set schedules as you're at the whim of the weather gods.

Although we were packed and ready for the plane a thick, dense fog had rolled in creating almost zero visibility and as low a cloud ceiling as I've ever seen.

Not ones to waste an opportunity we grabbed our tackle and set out to fish what's now called Caribou Bay.

 

This last little kick at the cat was entirely Jason's show, the lad scored big. He had the lure they wanted that morning that's for sure.

I will however take credit for my incredible choice of spots, boat handling skills and an uncanny ability to place him in the perfect position for a cast.

 

 

 

 

In between Jasons goliath pike we both managed a slew of smaller pike and walleye. Bonus fish indeed and a better way to end our adventure I can't imagine.

 

By early afternoon the fog began to lift and we made our way back to camp. Eddie had provided us with a satellite phone and we had finally managed to reach the airbase: They were on their way northward to pick us up.

 

In no time at all the skies fully cleared and our ride showed up:

 

 

 

 

Glad to be heading home to our families it was still kind of bittersweet to be leaving such an incredible place as we winged our way south.

 

 

 

 

Some Final Thoughts

 

1. The weather and time of year were not condusive to catching large pike and we still did very well.

A bit later in the fall and obviously in the spring/early summer this place will be mind blowing.

It truly is a pike factory.

 

2.Eddie Guergis is a truly oustanding individual and someone who I believe I can consider a friend now.

 

3.Jason I already knew was a great guy, Doug and his dad were previously unknown commodities and are now in the friend category.

For me one of the best parts of the trip was seeing Gerd break his personal bests of both species multiple times.

I couldn't have picked 3 finer gentlemen to join me on this adventure. Thanks for the companionship gents, here's 'till the next time.

 

4.I've fished for trophy pike in a lot of places and Beteau is on par with the best of them. What makes this camp so unique for an angler from southern Ontario, the logistics are very easy.

There is no flight to Winnipeg or other far flung jump off points.

There is no mind blowingly long drive to get to the airbase (12 hours from Doug's place).

The price is a fraction of what places like Knee Lake and Kesagami charge.

All in all it's highly reccomended.

 

5.It was extremely difficult if not impossible to chronicle this trip properly. With pictures from 4 different cameras thrown at me all mixed together it was a challenge.

I did the best I could boys, hopefully I didn't make too many errors.

 

6. I CAN'T WAIT 'till next June!

 

For those that are interested in going you're best to contact Eddie directly.

He's got a web page with some basic contact info here: http://eddienorth.com/

 

He is however in the bush 'till October 15th moose hunting and won't be available directly 'till then.

Until that time if anyone's interested in a trip feel free to contact me directly and I'll get you on the list.

 

 

Hope you guys enjoyed,

 

Cheers, Mike

Edited September 14, 2009 by solopaddler

[oxcowboy]

awesome, amazing and any other word you want to describe it. as always a great read. thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.

 

jason

[Skud]

Very well put together Mike. Great report

[TennesseeGuy]

Thanks Mike. You guys had an outstanding trip. Super report.

 

Your pike started out sort of slim and then you got into some really fat fish. How do you account for the change?

[troutologist]

What a trip! You guys got into some nice fish. Seeing wildlife is always such a bonus...makes my trip.

 

Great write up Mike. Very cool looking spot.

[scuro2]

That looks like awesome spring fishing in the fall. Must of had you all mixed up with the leaves turning and the light dimming....other worldly in a way.

[snag]

Amazing how a trip to a place like that can produce more fish in a few days than some catch all season.

 

Kudos for your organizational skills

 

awesome!

[timmeh]

Just incredible, looks like a fantastic place. Maybe one day I'll find out for myself...

[solopaddler]

Very well put together Mike. Great report

 

Thanks bud.

So how did Doe lake compare?

 

(We need to talk when you've got minute)

[Governator]

HOLY CRAP!!

 

:worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

[solopaddler]

Thanks Mike. You guys had an outstanding trip. Super report.

 

Your pike started out sort of slim and then you got into some really fat fish. How do you account for the change?

 

Not sure about that Connie. Could've been just luck of the draw although they were really packing on the feedbag as the trip went on.

Maybe the full moon phase?

Who knows?

[corvette1]

congrats mike i have been to knee and walliston lake attawapiskat is a pike factory those big gators were full of walleyes and pike the walleyes were nice and fat hiting those big inlines spinners in the spring your arms will be falling off your foursome had one awesome trip

[Dutch]

Wow, just.....wow.

 

Thanks for that very detailed and entertaining report.

[Greencoachdog]

Excellent report and pics!!!

 

Some beautiful Pike there and it looks like the Walleye may have been considered "Pesky"!

 

I would love to catch Pesky Wall-ice!!!

[K_F]

Wow,

 

Some unbelievable stuff right there........congrats

[bigugli]

Now that I've cleaned all the drool off my keyboard

 

I am soooo green with envy at the moment. What a report from a prime segment of our northern paradise. Fantastic!

[aniceguy]

dude is it June yet

[solopaddler]

dude is it June yet

 

 

 

 

(Thanks all for the comments!)

[bicephalic]

*squeeal* oops...that uh..wasn't me.

Beauty trip guys..amazing report.

[Roy]

EPIC!!!!! All y'all's arms must be an inch or two longer than when you started out! What a fantastic trip. Thank you.

[anders]

"Drool"....thats an amzing write up...thanks for taking the time to put that together...

 

 

Im green with envy right now!!

[Greencoachdog]

BTW Mike... How many of those big Pike were killed instantly, had their backs broken and paralyzed instantly, or had their gill and jaw structure ripped out and relased to suffer a slow and agonizing death because of the vertical hold???

 

... or did they all swim away none the worse for wear and tear?

[msp]

I love the pike porn. Its amazing how agressive they are .True gluttons with a fierce attitude and always willing to smash a bait. Those are the reasons why I love em so much. Thanks for the report.

You do good job !