Fly In Trip To The Chapleau Game Preserve

solopaddler · September 4, 2011

Introduction

The Chapleau Crown Game Preserve is one of my all time favourite destinations. At 2700 square miles it's the largest game preserve in the world and is teeming with all manner of wildlife.

It's a relatively untouched corner of the province, it's lakes largely unmolested and abounding with fish. Mostly walleye and pike, the bread and butter fish of the north, but some lake trout and even brook trout are there to be caught for the adventurous angler.

An easy drive from southern Ontario, it's got a lot to offer.

Last year I had an incredible back lake experience in the game preserve with Bill. One that was difficult, but which saw us catch some truly amazing trophy class walleye.

http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=45979&st=0&p=491425&hl=Chapleau&fromsearch=1entry491425

With that in mind I really wanted our two young kids to experience the preserve this summer.

A back lake portage trip is still a bit much for them, and more than my wife Joanne was willing to tackle.

That really left only one option: a fly in trip.

There are a few outfitters who operate outpost camps in the preserve and I'm familiar with them all.

One in particular, Park's Fly In Fishing, stands above the rest.

outpostcamps.com

Martin and Jennifer Wearn, a young couple from Thunder Bay are the owners. I had flown with them once before and enjoyed an outstanding trip as well as fantastic level of service.

They recently aquired these outpost camps and are doing everything in their power to upgrade the facilities and offer several extra amenities. New boats with swivel seats and new motors, new propane fridges, new bbq on the deck, Sirius satellite radio at camp, free satellite phone for their guests use, clean burning, highly efficient kerosene heaters replacing the old wood stoves, and a small generator for cabin lighting , radio, battery charging, etc.. are just a few.

Their camps aren't what I'd classify as "high end" outposts. They're basic and spartan, but all are clean as a pin and eminently comfortable.

They also have some of the cheapest prices in the industry which frankly was paramount for me when booking.

With finances stretched thin it's unlikely I could've afforded a trip for the entire family with anybody else.

After an enjoyable conversation with Martin last winter he penciled us into his Abbey Lake outpost camp for late August and the stage was set...

Are we there yet?

That was the refrain we heard non stop for the last couple of hours on the drive to the airbase.

Our destination was Hawk Air located in Hawk Junction just east of Wawa.

A whistle stop on the Algoma Central Railway, Hawk Junction has long been a favored jump off point for sportsmen by both by rail and air.

It was with much relief that Joanne and I spied Hawk Airs signage. We were almost there and our adventure was about to begin..

We quickly checked in, unloaded our cargo at the Beaver dock and waited patiently up top for our plane to arrive.

After about an hour give or take the venerable old plane landed and taxied up to the dock. In short order our gear was loaded and we were ready to embark.

Wings North

Well, actually north east to be precise.

I've flown in float planes countless times in my life. While I still feel that thrill of excitement this was all new for the kids and high adventure at its finest.

We fed off their enthusiasm and loved every minute of it.

Len our pilot is one of the best and the take off was as smooth as silk.

In no time at all we were soaring high above the landscape, the kids agog at the vistas speeding by below us.

After a 30 minute flight our lake came into view as Len dropped lower to land.

The Quintessential Log Cabin On A Point

I've always had a vision in my mind of the classic northwoods cabin. The Abbey Lake outpost camp is just that.

Perched on a granite rock point just steps from the lake it's as picturesque as it gets and is a perfect venue to spend some time in the wilderness.

It even came complete with it's own little beach, a big hit with my little clan.

My daughter wasted no time constructing a flag and staking it as our own.

There was a non functioning outdoor shower in place which I spent some time fixing when we arrived.

Martin had warned me that his water line, a half inch garden hose, was split and burst in a few spots.

As well there was no shower head and no means to charge the deep cycle batteries which the water pump runs on.

Knowing this in advance I brought in 100' of black rubber hose, a new shower head and a battery charger which I ultimately left there for future guests.

This short clip shows the new shower head. At that point I had yet to install the new hose as the old one was still functioning. That didn't last though and shortly afterwards the new black rubber hose was installed.

Works perfectly now including hot and cold running water at the kitchen sink.

Future guests should have zero problems.

The Fishing

Now onto the important stuff!

Abbey lake is a long narrow lake running 5km from end to end. Smack dab in the middle is a narrows where the cabin is located effectively creating two separate basins.

What I found truly remarkable was the depth of the lake. A couple of spots reached 70' and much of the lake was 30-40' deep.

Almost the entire lake is ringed with rock and fast breaking shorelines which drop quickly into deep water.

This lake is truly a walleye lake, and for those who enjoy fishing classic structure you'd love it. There is pike as well, but we caught so few that if I went back again I doubt I'd even target them.

Another interesting feature of the lake was its extreme tannin stain. I don't remember ever fishing a lake quite this stained.

What this meant is most of the active fish were found in the top 20' even midday when the sun was at its brightest, and they stayed active all day.

In practical terms this meant easy fishing for my two little ones.

Once the fish were found we caught literally hundreds. Some trolling the fast breaking shorelines, most either anchored or drifting across points and humps. While none were huge, they were stocky and thick and were so abundant the fishing became monotonous at times.

Super fun to catch on light tackle and absolutely fantastic in the pan, the fish in Abbey lake far exceeded any expectations I had.

Double headers were common.

In this instance we were fishing in front of a rockpile and the fish switched off jigs (one of the very rare occasions). Backtrolling slowly with a Lindy rig, long lead, floating jig head and worm we got into a bunch.

We even found a perfect rock point where most evenings right at dusk we'd fish effectively from shore. A fun break from the boats as it allowed the whole family to fish together.

Enroute to the point and on the way back we always caught oodles of fish...

We enjoyed perfect weather and a full moon that week. The golden sunsets and glow of the moon made the evenings a magical time...

On our last day my little guy and I went out right in front of the camp to harvest a few fish to bring home. It didn't take too long.

Besides fishing a lot of time was spent swimming as well. While our beach was handy we regularly took breaks at a convenient rock which also served as a natural water slide.

The kids loved that more than anything I think.

Most evenings we capped our day with a bonfire on the point.

Thankfully bugs were almost non existant after the sun fell. Chairs were circled around the blaze and it was marshmallow time.

Good Eats

I love eating walleye as does the rest of my clan.

On fly in trips we invariably eat even more than usual in order to adhere to the planes weight limit.

As usual we enjoyed a couple of meals of beer battered walleye.

As good as it is though we just can't eat it everyday and on this trip strove to add some variety to the walleye menu.

First up and a BIG hit were walleye tortillas.

I fried up a mess of walleye in bread crumbs and butter.

Then using a large soft tortilla shell first added walleye then chopped tomato, onion, lettuce, sour cream based dill sauce, grated cheddar then a dash of mild black bean and corn salsa.

Rolled it up and enjoyed. It was like angels were dancing on our tongues.

Next was a dish Joanne and I loved, the kids not so much.

Blue Cheese Futtuccine And Buffalo Walleye.

Quite simply make a roux with flour and butter. Add cream 'till its the consistency of heavy buttermilk then melt a big honkin' chunk of blue cheese in it.

Mix it thoroughly with fresh cooked fettuccine, cover and set aside.

Fry a couple of walleye in bread crumbs and butter then pour the buffalo sauce over them.

Plate the fettuccine, lay the walleye on top and drizzle a bit more buffalo sauce over top.

For those who've made buffalo wings, the sauce is simply melted butter and hot sauce.

The blue cheese and the hot sauce offset each other wonderfully, it's a fantastic meal.

I can't take credit for these particular recipes, although I will be enjoying them again in the future.

Someone on walleye central had made mention of them awhile back and I took note.

What Worked?

Fishing does not need to be complicated on this lake.

Most of our fish were caught on a 3" twister tail tipped with a worm, either anchored and casting, drifting with wind, or slowly backtrolling.

The worms made a HUGE difference. We brought a flat of 500 with us and used them all.

The number 1 plastic was a 31/2" grub in a weird black/orange/yellow color on an orange stand up head. I can't be more specific unfortunately. I've got so many plastics and I just can't remember who makes this one. I'd bite a chunk off the end of the grub to shorten it to 3" as that seemed to make a big difference.

Also highly effective were my custom worm harnesses in a variety of colors (purple being the best) pulled behind a 11/2oz Lindy Rock Runner which is more or less a "mini" bottom bouncer.

At times crankbaits produced a lot of walleyes for us trolling along the fast breaking shorelines.

Anything more elongated that dove down 10-15' put fish in the boat.

Many lures worked well, but this particular chartreuse Minnow Rap just killed:

Time To Say Goodbye

All good things must come to a end and for us it seemed to be over in the blink of an eye.

Needless to say more than a few memories were made on this trip.

None of us were in a hurry to leave as we waited, gear packed for our ride.

Right on cue we heard the drone of the beaver as Len dropped in over the treeline, landed and taxied up to the dock.

We quickly loaded the plane and were winging our back to civilization. On this flight Brendan had the honour of sitting up front beside Len. I thought he was going to pass out from excitement.

Once again another fantastic trip in the books!

Special thanks go to our outfitters at Park's Fly In Fishing, Martin and Jennifer Wearn.

As usual they were a pleasure to deal with and made planning our trip very easy.

We'll be back!

Hope you guys enjoyed the report!

Cheers, Mike

Edited September 6, 2011 by solopaddler

Terry · September 4, 2011

great report

the shower looked great too

nice spot for sure

Gregoire · September 4, 2011

Great report. Thanks for sharing.

Tomcat · September 4, 2011

Thanks for sharing Mike. Pictures and videos much appreciated. Great spot for your clan to spend some quality time together. Do you have any fall trips planned?

asdve23rveavwa · September 4, 2011

Fantastic, as always, Mike!! Looks like a great destination, and, your little improvements at the camp speak volumes about you...well done!!

woodenboater · September 4, 2011

Great TR solo ! Looks like everyone had an amazing time at Chapleau and it'll be a great day when the family can pack and portage into the back country. I'm sure Martin and Jennifer really appreciate the handyman work on the shower and power pack.

Gotta say though, all the trip reports I'm reading on OFCN are killing me, makes me want to tell SWMBO that we're doing a fly in trip one year. She doesn't fish but if the skies are dark, she's a happy camper with her astronomy.

misfish · September 4, 2011

You take alot of time to make your posts. Truely thankful for it.

Thanks for taking the time Mike.

There was one family member missing? :whistling:

solopaddler · September 4, 2011

the shower looked great too

Fantastic, as always, Mike!! Looks like a great destination, and, your little improvements at the camp speak volumes about you...well done!!

If I hadn't fixed the shower she who must be obeyed would have been displeased LOL!

Frank, I'm looking forward to hearing how you guys made out in Chapleau!

Thanks for sharing Mike. Pictures and videos much appreciated. Great spot for your clan to spend some quality time together. Do you have any fall trips planned?

No problem Tomcat, glad you enjoyed.

I have one more 5 day trip planned to fish some back lakes in N/W Quebec at the end of the month.

Beyond that it's time to break out the long sticks and fish for some steelhead.

Great TR solo ! Looks like everyone had an amazing time at Chapleau and it'll be a great day when the family can pack and portage into the back country. I'm sure Martin and Jennifer really appreciate the handyman work on the shower and power pack.

Gotta say though, all the trip reports I'm reading on OFCN are killing me, makes me want to tell SWMBO that we're doing a fly in trip one year. She doesn't fish but if the skies are dark, she's a happy camper with her astronomy.

I am indeed looking forward to bringing the kids on a portage trip. Maybe Quetico park next year.

Your better half would love a fly in trip, I say take the plunge!

The total isolation is priceless and yes the stars are amazing.

You take alot of time to make your posts. Truely thankful for it.

Thanks for taking the time Mike.

There was one family member missing?

You know it's funny you mention that Brian. It struck me after I posted this, there's not a single photograph of me in the entire report. Just my voice in the background of the videos LOL!

It was all about the kids anyway.

bucktail · September 5, 2011

Great report man!

Appreciate it!

Musky or Specks · September 5, 2011

First Aba then this ,your kids don't know how fortunate they are. Who won the 20 bucks for biggest fish this time?

TennesseeGuy · September 5, 2011

Mike, thanks for your outstanding report. Successful trips don't happen by accident.

Sharing fishing trips with family members is a great investment.

BassMan11 · September 5, 2011

Great report. Always fun to read your stories.

solopaddler · September 5, 2011

First Aba then this ,your kids don't know how fortunate they are. Who won the 20 bucks for biggest fish this time?

HAHA! Can't believe someone brought this up. My daughter reminded me this evening after I posted the report.

The girls mostly fished together on this trip. With a little bit of guidance they held their own and caught a lot of fish.

Brendan and I caught waaay more, but that's to be expected, but then we fished a lot harder too.

Funny thing is twice on the trip we made a small wager on which boat would catch the biggest fish.

Both times my daughter won. First time with a 231/2"er, second time with a 22"er.

My son was devastated. :lol:

I'm sure Riley will chime in at some point to tell all about it.

Thanks for the kind words everyone, very glad you enjoyed!

corvette1 · September 5, 2011

awesome trip and video's with the family mike. looks like brendans having a blast with those walleye congrats on a great trip

NAW · September 5, 2011

What a great report. Your family is very lucky to have a dad like you :thumbsup_anim:

spincast · September 5, 2011

great trip - nothing like gettin out and enjoying nature with the famiily - catching hordes of walleye at the same time... perfect. Thanks for the report.

Fish Farmer · September 5, 2011

Thanks for putting the time in for that report. That was better than any TV fishing show and no commercials. What a trip for the kids, and adults.

Thanks for sharing.

TroutnMuskieHunter · September 5, 2011

Awesome report and great pics/videos. What a nice way to spend a family vacation!!

Rich Clemens · September 5, 2011

Bet you hated to see that plane coming in at the end. Always enjoy your trips and reports Solo. Something I've always wanted to try. Thanks for taking the time to put this report together - really enjoyed it.

lew · September 5, 2011

Your fish'n tales always make for a great read Mike and this one was no exception !!

lakerguy · September 5, 2011

Very nice :thumbsup_anim:

And the meals....that looks gooood

Kingsalmon · September 5, 2011

Next Year. That's what I'll keep telling myself. The schedule this year simply did not allow any trips like that. One question, do you think a four year old girl would last a week in the bush at a place like that. I have no questions about her three older brothers, but I'm thinking with swimming, exploring and fishing it would probably keep them occupied.

solopaddler · September 5, 2011

One question, do you think a four year old girl would last a week in the bush at a place like that. I have no questions about her three older brothers, but I'm thinking with swimming, exploring and fishing it would probably keep them occupied.

I can only speak for myself but our place in QC is water access and off the grid. Not a fly in trip, but the experience isn't that far off for a young kid.

We've had both of ours up there for week long trips since they were babies.

In my experience our daughter needed a lot of extra stimulation at 4 and younger. We'd always bring a lot of crafts, coloring books, games, etc., to keep her amused in the down times.

It's a bit more work than the usual "guy" type trip, but totally worth it. It's something the kids won't ever forget.

Thanks for the kind words everyone, glad you enjoyed! :good:

tb4me · September 5, 2011

Awesome report!! Thanks for sharing, Mike! I would love to take the family out on a trip like this one..Was it reasonably priced? We would be interested in further information, but the link you provided doesnt work.

solopaddler · September 5, 2011

Awesome report!! Thanks for sharing, Mike! I would love to take the family out on a trip like this one..Was it reasonably priced? We would be interested in further information, but the link you provided doesnt work.

Huh, that's weird.

Just to be safe it's outpostcamps.com

As mentioned in my report their prices are very low. They're only posting prices for 7 day trips on their website but I know they'll book shorter trips as well if you ask. Pretty sure Martin and Jennifer would quote you a good price for a family trip as well.

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Fly In Trip To The Chapleau Game Preserve

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