To Slave For Lakers.

[Moosebunk]

During 1938 while in Yellowknife on business, Warren Plummer and his father had heard stories from local folk about an incredible fishing area called the "Taltheilei Narrows" on Great Slave Lake. Curious, the two traveled by canoe some 150 miles with a 4hp motor to discover the legends were true. In a short time afterwards, Taltheilei Narrows became the site for Plummer’s Great Slave Lake Lodge. Adventurers began visiting to enjoy some of the finest fishing, scenery, and outfitting service in the Northwest Territories, a tradition that continues to this day. Trophy lake trout up to 60 pounds, arctic grayling and northern pike, can all be caught from the lodge. Choosing to jig the narrows for lakers to 45 pounds or, trolling the bays for that chance at a 60, Great Slave Lake Lodge and it’s surrounding northern beauty provides the perfect stage for anyone’s Arctic fishing memories.

But could July 2014 be the year all this history is lost???

Early winter Brenda had asked if we could go fishing come summer. When she requests such, that usually means we'll be breaking the bank and heading some place to be overly pampered while afforded the incredible. Okay by me. Back 2008 she cut her teeth on the travel fishing experience at Plummer's Lodge Great Bear Lake and Tree River. A return trip in 2011, it was evident that being together and fishing like this is time we both deeply cherish. Trying to make every three years become our ritual, this winter after inviting a number of friends to join in with the hope of creating a group trip, the two left standing were just Brenda and I... Fine by us, our only concern afterwards became where to go. Lake Athabasca and Great Slave were the choices, although Brenda wanted Great Bear and the Tree again more than anything. All things considered, I chose Great Slave for these reasons. Protected waters, for the safety the area provides and the knowing that there are never any "no fishing" days. As well, Slave is quite likely the lake trout jigging mecca of all, and Plummer's as an outfitter provides services second to none for experiencing such. Finally, it is a place possessing a long fishing history, yet at the same time is completely new and interesting to us.

I was eager for it. After earlier angling growth and experiences on James Bay jigging walleyes to more recent years dropping jigs for lake trout all over my local Hell's half acre, I thought it good time to tackle Great Slave's legendary lake trout.

"To Slave for Lakers."

For the full picture loaded story visit here...

http://bunksoutdoorangle.com/to-slave-for-lakers/

Thanks for reading,

Bunk.

Edited December 10, 2016 by Moosebunk

[Moosebunk]

http://bunksoutdoorangle.com/to-slave-for-lakers/

Edited December 10, 2016 by Moosebunk

[Moosebunk]

http://bunksoutdoorangle.com/to-slave-for-lakers/

Edited December 10, 2016 by Moosebunk

[Moosebunk]

http://bunksoutdoorangle.com/to-slave-for-lakers/

Edited December 10, 2016 by Moosebunk

[big guy]

Speechless

 

Thanks for posting all that

[Christopheraaron]

Amazing report as usual Drew! Glad to hear the lodge is ok!

[muskymatt]

Wow......now I have to go there lol

[Terry]

wow

epic

 

you can be my guide anytime..

[BillM]

/adds to list of places to fish

[pairofgreenhorns]

What a great report, thank you for taking the time to post it. This has now been added to the bucket list.

[fishnsled]

Awesome report as always! Thankfully the lodge and the staff made out OK as well, terrible season for the fires up that way. Thanks for the report!

[bushart]

Beauty

[Spanky80]

Just unbelievable!

[mcdougy]

That's an adventure!!! For sure!!! Fires suck!!! For sewer!!!

[davey buoy]

Another Sunday read for me,just scanning Drew,can't wait to really read and live it!!

[chris.brock]

another magical trip, you should compile all your trips and stuff into a book

 

beauty lakers and scenery!

[BassMan11]

Awesome report bunk. That picture with the orange sky in the background is incredible.

[DRIFTER_016]

It's only gotten worse since you were here Bunk.

Last week it was black rain and it is a dark orange right now.

The road South is still closed and there are nearly 100 rigs on the South side of the closure waiting to bring goods to town.

It is a special place, especially when it's isn't all on fire!!!

[OhioFisherman]

Field and stream could use this report, very well done and the pictures are fantastic.

[adempsey]

Excellent report! Such a beautiful location. Too bad heaven and hell decided to do battle while you were there, lol!

[kickingfrog]

Had to save this until I could read it at home. Worth the wait.

[Rod Caster]

Reds and greys and irredescent. Awesome. Great report Drew!

[Tomcat]

Another outstanding report Drew! Thanks for sharing. Great that you got to enjoy such a great trip with Bren.

[Moosebunk]

It's only gotten worse since you were here Bunk.

Last week it was black rain and it is a dark orange right now.

The road South is still closed and there are nearly 100 rigs on the South side of the closure waiting to bring goods to town.

It is a special place, especially when it's isn't all on fire!!!

 

My friend Susan posted on her FB tonight how she's praying for rain. How many different fires are actually burning up there now? Dan while I was there showed me some website that marked red dots on a map as to where the clusters of fires were burning, there was something like 103 fires at the time. Up behind Niven some place I guess, there's a road that veers off and a popular park or spot for marriages, well that was in trouble last I was there. I really quite like visiting Yellowknife and think it's such a cool place in a cool place... Your fall rains can't come soon enough, although I guess after all these fires burn down the Territory, you should be good for 100 years or more. And, the fish aren't feeling a thing right now.

 

Awesome report bunk. That picture with the orange sky in the background is incredible.

 

My big laker pics great, Bren's big laker pics even better really, but the one shorelunch photo, the orange creamsicle laker shot you speak of and, probably the last grayling pic are definite favorites from the trip.

 

you should compile all your trips and stuff into a book

 

Thinking might first need to just archive it some place like a website. Probably never a book, who'd pay to read my kinda crap. lol.

 

Fires suck!!!

 

That's putting it mildly. lol.

 

Glad to hear the lodge is ok!

 

Wind shifted the following day after we left, and it came out of the south. This gave the firefighters a window to back burn the land behind the airstrip and camp, and so they did. Risky business, they actually started a huge fire to avoid an even bigger fire moving closer. And so that back burn along with the real fire is what you can view in the final picture. Once the winds would shift back and pushing the fire towards the lodge again, the land would already have been scorched leaving no fuel for the fire to move forward and burn down Plummers. It was no miracle this lodge being saved, it was the act of very dedicated and brave souls who risk harm fighting fires.

 

you can be my guide anytime..

 

What are we chasing after first bud?

 

 

Great that you got to enjoy such a great trip with Bren.

 

Absolutely me too Tom. Thanks bud.

[DRIFTER_016]

Drew

Click on the JPEG image link for the fire situation in the North Slave region: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/activefiremaps.php?sensor=modis&extent=canada&op=maps&rCode=ntx

 

I see there is a fire now 6.4 kms from my camp.

 

And the daily update of fires in the NWT: http://up.nwtfire.com/sites/default/files/2014-08-05_currentfiresituation.html

Edited August 6, 2014 by DRIFTER_016