Fly-In Fishing Advice

[JackDaniels]

Hi - I'm new to this forum and looking forward to learning a lot from the experiences of others. One issue I would like some advice on is about a good, reasonable fly-in fishing trip. Myself and my 3 brothers-in-law have never been on a fly-in.

We do a lot of fishing on Sparrow Lake where one of my brother-in-laws has a time share cottage. Like so many Lakes, Sparrow just ain't what she used to be ......long hard days of fishing seem to earn us very little yield and enjoyment.

 

We are thinking of doing a fly-in late August 2015. We know that Fly-In trips by their very nature are a bit expensive - and we understand that - but we still can't afford to break the bank and we would like a good middle of the road trip - not a cheap one - nor a really expensive one - but just a good middle of the road cost. Is that possible?

 

On the Bill's Bait website (Hamilton) I read about two trips that seem really great - one to the Ashewig River and the other to John's Lake.

 

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone with advice etc.... Thanks a lot - Jack Daniels

[solopaddler]

Greg is that you? LOL! If you're actually a person with a real question then I can help you. Call me anytime at 905-630-8045

 

(I wrote both of those reports, Asheweig and John's Lake plus many, many more)

Edited October 16, 2014 by Mike Borger

[adempsey]

Contacting Mike is your best bet, but I recently put together a list of inexpensive fly-in outposts on my website if you want to take a look for some suggestions.

 

Good luck!

[James77]

Hey there,

 

We were in a very similar situation and ended up doing a Fly in trip this July.

 

We did Mikwam Lake through Air Cochrane.

 

We spent most of our time on Brailey lake which is attached to Mikwam. This lake produced much better for us. Mikwam was very dissapointing, 6-8 ft deep. No structure.

The general consensus among us is if we did it again next year we would spend a bit more.

The fishing wasn't what we thought it would be, cabin was horrific for the money. Wasn't sealed from bugs. Firewood wasn't provided.

We were charged for an extra plane which we knew would happen. We were told it was unsafe to take us and our gear in just a single beaver so we paid for a separate flight for our gear. On the flight out we get picked up in a single beaver plane for all our gear. Either the Beaver holds more than they say it does, or they didn't care about our safety and threw us all in the plane anyways. I'm personally nervous about flying and that really bothered me. Felt like I was on an episode of Mayday. The other thing is at the fishing show I asked if they've ever had any plane accidents. The guy lied to me and said no. When I got home to research the first thing that comes up after Air Cochrane is plane crash.

The other disappointment was the other cabin on our lake. There is another Cabin on Mikwam owned by a nice fellow who informed us that he drives up, takes a short argo ride into his cabin. It's a bit frustrating to go to a remote lake to only find out someone else is on the same lake as you. Quite upsetting.

 

Our biggest walleye was about 24" our biggest pike was a 34-35". We fished everyday every possible moment tried every technique we could.

 

When asked if we would do it again the answer would be no.

We are thinking about doing another trip next year, going further up north.

 

The people at Cochrane Air were great to us. Their customer service was exceptional.

Unfortunately the cons outweigh the pros and we will overlook them next year while planning our trip.

Edited October 16, 2014 by James77

[wall i]

I tried to count how many fly-ins Ive done.......came up with 27 that I can remember, likely a few more if I include moose hunts. In any event, if you are going to go mid August or later, one can negotiate a much better price at many camps as they are slow at that time. A lodge with a tremendous fishery is Cat Island Lodge on Trout Lake, a short 15 min flight out of Red Lake. Cat Island lodge offers an American Plan at housekeeping prices come mid August. Expect 100+ walleye days with the majority over 20". My PB LT came out of there at 33lbs in addition to a 47" NP. The lake is big and offers countless days of exploring if thats what you want or, you can start catching right from the dock. Take in a portable downrigger and depth finder and you will average a laker every 10 min with most over 5 lbs and many over 10.

That said, I rediscovered Lake of the Woods this year after a few years absence. The MNR has done an outstanding job of managing the fishery there.

During our week in mid Aug the action was steady and we caught dozens over 23" including a 29". Despite it being our 1st time in the N-W area (S-W of Kenora) we had no trouble finding lots of large fish. In some respects (ave fish size) the lake surpasses any fly-in Ive been on and rivals the upper tier lakes in quantity. Moreover, most camps are drive to with a few boat in options. Two camps I would recommend are Ash Rapids and, Crow Rock (American Plan only) but, there are many others.

[chris.brock]

Hey James, call Mike before booking something.

 

He will figure out what's important to you, and then recommend the best lakes for your budget.

[manjo39]

Contacting Mike is your best bet, but I recently put together a list of inexpensive fly-in outposts on my website if you want to take a look for some suggestions.

 

Good luck!

 

Excellent website. Lots of good info there. Not just about outposts but preperation too!

 

I especially like the "breakfast-on-the-go" bacon & egg muffins!

[MrSimon]

Call Mike!!!

 

I contacted him before booking my Fly-in for this year .... he listened to our criteria and recommended Hearst Air. We flew into Quantz Lake and had the time of our lives. Truly truly unbelievable pike fishing and unlimited numbers of medium sized walleye.

 

Hearst Air is top notch!!

[adempsey]

The other disappointment was the other cabin on our lake. There is another Cabin on Mikwam owned by a nice fellow who informed us that he drives up, takes a short argo ride into his cabin. It's a bit frustrating to go to a remote lake to only find out someone else is on the same lake as you. Quite upsetting.

 

 

I hadn't realized there was another cabin on Mikwam. Is it actually on the lake or on the river?

 

 

Excellent website. Lots of good info there. Not just about outposts but preperation too!

 

I especially like the "breakfast-on-the-go" bacon & egg muffins!

 

Thanks! I just finished putting the recipe up for ya =) Was planning on a recipe section, just hadn't added it yet.

Edited October 18, 2014 by FishLogic

[James77]

 

I hadn't realized there was another cabin on Mikwam. Is it actually on the lake or on the river?

Two other cabins on the lake, one is apparently a trappers cabin which is used in fall/winter.

 

The other is on the same lake about a 3 minute boat ride to the left of their cabin.

 

Really nice place, he's got a big screen TV with satellite, Something a little bit discouraging about seeing someone in their living room watching TV as you're at a REMOTE fly in camp LOL.

 

You live and you learn, we're definitely thinking Hearst for next years trip.

[JackDaniels]

FishLogic, James77, Wall I, Chris Brock, Manjo39 and Mr. Simon - Thank You to ALL of you for your comments and advice .... It is much appreciated ..... I will check out the websites you recommended and I will also phone Mike Borger .......Checking things out this way will no doubt see myself and my brothers in law end up with a really good fly in experience next August .......Thanks again Jack Daniels ( Hamilton, Ont.)

[solopaddler]

FishLogic, James77, Wall I, Chris Brock, Manjo39 and Mr. Simon - Thank You to ALL of you for your comments and advice .... It is much appreciated ..... I will check out the websites you recommended and I will also phone Mike Borger .......Checking things out this way will no doubt see myself and my brothers in law end up with a really good fly in experience next August .......Thanks again Jack Daniels ( Hamilton, Ont.)

 

Looking forward to hearing from you!