Medhurst Lake - The Perfect Father & Son Fly In Trip!

[solopaddler]

The Algoma region has long been a favourite of mine. An easy drive from southern Ontario, its a region dominated by rocky structure filled shield lakes abounding with easy to catch walleye and pike. Air Dale Flying Services has been an institution in this region for even longer.
Back in 1945 Sonny Dale was a fur trader and an intrepid northern explorer. On one of his lengthy forays north by dog sled in the winter to trade with the natives he saw a plane flying overhead and thought theres got to be a better way!

Not long afterwards Sonny bought a plane and started the very first charter flying operation in the region. Twenty years later in the mid 1960s American anglers began discovering the bounty of the region and he switched tacks. Acquiring a number of land use permits from the Ontario government he constructed a series of basic outpost camps and began flying in anglers and hunters. From that point on the business grew rapidly and the camps were improved and expanded. Air Dale quickly gained a well earned reputation as being the best in the bush with many loyal repeat customers who continue to return year after year to this day.
 
Last year on the eve of my trip to Johns Lake someone sent me a copy of an invoice from their trip to Johns in 1971. Back then a week long trip with Air Dale cost a whopping $125. My how times have changed! Fortunately for me and everyone else the quality of the fishing in these small remote lakes remains as good as ever.

As many of you know Martin and Jennifer Wearn (formerly Parks Fly In Fishing) and two of my favourite people in this world acquired all of the Air Dale camps in 2014. It was time for Steve Dale (Sonnys grandson) to move on and and he couldnt have picked two better people to hand over the reins of the operation to. Having fished Johns Lake last year some thought was given as to which camp Id choose this season and I settled on Medhurst Lake. This lake has kind of been in my back pocket as a possible destination for several years now. A number of years back I had a truly bad experience with Air Dales direct competition in Hawk Junction and after the trip I went straight to the Air Dale office to chat. After explaining my disappointment with the trip I just had, Steve strongly recommended Medhurst. Mike youll love it! Its a very nice camp, right on a beach and the walleye fishing is great!

It was a very easy choice to make and with great anticipation my son Brendan and I were joined by old friend Dave Maciulis and his two great boys Tyler and Connor on a 4 night trip to this very special camp. An ultimate father/son trip for the ages!




Blue Eyes, Blue Skies And Cinnamon Buns

Martin and Jenn now use Wawa as a base of operations with Watsons Skyways right in town on Wawa Lake doing the flying. This is a big bonus for all concerned as Wawa is a great place to overnight before your trip and the Watsons otter is truly a thing of beauty!

Arriving in town the night before our trip we checked into one of the log chalets operated by the Wawa Motor Inn. Located right in Wawa theyre a fantastic venue for larger groups and cheaper than two motel rooms.





Jennifer Wearn typically is in town to greet their guests, and bright and early the next morning we met at the airbase to unload and discuss the upcoming trip. For those of you who have never met Jenn, shes a pretty special lady. She arrived bearing a box of Persian cinnamon buns from a bakery in Thunder Bay for us, and dazzled everyone (especially the boys) with her blue eyes and 10 megawatt smile as we loaded the otter.

 






Shell probably kill me for saying this, but I dont care. If any future guests wish to thank her with a token of their appreciation she enjoys a good bottle of red wine

Bren and I are veterans of these trips, but Dave and his boys arent, it was a first time experience for all of them and we all fed of their excitement. With high spirits and lots of happy chatter we finished loading the plane and were soon winging our way north to Medhurst Lake under a perfect clear blue sky.















The camp as advertised was an absolute beauty. Just steps from the water and located right on a beach, it came complete with hot/cold running water, shower house and a fleet of pristine little boats and motors.

















After settling in we spent some time on the deck readying tackle and preparing the boats. In my experience finding and catching walleyes on a small fly in lake is childs play - but even so theyre not going to jump in the boat. Before embarking I spent some time explaining to the boys the ins and outs of how to target and catch the fish. On my end I had brought along a bag full of floating markers with me and as usual my plan was to first tour the lake and mark as many high percentage spots as I could find.

Typically high percentage midsummer spots on shield lakes are mid lake humps and rock piles surrounded by deep water and that was my quest.

Would we find and catch fish easily? Time would tell
 



Good Times And Easy Fishing

Both of Daves boys are young teens and one of the big highlights for them was being taught how to handle a boat by themselves for the first time. With four boats at the camp this was possible and after some guidance they happily took to the lake sticking close to Dave who trailed in another boat.

Brendan and I took our time scouring the lake with the finder dropping a series of markers on top of a few choice spots. Two in particular were fantastic. A tight neckdown led into a large shallow bay and at its mouth a couple hundred yards offshore was a small rock pile. The second was in the south end of the lake, a large shoal several hundred yards offshore and directly adjacent to the deepest basin in the lake.


I was pretty positive the fish would be stacked in these spots and it didnt take long to find out. Trolling a bottom bouncer and worm harness - my preferred search tool when prospecting for fish, Brendan hooked the first walleye 20 seconds in

 

 

This was a prelude of things to come and for the rest of the day we hammered the walleye. Once the fish are found I much prefer drifting and jigging and we quickly switched over. The usual jig and twister tipped with half a worm was lethal, as were 31/2 Northland Impulse paddle tail minnows which have become a favourite of mine over the last two years. Run clean on a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce jighead the walleye seemingly cant resist them.

We were told Medhurst was a numbers walleye lake and this was certainly the case. While they werent overly large specimens the sheer numbers of fish made things fun and easy for the kids, always an important factor.


























Exploring the lake further Brendan and I checked out Cross Bay. I had been told that this small bay - almost a lake unto itself had the deepest basin in the lake at over 80 feet deep. I was also told by a couple of different people that the fishing in Cross was mediocre. I always take statements like that with a grain of salt.

Cross Bay is, not surprisingly, shaped like a cross. Most of it is shallow, but the southern arm, dominated by towering cliffs is incredibly deep. Slowly criss crossing back and forth with the finder I was astounded at the structure. For all intents and purposes it was a deep featureless bowl with zero structure to hold fish.

As you enter the bowl however the bottom is shallow starting at 4 feet, then gradually getting deeper and deeper until the bottom drops away into the abyss. Right on the brink of the bowl in 8-12 of water Brendan and I found a huge concentration of walleye. Again, they werent huge, but it was non stop action for as long as we were there.

Trolling slowly with soft plastics from shoreline to shoreline right on the edge of the break into deeper water we caught fish at will

 

 

Back at camp we had all kept some fish for dinner that night and after cleaning them I set about lighting a fire to cook them up. For whatever reason fish cooked over an open fire seem to taste better. Cant explain why, but there it is. I cant begin to guess how many walleyes Ive cooked and cleaned in my lifetime and cant ever remember enjoying a bad meal. Its almost impossible to go wrong. That said, the last couple of years Ive been tweaking my technique a bit and it seems to work. The fillets are dusted first in cajun Fish Crisp, then dipped in milk and egg then rolled in Panko bread crumbs. Man oh man is it good! Crunchy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. Only trick is you have to watch the oil as the Panko can burn easily, but when its done right its pretty hard to beat!









Perfect end to a perfect day
 




Wind, Weeds And Walleye

The next couple of days were blustery and slightly cooler, with wind and rain showers off and on. This isnt a bad thing when it comes to walleye fishing as wind is your friend. The fish lose their wariness and move enmasse into the shallow windblown shorelines, usually feeding heavily.

In one particular spot at the north end of the lake right at the outlet creek, Bren and I had a heyday anchoring the boat and casting and retrieving soft plastics across the top of a field of submerged cabbage weed...

 

 

Concentrating solely on walleye Brendan and I easily boated well over 150 fish that day, numbers as good as anywhere I have ever fished! True to Medhurst form most were smaller fish but that didnt matter.


Dave and his boys did even better not only catching crazy numbers, but also besting a handful of girthy fish that were far bigger than most. For Medhurst lake I suspect this is a rarity which made it even more remarkable.


































































 




Continued... Edited July 25, 2015 by Mike Borger

[solopaddler]

Quest For Chaga - Or The Teachings Of Bob

 

 

Dave is a pretty interesting guy. A successful business and a philanthropist, he’s also a bit of a health nut with a spiritual side. Some time ago he sought out the advice of a guru known only as Bob. Bob, among other things is a devotee of natural healthy cures with a decidedly holistic bent.

 

Bob subsequently informed Dave of the amazing powers of chaga, a somewhat rare fungus found mostly on living birch trees. Chaga it is said is one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the world, containing not only some of the highest levels but also an exceptionally rare diversity of antioxidants. It is also alkalizing and an “adaptogen”, meaning that it works with your body’s unique constitution to bring you back toward balance. Chaga has been used for thousands of years by people in Siberia, Russia and other parts of Asia. In fact, the emperor of China once outlawed chaga, as he wanted exclusive use of this age-defying tonic so that he could appear eternally “young” while everyone around him grew old!

 

Dave became a convert and now brews a potent tea steeping the dried fungi for a day or two in water.

 

This would be nothing more than interesting anecdote, but Dave burst into the cabin on day three wild eyed with excitement saying he had discovered the motherlode of chaga! “What”, I said eyeing him warily, “is chaga?” Upon which I was breathlessly informed.

 

Apparently Dave, while trolling close to the shore had spied a massive growth on one of the birch trees and recognized it immediately. Looking closer he began to see it everywhere and his excitement grew. Medhurst lake it seems is chaga hotbed.

 

Grabbing some empty buckets Dave and his boys went on a quest for chaga and came back with a lifetime supply. Like pirates with a boat load of booty they returned to camp later that afternoon like conquering hero’s.

The bonus, while searching for fungi,they found a friendly beaver hidden within a rock crevice. Completely unafraid it allowed them to approach within 5 feet staring unconcernedly at them. “Perhaps” I said to Dave, “the beaver was stoned on chaga”.

 

They also found what Tyler said was THE biggest, fastest most aggressive Wolf spider he’s ever seen as well as a pair of loons with a couple of babies.

 

Amazing what you see when you take the time to look….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not A Good Place To Go Skinny Dipping!

 

The next day for a change of pace Brendan and I walked over a portage trail to nearby Spotted lake to cast for pike. It’s roughly an easy 20 minute hike on a mostly clear trail (although it was wet in spots). Spotted lake we were told was infested with pike, but don’t expect any giants. That’s exactly what we found and Brendan, God love him, made it his personal mission to catch every single hammer handle pike in the lake.

 

I mostly paddled, he cast and caught. We both had a blast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one point something really remarkable happened that I’m sure we’ll both remember for a long time. We were fishing a small reed point and had caught a few pike when Brendan grabbed a paddle to adjust the canoe.

 

At that point he yelped excitedly saying a pike was biting his paddle! I saw him lift the blade out of the water in surprise and watched as a particularly hungry looking pike swirled at the surface then disappeared.

 

Definitely NOT a place you want to go skinny dipping!

 

 

I shot this short video of some of the action we had on Spotted, take a look!

 

 

 

 

 

A Perfect Ending

 

As these short trips always seem to do, they’re over before they even begin. In the blink of an eye we were enjoying our last day, happily content with the hundreds of walleye we’d caught, not really caring whether we caught more or not. You know it’s been a good trip when you reach that state of mind.

 

In this short video clip Dave talks about the fishing on Medhurst and he captures that state of mind perfectly…

 

 

 

 

 

 

That evening we lit a huge bonfire, and bantered about the campfire for a few hours before finally hitting the sack. As often as I’m able to share these trips with my son it never gets old, and frankly is the main reason I go on so many trips.

 

 

Sharing these memories with my son is what motivates me more than anything else and I know Dave feels exactly the same way…

 

 

 

A big thank you goes out to our hosts Martin and Jennifer Wearn (especially Jenn!). You guys are the best and I can’t thank you enough for your hospitality!

 

If anyone is contemplating a potential trip to Medhurst you can get detailed info on the camp on their website at www.outpostcamps.com

 

As usual I filmed this short video tour of the facilities, as you’ll see it’s one heck of a nice camp!

 

 

 

Until next time…

 

 

Edited July 25, 2015 by Mike Borger

[fishindevil]

wow !!! another epic fishing trip mike...great report & pics of the young lads having a blast...sure looks like paradise up there ...man im jelous thanks for sharing

[dave524]

Thanks for posting, your trips and stories are always entertaining and top notch. I think the critter in the rock crevice is a groundhog and not a beaver, fur is too grizzly for a beaver.

[solopaddler]

wow !!! another epic fishing trip mike...great report & pics of the young lads having a blast...sure looks like paradise up there ...man im jelous thanks for sharing

Thanks bud!

 

Thanks for posting, your trips and stories are always entertaining and top notch. I think the critter in the rock crevice is a groundhog and not a beaver, fur is too grizzly for a beaver.

I think you're right. The kids found it right next to the beaver lodge hence their assumption. I think I need to actually start looking closer at my own photos LOL!

[Jds63]

Looks like a great time had by all once again Mike!

Your fried walleye done up on an open fire like that is hard to beat !!!

Great report !

[adempsey]

Looks like a great trip! I don't know how you luck out so much with the weather. It's funny, as I type this I am listening to a radio ad about the health benefits of Chaga supplements, lol. What are the chances? [although, it's the Art Bell show so it shouldn't really be a surprise]. I never even heard of it until I read your report.

Edited July 25, 2015 by adempsey

[solopaddler]

Looks like a great trip! I don't know how you luck out so much with the weather. It's funny, as I type this I am listening to a radio ad about the health benefits of Chaga supplements, lol. What are the chances? [although, it's the Art Bell show so it shouldn't really be a surprise]. I never even heard of it until I read your report.

 

Actually Adam, we had one really crappy day with lots of rain and another windy unsettled one. Only 2 of the 4 were great.

 

Weird about the Chaga thing on the radio for sure!!

 

Just realized that none of my videos appeared when I originally posted this, they're up now.

 

If someone can fix the non bolded text in the second half of the post that would be nice. I tried and can't.

[Ralph Field]

Memories of your father and son trips will last a lifetime.

[davey buoy]

Another great report!!!!!. Father and son trips are the best .Memories forever as mentioned.

[pics]

Beautiful trip and story.. thanks Mike!

[can u fish]

Another great report Mike and photos now I am thinking of canceling my fly in to Bonar Lake in September and book into Medhurst Lake i am having a hard time getting any info on Bonar Lake which is in the Chapleau game preserve.

 

Cheers Mitch

[Joeytier]

Another great trip Mike. That must be a long haul from the hammer for a 4 day trip? Quite obviously worth it though

[jimmy v]

Hey Mike--- just got back from a ten day trip to our camp up north and getting caught up on what has gone on in the real world. Great to see you had another successful and enjoyable trip with Air Dale.Martin certainly takes care of his clients with great service and excellent camps.Brendan is really having a summer to remember with you!! I think that you really enjoy introducing newbies like Dave and his sons to the world of (Fly- In Adventures).When you see genuine excitement people have on a trip like this you realize all the planning and prep work done behind the scenes is really worth it!. Once again Mr. Borger you have given us a great read and provided the Maciulis boys with lifetime memories--Well Done Sir!!

[solopaddler]

Thanks for the responses guys! I posted this the evening before I left for Esnagi and looking at it now I'm appalled at the number of spelling mistakes LOL!

 

 

 

Another great report Mike and photos now I am thinking of canceling my fly in to Bonar Lake in September and book into Medhurst Lake i am having a hard time getting any info on Bonar Lake which is in the Chapleau game preserve.

 

Cheers Mitch

Hey Mitch I'm sure Bonar would be good. The only advantage with Medhurst is I could give you some detailed info on where to find fish. It's a really nice camp, no doubt about that!

 

 

 

 

Another great trip Mike. That must be a long haul from the hammer for a 4 day trip? Quite obviously worth it though

The vast majority of my trips in this region are 4 nights. The drive from the Hammer is easy and 4 full days of fishing on most of those small lakes is more than enough for me. Any longer and I start to go stir crazy from boredom LOL!

 

 

 

 

Hey Mike--- just got back from a ten day trip to our camp up north and getting caught up on what has gone on in the real world. Great to see you had another successful and enjoyable trip with Air Dale.Martin certainly takes care of his clients with great service and excellent camps.Brendan is really having a summer to remember with you!! I think that you really enjoy introducing newbies like Dave and his sons to the world of (Fly- In Adventures).When you see genuine excitement people have on a trip like this you realize all the planning and prep work done behind the scenes is really worth it!. Once again Mr. Borger you have given us a great read and provided the Maciulis boys with lifetime memories--Well Done Sir!!

 

Very, very kind words, thank you!

[chris.brock]

Great father/ sons adventure! It's not just the fishing, but the other aspects of the trip that make it special. Sweet camp and Jenn's help are a bonus.

 

Give me a call if you want to chat, I'm worried you're going to become a Chaga Head and sit around on the couch all day, running on Chaga. Bring some to Mojikit though

[solopaddler]

 

 

Give me a call if you want to chat, I'm worried you're going to become a Chaga Head and sit around on the couch all day, running on Chaga. Bring some to Mojikit though

 

HAHAHA! Not sure why but I couldn't stop laughing when I read this. Sure buddy, I'll bring some "chaga" along to Mojikit.

 

[spinnerdoc]

One day Mike, I'll hopefully make one of these trips. Better be this lifetime, though ☺

 

We thank you for sharing these experiences with us. The time putting these reports must take a lot of time. Brendan is extremely lucky☺