Anyone been to Andy Myers Lately?

[MidWestFishman]

I am taking a serious look at Andy Myers Lodge and would like input from anyone who has fished there in the last year or two. There are some posts on here but most of them seem to be 3 years old or so and I would like a more recent update of people's experience. I would like to target walleye, bass and pike with maybe a day of trying for Musky. How are the guides, the boats, lodging and food and was there any hidden costs for gas and bait? Did your guide fish (which wouldn't bother me) and if so did you have to pay for his bait? Could you take the boat out yourself after dinner? Thanks for any info you can give.

[Oldschool]

I was there a year back. Good equipment, good guides, and good food if doing the American Plan. It was quite expensive given that I had guides most days. Yes, the guides fished, and yes the guest pays for the bait for them. I am perhaps a bit naive, but I really didn't think it right for me to pay for the guide's bait, but then again, I didn't ask at the outset either. It was common for the guide to empty the minnows at the end of the day even if they were vigorous, so I attribute that to revenue building. We had a large group going and Steve offered 30% off the trip if a friend's kid went along. Turned out he only discounted the cabin 30%, all the rest was regular price. My friend will not be going back. Another group had checked out just before my group, and the bait thing caught them off guard as well. They were not happy.

My advice is to ask every conceivable question about the charges, and then put it in writing with an email to follow up. They know their stuff, and have a nice operation, but it will surely cost you.

Prior to that, I did a Housekeeping plan there with no guides, etc., and all was as advertised. Yes, you can take your camp boat out after supper. Remember, however, that Eagle does not allow fishing at night. The camp owner's association has agreed to ban it due to the large number of walleyes taken at night by lighting for the ciscoes in Eagle. Usually don't need to fish at night anyway, as there will be something biting during the day, probably. I have been skunked a couple of days, or nearly so, but usually manage to catch a decent number of walleyes, northerns, and even a few lake trout if the weather cooperated.

Good luck

[MidWestFishman]

I appreciate the recap of your visit. I also would not want to pay for the guides bait. I would suppose minnows are $4.oo a dozen or more and that could add up to another $75-100 at weeks end. I do prefer the American plan as this is my one big vacation each year. I should mention I have to go as a single fisherman as my dad who was my fishing partner for years is no longer able physically to fish and getting a partner to pay to go to Canada has been fruitless. If You could go anywhere in Ontario on an American plan to fish which lodge would you pick?

[Muskie Bob]

I appreciate the recap of your visit. I also would not want to pay for the guides bait. I would suppose minnows are $4.oo a dozen or more and that could add up to another $75-100 at weeks end. I do prefer the American plan as this is my one big vacation each year. I should mention I have to go as a single fisherman as my dad who was my fishing partner for years is no longer able physically to fish and getting a partner to pay to go to Canada has been fruitless. If You could go anywhere in Ontario on an American plan to fish which lodge would you pick?

Finding someone to to to Canada may be a problem. Perhaps you could join a fishing club and meet others who may be interested in going.
I'm lucky to go with my nephew in the fall. We cook all our meals other than a camp cook out. We normally eat northern pike or walleye, along with corn muffins, and bush baked beans almost every evening. It's really not much trouble.

So, what do I recommend???? It sounds like you want American plan but not interested in paying too much. Although this camp doesn't offer American plan, they do have a couple of evening meals they offer(not listed), along with a camp cook out. I recommend them because the managers are above the rest....seriously, they are great. If you look at their deluxe cabins, they offer air condition, satellite tv, dish washer, etc. to make your stay.
Last year the walleye fishing was really good. Basically, you may have to cook some, but I think you would really enjoy fishing and staying there.
Most of the walleye fishing is close to camp.
As for me, I'm mostly into muskie fishing with some northern pike or walleye to eat. Yep, there are muskies in Cedar lake.
Anyway, you may want to consider Clark's Northern Lights Resort...

http://www.clarksresorts.com/northernlights/northernlights.html

I have no interest in the resort, but I do feel the owners (
Wayne and Karla Clark) and the managers (Connie and Jeff) really make your vacation seem like one.

I'm not sure where in the midwest you live, but I live close to KC, MO. So, I can give you my thoughts about traveling to Ontario from here. I'm looking forward to this winter going away........and now....

[tackleman]

Here's a couple of points I'd like to make. I guide at a couple camps in the Red Lake area when they have large corporate groups or when they need someone for a day. I always fish with the guests. It is the only way the guide can give you advice on what is working and what isn't.

Any guide, myself included could put you in a spot and say the fish were there, but until one comes into the boat, it's a guessing game. I have been to spots where they were there yesterday but have moved on to another location, I'm sure we all have that experience. A guide will try what they think will work and when it does he can ensure you a good day of fishing.

As far as paying for the guides minnows, the camps I work at allow 1 dozen minnows per person the guide is guiding. Most fishermen take anywhere from 5 to 10 dozen out with them if there is 3 in a boat. It depends on how many times you can make the one minnow work for you to see how much bait you would use. If you are worried about the cost of a dozen minnows the guide might use, you should have saved your money on the cost of the guide. Most camp owners would gladly mark a map for you and send you out on your own.

I also fish Eagle Lake several days a year and as mentioned earlier, you cannot fish at night, this is not , as suggested a camp owners association rule, this is the law.

We have met the game warden on the lake several times so don't think you will be able to sneak in a night fish, they patrol quite regularly.

Eagle Lake is a beautiful lake with some HUGE musky , trout and walleye. We also catch perch, northerns, bass and whitefish.

While Eagle Lake is big, the area we fish is the west arm and it is relatively easy to find your way around without too much trouble.

[@Lunker]

MidWestFisherman, why don't you check out

www.witchbay.com

I'm sure you'll do it anyway, but be sure to check out their entire website.

Good luck wherever you go.

[MidWestFishman]

Thanks for the info on Eagle Lake Tackleman. I have heard a lot of good things about the lake but before I spend my money I like to hear from folks who have fished the lake. I am not worried about the cost of the minnows. It is more of a principle that with the cost of a guide, ( I have been to Canada on 11 trips and used a guide on 10 of them and always will) and giving a generous tip, I think the lodge should furnish the guide with his bait, particularly as was noted on a post that they were dumping the left over minnows out when getting back to the dock. I typically budget to spend $2500-$3500 for my fishing trips. Would it bother me to buy a guide a dozen minnows per day? Not at all. But at the end of the week I also don't want to see another $75 or more on my ticket for guide bait and throw aways of perfectly good bait. If it is cutomary however that that is what most lodges do I will just suck it up and budget for it. I have not done alot of walleye fishing as I have been going too far noth usually to be in walleye waters. The 3 lodges I did go to where we walleye fished, 2 lodges you only paid for what the fisherman used and at the other there was a charge for the guides bait. What bothered me was I wasn't told about it in advance and I am not into surprises... maybe I should have asked about it but it never occurred to me since that was the first time it had happened. Live and learn!

What time of year do you fish Eagle Lake? I would go the first week in July.

[MidWestFishman]

I think I should have clarified I did not mean night as in dark but evening after suppr while it was still light out. I am not sure how long it stays light in Ontario in late June/early July but I have been at lodges whereit was still fairly light out at midnight (Nunavut & NWT)

[eyemike]

I fished at Stanleys Resort in the west arm of Eagle Lake this past August. Part of Stanley's package includes so many dozen minnows per day per person. They are very generous in the amount that they give you for the day. Mike...

[IA Walleye]

Midwest

One recommendation you might want to consider is Silver Water Wheel. I am not sure if they have openings (many years in the past they are fully booked, but perhaps this year with the economy they have an opening), but I have and would fully recommend them. Based on the budget number you tossed out, they would be in your range, they are fully American, and they have top notch guides and equipment. Your bait is included in your price, so except for purchases made from the lodge (clothing, lures, etc) and for gratuities (tips), you know what the cost of the trip will be before you leave home. It is located on Lac Suel and as such has great fishing for northern and walleye and early in the year (May/June) the smallie fishing is outstanding. I have fished SWWL for 10 years and have simply had outstanding fishing and accomodations. My biggest walleye to-date is 30 1/2" and my son's is 30 1/4". We really don't target the Northerns, but our largest is right around 40" Equipment is top shelf (18' Alumicraft boats with 90 HP Yammies) and the guides are awesome. Yes, they will fish, but they make the effort to get you on fish. I am not a great fisherman and every guide has worked hard to make sure I knew the techniques and caught fish. When I started going up 10 years ago, my kids were very young and the guides worked hard to get them on fish, to help them master their rods/reels, etc. In fact, they took over all that so I could enjoy watching them catch fish. Camp is well run and the food, well let's say you will not be hungry and it will be good.

The hard part of your position is being one person. Many resorts want to book a group into a cabin, not just one person for obvious reasons. However, in this economy one is better than a empty slot so I would recommend you give SWWL and some of the other resorts mentioned if your not sure about your initial choice. Make a list of pros vs cons, on those resorts that will take a single and then make a decision. What every you decide, go to the camp with the right frame of mind, that you will enjoy the trip.

In a few years, I might be in the same boat as you as my partners are my 80 year father and my two kids, both of whom are starting new phases in their lives and fishing with the old guy (me) may not be a top priority for limited vacation time and money.

Best of luck...IAWalleye

[Youngman59]

I have been to AML 5 years in a row with the exception of last year due to a family issue. I am going back again this year in late July. I too fish mainly walleye/pike but a couple three days for musky as well. I like to mix it up and have a good time.

I have done a fully guided week/American plan setup as well as housekeeping the past couple years to keep the cost down. The food is good and generous. The guides are very good regardless of species. The boats and motors are also very good as Eagle can fish big if you want it to. I'd certainly recommend a guide for at least a couple days as Eagle can kick your butt but it can also be very good and yield a lifetime trophy for any species.

The biggest budget issue is the number of guide days. Yes you can fish after supper subject to the night fishing ban regs. And there are a lot of good spots, particularly for musky, within eyesight of camp. You'll get plenty of help and direction if you ask.

The West arm is more accessible than the main basin distance-wise. The run to the main basin is doable but long, especially for someone not used to it. It took me a couple trips to be really comfortable. A lot of the pike action is there on the reefs but again I go late July/early August.

All in all I don't have any other camps to compare with but I do get the impression AML runs more expensive than most but I am going back again if that says anything. At least I know I have a shot at both numbers and trophy fish all on the same trip,and that yearly trip is too special for me.

[MidWestFishman]

Thanks for that info IA. I got on the website and it does look like something to pursue more fully. That is well within my price range and I don't mind paying a bit extra for being a single fisherman although it seems in the last couple years lodges are struggling and are more lenient in this and charge a minimum surcharge.

I fished for years with my father who is now 80 and has MD so he has not been able to fish with me for for 5 years. I was able to take my daughter twice and my 80 year old uncle once but the cost of paying for myself and anther got to be a bit stiff so I am a lone fisherman. It is difficult to get someone who cares enough about fishing to spend the kind of money a quality trip requires.

Thanks again for info on the lodge. I had not run across it in all my web searches of Ontario lodges. Good fishing to you this summer

[Obabikon]

I'll give Steve a little plug here. He's a good guy. People that know him have fun with him. You'd struggle to find a better musky fisherman. Eagle is an excellent fishery, and you'd have a great time.


If you have any worries about a trip with him, you should call and ask. I'm sure he'd be happy to answer any questions at all.

[MidWestFishman]

I love Walleye Central! It is great to ask a question and get so many responses/recommendations. I am going to take a look at all the lodges before making a decision. While I am on a budget, I love my annual weeks Canadian fishing trips too much to worry about a few hundred dollars if I feel one lodge will be the best fit for me. I wish I could fish about a dozen lodges a year but that isn't in the cards. I save all year and look for my lodge choice well in advance. I think that recommendations on here might mean more than getting a reference list from a lodge where I have found it to be almost 100% rave reviews. I appreciate the generous amount of feedback one gets here when asking questions

[celticbass1]

This summer will be my 18th or 19th year of fishing in Canada and with the exception of our first year we have never purchased or used live minnows for our fishing. I have very rarely been skunked, probably never for an entire day and I have had multiple 100 plus fish days for walleye and a few days of 50 plus pike. I use almost exclusively 1/8th, and 1/4 ounce jigs with 3 inch curly tail grubs, swimmin minnows, and tube jigs and for pike I use spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps. So save all the money, buy some good plastics and don't spend a dime on live bait.

[Muskie Bob]

Thanks for the info on Eagle Lake Tackleman. I have heard a lot of good things about the lake but before I spend my money I like to hear from folks who have fished the lake. I am not worried about the cost of the minnows. It is more of a principle that with the cost of a guide, ( I have been to Canada on 11 trips and used a guide on 10 of them and always will) and giving a generous tip, I think the lodge should furnish the guide with his bait, particularly as was noted on a post that they were dumping the left over minnows out when getting back to the dock. I typically budget to spend $2500-$3500 for my fishing trips. Would it bother me to buy a guide a dozen minnows per day? Not at all. But at the end of the week I also don't want to see another $75 or more on my ticket for guide bait and throw aways of perfectly good bait. If it is cutomary however that that is what most lodges do I will just suck it up and budget for it. I have not done alot of walleye fishing as I have been going too far noth usually to be in walleye waters. The 3 lodges I did go to where we walleye fished, 2 lodges you only paid for what the fisherman used and at the other there was a charge for the guides bait. What bothered me was I wasn't told about it in advance and I am not into surprises... maybe I should have asked about it but it never occurred to me since that was the first time it had happened. Live and learn!

What time of year do you fish Eagle Lake? I would go the first week in July.

Wow, you're crying over something that you regret not standing up and saying.......I'm not paying for that, I wasn't told in advance.
Based on what you say you spend, I would guess the extra expense wouldn't have been a problem if the fishing had been good.

I'm like you. I don't like to see a charge I didn't feel was a part of my bill. However, that is between you and the last resort you stayed at.

Based on your budget of $2500-$3500, you probably exceed many of those who are trying to give you some advice. So, ask those who spend that kind of money for what????

Personally, I think you should start another topic looking for American plans at resorts offering the fishing you are looking for....including the month you are wanting to go.

Basically, in my opinion, you are a waste of time......and I'm beginning to see why you have a hard time finding someone to share a trip to Canada. Good luck in finding what you really want...

[Obabikon]

As an owner... most of my guides (including myself) throw in a dozen or two over what gets charged.


If it's that big of a deal, maybe the guides should start taking their own minnow buckets. I've never had a guest complain about this practice, but that doesn't mean they don't.

[stevie]

midwest fisherman,

thanks much for the consideration.appreciate it much.
i am available 24/7 to answer any and all of your questions/concerns at 888 727 5865 or info@andymyerslodge.com ,also on page 9 of this forum is a recent post with many replys regarding the quality of the guides,the fishery,and how we take care of our guests.
on the fishing report board at www.andymyerslodge.com if you go back through the season's postings you will also find many postings by guests and thier comments,it is an interactive board and you can personally e-mail them for questions/comments in addition to reasearch and fishing reports if you'd like.

just to recap and answer to your concerns using bait.;any and all your concerns are important to us.
on the a/p pkg guests are allowed 2 doz per day per person guided or on your own.
a few resorts like us incl bait as part of a pkg. many do not anymore. it is not a revenue for us it is a service supplied to our guests and i go to great lenghts to have the best fresh live bait delivered each a.m. to give our guests the best opportunity at catching fish. at most times we have on hand at least 2-3 diff sizes and types of minnows/suckers,leeches,and crawlers.
basically we charge what we pay for them and give scoops per doz som it's always more and with the daily losses it ends up costing us money,lots by year end, but our guests will have the best available.
when on guide dates the bait used by the guide while instructing and helping you catch fish is and has always been part of it. most days guides will take from 8-12 doz along just in case and the way the bite has been past few years many days using most of them.if there is bait left upon request we mark the bucket with the appropriate cabin # and put it in the minnow take for your use the next time out.
to be honest i've guided for 25+ yrs in wi and canada,fished on vacations (and usually with guides/charter boats when i do if i've not been there before or it's a locale/species foriegn to me) all over north america,south america,mexco,and diff oceans and honestly have never seen it any other way. my last concern was never worring about extra bait if/when we got to the point we were catching so many fish we went over what i anticipated,i would be looking for more.as quickly as possible or we always take more than what we figure just in case.
in the whole scheme of things it is a very small amount really especially when the guide takes pride in hisw day and is trying to do a professinal job and his best for you instructing,experimenting to find the best presentations,handing the rod off when he gets a bite to kids,wives,or inexperienced fishermen so they are catching more fish and having a better experience.

thanks though for bringing to light a concern i honestly had not considered as being an issue,but really it's very simple,if it is a major issue to you all you have to do is bring it up and i'm sure we could arrive at an agreement,or make a bigger allowance to cover what the guide would use during the day,we're easy to get along with and aim to please.

thanks and good fish'n to all!!
steve herbeck
AML

[MidWestFishman]

Your comment:

"Basically, in my opinion, you are a waste of time......and I'm beginning to see why you have a hard time finding someone to share a trip to Canada. Good luck in finding what you really want."

Nice gratuitous assertion there Bob. I value the opinions on here but must say I found no value in your post at all, just sarcasm and a cutting edge. I was tempted to respond in like manner but will not bandy words with someone of your demeanor

I do however wish you good fishing and hope you get a lifetime trophy this season. I wouldn't wish poor fishing on anyone no matter what.

[MidWestFishman]

Thank you for the post Steve. I know you are very busy as a lodge owner and appreciate you taking the time to furnish information.

I will definitely give serious consideration to your lodge. The American plan fits well within my budget and there is a LOT of posts on here praising your lodge and you as an owner and involved operator and also your guides. Take care and thanks for the info

[stevie]

old school,
thanks for the positive comments/compliments and in response to the issues you indicated about the bait i answered to midwest fisherman,sorry i forgot to address your friend's issue about the kids 30% disc. so i will here for you and all for clarifications sake.
if and when asked or quoting kids pricing which goes anywhere from 30% disc to n/c depending upon age and which pkg it is always explained it is the accom. and meals or part of the pkg. if it wasn't understood my apoligeeze but it would be very hard to for anyone to disc a guide trip or a fly-in which is part of a pkg 30% which are all hard cost services.
pure and simple,there isn't 30% there on those services.
on the hskpg pkg the accom is disc 30%-100% depending on age,meals if on the A/P are all also still incl,still gets the bait and gas part of the pkg,still gets to go on any guide dates just the guide date is not discounted 30%, fly-ins are charged to me and or anyone else by the fly-in service at distance and # of seats on the plane,it does not make any diff. what age and is done purely as a service to enhance a trip with little or no profit.
on the father /son special pkg ,kids regardless of age are figured in at 50% so in a sense the additonal guide dates and fly-in incl in the pkg are also discounted somewhat.

may your photo card be full this season!!!