Savant Lake or Lac Seul

[Grandpa Steve]

I have been browsing through this forum and I'm interested in what sort of experiences anglers have had fishing either of these lakes? I've noticed quite a few posts on Lac Seul and the great walleye fishing people have had, but then, somebody asked about Lake Savant and when looking at the fishing reports on that lake I saw that anglers caught similar numbers & quality sized "eyes" along with several 40+ inch northerns and double digit lake trout. If you could fish one or the other which lake would you choose and why? Is there significantly less pressure on Savant? Is there a huge difference in price for a weeks stay? I'm sure that there are a number of quality resorts on Lac Seul what are the cabins like on Savant? Indoor plumbing?(ie: showers, bathrooms,kitchens etc.) I haven't been to Canada in a couple of years and we used to camp in the Quetico, but with our group aging (all but 1 are grandpa's now) we agree that it might be time to relax more on a trip instead of the work involved with camping.(having a cold one at night with dinner sounds good too :-)) Thanks for your help in our search for a 2006 trip!!!

[Pooch]

Let me see if I can help.

I've never fished Lac Seul. With that said this is what I think.

Lac Seul is considered a top notch fishery. Very large open water and subject to wind and waves. Similar to Lake Erie, shallow and wide open. From my buddies experience it can turn mean on you fairly quickly. Some of the nicest fish each year seem to come from Lac Seul. Drive in camps abound and since no flying is involved prices are attractive.

Lake Savant is much smaller but still pretty big water and it can be intimidating at times. There are two camps on the lake. Wildewood and Cliff and Roma's. Wildewood is the camp we have stayed at for years and is located in the south arm of the lake. Cliff and Roma's is more centrally located. Wildewood appears to be the nicer of the two camps and seems to have better boats and motors. The owner, Richard is super fussy about his equipment and everything runs like a fine tuned watch. If you are reckless or uncaring with his equipment he will get on your case. I don't think "rowdies" are welcome or tolorated. He works hard to give you excellent equipment and he deserves to have it treated with respect. Broken equipment is very expensive to repair and not real convienient to get parts for.

Wildewood cabins have no running water but a central well is located in the center of the camp. It is on a spring, tested and filtered. Best water you will ever drink. Each cabin has it's own outhouse and they are clean and as good as any outhouse as you will find. All are fairly new. A central shower is used by all in the camp and that has never been a problem. They run a fairly decent sized generator 24-7. Cabins have wood burners for heat. Cabins have an electric fridge and a gas stove. I'd rate the cabins at least average or above. I think there are five or six cabins. This is a well run camp.

Fishing on Savant is good if you have at least some Canadian fishing experience. It is a great lake if you are a thinking fishermen and like finding fish. Yes, there are pretty consistant spots all over the lake, but the fish move more on this lake than others I have fished. You have to be flexable and adaptive to stay on fish all week. This is not a lake to "fish memories" on.

Like I said, I'm not familier with Cliff and Roma's camps. Maybe someone will speak up and give us both information.

Pooch

[Grandpa Steve]

Pooch, thanks for the info on Lake Savant & Wildewood resort. Can I ask when you normally go on your trip? What is the approximate costs of the flight in & out? Is the lake full of water hazards? I'd hate to ruin a motor(and our vacation) by hitting an unknown stump or rock:-( . Are there enough "hotspots" to fish without crowding anyone? Do you know of a website for Cliff & Roma's resort? If it becomes windy can you find productive areas in secluded bays or are the best spots in the main lake? Sorry for all the questions, but, we have done the "tent camping trip" into the Quetico for about the last 20 years so finding the "right resort" is becoming quite a project. Again, thanks for your insight/opinion on Lake Savant!!

[Pooch]

For prices you can go to his website. He is about the same as other fly-ins. Flying with Rusty Meyers out of Savant runs about $160. Flying Art Latto (located just north of RM) is less expensive and this will be our first year flying with them. We will see if they are any different than RM's service.

We go the end of July and stay a couple weeks. (Die hards!) Wildewood has an excellent depth map of the lake and most all hazards are marked but, like any lake the water level changes and hazards come and go as the water goes up and down.

Last year I hit a rock that was marked on his map. Killed the prop and bent the shaft. First time in almost thirty trips over the border that I ever damaged a boat. My fault and cost me $350. His insurance picked up the rest. He knows that stuff like this is going to happen and didn't seem overly concerned. My embarrasment was evident.

Crowding is not any concern. Some days you may not see another boat until evening when everyone fishes the narrows area. It is sort of fun watching everyone pull fish after fish into thier boats. Everyone catches fish and it is a good way to finish out the evening.

I have never seen any ad or web site for Cliff and Roma's. I'll search for them again and if I locate them I'll email you.

You can always get out of the wind to fish. With that said, We seek out windy areas (within reason) to fish. Depends on how much "abuse" you can take!

Email me if you have any more questions. We fish a couple of lakes each year and this one happens to be the most interesting.

Pooch
pigpooch@verizon.net

[Pooch]

For prices you can go to his website. He is about the same as other fly-ins. Flying with Rusty Meyers out of Savant runs about $160. Flying Art Latto (located just north of RM) is less expensive and this will be our first year flying with them. We will see if they are any different than RM's service.

We go the end of July and stay a couple weeks. (Die hards!) Wildewood has an excellent depth map of the lake and most all hazards are marked but, like any lake the water level changes and hazards come and go as the water goes up and down.

Last year I hit a rock that was marked on his map. Killed the prop and bent the shaft. First time in almost thirty trips over the border that I ever damaged a boat. My fault and cost me $350. His insurance picked up the rest. He knows that stuff like this is going to happen and didn't seem overly concerned. My embarrasment was evident.

Crowding is not any concern. Some days you may not see another boat until evening when everyone fishes the narrows area. It is sort of fun watching everyone pull fish after fish into thier boats. Everyone catches fish and it is a good way to finish out the evening.

I have never seen any ad or web site for Cliff and Roma's. I'll search for them again and if I locate them I'll email you.

You can always get out of the wind to fish. With that said, We seek out windy areas (within reason) to fish. Depends on how much "abuse" you can take!

Email me if you have any more questions. We fish a couple of lakes each year and this one happens to be the most interesting.

Pooch
pigpooch@verizon.net