Your 1st ever Canada Trip: Where and with Who?

[Bill Krejca]

First trip was in 1939, I was 11 months old at the time. Went to LOW, Turtle Portage Camp, with my parents. First of around 130 trips north. Trying to get back north again this year, we'll see.

Bill

[Walleye2242]

1979 I was 7 years old. My dad and grandpa and a group of about 10 went to Clay Lake. North Star Lodge. Man what a trip. Caught a 10lb pike. Caught fish all week. Shore lunches and the scenery. I was hooked. 48 now and still going.

[kona77]

Some great stories here.. Really enjoyed the comments from HoosierCanadian.. My first trip was with my wife and brother to Ghost River Camp in 1989.. First fly-in was to Plumtree Lake (Northern MB) in 1994.. That trip really hooked me on the whole Canadian fly-in experience and have not missed a year since then.. The solitude, the fishing, the smell of the air, the beauty, the wildlife , the first taste of a walleye fillet, sitting on the pier at night fishing and listening to loons, the endless supply of laughs with family and great friends.. etc. etc.. No doubt some of the best/memorable times of my life and man do I miss it !!!!!!!!!!!! I know the W/C community understands .. Hope we all get to experience again in 2021..

[tv4fish]

Some good stories, guys.

Back in 1985 I had just bought a brand new Bass Tracker V-17 "Guide Special" boat with a "Classic 50" Merc motor from Bass Pro down in Springfield, MO.

My 2 fishing buddies and I drove down from Mpls. to pick up the boat from the factory.

We had attended many fishing shows that used to be held at the Thunderbird hotel in Bloomington, MN. and had talked to quite a few camp owners from Canada.

We decided to try the Red Pine Resort that Tony Small owned at the time. SOOOO - we drive up there and check in - I will never forget Tony taking out his lake maps and marking them - he used a "W" for walleye hot spots, a "N" for northerns, "S" for smallmouth, etc.

We were anxious as heck to try these spots on Abrams and Minnitaki.

Obviously we were "brand new" to Canadian fishing - no GPS, etc. so what do we do - we promptly get lost on our first day out We had 3 different "opinions" on where we were and how to get back to our cabin!!

With pure "dumb luck" we finally got back to the top of the "chutes" and spotted the resort. To complicate matters - we had run out of gas (only had the 6 gallon container) and had to use the bow mount trolling motor to get back to the dock.

Guys, you just can't make up stories like this !!!

Needless to say - we have persisted to return for all these years. I have known these other 2 yahoos since grade school and have looked forward to getting together with them for our annual week every year. One of the year's highlights, for sure.

We ARE getting older and know that one of these years will be our last trip. That fact is something that NONE of us are looking forward to.

[maddogg]

First lake was LOW in 1967 went with high school graduating class for 1 week.
First fly in 1976 to Maskara Lake with Slate Falls Outpost.

[Mojo-NC]

I fished the Rhinelander, Tomahawk, Minoqua area of WI every year from about age 12 through my 20's, but always dreamed about fishing Canada. College, grad school, and life continued to get in my way. Fast forward to 2002. I talked a couple of friends from NC into going to Canada with me - neither had ever heard of a walleye, northern pike or musky before then.

We booked a trip to Reid's Birch Island Resort in Minaki for a week. Talk about nice - breakfast and dinner provided in the lodge every day, and a shore lunch prepared by our guide right on shore wherever we were at the time when we got hungry for lunch. We caught lots of small eater walleyes but no really good ones. The smallmouth bass fishing was phenomenal, and both of my buddies caught larger muskies than my previous best from WI (38" and 43") - go figure. Lots of hammer-handle pike were also caught. We had such a good time we recruited a colleague originally from MI and a bunch of his friends and family for the following year. We went to a lake lodge near Ear Falls that wasn't as fancy but the quality of walleye fishing was better. The rest is history. We've continued going every year or every other year ever since then.

Our first fly-in was last September.

[port1042]

My first trip to Canada was in about 1985 or thereabouts. 4 nights, 3 days fishing at a lodge on Eagle Lake. I don't recall the name but it was not too far from Dryden. I went with my father-in-law and 2 brothers-in-law. None of us were real fisherman but we had a good time. Just two of us are still around. My 2nd trip was in the fall 2012 to Perrault Falls, ON. If were not for the border closing I would have made my 14th trip to Perrault Lake last May. Hopefully I'll do that in September. If not, we'll hope to be back in the spring. Stay safe!

[drlee]

1987. I was 42. Took my son with me age 16. Spent a week on Eagle Lake with Ron Booi sr, and Ron Booi jr. We were total rookies, but had a blast. Walleyes and Northerns were plentiful. Ron sr had lost his camp in a divorce and bought this one, and we were there for his first year. He sold the camp a year or two later and we stayed there for several more years with the new owners, the Gold family. (Deer Trail Lodge) Gave up on Eagle later due to it being essentially fished out. Over the next 32 years I fished 26 different lakes in Northern Ontario. The last 15 years I have narrowed down to two lakes in the Ignace/Pickle Lake area, Pashkokogan (Austin's Wilderness Fishing Lodge) and Press Lake Camp. Retired, I spend about a month between these two lakes. BTW, Ron Booi sr used to travel with All Canada shows and filet walleyes with a broad axe.

[packpro]

1998. We only had a group of four on that first trip. A friend who ended up becoming a great friend organized the trip. It was an adventure. Flew from Milwaukee to IF. The last leg from MSP to IF was through a high wind/lighting storm in a pro[p plane. Lost altitude a few times. Rented sub compacts in IF. Almost hit a Moose on 502. Had a fantastic week of fishing, adventure, laughs, and camaraderie at Big Canon Lake Lodge. Our leader passed away just a few years ago. I fished with him on his last day in camp. We fished a remote portage lake. One of the last fish he caught was a 40 Northenr Pike. If jumped a few times and made some very long runs. SO much fun. A year after he passed we scattered his ashes on that exact spot. This was to be our 23rd year and we still have our fingers crossed for a September trip Have to get back to visit an old friend.

[elkman99]

My neighbors took me to Skyline Lodge in Perrault Falls in 1985 and was 12yrs old. Best friends Grandpa had owned it in the past (Snokes Skyline Lodge). During our stay there we boated from the public ramp near Onaway Lodge on Lac Seul to Vaughn Bay in a tri-hull with a 65hp motor. What a loooong trip! But fishing was amazing! Went two more times with the neighbors and stayed on Wabaskang and Onaway Lodge on Lac Seul. Have been in Love with Canada ever since.