OH CANADA! Ontario Fishing Guides, Muskie, Walleye and Pike on the Fly!

Oh Canada!

As I sit and reflect on the last two weeks of my fishing adventures from my home base on the narrows of Wabigoon, Ontario, I am struck most of all by the sheer vastness of fishing domain in just this little area.  Wabigoon Lake boasts 26,000 acres of fishing and Dinorwic Lake offers 17 miles of wildnerness with no homes on 99% of the lake!  On top of all of that, both Wabigoon and Dinorwic are connected to eight lakes without portages and have a total of 60,000 acres and more than 300 islands!  The land surrounding these waters is mostly what they call Crown Land, which is still held in trust by the Queen for the people of Canada, or it's native land Indian reserves. 

I tried my luck fly fishing around the wild rice just out in front of home base (my parent's home on the Narrows) with my dad, but didn't truly get the full flavor of fishing until I went out fishing with some great friends and good people, the Bilsbarrows.

With my famous fishing guides, Mike and Marilyn Bilsbarrow of MidWest Outdoors(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s6y1qDX4LM), we spent a full day catching northern, perch, muskie and most of all  walleye in some of the most beautiful waters of Canada.  Although fly fishing isn't "the thing" in this part of Canada, we had great success off the boat.  I love to fly fish in unconvenitional areas!  Mike gave me some insight on where to catch these amazing creatures and it's obvious that his years of experience on these waters pays off. 

What struck me the most was that these waters, although a great vast fishing ground, were not busy with fishermen!  We traveled for a long time without seeing a boat most of the time!  Mike guided us to what looked like "the perfect place" and no sooner did Mike, Marilyn and I wet our lines and fish were on!  It was like a feeding frenzy on the water!  SO much fun!

After we caught our share of fish and the fillets were cleaned and on ice, Mike took me back to shore where I met up with Marilyn and the rest of my family for shore lunch!  Cooked over the open fire, Mike made the walleye and perch we kept, beans in a can and traditional potatoes and onions!  Marilyn provided her famous homemade coleslaw and the fish never tasted so good!

I urge you to check out Mike's Canadian adventures in MidWest Outdoors and fish these amazingly beautiful waters and see for yourself!

Fishing the Narrows of Dryden, Ontario

Dryden may be the hometown of Chris Pronger, but around here fishing for walleye and muskie is the name of the game!  Touted to be the #1 place for combined walleye and muskie fishing in the world (yes, that's the claim!) the Narrows between Lake Wabigoon and Lake Dinorwic has been home for the last week.  I have to say, fishing has been a little slow even by the local's standards, but with the help of Huber's Lone Pine Lodge (check them out at http://www.huberslodge.com/) I've found some quaint little streams and have done some great lake fishing! 

Funny thing is, tell people you're going to fly fish the area and they look at you like you have a third eye.  However, as any true flygirl (or guy) knows, where there are fish, you can fly fish.  It just might not be in the traditioinal, stand in the stream or drift boat kind of way.

When fishing the Narrows or the lakes connected by the Narrows, I've found mouse flies seem to be the food of choice, but don't discount the large muskie flies in orange green and red yellow patterns.  I've been using a wire tippet which seems to be doing the job against the big teeth of these predators. 

If you find yourself in Dryden (two hours straight north of International Falls, MN), check out Huber's and wet your line in Lake Wabigoon at the weed line (or wild rice line!).  You won't be disappointed! 

Great Lakes Fly Shop

On the way to the Canadian bound waters of Dryden, Ontario, I stopped along the way at the local fly shop of John Fehnel in Duluth, MN.  What a place!  Right in the middle of renovating and moving to a new location, I was still right at home!  As you walk in the front door, you see picture upon picture of some amazing catches!

Look around and it doesn't take long to realize that John knows what he's talking about in the waters of his backyard.  You will find John personable and knowledgeable.  After a little fish-talk, we got right down to it and John quickly showed me his picks for the pike and walleye I hope to find in the Narrows of Wabigoon.  After some wire tippet and a few flies later (not to mention a new Great Lakes Fly bumper sticker), my daughters and I were on our way toward the "Oh Ya Hey!" waters of Ontario.

If you are ever in the area, John's fly shop can be found at 4431 E. Superior Street, Duluth, MN (www.greatlakesflys.com)!

Fish on!  <>>><

The Mighty Huron!

Being relatively new to the Ann Arbor area, my first experiences with the Huron River were much more promising than I expected!  Kudos to the Huron River Watershed Council for cleaning up the river.  I have to say, I've been impressed and find this river now my home port.

On at least a biweekly basis, I leave work at the Kellogg Eye Center and jump in the Huron down at Nichols Arboretum.  Great river for smallies!  Early on in the season the river was high and at times unfishable, but now it's thoroughly enjoyable.  Being a vertically challenged woman has its disadvantages against a strong current, but I haven't found this to be a problem.

This last week the hex hatch has been in full swing with some of my fellow flymen ripping the lips of 13+ a piece out of the river a night!    Although I personally believe a good fisherperson can catch fish under any condition, it sure does help when the fish are jumping and it looks like it's snowing out!

Fish on <>>><