Please read this fishing report (Adobe )

The Attawapiskat
River Adventure
Our adventure started
on Thursday May 30th.
Chris and I woke early to get the car packed and hit the road, both of us eager to
leave the city behind and start our 2 day drive north along the shores of Georgian
Bay and Lake Superior, which might be one of the most beautiful drives in the world.
After a solid 10 hr drive we stopped for the night at a motel in White River. It
seemed every night for the next 10 days that all my dreams revolved around
monster Northern Pike in some way or another.
Friday morning we hit the road again, expecting an easy 6 hr drive into Nakina.
The weather had changed overnight quite dramatically, the temperature had
dropped about 10 degrees and it rained most of the night and continued to do so
for most of the day. I had decided to take a different route this year than last
as I had been told it was a much more interesting drive along the shores of the
great lakes. So on a map it looked like a nice 2hr drive north through the country
up to HWY 11. What I didn’t realize was that the route I planned was to take place
on what was essentially a logging road and the 2 hr trip turned into a 4hr drive
on a dirt road which had many sections virtually washed out and deep ruts
throughout from the abuse of weighed down 18 wheelers full of timber. My sedan
was definitely not built for the abuse we were about it to put it through. It was
too late to turn around and after a brief discussion we decided to press on and
hope for the best. We passed only one car in the 4hrs and when I say car, I mean
4 wheel drive pick up, and as we slowly passed each other there seemed to be a
look of bewilderment on their faces, which gave us a bit of a chuckle. The only
other signs of life we saw on this part was a young lumberjack, who stuck his
head out from underneath a tarp he was using to keep dry. He was waiting by the
railroad track with his gear and he gave us a friendly wave and smile as we went
by. Finally, we made it back to a paved road and sense of relief had hit us both.
We pulled into Geraldton an hour or two later and we stopped at the last grocery
store we would encounter to stock up on food and supplies for the week ahead.
Soon we arrived in Nakina and Twin Lakes Outfitters where we would stay for our
final night before the real trip would begin in the morning.
The weather at this point was downright
cold and rainy, and after looking at the
weather reports we weren’t sure we
would be able to fly out in the morning.
We arrived at the Nakina air base the next morning, certain we wouldn’t be flying
out today as the visibility and ceiling were terrible. They told us it would be up
to the pilot’s discretion, and after meeting Bruce our pilot, he quickly told us we
would indeed be flying that morning. I’m not sure if I was happy or not about this
to be honest, but nonetheless we weighed our gear and got ready for a bumpy
flight. We soon met the 4 Americans who would be joining us for the 7 day trip
to Eddie North’s Attawapiskat River Adventures. There was Tom, Alex, Dave and
Nathan, and we couldn’t have asked for a better crew to share the week with. The
plane was loaded and we were ready to depart.
We were all in a great mood as you tend to be
at the start of an epic journey with lots of the
unknown ahead.
The flight was about an hour and
a half and Bruce needed to mow
the treetops the whole way due
to such poor visibility.
Beteau Lake,
a truly magical
place where Eddie has built a
little piece of heaven.
We would soon have a smooth landing on a widening of the Attawapiskat River
called Beteau Lake, a truly magical place where Eddie has built a little piece of
heaven. After our arrival and unloading the plane we learned that a party of 5
guys would also be joining us for the week at camp as the plane they were in
could not safely land and dock at Richter Lake. Eddie had plenty of room and the 11
of us soon become good friends. There wasn’t a dull moment with this group, and
we truly had a great time together, with lots of shenanigans along the way. Here
is a shot of the whole group together.
The conditions
started off
pretty rough.
There was a cold front that had moved in the day before, and the water was about
4-5 feet higher than when I was here last year due to a late ice out. So my “go to”
spots from last year would soon become irrelevant and we would have to form
a new game plan about tactics and location for these huge toothy critters. We
headed out with jackets and toques and new game plan excited for what we could
find. We soon got into some decent pike the first night.
We caught about 10 pike for the
evening,
including a 38”, and a 40” and given the conditions we were pretty happy about
the prospects for the week. Chris had pretty limited pike and walleye experience
so he was about to set a new personal best each day. After a long day we headed
back to camp to get a warm meal, and share a few drinks with everyone. Needless
to say we all stayed up late trading tall tales about the one that got away and
listening to some camp guitar.
The next morning on day 2 was a bit of a rude
awakening. The temperature had dropped even
lower, just above freezing and we were in for a
rough day on the water. We packed our lunch and
looked at the map and formed our game plan for the
day. The fishing was very tough to say the least as
we dealt with freezing hands and a slow bite for
most of the day.
This would have to be the first time I’ve been out
fishing on June 2nd in the SNOW!?!
No large fish were caught this day but it gave
us a chance to explore upriver and look at what
kind of water conditions we would be dealing
with for the week. The bays that produced last
year looked almost unrecognizable. The water
was way back into the timber, and we were
trying to figure out a pattern about where the
big gators would be hanging out. We called it a
day and made the long cold trip back to camp,
eager to warm up in front of a wood burning
stove. We were in for a treat upon our return
as Eddie had planned for a big group meal in
the main lodge. We had steak, venison, and P.E.I
lobster as well as some home made P.E.I red wine
that Eddie makes with his dad. What a feast!
Eddie is one of the nicest guys you will ever
meet. He will make you feel like you’ve known
him for years and you will feel right at home
while at his camp.
A little pre dinner
music.
We welcomed day 3 with open arms, as the cold front had lifted and a stable warm
front had moved in. The water temps warmed up as did the fishing. Needless to say
we were very excited to see the sun.
We started the day off casting back bays with inline bucktails and spinner baits, and
it didn’t take long to figure out the pike were back in the flooded timber and bushes,
very shallow. Chris would soon get his personal best (for now), a nice 40”.
The fishing was fast and furious as it was clear the pike
were on the feed after 3 days
of being shut down.
Towards the end of the day, it
was my turn to get my personal
best. A 47” toothy beast.
We decided to call it a day, satisfied with
the day’s catch. The drive back was
beautiful as always.
June 4th brought another beautiful day of sunshine, and everyone in camp was going
to try for some walleye this day so we could have a proper fish fry this night. Chris
and I hadn’t targeted walleye much so far this trip as the allure of chasing big pike
was too great. Seems we were a little rusty but still managed a few for the stringer.
We made it back to camp having caught
no large gators, but lots of small to
medium sized pike and some walleye.
All the boats started making their way
back to camp with each bringing more
No time was wasted in the fish hut as most of the guys were experts with a filet knife.
Soon the deep fryers were turned on for
some deep fresh fish and potatoes.
There is nothing in this world like sharing a
meal of fresh walleye with some good friends
and tell stories about the day’s catch.
Especially in a place so remote and beautiful as Beteau Lake on the Attawapiskat
River. Eddie has an extensive knowledge of this great place, and it’s truly
interesting to hear about the history here. The river flows 750 kilometers
unimpeded through the Hudson Bay lowlands into James Bay, and had a history of
ancient Indian communities dating back to 3000 BC and fur-trading sites from the
beginning of the 1800’s that led to the exploration of the north.
June 5 was Flotilla day. Eddie had planned
for the whole camp to head up river together
and explore some new water.
Today Chris and I planned to sharpen our walleye skills. So when we got upriver,
we reviewed the map with Eddie to come up with a game plan for the day.
It wasn’t long before we got
into some fish.
It was really nice to get
out as a group together.
Now this has to be one of the most bizarre stories, I have ever
heard. Nathan and Dave had a stringer out the back of the boat,
when a pike decided to attack one of the walleye. It held on long
enough for Dave to bear hug it and lift it into the boat.
Everyone had a great time upriver, and as a camp we brought back
a lot of walleye for another night’s supper.
Our last day was fast approaching and we were
determined to make the most of our final two days.
The day started
sunny and
beautiful,
and Chucky wanted a visit and some food
before we left. The local wildlife seemed to
want to play today, but the fish did not.
The weather
soon changed for
the worse, which cut our day
a little bit short.
Well, it was finally here,
our last day of fishing.
I made a quick prayer to the fishing gods that morning, and they seemed to have been
listening. We hit it hard, casting the shoreline all day. If I wasn’t going to catch any
monster pike, I was going to make sure my hand was at least sore from casting. Towards
the late afternoon, the bite picked up all of a sudden. We were rewarded with a couple
absolute brutes.....
Both
measuring
in at
46.5”
,
one at 19
lbs, and
the other
at
25lbs
.
I’ll let
the
pictures
speak for
themselves.
It was really nice to get
out as a group together.
!!!!
What a way to end the trip
y
Our time had come to sa
ace.
goodbye this magical pl
t
There is something abou
spending time with good
people in this wild and
s
natural setting that seem
to do the soul good.
r
a
e
y
t
x
e
Until n
in
This river will forever be
t the
my mind as I dream abou
d what
next adventure there an
.
swims below the surface
Matt Jones
905.484.2291
om
[email protected]
m
www.fishinginthewild.co