A few years back, I found myself in Northwest Ontario, drifting aimlessly on Cedar Lake, over prime muskie water at the end of a weeklong adventure with three best friends. Leaning back in my boat chair, with my feet kicked up, I was enjoying the remnants of a Sancho Panza cigar trying to muster up the energy for just a few more casts.
The trip had been incredible…three cousins and I caught a few hundred walleye, I had hooked and lost the largest muskie I’d ever seen and we survived a severe thunderstorm out on the water. But what stands out most about this trip was the price; we had paid under $500 each for 7 days cabin and boat/motor/gas rental.
When most anglers think of a fishing trip to Canada their first thought is “I can’t afford to fish in Canada”. Well I’m here to tell you “The Price is Right”. As I learned on that trip to Cedar Lake – seldom does the cost of a trip equate to the enjoyment.
If you are willing to bring and cook your own food and clean up afterwards and better yet, bring your own boat …you’ll be stunned how affordable a Canadian adventure can be. And, if you are willing to drive deep into the Canadian wilderness the fishing will be world-class as well.
Here are just a couple examples:
Saskatchewan –
Slims Camp on the famous Churchill River near the Manitoba border. You can drive into the remote camp that offers world-class fishing for walleye and pike. This is a clean, well run operation offering everything an angler needs. $600 each for five days cabin and boat/motor rental.
Manitoba –
Caribou lodge on Quesnel Lake offers great drive-in fishing for walleye, northern pike, smallmouth and perch and again a nice clean camp with great fishing within easy reach of Winnipeg at $680 for five days.
Ontario – on the trip I referenced above for $500, we stayed at
Keystone Lodge on Cedar Lake just north of Vermilion Bay. Cedar is easy to fish and offers something for everyone, walleye, northern, muskie, smallmouth and perch and Keystone has the best location of any lodge on the lake. That 7-day trip including cabin and boat/motor/gas will now set you back $550.
Quebec – Check out
Lake Ogascanan Lodge near the Ontario border, it requires a long drive-in on a gravel road but is worth the trip. Excellent hosts and a very nice camp, this is the only lodge on the lake and good catch and release practices have improved the walleye fishing over the years.
If you are reading this blog…it’s a given that fishing is a passion of yours, but have you given serious consideration to heading north of the border for a true wilderness adventure? For many anglers their first thought is, “I don’t have the money.” Maybe you just haven’t researched all the options that are available. If you bring your own boat you could even get that cost under 400 bucks.
Now’s the perfect time to get started planning an adventure for 2013. See you in Canada!
Joel Prunty is the president of
Fishulo,llc and is passionate about using his expertise in Canadian wilderness travel to assist anglers and hunters in planning adventures of their very own.