Where do I begin…..it’s always been my plan to one day make it to Nipigon and fish for trophy Brook Trout, in fact small stream Brookies were one of the first fish I avidly targeted. Catching 6-12 inch Brookies was always a treat when I was a kid; there was nothing better to me. Growing up, I had read many articles and books on Brook Trout and they all pointed to one magical place, Nipigon. It’s been on the bucket list of things to do before I die. At the age of 29, I made it a reality.
I met my friend Dan on our Attawapiskat River trip last year, salt of the earth type of guy, we got along great all week and our friendship began. It just so happened that Dan had recently moved up to Thunder Bay and one of his passions was catching Brookies. Dave, Dan and I put some plans on the table to do a trip up there and after countless telephone conversations and planning we decided that Mid-July would be our time to be up on Nipigon. Not the most ideal time but it was still exciting to say the least.
Dave and I flew with Porter Airline from Billy Bishop to Thunder Bay on the Thursday night; I must say, Porter knows customer service. Huge lounges, free beer, snacks and drinks. I wish all airlines would do business this way. Next time I have a flight to one of their destinations, I will 100% fly with them again.
When we arrived Dan had picked us up and we were ready for the ride back to his place. When we got there we were greeted with a beautiful new home that Dan and his wife recently purchased; couldn’t have asked for better accommodations. (Where else can you get views of Superior, almost 5,000 square feet on 6 acres for less than half a mill). I envy Dan for that reason although I don’t think I could live up there permanently. I would miss my family way too much and there is no work up there for my wife and I. Sorry, getting off topic a bit.
When we arose from a good night’s sleep we had a bit of work to get through before we could ship out. With Dan just moving in, and getting back from a family trip to Cuba there was a bit or organizing, fixing and packing to be done. We all put our heads down and with half a day’s work, the boat was fixed and loaded with gear and we were on our way to make a few last stops at the LCBO, Beer Store, Supermarket and Gas Station.
Our original plan was to fish out of South Bay but on some guidance of one of Dan’s friends we ended up fishing a different spot and finding a camp site on an island. As we get to the launch, we know it’s getting late, we have a huge run. We made our way out and with the boat 6” above water and going at a snail’s pace (8kph). Winds started to pick up as we made our way through the opening of the bay and we knew we were going to get wet. Dave and I rifled through our bags and put on our rain suits. With night falling and not a decent camp site in plain view, it was going to be tough to navigate to our island and find a decent beach. Nipigon is not known for its camp sites no matter what map you look at. Luckily, as the moon started to rise, we found a decent beach and popped up a shelter for us to just hop in and sleep. We would set up shop in the morning as we were all exhausted from the long day.
Dan was nervous about this camp site but I thought it would make for a good place to call home for the next 8 days.
As morning came, we got up, not with enthusiasm, but with the chore of setting up all of our equipment. It seemed as though no one had ever camped here and there was no clearings near the shore that would indicate prior visitors. Luckily, Dan had brought his chain saw so he quickly got to work, making a clearing for our tent. It took some time but we finally got everything set up from our tent, to our kitchen and even a nice spot to read the newspaper. Here are some pictures of our casa.
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I love this idea that Dan had come up with. This wasn’t Dan’s first rodeo as you can see and a nice place to fax some paperwork was worth the extra bit of work.
At this point the lake is absolutely screaming at me, I’ve been dying to wet a line since we launched and it was now time to see what this lake had to offer. We were 3 in the boat so our plan was to do either 1 or 2 guys trolling and the other 1 or 2 guys would cast shoreline. Off we went in search of our prize, the infamous Nipigon Brookie. After about 1 hour of casting I had one really good follow from a nice Brookie, I was so excited that I yelled out “Holy Shit”, Dan jumps up and the fish darts off. Nobody’s fault but a good tip to anyone that has a follow from a fish, don’t get anyone else excited and don’t yell FISH! Whatever, live and learn; we had the rest of the week to catch these beauties so it was no sweat of my back. That fish did haunt my first nights dreams though. As we progressed around the island, I get a good smack on my little Mepps Wolf spoon. We are not in Pike territory so I’m thinking it’s a dandy. Low and behold and mid 30’s Pike. I was happy to put the first fish in the boat regardless. Here it is.
We all thought it was a decent fish……until later in the week when we discovered some serious toothy buggers. I’ll get to that in a bit.
We continued on and I was up again with a little speck, maybe about 14 inches or so, not the size of fish I wanted but what the heck, first Nipigon Brookie. I didn’t really care too much to bring it in the boat so I boat flipped it and it flung off anyway. Onward and upward. As we came out of one bay we saw a rock pile just a bit out of the bay so we did a troll over there. It was loaded with Pike and Dan had landed a nice one from that area.
As we progressed on, our goal was to still find some good Brookie water and before we knew it, we found a spot that screamed Brookie. As we casted along, Dave was reeling in and I see this Brookie come up behind his spoon…..the Brookie hesitates for a second and then gobbles it up. I thought it was cool enough to watch that happen and I was happy for Dave for getting his first Nipigon Brookie into the boat. What a beautiful fish! This one taped out to 21.5”.
You’ll have to forgive me as the trip was so long ago that I’ve probably mixed up my days but the order of fish will stay in the right order. Our next stop was another great spot. This was a bay within a bay. Bay #1 had a 6 foot deep rocky shoreline which bottomed out at 18 feet in the middle. Behind it, Bay #2, was this small swampy bay. Every time we stopped by, we saw Moose feeding. It didn’t seem to bother the Pike at all. Here are some shots of this spot.
As we start making our way out of Bay #1 I toss my Brookie spoon out and I see this massive Pike swim by, and completely miss my lure, unfortunately he ended up hitting my line….bit off. I tell Dave what just happened, and on his next cast, we land this nice fish over 40”.
This spot will re-appear a few more time in this report. Stay tuned! As night began to fall, we settled in to our new home and made ourselves a nice meal.
The following day we really wanted to put some Brookies in the boat, so we made our way around the other side of the island and today happened to be one of our best days for Brookies. As we trolled along Dan was the first to hook up….and then he did it again. All off of wind-blown shores. Here are some shots of his fish.
Now it was my turn and when this guy hit, I wanted it in the net asap. When it was scooped up and exclaimed ‘WOOOHOOOO!!!” I was on cloud nine, this was what the trip was about, getting my PB Brookie. Here it is.
As we saw small islands and rock piles off of the main island we would run out to fish around them, same style, cast and troll. Dave picked up this guy on the tip of the island. Another gorgeous Speck!
Back again to the main island, we kept trolling and casting and it was my turn once again picking up this guy on an old school Rapala Shad Rap in the holographic finish. Man was I pleased to get this girl in the boat. If there was a cloud 10, I was on it.
As we made our way around a bend and aiming toward a back bay, I picked up what at first I thought was a Brookie but ended up being this thing….I wasn’t happy but now I have caught a Carp on a Rattlin’ Rap and a Sucker on Shad Rap. Both, right in the mouth. Too funny!
We found our way into a nice harbor with a small creek flowing into the bay, memories of the Attawapiskat cam sweeping through my mind and we took out our Johnson’s (Silver Minnows that is), and began casting into the reeds. It was a Pike bonanza. These Pike were piled in, probably because of the really warm water. Almost every cast was a Pike. Nothing large like we would experience later in our trip but here are a few from this bay.
Tonight’s dinner was surf and turf, we kept a Pike, Dave sliced and diced it up and we were in business. Dave is probably one of the better filet guys I know. He de-bones Pike life he would a walleye and after comparing his way to Dan’s way, Dave’s way probably yielded 50% more meat and he doesn’t do anything fancy. He filet’s Pike just as would most other fish.
A couple scenic shots from our camp site.
On this trip we had brought 3 motors with us, which all ran into problems along the way. A little lovin’ and we got one of them working and the other was on its way out. Dave is one of the handiest guys I know, being introduced to boats and camping at a young age, he is well beyond my realm of knowledge. Often times I will call him for help first if I have an issue. What you gain from these trips is not only fishing memories; if you stop and pull back from fishing, you can learn a lot. The boys re-coiling the spring. We all helped with this.
The next few days had us in search of new water. We would hit spots that we saw or caught fish before but it was quickly on to virgin water. Unfortunately the Brookies would not come out to play until the end of our trip again but that didn’t matter, it was Pike Mecca. We would stop for shore lunch from time to time, always delicious. Dan had mentioned prior to the trip that the Pike up at Nipigon for some reason are better than any Walleye we’ve ever eaten. I was skeptical but he was right, the flesh was so tended and tasty. What a great way to break up this slow day of fishing.
Some more scenic shots.
Well, for the rest of our trip while in search of Brook Trout, fishing was extremely tough for them. We occasionally found ourselves in these bays loaded with Pike, and big ones. We easily landed 20 fish over 40”. Here are a few shots of one of the bays that had some tanks swimming around.
Let the Pike Boonanza begin. Our Pike spots were Pike spots! Just where you think fish should be, there were fish and thats how fishing should be. Here are some piggies. Dave landed this 42.5” monster, it had inhaled his lure and in a panic to save the fishes life, he stuck his hand down its throat and tried to get the lure out. I was in awe, not that Dave had the stones to do this, but why anyone would WANT to do this. Nonetheless, I’m sure you know who won that battle.
More 40”+ Pike
We got in close on some more Moose at the bay within the bay spot. I can’t get over how big they are and so majestic. They are truly represent what a Canadian animal is.
Casting outside of bay 2 and into the main bay, we proceeded to have the best Pike fishing I have ever been a part of. We hooked a lot of big fish, included this double header both over 40”. My new PB 42.5”, what a whopper!
And another 40”er
Dave with another pig
In between bays we saw some Pelicans which were really cool.
Back to fishing; continuing along shorelines and islands we did what we could to put some more Brookies in the boat but it wasn’t meant to be. So back to Pike bays and I ended up topping up my personal best again to 43”. What a monster!
Some more 40+” Pikers
On our last full day of fishing, the Brookies came back out to play. Dave landed one, I had two follows and Dan landed 2. Here are the shots of the fish for that day.
Here is one of my favorite shots of the trip. As the sun set, the moon would rise and it came up super bright, the brightest I had ever seen the moon. It would cast a shadow as you would walk along the beach.
And just like that, our trip was over. Lake Nipigon is a beautiful place and we are lucky as Canadians and Ontarians to have this lake within driving distance. By a long shot, this is my new favorite lake. I got a lot out of this trip, not only from a fishing perspective but from a life perspective. I had a lot of time to think while I was up there. We had no radio, no cell phone, no TV, nothing. Its adventures like this that define who we are and who we will become in the future. See ya soon Lake Nipigon, it won’t be long until we meet again!
Highlights from my trip: New personal best Pike 43” and Brook Trout 21” Driving over 20 miles in a boat across a huge lake getting soaked not knowing if we would find a camp site Spending quality time with friends Seeing a lot of wildlife including Bears, Moose, & Pelicans Watching the moon cast a shadow on me while I walked on the beach Checking off another box on my bucket list
Gear Review: Preparing for this trip was a lot of work; talking to as many people as I could who had been before was key in gathering the best lures for Lake Nipigon Pike and Brookies.
EGB Spoons – These spoons are very high quality, cast a mile and big lake Brookies just seem to key in on them. Definitely a must have!
Mepps Little Wolf Spoons – Casted or Trolled, this lure put some fish in the boat in the gold/orange finish. It has great action that Brookies can’t resist.
Williams Wabler – I caught a lot of Pike on the Wabler. Pretty much a staple for any Pike angler’s tackle box.
Mighty Mitch and Jungle Joe Jig Flies – Don’t let the funny name fool you; these jigs are of the highest quality I’ve ever seen. The colours are spectacular and they catch fish. These jigs are made by a local of Terrace Bay where the Brook Trout are gods to them. I highly recommend bringing up an arsenal of these jigs. Don’t think you can get them in any store though; you’ll have to go up there to get them or order online. The owner, Joe is one of the nicest guys and knows his stuff. Give them a shot!
Johnson Silver Minnows – A lot of our Pike came in back bays with lots of reeds so my go to lure in that situation is the Johnson Silver Minnow. This lure put a lot of big fish in the boat. We even used them in open water and they produced very well.
Seaguar Flourocarbon – while casting and trolling for Brook Trout, it was only a matter of time before a big Pike would zip by to pick it up. 6-8lb main just wasn’t enough so we made our own leaders out of Seaguar’s new fluorocarbon called Tatsu. About 12” of 15lb fluorocarbon was a bit of added protection to minimize the number of times we’d get bit off. And don’t worry about Brookies not liking the heavier line, they didn’t mind at all. These fish are very aggressive by nature.
