Ontario is home to a ton of water and a wide breadth of fishing opportunities. With over 250,000 lakes, a landmass 1.5 times bigger than Texas, and a forest that can fit the country of Italy in it 3 times, there’s a lot to explore. From native to naturalized species, Ontario is home to practically every freshwater game fish you can chase on a fly. These species range from cold water fish like lake, brown, brook, and rainbow trout to warm water species like large and smallmouth bass, carp, and catfish to predatory species like musky, northern pike, and gar—not to mention all the opportunities that the Great Lakes systems bring. Oh, and did we mention Ontario has a northern saltwater coast that boasts giant sea run brookies and other char species? Unreal.
One great way to explore this wilderness is with a fly-in fishing trip in Ontario’s largely untouched north. Although Ontario is Canada’s most populated province, its population is mainly situated in the southern part of the province, roughly 100 km from the Canada-US border. We could cover a lot in this article with fly-in trips, from fly-in canoe camping to full-service lodges, but for the purpose of this piece, we’re going to focus on one of our favorite experiences: the fly-in outpost lodge. So, what does a fly-in trip to an outpost look like?
What to Expect on Fly-in Fishing Trips
For the most part, it’s a DIY experience. I say, for the most part, because unless you’re Lee Wulff and can pilot a plane, an air service like Hearst Air will be your ticket into a remote experience. Typically, these outpost camps are simple cabins with basic kitchen equipment, usually an outhouse and a rustic shower. Depending on the waterbody, they’ll also come with a canoe or a 16ft tinny (Jon boat) and a trusty 9.9hp to get around. You’ll cook, explore, and fish all on your own. What you lack in amenities, you gain in solitude and fishing. It’s hard to imagine fishing pressure that far north, but sometimes a fly-in full-service lodge sees a lot of guests every year, and the operation may not be the only lodge on the lake, so the outpost gives you an extra level of remoteness.
These camps are usually the only structure for miles, and typically, you’ll be the only soul for hundreds of kilometers. You’re really IN IT when you’re at an outpost. Sighting wolves, moose, eagles, beavers, and even wild cats isn’t out of the question. Stargazing is unreal, with vistas of the Milky Way and the northern lights on the menu. And then there’s the fish.
In Ontario’s far north we typically stick to our native species like lake trout, brook trout, northern pike, and walleye. We’ve chased them in big lakes, vast rivers, small creeks, and everywhere in between. Though, we tend to opt for big pike trips when we can. The thought of catching a 40”+ gator while stripping massive streamers in the deep, dark boreal forest is one of our favorite things to do.
Pre-Trip Planning
Coordinating planes, packing gear, and picking a destination can be a lot of work, especially for first-timers. But the reward and fishing are certainly worth the effort. So, what goes into a trip like this? There are a few considerations, of course.
What Do You Want to Fish For?
Sea run brookies? Northern pike? Want to fish in a lake? A river system? The first step for us is deciding what to fish. A “typical” Northern Ontario lake or river will usually contain some sort of mix of northern pike, walleye, and potentially a char species like lake trout and brook trout. But that’s not always the case. I mentioned we’re into northern pike, so let’s just say we’re going for BIG PIKE. Using historical data, word of mouth, and any other information we can get our hands on helps us narrow it down to what lake and when.
The Air Service
Are there thousands of lakes in Ontario? Yes. Are there thousands of bush plane services? No. A lot of these air services are a considerable distance from home, so you need to factor in an overnight in one of the towns close to the airbase. One of our favorite operators is Hearst Air—an air service that specializes in outpost camps and remote access to canoe-tripping routes and campsites. The town of Hearst is an 11-hour drive straight north from our homes. So, step one is to factor in the drive and get yourself a comfy motel for the night.
Most of these air services still fly what we consider to be the Cadillac of the sky: the De Havilland Beavers and Otters. They’re amazing planes steeped in history, but your weight is a factor. Typically, you’re allotted 100 lbs per person of gear, food, and personal items. For us, that also means camera and podcast gear. So get a scale y’all!
Meal planning
Meal planning will go a long way to ensuring you’re covered for your trip without going overboard. Transferring liquids like cooking oils from heavy glass bottles to lighter/multiuse packaging like a Yeti can go a long way. Bringing a water filter instead of bottled water is definitely the move. If possible, we try to avoid dehydrated food, but it can really save on space and weight, so we sometimes mix dehydrated rice or pasta meals as a supplement to other meals. Enjoy a drink at the end of the day? Might want to opt for the bottle of scotch over the 2-4 of Busch lattes and pop that sucker into a bladder (protip: a bladder with a straw).
Typically, we’re catch and release anglers, but when it’s sustainable, we LOVE a fresh walleye. Honestly, it’s almost impossible to imagine a trip into the northern Ontario backwoods without a shore lunch of walleye. Eating fresh fish within a slot limit can really save on weight. Tip: Walleye love clousers.
Clothing
Winter leaves the far north sometimes as late as the end of May, so when packing clothing, you need to consider layers. Ensure to bring warm layers for nighttime or cold snaps, good wet weather gear, and layer up, as the days in the summer can reach highs of the mid-80s. The summer days are long, with the sun fully setting close to 11 p.m., so sun protection is key.
Other Essentials
There will be bugs. As sure as there is wind on the flats, there are bugs in the north. It’s not a matter of if but how bad they’ll be. Even as the spring gives way to summer and into fall. So, plan on packing a good bug jacket and afterbite, just in case.
Fishing Gear
Both Mitchy and I have been fly fishing since we were kids. We both worked in fly shops, and northern pike is probably the fish we’ve fished for the most and a core part of the North Woods. It’s never been a better time to target predator fish on the fly. The advent of rod and line tapers specifically made for musky and pike and the popularity of modern flies for those species have really allowed us to evolve and dial in our gear setups and fly tying. For the purpose of this guide we will be focusing on pike fishing.
Rod and Reel Setups
When it comes to rods and reels, variety is key. Although northern pike are an “honest” fish in that they are very aggressive and willing to take a fly, it sometimes takes some trial and error to get into a consistent pattern of success. When we travel, we typically use 9-10wt fly rods and bring a bunch of sink rates (the Redington Predators being our go-to’s). I personally love the 10wt as you’re often throwing bigger flies on potentially a heavy sink tip.
Whatever rod you choose, we recommend looking for rods with extended fighting butts. The added fighting butt enables you to throw heavy lines with a two-handed style cast—necessary when casting 10-inch flies. In addition, the fighting butt enables you to seamlessly go into a figure eight once your fly reaches the boat. Pike and musky, in particular, are known to hit flies boatside, so ignoring the figure eight is a recipe for heartbreak.
Fly Lines and Leaders
We try to have floating, intermediate, sink 3, and sink 5 lines on us (Rio’s Predator lines have been some recent go-to’s). With this approach, we can key in on different retrieves, depths, and presentations until we find a combination that consistently finds fish. Oh, and bite wire. You definitely want to be using wire leaders or THICK hard mono/fluoro leaders. We’ll fish a leader that’s more typical to a saltwater style shock leader. I tie about 5 feet of 40lb mono as a butt section, blood knot a 12” break-off section of 20lb mono, then tie on my 16” bite section, which is either wire or 80lb fluoro. Brands like Rio also make pre-tied predator leaders, which are great. Rarely am I over 9ft total for my leaders.
Break-off sections are key if you happen to bury your fly in a log or a pike wraps you up on some unseen structure. Fly clips can make changing flies a breeze but aren’t necessary. Jam Knots are your best friend, and something like Huff’s Double 8 loop knot is a go-to.
Flies
This is where variety is particularly key. We’ve been on rivers where the pike wanted nothing, but giant musky-style flies like T-Bones. We’ve been on lakes where they’re taking smaller game changers and also early season when they’re keyed in on giant black leeches.
Step one is to check the forage of the lake. Is it mainly perch, suckers, and walleye? Or are there other species like cisco and whitefish? Try to understand the forage and “match the hatch” from there. We used to fish a lot of flies with weighted heads or tied with “fish skull” style caps, but now we’ve opted to fish only weightless flies. If we need them to sink, we’ll fish a faster sink-rated line. We find that the pause is often the most critical part of your retrieve—whether you’re stripping fast or slow—a pike will strike on that pause so having a weightless fly suspend or turn in the water column like a struggling bait fish is key and a weighted fly drops unnaturally.
Some of our favorite flies are the Gamechanger, Buford, Brammer’s Imposter, Matt Grajewski’s Yard Sale, and even tried and tested patterns like deceivers, magnum bunny leeches, and BIG moorish mouse patterns. For colors, you can stick to natural colors like olives/oranges to match perch, or browns and golds to match the suckers and walleye, and our longstanding fav: white and chartreuse “cause if it ain’t chartreuse it ain’t no use.” We try to keep a variety of sizes, starting at #4 to #6/0, but with the bulk of the materials, these flies can sometimes be the size of your forearm.
Where to Find Pike
We could go on forever chatting about gear, but let’s just imagine for this trip, we’re headed north with the goal of a big trophy pike. We’ve gone on trips at all times of the year, from spring to fall. Early season pike, after ice out and spawning, stick to the shallows, which can offer some really exciting sight fishing opportunities and top water blow-ups. As the spring gives way to summer, we see dense weed beds and thicker “cabbage” forests grow underwater where we can focus on and target fish. Northerns are ambush predators, so deep weed cover and structures like fallen trees are a great place to start looking. Drop-offs and rocky shoals are also good places to look, as bait tends to congregate here.
Waterbodies can look like anything, but generally speaking, northern Ontario waters are dark and tannic with a rocky bottom and dense weed growth. For the most part, the forest consists of conifers, so you don’t get a lot of dead leafy lake bottoms with muddy sediment.
Final Thoughts
I was born and raised in Ontario. I’ve fished its waters since I was 8, but it wasn’t until 2017, when I took my first outpost trip to the Attawapiskat River with Hearst Air, that I really appreciated and fell in love with this vast wilderness. On top of catching some of the biggest pike any of us had ever seen, we saw the northern lights for the first time, a wolf pack, countless golden and bald eagles, and flew over the tundra and muskeg of the lower Hudson Bay Lowlands. It was a transformative experience that inspired us to keep exploring and appreciating what we have here at home. Ontario’s north is a roadless, largely unspoiled wilderness, and experiencing it through a fly-in outpost camp will drop you into that wilderness and a true sense of adventure.
For more information on other Ontario adventures, check out So Fly.
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