BY BOB AND GINNY RIEGE

Nestled on the shores of a 28,000 acre MaKoop Lake is MaKoop Lake Lodge, which lies in the Northwestern part of Ontario, accessible only by float plane. It offers a fabulous fly-in wilderness setting and the opportunity to catch and release more walleye than you could ever imagine.

The incredible amount of undeveloped wilderness in Canada is any sportsman’s dream, but getting to prime spots where the fish live in waters virtually untouched by human development can mean to some a difficult trip. This was not our experience at all, but instead we enjoyed a deluxe fly-in fishing vacation.

The amenities that this resort has to offer start when you first board the luxurious 37-passenger Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft out of Thunder Bay, Ontario owned and operated by Wasaya Airways. (www.wasaya.com) This flight saves about a day of travel time by vehicle and you will arrive in enough time to allow you to fish in the afternoon. Your flight will take you to the community of Bearskin Lake, where you will depart, via float plane, on a short 20-minute flight to MaKoop Lake.

When you arrive at MaKoop Lake Lodge, the camp manager, Jackson and crew will greet you. They will take your bags to one of the three modern cabins, connected by boardwalk and to the lodge. After you have settled in your cabin you will have an opportunity to be welcomed by the camp cook and lunch will be served.

After lunch, Jackson will outfit you with boat, motor, gas and directions to where the walleyes are biting. Believe me, the “honey hole” is not far from the Lodge and you will be amazed at how many walleyes you will catch.

This past summer Ginny and I were guests of the community of Bearskin Lake, the Wasaya Group (WGI), its new tourist association Wasaya Wilderness Adventures and Wasaya Airways LP. We arrived at Bearskin Lake and were shown around the community by Richard Moskotaywenene, the general manager of MaKoop Lake Lodge. (www.MaKoopLakeLodge.com)

MaKoop also has a lot of trophy northern pike. In order to fish walleye with some finesse you wouldn’t want to attach a steel leader. So how is an angler suppose to fish in waters that have both species without being bitten off every minute or so? That is where this product can really tame the tigers; it is Tyger ™ Leader.

Tyger ™ Leader is flexible enough to tie to your monofilament using virtually all monofilament knots. Due to the high quality nylon coating your knot never slips. State of the art technology allows this stainless steel knottable leader, designed to handle toothy fish, and is nylon coated to resist abrasive rock and coral. We use Tyger™ Leader in 30 # class and you can obtain it from www.tygerleader.com.

One of the key areas to look for active walleyes are in funnel down areas. We know that fish and animals use funnelled down areas to migrate from the feeding source to a place of resting. When I am on the water in the summer I tend to look for funnelled down areas, because it is a great place to look for walleyes as they pass through in search of food. Necked down areas, saddles between islands and land, narrows, and even break lines are great places to begin looking for active northern pike in the summer. Breaklines are areas where the floor of the lake or river drop-off from shallow water to deeper water. The breakline is a transitional area. Walleyes have a tendency to move up into the shallows on cloudy, windy days or in the evening and then slide back into the depths to rest.

A couple of other overlooked things like sun and wind are also big factors on some of these points. I fish a point or flat on the side where the wind is blowing into most of the time, unless there is a sharp drop off or some type of rock structure to hold fish on the opposite side. Usually, walleyes will be lying in an area where the wind is blowing water onto a structure.

Without question, jigs are the walleye angler’s lure of choice, simply because jigs can be used to effectively maintain contact with the lake bottom. Since a versatile array of sizes, shapes designs and colors are available; jigs can be fished in a seemingly infinite array of combinations under a variety of conditions.

Work the jig quickly through the fish holding area. Hop it or swim it, even snap the jig and don’t pause as you usually would, but instead keep the bait moving. The theory behind this type of action is, if the walleye is serious about hitting your bait it will be there when you move it quickly. Many times when you are starting to snap the jig or swim it to you the walleye is already hooked. The strike will usually be quite firm.

Jigs often work best fished quickly along weedbed edges, or over shallow humps. When the fish are on spots like this, they’re frequently active. Casting is usually the best way to work jigs quickly along these areas.

After catching your fill of walleyes for the day, you can return to your cabin to freshen up. Inside your cabin you will find very comfortable beds, inside bathroom facilities, refrigerator and a wood stove. This stove comes in handy especially on the cool summer mornings.

A short stroll to the Lodge for supper, along the boardwalk, allows you to reflect a little on the pristine nature of the lake and your sore muscles from pulling in your daily catch.

Supper is always a 5 star experience. Menu items consist of prime rib, steaks, chicken, walleye, soups, salads, breads and dessert that is to die for. The Lodge has a dining room where everyone can visit and get to know one another and many times the food is delivered “family style.” Needless to say, you will not go away hungry, but you will become spoiled and pampered.

Morning dawns early at MaKoop Lake Lodge, but you don’t have to rise until you want to. The fish don’t bite until you get out on the lake anyway. So, again make a short trip to the Lodge for a lumberjack breakfast and hot coffee. Conversations around breakfast will be where to explore today in search for walleyes and MaKoop Lake has a lot of interesting areas. This might be the time when you sit down with a map of MaKoop and look for places like, picnic point, west end walleye hole, the eagle’s nest, or the head of knife island. Jackson, the camp manager, can give you directions and lure suggestions for your daily outing.

For more information contact: Bruce Fallen Wasaya Tourism Advisor; brucefallen@tbaytel.net or tourism@wgimail.com. MaKoop Lake Lodge General Manager, Richard Moskotaywenene at richardmosk@yahoo.com, of visit Wasaya Group Inc www.wasayagroup.com/WWA_Home.html. I know we will be back for the fabulous fly-in at MaKoop Lake Lodge.