by Dave Weiman
Feeling a bit snowbound? Who isn’t. It has been a bitterly cold winter and many of us have been getting more hours shoveling out our hangars, than flight time, but not for long! Soon we will be flying to travel destinations as close as the town next door for a fly-in breakfast, and as far away as our (fuel) bladders will permit.
Here at Midwest Flyer Magazine, we are gearing up for our largest Canada Fishing Fly-Out to date, and you are invited to join us. This year, we are promoting not one, but two destinations – Miminiska Lodge (vide0) in northern Ontario, and Elk Island Lodge (video) in northern Manitoba. While we welcome seaplane pilots on the trips, both lodges have private airstrips to accommodate us wheel-bound pilots, which is unique in Canada.
Miminiska Lodge features a 2400 X 50 ft. grass runway with a clear approach over the lake towards the east (CPS5).
Elk Island Lodge has a 3800 X 100 ft. well compact gravel runway – perfect for those aircraft requiring a longer runway (CKZ3).
There’s already an equal number of new guests signed up as we have returning guests, and to ensure a quality experience for all participants, the number of reservations at each lodge is limited.
There is not one, but four (4) trips to choose from depending on your budget and traveling objectives, and attractive group rates are available for each trip.
The 196 nm trip from Thunder Bay, Ontario where we will clear Canada Customs to Miminiska Lodge is well tread by veteran participants. Miminiska is offering your choice of a three-night/two-day trip, August 10-13, 2014; a five-night/four-day trip, August 10-15, 2014; and a one-night/one-half day trip, August 10-11, followed by a five-night/four-day trip to Elk Island Lodge, Manitoba, August 11-16, 2014. You also have the option of going directly to Elk Island Lodge. The distance between Kenora, Ontario where we will clear Canada Customs and Elk Island Lodge is 293 nm.
A convenient fuel stop on the return trip from Miminiska Lodge to Ely, Minnesota to clear U.S. Customs is Pickle Lake, Ontario. For those of us flying from Miminiska Lodge to Elk Island Lodge, we will stop at Round Lake for fuel. Fuel is also available at Elk Island Lodge for the return flight home from that destination.
Regardless of whether you are a returning pilot, or first-timer, we encourage all pilots to fly as a group from Thunder Bay to Miminiska Lodge, from Miminiska Lodge to Elk Island Lodge, or from Kenora to Elk Island Lodge. The group will stay in radio contact with one another along the route of flight.
Miminiska Lodge, Ontario
Miminiska Lodge is Wilderness North’s premium American plan lodge and one of Ontario, Canada’s most respected full-service destinations. Located on the Albany River in Northwest Ontario and miles away from the nearest road, Miminiska Lodge offers guests the opportunity to experience the raw beauty of pristine boreal wilderness. While fishing on the main chain of lakes is sure to please you, additional fishing experiences are available including floatplane fly-outs and fly fishing for Brook Trout.
Your all-inclusive package at Miminiska Lodge includes your choice of six clean, spacious cabins with room for four to 12 guests; or private accommodations located adjacent to the main lodge, perfect for a couple or a group of two.
Miminiska Lodge has 16 ft. Lund boats with 25 hp Yamaha 4-stroke electric start motors and fish finders. The main lodge has television and free WI-FI internet service. Meals are professionally prepared. Daily shore lunches or box lunches are provided. Evening receptions are complementary.
Refer to the Wilderness North website for additional information on Miminiska Lodge: www.WildernessNorth.com.
Elk Island Lodge, Manitoba
Trophy fishing for Northern Pike, Walleye, and Lake Trout is unsurpassed at Elk Island Lodge by any other lake in Manitoba because of its experienced, friendly guides who will take you to the best spots on the lake. They are also experts on the famous God’s River where huge Brook Trout are found.
Elk Island Lodge has a bar, hot tub, tackle shop, pool table, dining room and fireside lounge for after-dinner drinks. There are 10 modern cabins, each equipped with an oil heater or electric heat, hot shower, a living space and a deck with a great view of the lake. There are two single beds, a full washroom off the bedroom, and reading lights in each bedroom.
Boats and motors at Elk Island Lodge are well-maintained and in excellent condition, including new 40 hp Yamaha motors every two years.
Meals are professionally prepared and included in the trip price, as are the fishing guides. Guests have a choice of a daily shore lunch or box lunch. There is a cash bar.
The runway at Elk Island Lodge is 3800 X 100 feet and made of well-packed crushed rock from the gold mine site that operated on the island in the early 1900s. The airstrip has been called “the best airstrip in the north” by many pilots who frequent northern Manitoba. Permanent aircraft tie-downs are available and there is ample parking. 100LL avgas is available at cost.
Elk Island Lodge offers the option of commercial air service between Winnipeg and the lodge onboard Calm Air’s ATR 42 for anyone who does not fly in themselves for an additional $200.00 per person round trip. The scheduled flight will depart Winnipeg at 11:00 am on Monday, August 11, and arrive at Elk Island Lodge at 12:30 pm. The return flight departs Elk Island Lodge at 1:30 pm on Friday, August 15, and will arrive back in Winnipeg by 3:30 pm, which cuts down the trip by a half-day of fishing, and one-night.
Refer to the Elk Island Lodge website for additional information: www.ElkIslandLodge.com.
For group rates and additional information, email info@MidwestFlyer.com.
Reservations are handled by the lodge(s) of your choice. Contact Krista for Miminiska Lodge at Wilderness North at 1-888-465-3474 or email fishing@WildernessNorth.com, or Greg at Elk Island Lodge at 1-888-559-6633 or email bigfish@ElkIslandLodge.com.
Once you sign up for one of the trips, you will be placed on our list to receive additional flight planning information, which will include information on obtaining a U.S. Customs permit, Customs filing procedures and requirements, and rendezvous times at our Canada airports of entry.
See you in Canada in 2014.
Waiver of Liability/Responsibility:
The Canada Fishing Fly-Outs described here or elsewhere in Midwest Flyer Magazine are a service of the hosting lodge and their parent companies, if any. Dave Weiman is acting only as a fellow participant on the trips, and neither he nor Midwest Flyer Magazine, Flyer Publications, Inc., or their staffs and owners assume any liability for the participation of others on the trips or for the trips themselves, and do not assume any responsibility for the reliance upon the information provided on accommodations, or in regards to trip planning. Any information provided by either Dave Weiman, Midwest Flyer Magazine or Flyer Publications, Inc. may be based solely on the experience and information of one pilot, and information available at the time provided, and should not be relied on for sole trip planning purposes. For trip planning, pilots are encouraged to refer to the Canada Flight Supplement published by Nav Canada, navigational charts, and information available from the Federal Aviation Administration, Nav Canada, U.S. and Canada Customs & Border Protection, Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, and other sources.
