The Attawapiskat River AdventureThe Attawapiskat River Adventure

Chris and I woke early to get the car packed and hit the road, both of us eager to leave the city behind and start our 2 day drive north along the shores of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior, which might be one of the most beautiful drives in the world.

After a solid 10 hr drive we stopped for the night at a motel in White River. It seemed every night for the next 10 days that all my dreams revolved around monster Northern Pike in some way or another.

Friday morning we hit the road again, expecting an easy 6 hr drive into Nakina. The weather had changed overnight quite dramatically, the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees and it rained most of the night and continued to do so for most of the day. I had decided to take a different route this year than last as I had been told it was a much more interesting drive along the shores of the great lakes. So on a map it looked like a nice 2hr drive north through the country up to HWY 11. What I didn’t realize was that the route I planned was to take place

Our adventure started on Thursday May 30th.

on what was essentially a logging road and the 2 hr trip turned into a 4hr drive on a dirt road which had many sections virtually washed out and deep ruts throughout from the abuse of weighed down 18 wheelers full of timber. My sedan was definitely not built for the abuse we were about it to put it through. It was too late to turn around and after a brief discussion we decided to press on and hope for the best. We passed only one car in the 4hrs and when I say car, I mean 4 wheel drive pick up, and as we slowly passed each other there seemed to be a look of bewilderment on their faces, which gave us a bit of a chuckle. The only other signs of life we saw on this part was a young lumberjack, who stuck his head out from underneath a tarp he was using to keep dry. He was waiting by the railroad track with his gear and he gave us a friendly wave and smile as we went by. Finally, we made it back to a paved road and sense of relief had hit us both. We pulled into Geraldton an hour or two later and we stopped at the last grocery store we would encounter to stock up on food and supplies for the week ahead. Soon we arrived in Nakina and Twin Lakes Outfitters where we would stay for our final night before the real trip would begin in the morning.

The weather at this point was downright cold and rainy, and after looking at the

weather reports we weren’t sure we would be able to fly out in the morning.

We arrived at the Nakina air base the next morning, certain we wouldn’t be flying out today as the visibility and ceiling were terrible. They told us it would be up to the pilot’s discretion, and after meeting Bruce our pilot, he quickly told us we would indeed be flying that morning. I’m not sure if I was happy or not about this to be honest, but nonetheless we weighed our gear and got ready for a bumpy flight. We soon met the 4 Americans who would be joining us for the 7 day trip to Eddie North’s Attawapiskat River Adventures. There was Tom, Alex, Dave and Nathan, and we couldn’t have asked for a better crew to share the week with. The plane was loaded and we were ready to depart.

We were all in a great mood as you tend to be at the start of an epic journey with lots of the unknown ahead.

The flight was about an hour and a half and Bruce needed to mow the treetops the whole way due

to such poor visibility.

We would soon have a smooth landing on a widening of the Attawapiskat River called Beteau Lake, a truly magical place where Eddie has built a little piece of heaven. After our arrival and unloading the plane we learned that a party of 5 guys would also be joining us for the week at camp as the plane they were in could not safely land and dock at Richter Lake. Eddie had plenty of room and the 11 of us soon become good friends. There wasn’t a dull moment with this group, and we truly had a great time together, with lots of shenanigans along the way. Here is a shot of the whole group together.

Beteau Lake, a truly magical

place where Eddie has built a little piece of heaven.

There was a cold front that had moved in the day before, and the water was about 4-5 feet higher than when I was here last year due to a late ice out. So my “go to” spots from last year would soon become irrelevant and we would have to form a new game plan about tactics and location for these huge toothy critters. We headed out with jackets and toques and new game plan excited for what we could find. We soon got into some decent pike the first night.

The conditions started off pretty rough.

We caught about 10 pike for the evening, including a 38”, and a 40” and given the conditions we were pretty happy about the prospects for the week. Chris had pretty limited pike and walleye experience so he was about to set a new personal best each day. After a long day we headed back to camp to get a warm meal, and share a few drinks with everyone. Needless to say we all stayed up late trading tall tales about the one that got away and listening to some camp guitar.

The next morning on day 2 was a bit of a rude awakening. The temperature had dropped even lower, just above freezing and we were in for a rough day on the water. We packed our lunch and looked at the map and formed our game plan for the day. The fishing was very tough to say the least as we dealt with freezing hands and a slow bite for most of the day.

No large fish were caught this day but it gave us a chance to explore upriver and look at what kind of water conditions we would be dealing with for the week. The bays that produced last year looked almost unrecognizable. The water was way back into the timber, and we were trying to figure out a pattern about where the big gators would be hanging out. We called it a day and made the long cold trip back to camp, eager to warm up in front of a wood burning stove. We were in for a treat upon our return as Eddie had planned for a big group meal in the main lodge. We had steak, venison, and P.E.I lobster as well as some home made P.E.I red wine that Eddie makes with his dad. What a feast!

Eddie is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He will make you feel like you’ve known him for years and you will feel right at home while at his camp.

This would have to be the first time I’ve been out fishing on June 2nd in the SNOW!?!

A little pre dinner music.

We welcomed day 3 with open arms, as the cold front had lifted and a stable warm front had moved in. The water temps warmed up as did the fishing. Needless to say we were very excited to see the sun.

We started the day off casting back bays with inline bucktails and spinner baits, and it didn’t take long to figure out the pike were back in the flooded timber and bushes, very shallow. Chris would soon get his personal best (for now), a nice 40”.

The fishing was fast and fu-rious as it was clear the pike were on the feed after 3 days

of being shut down.

We decided to call it a day, satisfied with the day’s catch. The drive back was beautiful as always.

Towards the end of the day, it was my turn to get my personal

best. A 47” toothy beast.

June 4th brought another beautiful day of sunshine, and everyone in camp was going to try for some walleye this day so we could have a proper fish fry this night. Chris and I hadn’t targeted walleye much so far this trip as the allure of chasing big pike was too great. Seems we were a little rusty but still managed a few for the stringer.

We made it back to camp having caught no large gators, but lots of small to medium sized pike and some walleye.

All the boats started making their way back to camp with each bringing more

No time was wasted in the fish hut as most of the guys were experts with a filet knife.

Soon the deep fryers were turned on for some deep fresh fish and potatoes.

Especially in a place so remote and beautiful as Beteau Lake on the Attawapiskat River. Eddie has an extensive knowledge of this great place, and it’s truly interesting to hear about the history here. The river flows 750 kilometers unimpeded through the Hudson Bay lowlands into James Bay, and had a history of ancient Indian communities dating back to 3000 BC and fur-trading sites from the beginning of the 1800’s that led to the exploration of the north.

There is nothing in this world like sharing a meal of fresh walleye with some good friends

and tell stories about the day’s catch.

June 5 was Flotilla day. Eddie had planned for the whole camp to head up river together

and explore some new water.

Today Chris and I planned to sharpen our walleye skills. So when we got upriver, we reviewed the map with Eddie to come up with a game plan for the day.

It wasn’t long before we got into some fish.

It was really nice to get out as a group together.

Now this has to be one of the most bizarre stories, I have ever heard. Nathan and Dave had a stringer out the back of the boat,

when a pike decided to attack one of the walleye. It held on long enough for Dave to bear hug it and lift it into the boat.

Everyone had a great time upriver, and as a camp we brought back a lot of walleye for another night’s supper.

Our last day was fast approaching and we were determined to make the most of our final two days.

and Chucky wanted a visit and some food before we left. The local wildlife seemed to want to play today, but the fish did not.

The day started sunny and beautiful,

The weather soon changed for

the worse, which cut our day a little bit short.

Well, it was finally here,

our last day of fishing. I made a quick prayer to the fishing gods that morning, and they seemed to have been listening. We hit it hard, casting the shoreline all day. If I wasn’t going to catch any monster pike, I was going to make sure my hand was at least sore from casting. Towards the late afternoon, the bite picked up all of a sudden. We were rewarded with a couple absolute brutes.....

Both measuring

in at

46.5”, one at 19 lbs, and

the other at

25lbs. I’ll let

the pictures

speak for them-

selves.

It was really nice to get out as a group together.

What a way to end the trip!!!!

Until next year!

Our time had come to say

goodbye this magical place.

There is something about

spending time with good

people in this wild and

natural setting that seems

to do the soul good.

This river will forever be in

my mind as I dream about the

next adventure there and what

swims below the surface.

Matt Jones

905.484.2291matt@fishinginthewild.com

www.fishinginthewild.com