Fellas-Looking to do a drive in canada trip-bring my boat- with my 12 year old next June. Live in the Fargo area. thinking about Pasha Lake Cabins–That being said open to any suggestions advice you all might have.
Dont want to be completely off the grid-but Im not looking to be crowded or catered to by any means
Not sure how far into Canada you would want to go, or if Camping is OK with you or not. If distance is not a factor and you are fine with camping I’d say give Reed Lake a try. Lots of BIG pike ( 40″+ ) and great numbers of fish in the 30-36″ range. The walleye fishing is also great. Then add in the Lake trout fishing and you have it all. The earlier in June the better. Got to be a bit careful because the ice out in that area can get real close to June.
Check out Five Lakes Lodge on Gullrock Lake, just south of Red Lake, Ontario.
https://www.fivelakeslodge.com/
They are really active on facebook, look them up and you can see a bunch of pics from this year. They also update their site/brochures I think every year, so you aren’t looking at a trophy fish that was caught in the mid-90s, everything is recent, which I like a lot.
Not sure what exactly you are looking for, but there is great walleye and pike fishing on that lake chain. I think it’s truly one of the few drive-to lakes up there where you can catch numbers AND size. It’s a big body of water but not scary big.
Nice cabins, bait and ice on site, great docks, and most importantly, a GREAT owner. This year was the first year I’ve ever been there and Ian spent so much time with us it was amazing. He used to guide on the lake and really understands the fishing up there. We caught lots of fish, and while we didn’t hook into any true trophies, there were many caught the week we were there(my wife caught her PB walleye and pike).
Another group had a 30 or 31″ walleye, a boat right next to us caught a 27″ walleye, there was a 40″ northern caught, we only tried for pike for half a day and we caught 6 of them over 32″(biggest 36″, and I had a big one get off). The week before we were there, a 46″ and 43″ pike were caught!
I was extremely pleased with the fishery, but most of all the owners are great. Ian stopped what he was doing like EVERY time we docked the boat, asked where we fished, how deep, what lures, etc. He gave us tons of spots to try and offered a lot of really usable advice. Not just “fish this bay”, he’d be like, “find this little corner, there’s a big rock right on the shore, fish directly out from that as it drops from 10-15 feet,” really specific advice, which really helped us find fish quickly.
We had a couple days of tough fishing weather(rain and heavy wind), but on the nice days we didn’t struggle to put fish in the boat. Our two best days we were probably in the 70-100 fish range, and our ‘slower’ days were probably in the 25-50 range.
Oh, did I mention we were up there over the 4th of July? In the middle of the summer, no need to worry about ice on the lake, snow, freezing temps. Of course the fishing will be better really early, but it will also be a lot busier and you’ll likely have to put your son through some cold or even miserable conditions.
I’d call soon though, because they are like 90+% repeat business every year, which also says a lot.
Lac Suel!!!!!!!!!!!
Guessing you mean live in the Moorhead area, eh spuds 
Pasha is a great place and you would be happy going there. Chad’s not only a site member but really helpful as well. If you go and want to be alone check out his options for renting a cache boat.
We went about 7 years ago for Memorial Day and still talking about going back. Logistics and annual trips keep preventing us.
Not sure what your drive time would be to Pasha vs heading up I29 for northern Manitoba or just crossing int Ontario. That might open up some options as well.
I would check out Pickeral Arm Camp on Lake Minnataki near Sioux Lookout. This past June was my 29th time up there and I know the lake really well. Two years ago I brought my daughters up there and they were 14 years old and they loved the fishing action. I will be up there next June 8th through the 15th.
pm me if you want more details
Nipigon.
Not sure how far into Canada you would want to go, or if Camping is OK with you or not. If distance is not a factor and you are fine with camping I’d say give Reed Lake a try. Lots of BIG pike ( 40″+ ) and great numbers of fish in the 30-36″ range. The walleye fishing is also great. Then add in the Lake trout fishing and you have it all. The earlier in June the better. Got to be a bit careful because the ice out in that area can get real close to June.
Love that trip, looks like 10-11 hours from Fargo. In early June we’ve caught pike, walleye and whitefish all on the same reef. My last trip was 2015 and the latrines needed some work, but they were usable and dry. Cold-water shower, free firewood, boat ramp right there. If you think your son is up for it, he’ll want to go back. There is also the Grass River Lodge there, but they didn’t seem to be real friendly about not using their guides.
http://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/pdf/maps/2011_seasonal/reed_lake_campground.pdf
Nipigon.
Maybe you guys are more adventurous than I am, but I would hesitate to go to a lake as big as Nipigon with a 12 year old, especially if it was his first trip. Some awesome fish in that lake, but you could be really limited if the wind is blowing hard.
Chad at Pasha Lake would be a great trip for a 12 yr old.
Not sure if they still run the “walleye Dream Trip” to lake Nipigon anymore,but if he does it’s worthy of the name.
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