Family "Canadian" fishing vacation ideas – July 2016

I am looking for ideas on a “family fishing vacation” for next July 2016. The “family” (my farming in-laws) will consist of a total of 10-12 guys that could include a teenager or two. Most of the group are not avid fisherman and some don’t get out more than once or twice a year – farmers tied to the crops, cows, and hogs year round.

I did this trip with a small group of 6 of these guys 15 years ago and they loved it and finally decided it was time to try it again. The first time we went to Wiley Point Lodge, boating in from Nestor Falls at Totem Resort, and they had a great time and are willing to go back but I was looking for other ideas too.

Want list:
– full American plan – all meals
– I am guessing early to mid July timeframe
– comfortable accommodations with A/C preferred
– Good fishing – the guys want to catch fish and big fish are always a bonus of course
– Fish species – they love walleye and other game fish but what shore lunch opportunities
– drive to or shuttle/boat in resort/lodge – sorry, no fly ins
– driving distance max 8-10 hours from Southeast MN so I am thinking Northern MN if we can find the right package or as far north as Dryden-Kenora-Nestor Falls area
– decent rental boats – probably not taking my boat but it’s an option depending on where we go
– plan to be there about 3-5 days
– plan to use a guide for a 1-2 days to get the lay of the lake – again may vary by package
– not looking to totally break the bank but…

I am interested in any personal references/experiences/recommendations you might have. I am willing to book sooner then later but I was also wondering it might be too late if I wait to book at a sport show this winter?

Thanks,
Dave

It is past Dryden but maybe this could be an option.

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/eagle-falls-lodge-red-lake-ontario/

Don’t know budget, but my father in law has taking us up to Totem Resorts in Sioux Narrows.

Fully guided, shore lunch, great accommodations and great food.

It is a bit pricey, but it is a great experience.

tgruenke wrote:

Don’t know budget, but my father in law has taking us up to Totem Resorts in Sioux Narrows.

Fully guided, shore lunch, great accommodations and great food.

It is a bit pricey, but it is a great experience.

Thanks – Totem is owned and operated by the same family as Wiley Point so I would expect a similar experience to what we had other than Wiley is more remote. The food and staff were great when we were at Wiley 15 years ago and I know it’s the same family managing now as it was then.

Thanks again,
Dave

AC….. ? Really ? Farmers are gettin’ soft these days…

Just got back from Lake of the Woods in the Northwest Angle and I’m pretty dang close to sick of catching walleyes! I know that’s heresy but it’s true! Pretty similar to the Wiley area just less of a drive, and IMO a better area to fish.

I’ve stayed at Sunset Lodge on Oak Island about a half dozen times now and I can’t recommend them enough. A resort that is run very nicely with an awesome bar/restaurant and new accommodations. Prices run $99 per guy per day for the American Plan I believe.

Fishing speaks for itself….you don’t need a guide. Find a piece of structure that looks fishy, stop catch fish. There wasn’t a spot we stopped were we didn’t catch fish, honest truth.

I’ll leave it at that, because I know Dave Koonce will find this thread, and you’ll get a real earful about Sunset, he’s in love!

I actually walked by the rental boats and was surprised with how good they looked, and even commented on them to a buddy this last weekend. I think they were 18ft Lund outfitters with a bow mount 60hp motors, gps, Lakemaster chips, the whole works. They looked brand new too. Granted I’ve never rented boats from anywhere but they looked like an ideal set up.

Ben Brettingen wrote:

Just got back from Lake of the Woods in the Northwest Angle and I’m pretty dang close to sick of catching walleyes! I know that’s heresy but it’s true! Pretty similar to the Wiley area just less of a drive, and IMO a better area to fish.

I’ve stayed at Sunset Lodge on Oak Island about a half dozen times now and I can’t recommend them enough. A resort that is run very nicely with an awesome bar/restaurant and new accommodations. Prices run $99 per guy per day for the American Plan I believe.

Fishing speaks for itself….you don’t need a guide. Find a piece of structure that looks fishy, stop catch fish. There wasn’t a spot we stopped were we didn’t catch fish, honest truth.

I’ll leave it at that, because I know Dave Koonce will find this thread, and you’ll get a real earful about Sunset, he’s in love!

I actually walked by the rental boats and was surprised with how good they looked, and even commented on them to a buddy this last weekend. I think they were 18ft Lund outfitters with a bow mount 60hp motors, gps, Lakemaster chips, the whole works. They looked brand new too. Granted I’ve never rented boats from anywhere but they looked like an ideal set up.

Flag me for “piling on” if you wish but I can’t say enough good things about Sunset. I get to travel all over the Midwest and Canada fishing and when it came time to pick a place to take the wife and kiddo on a fishing trip this summer… it was an easy choice. Sunset Lodge. The fishing is on the verge of being “fly-in easy” and you’ve got your pick of walleye, pike, muskie and smallmouth within a few minutes of the resort. The accommodations are fantastic without being overly extravagant which would add unnecessarily to the cost of the trip, the food is very good and the staff are friendly, helpful and a ton of fun. Dave Koonce and Joel Nelson are also bringing up their wives and kids at the same time for what should be an amazing retreat July 4 – 11!

http://www.sunsetlodgeresort.com

how rough does the water get in the sunset lodge area? Silly to attempt a trip with a 16′ boat?

@JamesHolst

Sunset Lodge:

Did you access from MN side south shore or from the NW Angle? Any idea how long the ride is from either of these locations? I really like the boat in as it helps keep the group together. Just curious if you did the border crossing or if you could avoid some of that hassle if you go in from the south shore.

I have a Navigator 175T that I could bring up but that might be a long wet ride if the weather does not cooperate…

I have sent them an email for more info too but this looks interesting and I appreciate the personal reviews.

Thanks!
Dave

Jonesy wrote:

how rough does the water get in the sunset lodge area? Silly to attempt a trip with a 16′ boat?

No, a 16′ boat is definitely adequate. I’m going to post a screen capture taken from the Navionics WebbApp @ http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#@6&key=cdjqGzvtxP

If you look right above the words “Lake of the Woods” on the bottom of the image you’ll find Oak Island. Sunset is located on the N/NW side of Oak Island. As you can see there’s an incredible number of islands that all provide wind breaks. No matter which direction the wind blows you can always find a place to fish… no giant boat needed.

Attachments:

1. 

   sunset.png
   

Dave Ansell wrote:

@JamesHolst

Sunset Lodge:

Did you access from MN side south shore or from the NW Angle? Any idea how long the ride is from either of these locations? I really like the boat in as it helps keep the group together. Just curious if you did the border crossing or if you could avoid some of that hassle if you go in from the south shore.

I have a Navigator 175T that I could bring up but that might be a long wet ride if the weather does not cooperate…

I have sent them an email for more info too but this looks interesting and I appreciate the personal reviews.

Thanks!
Dave

Hi Dave

I’ve done both and I prefer to drive around and launch from Young’s Bay up in the Angle. If it’s just me and the guys I wouldn’t have any hesitation driving the boat up from the south shore and have done so a number of times in the past when conditions have been right. If the winds are light it is a fun run. If the wind kicks up… you’re in for a long, slow go of it. I’ll have the wife and 2 year old along this summer in July so we’ll be driving around through Manitoba. The drive takes 2.5 hours and it is an easy haul. Do know that the last leg of the journey is on gravel. While it is a maintained road some people get weird about trailing their boat on gravel so I thought I’d point it out.

Dave Ansell wrote:

Did you access from MN side south shore or from the NW Angle? Any idea how long the ride is from either of these locations? I really like the boat in as it helps keep the group together. Just curious if you did the border crossing or if you could avoid some of that hassle if you go in from the south shore.

I’ve done it both ways dozens of times. The ride from Arnesons to Oak is about 45 to an hour compared to about an hour and a half to 2 hours driving around. You’ll get to run on about 20 miles of nasty gravel. They do a downright terrible job of maintaining it. Washboard is pretty much standard. Trucks zipping by throwing up rocks. We just went 15 to 25 mph with rock guards on the trucks and no rock chips to show for it.

The only downfall of driving across the lake is the weather. I’ve been stranded in the angle for 2 to 3 days waiting for the wind to die down. I remember times as a kid clinging onto the pedestal of the rear chair as we had already waited 3 days to cross, and when I’d look up you couldn’t see over the next roller. Not for the faint of heart. Also you have to load everything up in the boat for a long ride, which I don’t care to do. Now we pretty much always drive around to Young’s Bay. The border is always easy, you just can’t be a dink.

If the wind is looking good for an extended period of time or you have a few days to spare, the boat across is much shorter and better.

I think navigation is a much bigger concern on the canadian side of LOTW than the wind. If I had the choice I would trailer to the lodge 100% of the time as opposed to boating in from the south shore.

No matter how big your boat is, there will be days where you will NOT be comfortable crossing the MN side of the lake. What if you get those days consecutively on the day you are supposed to arrive at camp or the day you are leaving? I’ve fished out of Arnesen’s on Rocky point quite a few times and I think we’ve fished MAYBE 60% of the days we’ve been up there, that’s with a 20 foot warrior. I can’t imagine trying to run up to Oak Island with a 20+ mph crosswind.

I will echo James and say that 16 ft is almost surely big enough for the canadian side, there is a lot of cover up there. That said, there are still some areas where the wind can get a few miles of open space, but those areas will be pretty isolated and/or easy to avoid. Nothing like the MN side of the lake.

James, Ben, and Phill thanks for your replies. A trip up there is not happening this year as I think I reached the max allowable fishing trips the wife will allow but I’m looking for a lodge to bring the wife and kids and I’ve always wanted to do that area.

I would like to recommend Pine Beach Lodge on eagle lake. http://www.pinebeachlodge.com They are great and it is a family atmosphere. They actually take the time to get to know you and feel welcome. I started going up with a group of guys for opner than went a few times with my cousin for opener than started taking the wife and kids up in the nice weather around the 4th of July. Infact the groups up in the spring keep asking when my cousin and myself will come back up.

If you want to be shuffled around like cattle their are a few of those resorts around the area also.