Fly Fishing The Nipigon River: What To Bring

The dream about casting for large brook trout on the fabled Nipigon River in Northern Ontario, Canada is certainly a strong draw for anglers. Getting there is part of the adventure and having a good place to stay and the right clothing, tackle, equipment and guides can be essential for a successful and meaningful trip. Here is a short overview as a guide to make your trip to these fabled waters more enjoyable.

Where To Stay

In my recent trip to the Nipigon River in late August, I stayed at the Lodge at Red Rock. This lodge was formally called Quebec House and was recently purchased, upgraded and refreshed last year. The result is a welcoming and comfortable lodge with great service, delicious meals and wonderful hospitality and accommodation specifically catering to the serious angler. The Lodge is on the outskirts of the Village of Red Rock and has a commanding view of Nipigon Bay. It is a great starting point for fishing the Bay, Lake Superior, and the lower or upper Nipigon River. 

In addition to the Lodge at Red Rock, other accommodations can be found along or near the Trans-Canada Highway through the Village of Nipigon as well.

What To Bring

Weather from mid-August to Early September can be highly variable. Expect everything from very warm sunny days to fog, drizzle, heavy rain and windy conditions. After all, this is Northern Ontario and the North side of Lake Superior so be prepared with a variety of clothing. Pack clothing so that you can layer up for cold and rainy weather or layer down for sunny, warm weather. A good raincoat can act as a layer and windbreak as well as protect you from getting soaked. For periods of heavy rain, a good pair of lightweight rain pants can keep your lower half dry and warm. Some mornings were cold (5oC or 41oF) so a pair of warm gloves was a bonus. We fished from a boat much of the time and travelling quickly up the river in the early morning was made more comfortable with a warm toque. Once fishing, I usually switch to my fishing hat.

We did fish a bit from shore, so a pair of waders was essential as well. Remember if you are wearing waders in a boat to be kind to the boat and guide and do not wear boots with studs that can mark the bottom of the boat. When fishing primarily from a boat, wear shoes that have a good grip (e.g. hiking boots or hiking shoes). Top all this gear with a good pair of polarized sunglasses sunscreen and bug spray and you are all set for the conditions.

Finally, when fishing from a boat, you will need to wear a life jacket. These are usually provided by guides for fishing in their boats however, I prefer to bring my own inflatable vest with me.

Fishing Guides on the Nipigon River

If you are not familiar with an area or are dealing with a river or lake of the size and complexity of the Nipigon River, Bay or the big Lake Superior, it always pays to have a guide who knows the conditions, water, fish, hazards and dangers and has the equipment (e.g. boat, gear, etc.) for those waters and the type of fishing you will be doing.

The Lodge at Red Rock has several extremely competent guides that can look after you, put you in front of fish and help you to determine where to fish, tackle to use and where to place your fly. All these guides have intimate knowledge of the Nipigon and their boats to get you to remote and amazing locations to fish. Other guiding services are also available in the Nipigon area to name a few:

• https://www.ampmguideservice.com/
• https://www.affinityangling.ca/
• https://nipigon.com/fishing-guides/ 

Tackle

When fishing for brook trout on the Nipigon River, you can catch fish of various sizes from smaller, younger trout to large trout from 5 to 9 pounds. In many cases you will be fishing streamers and often with sinking tip fly lines or full sinking lines. To handle the fish, weight of tackle and flies, it is best to bring along 7 and 8-weight rods, ideally of 9 or 10 feet in length. The 10-foot rods give you more control over line and fish and are preferable, though 9-foot rods can do the trick. A lighter rod, such as a 6wt can also be used when fishing for rising trout. A reel with a good drag is very important to help with fighting the fish and allowing a larger fish to run with good, even pressure. I brought along a floating line with a selection of 10-foot sink tips from 3ips to 10ips so that I could adjust the depth of my fishing depending on water depth and flow. I also had a reel with an integrated fast sinking sink tip that also worked well.  

The fish tend not to be leader-shy. So when using a sinking line or a sink tip, I used 30 inches of a straight fluorocarbon 2x or 1x tippet (8 to 10-pound breaking strength). Your guide may suggest something heavier based on conditions. When using my floating line, I used a 9-foot tapered leader with a 3x point for dry flies.  Again, the guide may suggest something heavier or lighter based on conditions and fish.

Flies To Bring

These fish do not grow big on an exclusive diet of midges. The Nipigon River has abundant forage fish such as smelt, sculpins, dace and other baitfish species. As such, big fish grow big by eating big meals of larger prey. Therefore streamer flies that can imitate small fish such as sculpin, smelt and dace should be your go-to flies. In addition, there are good hatches of caddisflies and large mayflies such as the large Hex mayflies at various times of the year. In addition, for fishing dry flies, a good selection of flies such as Stimulators, Grasshoppers, Chernobyl Ants as well as large nymphs can also be used. Most streamers should be in the sizes 2-8 with a size 4 or 6 fly being most commonly fished. Guides will also have their favourite patterns and it is well worth following their advice when choosing a fly to use.

Final Thoughts

A trip to the Nipigon River and its watershed does not necessitate a remote trip with multiple flights and extensive portaging and bushwacking. This fishing, though rugged and at times remote, is easy to access either by flying into Thunder Bay and driving the 1.5 hours to Nipigon and Red Rock or by driving up from the U.S.A. through Duluth or driving Highway 17 across from Sault Ste. Marie. Once at your accommodation with your guide, the river and all its rugged beauty are at your beck and call. I do not believe that there are any other places in Eastern Canada where you can fish for consistently large brook trout that are as easy to access.

The Nipigon River with its trophy brook trout are waiting. They just need you. 

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