We’re going to start this article by stepping back to 2017. During that season, Ang and Pete visited Buck Lake Lodge, just south of Hornepayne, Ontario. The mission was simple: settle in after a long northern road trip and enjoy a classic shore lunch. The fishing delivered, all the meals were memorable, and the experience felt authentically Northern Ontario… true to shore lunch fashion. But something lingered. Our boys had not fully tapped into the true potential of Buck Lake, especially its trophy-class walleye.
This return trip was about unfinished business with Pete being in the driver's seat.
After settling into the lodge and with the fishing gear all prepped, Pete was raring to go for the remainder of the day. As with most first evenings on location, he followed the standard Fish’n Canada formula: gather as much intelligence as possible before getting serious about fishing.
After a quick mapping session with lodge owner John Moffat, Pete launched the boat and began scanning the lake with Garmin Quickdraw. He marked waypoints, searched for baitfish and gamefish, and studied bottom transitions and structure. This is because a significant portion of valuable information can be collected without ever casting. Electronics tell a story, and if you read them properly, they can shorten the learning curve dramatically.
Still, if something lights up on the screen and fish are clearly active, all bets are off.
While fishing a large shoal, and after catching a couple of small walleye, Pete decided to move out to the open, deep water adjacent to the shoal. He scanned the depths with his LiveScope and spotted a group of “roamers” just slowly cruising over 30+ feet of water. He grabbed his plastic minnow rig with an underspin, then proceeded to swim it into the area where the fish was, and BOOM, it was game on.
When the dust settled, he boated a gorgeous 28+ inch golden walleye… a total surprise to him by the way.
And things were looking good until…
The real challenge arrived the next morning.
Pete woke to a sight that makes most walleye anglers cringe: millions of shadfly husks blanketing the water’s surface.
Shadflies, also known as mayflies, spend most of their lives as nymphs buried in lake-bottom sediment. For years, they have gone largely unnoticed by anglers. But once water temperatures approach roughly 68 degrees Fahrenheit, they emerge in masses to complete their life cycle.
The hatch is explosive as nymphs race toward the surface, walleye feast below on every straggler they can find. What follows is essentially a week-long, all-you-can-eat buffet for fish.
For anglers, it can feel like trying to compete with a million free meals drifting through the water column. And to a fish, artificial presentations suddenly seem far less appealing.
Murphy’s Law often shows up during shoots, and this was one of those moments.
Fortunately, four decades of filming across Ontario have taught Pete and the crew how to adjust when conditions turn intimidating. Instead of forcing traditional presentations, it was time to rethink the approach. When fish are gorging on easy forage, subtlety and finesse can become the difference between a slow day and a breakthrough.
Back to the drawing board.
While strategy evolved on the water, life at Buck Lake Lodge carried on in classic Northern Ontario fashion. Each week, guests gather at designated shorelunch sites for a communal meal that feels as much a part of the experience as the fishing itself. Hand-cut French fries, homemade salad, hearty beans, freshly caught northern pike and, of course, Ontario’s gold standard: walleye. It is a tradition that reinforces why anglers travel North in the first place.
But Pete still had something to prove.
The solution came in the form of a drop-shot rig. You heard that right, the rig that was “invented” for high-pressure bass fishing in Japan that Pete, Ang and the team often employ for a multitude of gamefish species.
During heavy mayfly hatches, walleye often suspend or feed just off bottom, keying in on subtle movements. The drop-shot allowed Pete to present a precise, controlled offering right in the strike zone, even when fish were distracted by the hatch. The finesse presentation proved super effective and, believe it or not, even to the point of using dead minnows… we’re not kidding!
In one of the most intimidating periods of the walleye season, the drop-shot technique turned what could have been a frustrating trip into a memorable success. It did more than produce fish. It salvaged unfinished business.
For anglers who encounter that dreaded wall of mayflies and feel the onset of doom and gloom, there is a lesson here. Adapt. Rethink your presentation. Keep a finesse option ready.
Sometimes, the right adjustment makes all the difference.
To get to this episode’s great walleye, the boys first drove North on Hwy 12 to Hwy 169.
They then turned North on Hwy 11 and stayed on 11 through North Bay.
They next took Hwy 631 south to the town of Hornpayne, Ontario.
They finally turned west on Becker and arrived at their fantastic accommodations at the Studio 6 motel.
Since the flights into Buck Lake Lodge are done in the mornings, an overnight stay in Hornpayne is a must for the travelling angler, and Studio 6 is the perfect place to do it! This modern motel offers everything you need to feel right at home.
The flight into the lodge is a quick and scenic ride over Ontario’s beautiful lakes and Northern forest, and before you know it, you’re at the lodge in time for piping hot coffee.
Buck Lake Wilderness Lodges and Outposts is a remote fly-in fishing lodge and wilderness accommodation located on Obakamiga (Buck) Lake, about 25 km west-southwest of Hornepayne in Northern Ontario. It’s a classic Canadian wilderness destination geared toward anglers and outdoor enthusiasts seeking an authentic north-country fishing experience.
The property offers several fully equipped housekeeping cabins on Obakamiga Lake in addition to cabins on Buffalo Island Lake.
White Owl Lake, Bayfield Lake and Gourlay Lake. Cabins typically include basic comforts like kitchens, bathrooms, electricity, and private docks. Boats and motors are included in many packages. In total, they operate 15 cabins on 6 remote lakes.
Buck Lake is known for excellent fishing. The lake has a fantastic population of trophy walleye, along with northern pike and jumbo perch. It’s attached to Granitehill Lake via a beautiful winding river, leaving lots of water to explore. Along with an immense population of shore-lunch-sized fish, the lodge imposes their own catch-and-release practices on larger fish to help maintain strong numbers for the future.
Standard trip packages include float plane transportation, boat use with motor and safety equipment, fuel, fish cleaning facilities, and communal shore lunches at scenic spots.
In short, Buck Lake Lodges and Outposts offers a quintessential Northern Ontario fly-in fishing adventure. It’s a great choice if you’re into remote wilderness fishing, scenic lakes, and traditional lodge comfort in a very natural setting.
