Father and Son Tradition at Miminiska Lake Lodge

Traditions are without a doubt, one of the best ways to build memories with your family.  My son, Tyson, and I have been experiencing these yearly father-and-son traditions together in Canada for years.  These fishing and hunting trips with Tyson will always be close to my heart and the best memories for a father and son to look back on now and in the future.  This time, we planned a mid-summer fishing adventure for walleye and northern pike to Wilderness North's Miminiska Lake Lodge, located in the heart of Superior Country, Ontario.

Miminiska Lake is part of the Albany River system, which flows out of Lake St. Joseph stretching over 610 miles emptying into James Bay, making it the second longest and largest rivers in Ontario.  Miminiska Lake itself consists of over 14,300 acres with an average depth of 15-20 feet, 112 miles of shoreline with countless points, islands, shoreline structure, mid-lake humps, back grassy bays and boasts of world class walleye, pike and brook trout fishing.

Each year Tyson and I look for places that we have never been to before and each destination we visit has offered its own unique experiences.  This trip, we decided on Wilderness North’s Miminiska Lake Lodge because it is a fly-in destination, which is something Tyson has never experienced. It is also a full-service family run operation that caters to giving their guest the ultimate experience with amazing food in a beautiful lodge, comfortable cabins nestled on the shores of Miminiska Lake with first class fishing.

Our trip started with a beautiful drive along the shores of Lake Superior from our home state of Minnesota, followed by a short plane ride to the lodge.  Once we arrived at Miminiska Lake Lodge, our gear was unloaded and dropped at our cozy cabin with a breathtaking view of the lake.  We unpacked and enjoyed a bit of solitude on the deck before heading out for our first day of fishing.

Prior to getting out on our day-one adventure, we sat down with one of the Miminiska Lake Lodge’s very knowledgeable guides to mark up a map with great walleye and pike spots as well as some hazard areas to stay away from. Miminiska Lake is well known for fantastic walleye and pike fishing with both numbers and size being available. Having five days of fishing ahead of us, our plan was to take advantage of it all.

The first day was all about walleyes.  Hitting a mid-lake rock hump within view of the lodge was our first of many spots for the week but the only one we fished that day.  When you can catch one walleye after another with so many doubles you lose count, moving seemed silly.  As the week progressed, it was more of the same with hundreds of walleyes hitting the net each day.  Most weekday mornings were spent trying new spots catching walleyes on 1/4-ounce VMC Moon Eye Jigs with a 4” Big Bite Bait Sensation Minnow and #6 Rapala Rippin’ Raps. Using a 6X Trika 7’3” medium power, fast action spinning rod, Daiwa 2500 Fuego LT reel, 10# Sufix 832 braid was the perfect setup for these presentations.

In the afternoons as the water warmed, we targeted the trophy pike Miminiska Lake has to offer.  We fished the big pike in the shallow weedy back bays.  During this midsummer frame these big bays are chock-full of tall standing weeds forcing us to use a lot of weedless style baits.  We were extremely successful with the tried-and-true, Johnson Silver Minnow with a 3-inch white Big Bite Bait Grub trailer and a Five- Of-Diamonds Redeye Spoon. These lighter weight baits combined with a 6X Trika 7’3” medium power, fast action casting rod, Daiwa Tatula 300 and 40# Sufix 832 Braid were a perfect setup.  These baits produced two of Tyson’s biggest pike he has ever caught in his life, which made this trip even more memorable!  Interestingly, they also produced some of the biggest walleyes of the trip too. Wherever we found rocks in the bays, there were walleyes.  It’s always super fun to catch some bonus big walleyes while fishing for trophy pike. 

The excitement, laughter and smiles those big pike and countless walleyes put on our faces are a large part of why we continue to take these yearly trips!  We will look back at this trip to Miminiska Lake Lodge with some amazing memories to share for years to come.  Life is short, get your family or friends together and start planning a trip to Miminiska Lake Lodge or one of Wilderness North’s other fantastic destinations they offer!

Wilderness North offers Canadian Fly-in fishing at its best.  Every Northern Ontario fishing experience is unique; with Wilderness North’s three full-service lodges, two housekeeping lodges and seven outpost camps. They offer packages for anyone, from an all-inclusive lodge to the independent getaway, from full service to completely Do-It-Yourself.  Each place is unique and full of great multi-species fishing.

Miminiska Lake Lodge is one of Wilderness North’s all-inclusive full-service lodges.  They catered to our every need from cozy accommodations, daily housekeeping service, full dock service including fish cleaning, all the delicious meals and complimentary cocktails and soft drinks before dinner. Their friendly staff take care of Everything!

For more information on Miminiska Lake Lodge, visit the Wilderness North website.

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