One week in Canada - boundary waters

[gamatt53]

So I just spent the last week in the Canadian boundary waters and still haven't come up with the right words to describe it so I will just stay simple and keep it at this; Amazing. While I brought plenty of conventional gear I ended up using my 7wt the vast majority of time since the topwater bite was hot. The fly of the trip ended up being a wiggle minnow on an intermediate sink with most hits coming as the fly slowly came back up to the surface. Plenty of action as well on a 6wt wf with poppers and sliders but the pike made short work of the tapered mono leaders.

After a long day traveling we finally hit the dock and loaded up for the ride in. Had to check in at the border station


cross a few portages



and finally make it to our home away from home for a week.



The smallies were hungry and hit with a vengeance the first few days.







Saw a bunch of wildlife but not able to get many decent picks. Had a few wolves run across the road on our way back.



Friendly dockhands were always happy to see your return



Tons of pike action as well although mostly smaller on the fly




Biggest one landed came on conventional


The most important things to focus on for 5 days



Some weather moved in towards the middle of the week and cooled the bite off some but it was still the best warmwater fishing I have ever experienced...50 fish days instead of 100+.

The last day I was going deep with heavy flies and stuck a monster pike...got him up to the boat at one point but he took off on another run and the cheap cabelas 3 forks I picked up for the trip to hold the intermediate line had a loop form deep into the spool jamming it up and he broke off. The fish was easily over 40'' and was a complete heartbreaker. Broke at the surgeons loop between the floro leader and wire bite tippet. My buddy actually got a short video of me fighting and breaking it off...this was the last 8 seconds of a couple minute fight.

Not a cheap trip by any means but it is absolutely beautiful up there and I highly recommend our outfitter; great food and very friendly. Send me a PM if you want to inquire about them.

I'll finish it off to what we were treated to every evening as we came in. Also sorry for having to see my ugly mug but I didn't feel like cropping a bunch of pictures.

[overbrook]

Very nice!!  After damn near gettin skunked yesterday lookin for smallies....I'm damn jealous.  -0-

[gamatt53]

Very nice!!  After damn near gettin skunked yesterday lookin for smallies....I'm damn jealous.  -0-

I hear ya it is going to be hard to get motivated to hit the smallie flows around here after that trip. Got spoiled quick...but I gota say catching them on moving water definitly adds another element that I missed up there.

[Woolly Bugger]

looks like a winner to me..

[diaz dassie]

Fuck yeah Matt, you owning it brother! bd;0

[Trout Maharishi]

Pretty serious suckage there. Next time show more fish and scenery. If we wanted to see photos of you we would take up a collection and send you to Olin Mills for a portrait 

[overbrook]

If we wanted to see photos of you we would take up a collection and send you to Olin Mills for a portrait 

I was thinking we might have to take up a collection and buy that poor bastard some more flies!!  I usually have a lot more than that laying in the floor of my boat 

[gamatt53]

Next time show more fish and scenery

I agree wish I had more wildlife shots...was too busy bustin smallies to do a proper photo shoot like you guys like to do  .

I usually have a lot more than that laying in the floor of my boat

I believe they call that compensating... . I'll take a collection though the pike put a hurtin on my deer hair flys.

[overbrook]

I usually have a lot more than that laying in the floor of my boat

I believe they call that compensating... . I'll take a collection though the pike put a hurtin on my deer hair flys.

Thats why you got pics of fish....and my flies are lying in the bottom of my boat