Northern Manitoba or Bust!

[Wally15]

I'm not sure if northern Manitoba fits into "The Great Northwest" forum, but it's dang sure Northwest of Georgia by 2,000 miles.
This is a bucket list trip that's been almost 3 years in the making. We were supposed to fish the Maria Lake outpost in 2020 but Covid put a 2 year hiatus in that plan. I'll now be there Aug 5-13. Maria Lake is one of the Gangler's North Seal River outposts with trophy Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Walleye, and Grayling. I've never caught a Lake Trout or a Grayling. Trying to limit everything I want to take into the 60 pound weight limit has been a challenge. I can either fish naked or dress warmly and watch other people fish. So I've compromised and decided to wear the same clothes all week. I need everything from 4 lb mono to 40 lb braid. And I spent hours with a Dremel removing barbs from hooks and lures.
In any case, should be an interesting trip. My fishing partner is even older than I am, so if you hear of a couple of septagenarians who couldn't outrun a polar bear, it's been nice knowing you. Hopefully I've improved my chances of survival by picking an older and slower partner. The caribou are supposed to be migrating through the area during August, an occasional polar bear is seen wandering around, and I've never seen the northern lights.
Even with the 2 year delay, and all the associated hassle of plane ticket refunds (NOT), trip insurance not covering pandemics, and Gangler's sitting on my money for 2.5 years, I'm still looking forward to the trip. But I won't make this trip again.
GA Mike

[Keta]

Sounds like a fun trip.

[Gfish]

Awesome dude! Polar Bear territory! Never been. Have witnessed a Caribou migration across the river we's camped on in Ak.
Same clothes for a week ain't thing up there. You'll be able clean-up before flying back.
I'm envious, I wanna go! Nothing like the extreme North, wild and natural as can be...

[Midway Tommy]

Trip of a lifetime! Enjoy it!

[Jimmer]

Have a great trip mike. I fished southern Manitoba the second week of june on a northern and walleye lake, it was great fishing after being closed for 2 years and only 2 groups in before us. Enjoy! - Jimmer

[Gfish]

Hope to see some pictures.
Maybe they have wolves in the area. Unless they's starving, they avoid humans.
All I know about Lakers, is that they are down deep. Lee obviously knows how to get 'em. Grayling seemed to like flies best. Prolly got Char species up there too.

[Wally15]

Hope to see some pictures.
Maybe they have wolves in the area. Unless they's starving, they avoid humans.

The email said there would probably be wolves following the caribou to take down the stragglers. There are a couple of portage lakes I'd like to try out. But not if there are bear and/or wolf sightings. I'm leaving the ole 1911 ACP back at the homestead. I plan on taking lots of pics. My phone, my camera, even my GoPro, which I haven't used in several years. This is my one and only trip up there, hope to record some nice memories.
GA Mike

[Hardy Boy]

Have fun and catch them up. Don't worry about bears and wolves as long as you can run faster than fishing partner.

Cheers

Todd

[Keta]

Bears can not run fast through poop too.

[Gfish]

Your guide should have a rifle with him.
After watching several hundred Caribou cross the river, when I's up there, the next AM something was outside our tents. Of course I thought Bear! Nope, a baby straggler, probably left behind. Cute friendly little guy. But I know he prolly fed some Wolves or a Griz after we left.

[Donnyboat]

What Lee is saying, dont bother taking any toilet paper, ha haa, cheers don.

[Wally15]

Not using a guide for most of the week. Only the 1st 1/2 day and the 2nd full day. Self-guided after that. If you're bored, type in Maria Lake in the UTube search engine. Some incredible fish, mostly Northerns, being caught. 40"+.
This wouldn't be a proper AT forum topic without mentioning REELS!
For baitcasting I'm taking a Shimano Curado 300 DSV spooled with 30# PowerPro (15# max drag) for deep trolling Lake Trout (and Calico bass at Cedros!). Shimano Curado 100B SF with 15# mono (8# drag), and a Shimano Bantam Curado CU200 with 15# braid (12# drag) for Northern Pike. One of the 15# reels is for my partner, who doesn't even own a BC. I really like the Curado line of baitcasters. I've had the 100B SF for 30+ years and is the finest bass reel I've ever owned. It actually sends the lure where I aim it most times.
My BC rods are the only 2 piece 7' MH rods I own. Bass Pro branded.  To save weight, I made my own rod carrier out of 40" of 4" thin wall PVC sewer pipe. Saved about 3.5 lbs.
For spinners, I had to scramble to come up with what I needed. My 3000's and 4000's all perished in the fire. I somewhat downsized to what I needed, with spare spools for flexibility. Penn Battle II 2500 with 15" braid (Pike) and a 30# braid spare spool (Lake Trout) (12# max drag).  Diawa Exceler 2000 with 8# mono for Walleye on one spool, 4# for Grayling on the other. I have some 40# braid as backup if we get heavy duty into the Lakers. One MH and one UL 2 piece spinning rod. Both 7' to fit my homemade rod carrier. For lures, this is a barbless lake so I took a bunch of bass stuff (Zara Spooks, Johnson spoons, Rattletraps, Ribbit frogs, etc.) and ground the barbs off. I did buy some #5 Mepps lures and some soft plastics.
There, that makes this a quasi-official AT post. Whew!
GA Mike

[Wally15]

Oops, typo. The 100SF is a Chronarch, not a Curado. Proofread much?
GA Mike

[Ron Jones]

Even not changing clothes won't make you look any better !

Have a blast up there, I can't wait to out fish you at Cedros!
The Man

[Midway Tommy]

Went almost that far up in the mid '80s in June with my dad, uncle and a couple of other guys. We drove a Barth for 26 straight hours from Omaha to Sandy Bay and then flew in from there to an outpost on Lake Kamuchawie on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, which is just south of Reindeer Lake. The fishing was great and the scenery and weather was beautiful. Kamuchawie is so big and has so many islands we had to have guides so we wouldn't get lost. The shore lunches were to die for!