Fishing in Canada

Earlier this month I went on a father-son fishing trip to Chimo Lodge in Ontario, Canada. My dad and I try to go every other year or so with a group that has been going every year for almost two decades.

The trip starts with a 2 day drive -or 24 hours if you do it in a straight shot like my dad and I this year (thanks Hardcore History for keeping me awake through the night)- until we reach Red Lake, Ontario. From there we take a chartered float plane to a private lodge with no one else around for tens of miles.

Because the chain of lakes is only fished by 10-20 people a week every summer, the fishing is always great and the scenery is pristine. This year I caught my biggest fish ever!

You’re guaranteed to see wildlife at Chimo. There’s an occasional moose sighting (and the looming threat of bear attacks), but the real highlight is the bald eagles and other birds of prey. We clean the fish we keep, and the lodge manager takes all the guts to “Eagle Island” every other day. What results is a feeding frenzy. This year I rented the Nikon 80-400mm and got some fantastic shots of the bald eagles.

Chimo is beautiful during the day, but night time is no different. The evening sky is among the clearest I’ve seen, and every night as the sun sets a group camps out on the pier, on watch duty in case the Northern Lights come out. They’re usually visible at least one night every year, and this time we got a particularly good show!

Finally, I had a little extra fun this year. I decided I would create a fake ad campaign, highlighting some of the great aspects of being “At Chimo.” I staged the primary image in an area I could guarantee no one else would be around, and the others were repurposed from appropriate shots I took while there. Altogether it was a fun exercise.

As always, I had a great time at Chimo. Hopefully I can go back soon!