I haven’t dropped the “Monsoon Currier” nickname in awhile and I’m happy about that. I went through a decade of hitting horrible weather no matter where I went on this planet. When I first visited Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge in 2019, we were delayed multiple days due to an Arctic rain and cold front. On my second trip with Granny in 2023 we were delayed all flights all week from the big one from Winnipeg to Gangler’s to our daily fly outs because of bad weather. But today, our charter flight from Winnipeg up to Gangler’s was exactly on time departing at 7:15 am. The real treat was that our ATR 72 didn’t even need to stop in Thompson to refuel. It was a mere 2-hour 25-minute flight and we landed on the dirt runway at Gangler’s before 10 am.
Owner, and our good friend, Ken Gangler, greeted us as we stepped off the plane then we walked along with other arriving guests to the main lodge. The lodge is stunning and stands on the edge of Egenolf Lake. We grabbed coffees and mingled with the other people. Many of whom are doing an ecotour. Then I devoured a couple of Gangler’s famous cookies and relaxed before orientation.
Once Granny and I had our cabin assigned we moved in and I put together two pike rods and two lake trout rods. We met our guide Marcus Merasty and hit the water around 2 pm. And though we didn’t have rain, when you’re ripping across a northern Manitoba lake in September its cold no matter what!
Regardless of where you go in the world fishing, if it’s your first time with your guide, they are going to sample your fishing skills. Marcus took us to a weedy bay that was chock full of small to medium sized pike. Granny made him smile when she launched a 70ft cast, stripped twice then strip-set into the first pike of the trip like a pro. It was a small one and she literally skipped it across the water and swung it to Marcus. I’m certain Marcus realized he has an easy week.
Granny racked up nearly a dozen beautiful pike. While most were in that 22–26-inch range, she managed one that was about 30”. When Marcus opened its mouth to retrieve the fly, he noticed the tail of another pike sticking out. Northern pike are the true savages of freshwater.
Clouds took over the skies as the afternoon progressed. The temperatures dropped to the low 50°s and the breeze made it much cooler. We made our last cast at some cruising lake trout but couldn’t convince them to eat. We have seven full days starting tomorrow so we reeled it in and headed to the lodge for dinner. This is going to be a great trip!
A special thanks goes out to our buddy Ken Gangler. Ken makes this adventure to Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge possible for Granny and I. Every angler should try to make a point to fish trophy pike and lake trout on the fly at least once.