I was up early this morning working on yesterday’s blog and editing photos. It was hard to work however due to an absolutely stunning sunrise. I had to keep walking out on the Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge dock to watch the colors unfold. Even the employees of Gangler’s were ticking off photos with their phones. That says something being most of them have been here since June.
Today we got to fly. Gangler’s not only fishes Egenolf Lake but also numerous other lakes scattered all around this northern Manitoba wilderness. And believe it or not, each of these lakes have boats with motors. Gangler’s dragged the boats in years ago over snow behind snowmobiles and at the start of each season motors are flown out. Gangler’s has two de Haviland Beavers and a Cessna to haul gear and folks around. The weather must cooperate and today it did. It was mostly sunny and there wasn’t an ounce of wind.
We got to fly on the lodges Beaver. Anytime I find myself on board this 70-year-old yellow and blue Haviland means good things. Yes, this plane has been a workhorse for 3/4s of a century! Our pilot was Jeremy and we went with our guide Marcus.
We flew to Long Lake. It was about a 20-minute flight. On a day like today you fly low and taking in the scenery below is incredible. It’s the closest you can come to being a bird yourself. We saw numerous lakes and also some smoldering Canada fires.
Landing on a lake in the Beaver is usually so smooth you can hardly tell when you touch the water. Jeremy propellered us to a beach where the boat was waiting. We unloaded all our gear. Jeremy took off. As Marcus gassed up the motor I bailed out weeks’ worth of water in the boat then off we went.
The day was truly incredible. It was warm, sunny and there was virtually no wind. Our target today was big northern pike. However, to start, Marcus wanted to nail a couple around 26” or so for our shore lunch. We went to a weedy bay that was gorgeously bordered with birch trees in full fall colors. There was a nice beach and I actually got dropped off and photographed while Granny and Marcus caught lunch.
I did a little exploring when I was on the beach. Seriously, there are some cool plants here. I ate so many blueberries while Granny and Marcus were fishing, I should have popped. There are cranberries, Labrador tea and numerous other treats. Where there’s not a plant of some sort the ground is covered with lichen.
I could have kept exploring but Marcus fetched me because Granny needed a break from catching a ton of pike. She not only caught a couple for our shore lunch but she estimated another 15 or so just for fun. Her biggest was this one here around 33”.
I’m glad they called me back aboard. Marcus had me picking fish out of a weed bed along a beach leading towards the mouth of a small stream. When we got to the moving water pushing into the lake he kept us out away from the bank. It was deep and I made a long cast and let our big chartreuse Adam Hortenberry fly sink. I made three fast strips then let it hang there 10 seconds. And again. When I went to strip after the third cycle, I went tight and things felt heavy. This wasn’t a 30 incher.
Big pike don’t fight much at first. Think about it. They aren’t used to being messed with. In their weed bed, they are the boss. My fish sort of swam for the first minute showing very little panic. Then finally the massive fish realized there was a problem. The fight was on. I should be fishing a Winston 9-weight Air 2 Max but due to a recent outburst of shoulder issues I’m tossing a 7. Let’s just say, this 41” fish was a battle!
Photographing big fish in a boat can be a challenge. If you drop one of these dinosaurs their weight hitting the bottom of the boat can lead them to a serious injury and if not, they for sure will flop around and that can’t be good for them. Personally, if there’s a nice beach near, I keep the fish in the water in the net and head for it and photograph the trophy by the water. That’s exactly what we did and after some pictures I watched the big pike swim away for another day. I always have optimism a healthy pike like this one will someday reach that rare 50” mark. Let’s hope. I’ve yet to catch one so big.
It was noon and being we were on shore we decided to fire up the shore lunch. While Marcus worked his magic, Granny and I enjoyed beers under the warm sun. Today was the warmest day I’ve ever experienced in my three trips up to Gangler’s.
Granny and I racked up a bunch more pike after lunch. Fishing was truly fantastic. At 3 pm Jeremy returned with the Beaver. The Gangler’s 2025 season is coming to an end so we unhooked the motor for the year and loaded it in the Beaver then we returned to the lodge.
We were back by 4 and after we got cleaned up, we literally sat outside in shorts and t-shirts. That’s unheard of in my Gangler history. There are a few wolves hanging out on the runway near the lodge. At 6 we took the side-by-sides with the eco folks to try and get a glimpse but no luck. But after dinner, the lack of wolves was made up for by an extraordinary display of the Northern Lights.
Its now way past my bedtime. Its 1 am to be exact. But Aurora Borealis was so magnificent tonight we couldn’t go to bed. We watched literally until they stopped a few minutes ago. What a day. What a place. Its back on the water early tomorrow!
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.
Pike heaven! I am going to have to try the long pause but i doubt i have the patience! Good tip.
Pause it!