Category: Labrador

Pancake Bay Provincial Park

by Greg • August 14, 2025 • 2 Comments

We did two loads of laundry at the Sault Ste. Marie KOA before hooking up. Bill and Joan have everything you could ever need at this campground, including a trailer wash, and it’s all in top shape. We did our grocery shopping yesterday, and filled up with gas. It’s not like we are going into the wilderness, but we will be in provincial parks for the next five weeks.

It is only 40 miles to Pancake Bay Provincial Park, and check in isn’t until 2:00, but first a visit to McCauley’s Motel in Havilland Bay. We were lucky to get right through the construction area, which saved us 30 minutes. Although I paid $8 for a little magazine for the “Lake Superior Circle Tour,” it lacks in detail. We passed beautiful Chippawa Waterfall right beside the road with no turnout or warning. Then there was a fabulous view of Lake Superior with mountains in the background, but there was no scenic overlook. I will have to be more alert and quicker on our next drive.

Pulling into McCauley’s Motel, so many memories came back to me. Kelly had seen a fishing show on TV where Ady was advising the fishermen where to go. We parked next to the spot Ady had let us camp for 5 days for free. We had a very large decal made by Mike Chanail with “Fish Across Canada” below. Ady said it would be good advertising for him. It was a famous fly shop, run by one of the great characters and gentlemen of fishing. He had it all; maybe a hundred rods hanging from the ceiling, a huge supply of flies that he tied himself (“What else am I going to do in winter?”), a whole wall of fly-tying materials, reels and so much more. It was just fun to wander up and down the isles. Kelly describes this well in his book, If the Fish are Bit’n, which you may still be able to find on Amazon. Ady helped us so much, telling us where to go and what to use. Later on the trip, we would call him to tell him where we were and what we were doing.

We knew Ady had passed away, but with some vestige of hope, we walked toward the building. A lady called out to us, “Can I help you?” She was very nice, telling us the motel and all had changed three times just since she had worked there 8 years ago. The fly shop was now part of the motel, where groups could stay. The restaurant was only open for dinner, but is very busy, and the motel stays booked all the time. She didn’t know anything about Ady or the fly shop or where everything went. I gave her (Theresa) my card in case she heard anything about where Ady’s merchandise went. She said two McCauley sisters still lived in town, so she would ask around. She suggested a place for lunch as we headed out. Martha took a picture of Theresa and me wearing my treasured Misty Mountain Fly Shop hat.

Greg and Teresa
the old Misty Mountain Fly Shop

We stopped at Theresa’s recommended place, The Voyageur’s General Store, and ordered whitefish tacos, which were delicious, and came with a huge order of French fries. Next door we bought one of their famous apple fritters. Even with splitting everything, it was more than we could eat.

It was too early to check into Pancake Bay, but we tried it anyway. A nice young lady checked us in, telling us how to get to our site. It is a huge campground, and it was full. It was full when I booked it four months ago, but I took a spot way in the back. Baking into the site, I struggled to navigate with trees blocking me in front. Finally I got to a reasonable spot only to discover a muddy place next to the trailer. We decided to put the trailer on top of the muddy spot, but that some wiggling too.

After setting up, we chilled for a while, then went down to the bay to see what it was all about. It was a huge 3.2 km. C-shaped, white sand beach. Kids were playing in the shallow water. One had already mastered his paddle board. People were playing corn hole and some other game where they bounce a ball off a small trampoline-like ring. With a perfect 73 degree, sunny day, many were just sunning themselves or reading a book beneath their umbrella.

Pancake Bay
Really, really clear water

We decided to walk to the point on west side of the beach. After walking 30 minutes to the point, it was clear why this was such a popular place. It is one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen. Beautiful, soft sand with some smooth, round rocks for decoration, crystal clear water and shallow depth add up to enjoyable conditions. Shallow depths allow the water to warm in the sun, so I decided to test it. It wasn’t a hot day and the water was chilly. I came to a drop off and took the plunge. It was quite refreshing, so I did it a couple more times before wading back out. There wasn’t much wind, so I didn’t have to dry off. It all adds up to pretty perfect conditions with gorgeous scenery.

Canada, Fishing, Labrador, Northern Lights Lodge, Northern Lights Lodge, Labrador

Labrador 6

by Greg • August 23, 2024 • 2 Comments

Thursday, August 15, 2024

On the last morning, we needed to pack up and get out of the cabin because all the St. Marie family was coming. There were a couple of messages about the float plane not being able to get out due to low ceiling. Thankfully the flight from Labrador City to Montreal was moved to 6:30. Once packed, I took my last tour of the lodge with interesting things in every corner. I walked down the dirt road to a bay, then walked the other direction to the sawmill. It’s pretty amazing to get all this stuff to this remote location. There is no Lowe’s. Yves had to cut trees before milling them into lumber to build the lodge, cabins, docks, generator house and workshop.

I’m going to miss this!
“The office”
All those dots on the hillside are Caribou
Communication system
Smoldering smoke stove to keep bugs away

The above picture is a story! Yves discovered this WW2 B52 bomber on the bottom of the lake. Divers. Divers attached airbags and floated it to the surface and it was pulled 90 miles, very slowly to town. The U.S. took it, rebuilt it and put it in a museum. Apparently the navigation system failed and they missed landing in Goose Bay.

Expanse of water, lakes, bays, islands and smoke from distant fires.

This has been an expensive trip, but a great one. We didn’t catch a hundred of the great Brook trout, but we caught some beauties, and they are an amazing fish. This vast expanse of water, lakes, islands, trees and bears is a wonder. I was appreciative of our guide, Michelle, who guided us safely every day. I am in awe of Yves and Pattie St. Marie for all they have done to build this place and to keep it going. They are two of the nicest people I have ever met. Their season is only two months long, and most things have to be flown in, or brought on sleds on frozen ice of winter. It was great spending time with Ron. I always learn a lot, and the stories of his many adventures are legend.

I would like to explore more of Labrador. Two months of driving the only road in Labrador would be very cool; then back on a ferry on the St. Lawrence. I’d like to explore Torngat Mountains National Park, and I’d like to catch more Brookies!

Fishing, Labrador, Northern Lights Lodge, Northern Lights Lodge, Labrador

Labrador 5

by Greg • August 20, 2024 • 0 Comments

Wednesday, August 14,2024

Our last day would be our best fishing day. We caught 15 Lake trout and 6 or 7 pike. In the bay where we caught most of the Lakers, a bear cub followed us around the shoreline. We were about to give him a fish when we saw his mother with two other cubs. Michelle said these were likely the ones we had seen a couple of days ago.

It was a weird day. the sun poked through a hole in the clouds, but the hole didn’t move. About 2:00 Michelle told us to put on rain-gear as it was pretty dark in the west. At one point Ron said he smelled smoke. Michelle and I didn’t smell it at first, but later we got a whiff of smoke.

It’s a little sad to think this was our last day and our last wonderful meal by Patti. Like all adventures, it wasn’t how we envisioned it, but in many ways it was so much more than we could have imagined. Mostly it was the kindness and humility of these people. What they have built here is amazing. The vastness of these waters is cool on one hand and frightening on the other. Yves said many have gotten lost on these waters. Without the right equipment, you could be in serious trouble. Even Michelle used a Garmin GPS at times, and he has a satellite phone in his backpack and a lighter on his belt. with the waters being so low, islands of rocks popped up in the middle of the river where they are usually not seen. Hit one of those going full speed and things could go bad in a hurry. I admired Michelle’s vigilance, always paying attention, reading the water and the sky.

Ashuanipi River, Labrador, Bear, Fishing, Labrador, Northern Lights Lodge

Labrador 4

by Greg • August 20, 2024 • 0 Comments

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Every day starts with a great breakfast. Yves and Patti are a delight to be around. By now we had heard bits and pieces of the story about them building this lodge 90 miles from Labrador City. Yves came out in winter, pulling equipment, including a sawmill, and built the lodge in 39 days! He cut the trees, them cut into lumber and built it. Caribou were here in abundance. Huge black bears, like the huge Brook trout, grew here.

“Between the 1950s and the 1990s, the George River herd grew and grew — from about 15,000 animals to more than 800,000. When the ban took effect in 2013, the herd was estimated at 70,000 animals. Population estimates earlier this year put the herd at under 10,000 animals.” (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/herd-inuit-caribou-documentary-1.6549493).

It is especially devastating to the Inuit people whose lives are intertwined with the Caribou. Some disease seems to have devastated the herd. The effect is not unlike the loss of the plains buffalo in the U.S.

As I walked down to the boat, I passed Yves in his workshop/tool house. I commented that I had never seen such an organized workshop. He smiled and said it has been a process. He has been robbed several times. He reinforced the front door with steel, but they hooked the back door to an ATV and pulled it off. They came in masks and cut the security camera wires. They shot the satellite dish, broke into the lodge and took cushions to put the motors on. Out here in the wilds, this is a difficult thing to prevent. They followed the tracks back toward town, but when they got close to the town, tracks were going everywhere, so they lost the trail.

Then there are the bears. This morning I noticed two white things in cellophane next to our front door. I thought they were peppermints. Perhaps someone thought we had bad breath. Then when I went over to the lodge, they were in all the windows. Yves said they were moth balls to keep the bears away. Last week Patti had put an apple pie in the window to cool. A bear came and ate it, then tried to get in the window, so Yves had to shoot it. Now she cooks with the back windows closed, so it gets a bit hot.

If you fish enough, you are going to get tangles!

Due to a fire ban, this was the first day we had a shore lunch. It is in a beautiful spot with great views. Pike, cod, potatoes, toast and onions.

Cuisine, Fishing, Labrador, Northern Lights Lodge, Labrador

Labrador 3

by Greg • August 18, 2024 • 0 Comments

Sunday, Monday, August 11-12, 2024

Monday was a big pike day – 8 pike, 3 Lakers and 1 Brookie. We were a little disappointed with the Brook trout we were not catching, but we would learn there were two issues at hand. One was the lake being down so much. They had an early spring, and it became apparent they were spawning.

We saw a mother bear and three cubs. Michelle, who also guides in Alberta for hunting trips, blew a wounded rabbit call. That mother bear spun around and looked like she was coming for the boat!

Since it was Sunday and Patti is a Newfoundlander, she made a wonderful Turkey dinner with bread pudding.

Monday, August 12, 2024

So important to start a long day of sitting in a boat fishing with a great breakfast

Ron’t wading boots have cleats in them, so Michelle duct taped them. Worked great

Only caught 3 of these, but these two were beautiful

We only caught 2 Brookies, and 3 pike that day, but coming back to the lodge was always a pleasure. Yves and Patti are incredible people, very nice, humble people! Only two fish were kept the entire trip – the Ouananiche seen here and a pike for a shore lunch on Tuesday. Fabulous dinner of the salmon, cod, macaroni salad, lettuce salad and home fries.

Ashuanipi River, Labrador, Fishing, Labrador, Northern Lakes Lodge

Labrador 2

by Greg • August 18, 2024 • 0 Comments

Friday, Saturday August 9-10, 2024

The coffee pot was full at 5:00 in the morning and kept on until 7:00 when breakfast was served. Friday morning was eggs cooked to order by Yves, bacon or sausage and toast from fresh bread baked by Patti. By 8:00 we were in the boat with Mike, whose real name is Michelle.

Last night we tried to solve our problem of not getting down deep enough. I put on a sinking tippet and pinched on some ball weights. Ron had a better solution with three hanging weights, which may not have been pretty, but they did the trick.

It worked well. He caught two pike, one nice Brookie, one lunker Brookie and one Laker (Lake trout). Even so, we still needed to be able to get down easier, which meant we needed sinking line. Jimmy saved our trip by bring us a half spool of sinking line, which we measured, figured it would be just enough for both of us, cut it in half and added it to our reels.

Pike, or Northern or Northern pike. there are lots of these!

Ron is very good at knots and helped me a lot with solutions that would not come apart at critical times. We were not well-aware of the potential size of some of these fish, so we tied on #1 leaders, but cut off the ends tied on 10 lb. tippets. Even that might be broken by some of these fish, especially the pike with their sharp teeth.

A VERY important floating fly for these waters is the Orange Bomber. We had bought four at Canadian Tire, but they didn’t float. However, Jon had brought us one that was a little beaten up, but far better than ours. We celebrated with a drink before heading over to the lodge for dinner, which was moose stew and cake covered with raspberry and whipped cream for dessert.

I don’t know if that is a raspberry compote, but it is not a sauce. There is a huge raspberry plot in back of the lodge. Like wild blueberries, these wild raspberries are small. Just picking enough for 9 people would be a job.

Saturday

Each day we were a little better prepared. Now we had sinking lines. Bead-headed streamers were working pretty well, but we were still experimenting with dry flies. We also rigged four floating flies with dropper nymphs – Copper Johns and Prince nymphs.

These snowshoe hares are quite tame. Patti feeds them cabbage

Michelle turned northwest this morning for 30 or 40 minutes. I know it looks cold. With all the clothes we had on, I felt lite the Michelin Man. With the boat going full speed, it is pretty chilly. With a shirt, sweater and a rain parka it was fine. Always while the boat is running hard, you must wear a life jacket. Rain pants are essential along with a good hat. We had great weather though. In the middle of the day, we started shedding layers.

What a dork! Have to have surgical glasses to tie flies on.

Michelle turned north up a river. When the lake is up, he could travel a big loop, coming back out to the main river, but the reservoir and river were down about 4 or 5 feet. At Churchill, there is a huge dam that makes electricity for Canada and the U.S. As luck would have it, that affects the fishing, especially the Brook trout. The pike and Lake trout don’t seem to be affected as much.

We worked our way up the river. I lost a couple, one untying my knot at the fly. Another took my fly and took off upriver 100 yards before shaking loose. Then I hooked a big, heavy, fighting fish – a big, beautiful Ouananiche, a land-locked salmon. Ron was coaching me to keep my rod tip up since I had lost a couple by not doing that.

I think we caught one Ounaniche, four pike, one lake trout and one hen Brook trout.

Yves showed us a map of all the water surrounding us.

We saw a few other boats today, but maybe five boats for the whole week!