Category: Northern Lights Lodge, Labrador

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

Labrador 6

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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

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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.

Shepherd’s pie
Bakeapple cheesecake
Cuisine, Fishing, Labrador, Northern Lights Lodge, Labrador

Labrador 3

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Sunday, Monday, August 11-12, 2024

Shower house at the end of the walk

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.

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