Customer Guide

TRAVEL INFORMATION

To facilitate your travel, we have entrusted a travel agency with the management of hotels and flights. They will provide you with your flight reservation and can assist you with booking your hotel and transportation while in Québec City or Montreal.
Lizanne 418 962-9411 #102
lizanne@vacancesinter.com

PACKAGE INFORMATION / TRIP IS FROM FRIDAY TO FRIDAY

Included:
Flight from Québec or Montreal to Wabush Labrador return
Transportation from the Wabush airport to the camp
Accommodation in double or triple occupancy.
All meals at the camp.
All non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks.
Professional guide (2 anglers per guide/boat)
Fishing license
All taxes
Towels and bedding
The lodge has high-speed internet and WIFI available for guests. In addition,
there is a VOIP phone for long-distance calls.
Not included:
Gratuities for guide and lodge staff *.
Hotel rooms and meals while traveling to and from the lodge.
Laundry service

Before your trip

We must have a valid email address and telephone number.
You will receive by e-mail a health information document that must be filed
in and returned to us.

Return trip

Departure from the camp is on the following Friday and expect to be
back in Québec City by around 10 pm and 11:10 pm in Montreal. Our
travel agent partner can help for hotel stays if you prefer to overnight in
Québec City or Montreal before continuing home.

GETTING HERE

Travel from Quebec or Montreal.
You must arrive the day prior to your departure for the lodge
⇒ Flight departure time from Montreal is 06:45 am
⇒ Flight departure time from Quebec City is 08:00 am
Please arrive at the airport 2 hours prior to departure.
The baggage weight limit is 50 lbs per person.
We prefer that customers depart from Québec City but Montreal is also
an option.
We have a preferential rate at the Cofortel Hotel in Quebec City with
parking and breakfast included. The next morning, a cab will take you to
the airport 2 hours before for check-in and security. Upon arrival in Labrador,
an Air Tunulik staff member will meet you, and bring you to the liquor store
and the seaplane base.
Due to the weight limit, only canned beer will be accepted and we prefer
box wine if possible. Thank You for your understanding
It’s a 50-minute flight in a turbo Otter float plane to the camps.**

At the Camp

Our team will welcome you to the camp and give you an overview of the
week’s organization. You’ll fill out your Labrador fishing license. A team
member will brief you on fishing equipment and current conditions.
The lodge provides daily fruit juices, breakfast, water, tea, and coffee. Alcoholic
beverages and mixes are not provided.
Every evening, you’ll choose your breakfast for the next day with the cook.
Each morning, the head guide and manager will give you the day’s program
according to the weather. For most of the season, we organize a
riverside dinner for fishing at sunset.
McKenzie River Lodge is catch-and-release, except for some pike, which
will be part of the menu in the form of fish and chips. One of our guests
favorite dishes.

SCHEDULE

Here is an overview of our camp schedule. Friday is used to get the camp ready for the week, guides will meet and greet you, help prepare equipment, get licenses in order and discuss the week’s fishing. Please note that there is no guided fishing on Friday. Self-guided fishing around camp is allowed, please ask staff regarding the particular rules.

Breakfast: Staff and guests 7:00 a.m. / coffee ready at 6:30 a.m.

Fishing: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm*

Lunch: On the waters, unless requested, please request shore
lunches a day ahead.

Dinner: Staff and guests 7:00 p.m.

Our staff works long hours. Please respect the guides and cooks
time schedule.

On the last day of your trip breakfast, when possible, will be served later. Please pack your gear in the morning as cabins need to be cleaned for the next group. The float plane is expected to arrive slightly for lunch time, staff will notify you.
The camp’s electricity is provided by a solar system and diesel generator as back up.

*McKenzie prides itself on offering flexible trips that suite your expectations, your guide may offer different fishing opportunities that will vary from these times based on his personal experience and season. A day of guided fishing is 7-8 hours.

WHAT TO BRING

Clothing and gear

Wading

Chest waders are required.
Most of the fishing at camp is done while wading. Wading isn’t particularly treacherous, flows are moderate and the river is shallow but some of the rocks can be slick and unstable. A pair of quality wading boots will provide better support, comfort and mobility than boot-footed waders.
Felt and studs are highly recommended. A wading staff can help if you are unsure about river crossings.

Clothing

Water rarely exceeds the low 60’s, warm base layers that allow ample movement and good socks are a must.
Weather is unpredictable in Labrador, a fleece (even in the middle of summer) and a high quality rain jacket are required.
Long sleeve shirts will help prevent sun burn and keep bugs at bay –
gloves, warm headwear and cold weather gear are recommended for late august trips.
If you wish to check weather forecast in order to dress appropriately Shefferville (QC) is closest the camp.

 

Fly Fishing Essentials

Rods

A 6-7 weight fly rod will handle most fishing situations and all species.
Brook trout: 5 – 6 weight rods
Landlocked salmon: 7- 8 weight rods
Pike and Lake trout: 8 weight rods
Rods should be matched with an appropriate reel.

Lines

Weight-forward floating lines are the norm.
Sink-tip lines are helpful for streamer fishing in high-water flows but are rarely used. Full sink lines, which can be borrowed at the lodge, are recommended for Lake trout fishing.

Leaders

3x (approx. 8lbs) is the favored size when prospecting.
Recommended tippet range is 5x-2x (9 feet long) for river fishing.
0x is recommended for lake fishing
Shock tippets, wire or Kevlar are necessary for pike.
Leader material, tippets, wire, backing and nippers are available
at the lodge.

Accessories

Even though our guides carry small items such as bug repellent, sun cream, lip balm, vest, clippers, leader materiel, split shot, hook sharpener, dry fly flotant, forceps, pocketknife, a flashlight we please ask that you bring your own.

A small waterproof pack or bag for carrying personal gear, camera, and spare clothing is recommended.
Polarized sunglasses are highly recommended.

FLIES

Brook trout and Landlocked salmon flies

STREAMERS

  • Schultzy’s S3 sculpin olive
  • Master splinter (mouse pattern)
  • DW special *
  • Wooly bugger olive or black 2-10
  • Intruders
  • Darren Dick’s Special
  • Gugler fly

Dry flies

  • Orange bomber/tan body/ white tail 4-6
  • Gray Wulff 8-10-12
  • Royal Wulff 12-16
  • Adams 10-12
  • Rusty spinner 8-10-14
  • Cdc caddis emerger 16 – 20
  • Parachute Adams 14-18
  • BWO 16 – 20
  • Rusty spinner 16 – 20
  • Elk hair caddis olive – tan 14 -16
  • Tchernobyl ant 6 to 10
  • Muddler white/ orange 6 to 10

Wet flies

  • Bibio 12 to 16
  • Olive dun 12 to 16
  • King butcher 12 to 16
  • Jessie N01 12 to 16
  • Black gnat 12 to 16

Nymphs

  • Heavy stonefly black 2-4
  • Dark golden stone 4-6-8
  • Caddis larvae (green) 10-12-14
  • Prince nymph 8-10-12-16
  • Pheasant tail 16 – 18
  • Hare’s ear 16 – 18
  • Black/olive stonefly 16 – 18
  • Copper john 16 – 18
  • Copper john olive 14 – 16

*Pattern created by one of our guides

Whitefish flies

Dry flies

  • Cdc caddis emerger 14 – 20
  • Parachute Adams 12-14
  • BWO 14-16
  • Rusty spinner 12 -16
  • Elk hair caddis olive – tan 12 -14
  • Black gnat 12-14

Wet flies

  • Bibio 14-16
  • Olive dun 14 -16
  • King butcher 14 -16
  • Jessie N01 14 -16
  • Black gnat 14 -16

Nymphs

  • Pheasant tail 14 – 16
  • Hare’s ear 14 – 16
  • Prince nymph 14 – 16
  • Black/olive stonefly 14 – 16
  • Copper john 14 – 16
  • Copper john olive 14 – 16

Pike

Streamers

  • Dali Llama 4 to 6 inch – or double bunnies in purple/black, red/white and orange/white.
  • Clouser Minnow
  • Poppers, Mice patterns, divers
  • Puglisi baitfish patterns, tarpon flies
  • Any large tuff streamer
    • We’ve even caught them on large dry flies in the evening

Lake trout

While in the river with the salmon and trout and they will take the same streamers and even nymphs.
For lake fishing, large flashy bait fish patterns like Puglisi’s baitfish or others work well.

Our lodge has a small Pro Shop stocking fly boxes with a selection of the best flies, equiptment and merchandise.

We accept cash or credit card payments (open tabs billed to you at the end of your trip by credit card)

GRATUITIES

* Tipping is a personal matter; however, it is one of the first questions people ask when planning for their trip. The comments below are only suggestions which you can choose to follow or not. Tipping should be based on service received and that only you can be the judge of.

The following are what seem to have become average for the trip.
Guides – $400 – $500 per angler per week
Chef/Kitchen – $150 – $200 per angler per week.
Housekeeping – $75 – $100 per angler per week

Again, the above are only suggestions. We will provide envelopes in camp, which should be given directly to the manager. we prefer that tips be given to the manager so that he can distribute the amount fairly among the staff. If you wish to give a bonus to one of the guides, you may do so directly. McKenzie River Lodge does not and will never keep a portion of tips given to its staff.

**Please note that float plane delays due to weather are rare, but a possibility;
our staff will help you with any inconveniences they may cause.