Fishing
FISHING
Land of the largest wild Brook Trout and best Landlocked Salmond fishing in the world. Accessible only by floatplane, the Lodge is located on Andre Lake, at the head of the McKenzie river, which flows for over 30 miles before emptying into the gigantic Smallwood Reservoir.
Our guest have access to 3 scenic rivers: the McKenzie, the Quartzite and the Comeback. World class fly fishing on miles of pockets, riffles, runs and pools. Hunting for big Brook Trout, acrobatic Landlocked Salmon, Lake Trout, Northern Pike and Whitefish.
” The angler forgets most of the fish he catches, but he never forgets the streams and lakes in which they are caught. ” _ Charles K. Fox
An ethical and responsible fisheries policy
In order to preserve this spectacular fishery for future generations and to protect and abundant natural habitat, we practice catch and release in our waters.
Only fly-fishing with single barbless hooks is permitted in the rivers. In the lakes, light tackle with barbless hooks is permitted.
” We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. ” _ David Brower
Depending on the season and river level, fishing conditions call for different techniques. Generally speaking, the early season is usually with streamers, which big Laker and Pike love. Wet flies are excellent for Brook Trout and Landlocked Salmon, as are large nymphs and dries, which can also be attractive to whitefish.
Later in the season, you’ll need to adapt the size of your flies, sometimes up to numbers 16 or 18. Tchernobyl Ant and Mouse Pattern has to be a priority all season !!!
A trip to McKenzie River Lodge is also a time to learn and improve your fishing technique with a highly competent and eclectic team of guides.
BROOK TROUT
Beautifully coloured and strong river fish. Our Brook trout averages 2 to 5 pounds, and fish weighing up to 8 lbs are released each year. Feeding on the abundant insects and baitfish in the river, they take dry flies, nymphs, streamers and mice patterns.The camp record is 9 lbs 4 ounces.
LANDLOCKED SALMON
Or Ouananiche as they are called in eastern Canada. These hard fighting acrobatic fish average 4 to 10 pounds. Trophies up to 16 pounds have been released. They become larger are more numerous in august and early September.
WHITEFISH
This is abundant and often neglected by anglers. Averaging 3 to 7 pounds, these beautiful salmonids have small delicate mouths. Hard fighters they offer a great challenge on small dry flies or nymphs.
LAKE TROUT
Present in the river early in the season, they readily take streamers or stonefly nymphs. These powerful fish are the apex predator of the North, averaging 4 to 15 lbs, they are also abundant in Andre lake where trophies of 15 to 25 lbs are caught each year trolling large streamers with sink tip lines.
NORTHERN PIKE
Abundant in Andre Lake or slower currents and bays of the river, they range from 5 to 20 lbs. Strong and aggressive predators they provide great sport on the fly. They avidly take large streamers, poppers or mouse patterns.
FLIES
One of the toughest questions always is, what flies should I bring?
The answer: it depends. Like any fishery our trout feed on different things at different times, and sometimes anything at any time.
So, what to bring? Keeping it simple is a good start, stock up on classic eastern trout patterns, stuff that always work and your personal favorites, our fishery sees very little pressure so no need to be overly creative. That being said, we’ve had cheeky fellows catch trout on some of the wildest patterns out there.
Bottom line? Stock up on the classics and bring as many flies as you can, your guide will sort it out when you get there (and he’ll have some too), if you’re missing something, our store will have it.
Our pristine waters contain abundant populations of mayflies, Caddis flies and Stoneflies. The baitfish present are: Northern dace, white suckers, Mottled sculpins, 3 spine Sticklebacks, baby Brook trout and salmon parr.
*Large trout and salmon are opportunistic feeders and the season is short.