My family started fishing at Pine Island Lodge some 29 years ago. At first it was just my Dad and my older brother, soon I came of age for fishing trips, and now we have our third generation fishing with my nephew making the last few trips.
We have made our annual, sometime bi-annual, trip to Pine Island anywhere from before Memorial Day up through the end of September, and I would assume every day in between. It is a consistent debate exactly what time of the year we feel is the best time to go. When to go is one thing, but why we go is easier to understand.
Many people come to Pine Island for the Walleye, or to chase Northern Pike, but the reason why we go every year is twofold; first we feel at home on the Island and the staff makes sure that you do; and the second reason why we come back every year is the Smallmouth Bass.
Being from Oklahoma, my family grew up Largemouth fishing and Smallmouth Bass offer something their Largemouth cousins in Oklahoma do not, great top water action! Over the years we have learned a trick or two about fishing the waters around Pine Island for Smallmouth, Pike, and Walleye, and as much as I hate to divulge priceless information, the best piece of advice I can offer is, BRING A FLY ROD!
The fly fishing is simply fantastic! The Smallmouth Bass is commonly recognized as one of the world's pound for pound strongest fighting fish, and in my opinion the Smallmouth is hands down one of the most suited game fish for the fly caster. The cool waters surrounding Pine Island Lodge are teaming with Smallmouth forage; craws, leaches, baitfish and big beautiful mayfly hatches, which in turn produce plump and fierce trophy class fish, which, on most days, are more than willing to take a fly. Useful patterns include a well stocked selection of streamers and craws, top water baitfish patterns, poppers, and certainly don't forget your big mayflies and hoppers. I have found that big trout flies can lead to exceptional days Smallmouth fishing.
On one of the best days of fishing I've ever experienced anywhere, my brother and I were chasing ringing Smallmouth which were devouring a white mayfly spinner fall, it was simply top water heaven.
As equipment goes, I personally like to bring everything from a 3 weight to an 8 weight rod. I mostly use a 5 weight, which is a nice balance allowing anglers to cast top water flies and small streamers. An 8 weight rod can also be your best friend if the wind picks up, or if you decide to hunt down the big Northern Pike. But, I also always bring a 3 weight rod for those special days when the Bass are busting bugs on the surface. The fishing is perfect for a floating line, which allows one to effectively work a popper down the rocky shorelines. However, depending on where you find the fish, there are certainly times that a sinking line is more than useful.
I remember a few years ago we were out fishing just before the spawn began to pick up. We were working the shoreline looking for that distinctive lighter colored circular patch, the beginnings of a smallmouth bed, and when we found one it was next to automatic. Yet, the fish we were catching off the beds, while averaging almost 17-inches, were all males. What happened next was likely a pure accident, maybe intuitive fishing, but likely a pure accident, as I decided to rig up a sinking line and casted out towards the middle of the lake, I would let the fly sink to the bottom, start to strip-strip-strip-BAM! The big females were out staging in 10 to 12 feet of water and they seemed to be everywhere.
For anybody who loves the sport of fly fishing, Smallmouth Bass on the fly is a must do. Pine Island Lodge offers the fly fisher not just a chance to hook up with the infamous Smallmouth, but with Trophy Class Smallmouth, and on a Fly! Not much is better than that.
Thank You Brian & Barb, and Everyone at Pine Island for all the great memories!
Pine Island has simply one of the most exciting Smallmouth Bass fisheries in North America. Gorgeous country, the industries best guides, and a lodge with all the comforts of home is what you get with an experience at Pine Island. You'll find it hard to find another fishery with so much action and BIG action at that! Trophy bass that can bend an 8wt fly rod are an everyday occurrence. Time spent at Pine Island Lodge is a memorable experience for fly anglers of all levels. The fishing will get you hooked but the setting of the lodge and the staff will keep you coming back year after year.
Pine Island's location allows a fly angler to fish one of the most productive river systems in Canada one day and fly out to a trophy bass lake the next. What more can you ask for? How about tossing in the ability to hook up with a monster Pike or catch a trophy Walleye on a fly rod? It's all there.
One of the most beautiful
and serene settings on earth
I am a fly fisherman from Colorado and have fished lakes, rivers and streams in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Wisconsin for rainbow, brown, brook, golden and cutthroat trout; salt waters off Maryland, North Carolina and Florida for false albacore, sea trout and bluefish; and salt waters off Belize and the Bahamas for permit, tarpon, jacks and bonefish. But the place I have returned most often is Pine Island Lodge on the Winnipeg River in Manitoba to fly fish for bass and pike.
I have been going to Pine Island for about 10 years and have never come away dissatisfied. The remoteness of the Canadian wilderness and the comfy lodge run by Brian and Barbara Burgess (good food, comfortable accommodations, gracious staff, professional guides, good boats and easy connections) make for a great stay no matter what nature has in store.
I have found that most summer months are suitable for fly fishing at Pine Island, but I try to avoid the mayfly hatch in the last half of June when many of the bass are concentrating on mayfly nymphs in water too deep for fly fishing. Whatever season you come, bring good rain gear, the trees grow big up there for a reason.
In addition to the Winnipeg River, on which the Lodge is located and from which the fishing is most accessible, you can arrange for day long fly-ins or portages to nearby lakes, some of which have an abundance of particular fish species...one lake for walleye and another for bass, for example. I have had 40-bass or 40-walleye days on such lakes.
On one of the fly-ins, instead of using the boat and guide furnished by the Lodge, I used a float tube that I toted from Colorado. In that one blessed day I caught more than 40 smallmouth bass on #8 brown and yellow wooly buggers; seven of them were in the master-angler class because they were 18 inches or more in length. One of them was 22 inches, the second largest smallmouth bass caught in Manitoba that summer. However, fly-ins can be expensive and unless there is a special event (my grandson's first trip to Pine Island, for example), I fish mainly on the river. Most days on the river yield more than 20 fish on the fly, and last summer I landed a 21.75-inch smallmouth that was the largest one taken on a fly rod in Manitoba in 2008.
Although fly rods on the Winnipeg River have become more numerous in recent years, they still constitute a small minority. I believe the lower number of fly casters improves our chances of success because the fish are not as familiar with the flies we use. Conversely, as the number of fly-fishing clients has increased, so have the fly-fishing skills of the guides at Pine Island. A few minutes of discussion between clients and guides about their individual strengths and limitations, and the weather expected for the day, soon produce good fly-casting positions on the river's many fishing hot spots.
In addition to smallmouth, fly fishers should come equipped for northern pike. I have found that a 7 or 8-weight rod will do the trick for both species. I would not take a fly rod smaller than a 6-weight because of the long casts that are required, the weight of the lures and the afternoon winds typical of the river. Pine Island clients have boated pike in excess of 40 inches, but my largest on a fly rod have been in the 33-36 inch range. Even small pike attack gaudy streamers with a vengeance and give a good fight; but, pound-for-pound, the smallmouth cannot be beat, providing a much tougher fight than trout or pike of equal size. Thin stainless steel leaders are required for the pike. I have found that Clousers in combination with these leaders will attract both pike and bass so that I don't have to change lures when casting in habitat that holds both species. Keep the leaders thin if you want to fool the bass.
My biggest thrill in bass fishing comes when I hook them on the surface. Small poppers with eight-pound fluorocarbon tippet are best for that experience, combined with casts that land a few inches from the bank or other structure. If a pike hits the popper and breaks off the tippet, wait a few minutes and the popper often will come back to the surface. Underwater, I use woolly buggers and Clousers to attract bass. Bring a variety of colors to see what works best for the season and the cloud cover.
Shore lunch is a grand tradition at Pine Island, featuring fresh walleye caught in the morning. You will need a spinning rod and reel for jigging or casting to walleye. Don't be surprised if later in the day while fly-casting to bass, you land a good walleye or two. My largest on the fly is 26 inches.
So, go to it. Pick up Barry Reynolds' books on fly fishing for bass and pike, reserve a stay at Pine Island Lodge, and enjoy some rewarding fishing in one of the most beautiful and serene settings on earth.
We come back every year
for the Smallmouth Bass
My family started fishing at Pine Island Lodge some 29 years ago. At first it was just my Dad and my older brother, soon I came of age for fishing trips, and now we have our third generation fishing with my nephew making the last few trips.
We have made our annual, sometime bi-annual, trip to Pine Island anywhere from before Memorial Day up through the end of September, and I would assume every day in between. It is a consistent debate exactly what time of the year we feel is the best time to go. When to go is one thing, but why we go is easier to understand.
Many people come to Pine Island for the Walleye, or to chase Northern Pike, but the reason why we go every year is twofold; first we feel at home on the Island and the staff makes sure that you do; and the second reason why we come back every year is the Smallmouth Bass.
Being from Oklahoma, my family grew up Largemouth fishing and Smallmouth Bass offer something their Largemouth cousins in Oklahoma do not, great top water action! Over the years we have learned a trick or two about fishing the waters around Pine Island for Smallmouth, Pike, and Walleye, and as much as I hate to divulge priceless information, the best piece of advice I can offer is, BRING A FLY ROD!
The fly fishing is simply fantastic! The Smallmouth Bass is commonly recognized as one of the world's pound for pound strongest fighting fish, and in my opinion the Smallmouth is hands down one of the most suited game fish for the fly caster. The cool waters surrounding Pine Island Lodge are teaming with Smallmouth forage; craws, leaches, baitfish and big beautiful mayfly hatches, which in turn produce plump and fierce trophy class fish, which, on most days, are more than willing to take a fly. Useful patterns include a well stocked selection of streamers and craws, top water baitfish patterns, poppers, and certainly don't forget your big mayflies and hoppers. I have found that big trout flies can lead to exceptional days Smallmouth fishing.
On one of the best days of fishing I've ever experienced anywhere, my brother and I were chasing ringing Smallmouth which were devouring a white mayfly spinner fall, it was simply top water heaven.
As equipment goes, I personally like to bring everything from a 3 weight to an 8 weight rod. I mostly use a 5 weight, which is a nice balance allowing anglers to cast top water flies and small streamers. An 8 weight rod can also be your best friend if the wind picks up, or if you decide to hunt down the big Northern Pike. But, I also always bring a 3 weight rod for those special days when the Bass are busting bugs on the surface. The fishing is perfect for a floating line, which allows one to effectively work a popper down the rocky shorelines. However, depending on where you find the fish, there are certainly times that a sinking line is more than useful.
I remember a few years ago we were out fishing just before the spawn began to pick up. We were working the shoreline looking for that distinctive lighter colored circular patch, the beginnings of a smallmouth bed, and when we found one it was next to automatic. Yet, the fish we were catching off the beds, while averaging almost 17-inches, were all males. What happened next was likely a pure accident, maybe intuitive fishing, but likely a pure accident, as I decided to rig up a sinking line and casted out towards the middle of the lake, I would let the fly sink to the bottom, start to strip-strip-strip-BAM! The big females were out staging in 10 to 12 feet of water and they seemed to be everywhere.
For anybody who loves the sport of fly fishing, Smallmouth Bass on the fly is a must do. Pine Island Lodge offers the fly fisher not just a chance to hook up with the infamous Smallmouth, but with Trophy Class Smallmouth, and on a Fly! Not much is better than that.
Thank You Brian & Barb, and Everyone at Pine Island for all the great memories!
Very truly yours,
Kevin B. Joyce
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What more can you ask for?
Pine Island has simply one of the most exciting Smallmouth Bass fisheries in North America. Gorgeous country, the industries best guides, and a lodge with all the comforts of home is what you get with an experience at Pine Island. You'll find it hard to find another fishery with so much action and BIG action at that! Trophy bass that can bend an 8wt fly rod are an everyday occurrence. Time spent at Pine Island Lodge is a memorable experience for fly anglers of all levels. The fishing will get you hooked but the setting of the lodge and the staff will keep you coming back year after year.
Pine Island's location allows a fly angler to fish one of the most productive river systems in Canada one day and fly out to a trophy bass lake the next. What more can you ask for? How about tossing in the ability to hook up with a monster Pike or catch a trophy Walleye on a fly rod? It's all there.
Andy Schwertfeger, Wyoming
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One of the most beautiful
and serene settings on earth
I am a fly fisherman from Colorado and have fished lakes, rivers and streams in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Wisconsin for rainbow, brown, brook, golden and cutthroat trout; salt waters off Maryland, North Carolina and Florida for false albacore, sea trout and bluefish; and salt waters off Belize and the Bahamas for permit, tarpon, jacks and bonefish. But the place I have returned most often is Pine Island Lodge on the Winnipeg River in Manitoba to fly fish for bass and pike.
I have been going to Pine Island for about 10 years and have never come away dissatisfied. The remoteness of the Canadian wilderness and the comfy lodge run by Brian and Barbara Burgess (good food, comfortable accommodations, gracious staff, professional guides, good boats and easy connections) make for a great stay no matter what nature has in store.
I have found that most summer months are suitable for fly fishing at Pine Island, but I try to avoid the mayfly hatch in the last half of June when many of the bass are concentrating on mayfly nymphs in water too deep for fly fishing. Whatever season you come, bring good rain gear, the trees grow big up there for a reason.
In addition to the Winnipeg River, on which the Lodge is located and from which the fishing is most accessible, you can arrange for day long fly-ins or portages to nearby lakes, some of which have an abundance of particular fish species...one lake for walleye and another for bass, for example. I have had 40-bass or 40-walleye days on such lakes.
On one of the fly-ins, instead of using the boat and guide furnished by the Lodge, I used a float tube that I toted from Colorado. In that one blessed day I caught more than 40 smallmouth bass on #8 brown and yellow wooly buggers; seven of them were in the master-angler class because they were 18 inches or more in length. One of them was 22 inches, the second largest smallmouth bass caught in Manitoba that summer. However, fly-ins can be expensive and unless there is a special event (my grandson's first trip to Pine Island, for example), I fish mainly on the river. Most days on the river yield more than 20 fish on the fly, and last summer I landed a 21.75-inch smallmouth that was the largest one taken on a fly rod in Manitoba in 2008.
Although fly rods on the Winnipeg River have become more numerous in recent years, they still constitute a small minority. I believe the lower number of fly casters improves our chances of success because the fish are not as familiar with the flies we use. Conversely, as the number of fly-fishing clients has increased, so have the fly-fishing skills of the guides at Pine Island. A few minutes of discussion between clients and guides about their individual strengths and limitations, and the weather expected for the day, soon produce good fly-casting positions on the river's many fishing hot spots.
In addition to smallmouth, fly fishers should come equipped for northern pike. I have found that a 7 or 8-weight rod will do the trick for both species. I would not take a fly rod smaller than a 6-weight because of the long casts that are required, the weight of the lures and the afternoon winds typical of the river. Pine Island clients have boated pike in excess of 40 inches, but my largest on a fly rod have been in the 33-36 inch range. Even small pike attack gaudy streamers with a vengeance and give a good fight; but, pound-for-pound, the smallmouth cannot be beat, providing a much tougher fight than trout or pike of equal size. Thin stainless steel leaders are required for the pike. I have found that Clousers in combination with these leaders will attract both pike and bass so that I don't have to change lures when casting in habitat that holds both species. Keep the leaders thin if you want to fool the bass.
My biggest thrill in bass fishing comes when I hook them on the surface. Small poppers with eight-pound fluorocarbon tippet are best for that experience, combined with casts that land a few inches from the bank or other structure. If a pike hits the popper and breaks off the tippet, wait a few minutes and the popper often will come back to the surface. Underwater, I use woolly buggers and Clousers to attract bass. Bring a variety of colors to see what works best for the season and the cloud cover.
Shore lunch is a grand tradition at Pine Island, featuring fresh walleye caught in the morning. You will need a spinning rod and reel for jigging or casting to walleye. Don't be surprised if later in the day while fly-casting to bass, you land a good walleye or two. My largest on the fly is 26 inches.
So, go to it. Pick up Barry Reynolds' books on fly fishing for bass and pike, reserve a stay at Pine Island Lodge, and enjoy some rewarding fishing in one of the most beautiful and serene settings on earth.
Roger Mattson, Colorado
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