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OUTPOST UPDATE
Northern Canada’s finest outposts had another great season in 2007 and the high level of rebookings for 2008 certainly reflect that. Trophy fish were common and the quality of angling for all species was very high. The key to these fisheries is the consistent quality and variety the North Seal is famous for. No other fishery can match it.
We continued several upgrades at the camps including satellite Internet to Maria and Stevens and a new portage/ATV trail from Burnie to Long Lake for easier access.
Great outposts require excellent managers and our managers are the best. 18 year vet Gerry Kroeker added his usual panache to Stevens/Nicklin and manager Stan Good the same at Bain. Burnie Lake’s Ralph Lloyd is probably the North’s hardest working guy and Jack, his Golden lab, our most popular staff member. 2007 featured the addition of Ken and Danielle Leon as the managing couple at our Maria Lake mini-lodge. Veterans of the North, their hard-working manner and willingness to please had Maria guests coming back with nothing but raves. All are returning in 2008.
Spectacular outpost-style fishing coupled with outposts that are second-to-none, Gangler’s North Seal River outposts. A very special part of Ganglers, they set the bar for all others to follow.
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BEAUTY LIES IN THE EYES...
The Rodney Dangerfields of the fishing world, Burbot aka Maria aka freshwater ling cod just don’t get any respect. These deep water denizens most closely resemble an eel, and their habit of curling up an unwary angler’s arm can give the willies to anyone. They are also a prized gamefish favored for their delicious white meat. We don’t really want to be known as the Burbot capital of Canada but in the last couple of years, we have been catching some huge Master Angler Burbot. 2008 guests can scan the lodge for our newest addition, a mount of guest Paul Pyler’s 2007 32.5” Master Angler.
As a note and we hate to burst the romanticism of it, Maria Lake is named after the fish, not the woman. It’s pronounced, “Ma-rye-ah.”
Another beastie that doesn’t get its due respect (until you catch one) are our whitefish. The whitefish up here are huge and a mounted 27”, just 1.5” off the provincial record, sits on the lodge walls. Every year guests accidentally take several master anglers and the largest were two 25 inchers taken by Chuck Davelis and John Hartzell. A 25” whitefish on the line is one heck of a fight. They are almost impossible to specifically fish for, but they’re there and you’ll know you have one when your rod quickly doubles over.
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BIG LAKERS
An extremely under-rated lake trout fishery, the North Seal produces a multitude of big trout every season, our largest all-time a 49” behemoth approaching 50 lbs... Largest for 2007 was a 45” beauty caught by long-time guest and trout specialist Paul Engel. Over 3 dozen lakers stretched the tape in the 40” to 45” range. Over 200 lakers 35” or better were caught. The North Seal is definitely one of the best-kept lake trout secrets in Canada.
The other plus is our water and the techniques used to catch them. During the heat of the summer, other lake trout lakes in Canada have their trout descend into large, vast holes with depths of 100’ or better during the summer, very difficult or cumbersome to catch.
Because of the constantly flowing water in our lakes, our trout rarely go deeper than 60’ in easily defined holes, easy to target. No wire-lining or down-rigging needed and excellent for vertical jigging. One new lake opened in 2007 has at least 7 defined trout holes loaded with fish. Of course, they are very shallow throughout the first-half of the season.
Canada’s sleeper lake trout fishery - Big lake trout on Manitoba’s North Seal.
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FALL FISHING BONANZA
Gangler’s fall fishing excursion is certainly a spectacular experience. Brilliant fall colors mixed with strong showings of the Northern lights make for a magical experience. With a touch of fall frost, the fish go into a shallow - water frenzy, feeding heavily and spectacularly until winter freeze-up arrives. The lake trout spawn is the prime attraction. Casting and hooking lake trout in shallow water until your arms tire would certainly impress even the most jaded angler. To add to the offering, these fish turn an assortment of colors, from dark mottled colors to a fiery char-like red.
Our 2007 fall fishermen had a great time. Brothers Randy and Rod Ross fished Egenolf for three and half days and had 6 Master Angler lake trout, tops a 40”, and two Master Angler Northern including one of the heftiest pike we’d ever seen. Jim and Angela LaBauve from Louisiana visited us and Jim got what he wanted – shallow water lake trout and pike on a fly rod. Jim took both a Master Angler pike and laker on a fly. The pike action was off the reefs and it turned red-hot and Jim went through four flies we tied for him that were absolutely destroyed by the time he was done. They also enjoyed the white ‘stuff’ which briefly visited us, don’t see that often in Louisiana.
Our 2008 Fall Fishing extravaganza is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 9-15. Limited to only 10 anglers, you won’t want to miss it.
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GATOR FEST 2007
In the angling world, nothing generates as primal a thrill as the flash of a huge pike attacking your lure. The North Seal boasts incredible variety but there’s no doubt what ranks #1 in the hearts of guests, Big pike.
Pun intended, the 2007 season definitely favored the Gators, Canadian gators that is. After all was said and done, the North Seal River system was possibly Canada’s top big pike producer in 2007.
Biggest catch was a 50”, pike, estimated at 35 lbs. or better, taken on a fly by main lodge guest Gerry Putnam. The fish is a HORSE, as the picture attests to. We had 28 pike 46” and bigger, including a 48 ½” by main lodge guest Mike Cantin and 3 other 48” pike. The other notable on North Seal pike is their heft. Pike vary in girth from watershed to watershed but the North Seal pike are well-fed with big backs on them. Fish in the 30s” will tear a rod out of your hands.
Hot baits? Top pike lures included two stalwarts, the Johnson Silver Minnow and the Mepps #5. We also tried other different baits with some generating remarkable success. Big plastics worked well, particularly after the weed beds came up, and they doubled as big trout lures too. Best flies include the Bunny Bug and red and white Seaducer, always dressed with crystal hair or flashabou. In late fall, a very unusually colored Bunny was definitely the top fly.
Plans for 2008 include offering Ganglers guests several new and untouched pike waters. Writer Mike Jackson fished one of our lakes and said he’s never seen so many huge, 50” class pike in one lake.
The exploration continues. Gator hunting goes to the highest level at Gangler’s.
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THREE TIMES THE CHARM
We see lots of unusual things up here. Big pike and trout hitting lures while a 5 lb. fish is in its belly with the tail hanging out their mouth. 15 lb. pike with bite marks stretching 10” across their mid-section. Pike filleted at shore lunch with whiskey jacks (a Canadian bird) in their stomachs. People losing lures to big fish and catching the same an hour later. Guest Craig Annunziata had a new one for us and we’ll let him tell the tale –
“We were on Copeland Lake and the weather was windy so we moved onto a small bay. It was about three feet deep and weedy at the back of the bay. I threw a Johnson Silver minnow. A 30" Northern bit it. We got the fish to the side of the boat and the leader broke. The fish swam away. However, it was sunny enough and we could see the lure in the fish's mouth. We followed the fish into about 15 feet of water and Neil used another lure and jigged trying to get the fish's attention. It initially swam away but then turned around and struck the lure. Neil got the fish to the side of the boat and the guide netted it but it spit the second lure and rolled out (it still had the Silver Minnow in its mouth). It got overcast and we gave up. We had some laughs and could not believe the fish would strike again with a lure in its cheek. We went to the other side of the same bay (about a 1/4 mile away). We saw a little rock bed and I threw a Mepp's. I got a strike and when we landed the fish it was the same Northern with my Silver Minnow in its mouth. I landed the fish, got my Silver Minnow back, kissed the fish and released it.”
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