GANGLER’S North Seal River | The fishing adventure of a lifetime.

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July 27, 2006 For walleye, it’s the real deal on North Seal - Mike Jackson (Daily Herald)

September, 2006 A typical day sees 100-plus fish landed per boat. - Pete Mathiesen (Field & Stream)

September, 2006 Manitoba Magic - John Fuhrmann (Eire Times News, www.goeire.com)

For walleye, it’s the real deal on North Seal
Mike Jackson - Daily Herald
Posted Thursday, July 27, 2006

CLIFTON LAKE, Manitoba — Four or five of our group sat at the table in the main room, re-telling the day’s events in non-stop form. The rest of the cadre were in boats continuing the pursuit. While it was close to midnight, there was plenty of sunlight and enthusiasm left to recount the day’s activities. Many of us there just couldn’t get enough of the magnificent angling action here on the North Seal River. And, for the record, I have fished with him lots of times — close to home and in places such as Mexico, Costa Rica and in Canada — but I’ve never seen him so obsessed with keeping records of what we caught. “Him” is Spence Petros. Petros, guide Darrell Baker, myself and five more anglers in our group got a major taste of some of the finest walleye fishing in North America. And here is a direct quote from Petros after a week of cherry-picking Clifton Lake: “Our group caught over 1,800 walleyes with the biggest, average size catch I’ve ever seen.” Now, some of you may offer guffaws and sneers at those comments, but I guarantee it is 100 percent accurate.

Clifton Lake is part of the Gangler outpost camp chain connected to the North Seal River. It just opened last year, and when Ken Gangler called to tell me about the great walleye and lake trout angling, he could barely contain himself. We found rocky areas where every jig drop produced a double strike (that means two fish on at once — one per angler, of course). These weren’t small fish, but rather walleyes ranging from 3 to 6 pounds. And they attacked the jigs with as much energy as a medium-sized northern pike. Clifton Lake is a typical Canadian-shield body of water, with bolder-strewn stretches of long flats. Many of the rocky shoals lead to sand flats, and ultimately to steep drop-offs. Some shoreline areas feature vertical rock walls. Much of the North Seal River area is like this, all formed by glaciers.

Our newly constructed two-bedroom cabin sat on a slight, sandy hill. The camp itself is perched on a peninsula nestled in a sheltered mini-bay. Gone is that typical growl of a diesel generator. Instead, modern solar panels provide the electricity to live comfortably in this sub-Arctic environment. Instead of shore lunches, we all opted to have fresh walleye and lake trout filets for dinners on three different nights. Gangler provided us with maps, so it was relatively easy to find the deep water, where we found the lakers ready to attack our lures. And here is where record-keepers Petros and Baker did yeoman duty. “My totals are on the low side,” Petros said. “I know we caught more than 350 lake trout, and maybe I’m shy about two dozen or so.” We drifted and trolled for trout over 70 feet of water. Fish weights were approximated and released. I used a 3-ounce bucktail jig tipped with a Lindy Munchie grub, as well as some fresh, cut bait from chunks of whitefish that we’d caught. We dropped the jigs to the bottom and then worked our way up the water while snapping the baits in upward motions while simultaneously cranking. Our trolling passes were made with three-way rigs hooked to big Rapala deep-diving plugs and heavy Five of Diamond spoons. I chose to use a Lindy No-Snagg sinker because these setups were dragged over massive rocks on the bottom.

Clifton Lake is also known for its huge northern pike. But because the cabbage weeds weren’t up in the shallow bays, we didn’t find any monsters on this trip. We’d heard reports of pike in excess of 50 inches. The North Seal River is near the northern end of Manitoba, close to the Northwest Territories border. We flew from Chicago to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and overnighted there. Then we flew on Gangler’s charter plane to the main lodge on Egenolf Lake. From there, a turbo Otter float plane took our entire group and gear to nearby Clifton Lake for the greatest walleye fishing of my life. If you go Where: Gangler’s North Seal River Lodges,

Manitoba Contact: 866-51-LODGE
Cost: About $1,900 for a week’s stay, air fare from Winnipeg and fishing license included
Best time to go: Now

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MANITOBA MAGIC
John Fuhrmann - Eire Times News
September 2006

Consider these facts. During four separate weeklong trips over the last six years to Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge, one of northern Manitoba’s premier fly-in lodges, four crazed fisherman who spend more than fifty days a season on Great Lakes and stream waters have headed to Canada’s far north in pursuit of some of the North American continent’s largest Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Grayling and Walleye. The trip requires travel on a Friday to Winnipeg, Canada, a daybreak Saturday charter flight to the main Gangler’s Lodge, fishing Saturday through Friday and a return to Winnipeg on the following Saturday morning. In total, during these four memorable adventure forays, our beaming foursomes have amassed incredible catch numbers, landing and releasing more than 4,600 fish! That’s an average of more than 1,100 fish per foursome during each trip of six days in fishing nirvana! Among our catches have been dozens of ‘Manitoba Citations’, Northern Pike measuring at least forty-one inches in length, Lake Trout of at least thirty-five inches, Arctic Grayling eighteen inches or more to warrant citation status and walleye reaching a minimum of twenty-eight inches to merit award qualification. It’s a fishing adventure to remember and that’s an understatement!

THE TRAVEL – From Erie you fly to an over night stay in Winnipeg, Canada, usually transiting through Minneapolis. You must adhere to a fifty pound maximum luggage weight for the trip, which includes all your fishing gear and clothing. In reality, you could easily get by with about a half dozen lures and a couple of rods, but we all have to insure we take everything times five we’re absolutely sure the fish will viciously attack. It’s an intriguing site when you see so many big rod cases being touted through check-in at the huge Minneapolis Metro airport and truly impressive at the Winnipeg Airport where you look out of place if you don’t have a rod case or are not wearing a fishing shirt and appropriate fishing headgear. The entire Winnipeg Airport on their numerous promotional billboards touts hardly anything but fly-out fishing lodges. Upon arrival at the Winnipeg Airport and after clearing Canadian Customs (you need a passport these days), you are met by outfitter agents representing the many fly-out lodges. They gather and hold your gear until the next morning’s 5 AM get-up and charter flight to your northern destination. For some, it’s ground transportation to vehicle accessible lodges closer to Winnipeg with same day as your arrival travel. There are at least twenty well-known lodge choices located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest territories that serve anglers arriving in Winnipeg, most requiring a fly-out to reach from Winnipeg. All boast reputations for big fish, quality service and gorgeous natural settings – and though not highlighted in their brochures. It’s a 5 AM get-up, a courtesy coffee and doughnut and a short ten-minute shuttle ride to transport you back to the airport and a twin engine sixty passenger turbo-prop aircraft. The seven hundred miles north flight takes approximately two hours and your attention immediately focuses in on the groundscape as you head north. The aircrew is sharp, the stewardesses serve coffee and juice with a smile and plenty of ‘fishing tales’ are shared enroute. Thirty minutes north of Winnipeg, populated areas fade into an absence of any roads, power lines, rail tracks, section lines and any visual clue of human presence. The landscape is breathtaking from horizon to horizon with lakes from massive to tiny, far too numerous to count, expansive rock formations of every description, roaring rivers tying lake to lake, bogs, sparse spruce and birch stands, marshes and no traces of humanity. You are likely hearing the term “esker” for the first time; the sometimes many miles long raised backbone-like rock formations bordered by water; nature’s architecture carved by glacial flows eons ago. Today, speckled with scrub foliage and sand, these intriguing formations serve as well-worn visible wildlife trails along the esker crests, worn into distinctive trails especially by the massive caribou herds estimated at over 500,000 that seasonally roam the far north regions you are fishing in. The landing also gets your attention as the pilot descends from twenty thousand feet, circles the main lodge area and runway to check wind direction and a clear runway, then eases the aircraft onto a sand packed 5300 foot runway – that ends abruptly at the water’s edge. You are met as you deplane by the lodge owners, Wayne and son, Ken Gangler, and the previous week’s anglers, who are waiting to board and head back to Winnipeg for flight and ground connections home. The magnificent landscape, which is only thirty minutes south of the far north tree line and tundra and one hundred miles south of the beginning edge of the North America Artic Circle region, speaks for itself. That first breath of pristine far north air feels like a lungs cleansing and sets the stage for the week’s fishing bonanza to come.

THE ACCOMMODATIONS AND SERVICE – The spacious 4300 square feet Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge, hosts a maximum of twenty-four anglers weekly. With fly-out out camps and smaller lodges available at several additional lake locations, options are available to suit a variety of angler choices. The main lodge is the social gathering and meals facility for the twenty-four guests and also holds a tackle shop, video library, pool and ping-pong tables, fly tying table, bar and a large lounge area. Lodge walls are adorned with trophy mounts of giant pike, lake trout, grayling and walleye. Huge moose and caribou heads, full bear rugs and full size wolf, wolverine and lynx mounts add to the atmosphere. Surrounding the main lodge complex are eight cabins offering two person and four person accommodations. Each cabin offers a comfortable common area with VCR/TV and separate bedrooms and bath and shower for each two-some. The main lodge serves sumptuous meals daily. Coffee is delivered to your cabin each morning at 6:45; breakfast is served at the main lodge at 7 AM, cocktails at 5 PM and dinner at 7 PM. A pay as you go bar is also available until 10 PM.

THE GUIDES, GEAR AND ‘THE NEIGHBORS’ - You meet your Cree Indian guide each morning at 8 AM at the dock directly in front of the main lodge to launch for the day’s fishing. The Cree guides are outstanding outdoors experts, whose ancestral history in this region dates back to pre-colonial times. They tirelessly offer their experience, hard work and readiness to laugh, all helping to make your week a lifetime memory. Gangler’s boats were designed for these waters. They are eighteen foot Alumarines, wide beam boats with casting platforms and high backed chair seats for two anglers per boat. Powered by electric start forty horsepower Yamahas motors, their reliability in our four week long trips has been 100%. Daily fly-outs, walking and ATV portages to twenty-two lakes are available. The fly-outs require a per person added fee from $150 to $275 depending on air distance to the destination lake. Most fly-outs are a fifteen to thirty minute flight time, departing at 8 AM with a pick-up and return to the main lodge by 5 PM. Portages and ATV trips are included in the package price. The fishing day runs from 8 AM to 5 PM with about an hour ashore for lunch. Shore lunch around noon is a choice of an “as good as it gets” shore dinner of skillet fresh pike or lake trout fillets, fried taters, mushrooms and onions topped off with fire heated cans of baked beans, corn, peas or beans all cooked on a open air fire by your guide. You can also opt for sandwiches from the main lodge if a shore lunch is not your bag. Part of the lunch entertainment includes the Cree guides who are master fillet artists and excellent outdoors cooks. Another daily lunchtime treat are the huge gulls that boldly arrive by the dozens to swallow up all the filleted fish remains and anything else left to devour. They’re aggressive and loud until a bald eagle sometimes swoops in to make off with a big pike or trout torso for their meal or young. The huge expanse of water and land encompassing the Gangler’s area totals 7200 square miles. Egenolf Lake is the main lodge lake and is more than 20 miles long boasting clear waters with extensive rocky areas, shallow shore and deep water weed regions, bays too numerous to count, fast water river inlet and out flow areas, sixty to ninety feet deep lake trout holes and all four “grand slam” game fish species – Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Grayling, Walleye and even the occasional whitefish and burbot. Twenty-two adjoining lakes, reachable by fly-out, portage or ATV offer more of the same angling challenges. Each week’s group of twenty-four includes a wide mixture of anglers, groups of two or more, lifetime fishing friends, families, father/son/daughter combos, husband/wife duos, pre-teen youngsters and senior citizens. National fishing shows have filmed segments at Gangler’s including In-Fisherman, North American Fisherman, LL Bean, Jimmy Houston and Al Lindner. Our group has had the true good fortune (by coincidence) to share our weeks with the likes of fly fishing world legends Lefty Kreh, Flip Pallot, Dan Blanton and Ken Harvey, all members of the National Fly Fishing Hall of Fame. All impressed us as highly personable men, great storytellers; readily sharing their knowledge, fishing techniques and conversation with all of us. I still have several Lefty Kreh pike flies that were gifts from this affable now eighty plus year old legend – and I refuse to fish them! Whether your choice is spinning rod, bait caster or fly rod, you’re in for more catching than you have likely ever experienced-or imagined. It doesn’t matter if you are a novice or a pro, these fish are predators of the first order, seemingly constantly feeding and present in such numbers that you find yourself shaking your head a lot wondering if fishing like this can possibly be real. Everyone has their own favorite rod and reel, but for pike a medium/ heavy action graphite spinning or casting rod, matched with a spinning reel or bait caster with a reliable drag system is a solid choice. Lake trout trolling calls for a stiff trolling rod, twenty pound or heavier line (a line counter reel is a plus). Today’s Fireline works great for pike (14#) and trout (20#) rigs and always have a quality cross lock snap wire leader tied on for both species. Bring an eight to ten weight fly rod for pike and a four or five weight for grayling. With our local Lake Erie walleye fishing so good, we don’t fish for Manitoba walleye, but casting Rapala Shad Raps or similar style crank baits and jigs and grubs boat walleyes aplenty. It’s difficult to overstate the quality of the fish, the fishing and the natural environment surrounding you in this far north Manitoba wilderness. When you throw in the fabulous scenery, dozens of bald eagles, osprey, loons, huge beaver, river otters, routine close up sightings of bear, moose and wolves and eighteen hours of fishable daylight in the June through September months, by any measure, this is truly an angler fantasy land! You set the fishing priorities. Your Cree Indian guide accommodates your desires. The rules are important, stringently enforced – and proper – catch and release, barb less hooks only. Two to three mid-size fish per boat are kept for that daily shore lunch. You can fish leisurely or intensely, target your favorite species among northern pike, lake trout, grayling and walleye, test the shallow bays for monster pike with a fly rod or surface lures, hunt trophy lake trout shallow and in sixty to ninety feet depths with braided lines and six to twelve inch lures, opt to jig or cast into schools of willing walleye or run fast water rapids to lure fabulously colored grayling to a dry fly or tiny spinner. A two-some fishing with intensity and a modicum of skill can expect to consistently boat and release a hundred fish each day. The average northern pike runs in the thirty to thirty-three inch and six to ten pound range. Those “Manitoba Citation’ forty-one inch/ twenty pound plus pike are to be expected with numerous hard fighting northerns in the high thirty inch, twelve to fifteen pound range routine among your catches. A monster fifty- inch/forty pound northern was caught - and released - last summer! That fifteen pound pike on an eight weight fly rod is ‘one hell of a fight’ and another addition to a lifetime memory. Lake Trout? When they move from ice-out shallow water to concentrate in deep holes, usually early in July, catching a dozen or more in a couple hours of trolling is common, including that thirty-five inch to forty plus inch/twenty to forty pound citation trophy. Sound too good to be true? Check the photos. Catching big aggressive fish in crystal clear waters is great stuff. To be sure, just about anything you throw will catch fish, but there are a few ‘must have’ lure choices. The Mepps #5 no hackle spinner is probably THE “go to” lure choice. Add a three to five inch grub and start counting vicious strikes and big pike. In the shallow bays and along rocky shore areas there is nothing better than the excitement of top water action with Zara Spooks, buzz baits and prop baits. It’s impressive to watch a big northern’s wake and rocket surge to smash a top water lure. In the heavy reed or cabbage cover, a Johnson’s Spoon, silver or gold, with that grub attached is the tool of choice and brings explosive strikes. My biggest ever pike, 47 inches/30# came on a Johnson’s. Running a black rubber leach on a jig near the surface is also a big pike attractor. Having a trophy northern in the twenty-pound plus range actually pull a boat with three men on board is pretty impressive! I’m not a proficient fly fisherman, but an adequate twenty to thirty foot sight cast in the close vicinity of any of a dozen pike basking in a warm three foot deep grassy bay has rarely failed to draw leaping, hard running fights. Pike on a fly rod are hard to beat! For the Grayling hunter, watching those beauties shimmering in the fast running river water outlets, then rising to pop a dry fly is a great thrill. On a five-weight fly rod, their fights are hard, leaping and non-stop. Lake trout will rip the lures you cast for pike when they’re still up shallow, but when they concentrate deep you’re trolling in fifty to ninety foot acre size holes with three way swivel setups - a four to six ounce banana sinker on a thirty pound test leader four feet back, a very large silver Red Eye, Williams Spoon, Eppinger Five of Diamonds or big flatfish. WHY MANITOBA? With the NWPA fishery as good as any in the world you might ask – why Manitoba? My answer includes experiencing a truly unspoiled and unique wilderness environment, the adventure and comfort of a top quality world class fly-in lodge, BIG fish -LOTS of BIG fish - excellent accommodations and service and trip after trip - superb fishing. Unique? Netting two pike, a six-pounder with a ten pounder’s jaws locked around the smaller fish qualifies as unique. Watching the pike you caught spit your lure ten feet from the boat and immediately strike and latch on to your partner’s lure as he reels in trying to clear for you, that’s unique. Both you and your partner yell “double” and find you are both fighting the same pike that has ripped both of your lures - pretty unique. Looking down the throat of a twenty pound Lake Trout to see the tail of a pike sticking out fits in the unique category. Fishing from 8 PM until mid-night and releasing one hundred pike in four hours is definitely unique So, if you’re in the market for a “unique” week of amazing fishing, ‘top drawer’ facilities and service and nature at its best, plan a fly-in trip, take that digital camera and video cam, and get ready to enjoy a fishing trip to remember for the rest of your life! Catch many, release most – see ya in Manitoba, maybe at Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge.