Aussie Pike and walleye vacation

[fisher480]

I've started planning a trip to Canada in 2011. I plan to go fishing for Pike and Walleye amongst other things.

Firstly what is the better time to fish for them bearing in mind I'll be travelling in either June/July or September/October.

Secondly the tackle required for Pike, particularly the reel and rod sizes( I'll probably fish with spinning reels) Any recommendations as far as guides would be helpful.

Also ditto for the walleye.
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[PikeFlyGuy]

Best times depend on how far north you are fishing, and what kind of tackle. I fly-fish for pike (and have written a book on it), so I want the fish in shallow water. Generally the best provinces with many lodges to choose from, are Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Ontario. In the southern half, I'd opt for June or Sept. If you go far north, any time is good, starting usually from mid-June, when the fish are in shallow bays, trying to warm their blood and fatten up after a lean winter. Late August or early Sept. can be great, too. The fish are the heaviest of the year and are again often in shallow water, getting ready for winter. Also, either time may give you a shot at lake trout in the shallows, and most lodges usually have walleye, too. Arctic grayling are a real treat on lite tackle in the far north, too.

My favorite lakes? Reindeer Lake, Saskatchewan (try Tate Island Lodge), where I caught 2 IGFA records on flies; Kesagami Lake, Ontario (just one lodge); & Nueltin Lake, Manitoba (again, just one lodge), where I'll be hosting a fly-fishing week late August - early Sept. Not allowed to post web sites, but you can google me for my web site where there's lots more info on Pike fishing. It's not a "commercial" enterprise. Just something I do for the love of fishing. Most Northern Lodges are full AP, but some also offer "outpost" camps, where you may cook your own meals and are self-guided,

Good luck, and feel free to write if you have questions.

Pike Fly Guy
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[fisher480]

Thanks for that information. Pike sound a bit like our impoundment barrumundi, up on the shallows to warm themselves up and then the same afterwards.
Basically I'm leaning towards a fly in type lodge for a week's fishing. I'm lucky that my wife fishes also and we have flown into remote areas of Australia and fished so this is nothing new to us. Looking at the gear, from what I can gather to catch walleye a light spin out is fine like a 4 -8lb rated rod and a 2500 size spin rod with 6lb braid or mono. As far as Pike my observations seem to suggest a heavy spin or baitcaster outfit rated at 12 -20lb that will cast around the 1 oz weight with 15-20lb mono or 20lb braid.

Have I got that right?
I intend to buy some gear over there but does anyone have any recommendations for quality travel rods? I do own one Temple Fork Outfitter's 4 - 10lb 6' 6" but my favorite is the Innovator Nitro 007 range which are all 5 and 6 piece so they fit nicely in a suitcase but I haven't decided if I'll carry them over with me.

Anyway I bought a couple of DVD's and should be here in couple of weeks. The more I research the more questions I have.
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[PikeFlyGuy]

Your tackle suggestions are good. I suggest 20# braided line for the pike, and if you can handle a baitcaster, that's preferable to spining. I like a longer (7') rod for walleye, and 6 - 8# line, either mono or braided. Most walleye fishing in northern lodges is done with small grub-tailed jigs, but they hit small spoons, plugs and spinners, too.

Spoons are most popular for pike: r/w Dardevil. 5 of Diamonds, blk & white, weedless Johnson silver minnow (1 oz.), and some of the newer multi-colored ones are great. I also used to carry some plugs. An old fashioned jointed pikie minnow & the Heddon Vamp were my favs, and Rapalas work well. Large, soft plastic "Sluggo" type jerk baits are also very effective, as are off-set spinner buzz baits

If you've every tried fly-fishing, that's the best way to take pike. It's relatively easy to learn. See my PikeFlyGuy.com web site for information. The book also has plenty of things that are important to know, whether fly-fishing or not, and it's available at Amazon.

By the way, we'll probably be doing our "Fly-fishing week" again at Treeling Lodge, Manitoba, in 2011, during their trophy week, at the end of August. I'll be there again to help get people started with fly-fishing for pike. You should consider that week. Huge pike, but Arctic grayling in fast streams instead of walleyes, and big lake trout in shallow water. It'll be a blast.

Let me know if I can help in any other way.

Best,

George Bernstein
PikeFlyGuy
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