Last week I had the opportunity to travel up to the Elliot Lake area (located in Northern Ontario, Canada), for a backwoods trout fishing adventure. I have partnered with the City of Elliot Lake on a variety of fishing experiences this season, and this marked my first official trip in the area. It’s safe to say that this was a fishing-mission accomplished, and a memorable start to this new partnership!

Ten Mile Lake Lodge

This fishing adventure took place at Ten Mile Lake Lodge, which is situated on the northwest arm of Ten Mile Lake, located northwest of the city of Elliot Lake. This remote lodge requires two boat rides (one across Dunlop Lake, and then another across Ten Mile Lake) as well as a portage in between to access. Ten Mile Lake Lodge is open to guests from ice-out to the end of September (when the brook trout season closes). They reopen when the ice is safe, typically operating from mid-January to late March. During the winter months, the lodge is accessed by snowmobile.

Dan and Jill Marceau have owned and operated the lodge for the past 9 years, however the lodge has been in their family for the past 44 years. The lodge was previously a logging camp in the early 1900’s. Both Dan and Jill were born and raised in Elliot Lake and are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the area.

I invited along my friend and avid trout angler, Daniel Notarianni, to join me for this trip. Our adventure began with Dan (from Ten Mile Lake Lodge) meeting us at the docks on Dunlop Lake. We loaded up all of our gear into Dan’s boat, and began the scenic commute to our destination. Once we made it to the docks at the lodge, Jill popped out with a big, friendly smile. We were shown to our beautiful cottage that we’d be staying in for a few days. I just knew we were in for a special experience here!

Accommodations

There are 9 cabins at Ten Mile Lake Lodge, with 4 that are available for short-term rentals. The cabins can accommodate couples, families, or small groups.

I loved our accommodations! We stayed in a waterfront cottage with a dock, porch with a barbeque, a kitchen, 2-piece bathroom, two bedrooms, a futon, and more. It was cozy!

Fishing at Ten Mile Lake Lodge

There are a variety of fishing opportunities available through the lodge, including fishing on Ten Mile Lake, as well as access to nearly a dozen portage lakes. Lake trout, brook trout, splake, and other species are found in various lakes throughout the area. Packages include use of a 14-foot aluminum boat or pontoon boat on Ten Mile Lake, as well as use of the boats available on the many back lakes. There are also 2 kayaks, a paddleboat, and a canoe on site. The area also features various canoe routes. It’s great to have such a variety of adventures that are all included with a stay here. Dan and Jill are avid anglers themselves, and are happy to share their knowledge and experience to help point their guests in the right direction. It was easy to tell that guests quickly become more like family here. We met another group that had been visiting the lodge for over 20 years.

Daniel and I didn’t waste any time in getting out on the water the evening we arrived. It wasn’t much of a pursuit to catch our first fish as we barely made it away from the dock and Daniel had already hooked into a lake trout! We spent a few hours targeting lake trout in front of the lodge and landed a bunch using swimbaits, lipless crankbaits, jerkbaits, and blade baits. It was fun to catch these fish on a variety of techniques.

We decided to spend the second day exploring a back lake in pursuit of brook trout, and our third day was spent chasing lake trout on another back lake. Each adventure brought about some beautiful catches, and memories! I was especially grateful to get into some beautiful brook trout in such a pristine setting.

Left photo: Daniel with a lake trout.

Right photo: Ashley with a brook trout. Photo by Daniel Notarianni.

I put together a full video from our fishing adventure:

Thank you again to the City of Elliot Lake for partnering on this adventure, and to Dan and Jill at Ten Mile Lake Lodge for such a wonderful time!

I cannot wait until my next adventure in the Elliot Lake area!

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