Over the last weekend in September, I set off on a kayak fishing adventure in the Elliot Lake region of Northern Ontario, Canada. Although I usually fish with friends or my significant other, the short-term forecast of sunny skies and calm winds inspired me to plan this last-minute trip solo. It was nice to embrace some quiet time and explore at my own pace. During this adventure, I stayed at Laurentian Lodge, and ventured out on a couple of different lakes in the area. Over the past two years, I’ve partnered with the City of Elliot Lake to highlight the fishing opportunities found throughout this region . So far, I’ve checked off a variety of species and have explored several lakes during my visits to this area. You can learn more about my past fishing trips here.
A Visit to Laurentian Lodge
Laurentian Lodge is located just over 30 kilometers north of the City of Elliot Lake. The views were stunning on the drive out to the lodge as the leaves were just beginning to shift into the vibrant shades of fall. Laurentian Lodge has a variety of accommodation options for small or large groups, as well as an onsite restaurant.
Accommodations
I stayed in one of the very spacious Fireplace Rooms which features two queen beds, a full bathroom, a gas fireplace, and a deck overlooking Flack Lake. This was a perfect fit for me as I could park right by the door to my room and easily load and unload my gear each day. At the time of visiting, Flack Lake was closed to fishing (as of Labor Day). I had the chance to get out on this body of water July of last year, and put together a kayak fishing video from this outing. Fishing on Flack Lake is open from the third Saturday in May to Labor Day, however be sure to refer to the Ontario Fishing Regulations for the most up-to-date information.
Dining at Laurentian Lodge
The onsite restaurant at Laurentian Lodge offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The meals I had here were absolutely delicious! The staff were incredibly friendly as well. A couple of standout meals included crêpes with fresh fruit for breakfast, and for dinner, pork schnitzel topped with apple slices and drizzled with apple butter sauce. Yum!
A Day of Splake Fishing
I spent my first day on the water targeting stocked splake on a small lake nearby. The Elliot Lake area is known for the variety of trout species that can be found throughout. I utilized the Fish On-Line website to search for local lakes that have splake. If you’re not familiar, Fish On-Line is an incredibly helpful tool for not only determining locations by fish species, but you can also view stocking information, fishing regulations, access points, maps, and more.
I had the most luck catching splake in around 20 feet of water adjacent to the main basins of the lake. I explored shallower and deeper waters however the splake seemed to be roaming in small schools chasing bait on the sloping contour lines. I had success using small blade baits, but the most productive setup was a 1/8 oz Nishine SmeltHead jighead paired with a 3″ Berkley PowerBait Minnow.
Below is a short video with a recap of my splake adventure. It was a gorgeous and fun day on the water. I had the lake all to myself!
A Day of Smallmouth Bass Fishing
On the second day of my trip, I opted to explore closer to the lodge. After chatting with the friendly lodge owners, Melanie and Doug, I decided on checking out Mikel Lake. The restaurant backs onto Mikel Lake which is connected to Wilkie Lake via a waterfall and a portage. Initially I had intended to set out for brook trout on Mikel as it was just a few days before the season closed. However, my day began with catching some big smallmouth bass! I was easily distracted by these beautiful fish and spent the majority of my day in search of more smallies instead. The Nishine SmeltHead and Berkley PowerBait Minnow combo worked well on the smallies, too! Below is a video with my best catch of the day:
The Autumn Views: Wow!
Prior to heading home from this trip, I had the chance to meet up with local photographer, Richard Boose of Northern Exposures Photography. I’ve been seeing his stunning fall foliage photos pop up on social media over the past few weeks. He captured some images as well as some drone videos while I was exploring another small stocked splake and rainbow trout lake in my kayak. The views on this trip were unreal, and Richard captured it beautifully! Here’s a video with some of his drone footage:
Thank you to the City of Elliot Lake for hosting me on another memorable adventure, as well as the wonderful staff at Laurentian Lodge for a great stay! I hope to be back again soon!