Having experienced multiple Fly In Fishing Trips over the past number of years, I was always wondering when it would be time to introduce my kids to the adventure. Through a series of unexpected events, it turned out that the summer of 2018 was going to be the time! My wife (Carolyn) and I, along with Hannah (11) and Jacob (9) headed out on our first family Fly In adventure with White River Air in August.
Our journey started with a 10 hour drive from Kitchener/Waterloo to White River, Ontario. We planned our drive to have a few more stops than usual, and the kids spent a lot of time preparing “car kits” of various activities to keep them occupied. We were on the road by 5:00am with high spirits for this special family get-away. I’ve made the drive to White River several times, and always marvel at the beauty of the topography, particularly around Lake Superior, but I’ve never taken advantage of any of the lookouts. This year we made a couple stops to stretch our legs and also to enjoy the view.
No matter how often you stop, it’s a long drive and we were happy to get to our motel and get some sleep before heading to the air base. The kids were excited to look at all the planes. I was, however, more concerned with the fog and the low cloud, knowing this would impact our departure time. Our plan was to head to Cornish Lake, the farthest lake that White River operates. After a few hours delay, and seeing some other groups head out, it was our turn to load up. Dan, the owner (and pilot), pulled me aside to let me know that where Cornish was located, it tended to hold the fog longer, and would it be OK to move us to another lake if we couldn’t get in? I was fine with that, just anxious to get to the camp as we were only going for 3 days, and it was already noon on take-off day.
With gear loaded and our family on the plane, it was time to head out! About 15 minutes into the flight I could already see how the cloud and fog was still hanging around, and wasn’t surprised when the pilot turned to me and shook his head, his way of saying we couldn’t continue. Another 10 minutes in the other direction and you could tell the pilot was looking for gaps to fly to, but alas, the clouds and fog did not cooperate, and rather than landing on an alternate lake, we were forced to return to base and wait for better weather.
A couple hours later it was time to try it again. We were given the choice of going to Jembi Lake, which I had fished before and knew some spots, or to Bulldozer Lake, which would be new for all of us. After a short discussion we agreed to share the new adventure together. After a 20 minute flight, we landed at Bulldozer, dropped our gear and helped load up the two fellows who were on their way out. In no time the plane was off, and our family of four were on our own. We quickly unpacked, got some water in the jug to treat, I launched the boat and hooked up the fish finder, and then assembled all the gear. We all got changed into fishing clothes, and using some tips from the groups before us we headed out. Neither of the kids, or Carolyn, had a ever caught a Walleye, which was our preferred target for the next couple of days. After some searching we found a likely weed edge to try some jigging, and struck Walleye gold!
We fished for about 90 minutes (the kids were less interested in multi-hour outings), and we all caught both Pike and Walleye, then it was time to head in for some dinner. The kids had a great time getting their bunk beds ready as I cooked us some dinner. We were able to head out for a short evening fish before the dark clouds rolled in and it was time to head in. Bulldozer Lake has only one cabin on it, and comes equipped with electric lights from a small generator. You haul water up from the lake, and there is an outhouse behind the camp. As we were settling in for some games, a monster thunderstorm rolled in, which was great to see and watch, but became rather inconvenient when the combination of driving rain and wind knocked the generator out of action. Of course, having to use flashlights and electric lanterns is far from the worst thing you can face :).
Day two provided some rain and cloud, but we had a full day of fishing from the boat, fishing off the dock, exploring, playing with frogs, games, all those things you can do as a family when you are out in the bush. It was a good day for eater size Walleyes, and a number too big to keep, as we started to add up enough both for a fish fry, and to take home some for later.
Both kids were very successful at jigging, trolling and casting for fish. Hannah caught more Pike than Walleye, but had the larger Walleye of the kids, while Jacob caught more Walleye, but had the two largest Pike (by a margin). The fishing occurred in shorter spurts, as the kids liked to be in the boat for about 90 minutes, then fish off the dock or explore etc., so we never travelled too far from the cabin in search of fish.
Bulldozer Lake, while not a large lake, is broken up into two main sections, each with many bays, neck downs and islands. There are a couple of key mid-lake structures, definable weed lines as well as key drop-offs you can note on even the most basic graph. One area that was a challenge for us to find was a mid-lake weed bed that previous guests had marked on a map. We did find it, but because the weeds were not noticeable on the surface, you had to be right on them to find them. The good news was that they were worth the find, producing many of our Walleye and Pike.
With this trip being only 3 days, and losing 1/2 the first to the weather, we had to make the most of the time we had. Our day two was pretty cloudy and rainy, but we did manage to get out. I took the opportunity to head out for some solo fishing late morning, and loaded up some walleye for us to take home. My destination was the previously mentioned weed bed. One end for Walleye, the other for Pike, it was almost automatic. Our main lure was a 1/4 oz jig with a white grub. We had brought in a good supply of worms, but it turned out we didn’t really need them, so we let them go beside the cabin.
Our final full day was sun and cloud, and the wind calmed down, really a beauty day. Carolyn had recently passed her boaters test so was getting some hands-on practice, including being the driver for our afternoon fish. She kept us on the right spots, and I kept busy helping the kids with netting and releasing the fish. Both kids are fine to unhook fish like Bass, but the teeth of the Walleye and Pike are still a bit intimidating.
We finished off that day with a nice evening fish, and it would go down as the best fish for count and average size of the trip. Hannah ended up with a couple of nice 19 inch Walleye, Carolyn a 20 inch, and Jacob pulled in the two biggest Pike, a 31 inch, and a 33.35. The latter he caught the last morning when we went out to pick up our marker bouys and catch a few final fish.
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Having finished on the water it was time to pack up and get ready for the plane. The rush of getting ready almost prevents the disappointment that it is time to leave. Using our satelite unit we knew when to expect the plane, and hearing the roar of the Beaver in distance, the kids headed down to watch it come in. I have never lost the enthusiasm for seeing, and flying in, a float plane.
Before I sign off, here is a walk-through video of the camp and the cabin. Special thanks to Hannah who shot the video :).
We loved our stay at Bulldozer Lake, and I know we’ll have other family Fly In Fishing trips in our future. I liked Bulldozer enough, and feel there is so much more to the lake to fish, that my brother and I will be giving it a whirl in Spring 2019! It will be great to see exactly how many different spots and ways we can catch fish, including what we hope will be some bigger pike.
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Love your videos. I think I’ve watched them all a 100 times!
My wife and I spent a week at Pickle last July and had a great time. Fishing was good but not exceptional. We are heading back to Pickle in July again next summer.
My buddies want to take a trip with Brandi and Dan in early August. Will Bulldoze provide enough “eaters” to keep us busy? Is the creek/portage worth the pain or is there enough lake to explore for 4 days in Bulldozer?
Thanks,
Ed
Hi Ed. Bulldozer was a great lake to fish, and there are plenty of eaters there. I wouldn’t make the portage that late in the summer, I suspect the water will be two low. That being said, there is plenty of spots to work on Bulldozer itself!