Fall 2025 and our first fly in trip of the year. Our Spring Trip had to be cancelled to deal with some health issues, so both Chris and I were chomping at the bit to get out into the quiet of the bush to crush some Walleye (and hopefully a big Pike). It’s always tough to find a late fall opening as we compete with the opening of the moose hunt, but Mel from Hearst Air came through with an opening at Sunshine Lake. This lake is likely the smallest one we have fished, but it is known to be a very healthy lake with good average sized Walleye, and some sneaky big Pike. What we were really looking for was an easy lake that we didn’t have to work too hard on, and to just enjoy the experience.
We flew in on a Saturday morning, and in short order we had things set up, and we hit the water. With such a small lake, you can pretty much see everything from the dock, so we simply headed up the western shore. As is usual for us, we used 1/4oz jigs, with both 3 and 4 inch homemade twister tails, some 3 inch homemade paddle tails, and some various store bought extras. It didn’t take long for us to hook into the first Walleye of the trip, and as we were told to expect, it was a solid 17 inches. We love the extra weight those fall fish have, and we were consistently catching 17/18 inch fish, with some Pike mixed in to keep us on our toes, and to test our patience as well (bite offs).
Sunshine has a wonderful location with a rocky shore for the boats, but also a nice beach area. It faces north, so you get amazing views of the sunsets, and we were told to keep an eye out for animals. What we didn’t expect was to having a morning visitor of this lynx, who was both larger than we expected, and was kind enough to show off for a picture or two.
We had an amazing shore lunch on a beach on the north end, which was covered in moose tracks. We had multiple visits from bald eagles, and we were serenaded by wolves one evening while we were doing some late night jigging. It really is a lake with animals sightings possible.
We had a mix of weather during our stay, including a few days of the dreaded North and Northeast winds. Our experience has shown this weather pattern can really dampen the bite, and we were correct. While we still caught plenty of fish, the back half of the week wasn’t as brisk as the first half. Still, when you talk “slow fishing” on a remote lake, it’s nothing to complain about. We did just fine :).
At the end of the week we tallied up a solid number of Walleye, as well as a 35.5 and a 42in Pike, both caught on jigs. The camp and cabin were in great shape, and the service from Hearst Air was amazing, as we’ve become accustomed to. If you want to check out the cabin I have a walk through video below, and I’m always happy to chat with folks about lakes I’ve fished. For Hearst Air we have been to Hilmer, Wanzatika, McCleister, and now Sunshine. Tight lines!
