Canada Trip – Ash Rapids Lodge

By Craig Dumesnil

THE LODGE

6/11/25 – 6/17/25: This was my first visit to Ash Rapids Lodge ( ARL ) my first fishing trip to Canada, for that matter; so, I have nothing to compare it with. I was part of a group of eight men, mostly friends from Louisville I have known since childhood . They have been going to ARL for over twenty years. This was the first time my invite didn’t conflict with a warm water trip already set up.

ARL is located two hours by car due east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, just over the line into Ontario in the northern most part of what is known as the Lake of the Woods area stretching south to International Falls. This is a vast watershed with the surrounding land being either federal lands or, in some areas, part of the Ojibwa Reserve. Sparsely populated with summer fishing cottages in some areas we fished. Mostly just Canadian wilderness areas of conifer forest. The lake holds a tremendous amount of water flowing to hydroelectric dams downstream. Many areas of the lake are over 100 feet deep.

The lodge is accessible only by boat. We left our rental car at the lodge’s staging area/landing and took a 10 mile ride to the lodge. Since the lake freezes over for much of the year, they have a very short season-May til the end of September. This may account for my never hearing about how good the fishing used to be twenty years ago. The fishing exceeded my expectations in every way.

Set on a hillside. the facility consists of a main building with indoor and outdoor dining, a bar and tv lounging area. One and two bedroom cottages around the lodge accommodate over nite guests like us who were there on a fishing package as well as some who came by their own boat and were fishing without a guide. I believe the cottages can accommodate 30 plus overnight guests. They seem to be renovating the cottages one at a time with available cash flow. Some would qualify as “spouse friendly.” Others would not. There is a sizable dock area with a large fuel tank for lodge boats and the general public. The food was excellent, chef prepared fare with a soup course, salad, entree with vegetables, rolls and desert. You can byob wine for dinner or order from their selection. Breakfast every morning was a buffet with fresh cooked eggs to order. Twice we opted for a shore lunch consisting of that morning’s catch of walleye, fried potatoes and onion rings plus pickles, slaw and other goodies. This cuts into the fishing day so the other days we just ordered sandwiches from the kitchen.

THE FISHING

We fished with guides every day, covering 25-30 miles in the G3 aluminum boats powered by 60 horse Yamahas. 4 boats, two men to a boat. Our target species was smallmouth bass but we caught the occasional northern and walleye, as well. One day my fishing partner caught a 37 inch northern. I fished with a spinning rod the first couple of days, then switched over to a seven weight. My last day, my partner and I caught 75 smallmouth between 15-18 inches, fly rod only. Two of my buddies fishing with a native guide and winner of many local tournaments, caught 150 smallmouth on spinning rods. There are lots of fish. And I repeat that this may be due in part to the short season. Also, I was surprised that our group of eight caught not a single fish over 19 inches. A number of the guides are local college students working for the summer. All were excellent in my opinion. The total cost of the trip, seven nights/six days fishing including all meals, taxes and tips to the staff is right at $5000 plus airfare.

Fishing is hard work!
Fishing is hard work!

Craig is a long time member of the Sea Island Fly Fishers and an avid traveler.

2025 Fly Casting Clinic

The Sea Island Fly Fishers held the Annual Fly Casting Clinic on April 6th at the John Paul II Catholic School grounds.

We are pleased to report that the recent SIFF Fly Casting Clinic was a wonderful success, marked by a turnout of 20 enthusiastic members who gathered to improve their fly casting skills. The beautiful weather added to the success of the event which included instruction from expert fly casters, Shannon O’Quinn, Neil Neidhardt, and Greg Hamilton as well as a barbecue lunch, artfully prepared by John Mathews.

View Photos of the Event

Nemours Wildlife Federation Tour – December 3, 2024

On December 3rd, 2024 the Nemours Wildlife Foundation welcomed the Sea Island Fly Fishers for a private group tour! 20 SIFF members joined Nemours Education & Outreach Coordinator, Heather Kraus for a guided, standalone wagon tour behind the property’s gates. The tour, lasted 1-1/2 hours and the group got a chance to view managed tidal impoundments, upland pine savannas, and other unique landscapes.

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The Nemours Wildlife Foundation was formally established in 1995 and currently holds five merged plantations along with some smaller tracts, totaling approximately 9,860 acres along 10 miles of Combahee river frontage. Over the 30 years since its establishment, Nemours has served as a hub for scores of interns and graduate students learning the tools of the conservation trade. It has hosted educational opportunities for school groups, community members, and professionals, and has played a leading role in helping to craft policy facilitating the conservation of the historic rice field impoundments that make this landscape so unique. Today, Nemours is home to a tremendous diversity of wildlife and habitats and is considered a leader in research and conservation in the ACE Basin – a truly breathtaking landscape the Nature Conservancy once listed as one of the “Last Great Places on Earth.”

Through donations from the club’s Conservation Fund, SIFF supports the Nemours Foundation’s mission to facilitate conservation and human well-being in the ACE Basin and beyond through collaborative scientific research, leadership development, management demonstration, and experiential education. For more information and to donate, go to https://nemourswildlifefoundation.org/

On the Fly Quarterly Tournament – Fall 2024

Congratulations go to Patten Bruce, winner of the Fall Quarter in Redfish category. Patten posted 6 Redfish catches during the quarter adding up to 141.25″ in total length!

In the Sea Trout category, it was John Mathews landing no fewer than 39 fish for a cumulative total of 525″! Way to go John!

The Winter Quarter started on January 1, 2024 and will run to March 31, 2024. There is no fee to register and the tournament is open to all active members. The format is designed to encourage participation with other members. Click Here for more information.

John Mathews Wade Report

Long time Sea Island Fly Fishers (SIFF) member, John Mathews, creator of SIFF’s Marsh Sense Clinics, has made close to 500 wading trips into our local marshes and is well positioned to educate club members in the basics of successfully wading and fishing in the tidal marsh environment and, above all, doing it safely.

Now, John will be sharing his experiences and observations in a series of reports to help you improve your game!

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SIFF Donations to Local Conservation Programs

Sea Island Fly Fishers, in line with its mission to promote conservation of our marine ecosystems, recently presented a $1000 donation to each of several local programs. These donations, made possible by membership support, will go toward the furtherance of conservation initiatives and protecting the natural environment. Being good stewards of our fishery, members of the Sea Island Fly Fishers recognize the importance of preserving natural resources for future generations and is committed to doing its part in supporting local conservation efforts. Sea Island Fly Fishers hopes that these donations will inspire others in the community to get involved and give their support as well.

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Special Auction – Hobie Kayak – Closed

High Bid AmountDateTime
$1002.3804/27/202311:59 AM

This auction has been made possible by the donation of a fishing kayak by a very generous SIFF member. Up for auction is a Hobie Outback Mirage fishing kayak, complete with all accessories , ready to fish creeks and big water. The minimum bid for this item is $500.00. Bidding is now open and will close on April 27, 2023 at 12 noon (ET). All proceeds will benefit SIFF initiatives and conservation efforts. The highest bid will be posted on this page at the end of each day. The kayak is located in Bluffton, SC. Viewing by appointment. Local delivery only.

On The Fly Quarterly Tournament – Winter 2023

Congratulations go to Margie Kaat, winner of the Winter Quarter in 2 categories, Redfish and Sea Trout! Margie, an avid fly fisher, posted 13 Redfish catches during the quarter adding up to 247.25″ in total length! Margie went on to post 11 Sea Trout catches, the cumulative total reaching 159.5″.

We would also like to thank Patten Bruce, Jim Burden, and Mike Mets who each posted admirable catches during the competition period! Click Here to view the reported catches!

Margie Kaat was the only competitor to post Sea Trout entries. There were no entries in the flounder category.

For more information on the tournament, please Click Here

SIFF Fly Tying Expo

SIFF Fly Tying Expo

The Sea Island Fly Fishers held a free fly tying “Expo” at the Port Royal Sound Foundation’s classroom on Saturday, March 18th between 9:30 am and 12 noon.

The gathering was the “kickoff” event to restart SIFF’s fly tying program. It was open to everyone interested in flies, tying flies, the art of fly tying, fly fishing, and fishing the Lowcountry via wading or boating.  Giving of their time and experience were noted and expert tiers from the SIFF membership as well as those from the Lowcountry fly fishing community. Tiers demonstrated and discussed tying their favorite fly patterns and shared their knowledge of fly fishing the Lowcountry with all those attending.

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