I have broken my review into two parts. This post recounts the fishing on a daily basis. Make sure you also read the one about lessons learned and “what I wish I had known” before going there.
I’m back after my McKenzie River Lodge trip. I am still at a loss for words to describe it.
Fellow blogger Jamie Carr has been there twice. When I asked him about it, he paused for a bit before saying: “It changed me.” I agree. After six days of hard fishing, I felt relieved and exhausted.
If I had to choose a few words to describe the experience, they would be: raw, remote, wild.
The lodge is tucked away deep in the Labrador bush. There are no other human beings. Everything has to be transported in by float plane: all food, fuel, supplies, and people. You’re completely subject to the vagaries of mercurial weather. Fishing there is both incredibly physically and mentally challenging. The scenery is absolutely massive, beautiful, and overwhelming at the same time.
And, the fish are giants.
Pre-arrival and Day 0
Getting to the lodge is a logistical feat. After driving to Montreal, I met up with my friend Archie Jones. After a dinner at Liverpool House, to which I’ve wanted to go since forever, we settled in before a very early set of morning flights on a turbo-prop plane, going from Montreal to Wabush with two stops in-between.
At the Wabush airport, we met the other anglers: Mike Gagnon and Burt Dube from Maine, and Jason Mallory and Charlie Mitton from Ontario. Then, we were off on a van to the liquor store and then to the float plane, where they weighed us and all of our gear. We helped load food, luggage, and general supplies onto a plane, including a new dryer. After 50 minutes, we touched down on Andre Lake and met our guides: Jolan Forest, Thomas Hardy, and Alex Levesque.
It was at the lodge that we all began to get to know each other, cautiously at first, but we quickly developed rapport. I liked these guys. The Maine crowd was older than Archie and me, and the Ontario crew was younger. We all had heard about the McKenzie for years and were eager to see what the next day would bring us.
Alex Cannesan cooked up a hearty dinner of bacon cheeseburgers, and we opened up our liquor stashes. Game on, soon.
Day 1
Coffee was ready at 6:30 am, breakfast was at 7 am, and one hour later we were ready to depart with our guides. Everyone was early at the lodge, full of humor and excitement.
Archie and I were assigned to Jolan, and immediately disaster hit. After a boat ride and a long hike on very buggy and slippery trails, we arrived at our first stop only for me to find that I had lost my rod tip. After a careful walk back to the boat and back to the hole, I miraculously found it.
While I was away, Archie was resting on a rock after landing a nice salmon on his third cast. He is a fishy guy and roped in many more than I did. Jason and Charlie had a banner day at the lower river, hooking 14 salmon and landing 11 of them.
I took some brookies on a Bomber. They were good-sized for my home waters but dinks for the McKenzie, but I was glad to be on the board.
We did a long walk back to the boat before ferrying back to the lodge. During the boat ride, I began to realize how expansive the location was. Simply amazing.
Alex Cannesan greeted us with an amazing dinner of lasagna. It was a long day. Archie and I had walked and waded nearly 20K steps, much of it through heat and high humidity. I was covered in bug bites in spite of using repellent.
We all slept well that night.
Day 2
This was a marathon day with Thomas, who was effusive, positive, and fishy as all get out. We took three boats to eventually get to the Comeback River and the Marion River. Along the way, we fished for pike.
Neither Thomas or I had wire leader on hand. I tried to land a few pike on 0x, but they eventually cut through it each time. Archie continued his fish fest.
We had a fun time. The three of us were quite outgoing and did not mind pushing the boundaries on humor. I think Thomas may have thought that Archie and me had some screws loose, but dark humor was how he and I rolled. We had many guffaws as a team.
We pushed onto more water.
Water was low. To get to the Marion, we had to both push and lift the boat above shoals for 40 yards.
We finally hit a magical spot that Thomas had found on his own. There, at a soft run, Thomas spotted a huge brookie. I threw some dries, and it eventually sipped one. I saw a large flash of orange, and my 5-wt. bent over. At one point, I had an advantage over the fish and saw one of the largest brookies I’ve ever seen on my line.
Eventually, the fish saw us and dashed for some rocks. A sharp piece of bottom cut my 3x leader a few feet from the thick, butt end.
Lesson learned: Use a stronger leader and tighten the drag. I felt more bad for Thomas than for me. The McKenzie guides worked very hard, and I felt bad that I did not deliver for him.
Honestly, I was pretty quiet during the long journey back to the lodge and remained so at dinner. I was knackered, after a 14K-step day. And I was down about the lost pike and brookie.
Alex served fish and chips, utilizing pike freshly caught that day. Dinner lifted my spirits.
“It’s early,” Archie said to encourage me. “You’ll have your day soon.”
He was right.
Day 3
Archie and I teamed up with Alex, who is a Zen Master. Quiet, calm, and incredibly fishy.
Archie again did well off the bat, landing another nice salmon. Alex had me swing a streamer at a tail out, and I fought the wind to try and cast with my new 7-wt.
Fishing in Labrador really required me to change. I’m so used to a 4-wt. or 5-wt. at my home waters and in Montana. I learned that I’m quite bad at casting big streamers.
Still, I kept at it. At a quiet lane I let the fly swing and then dangle for bit. Then I felt a huge tug, and it was time to play ball. A large, silvery salmon jumped four times. Through a miracle a beautiful fish slid into Alex’s net.
I couldn’t believe the size! I forgot to tape the fish, but I later uploaded a photo to AI. It estimated that the salmon was 28″ and weighed about nine pounds.
We then reeled up and took another boat ride to the lower river, where Corner Bowl awaited us. It was stunning water, filled with rapids, some huge lanes, and an incredibly large tail out. We waited out a massive thunderstorm and sheets of rain and calmly looked at the gorgeous scenery.
Later, I asked Alex if I could throw dries, and he tied on a Bomber. It was a hoot to throw dries on a 7-wt. and a 0x leader. Eventually, I saw a large fish calmly porpoise near my fly and quarter-down of me. Two casts later, a huge head appeared. Miraculously I waited for the fish to engulf the fly, close its mouth, and slip back down.
A few jumps later another gorgeous salmon slid into Alex’s net. AI estimated the fish to be 24″ long.
During another amazing dinner, I couldn’t help but smile. At this point in the trip, our group felt very comfortable with each other. The guides joined us for each meal, and it started to feel like the group was really bonding amidst the stories and laughter.
Jason and Charlie also had a great day.
Another 17K steps in the books.
Day 4
This was a special day on the trip. We fished in the morning, took an afternoon rest, and then were treated to evening fishing and a shore dinner.
Archie and I again teamed up with Jolan, and we fished the Quartzite River. I worked the upper runs with dries on my 5-wt. and caught a massive pile of brookie dinks. The weather was solid, there was no wind, and it felt great to cast a rod that I knew so well.
Eventually, Jolan spotted a large fish at some pocket water. He asked to see my fly box and picked Ashu Rao‘s Creature, which is a Mop Fly variant.
Two casts in I felt a tug, set the hook, and tightened the line. The fish dashed into the white water below, and Jolan and I scrambled to keep up with it. Eventually it hit a quiet seam, and I used side pressure to ease the fish up and into Jolan’s net.
“Vive le mop!” I yelled, as Jolan laughed hard.
Later we traversed to an outlet, where the Quartzite dumped into a lake. I put on a size 10 Gray Wulff and cast at a large rock, whereupon a huge brookie quickly ate the fly. Thankfully, the 2x leader held. A few minutes later, on the other side of the same rock, I found another willing eat. AI later estimated the first fish to be 20″ to 24″, and the second one at about 20″.
Soon, it was time to reel up to head back, and Jolan had time for a brief rest during the hike back to the boat.
After an afternoon of rest, we headed out for some evening fishing and the shore dinner. At one point, I heard some loud yelling. Mike had a huge fish on.
After a tussle, Thomas was able to net it, with shouting and whoops all around. Thomas thought it was the biggest brookie he had seen in his three years of guiding at the McKenzie. People thought it weighed over eight pounds.
“Miracle Mike” is a great angler. He caught that fish on a Caddis dry that he tweaked over 40 years. Mike had also caught another amazing brookie a few days earlier, which is the third photo below. He was King of the River in my opinion.
We fished more after a delicious dinner of grilled pork chops and homemade gravlax. The scenery during the ride back was the perfect coda to an amazing day.
It had been another 14K steps. My body was pretty tired, but my mind felt so alive.
Day 5
After a lot of hiking for many long hours and throwing big streamers and big rods for days, Archie and I opted for a rest day. We told Thomas we wanted to go pike fishing.
Pike are the panfish of the lakes out there. They’re plentiful and easy to catch. But they’re huge.
Archie decided to mix it up and be the guide for brief moments, which was fun. He insisted that Thomas fish at one point. He also provided wry commentary throughout the day.
We fished for pike while both floating and wading, and they didn’t disappoint. Jason was nice enough to give me some pike leader, and Thomas gave me a swivel. At one point, I had a huge fish on. After a tussle, the beast actually broke the swivel.
Archie landed a whopper.
AI estimated that the fish was nearly 40″. What a pike!
Eventually, we fished a cove, where I was determined to catch one on a mouse pattern. A mid-sized fish complied, and I felt great about that one.
After a full day of many pike and many laughs, we returned to camp, where Alex served us a delicious roast-chicken dinner. It was a rest day with “only” 8K steps for me. But my body frankly needed the break in order to be ready for Day 6.
What would the last day bring?
Day 6
I was teamed up with Burt and Jonal. After seeing some good fish, I was feeling that anything else on the trip would be upside. Burt had caught a PB brookie on Day 1 but had hit a long, cold stretch since then.
The morning started cold, windy, and rainy, and all that continued all day.
Jonal started us at an outlet where big fish can start their migration to the river. At one point, I was standing on a rock amidst white water. At a bubbly stretch, a nice brookie took a streamer. Jonal did his best to run over with his net. Once I got the fish to a rod’s length, I kept the line tight as I waited for him to arrive. Unfortunately, this fish spit the hook just as he did so. But it was no bother, as I got a good look at yet another nice fish.
Later, we fished another stretch, at which a big-and-silvery salmon took my streamer. Once it was at a rod’s length though it jumped a fourth time and got off. Again, I felt fine with it. It’s how fishing is.
I was determined to catch a salmonid on a Mouse and did all I could to coax one up. No dice.
Burt was able to get a nice fish, his PB salmon. Honestly, I was so happy for him. Sometimes even great anglers run into a cold streak, and I was glad to see Burt close out the trip with a memorable fish. Jason also saw some good action.
“Ok, guys,” Jonal said. “Time to go.” I took one last photo of the river before turning away for the trail. I wondered if I’d have the time, resources, and health to return one day.
For dinner, Alex made seared tuna, filet mignon, and mac and cheese. We emptied our liquor stashes as best we could. Eventually, the singing started and cigarettes came out.
I walked slowly to the cabin feeling both elated and spent. 24K steps for the day and so many memories.
Departure Day
We were able to sleep in for a 9 am breakfast and were out of our rooms by 11 am so that the guides could clean them for the next group.
The three guides were the hardest-working ones I’ve ever met. Out in the bush, with no cleaning crew, manager, or maintenance person, they had to do it all.
We sat in the main lodge building just shooting the breeze, catching up on email, and making arrangements to avoid the Air Canada strike for some. At 4 pm, the float plane landed, disgorging the next crew of anglers, who looked excited and fresh. We were looking tired and a bit solemn.
But that’s how it goes on fishing trips. You meet new people, water, and experiences. You witness heartbreak and elation, often within minutes of each other and sometimes long stretches of time for each.
But you leave the trip grateful. Grateful for the new friends, the unique memories, and the realization that you just did a bucket trip.
In the next blog post, I’ll give you a review of the lodge and some advice based on earned secrets and what we experienced.
But for now I will leave you with one final photo of six happy anglers and an incredible guide crew just before we boarded the plane out.
Thank you, Jonal, Alex, Thomas, and Alex! I will never forget the week or you guys!
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Sounds like an exciting trip. Lots of steps.
That’s a much better summary than my blog post!
Hi Jo
Excellent summary and very realistic description of McKenzie.We were closed for 2 years during Covid and were working hard to get everything right. I printed the summury to help guide us with the necessary improvements.Visitors have to be physically fit to really get the most of this incredible but demanding river
Paul
An incredible fishery and your on-site crew was A+. Thank you for letting me stay at the lodge!