Ultimate Luxury Fly-In Fishing
Story by Eric Labaupa from Hunt Fish Manitoba
Kississing Guest, July 2019
If you are looking to plan the luxury fishing trip of a lifetime, look no further than Kississing Lake Lodge. We went on a recent four-day trip to Kississing Lake Lodge looking to experience the five-star treatment for ourselves and had high hopes of catching new personal best trophy fish. To state it simply, we were not disappointed by one bit. Joining me on this adventure was HuntFishMB contributor Courtlyn Suszko and HuntFishMB hunting expert Keevin Erickson.
Amazing food
The food and service were nothing short of exemplary. Before we had even dropped a line in the water, we had already sat through an amazing supper and a hearty breakfast made to order. From the classic Canadian shore lunches to the scrumptious appetizers laid out in the lounge after a day on the water to the delicious 3-course supper menus, the cuisine was worth the price of admission alone.
Awesome guides
The first morning at the marina was full of excitement and anticipation. Numerous guides, dock hands, and anxious guests were buzzing about getting gear loaded onto their boats. We were introduced to our assigned guides Pat and Marcus. Veteran guide Pat took Courtlyn and I in the one boat while apprenticing guide Marcus took Keevin out on his. We were truly impressed with their attention to detail and effort to make our days on the water enjoyable and successful. By the end of the trip, our incredible hosts became our good friends.
The walleyes are always biting up here
Being mid-summer, our optimism was tempered somewhat by the typical slowdown in action that hot weather in July is notorious for. Those assumptions were quickly smashed after we arrived at the first spot targeting walleye. Shortly after dropping her jig and minnow combo down, Courtlyn excitedly set the hook on a chunky walleye. This was followed by dozens more with the average size around the 19 to 22-inch mark. We were able to hook into several fat 24-inchers with Courtlyn catching the longest one at 26-inches.
Personal best northern pike
On day 2 we were extra focussed on hooking into some larger northern pike. Throughout the blistering heat of the day we were able to catch numerous mid-thirties fish. They were smashing everything from large spoons to topwater plugs to in-line spinners. We fished an area deep in the back of a pencil reed bay where I shortly lost my X-Rap to something huge. Drifting across a gap in the weeds Courtlyn suddenly set the hook on a fish that responded by peeling half of her line off the reel. After a valiant fight, Pat scooped up a massive 44-inch northern which surpassed Courtlyn’s previous personal best by a mile.
Only minutes after arriving at a spot that had been producing well for Pat this year, Keevin’s rod buckled in half. All he could do was hang on as the fish made diving run after run away from the boat. The look on Keevin’s face once he got a good look at it in the clear water told us it was a good fish.
Personal best lake trout
Not to be outdone, Keevin caught a new personal best himself on day 3. This time we were dropping heavy jigs into deep water for a shot at the giant lake trout that Kississing Lake is famous for. Only minutes after arriving at a spot that had been producing well for Pat this year, Keevin’s rod buckled in half. All he could do was hang on as the fish made diving run after run away from the boat. The look on Keevin’s face once he got a good look at it in the clear water told us it was a good fish. Measuring 36-inches, the Master Angler qualifying fish beat his previous personal best by a mile as well.
Fly Fishing at Kississing Lake Lodge
Story by Ric McNulty
Kississing Guest, June 2019
In 2013, my fly fishing partner and I were looking for a place in Canada where we could catch northern pike on our fly rod. We are both accomplished fly fishermen, and have been fly fishing for multiple species for the past 30 years. I had fly fished for pike in Northeast Saskatchewan several years earlier and was very successful.
I found Kississing’s web site and proceeded to investigate the fly fishing possibilities at Kississing Lake. Unfortunately, the staff and the guides at Kississing Lake Lodge could not give me much guidance. Apparently fly fishing for northern pike was an “unknown” for them. After doing more research we ultimately decided to take a chance and give Kississing Lake Lodge a try. We booked our first trip in June 2014, and have been back every year since then.
June 2020, will be our 7th trip to KLL, and our group has grown to 20 fishermen. We have seen a lot of changes at the lodge in those 7 years. The staff at KLL is as friendly and accommodating as always, and several improvements have been made to the cabins by introducing queen size beds and larger showers.
And did I mention the food? Not bad for a lodge in the middle of a lake in remote Manitoba, Canada.
I highly recommend Kississing Lake Lodge as a fly fishing destination. The fish are aggressive, and will definitely “take” a fly. The guides are more understanding of the fly fishing concept, having dealt with my groups the past seven years. Last year I even gave my guide Billy his first fly rod.
Fly fishermen beware: this can become addictive!
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