Flying and Fishing in Canada

January 25, 2015 12:14 am This article was originally written for the Montana Pilots’ Association website. In the middle of July of 2003 my son Travis and I flew north into Saskatchewan for a few days of northern lake fishing. Our destination was Lloyd Lake Lodge, a fly-in destination but one rather unique for a Canadian lake; they have their own airstrip. A floatplane is not required and the owners allow guests to fly their own planes into the 3500’ sand strip. The flight north from Montana was uneventful with a quick stop in Calgary, Alberta for fuel and Customs. I filed an IFR flight plan from Montana, which made the hand-off to Calgary Approach (or Arrival as they call it) simple. The Calgary International Airport is busy too. On final I noticed there were 4 planes waiting for us to land so they could take-off. Our next stop was Fort McMurray Alberta, a little over 400 miles north of Calgary. We fueled our Cessna up again at CYMM and headed northeast into northern Saskatchewan to the Lloyd Lake strip. Guests at the lodge are usually flown in from Fort McMurray by Cessna Caravan or 206, so I expected the strip to be in pretty good condition. And after 45 minutes or so we spotted our destination and looked over the airstrip and the lake we’d soon be fishing. I found the sand strip to be very adequate but it does have some soft spots that grab the tires and decelerate the plane on landing. Good prop clearance is important but nose-wheel planes will not have problems if proper soft-field techniques are used. We were greeted upon landing by owners Sam and Connie in the Lloyd Lake Limo, an old van that was driven to the lake at some point in the winter over the frozen lakes and rivers. The Semchuk Trail, a gravel haul-road from a uranium mine farther north, is about 10 miles to the west. We loaded our gear into the van, tied the plane down and headed for the lodge. Before long Travis was on the dock casting and his first fish was a 22” walleye. Over the next several days we caught hundreds of walleyes and northern pike from the lodge’s boat. The fishing on the northern Canadian lakes has to be experienced to be believed. This was my sixth Canadian fishing trip and they have all been great. If you’re interested in a fly-in only fishing experience and like the idea of taking your own land-plane directly to the lake, Lloyd Lake Lodge has what you want. They have a website: www.lloydlakelodge.com or call 877-600-9479. During the summer that number is forwarded to their satellite phone at the lodge.