7am arrived early. We’d planned on grabbing coffee and breakfast before heading to Canoe Canada. Here’s some important information…There’s nothing in Atikokan, Ontario. The Outdoorsman restaurant was closed (theoretically until October). The White Otter advertised breakfast but the sign on the door said 10am. With no other options, we headed to the Esso gas station where we were at least able to get coffee and what resembled a cream cheese danish.

We returned to the motel, packed our bags, and hopped in the van left for us by Canoe Canada. We arrived at their location a couple of hours early but this allowed us time to fill out our boating license and go over the maps. We eventually hopped in the van and they drove us to the seaplane base where we had ourselves and our gear weighed so they could load our two seaplanes. We met with Jeremy, the owner, for another review of the maps and hot spots. Things were a little backed up so we had to wait a couple of hours for the planes to tend to ferrying other passengers either to or from other cabins.

It was finally our turn and Joey, Gary and I loaded into the first plane with our Australian pilot, Dermot. I took the co-pilot’s seat in the front which gave me an excellent view of the gorgeous Canadian scenery below. Dermot eased the throttle forward and soon the pontoons lifted clear of the water. The lake fell away. The tree tops passed below our wings. We were on our way.

The flight was a short, but mesmerizing 15-ish minute trip to cover the roughly 35 miles from the base to the lake. As Dermot banked the plane to bring us around, the cabin came into view and we dropped down to water level. The landing was smooth and easy as he pushed us right up to the dock, hopped out, and secured us. We unloaded our gear and waited for the second plane to arrive.

Unfortunately, this is where we hit our second snag. There had been some sort of dust-up between another pilot and a random party. Then there was a snafu with the radios between the planes and base. As we were going over the maps with Jeremy, he burst in and it was very clear he wasn’t happy. Then he disappeared. I guess he hadn’t calmed down, so Dermot had to fly the guys and our gear/food out which took longer.

The cabin was awesome as rustic cabins go. It has three bedrooms, a large common area, kitchen and bathroom. The couple before us had left the wood stove going so it was nice and toasty.

After picking our rooms and getting things situated, it was time to head out to give the fishing a shot. We had four boats and a canoe at our disposal. The day, for me, would prove to be epic. As we motored the boat towards the first spots we wanted to target based on the recommendations from Jeremy, a bald eagle flew overhead and took a perch atop a tall pine tree overlooking us.

I was fishing with a light (1/8oz) jig head and live minnows. It didn’t take very long at all and I nailed my first fish, a beautiful Northern pike. We estimated it to be around 25-30” but chose to let it off. The teeth aren’t fun to mess with and the meat is bony. They’re great to catch, but our third choice for food. I fished for just a short while later before I hit next on my target list…the walleye. What a fun fish to catch. Although they walleye don’t quite bend the rod like a Northern, they’re still fun to fight. I ended up catching a handful the remainder of the day.

However, the coup de gras was the one fish I thought would be out of my grasp…the smallmouth bass. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the Canadian sky. The water had just a few ripples from the light wind blowing across the lake. I tossed a minnow along the shoreline as we let the slight current drift us. The line went taut and the rod bent over. I thought I definitely had another Northern the way it was responding. And then it came leaping out of the water with a spectacular splash and thrash.

I continued to fight it and play with the rod. The tip bent closer to the surface. We readied the net as I brought it to the boat and realized that I’d caught an absolutely gorgeous smallmouth bass. In hindsight, I should’ve put the tape measure to it but I’m guessing it was in the 2.5 to 3 pound range. The skin was a beautiful golden color as the sun bounced off of it. My trifecta was complete on the first day of fishing!

On our first night in camp we had a wonderful dinner of fried fish and baked beans. The night sky was a vast expanse of bright, twinkling stars that we enjoyed from the dock. If day one is like this, what does the rest of the week hold in store for us?