The extra cost is airfare....roughly a $1000 per person. The week is cheaper at Dunlops AND there is no limit on the amount of alcohol that one can bring free of charge.Moosebunk wrote:Place looks beautiful Chris. Different shorelines in different pics. Great part of Canada to visit I imagine. Thanks for the big report, I was curious.
Sorry for the late response but was away awhile.
Fishing only looks so-so to be honest... not quite what I would have envisioned for Dunlops, but then again, Leslie wasn't well and it's a huge body of water for a first time effort.. We've been handed our butts at Kesagami before too... but you always know the fishery is great and it can be just a matter of circumstances that gives or takes away the catching..
How did you feel about the fishing and lodge vs Kesagami? Was it worth the extra for Dunlops?
I don't know if you have ever fished big lake pike in a heatwave but that was the conditions we encountered. The previous year ice out mid-June!! I went to Dunlops because the previous year we had encountered a heatwave (70 degrees plus) at Kesagami. Fishing is a lot tougher and big pike tend to feed in very brief windows if at all under such condtions. It all depends on how hot it is and which way the weather is trending. First week of July is the first time in the year I can take a week off to fish so my options are to go further north or take the risk that the lake will have poor conditions. Further north generally means more expense and generally smaller trophy pike.
Comparing the two places at this time of year I think I would go with Dunlops. Kesagami's major downfall is that the July 4th week is always packed to the gills. You have 30 plus anglers fishing and that meant line ups in choice locations.
Dunlops has a maximum of 16 and I hope Jerry keeps it that way. Dunlops is actually much bigger water but that can be a negative with women. The other problem with Kesagami is that it is a bird bath. Water temps can change in a hurry. 2009 looked awesome until the week before we went when they had a heatwave for 5 days and in that period the lake went from low 50s to mid 70's. Dunlops has a deep middle section where there are lake trout. I don't think they get the southern weather patterns that can last 5 or 6 days like Kesagami can. This is a much colder spot on the world and the lake is a lot colder. The one thing that kesagami has going for it is better sheltered spots close to camp. You have that long arm and it fishable under any conditions. I would take the arm compared to the river and Hale lake of Dunlops. Having said all this I think Manitoba and Saskatchewan have a lot of very good to excellent big pike lakes. It might just be a matter of finding the lake that suits you personally.From my perspective it takes a few days of adjustment to learn how to fish big pike later in the season. I did great with the cook and that fishing was hotter than anything I have ever experienced. A double 40 and 33 and 5 fish in this range within an hour. We missed some too. Fine tuning or approach I am sure we could even better. The cook cut himself bad and that took up 10-15 minutes of that hour. Leslie ears really bothered her. Strong winds or the pounding of waves both made her uncomfortable so we fished sheltered spots..my plan C. But no fishing trip is a slam dunk.
Next year is my 50th so I think I may go to a new spot even if it costs more. Ideally it has to be way north and it should be a very large river system with many sheltered areas for Leslie. Leslie likes those intimate landscapes where one sees wild life. I'm listening if you have suggestions.
