Video: Float Planes + Kayaks = Wilderness Muskies
Tony Capecchi 03.24.17
There aren’t as many “fishing firsts” left to achieve today as there were a few short years ago. The sport continues to evolve at a frenetic pace as technology, social media and avid anglers intersect with more tools at their disposal than ever before.
It adds up to fewer unchartered adventures and new territories to explore.
Enter three intrepid anglers on a unique expedition to fish the remote fly-in-only waters of Northwest Ontario’s Sunset Country in pedal-driven kayaks, and you’ve suddenly got an entirely original adventure.
Throw in in the greatest fishing photographer/videographer ever to wet a line – Bill Lindner – and you’ve got an epic video and photos that’ll absolutely make you blow off your day job for another few minutes to watch in awe.
The cool part is the fish-heads who brainstormed this contemporary take on the classic Canadian fly-in fishing trip did so with hopes of being dubbed trailblazers (if you’re into intense fishing, ultra-stealth approaches and pristine wilderness).
In a nutshell: three anglers, 3 days, 13 muskies. And countless big brown bass. Multi-species mayhem, all via an Old Town Predator PDL kayak. The fishing trip of a lifetime.
“It was a dream fishing trip, where everything came together perfectly,” said fishing writer Jim Edlund (above). “The multi-species action was incredible. To be honest, the fish were a bonus to the serenity of the place, the northern lights, loons, eagles, and Canadian shore lunches. It was all there – the stuff you read about in magazines as a kid, come to life in a new way.
“It’s cool to have been part of the first group of anglers to do a Canadian fly-in with pedal-driven kayaks. I can’t think of a better way to explore and fish remote waters. I think this opens up a whole new way to do fly-in trips.”
Muskie guide Grant Prokop (top photo), another of the mission’s three explorers, was blown-away by both the kayak and fishing action that transpired at Nestor Falls Fly-in Outposts.
“I was floored by the Predator PDL. We pedaled 8-12 miles a day, but it didn’t seem like exercise at all, even crossing large open-water stretches in head wind,” Prokop said, noting he was comfortably able to figure-8 in the kayak. “I completely lost track of how many muskie follows we had. The three of us caught 13 muskies in 3 days, which is just ridiculous. It’s pretty amazing what these fly-in lakes offer in terms of numbers.”
And just like that, you’ve got a new breed of fishing adventures to consider in 2017. Check out the amazing video below!
P.S. Looking for another epic kayak adventure that’s totally on the edge? Learn about kayaking (and snorkeling) alongside beluga whales in the subarctic, polar-bear haven of Manitoba’s Hudson Bay.
