Here is the story of the ‘Little Lake That Could’. It’s kind of like the story of that little locomotive we all read as kids. You remember … it was little but was oh so strong.

We offer to our Whitewater Lake guests a day trip they never forget. After about 20 minutes in the plane they disembark at a little lake we’ll call “Lake XP” for this report. We have a dock and little “rough” cabin on the lake to accommodate over-night guests, but most of our trips are in and out the same day. This Lake is barely four miles in diameter. And it is full of pike. Aggressive, leap out of the water, pike. Mostly in the 24 to 40 inch range. However, a few big boys (actually girls since the bigger pike are almost exclusively female) in the mid 40’s have been caught. It’s all barb-less and all “catch and release”. And it’s all day action. Novice or experienced anglers catch 50 or more in three hours.

So what’s the secret to the lake. We’re not sure but we do know this. There are no walleye in the lake, so the fish seem to be feeding all the time on minnows and perch…and on each other. The fishery is obviously perfect for pike to breed and survive. And regardless of the weather condition… we always catch fish there. But we don’t fish it every day…and we never put more than six anglers on it. Although it’s on the map, (no it’s not XP on the map) we keep it a secret just for a few trips with our guests. We’re going to spend some time there with our biologist team to learn more about this remarkable pike fishery and get back to you with more information. So if you’re coming to Whitewater Lodge or Strikers Point soon, book your XP trip well in advance and hang on, ‘cause these needle toothed fresh water monsters are all you can handle.

Stained Water Fishing in Canada.
Many of our guests ask us about water clarity and colour, and the answer is not always easy. It’s true, moving water is often clear, while lagoons, and bays can cloud up. Water colour is the by product of a lot things: wind, bottom conditions, plant growth, water depth, tree pollen and leaves, and shoreline conditions just to name a few. So let’s clear up the fishing strategy, even if we can’t clear up the water. Don’t be afraid of dirty water. It can hold fish. But you have to employ brighter noisy lures to have success. We all know that both walleye and pike have exceptional vision…with walleyes having the advantage here over a pike’s “tunnel” vision. That’s why walleye stay away from light. When you find stained or dirty water, put on those big diving noisy “rattling” lures. The brighter the better. Cast and retrieve these lures quickly at first. If you don’t get a strike, recast the area with slower retrieve speeds. And hang on …’cause dirty water can produce good fishing.