RD's Kitchi Island Outposts Story

"Kitchi, Kitchi, ya, ya, ya, ya..." Come on, you remember that song from the late seventies, don’t you? Okay, I guess I’m kinda weird, but ever since I got home from my trip to Kitchi Island Outposts in Manitoba, I keep singing that song for some reason. And, I am in fact, completely aware that singing fruity songs like that one is totally unrugged. Sorry, I won’t do it anymore. In the future I’ll stick to Ted Nugent tunes.

Many people have heard of the amazing Berens River system that flows through Manitoba. This huge water body was once used by explorers and fur traders of many years ago, as they brought goods and services to people throughout the region. But these days, the Berens is known for mainly one thing, and that’s the fishing! And when I say fishing, I don’t mean just fishing, I mean FISHING!

Kitchi Island’s two outpost camps were recently acquired by long-time Winnipeg resident Duncan Ross, who took over from veteran outfitter William Mowatt, who continues to operate WamAir from Matheson Island. The first priority for Ross was to maintain the high level of customer service that William’s previous guests were accustomed to. The first camp is on Longhaul Lake, about twelve miles down river from the main camp that’s on Kitchi. Both buildings have hot and cold running water with showers, indoor poopers and a full kitchen with cooking utensils and frying pans and pots. And in the words of Mr. Ross himself, "Of course people want to catch fish, but they also want to be comfortable. A good hot shower and a comfortable bed will help people sleep well so they can go out the next day and do it all over again."

June, 2004 was my first trip with Duncan Ross and Kitchi Island Outposts. Myself, along with my cameraman, Josh Baughman went there for a few days to tape a show for The Sportsman Channel and The Men’s Channel, USA. While speaking to Ross on the phone back in February of the same year, he assured me that not only would we get enough tape to put together a hot show, but we’d get some quality fish too. Well, he proved himself right on both accounts.

After meeting up with Duncan and his rugged fishing buddy, Rick Clear, also of Winnipeg, it was time to load our gear into one of WamAir’s Beaver float planes. "The Workhorse of the North" was ready to roll and before we knew it we touched down in front of the camp at Longhaul Lake. You know, it’s amazing just how quickly four guys can get their gear organized and ready to go when there’s fish to be caught! If there was such a contest for the guy who could put on a wireless microphone in the least amount of time, that honour would go to me. That afternoon, the three of us boated a pile of eager walleyes at the base of one of the many sets of rapids along the great Berens River. No really big fish, but lots of good quality walleyes in the 16 -18 inch range. Get the pan ready! Believe me, there is no better tasting fish than fresh caught Canadian walleyes! And, the really cool part about eating a shore lunch, is that you can wipe your face on your sleeve afterward. In fact, it’s a requirement.

If you’ve read any of my stories before, you’ll know that my worst enemy when taping a hunting or fishing show is the weather! An outfitter can normally guarantee the customer service end of things, but the weather... that’s asking a little too much. However, even with a brutal north wind blowing the hats off of our melons, accompanied by an ominous cold front, we still managed to catch fish on our second day. This is the sign of a very healthy fishery. Meanwhile, in the camera boat, Rick was doing his fair share of hauling in both pike and walleyes. Nothing really big, but steady action.

One of the most picturesque parts of that day’s trip was the portage at Long Lake Falls. The portage itself was easy, only taking five minutes. The site was set up with a log ramp that aid in helping to drag the boats across a twenty foot piece of land. We stopped for a little while longer there, as Josh captured some awesome video of the rapids. I turned my camera on too and I burned an entire roll with my 35 mm Pentax. (I couldn’t stop myself.) Once we crossed over into the next section of the river, the pike also turned on, as Duncan and I put the hammer down on a bunch in the mid thirty inch range. The biggest of that day, was a 39 inch gator that although was never officially weighed, likely would have pushed the hell out of the twenty pound mark This bad boy came to a simple jig and salted minnow combination that was a favourite technique used by Ross.

The next morning we again piled into one of WamAir’s trusty Beavers, and over we went to the other camp at Kitchi Island. This is a gorgeous log building that sleeps six. Talk about RUGGED! I just loved that place. This section of the Berens River was really just a huge opening that the Aboriginal people once called "Kitchi" meaning ‘big.’ Well, the word ‘big’ sounds good to me, because later on that day after slamming some juicy walleyes near the rapids, Duncan said to me, "RD, there’s a quiet bay just around the corner from camp. We’ve caught lots of big pike there, so we’ll stop by on the way back in."

One way to get my pulse racing is by putting me in the vicinity of big pike! Everyone loves catching big pike, including me! On my third cast in this weedy bay, I saw a huge explosion of water right beside my 8 inch, soft plastic Shad Body, which was impaled on a Mustad 5/0 bait hook. Although the acrobatic, freshwater shark missed my offering, it had me pumped, primed and ready for what might lie ahead. Duncan and I were both trying different lure presentations while scoring on average sized pike, when Josh informed us of a pile of minnows that were jumping like crazy off to the corner of the bay.

So now it was decision time. What lure to throw? I didn’t have any crankbaits or stickbaits small enough to "match the hatch," as they say, and after watching hundreds of minnows jumping like crazy for over ten minutes, we were all convinced that there was a hog of a fish lurking in the tall grass. When the chips are down on shallow water pike, I go to big, bulky soft plastics. But, if that fails, then I’ll pull out the spoons. Even in shallow water, I’ve caught a lot of very large big pike on spoons. So, out came a Lucky Strike Toronto Wobbler, in hammered gold and nickel. An awesome looking spoon that is best retrieved at a slightly slower than normal speed. The wobble drives fish nuts! And the flash of the hammered finish was just the ticket in the somewhat stained water.

A quick photo or two later, and again with Josh rolling the video camera, the big northern swam away to fight another day. After all the high fives were thrown around, it was time to head back to the cabin, which was literally only 100 yards away from where the big pike smashed my spoon. Duncan and I gave each other that kind of... well, ya know... rugged "nod."

The next morning woke us up to more rain and heavy winds. You must realize that during the month of June, the day time highs are normally around the seventy mark. But, again, the unseasonably cool temperatures didn’t scare us off from hitting the lake. Duncan and Rick were discussing a spot called the "Flour Channel" that was only five minutes from camp, and normally stacked with walleyes. Again, the scenery was amazing so along the way, we stopped for pictures and some additional video.

Since this was our last afternoon of the trip, we decided that we were on a "walleye mission." So again, Duncan and Rick both tied on ½ ounce jigs tipped with either soft plastics or salted minnows. I, on the other hand, figured that maybe a big crankbait might do the trick. After a steady half hour of slammin’ walleyes, Duncan’s own custom built Walleye World rod suddenly doubled over. "Rolling," hollered Josh, and then the battle was on. When I netted the fish with my Lucky Strike Rubber Net, I looked at the camera and said "Okay, now this one’s got some extra meat on him." Not a classic eight pounder, but a solid 22 inch, golden walleye, that likely would have hit the 3 pound mark on the scale. A quality fish, indeed.

The rest of the afternoon, with the three of us fishing, there wasn’t more than a minute or two between someone yelling out, "Fish on!" It was literally fish after fish, mainly in the eighteen to nineteen inch range. The funniest part of the day, was when I thought I was into a real hog of a walleye. In the fast current, I had snagged a fishing rod that was accidentally dropped into the water by a previous guest. I guess with the rod spinning in the current, it caused a pumping action on my rod, and this made it feel like a huge fish. At least that’s the story I’m going with for now. Watch the show... bloopers are always a riot!

One thing I could never figure out about walleye fishermen... most people seem to think the best action of the season is in June. Not so, especially if it’s big walleyes you’re after. I would love to go back to Kitchi in mid to late summer when the walleyes are spread out all over the lake. The structure is amazing with sunken reefs, shoals and rocky islands everywhere. I spent some time just puttering around while watching the screen on my Humminbird, and what I saw was some serious walleye structure.

In my opinion, the fishing would be even hotter in July and August, as the fish settle down after spawning and move back into their normal routines. Slow trolling in about fifteen feet of water with a 2 ounce bottom bouncer and a live worm harness would absolutely rule in mid summer. So would big crankbaits such as the Rapala Shad Rap in a number 13, gold and black. Dynamite!

Another important point about the Kitchi operation as a whole, is that at both locations there really isn’t a huge expanse of open water. Remember, it’s a river system and not a huge lake. This means that even on those windy days, you can always get out there and fish without fear of being blown off the lake. There are bays and islands everywhere. Trust me, I’ve been on trips where we sat and either played cards and told rugged stories for three solid days while watching the five footers crash in against the dock.

Both Kitchi and Longhaul are outpost camps, meaning while you’re there, you’ll be on your own. You will not have a guide, but you will have access to maps and Duncan or Rick will steer you in the right direction. And to tell you the truth, you really don’t need a guide, but you will need a sonar of some type. Bring along a Cobra GPS too. Why take a chance?

Many people fantasize about someday going on a fly-in fishing trip to Canada. Then, they convince themselves that they could never realistically afford such a trip. You might be pleasantly surprised at the affordability of a Kitchi trip. To reach the float plane base, it’s only a 2 ½ hour drive Northeast of Winnipeg. People living in the upper Midwest of the USA can easily drive there. Or if you prefer, you can fly to Winnipeg. It’s your choice.

A couple of closing notes... first, special thanks to Rick Clear for his assistance in helping us with the show. And, not a bad angler either, "Rugged Rick" as we were calling him, caught a lot of walleyes while fishing from the "camera boat." He also made the world’s best dinner biscuits for us.... on the barbecue! And second, when you’re at a fishing camp with your buddies, stay in bed in the morning until you hear footsteps from someone else in the cabin. At that point, remain in your sleeping bag until you smell coffee brewing, then get up. Works for me...