So this trip was the very first of the 2024 shooting season of The Fish’n Canada Show. It was also one that we were very much anticipating for a couple of reasons. First off, it took us to the always-productive Northwestern Ontario. Secondly, we were booked into Nordic Point Lodge on Perrault Lake and, from what we’ve heard, the facility and the fishing were both first-class.
Perrault is a multi-species lake in which there are Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Perch, Muskie, Lake Trout, Crappie, and Whitefish on the list. During our stay, Muskie season was yet to open, however, everything else was fair game. Of course, when traveling to Northwestern Ontario, Walleye should be high on the target list, and, with that said, we made it our #1 to be sought after. Anything else would be a bonus for us.
The beauty of visiting a lodge like Nordic Point is that you are not only situated on a fantastic body of water to fish every day, but you’re also nestled smack-dab in the heart of Sunset Country which you could also call Walleye country, Smallmouth country, Pike country, Muskie country etc. etc.
Getting species specific here, honestly, there are more Walleye and Smallies within a 100-kilometer radius of the lodge than you could ever possibly imagine, it’s fishing heaven in this part of Canada! And if you were to look at a map, you’d quickly see that there are literally hundreds of smaller lakes that you can hit on a day trip basis from, and then back to Nordic Point.
So as you can now probably tell, our plan was to hit Perrault Lake and then take a shot at somewhere else to add some extra “flavor”.
Nordic Point Lodge actually recommends that you make the time to sample an array of other drive-to or fly-in fishing opportunities during your stay there.
Of course, towing our Princecraft to this part of the world is a really nice bonus. Not only does it make us extremely mobile, allowing us to investigate the hundreds of lakes in this area, but we get to use all of our hi-tech toys and equipment as well.
ABOUT PERRAULT LAKE
Perrault Lake is what we consider a medium-sized body of water. It’s certainly not close to the size of nearby Lac Seul or Lake of the Woods, however, it’s no tiny, northern Ontario outback lake either.
It’s Avg. Depth is 33′, it has a Max. Depth of over 90′, and has 52 miles of shoreline.
It’s part of the Cedar River Watershed which includes the Orde and Cedar Rivers.
As we said earlier, our target species for this portion of the trip will be the ever-popular Walleye, but we’ll definitely add in the odd Smallmouth Bass as well.
Perrault Lake sets up perfectly for Walleye and Smallies in that it has both offshore structure and shore-oriented structure. Shoals, underwater islands, and humps, as well as fantastic primary and secondary points, are laden with boulders of all sizes and a mixture of perfect, fish-holding weed growth.
Before this trip even started and then once we arrived and had a quick scope of the water, we figured Yo-Zuri jerkbaits and twitchbaits would be a great way to get started, but as usual up north, we’d have some live bait on hand just in case. Walleye are a funny creature in that sometimes, all they want is the real stuff.
NEW GEAR FOR PERRAULT LAKE
This trip encompassed the maiden launching of our brand new Princecraft Xpedition 200, on which we mounted some technology from Garmin and from a new sponsor to the Fish’n Canada Show, Fishfindermounts.com
For those techy people, from front to back is a 63” Garmin Force Kraken trolling motor with a built-in GT56 Transducer, set up for 36 volts. On the bow are two 12” Garmin EchoMap Ultra 2 units stacked on an FFM (FishFinderMounts.com) mounting post.
Mounted on the forward gunwales are two live sonar mounts from FFM.com. On the port side is a Gen 3 mount holding an LVS34 Livescope Plus transducer mounted in forward mode. On the starboard side is the Heavy Duty FFS pole with a LVS 62 XR LiveScope transducer mounted in perspective mode. Both of these transducers can be used simultaneously without interference with each other.
At the driver’s console is an in-dash 12” EchoMap Ultra 2 and just to the side on another FFM post is the same Garmin model but in a 10” size.
On the transom is a Garmin GT36 traditional/side-vu/clear-vu transducer, and if we need it, there’s also a GT36 built into the base of our Garmin Kraken trolling motor. That’s a lot of transducers!
LEARNING THE LAY OF THE LAND
Now, since we were on an unfamiliar lake, we decided to take a guided tour with one of the lodge’s top guides so we could drop in some waypoints and ultimately save a ton of time.
Whenever you’re fishing on a lake that you’ve never been to before, any intel you can get from a local guide could be gold. Even if it is just to bring awareness to shallow dangerous areas that could jeopardize your motor’s lower unit, it’s just a good all-around idea.
THE FISHING ON PERRAULT LAKE
When Ang and Pete finally got into the fishing, much of it was shoreline-oriented. That said, Perrault Lake has a multitude of complex, mid-lake structures that constantly produce great fish and every now and then the boys would venture out of the shallows and into the abyss to check out deep boulders, shoals, or long extending points.
“Our best areas,” says Ang “seemed to be wind-blown points.”
“I should clarify” he continues, “upon our arrival, a relentless wind kept blowing directly into the lodge making conditions somewhat difficult. With that said, Pete and I knew that underwater points with that relentless wind could well be the ticket”.
Angelo was right. Their #1 spot was a tiny rock point that had both Walleye and Smallmouth all over it. In fact, it made the HotSpot of the show! Not only because of the fish Ang hooked into, but the way things played out after that fish.
Long story short, Pete admitted to forgetting the net back at the shop (of all things… sheesh!) and had to attempt to hand-land a big Walleye Ang was fighting. Of course, the fish got off. Almost immediately after that lost fish incident, Ang hooked into what he thought was a big fish but soon found out it was a grunged-up hoop and basket of a landing net that someone previously lost. The exact same brand BTW that Pete forgot. Honestly, we cannot make this up. Check out the YouTube episode to watch it all happen.
Bet you’ve never caught one of these before???
But Perrault Lake wasn’t the only lake the boys explored.
FISHING ON THE BACK-LAKE
A gorgeous surprise Lake Trout for Ang on this trip
As we alluded to earlier in this article, we wanted to take full advantage of this phenomenal fishing “area” and hit one of the many other bodies of water near Nordic Point Lodge. Hey, the Princecraft Expedition comes with a trailer… So let’s use it!
“We kind of just took a shot at this one,” says Pete. “Yes, we did talk to some locals who know the area very well, however, we had no idea what to expect”.
“Leaving a lake like Perrault (after we’d learned so much about it)” continues Ang “to go to a totally unfamiliar body of water is definitely taking a chance”!
Pete caught this beat-up Pike while trolling a breakline. You have to wonder what would attack a predator like this!
Well, that small lake produced equally as well as Perrault did. In fact, the boys boated not only Walleye plus a nice Smallie, but they also caught a good-sized, beat-up old Pike, and a couple of bonus Lake Trout that totally surprised them.
This area of Ontario truly is a phenomenal fishing area.
NORDIC POINT LODGE
Nestled on the shores of Perrault Lake in Northwestern Ontario, Nordic Point Lodge is a premier fishing and hunting destination, accessible by both drive-in and fly-in. They specialize in full-service outdoor vacations with options for both guided and self-guided experiences.
Experience luxury American Plan accommodations and create the trip of a lifetime. Catering to corporate groups, outdoorsmen, families, and nature enthusiasts, Nordic Point Lodge offers exceptional outdoor adventures in the Perrault Falls Adventure Area. Enjoy unparalleled fishing and hunting opportunities in their beautiful wilderness.
Nordic Point Lodge is situated on 14 beautiful acres of northern Ontario property. They offer a boat launch, private docking, 17 cabins, a sauna, and a fitness center.
The new main lodge consists of a dining area, fireplace, a fully stocked bar, a pool table, a shuffleboard and a seated lounge area looking out on the pristine waters of Perrault Lake. Enjoy a drink and cigar on their beautiful wrap-around waterfront deck and watch the sunset.
As far as food for those who are considering the American plan, Nordic Point has you covered. All meals are absolutely delicious and you won’t spend a day on the water hungry… they guarantee it!
GETTIN’ THERE
To get to Nordic Point Lodge, we first drove north on hwy 400 which eventually turned into hwy 69.
We next turned west on Trans Canada hwy 17.
We continued on 17 all the way to hwy 105.
We finally traveled north on 105 until we reached Nordic Point Lodge.
Located in the heart of North West Ontario, Nordic Point Lodge offers all the comforts of home and much more.
Enjoy fine dining, private cabins, a sauna, a fitness center, an elite boat fleet, and expert guides for an unforgettable experience.
After a full fish-catching day on Perrault Lake, relax on the deck of your private lakefront cottage or on the beautiful spacious deck at the main lodge’s dining room.
Trust us, Nordic Point Lodge will leave you full of lasting memories.
CONCLUSION
This was an amazing trip to start the Fish’n Canada shooting season off with. The accommodations were perfect, the lake(s) was a classic NW Ontario fish producer, the species list was almost endless, and the people involved were genuinely awesome!
SPECIAL THANKS
Destination Ontario https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca
Nordic Point Lodge https://www.nordicpointlodge.com/
Sunset Country https://visitsunsetcountry.com/
Nestor Falls Marine https://www.nfallsmarine.com/
Rick Payne (Fish’n Canada contest winner for NPL trip)
