For brown trout fly fishers in Ontario this last weekend of August heralds what many consider to be the beginning of the end of the season. But those anglers who feel that way are the ones who think the glass is half empty because we have another month of great fishing left ! At the risk of sounding like an eternal optimist, it is worth noting that the cooler weather we have had in Southern Ontario this summer combined with the rainfall we have experienced (I know, don’t get me started) has set us up for what could be one of the best autumn fishing seasons in years. I was speaking with one of the better fly fishing guides in the province about this the other day and his sixth sense has him firmly convinced that we will see an “Indian Summer” this fall – and I for one am hoping he is right ! If you have not experienced fall fishing in Ontario you should get out a map and start planning a weekend now. Brown trout season is open until the end of September but the steelhead fishing in this province is incredible so do yourself a favour and book a fly fishing guide to make sure you get into some fish. Better yet, book a drift boat trip on the south Grand, the Maitland, the Saugeen or the Nottawasaga – it will be some of the best money you spend this year !

Have you ever had a day where you thought, “I hope no one wakes me up from this dream.“ I had one of those days yesterday… By any fishing measure Rapid Lake Lodge has to be considered one of the best destinations for Arctic Char in the world. Let me begin to explain why.

Before I came to Rapid Lake Lodge I had little to no knowledge of the fishing in the Ungava region and had never fished for Arctic Char in my life. It dawns on me that rivers are to a great degree like muscians in that there are countless numbers of each in the world but only a few become noteworthy and fewer still become `stars`. This elevation is typically due to a convergence of raw potential, hard work, promotion and dumb-ass luck. There are a number of rivers in the world that have become household names including the Miramichi, Restigouche, Grand Cascapedia, Battenkill, Au Sable, Gallatin, Rio Grande – the list is long and storied. However, there is an even longer list of rivers that deserve their place in the hallowed halls of fly fishing and I am discovering that a significant number of them are in Ungava: the Baudoncourt, Killinek, Komaktorvik, Sanirarsiq, Sapourkai and Waymouth amongst them. I guess you can say that like their musical equivalents who play to small crowds in bars and backwater venues, these rivers are only being seen by a few hard core anglers who have taken the time to research what they offer. Frankly, you have GOT to get on the Ungava Arctic Char bandwagon !

I woke yesterday knowing that if the weather cooperated I would be doing more flying than fishing and thankfully when I poked my head out of my cabin at 6 am the sky was clear. The owner of Rapid Lake Lodge, Alain Legace, wants me to experience all that this lodge offers in addition to the fly fishing – and that means taking the Air Safari to the Labrador coast. We took off from the lodge at 9 am and put down 35 minutes later on Komaktorvik Lake underneath a 3,000`cliff where we anchored the plane and walked to the channel that empties the lake into the Komaktorvik River. There we filmed a natural stone bridge that has been formed by a glacial torrent running off the mountain top to the valley floor and turned our attention to a waterfall on the river that was under constant assault by an endless stream of Char lining up to take their turn at challenging its height. After watching and filming this incredible show we walked further downriver to the site of an ancient Inuit campsite and soon discovered that the original reason for its location remains true to this day… The campsite overlooks a small sand beach and is itself overshadowed by a vertical rock outcropping that rises 30 feet over the river. Alain and I approached the rock and slowly peaked over it to see the river – and one of the largest schools of fish I have ever seen in my life ! There were hundreds if not thousands of Arctic Char lined up row upon row in the pool below. It was breath-taking. Although we were obviously there to fish we could not help but focus our attention on simply being a witness to this spectacle. After filming from the top of the rock outcropping we used a square plastic pail that had been jury-rigged with a plexiglass window for underwater photography and got some great photos and video. Almost as an afterthought I then spent the next 2 hours with my fly rod enjoying the other reason we were there !

While on that pool I found out that Arctic Char are great fighters, that they do indeed run far and fast and that they also sound in the deepest corners they can find in a river. What I did not anticipate was the trouble I would have – not in catching these beautiful fish because of their numbers – but rather in not foul-hooking them. I did get a dozen fish to take my fly and progressively test my leader strength that would snap each time. Each time I would upgrade the test, eventually ending up with 15 lb leader on my line. I was fortunate to get what we figured was a 20+lb blaze orange fish on, chased it down the river and fought it for 15 minutes before it settled into a deep pool between two boulders and finally broke off. It was immovable and the strength it displayed impressive. After landing a handful of fish we stopped for lunch before packing up and starting the long walk back to the plane. Alain had brought a shore lunch of sandwiches, trail mix, fresh fruit and cookies and made sure not to leave anything behind including our orange peels. Alain also made a point of picking up any garbage he found en route left by other anglers which was unsightly evidence of their visit. He is that kind of person and I respect that.

After returning to the plane we flew through the Nachvak Fjord to the Atlantic Ocean and headed down the Labrador coast on our Air Safari before returning to the lodge for dinner. This part of Canada`s coastline is remote, desolate and beautiful – and it happens to contain rivers with some of the best fly fishing for Arctic Char in the world ! I am looking forward to Day 3…

It`s funny living in Toronto how often times the biggest problem you encounter when travelling is getting out of the city. I left the fly shop at 3 pm thinking I would beat the afternoon traffic but it took me 1.5 hours to get to Oshawa (I know, some of your are saying THAT`S the reason why you don`t shop in our store but trust me, coming in to see us is worth the trip !).

I drove from Toronto to Montreal and pulled into the Quality Inn near Montreal Trudeau Airport where I parked my car for the week (at no charge), had a quick dinner and went to bed. I was up at 5 am to shower and catch the free airport shuttle where I checked in at the Air Inuit counter. I have to tell you that entering this airport was an experience I have not had at any other as the number of hunters wearing cammoflauge clothing heading north rivalled the number of passengers with beachwear heading south. The other thing that surprised me was how proud I was as a Canadian to hear the airport announcements made in 3 languages: french, english and Inuit. As I made my way to the gate to await boarding for my flight to Kuujjuaq a brown baseball cap with “Safari Nordik“ embroidered on the front and “Nunavik“ on the back began to appear with increasing frequency on the heads of people around me. Americans all, the hunters hurried to introduce themselves to one another and spoke about Teddy Kennedy`s passing and “Barack Obama`s“ recent spending spree (not the American Government`s spending but rather Barack Obama`s spending – I guess hunters vote Repubican…). At 7:40 am boarding began and we were ushered onto the tarmac to climb aboard the plane by the rear entrance. It didn`t dawn on me until getting seated that the reason we entered at the back was because the front of the plane was taken up with cargo (the other difference on this flight was having cheerful flight attendants and a free meal – I trust the President of Air Canada is reading this…). I sat at a window behind the wing and the two seats beside me were taken up by 2 Inuit kids of 16 and 9 years old who were flying home. Both well-behaved and shy but with ever-present smiles, the 16 year old was reading `The China Wall`, a book about a hockey goalie and I grinned thinking it doesn`t matter where you go in Canada, every kid grows up dreaming about playing in the NHL.

Our 1,000 km flight from Montreal to Kuujjuaq took 2 hours and the weather got better as we flew north albeit the temperature was 10 C when we landed. The airport terminal in Kuujjuak is a small but modern facility and I was met by a representative of the lodge, Silvain, who greeted me with a broad smile and a helping hand. He gathered me up with the 2 other lodge guests who had flown in on the same flight along with our luggage and escorted us back out on the tarmac where we boarded a Twin Otter for the 45 minute flight to the Barnoin River Camp (a very pleasant surprise as I thought I was heading to Rapid Lake`s lodge to the south). Boarding this flight was an experience as I took my seat beside 4 barrels of petrol that were strapped in beside me underneath a constantly lit “No Smoking“ sign and I got a sudden wake up call as we gained altitude because the barrels made a loud “snap“ as the pressure changed in the fuesalage.

During the flight I hd an opportunity to speak with my two fellow passengers (one of whom was making his 3rd trip to Rapid Lake Lodge this year) and they gave me a few pointers on fly fishing for Arctic Char. Notably, they said that fresh sea-run Char are every bit as aggressive as Atlantic Salmon but where Salmon jump Char sound and make long runs like a bonefish. I look forward to finding out ! We flew in a blue sky at 4,000 feet over a blanket of low cloud that offered periodic glimpses of the tundra below and my heart skipped a beat as Ungava Bay appeared on the horizon dotted with icebergs. The landscape in this region is comprised of endless rolling, rocky hills with countless jade-fringed lakes and ponds sitting like new puddles on an uneven sidewalk after a heavy rain (a geography similar to the Yukon but without the muskeg). Shortly after flying over the Georges River where the tide drops 30` we started our approach into the Barnoin River Camp on Lac La Raide. The final approach is heart-stopping as the pilot circles the camp between which is sandwiched between mountains and the final approach skirts a ridge that falls away to the lake below. The Twin Otter landed gently on the gravel strip where Alain Legace and his staff were waiting to help us with our bags and off load the petrol and other supplies. A trailer pulled behind an ATV was piled high luggage and provisions and we made the short walk from the airstrip on the edge of the camp to the cookhouse as a helicopter took off from the other side of the lodge (8 geologists are also in camp for the next few days).

The Barnoin River Camp is located between Lac La Raide and Lac Amittuujaq just south of Torngat Mountain National Park that stretches from Ungava Bay to Labrador. Basic but comfortable, the camp has a handful of small guest cabins with oil heaters and electricity powered by generator and a dining cabin that serves as the main lodge (with 5 picnic tables and a wood stove). Plumbing is comprised of clean outhouses and a shower hut that has hot water available at all times.

After a quick lunch and the issuing of fishing licenses (one for Quebec and 2 for local native territories) I was directed to my cabin where I changed into my waders, grabbed my rods and headed for the dock where Alain and I boarded his Cessna 180 for my first flight of the week. Our flight north was over a garden of valleys and lakes connected by an unimaginable number of rivers, streams and waterfalls. While flying north it dawned on me that this area is not mountainous but rather a granite plateau with edges and a core that has been eroded by wind and water over millons of years. It is a unique, stark geography north of the tree line and staggeringly beautiful. After inspecting a number of potential destinations from the plane (“Jim, how many fish can you see“) we set down on a sand beach at the north end of a small lake and walked through waist high scrub to a river mouth that emptied into the next lake about 5 km inland from Ungava Bay. We walked out into the river and I saw dozens of Arctic Char stacked up like cordwood – and proceeded to land not one fish… There were dozens of fresh silvers and blaze orange fish but for whatever reason they would not take my fly. After trying a number of different patterns we returned to the plane and flew further north. Our second destination was one lake in from the ocean and the mouth of the river between the lake and the ocean was guarded by a polar bear feeding on char so we landed at the south end of the lake about a kilometer away. The fish were again stacked up and rolling on the surface like hundreds of bonefish feeding on a saltwater flat – truly an incredible sight. I changed up my fly and cast to the edge of this frenzy and quickly had my first Arctic Char on my line, a beautiful 8 lb fish with a blaze orange belly, dark brown to black top and blinding white-tipped fins. After taking the requisite picture and releasing the fish I concentrated on landing the next one with Alain standing nearby giving me helpful pointers. Suddenly, Alain`s sixth sense kicked in and out of the corner of my eye I saw him turn around and take his rifle from its shoulder harness. I followed his gaze behind me to see a large black bear walking towards us along the river about 250 yards away. We both paused and without taking his gaze from the bear Alain said, “Polar bear in front of us, black bear behind us… keep fishing until I say stop.“

There is a rule when being guided that you always do what the guide says. I have to admit at this moment I was rethinking this rule but reluctantly, I did as I was told and caught my first fresh silver char. Shortly thereafter I was told that it was time to head back to the plane because the black bear was now about 50 yards closer and heading our way. 45 minutes later we were seated in the dining cabin where we were served a delicious char soup followed by an arctic char sushi appetizer, salad and roast chicken. At this time of the year this far north the sun sets around 7 pm and, having been up since 5 am, I welcomed the opportunity to head to bed early but filled with anticipation for day #2…

A good friend of the store picked up his latest purchase the other day – an Outlaw XS inflatable pontoon boat made by Dave Scadden. If you are not familiar with Dave Scadden boats and you are looking for an inflatable you should know that Dave Scadden boats are widely recognized as the gold standard in the fly fishing community. When the box came into the store our staff had to set it up to make sure that all of the parts were there and the look on their faces as they put it together made the store feel like it had been taken over by a bunch of 7 year olds on Christmas morning. The looks on their faces and the comments they had for this boat were surpassed only by our friend Gary who came in to pick up his purchase – he was over the moon and rightfully so ! For more information on the Outlaw XS and other boats by Dave Scadden please check out www.northforkoutdoors.com/

By the time many of you read this I will have just left Montreal Trudeau on an Air Inuit flight to Kuujjuaq in northern Quebec. In Kuujjuaq I will transfer to a Twin Otter and be flown into Rapid Lake Lodge and eventually on to the Barnoin River Camp 25 miles south of Ungava Bay to spend the week fly fishing for Arctic Char and sea run trout with Alain & Serge Legace. This region of Canada has held a fascination for me since childhood and catching Arctic Char on a fly will be an extraordinary experience ! To say the least I am excited.

Rapid Lake Lodge was founded in 1990 in a region that has become known only to a lucky few as one of the best places in the world to fish for Arctic Char. However, this destination is not only for the die-hard angler because in addition fly fishing the lodge offers air safaris from the Barnoin River Camp through the Torngat Mountains in northern Labrador to the Atlantic coast. This is a land of stark beauty, caribou, polar bears – and incredible fly fishing !

Stay tuned… www.rapidlakelodge.com