We are often asked by customers what destinations we recommend for fly fishing vacations and we are regularly approached by lodge owners asking us to promote their destinations. Because of these inquiries we have built up a list of places that have been recommended to us over the years (mostly through word of mouth) and we promote them to our customers.

In 2008 a customer walked into our store wanting to know if we could recommend a lodge that specialized in fly fishing for Arctic Char – and we drew a blank. Atlantic Salmon? No problem. Brook Trout? We have lots. Muskie or Pike? Absolutely. Steelhead? When do you want to go? Bonefish, tarpon or permit? Name your date! But we had never been asked about Arctic Char. This customer said that he had approached afew fly fishing travel companies and they said they didn’t promote any Arctic Char destinations because (in their words), “no one is interested in fly fishing for Char.” But this customer was – so we started making inquiries.

Later that year I tracked down a gentleman by the name of Alain Lagace who owns a lodge in northern Quebec called Rapid Lake and in August 2009 I had the pleasure of joining Alain for a week to check the lodge out for myself. Located above the tree line on the east coast of Ungava Bay in Quebec’s Nunavik region, this place is magical! Thankfully, I purchased a high resolution video camera to take on that trip so I could get someone to put together a video. Unfortunately I had some difficulties with the camera upon my return to Toronto and was mad has a hatter when I thought I had lost all of the video. Well, it turns out the video was not lost and we have finally been able to produce the following clip that we hope whets your appetite to visit what we think is one of the coolest places to fly fish in Canada! For details on Rapid Lake Lodge check out the travel section of our website or, better yet, click on the link below…

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WILSON’S is pleased to announce that we have added Tree River Lodge to the list of destinations with which we are partnering in Canada! This destination is a member of Plummer’s Arctic Lodges and is one of the northern most fishing lodges in the world. Located just 3 miles upriver from Coronation Gulf in the Arctic Ocean, Tree River is a camp that provides excellent fly fishing for Arctic Char in Nunavut which is one of the more beautiful and least visited regions of Canada. This destination and Rapid Lake Lodge in Quebec’s Nunavik region are two of the best places we know of to fly fish for Arctic Char in the world. We have actively sought out these destinations because they are Arctic Char destinations and if you have not considered fly fishing for this species it is definitely one you should put on your list because they are aggressive fighters cleverly disguised re freight trains.

WILSON’S is delighted to be partnering with Plummer’s Arctic Lodges to promote fly fishing lodges in the Northwest Territory and Nunavut. We will be adding all of the Plummer’s destinations in the coming weeks but in the interim you can get more information on Plummer’s Lodges by going to www.plummerslodges.com

We are on the prowl for new destinations to add to our list of recommended fly fishing lodges so if you have visited a place that you think more people should know about, please send us an email. Location is not a consideration but the quality of the lodge definitely is. Quality is of course a subjective measure and we all use different criteria to benchmark our likes and dislikes. Just as a university degree is not a measure of intelligence but rather of formal education, we also realize that cost is not a measure of the quality of a lodge, only of price. The common thread we promote in the lodges on our travel section is quality. For some anglers a quality destination is the combination of a plane ride, gourmet food and a unique experience. For others it is a destination that is within easy driving distance of home, great fishing and decent food. Older anglers sometimes choose a fishing destination for the quality of the meals and drink while younger anglers sacrifice comfort for the quality of fishing. Quality means different things to different people.

So, let us know your thoughts. We would like to get more destinations on our program so we can pass along our 10% travel incentive to more anglers! And by the way, if you would like to go to a destination not currently on our travel program we will be more than happy to make a call on your behalf to see if they would like to participate – even on a ‘case by case’ basis. Worse thing that will happen is they say “no” but the best thing is they might say “yes!”, and we can then put your money back in your pocket!