General Fly-in fishing Trip Information
The following general information applies to either guided trips and or unguided trips ads noted.
Electronic Entertainment - All Trips
CDs, Players, Movies etc. Bring your own electronic players and bring lots and lots of battery power. Take the time to calculate how long your batteries will last considering how you plan to use your equipment. FM an AM reception is non existent. The quality of Short Wave reception at these latitudes is dependant upon many factors but is most useful for receiving news and not so useful for entertainment.
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We Take Video - Guided Trips Only
We send a video camera with your guide. He is not a professional but we have given him five rules. 1. Shoot some video every day. 2. Keep the sun at your back. 3. Steady the camera on a tree or tripod. 4. Pan the camera slowly. 5. Use at least the first names of the people in your video clips and explain Who, What, Why, Where, When and How.
The result may be some nice video clips. You are encouraged to take the camera and shoot some clips of your guide busy at work and of your friends at play. And of course shoot lots of fish action. We may even ask you to allow us to include some of these shots in our own marketing video so keep the language informative and marketable. We will send a designated member of your party the video clips taken on your trip.
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Typical Day's Schedule - Guided Trips Only
Early to rise! Your guide prepares your boat and motor (if lake fishing) and coffee and muffins for a light breakfast. Fish the lake or stream until mid morning. return to camp for a proper breakfast. Your choice of fruits and cereals, bacon and eggs, homemade bread toasted 'Texas Style' with butter and jams, or blueberry pancakes with traditional Canadian maple syrup, red river cereal, french toast with bacon and maple syrup.
Mid Day activities can include anything from a snooze to exploring and of course more fishing. Your guide will want to return by late afternoon to have time to prepare the day's dinner. Its cocktail hour. Wine provided is served with h'orderves that might include, smoked oysters on crackers, lightly smoked salmon risotto with tender herbs served with lemon butter sauce and capers, a selection of imported cheeses, pickled herring and perhaps broccoli with dip. Diners are explained above.
Evening light may last untill10 PM depending on the month. It's time for a fire and quiet conversation or entertainment. Take some time to listen to the night sounds. Try calling to a loon or owl or a wolf if you hear one making its presence known. They often answer back! After dark on a clear night the sky is alight with a billion stars. Seeing northern lights in the summer at these latitudes is often possible and they will simply delight you and create a long lasting memory. In the fall we sometimes try calling Moose to the shore just for fun.
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Clothing Considerations - All Trips
Summer evenings are sometimes warm but they can also be cool. Bring a fall jacket to wear on top of a long sleeved shirt or sweat shirt. Three complete changes of clothes including full length trousers and long sleeved shirts is recommended. Prepare for a rainy day. Full rain suites, even vented rain suites can be very hot. They sometimes create as much water inside the suit from condensation and make you as wet as the rain would have without a rain suit. A poncho is the practical choice for many. As we do a lot of shore fishing, bring your hip waders and check them for leaks before departing. Bring your wader repair kit and make sure that the glue has not dried out. Hiking or hunting boots are recommended but also bring a pair of running or tennis shoes.
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Equipment To Bring - Guided Trips Only
Bring your own fishing gear. Choose either light to medium casting rods and reels and or fly fishing gear if your choice is to fish for Ontario Speckled Trout (Brook Trout) or bring both. Bring your own tackle and artificial bait and flies. Live bait is supplied. Ice for packing your allowable limit of fish and coolers is also supplied. We usually catch and keep the allowable limit of fish on the last day of your trip. On days one through six, we keep only enough fish to eat that day and its catch and release thereafter until the seventh day. Bring your own toiletries and any electronic equipment for entertainment. God forbid you from bringing a laptop to get some work done! Despite that admonishment, it has happened. Funny thing though, despite the best of intentions, we have never seen anyone actually use their laptop to 'work' on a fly-in fishing trip. Somehow the work one plans just does not seem so important once you arrive at your fly-in camp and there is usually something more interesting to do at every hour!
Bring cameras and video cameras and lots of battery power. Our guides are not photographers but we have taught them some simple rules. Steady the camera and keep the sun behind you. They will gladly take photos and video clips for you - in fact we may ask you for a copy of each for our own promotional purposes. With your permission, we may take your video and have it professionally edited and added to our collection of video clips made available on line.
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Beverages - Applied Differently For Guided and Unguided Trips
Bring your own spirits, mixes, beer and sodas. On guided trips, wines before and during dinners are supplied. Cold drinks and sodas are supplied. If you book an unguided trip you are responible for packing all food and beverages.
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Safety Considerations - All Trips
Plane and boat safety. Your guide and or your pilot will cover these considerations before you leave the float base. We recommend that you wear a life jacket when in the boats or wading in fast moving rivers if the water depth is more than knee high. Bears are a concern and your guide is well equipped to deal with both black bears and polar bears as he takes his high powered rifle along. Food must be stored carefully and scraps disposed of in the camp fire. Fire is the another consideration. There may be times when the forest fire threat is so high that extra precautions must be taken with any source of open flame or cigarettes. No smoking is allowed in the boats, airplane or tent.
You must advise us of any special health considerations before we depart on the plane. If you carry special medical treatments we must be informed and advised as to when and how to administer treatments should you require one. Our guide is equipped with an emergency first aid kit and a satellite phone for emergency use only . You can't call home just to say hello! Its battery operated, has a limited life and must be reserved for real emergencies. You are welcome to bring your own satellite phone.
Aircraft and Safety - All Trips.
Safety is the most important consideration to make. Our airline is organized and managed to the best level of training and maintenance you would expect from owners who were also trained as pilots by international airlines. That's us. But by the way, we were fishing and hunting long before we learned to fly with briefcases. Clayton Downton - Gaff Morris - Proprietors.
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Flyfishing - All Trips
Fly-in fishing North of 50 is where you can find a beach or a stream and set up a comfortable tent camp and fish all day long. A virgin location will provide you with hundreds of fish per day. This is what my pilots and guides mean when we talk about fly-in fishing and flyfishing North of 50.
Catching a North of 50, six to eight pound Ontario Speckled Trout or a trophy of up to 12 pounds on a fly rod is quite an experience. The action is explosive and if you are wading in a stream, the excitement often interferes with your balance and your footing. We recommend you bring both spinning and fly fishing rods and tackle. Larger Hairwing flies in sizes 2 or 2.0 are also recommended. Some of our favorites include but are not limited to the Muddler Minnow, Renous Special, Golden Eagle, Elmer's Special, Red Eagle, Black Ghost.
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Boats Motors Canoes -
Included With Guided Lake Trips.
Optional For Unguided Trips
An aluminum boats between 12' and 14' and a 9.9 hp motor is included with lake fishing trips. Your guide will prepare your boat every day and insure that life jackets are ready and dry. Some of your lake fishing can be done from the shore. River fishing often does not require a boat.
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Catch Limits And Regulations - All Trips
2005 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources fishing Regulations Summary
. Download the regulations from the links below.
Front Section (Size: 2.4 Mb)
Information Section (Size: 3.1 Mb)
Map D (Size: 2.7 Mb)
Map E (Size: 2.5 Mb)
Fish Identification Charts (Size: 4 Mb)
Questions - Call Don or Clayton Downton 807-584-2944 Savant Lake.
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Payment
Full payment due 60 days before your trip start date.
Deposits:
Guided Trips: Deposit of 50% per person paid upon booking your trip.
Self Guided trips 50% of trip cost per person Deposit paid upon booking your trip.
Credit card accepted - Visa Only. Cost 3% surcharge
Personal Checks accepted.
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Tipping Pilot and Guides
Pilots and guides work hard to provide you with the highest level of professional service, consideration and hospitality. The total cost of tipping by our clients generally ranges between ten to twenty percent of the cost of their trip Tips are paid in cash directly to your guide and your pilot in proportion to the time and service they have contributed to the success an enjoyment of your trip. They rely on tips and go out of their way to insure that they understand your interests and preferences and are responsive to your needs.
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Our Guides
No one works for Caribou Air or answers the telephones who is not an experienced pilot or guide. Base manager Don Downton is most likely to answer our phones, but pilots Clayton, Gath, Nathan or Sam or one of our guides may do so. All are knowledgeable and helpful. However, we ask you call again or leave a message so that you have a detailed conversation with Clayton or Don to insure that all topics of interest and importance to you have been thoroughly discussed.
Sam Lappage
- Age - mid 20's
- Has guided Moose hunters to 40 kills.
- Has lived, hunting, fishing, flying and guiding in the bush for over 15 years!
- Pilots both West Caribou Aircraft.
- Also flies helicopters.
- From Dryden Ontario
- Over nine years with West Caribou Air.
Louis Camire
- 50 years of age plus something - very experienced guide.
- Has guided Moose hunters to over 50 kills.
- Specialty is finding and calling bull Moose.
- Given a choice would cater to hunters over 60.
- A serious hunter and expert fisherman and good conversationalist and story teller.
- Originally from Kapuskasing Ontario.
- A non pilot.
- Over three years with West Caribou Air.
Marty Lappage
- Over 50 of age
- Most experienced fishing and Moose hunting guide.
- 60 plus guided Moose kills.
- Most experienced guide.
- His specialty is calling moose.
- Life time bushman. All hunting and fishing.
- Expert at calling bulls cows and calves
- Originally from Dryden Ontario
- Over nine years with West Caribou Air.
Gates Camire
- 40 plus years of age.
- 30 plus guided Moose kills.
- Most excellent cook.
- Experienced Moose caller
- Dedicated moose hunter
- Expert angler and camp leader.
Clayton Downton
- 30 years of age plus.
- Proprietor.
- 20 guided Moose kills
- 3 bulls shot over 50" in last three years
- Expert caller bulls cows and calves.
- Excellent gourmet Wilderness cook
- Responsible for our menus
- Can clean fish quickly, even when story telling.
- Originally from Kapuskasing.
- Leads the company's continuing quest to find new "Virgin fishing" lakes and streams. Clayton continually uses this excuse to take the company aircraft and any willing guide or helper off into the wild blue yonder looking for fish with secret hopes that the weather might delay their return for an extra day or two. As a result Dad, only lets him go after checking the weather forecast!
Don Downton
- 50 years plus something.
- Base manager, chief guide and Clayton's father.
- 30 plus guided Moose kills.
- Excellent wilderness cook and story teller.
- Excellent fish cleaner. There will be fish in time for supper!
- Don keeps Clayton's ambitions tied to the earth on a strong tether!
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Gaff Morris
- 50 years plus something
- expert Moose hunter
- expert fishing guide
- pilot and proprietor
- serious fisherman and story teller.
