Backcountry camping and fishing in Ontario's far north | Beyond Pickle Lake

This road trip/camping trip has it all: wildlife sightings, weather, kayaking, fly fishing, camping experience, remote exploring and more! I've been further north in Manitoba but I've never been this far north in the Canadian province of Ontario before. In fact I was about as far north as one can drive during the summer months. In winter the ice roads are formed but in summer it is fly-in only above this latitude.

This was the first time I got to use my Easthills Jungle Explorer camping hammock! I had it with me when we did our canoe trip across Lac Seul last fall but I had a sprained knee and couldn't move much. So I settled for the tent each night. I slept great in the hammock and am looking forward to my next camping adventure.

I was also trying fly fishing for big game for the first time ever on this trip. I purchased a 10 weight fly rod this past winter and some line and flies tied specifically for pike.

We didn't find any big gators on this trip. When you travel to a remote spot like this it's impossible to do any research on it. Turns out this lake is full of good sized walleye. We did catch some of those and kept one for shore lunch. If I brought walleye gear I would have caught many more fish but this is just fine in my opinion.

The drive up north was just as much of an experience as the camping and fishing. We saw and photographed several moose and bears as well as an overly friendly fox. I grew up in the town on the south end of Highway 599 which is Ontario's northern most paved highway. I've only been to Pickle Lake twice in my life before this trip. The journey was amazing and I would love to do this again in the future if travel remains affordable lol.

I hope you enjoy this hour long special. Cheers and tight lines!!!