The Beauty and Lessons of the Backcountry
“For me, getting to fish the backcountry is more than just an adventure, it is the fulfillment of childhood dreams.”
The First Attempt
It all started with a hot summer weekend at the cabin in the Whiteshell a few years ago. My brother and I spent a tough day of fishing at the lake with only a few walleye caught in the hot sun. I never been smallmouth bass fishing before, but I figured that there was nothing to lose trying. I decided to hit up Horseshoe Lake for my first attempt at bass fishing.
Horseshoe Lake is a backcountry lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. To get there, one must drag a boat on a portage trail to Meditation Lake. After crossing, another portage would lead into Horseshoe Lake. This lake is known for producing high numbers of big smallmouth bass.
This was my first foray into the backcountry so saying that I was ill-prepared would be an understatement. I decided to take a canoe with a portaging cart. However, I also decided to take a battery and electric trolling motor.
My brother and I loaded all the gear in the canoe and started up the portage to Meditation Lake. Unfortunately, the fragile canoe bounced on a root and the weight of the battery cracked the bottom of the canoe. Being the persistent angler I was, I figured that there was still a way to salvage the trip. At the shores of Meditation were some old aluminum boats that were stashed away in the bush. Figuring that the owners wouldn’t mind, we borrowed one. No plug was available, so a stick wrapped with a plastic bag would do the trick.
At noon, we arrived at Horseshoe Lake after hauling the heavy boat and our gear. Unfortunately, upon arrival the wind picked up quite a bit. This would confine us to a small bay for the whole day. The fishing was not too bad for a novice bass angler. I managed to catch two master angler smallmouth bass as well as a few smaller ones. My brother was not as fortunate as his only bass of the day jumped at near the boat and spit the hook.
After coming back to Meditation Lake, we would have to make our way back home against the strong wind. Unfortunately, the battery for the electric motor died a third of the way across the lake. The only option was to paddle quickly against the wind. If we took even the slightest break, we would be pushed back fast. Seeing our tired faces upon the end of the paddle, the campers on the shores of Meditation took pity on us and gave us food and water. A humbling hike in the dark to the car while being ravaged by bugs would conclude the whole ordeal.
BACK FOR REVENGE
Many summers later, after weeks on cabin renovations, we decided to reward ourselves with a fishing trip! I always thought about returning to Horseshoe Lake. There was new ownership at the Big Whiteshell Lodge and they offered boat rentals on Horseshoe Lake. Remembering our disastrous attempt years ago, we decided to take advantage of this service.
The lodge owner took us on a quad ride through the bush on an old logging trail. The trail only went halfway to Horseshoe, so we had to hike in the bush for about 20 minutes. With no boat to carry, this was not a problem. Upon our arrival to the lake, we would unlock the rental boat and motor with the keys provided by the lodge.
Everything was starting to turn in our favour! Upon arrival, there was no wind to deal with, plus we had a gas motor! I also had more experience bass fishing. With these factors, it would turn out to be one of the best bass outings I’ve ever done. Many fearless and acrobatic bass pounded our lures.
I brought a small Lowrance graph equipped with a depth map of Horseshoe Lake which allowed us to find hidden mid-lake reefs and points where smallmouth were plentiful. The only downside was that pike were hungry as well, causing our lure supply to be drastically reduced when they cut our lines with their sharp teeth.
In the end, we would end up catching around five or six master angler sized smallmouth with action being steady throughout the day. We would end the day by hiking back to the designated meeting location with the lodge owner who then drove us back to the lodge in the quad. What a difference that was from our previous trip!
REFLECTIONS ON THE BACKCOUNTRY
While backcountry fishing is special, it does demand a lot of effort and experience, especially when rental services are unavailable. I would highly recommend getting advice from people experienced in the outdoors. Learning outdoor skills and how to pack efficiently is critical to backcountry fishing. I have since gone on several of these trips with more experienced people and the difference in preparation was very noticeable.
For the less outdoors-inclined anglers, taking advantage of a service to get into the backcountry is also a good option. Many resorts offer some sort of service to a backcountry lake.
No matter how you get into remote lakes, it is always a memorable experience. The lack of human development gives a strong sense of solitude, not to mention the often-amazing fishing.
A CHILDHOOD DREAM COME TRUE
As a child, I used to look at paper maps in amazement for hours seeing all the lakes with no roads to them. I always wondered what the fishing would be like in those lakes where few humans have been. For me, getting to fish the backcountry is more than just an adventure, it is the fulfillment of childhood dreams.
IN SUMMARY-EQUIPMENT
Like most anglers, I love taking as many rods as possible in my boat rigged up for a variety of techniques.
When portaging is required, packing lightly is essential. In this case, I typically settle for one rod per person, perhaps one spare for everyone in case of an accident. Personally, I find that a six to seven foot medium fast rod is as versatile as it can get for smallmouth, as well as walleye and pike if you wish to fish for something else. Rod socks are helpful as they prevent the rods from being tangled or caught on brush during transport.
Personally, my favorite lures for smallmouth include senkos, jerkbaits, tube jigs and topwaters. I typically take only a tackle tray’s worth of lures due to space being limited.
One thing that really contributed to our success was the use of digital contour maps. I brought a small Lowrance unit with an Angler’s Edge Mapping chip. Horseshoe Lake happened to be mapped so I was able to find potential spots ahead of time. The unit’s GPS was crucial as it allowed us to stay on underwater reefs and points. A transducer with a suction or clamp mount can be helpful if you are able to bring one.
Digital maps can be used on either a mobile device (left) or a small portable graph such as the Lowrance HDS Carbon 7 .