EDITORS NOTE: You can enter to win a trip to one of Shaun’s Outpost camps by entering this contest on our website. You can also hear Shaun talk about his career, his camps and airline on The Complete Angler Podcast Episode # 38!
For the last four years I had been trying to book a trip in to one of the many outpost fishing camps owned by Shaun Jackson. Three years ago, the pandemic got in the way, then in 2021 forest fires made travel to the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg a no-go zone. In fact, Shaun lost two of his outposts to fires. You might say it has been a tough couple of years for Jackson’s Lodges and Outposts.
That all turned around in 2022 and it was hard to even get a booking for one of his many camps. If you go on his website, you will see that there are three different zones to book into. The closest is Big Echo Outpost in the Whiteshell. It is only a five-minute plane ride from his airbase in Lac du Bonnet. My son and I along with three other people flew in for three days in 2015. This outpost might just have the best fishing, with trophy smallmouth bass and plenty of big hungry walleye. The cabin is also spectacular, sleeping ten people. It’s also probably the most popular of his outposts so it pays to book well in advance. You can read all about our trip there https://www.hookedmagazine.ca/big-echo-lake-in-whiteshell-provincial-park/
I was determined to visit one of his 11 other outposts, so it was the first week of August when my family and I hopped on one of his many float planes. We were headed to the cabin on Little Sass, part of the Sasaginnigak River system.
Shaun had recommended Little Sass because of the good fishery on this medium sized lake on the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg. Forty-five minutes later we landed and quickly unloaded.
KEY PIECES OF EQUIPMENT
We had along a satellite phone and portable generator, two things we needed as it turned out. The Honda generator was used to charge our lithium batteries that powered our fish electronics. I had only brought one smaller lithium, but I recommend two, so you have a backup. I had the Auto Chart live feature on pretty much the whole time we were on the lake. By the end of the three days, I had some outstanding charts of the best fishing holding spots, with a ton of waypoints marked.
SATELLITE PHONE A GAME SAVER!
It also kept our phones topped up for picture taking. It was the satellite phone that really was important though. On our third day a forest fire broke out on the southeast side of the lake. I spotted it when we turned around the corner of an island in the lake. I quickly swung the boat around and headed back to the outpost camp. I grabbed the satellite phone and got a hold of Jacksons airbase. Even as I was talking the fire started to blow-up and had spread to twice the size. In half an hour, we saw the spotter plane from Natural Resources fly over and ten minutes later a water bomber arrived. In no time, the fire was in control. I mention this because it is a vital piece of equipment when out in remote areas.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
I can remember falling and hitting my head on the dock on one fly-in with no phone. It could have been a serious accident with no way to call for help. If you plan a remote outpost trip with no cell service, make sure the operator you book with offers a satellite phone or someway else to call for help.
OUTSTANDING FISHING
Over the three days, we had some excellent angling for walleye and pike. I was also impressed by the overall size of the fish. We found the walleye and pike on some of the many reefs that this lake has near the main lake basin.
While our largest walleye was not quite 24 inches there are have been walleye over 30 inches caught in Little Sass. There are also a few pike over 40 inches registered each year. We found the walleye in 20 feet of water on the average.
On our first day we had nonstop action, but things slowed on Day Two after a change in wind direction. I could see on my Helix 5 depth finder that a lot of the fish had moved off bottom. This coincided with a late mayfly hatch on the lake.
LATE INSECT HATCH
On Day Three we switched over to Ned Rigs with Z-Man HULA STICKZ to imitate mayfly larvae. This did the trick as we once again had non-stop action.
As is the case with all of Shaun’s outposts, the lodging was comfortable and well maintained. There was brand new barbeque set up along with a deep fryer for some shore lunch fish. Close by was water pump powered with a small solar panel. Out back was a big propane hot water heater to go with the indoor shower.
All too soon the trip came to an end. As we waited with our gear on the dock, I was pleasantly surprised when the plane landed. We were treated to ride back to Lac Du Bonnet on one of Jackson Airs eight Grand Caravan aircraft. Made by Cessna, these are state of the art bush planes that can land on water or land. It is billed as the Ultimate Utility Vehicle by the manufacturer.
STATE OF THE ART
The Grand Caravan EX turboprop was engineered for challenging missions, high payloads and short, rough runways while delivering single-engine economy and simplicity. After getting picked up at Little Sass on water we arrived on land on the way back. Shaun can also ferry customers to the Winnipeg Airport on these great aircraft. Listen to my podcast with Shaun here.
If you are looking to book a fly in trip of lifetime, Jackson’s is tough to beat for both value and convenience. You can find them online at https://jacksonslodge.com/