A DUAL TRACK APPROACH
During late August, I spent a week at the Lodge at Little Duck in northern Manitoba. It lies just south of the 60th parallel, where a set of Wolverine River rapids connect Little Duck and Nejanilini Lakes. Being right on the tree line, the scenery is incredibly unique. 
Vast eskers look like sand deserts. Rolling hills are covered with colorful tundra. Caribou and moose meander between scattered stands of spruce, or even swim across the lake.
Humans are rare in this part of the world, and the lodge is accessed via gravel airstrip. Despite the remoteness, the Lodge at Little Duck is perfectly comfortable. Besides great guides and great food, there is Internet access and satellite TV.
NOT YOUR NORMAL FISH
However, the local fish have not been keeping up with the latest angling trends. They definitely do not fit into a lot of commonly held beliefs. They were incredibly welcoming to an angler like myself – someone drawn to the artistry of fly fishing but not willing to give up the sheer efficiency of conventional gear. This is a list of things the fish at Little Duck were having no part of:
#1. Northern pike vacate shallow bays during the summer.
Barry was my guide, and we checked out many bays. Not all held fish, but ones that were slightly deeper and just off the main lake had good numbers of 20 to 40 inch pike that loved chasing – and often inhaling – a 4 to 5 inch white streamer. The best way to quickly check out a bay for pike was to bomb out a few quick casts with the baitcaster and a Johnson Silver Minnow – white twister tail optional but highly recommended! If the pike were home, it was time to switch to the fly rod. Or, if it was really windy, come back with the fly rod later.
#2. Dry flies need a drag-free drift.
The lodge boats could access several inlets and outlets with wadeable rapids. At worst, these held good numbers of grayling. At best, they held stupid numbers of grayling. Even though rising fish were not the norm, dry flies were more effective than nymphs. And a surprising number of fish took the dry as it dangled below me at the end of its drift, making a slight wake. At first, holding a dry fly in the current seemed like cheating to me, so I tried more conventional approaches like twitching the fly or swinging an emerger. However, on several occasions, the best approach was high sticking a dry fly directly downstream.
Since it is always tough to take a pass on surface eats, I only made about a dozen casts for grayling with a spinning rod and a small spoon. I think almost half of those caught fish.
#3. The north is always windy and cold.
It was perfectly gorgeous and calm for at least a couple of my days on Nejanilini. I even took off my jacket, generally not advisable so close to the Nunavat border. Warning! This is the only part of the article where I would be tempted to bet against somebody else having the same experience.
#4. Deep water lake trout are tough to catch.
The primary purpose of this trip was to catch lake trout on shallow spawning reefs. However, the warm and placid weather kept most lakers in their summer haunts between thirty and seventy feet deep. With a little bit of sonar interpretation, and a silver spoon trolled on a 3-way rig, Barry had me on those fish. And they were ravenous. Once located, vertical jigging something white or silver was the ticket to obscene numbers of 5-pounders. I even managed to boat the world’s skinniest Master Angler. I’m glad they go by length instead of weight.
#5. Lake trout are not a target for a fly rod.
Since arctic grayling are a favorite lake trout snack, fishable numbers of them hung out just downstream of the rapids beside the lodge, well within reach of a sinking fly line. The goal of my last hour at Little Duck was to connect with a laker on the fly. Some chucking and ducking of a large Deceiver made it happen.
#6. The only thing to do at a fishing lodge is fish.
Barry was always up for getting out of the boat and going exploring. We hiked along a seemingly endless esker and also stalked caribou with my camera. However, the highlight was an overland trek to a set of falls which supposedly held epic numbers of grayling. There was no path and no active Google Maps; instead, big patches of tundra made it possible to navigate by climbing ridges and scanning the terrain. After a few hours of skirting bog and thick brush, we called it off. I was barely disappointed because it was amazing to get up close and personal with the tundra.
#7. Long boat rides mean better fishing.
The most fun I had was in the bay right beside the lodge. After dinner, I stalked its shallow weed beds on foot. V-wakes converging on a popper in the twilight – occasionally two at a time – were an unforgettable spectacle. The pike were not huge, but they were certainly entertaining. Also, the rapids right beside the lodge were definitely the best grayling spot. They formed about a half-mile of prime water that begged for extra casts before dinner.
A TRIP TO THE NORTH IS SPECTACULAR
Full disclosure… Being Manitoban, I hold some homegrown bias. Neverthless, I highly recommend a trip to the northern part of the province. You might even bust a few myths. I fully intend to return to the Lodge at Little Duck. Some trophy grayling and a set of falls are calling me.