The Source. The Woods River system is a remarkable wilderness resource.
It’s vast, over 100 miles long from its source - a myriad of headwater creeks flowing into the three feeder streams, then on into the main river with more than a dozen brawling rapids - to its destiny, the Smallwood Reservoir. It’s wild, patrolled by bald eagles and ospreys, perfect habitat for mink and otter, sustenance for caribou and black bear, and fertile home to big cold-water fish. Every day you'll share this land with only your guide, your fishing buddy, and a magical boreal landscape. It’s alive, with mayflies, caddis, stoneflies, and the various life stages thereof; dace, darters, sculpins and minnows, fertile hunting waters for the predators: brook trout, northern pike, and lake trout. The FishBrook Trout here dwell primarily in moving waters and are strong, classically-proportioned river fish, beautifully colored in June, neon bright by August. True trophies, they average 3 - 4 pounds and run up to at least 10 pounds. A day on the water that yields three or four trophy brookies to net is a really good day here. There will be slower days, there’ll be better days, There’ll be fish hooked and lost. These brook trout are true trophies, native and strong, a most formidable quarry - fast learners, tempermental, and ever mobile. Great challenge, but oh so memorable. Northern Pike inhabit the flat waters - lakes, ponds and broads of the rivers. The absolute top of the food chain, pike average 8 to 10 pounds and we’ve landed 25 pounders over four feet in length. Great sport on a fly rod and eager to play all season long. Lake Trout dwell in the dark holes of the lakes in summer. By mid-August, they are found cruising the shallow shoals and coves. Lakers have an exceptionally long life span and get just as big as they want! Most available in the in the first week and again during the last half of August. Fly Fishing, Catch and Release, Barbless HooksWe fly fish for brookies with 6- to 8-weight fly rods, barbless hooks and strong 1x and 2x leaders. We take the greatest care with every brook trout caught and we release them all to maintain the natural balance or our ecosystem. Anglers who want to commemorate their trophies with carved mounts take measurements and an image. We can recommend accomplished artists whose reproductions are near perfect. Giant pike and lakers inhabit the many lakes and wide reaches along the watershed and provide extraordinary fly-fishing as well. Both species are great sport on the long rod, and our rules allow spin fishing with single, barbless lures only on the flat waters for pike and lakers. Rivers, Streams, and LakesThe Woods River proper is a fast flowing, freestone river broken frequently by lakes, ponds and broad reaches, a “chain of ponds”. Its numerous sets of rapids vary in length from 100 yards to almost a mile. In these rapids brook trout concentrate on feeding stations throughout the season. The rapids offer a diversity of haunts and holding water; plunge pools, riffles and runs, large boulders, creases and willow-lined undercut banks – a river fisher’s paradise. Feeder streams are too numerous to count. Some provide sanctuary for the smaller trout, but many hold the big boys. We get our name from the three main feeder rivers, Rick’s Run, Eagle river and Victoria River, which form the headwaters of the Woods. Each of these flows wanders some 20 or 30 miles out of the spruce and tamarack forests and offers spectacular scenery and holding water. In the three largest lakes, Crossroads, Vezina and Knox, and in the broader reaches of the river, mighty northerns and lakers sulk in the coves and spring holes. Fly-outsWe keep a DeHavilland Beaver float plane down at the camp’s dock and use it every day to move our guests about our expansive river system. We fly the longer legs in the floatplane to fisheries where freighter canoes are stashed along the riverway. We also use the Beaver to discover new remote waters and fishing opportunities for our guests. Two fly outs per guest are included in your week to destinations such as our Fifth Rapids Outpost Camp, the headwater rivers for treks into the deepest wilderness, and to the lower rapids where the big fish migrate out of the Smallwood Reservoir. We have a small fleet of Lund “Alaskans” and square-sterned canoes powered by Honda four-stroke outboards. Each is well maintained and equipped with all safety items. We also have smaller canoes cached in remote locations for backcountry trekking. Arctic Char and Landlocked Salmon Fly-outsAnnually, our fly-outs for Arctic Char add intrigue to our program for both new and returning guests, in large part due to the spectacular environs where these species thrive. Though char are not indigenous to our river system, we run several fly-outs each season when conditions are favorable for these powerful fish into totally untouched waters deep in the wilderness. Landlocked salmon appear late in the season and we have a couple of neat locations where guests can find them in late August. |
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