Here is a Little Article i found and thought i would post it.I think i will 
have to go to Lake Athapapuskow Next Winter !.
Fly-In Fishing on a Drive-In Lake
by Zane Hrynewich
When it comes to trophy lake trout waters, one immediately thinks of fly in 
camps, and the famous trout lakes of the far north. The angler yearning to 
match wits with a forty or fifty pounder traditionally has had to travel 
great distances, at great expense to even get a chance at finding such a 
quality specimen. To many, this means saving for years for a once in a 
lifetime trip. This does not necessarily have to be the case, because there 
is a lake close to all Saskatchewan residents where lakers in the thirty to 
forty pound range are regularly taken, with the possibility of fifty, or 
sixty pounders being a definite reality. The fantastic thing about this lake 
is that it is accessible by paved highway. Yup, you read that 
correctly....PAVED!
Lake Athapapuskow sits just a few kilometers south of Flin Flon, Manitoba, 
smack dab on the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border. In fact, part of the lake does 
lie in Saskatchewan, but the entire body of water is governed by Manitoba 
angling regulations. Years ago, someone in the Manitoba fisheries department 
had the foresight to implement the mandatory release of all trout over 
twenty-two inches, and as time went by, a world class lake trout fishery was 
born. The quality of this fishery is living proof that careful management, 
and selective harvest do work, and are effective ways to maintain trophy 
waters anywhere.
Lake Athapapuskow is a big, rugged, reef infested shield lake, with acres and 
acres of the deep flats and structure that any self-respecting laker loves. 
In addition to its abundance of lake trout, it houses chunky walleye, and 
trophy pike. I spent many years fishing the waters of Lac la Ronge, and the 
resemblance of Athapap to my home waters is uncanny. The general consensus is 
that somewhere in this lake, a new world record lake trout is waiting for an 
angler with just the right presentation.
Serious lake trout fisherman are a dedicated, persevering, and hardy bunch. 
They spend hundreds of hours on the water, searching for the mother lode. 
When you talk to people in the Flin Flon area about the Athapap fishery, 
names like Sheldon Wiebe, Ray Lavis, Murray Lawrence, Doug Slater, John 
Walters, Stu Borley, and Joby Nomeland come up. These are some of the hard 
core laker fanatics, who work very hard at their craft, and who have seen 
thousands of trout in their day. I had the occasion to spend a day on the 
water with Stu Borley, and have passed many hours discussing this fishery 
with Sheldon Wiebe. What is plainly clear to me, is that these guys have 
refined their lake trout techniques to a fine art.
The "Trout Hunters of Athapapuskow Lake" use a stationary vertical jigging 
system, which requires a complete knowledge of reading electronics, the 
ability to anchor well in deep water, and having the right tackle to be able 
to deal with big fish. Typically, they will search out a specific school of 
lake trout, which they know holds big fish. This may entail running a paper 
graph locator until the desired fish are found, because this type of finder 
provides the best detail, allowing accurate estimates of both the size and 
numbers of fish. After the target fish are identified, LCR's or flashers are 
used. This is due to the fact that paper graphs are quite expensive to run.
The next step is to be able to stay over the school to work them, and this 
means anchoring effectively in depths ranging from eighty to one hundred and 
twenty feet. This may sound easy, but since trout waters are usually out in 
the open areas of the lake, attempting to remain stationary in a healthy chop 
is an art form in itself. An ample supply of strong rope, and an anchor able 
to seat in a mud bottom are most definitely a necessity.
When it comes to presentation, a vertical jigging technique is employed, 
ranging from dangling an offering right in front of a trout's nose, to just 
letting it rest on the bottom, to following a fish as it moves off the bottom 
to feed. A jig heavy enough to stay vertical under the conditions of the day 
is the key. This means jigs as light as one ounce, and as heavy as two, or 
even three ounces. The jig is tipped with a piece of sucker belly, and maybe 
a large plastic tail. There are many variations and personal preferences in 
this area, and each "Trout Hunter" seems to have his own little twist.
Anyone who has fished deep trout knows that getting a good hook set is always 
a problem. Sharp hooks are a must. Rods have to be powerful and stiff, but 
sensitive enough to feel the bottom, and any soft takes. Many of the Athapap 
crew have gone to longer, high modulous graphite rods in the 7'6" range. 
Baitcasting reels are the most popular choice, with a heavy duty drag system 
being paramount. Both Sheldon and Stu told me stories of having huge fish on 
for long periods of time, where the trout won out because the huge amount of 
torque on the rod eventually snapped it, or the constant friction in the drag 
system created so much heat, the whole thing literally fused. Losing a fifty 
plus pound trout in this way has to hurt big time!
Hook setting capabilities are also very much related to line and line 
stretch. Sheldon and Stu have experimented with virtually every kind of line 
on the market, from as light as eight pound test to as heavy as in the 
twenties. The advice here is that each individual should try to find a 
quality low-stretch line that he has confidence in. Lighter tests will 
provide more sensitivity, and impart more action on the presentations, and 
heavier lines will provide a little more security in so far as break offs are 
concerned. The trend seems to be in the ten to seventeen pound test range.
The vibrancy of the Athapapuskow fishery was evident to me, as I fished with 
Stu on a windy July day. We didn't tie into any giants, but the numbers were 
phenomenal. Very often, we would get hits as our jigs were free falling to 
the bottom, or reeling up to check our bait. When the action slowed down, we 
would put our rods down, letting our presentations rest on the bottom, and 
take a break. Many times, our rod tips would start bobbing, as a laker chowed 
down on our stationary offerings. Sheldon Wiebe caught the largest lake trout 
I saw taken that day, a gorgeous thirty-five pounder, just a short distance 
away from us.
When fishing in this manner, it is a distinct advantage to have your 
electronics fine-tuned to the point where you can plainly watch your jig. In 
this way, if the fish move, you can to. It is an exciting feeling to watch a 
curve on the screen heading towards your bait - the sense of anticipation 
gets the blood pumping wildly. Eyes should be focused on the screen almost 
all the time, because things are always changing on the bottom. This requires 
the ability to accurately interpret what you are seeing on your finder, and 
to react to it quickly.
Athapauskow Lake is truly "Lake Trout Heaven" to anyone dedicated to chasing 
this majestic specie. It is a trout hunter's Valhalla, offering easy 
accessibility, accommodations, services, and boat launches. As far as I know, 
this body of water has to be the prime drive to lake trout fishery in western 
Canada, if not the entire country. Give it a try. I know I am going back!
--- FMail 1.22
---------------