Into the Great White North

Well, I’m back in PA and it’s time to post something about the fishing trip at Caesar’s Lodge outpost cabin up on the Gouin Reservoir in northern Quebec.

There were four of us on this trip and I think it is safe to say we all had a good time. I met the others at The Bolt Hole in the Adirondacks—a four hour drive from The Aerie for me and a 5+ hour drive from NJ for them—on Thursday, June 14. We then packed up John’s Ford Explorer and headed up to the Thousand Islands crossing of the border (midnight and, yes mister Canadian crossing guard, for the third time we were going fishing and we brought no alcohol with us), northeast to Ottawa (amazing how many people are out on the streets at 1:30 AM in this oh so clean city) and then north through Manawaki (24-hour gas station) to Grand Remous on 117. We parked at the end of the 104-mile dirt road that would take us to Caesar’s Coursol Seaplane Base at 3:30 AM to await daylight (4:30 AM). Then it was three-and-a-half hours of bumps and dips and washouts to dodge as we traveled the dirt road. We arrived at Coursol at 8 AM and waited our turn to be ferried out to the outpost cabin Gouin #1 where we would fish and sleep for a week.

George Brossard, the new owner, was flying the Beaver and rushing around as busily as a one-armed paper hanger. The Beaver, capable of carrying 4 passengers and their gear, and a Cessna, 3 passengers, are the only two planes they have in the air right now. A fire on the docks a few years ago left them short one Beaver and the plane is a workhorse that is no longer manufactured. When George’s cousin, Oliver, sold him the business last year, Oliver’s private little “Canary” was taken out of service. They were hustling two crews out and one crew into outpost cabins while the Coursol Base also handled several bear hunters. Anyway, we got out to Gouin #1 a little after noon which was a huge improvement over last year’s weather induced 6 PM arrival. This year’s weather was clear but almost unbearably hot with the mercury rising to over 85 degrees. The metal roofed cabin was stifling and could have easily been used in some movie like Cool Hand Luke as one of those prison sweat boxes. Luckily, it wouldn’t stay that way.

This photo by David Messinger from 2004 shows the Gouin #1 cabin from the water. There have been improvements including a new water tower, indoor shower and toilet. Unfortunately, because of draw-downs and lack of snow for the past two years, the water level is five (5) feet lower than in this picture. Many flats and weed beds that once held pike are now high and dry.