8 reasons why outposts are awesome (and value-priced) fly-in fishing trips for anyone—not just expert anglers

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Pete Kloppenburg (left) and Wes Nelson just before taking off in the floatplane

This nation is famous for its incredible tracts of pristine wilderness, and the world-class fishing you can find in that backcountry. Of all the adventures you can enjoy in the great Canadian outdoors, there’s one that’s often overlooked: the humble, yet mighty, outpost trip. For my money, outpost trips are the best value in the Canadian outdoors, and offer a quality of fishing, combined with a variety of experiences you just don’t get anywhere else. That variety was key to a fantastic trip I took last month.

When I go fishing, I like to fish hard. So, when planning outpost trips I’ve typically assembled groups of other pretty serious anglers, often including my close pal Wes Nelson. But this year, Wes and I took a fresh direction. Instead of adding a hardcore angler to our trio, we invited one of the people we most enjoy spending time with, our mutual friend Pete Kloppenburg.

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Pete, Wes and I have all been friends since we met at university in the early 1990s. Pete loves the outdoors and is a long-time cottage owner in Ontario’s Muskoka region, but he’ll be the first to tell you that he’s no kind of an angler (as in, he needed a few refresher tips on using a spinning reel). He was, however, eager to try this new experience, including his first ride in a floatplane, and spending a week in a backcountry cabin, totally off the grid.

Cochrane Air Services flies anglers and hunters to 30+ outpost lakes

So, in early June our trio arrived at the waterdrome of Cochrane Air Services in Cochrane, Ontario—a northern Ontario institution that’s been delivering generations of anglers to fishing and hunting adventures. Our destination lake has no official name (always a promising sign that you’re going somewhere remote), though it’s colloquially known as French Lake. Then we strapped in, among boxes of food, rod cases and duffels of clothes and tackle, and headed into the unknown for a week of fishing and fellowship.

The full story of our surprising and memorable adventure will appear in Outdoor Canada magazine in 2025. But for now, here are a few reasons why outposts make such an outstanding trip for anglers of all ages and abilities…

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