OUTPOSTS ARE FOR EVERYONE
Think only expert anglers can have a fun and memorable backcountry adventure? Think again
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Wes shows off a nice French Lake walleye, with Pete in the background manning the net#1 Outposts trips may be the best value in the Canadian outdoors
Outpost-style fishing camps can be found across this country, but are especially popular in lake-laden regions of central Canada, including Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. When you go on an outpost trip, the floatplane service or outfitter supplies a cabin, along with a boat and motor, and flight to and from the lake. Cabin amenities vary, but most have a fridge and stove (usually propane powered), many have running water and some even boast electricity. The guests bring their own food, do their own cooking and then fish the lake on their own.
The cost of an outpost trip sits somewhere between a low-budget, 100% DIY adventure, and a full-service fishing lodge. On a DIY trip you get dropped off at (or paddle into) a remote location and camp rough. These can be spectacular, but staying under canvas isn’t everyones idea of a good time—not to mention digging your own latrine. At the other end of the fishing-trip scale is the fly-in full-service lodge, with meals and guiding provided. These trips are incredible, but they aren’t cheap. You’d be extremely lucky to find one that cost $5k per person for a week, plus the cost of getting there.
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By comparison, outposts run $800 to $1500 per person, depending on where and how far into the backcountry you go. So, if you’re skillful enough to operate your own boat, and don’t mind packing and cooking your own food, along with doing a few camp chores, the outpost is a very affordable adventure for groups and families. You can also usually drive to the jumping-off point, which keeps costs down. Cochrane, for example, is a very manageable nine-hour drive from both Ottawa and Toronto, and eight hours from the US border at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.