World Class Outpost Experience
Joseph ‘Jay’ Gibbs was originally scheduled to experience Gangler’s classic Clifton Outpost during the 2020 season. However, the pandemic resulted in Jay’s trip being delayed for nearly two years! Nonetheless, by June 2022, Jay and his group were finally able to reach Clifton which provided a world class experience where “it was difficult to find places where we didn’t catch fish.” Even for other guests that had their trips delayed during the 2020 & 2021 seasons, Gangler’s exceptional outposts continued to provide the ultimate, unguided fishing trip that they were looking for:
“We had the pleasure of traveling to Gangler’s North Seal Lodge in June 2022. This was a family trip originally planned for the spring of 2020; however, our trip was unavoidably delayed due to the closure of the American-Canadian border during the COVID-19 pandemic. The extra two years of waiting only whet our appetite more for what was to come. We initially heard about Gangler’s through a coworker, but over the following two years, we met an increasing number of people who had visited this remarkable fishery. Everyone we spoke with had similar input – “bring extra rods, reels and tackle because you will catch so many fish, you will wear yours out”. It was good advice.
The day to leave for the trip finally came – we arrived in Winnipeg and were greeted promptly by a Gangler’s representative. After a night in a hotel, we were shuttled to the charter plane and soon were airborne on our way northward. After touching down on the sand strip at main camp we were greeted by Ken Gangler and staff and welcomed into the main lodge for refreshments. Our reservation was for the Clifton Lake Outpost, and we were soon on a floatplane bound for camp. The scenery from the plane was remarkable. Glancing down into the waters we were flying over; we even spotted a large pike cruising the shallows from the plane. This could only be a good sign. Camp was comfortable, neat, and well-kept. Our camp manager greeted us and was very helpful, orienting us to the lake and likely places where we could reliably find fish.
Gangler’s offers a variety of fishing opportunities, including the chance to catch not only top-quality northern pike, but walleye, arctic grayling and lake trout as well. Our focus on this trip was to find trophy northern pike. We arrived one week after ice-out and had great success. As we explored Clifton Lake, it was challenging to find places where we didn’t catch fish. We soon lost count of the 33-37” northern pike that became the average fish we caught, with all of us catching over 50 fish per day. Doubles were a common occurrence several times per day. Fish came on the surface and below – it was hard to find something that didn’t work. In all, we caught six pike over 40 inches, with five of them caught in one day, the largest being a 44-inch monster that would make you think twice before taking a swim.
Even with our focus on pike, we found plentiful walleye and lake trout. Having grown up jigging for shy, recluse walleye in northern Michigan and Ontario, I was stunned at how robust and aggressive the walleye were. Even without actively seeking them out, we routinely caught more than enough for shore lunch, or even dinner if we could pry ourselves away from the filet mignon, ribs, etc that are provided in camp. We caught most of our walleye on the same spoons and spinners that were successful for pike. We caught several lake trout as well which were fine fare at mealtime.”
– Joseph (Jay) Gibbs
We still have a few great openings at our Clifton Lake Outpost in July or August. Accepting groups of 2-6. Give us a call to learn more about a great outpost special on these specific openings.
