# Washi Lake Northern Ontario



## IceBerg

First time poster, glad to be on board. Just booked a trip with Luenbergers out of Nakina Ontario to fish Washi Lake, which is basically a widening of the Albany River. Has anybody ever fished it? I know they have speckled trout also, just don't know if getting to them is a problem with the rapids and all. Anyhow, always look forward to fishing out of Nakina, probably my 8th fly-in out of Nakina and have always done well.


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## Rocko0305

Our group is headed to Washi Lake this year from May 31 - June 7, 2014. We have a core group of 4-5 guys that have been going on Northwest Ontario fly-in fishing trips out of Nakina each year for the past 20 years. We have gone every time with Leuenberger's except this past year when we traveled to the Attawapiskat River and Beteau Lake.

This will be our first time going to Washi. Definitely will be looking to get into some brook trout, along with the usual pike and walleye.

When is your group going?

What other lakes out of Nakina have you been to?


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## unclepaully

Rocko,

I assume you went up to Eddie Norths place? We went a few years ago during his first year of operation. We didn't catch huge numbers but we caught some impressive fish. Biggest was 43.5 in pike. 

Iceberg- I've fished out of Nakina a few times but never with Leuenbergers. Check out the walleye central site and the canada forum for some info.


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## IceBerg

ROCKO0305......... Our group of 4 will be heading up there June 21st - the 28th. Your going at the best time for Specks, should be ideal. Hopefully this crazy weather will not have a toll on the water-flow. Anyhow let me know how you guys do? Looks like a lot of water to explore, which we always like.


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## Rocko0305

unclepaully said:


> Rocko,
> 
> I assume you went up to Eddie Norths place? We went a few years ago during his first year of operation. We didn't catch huge numbers but we caught some impressive fish. Biggest was 43.5 in pike.
> 
> Iceberg- I've fished out of Nakina a few times but never with Leuenbergers. Check out the walleye central site and the canada forum for some info.


Yeah we did go with Eddie North this past May 25 - June 1, 2013 to Beteau. It was a great trip. Really tough at first because the water levels were the highest they had been in years according to the outfitter. Pike fishing was tough because it was like you were casting into the trees that were flooded. By the end of the week we solved the pike puzzle though and found them near all the incoming small creeks, rather than in the bays. Walleye fishing was also hit or miss, but we did put up several big ones. Not a huge numbers lake though, but we did put up over 850+ fish between 10 guys for the week, but that is nowhere near the numbers we have typically put up on the Leuenberger lakes we have been to. I would love another crack (or three!) at Beteau though. So far it's my favorite Canadian lake I've fished. The potential for 40+" pike and 25+" walleye is there on every cast.


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## Rocko0305

IceBerg said:


> ROCKO0305......... Our group of 4 will be heading up there June 21st - the 28th. Your going at the best time for Specks, should be ideal. Hopefully this crazy weather will not have a toll on the water-flow. Anyhow let me know how you guys do? Looks like a lot of water to explore, which we always like.


That's great. You will be there just a few weeks after us. We typically go right after ice out, and I'm glad we are doing that again since it will give us a good shot at going after some trout. I fully expect the water to be high just like last year.


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## IceBerg

Rocko, you asked what other lakes we have fished out of Nakina. We have been to Esnagami four times, Ogoki River, Hebner Lake, Abamasagi, Burness, Tennant last year and now Washi. Goat lake and Jackfish (twice) out of Hawks Junction, Ivanhoe lake, and Kenogami lake near Gogama. Have also been to Snowbird in the Northwest territories (big lakers) and Diana Lake Labrador (monster specks/brook trout). From our experience we have found that if you want the magical 100 plus walleye/pike per day type lakes you have to commit to the long drive and expense of the lakes north of Nakina. All of the adventures were memorible and enjoyed them all. Almost forgot the 3 lakes we drove to up around Sultan. Never get tired of going, time sure does fly!


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## cdacker

I've never stayed at Washi but did take a day trip there while we were staying at Grassi (Teabeau) many years ago. Leuenbergers had a camp on Grassi at the time (they no longer do) and they had a native guide for hire if the want/need arose. Several days into our trip we decided to give the guide a try, and one of the days we decided to make the trip to Washi ... more of an adventure trip than a fishing trip. Without a guide, navigating the river between the two lakes was out of the question ... many sets of rapids that a normal person wouldn't even think about trying to tackle with a 12 foot boat and a 9.9 hp engine. I've been back to Teabeau twice since then in search of brook trout.
Speaking of brook trout ... from what I've experienced and subsequently read quite a bit about, brook trout on the Albany can be quite difficult to locate. I can't speak for spring of the year, as I've only been there in August, but without a guide or some knowledge of how to navigate the rapids, finding brook trout on Washi might not be possible. Pike and walleye fishing should be great though ... and from what I've experienced the walleye in the Albany system tend to run quite a bit larger than your typical fly-in lakes.
Good luck and please post a report when you return!


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## IceBerg

cdacker--- thanks for the information, our group is looking forward to another remote fly-in and a get-away from the everyday "grind". I will post our results when I return. Rocko 0305 is heading up before us and hopefully he will post his results and thoughts. Tight Lines! IceBerg


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## cdacker

How the trips to Washi go?


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## IceBerg

The trip was nice. Big lake with lots of water to cover and explore. We had outstanding weather which is an integral element on a fly-in trip. Fishing was good, did not get the real big trophy pike but caught many. The walleye were chunky and healthy. Caught some real nice Brook trout, one was a hefty 23 inch brute. You had to really work for them and we busted some bush to find the holes. Saw some nice wildlife including a Bear that visited camp one morning. All in all, good trip and good service from Luenberger. Good to get away from the grind! How did yours go?


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## cdacker

IceBerg said:


> The trip was nice. Big lake with lots of water to cover and explore. We had outstanding weather which is an integral element on a fly-in trip. Fishing was good, did not get the real big trophy pike but caught many. The walleye were chunky and healthy. Caught some real nice Brook trout, one was a hefty 23 inch brute. You had to really work for them and we busted some bush to find the holes. Saw some nice wildlife including a Bear that visited camp one morning. All in all, good trip and good service from Luenberger. Good to get away from the grind! How did yours go?


Good report ... sounds like a great trip. 23 inches is a toad of a speck. I did not have a trip to Washi; thinking about going next summer. Were you able to navigate up or down the Albany? Did you find brookies in the Albany or one of the feeder creeks of Washi? Feel free to PM if you want.


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## IceBerg

Yeah it was a brute! Biggest one for me so far including my trip to Labrador. River is quick and fishing it can be tricky. We had our life jackets tightly secured. Funny thing is, I had one hooked that was even bigger that broke my line. All told we caught 26 specks and they were all nice. Can't paint a picture as pretty as they are! But like I said fishing the rapids is not for the faint at heart.


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