Four Seasons Guiding

Description

We are a small camp located on Big Pine Lake, which is between Chapleau and Wawa, Ontario. We specialize in Outstanding Walleye Fishing andNorthern Pike Fishing as well as Black Bear Hunting,Wolf Hunting, Grouse Hunting, and Moose Hunting.

Fishing:
Big Pine Lake is a remote lake with no settlement so it receives very little fishing pressure. Big Pine Lake is a labyrinth of bays and islands with many diverse structures that hold good populations of fish and allow them to proliferate in great numbers. As a result, our guests enjoy outstanding Walleye Fishing with good eating sizes right up to unusually large trophies with some over 10 pounds. We also have perfect structure for Northern Pike. Pike are common in the 3 to 6-pound range but guests who specifically fish for Pike usually pick up a couple over 40 inches with many in the high 40s. There are also other lakes and streams near the camp where you can get easy access to outstanding Smallmouth Bass
, Brook Trout and Lake Trout fishing.

Hunting:


The Chapleau area is well known for being the best area for Black Bear Hunting in Canada. There is actually an over-population of Black Bears in Ontario and guests are enjoying an unusually high success rate. There is also a high population of Moose in the area. Logging has opened up new grasslands, which allows the Moose to feed on their favorite food and grow in numbers as well as get big. Wolf hunting and Grouse hunting packages are also available.

Family:

We also rent our cottages to families who just want to spend their vacation on a lake and have many activities such as swimming, boating, hiking, Blue Berry picking, wildlife viewing and much more.


 
Type:
Lodge
Access Method:
Drive To
Fish Available:
Brook Trout
Lake Trout
Northern Pike
Smallmouth Bass
Walleye
Game animals:
Bear
Wolf
Moose
Grouse
Features:
Campground
Firepit
Open In Winter
Pool
Packages
Chapleau Moose Hunting: The wilderness region between Chapleau and Wawa is well known for being one of the top areas in Ontario for fishing and big game hunting.... more

Our Moose hunt takes place in WMU 32 and WMU 35. This is one of the top regions for Moose hunting due to the absence of deer. Whitetail Deer are carriers of a parasite that is deadly to Moose. A high population of deer usually means a low population of Moose. We do not have any deer in our area or at least you can say they are very rare. As a result, we have a thriving Moose population in our WMU.

All the lakes and rivers combined with marshes and fresh grasses growing in logged areas have created a perfect habitat for Moose. Not only can they be found in great numbers, meat from our Moose taste better than in the far north because they do not sustain themselves solely on pine needles. In our area they have grass, leaves and bark from young softwood trees. If your Moose is hung quickly and field dressed correctly, you will be able to fill your freezer up with meat that taste like high-grade free-range beef.

The Moose in our area are known as the Eastern Strain. Bulls can reach 1300 pounds or even more but it's very rare to see Moose in the 1500-pound range. The Chapleau area is also known for White Moose, which is referred to as the Armstrong Strain. Law protects them but it's still a great thrill to spot one.

The amount of Bull Moose and Cow Moose tags, which are available each year, changes due to the Moose population assessment conducted by the MNR. Please contact us for availability of non-resident adult tags. Residents with their own tags are more than welcome to rent a cabin.
Type:
Lodging, Hunting
Guided:
No
Accommodation:
Camp Cabin
Access Method:
Drive To
Transportation Included:
No
Game Animals:
Moose
Fishing: Big Pine Lake is a remote lake with no settlement so it receives very little fishing pressure. Big Pine Lake is a labyrinth of bays and islands with many diverse structures ... morethat hold good populations of fish and allow them to proliferate in great numbers. As a result, our guests enjoy outstanding Walleye Fishing with good eating sizes right up to unusually large trophies with some over 10 pounds. We also have perfect structure for Northern Pike. Pike are common in the 3 to 6-pound range but guests who specifically fish for Pike usually pick up a couple over 40 inches with many in the high 40s. There are also other lakes and streams near the camp where you can get easy access to outstanding Smallmouth Bass, Brook Trout and Lake Trout fishing.

Grouse Hunting in Chapleau:

Grouse hunting is a relaxing pastime, which is getting more and more popular every year. What is more rewarding then taking a long walk on a cool fall day and wandering through the wilderness and enjoying the fall foliage? The clean air and exercise combined with the thrill of the hunt makes for the most enjoyable vacation.

The region around Big Pine Lake is a labyrinth of animal trails, ATV trails and old logging roads where you can explore miles and miles of wilderness, which is just stuffed with grouse. You can also combine your grouse hunting with the excellent fishing.

There are three species of grouse found in Ontario. Ruffed Grouse, Spruce Grouse and the Sharptail Grouse. Ruffed Grouse is the most common and 90% of the grouse you encounter will Ruffed. There is still a chance to harvest on of the other species. The limit for grouse in Ontario is 5 per day in any combination of species with a total of 15 in your possession.

The most popular guns for Grouse hunting are a.410 or 20 gauges. Some hunters use a 12 gauge. Solid Hunter Orange is required if your hunting time overlaps big game rifle season.
Type:
Fishing, Hunting
Guided:
No
Accommodation:
Camp Cabin
Access Method:
Drive To
Transportation Included:
No
Fishing Inclusions:
Boat, Motor, Gas
Fish Available:
Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye
Hunting Inclusions:
Boat, Motor, Gas
Game Animals:
Grouse
Chapleau Black Bear Hunting: Chapleau is called the Black Bear Capital of Canada and for good reason. The area's terrain supplies our bears with enough food to proliferate in great ... morenumbers and get big. Logging in the area has opened up new grasslands where berry bushes grow and allow small game to increase in numbers. This combined with all the lakes and streams has produced a large population of big Black Bears. On top of all this is the close proximity of the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve, which is the biggest game preserve in the world. No hunting is allowed on the preserve but the bears leave the preserve and wonder into our BMA.

Of all the outfitters in Ontario, Four Season's Guiding has one of the biggest BMA (Bear Management Area). Our BMA covers 500 square miles of prime Black Bear country and our camp is located right in the middle of it.

We have 25 bait stands strategically placed miles apart and in areas where we know the biggest bears are found. We start baiting our stands 4 to 6 weeks before the bear-hunting season opens. Our baits are a mixture of food with high protein scraps and food high in carbohydrates. This is what the bears want and need to prepare for hibernation.

Our sighting rate is close to 100% and our success rate is not far behind. Our success rate could be 100% all the time but seasoned bear hunters will pass on smaller bears and wait for a big trophy. Most time they are rewarded but not always.

Black Bears in the area average around 250 pounds. Every year we have guests take a couple of bears up in the 400 pound range. A few years ago a guest harvested a big Black Bear over 500 Pounds. A bear that big is rarely seen because they are too smart. We can accommodate groups of bear hunters as big as 12 people even though most groups are much smaller.
Chapleau Wolf Hunting:
Wolves are found just about everywhere in Ontario. The Gray Timber Wolf is the most common. Wolves are smart and very cautious and basically there are only two seasons when you will have a chance to harvest one of these magnificent creatures.

Fall: In the fall, it is common for a wolf to show up at our bear bait stations. Black Bear hunters only need to buy a small game license to be eligible to take a wolf. In the spring, the wolf pack breaks up and the wolves become solitary with exception of the alpha male and alpha female, which stick together. The wolves do not get back together until late fall. It is important not to harvest a wolf if you see two together in the fall. This would be the alpha pair and their survival is crucial in order to be able to bring the pack together again for winter pack hunting. Without the pack together, the wolves would survive the winter.

Winter: In the winter, you can see wolf tracks in areas where moose and other wildlife are moving. The wolves will be found at the shore of a lake but well hidden. They wait until a moose wanders out onto the ice and then it's a full attach. They are not always on the edge of a lake. You just need a guide who knows where the moose are moving and that's where you set up to target wolves.
Type:
Hunting
Guided:
Yes
Accommodation:
Camp Cabin
Transportation Included:
No
Hunting Inclusions:
Boat, Motor, Gas
Game Animals:
Bear, Timberwolf
Big Pine Lake Walleye Fishing: There are lots of lakes and rivers in the Wawa and Chapleau area with good Walleye fishing. Big Pine Lake is one of the best. We never have to worry ... moreabout how water levels or water temperature will affect the Walleyes fishing, which can be a problem in many other lakes. Our Walleyes fishing stars off fantastic in the spring and keeps going strong all year. The only difference is the Walleyes may go 3 or 4 feet deeper in the heat of July and early August.

The most common size for Walleye in Big Pine Lake is between 2 and 3 pounds, which is around 18 inches. Guests do catch bigger Walleyes in the 4 to 6-pound range and in the last few years, lucky people have caught world-class trophies in the 10 to 15-pound range. A Walleye in that size class is rarely caught because they usually stay hidden in the depths of the lake but people do catch them. The bigger Walleyes are usually female and even in the spring they tend to take off into deeper water during the day.

If you do want a big trophy Walleye, then trolling along the shoreline with a small shallow-running Thunderstick or Rapala in the evening or at night is how you will get them. After dark, the big trophy Walleyes start to come shallow to feel along the shoreline. During the day you will catch plenty of smaller Walleyes on jigs and twistertails.

How many Walleyes you will catch in a day is always a tough question to answer. On an average day you should catch around 20. Walleyes are sensitive to atmospheric pressure so if the pressure starts dropping, it may be very difficult to catch 5 or 10 Walleyes in a day. Then we have had days where you are catching Walleyes every cast all day long. We have had plenty of guests have really good days and report catching close to 100 Walleyes in an afternoon. The Walleyes are there. It's just a matter of when they want to feed and what they want to eat. If you are on Big Pine Lake at the right time in the right place with the right bait, you may experience the best Walleye fishing of your life.

Big Pine Lake Northern Pike Fishing:

Big Pine Lake is one of the top Northern Pike lakes in the Chapleau / Wawa area. There are many reasons for this.

First: The lake is too far from Chapleau or Wawa for the locals to bother fishing the lake thus the lake has very little fishing pressure. We are just a small outfitter and have a limited number of guests per week so essentially our guests most times have the whole lake to themselves.

Second: It's a big lake this perfect structure for Northern Pike thus allowing them to proliferate in great numbers. There are countless weedy bays, shallow plateaus with Muskie cabbage, Islands and shoals as well as feeder streams. These conditions are perfect for Northern Pike.

Third: There is an endless supply of Walleyes to eat in the lake along with other baitfish such as Whitefish, Chub, Sucker, Shad and Lake Herring. This does not only allow Pike to exist in great numbers, it allows our Northern Pike to get big.

Lastly: There is no public ice fishing. Our family jumps on the snowmobiles and does a little ice fishing during the winter but there is no outfitters with ice huts on the lake. Ice fishing can decimate game-fish populations, which is a problem in some areas of Ontario. Big Pine Lake is still stuffed with fish.

Pike are common in the 2 to 5-pound range. Guests who specifically spend a lot of time hunting down big pike will find them. There have been plenty of Monster Pike in the 40 to 45-inch range caught and released. On rare occasions Northern Pike as big as 50 inches get caught and released. This is why we know ask guests to keep a camera in their tackle box. Guests have reported having Pike as big as 60 inches up to the boat. We know they are there because we see them sunning themselves on the surface but they rarely bite.

There are a few other lakes within a short drive from camp where Pike in the 30 to 46-inch range can be taken.

Chapleau Smallmouth Bass Fishing:

There are very few Smallmouth Bass in Big Pine Lake. Guests do come across them once in a while but they are rare.

With exception of Big Pine Lake, Smallmouth Bass are actually quite common in other area lakes. Within a 45-minute drive of camp are several lakes, which have outstanding Smallmouth Bass fishing including other species such as Walleye, Pike and Lake Trout.

Because we are so far north, the growing season is a little shorter thus Smallmouth Bass rarely get over 5 pounds. They are quite common in the 1 to 3 pound range. The lakes in the area are rocky and cool thus Smallmouth Bass taste awesome and fight extra hard. A 1.5-pound Smallmouth Bass tastes just like Walleye, especially if they are deep-fried in English Style Batter or Japaneese Tempura Batter.

Chapleau Area Brook Trout Fishing:

The Brook Trout, also called the Speckled Trout by most Canadians, is the most beautiful trout, the best tasting trout and one of the hardest trout to catch. It's easy to walk along a small stream and catch small trout. Bigger Brookies in the bigger streams and rivers can be elusive as they are very sensitive to weather and water temperature.

There are no Brook Trout in Big Pine Lake. Between Wawa and Chapleau are many streams, rivers and spring-fed lakes with outstanding Brook Trout Fishing.

Small Streams: There are many small streams where you can fill-up your creel with nice little pan-fryers. These streams can be very sensitive and located in marshy areas so it's best to bring hip-boots and walk through the bush and then fish the stream while walking up stream. Small streams have Brook Trout all year because there is no place to go. Usually if you see Water Crest growing, there will be Brookies.

Large Streams & Rivers: There are a few larger streams and rivers in the area that have excellent Brook Trout fishing in the spring and early summer. The Brook Trout will congregate in rapids just below wide areas of the river. They wait for the May Flies to hatch. Once the May Flies hatch, they gorge themselves and then when the hatch is over, they take off up or down stream to find springs and cooler water. This is where they spend the summer. Only a local guide can show you where these summer hot spots are. In the larger streams, Brook Trout can get as big as 4 pounds but 1 to 2-pound Brookies are more common.

Lakes: There are many spring-fed lakes in the Chapleau that have been stocked with Brook Trout. In the spring you fish from shore. In the heat of the summer, you will need to fish deeper using a 3-way swivel rig. The biggest Brook Trout in the area come out of lakes. There have been lots of trout between 4 and 6 pounds caught but they are most common in the 1 to 3-pound range.

Chapleau Area Lake Trout Fishing:

There are no Lake Trout in Big Pine Lake but there are a handful of lakes in the area with really good Lake Trout fishing.

Lake Trout is one of those fish, which has a ton of folklore surrounding them. Many people are not interested in fishing for Lake Trout because the traditional methods of fishing with steel wire are not appealing. If you have a large boat that cannot troll slowly then you will need downriggers or steel wire line. If you have a small fishing boat that can back-troll slowly, then you can use our light tackle techniques to get the trout any time of year.

Lake Trout in the area are common in the 1 to 4 pound range. Lake Trout do get big and it's not uncommon for guests to catch trout as big as 15 pounds. There are bigger trout. Depending on the size of the lake, Lake Trout can reach 25 pounds or more but trout that big are usually rare.
Type:
Fishing
Guided:
No
Accommodation:
Camp Cabin
Access Method:
Drive To
Transportation Included:
No
Fishing Inclusions:
Boat, Motor, Gas
Fish Available:
Brook Trout, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye
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