Ryan, I mean Bocquene Lake 2016 finally

[genoel]

Well I'm late getting to this but better late than never I hope.
As many of you have seen in some of my earlier stories, my wife Liz and I, love Ryan Lake and have been there several times. This year however we were unable to go there due to the operator not running so we decided to give Dan a call at www.andrewlakelodge.com/, a proud sponsor of the forum, and arranged a trip to one of their outpost camps at Bocquene Lake. We are certainly glad that we did!
We booked our trip for Sept. 4-11 and decided to fly out of Fort Smith rather than our usual departure from Fort McMurray on our way to Ryan Lake. The drive is much longer, but was beautiful and as we travel in a truck and camper we decided to take our time and make it a 2 day trip each way.
We packed our things and headed north through Slave Lake and up Hwy 88 towards Fort Vermillion.
We stopped for a quick break at the Wabasca River bridge and spotted a furry fellow passing by.



After a nice night at Hutch Lake just north of High Level we were on our way again and soon crossed the border and hit the NWT.



We stopped for a quick look at the spectacular Alexandra Falls,



and stopped for lunch at the equally impressive Louise Falls.



We made our way through Wood Buffalo and headed to Fort Smith where we checked in at the float plane base before deciding to park the camper at Queen Elizabeth Park right in town and settle in for a cool, breezy evening.
The next morning we were on our way back to the float plane base where we visited with some other travelers waiting for flights due to weather delays the day before. Luckily the morning was great for flying and Dan was soon in from the lodge where he was 'grounded' the previous day due to weather. What a terrible place that must be to get 'grounded' by weather!
We quickly met, loaded our gear and made the short flight to the lake. Dan showed us around the camp and helped us settle in. He was soon on his way to back to take the other travelers on their adventures,



and much to our delight we were home alone at Bocquene Lake.



The camp is very nice with 3 cabins and Dan was able to tuck us in there with no one else around for the entire week which was awesome and we loved it!
We stowed away our gear, headed out on the lake and were soon into some tasty walleye for supper. We were very happy to see that the scenery there was spectacular and almost a twin to Ryan Lake. We love trolling around watching the world go by and this is a fine place to do so.



Anyone who has not visited this part of the world is truly missing something spectacular. It is absolutely beautiful, peaceful and the silence is truly amazing. To be somewhere with someone you love in a place that is this wonderful and have it all to yourself is my kind of vacation.
And to have all of that and catch walleye like this which is plenty to feed the 2 of us is my version of heaven.



More to come.

[genoel]

Of course we enjoyed the beautiful sunrises,





and sunsets.



We watched 2 peregrines dance in the sky,



and kept our eyes peeled for the resident pterodactyls we assumed lived in this nest which was easily visible from over a km away. I'm not sure how large of a dining room table you folks have but this nest was WAY bigger than mine! I hope that whatever nests here is the dominant flyer in the area.



All the while catching more fish like this,



which led to more stringers like this,



and cleaning tables full of walleye like these.



Still a few more to come.

[genoel]

But alas, our week came to an end, we packed up and tidied up the camp for the next visitors and Dan returned to pick us up for the trip back to Fort Smith. Liz got the front seat tour and I relaxed in the back and took a few shots of the even more colorful scenery on the way out.







Way too soon we were back at the base, unloaded our things and thanked Dan very much for the experience. We loaded our stuff back into the truck and began the trip back home. Of course we saw the park's namesake on the way back through.



The trip home was even more colorful and after a nice overnight stop at Twin Lakes north of Manning we made our way home the next day.



Once again, we would like to thank Dan for the wonderful trip. Everything was fantastic and the service was absolutely top notch! I'm sure anyone who has dealt with him previously or will do so in the future will feel the same way.
This was my 12th consecutive year visiting this area and we just love it. The scenery, the serenity and the fishing are unforgettable. Without even trying very hard, Liz and I caught way more fish than we should have even tried to eat, but did anyways. We also managed to bring home 6 fish averaging over 57cms in length from a lake where the limit is 3 over 43cms. I'll take that sort of vacation any day. To do it somewhere where you can do it alone is priceless! We'll be back again I'm sure.
As to the inevitable comparison for myself between Ryan Lake and Bocquene Lake, both are very similar yet unique and equally beautiful.
There are plenty of fish to keep you fed at either and the camps although quite different are both very nicely equipped. My absolute favorite thing about Boquene Lake this year was that it was OPEN FOR BUSINESS, and looks like it will be next year as well. Check it out at www.andrewlakelodge.com and call Dan. You will not be disappointed!
Thanks for reading.

George and Liz Noel

[pikergolf]

Looks like a wonderful trip, thanks for taking the time to post the pic's and write the story.

[Bigwoodsman]

Incredible pic's and story!

BW

[burbotman]

Great pics and story. Dan is first class, he took my father and I in to Andrew the week after you were at Bocquene.

[FishHunterPro]

Glad you had a great trip, Dan is a great host! I'd like to make my way to bocquene one day soon. I'm glad to hear the scenery was a lot like Ryan lake cause I really enjoyed it there .

[dsh352]

Glad to hear the fishing in September is good as well. I've been there 4 years in a row but always in June. Am booked for next June as well.
Dan runs a great operation as had spent the previous two June's at Ryan lake as well. Found the walleye at Bocquene to be thicker and healthier. Always the best week of the year. Great fishing with great friends and nobody else around.

[genoel]

We usually go to Ryan Lake in Aug. and the fishing is a bit easier, but we knew that Sept. would have the fish a bit deeper. We targeted them in a bit deeper water and were pretty successful, mostly in 30 feet of water or deeper. It was our first trip here and with a little work we caught more than enough fish to keep us amused and very well fed. It wasn't June fishing but great fishing none the less.
I'll sneak in a few more photos.

[Chewie66]

Great story and pics. I bet those walleye were delicious!

[Walleye101]

Looks like a good trip. I usually go to Loutit but I think I will have to try this spot out.

[genoel]

Try it, you'll like it. Very pretty and some pretty nice walleye in there. I'm still eating them and 1 of these babies feeds my wife and I and our 21 year old son. Yummy!