Summarized Review Highlights
Cochrane Air Service draws a loyal base of repeat customers — some returning for 20 years or more — and the fishing is almost universally praised across all reviews. Walleye, pike, and brook trout action is consistently described as excellent, and many guests consider the remote lakes to be among the best fishing they have experienced anywhere. Staff, pilots, and management (particularly John and Cory) are frequently mentioned in positive terms, described as friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. A long-time customer noted a meaningful improvement in customer service after a management transition, and first-time fly-in guests have found the team welcoming and reassuring. The operation is owned by Moose Cree First Nation and covers a large number of remote lakes across the region.
However, recurring maintenance concerns appear across multiple reviews and should not be overlooked. Complaints about malfunctioning or poorly maintained outboard motors are the most common issue, with several groups dealing with engines that would not start, required swapping mid-trip, or left boats needing to be towed. Cabin conditions are inconsistent — some camps (like Edgar) are described as clean and comfortable, while others have been reported dirty, mouse-infested, with broken doors, non-functioning refrigerators, missing firewood, and inadequate seating. One reviewer described symptoms consistent with a propane leak and was also sent out without a life jacket. A fuel barrel situated close to a lake shoreline with visible spill signs was flagged as an environmental concern. A mid-week check flight, which some guests considered standard, was absent on at least one trip. One incident involving dock staff taking returnable bottles without permission also left a guest feeling disrespected. The cabin quality and overall experience appear to vary significantly depending on which lake is booked.
Cochrane Air Service is best suited for anglers who prioritize remote, trophy-quality fishing over comfortable or well-appointed accommodations. Groups of friends or fathers and sons with some rustic camping experience will likely get the most out of the trips, provided they research which lakes and cabins are better maintained. It is less suited for guests who expect resort-level amenities, reliable equipment as a given, or consistent service standards across all camps. First-time fly-in guests can have a great experience here — and some have — but would benefit from asking specific questions about cabin and equipment condition before booking a particular lake.
Summary generated May 25, 2026
Read all 15 reviews
Jody S
Aug 25, 2025
TripAdvisor
Rainey lake adventure
Booked a trip to Rainey lake, with my father. We traveled to Cochrane air base the people were friendly. Weighed our gear and loaded the plane and we were off.. the pilot Tom was awesome.. we got to the lake and unloaded our gear. We had to clean up the cabin beds alittle, do too mice, other then that the old log cabin was great, it had all the basics .. boats where in good shape other then 2 of the motors didn't run, but Tom got us setup .. fishing was unbelievable , lots of walleye ,, my father and I had a blast , we will be turning to Cochrane air for another adventure soon ,, thanks Cochrane air
This lodge
Rick B
Oct 27, 2024
TripAdvisor
Not our best year.
Well, we had our annual fishing trip with Cochrane Air in August ,2024. We went back to Snare Lake for the 4th time and really enjoyed spending 6 days with close friends and my son. It was not our typical trip this year, the water was very low as the beavers had several dams in the rivers. We struggled to find the fish in the lakes but pretty good success in the rivers. The cabin is showing wear and could use some maintenance to help keep the mice out. Corey had to make one good motor out of two so he had a boat and motor for the week. We ran out of gas on the last day which went we had to rummage through the other tanks to come up with enough gas for the last day. Typically there is a check flight mid-week to check propane and gas but none this year. There was a new to CA bed chesterfield placed in the cabin for me to use and was very comfortable. Thank you John. Overall it was an enjoyable week of hanging out with friends and family. One thing that did upset me and offended me upon return to the air base was when staff unloaded our gear and we were loading I could only find our bag of garbage mixed in without gear but the large collection of beer cans and returnable could not be found. As it turns out, the dock workers had taken the bag and put it in their shed. I don't mind contributing to the guys at the dock for their friendly service but ASK FIRST, don't throw the garbage in our gear and expect it to be OK and take the refundables without asking. Very presumptuous of them! Can't wait for 2025 which will be a whole new experience with another outfitter.
This lodge
JAMES C
Feb 17, 2023
TripAdvisor
overall great
I've been to Edgar, Braily, Burntbush and Partridge-Kesagami. Someone got at least 1 pike one over 20 (even up to 27) pounders. Some lakes are walleye factories all day others the usual get limit in morning and or eve. The cabins really varied Edgar was a beautiful roomy cabin with great docks, Brailey Was kind of of a shack but had pig pike. John and Cory are nice to work with. If you got the money try the lodge gourmet food and countless pickerel.
This lodge
Timmy Notno
Sep 14, 2021
Google
Amazing service thank you air Cochrane went to Verena for brook trout with the old lady and definitely was not disappointed for a second if you wanna catch some monster brooks it's a must trip.
This lodge
Bill C
Dec 2, 2020
TripAdvisor
Meh
Due to Covid our June trip was postponed until September. Members included my Dad (80) my son (12) and me (47). Communication was fair, at best, as we had a date mix up but, in the end, we sorted it out. I blame Covid on this as I am sure this year was extremely confusing for all the staff involved. I chose this outfitter as my dad did a trip a number of years back with the same company and he enjoyed himself with excellent fishing, fantastic staff and zero complaints with accommodations. Our flight in / out was uneventful as was our stay at the cabin and fishing was decent for the fall (June would be better). The motors looked a little beat up but they ran like tops. I do have certain expectations when I spend a fairly large sum of money ($2500). For example, I expect the door to the cabin will close but it didn't, I expect the fridge will keep my food cold but, again, it didn't and BTW I do have knowledge of propane appliances, I expect the boats to hold out the lake water for the most part and not have rotten, or completely missing, transoms but they didn't and I expect that the operators will not dump fuel into the lakes and/or surrounding environment. The fuel barrel at Echo Lake is located approximately 10' from the shore. Signs of ongoing fuel spills are visible and upon our return to shore for lunch in our leaking boats to our cabin with the door that wouldn't close along with the fridge that doesn't work I witnessed fuel pouring out of the vent cap of the barrel running into the lake. My overall opinion of this outfitter is, 'meh', at best. Unless this outfitter starts to perform necessary maintenance inside and outside of cabins along with repairs/replacement of boats etc my money will be going elsewhere when I plan my next fishing trip.
This lodge
Peter
Jul 9, 2020
TripAdvisor
With the current ownership, I will never go there again
Our group has been flying out of Cochrane since the early 1980s, many years before the current outfitter took over. We were going there when there were no propane lights or barbecues. Back then if you wanted to barbecue a steak, you started a fire and brought up your own grill. The fishing has always been, and to this day unbelievable. We've fished Lake Nettogami Island and Peninsula, Edgar Lake, Yesterday lake, Bounce Lake, Brailey, Mikwam etc. We noticed a big change in the operation when the ownership changed hands to the current owners. The personal touch was gone. It is now strictly business. On our last two trips, motors were not working properly to the point where we ended up with 3 people per boat. Last year we decided that after more than 35 years it was time to change venues. And it was the best move we ever made. We found a fly-in outfitter in the Chapleau area that put Cochrane Air Services to shame. We had hot and cold running water, indoor shower and toilet, potable drinking water, fish cleaning hut with hydro and running water. Wide screen satellite TV. Compared to Cochrane Air, this is a luxury resort. Cochrane Air has forgotten that Customer service and satisfaction are the key to a success business. At this rate they should be out of business within the next 10 years.
Outfitter overall
Campingnorthlands
Oct 4, 2019
TripAdvisor
Terrible experience! - Twopeak Lake September 2019
First off I need to say the staff at Cochrane Air Services are great- John the pilot and Cory the manager are pleasant and easy going. However the rest of my trip wasn't as pleasant. There was a noticeable smell of propane in the cabin which I initially believed was normal to have some residual propane smell. I opened some windows but it did not seem to help. After a couple of days I developed significant nausea, rapid heartbeat, my cuticles turned deep purple (due to lack of oxygen). By the 3rd and 4th days I found myself having a hard time breathing, nervousness/anxiety, fatigue and confusion. When I got home and researched propane poisoning, the symptoms I was experiencing matched up. No boat oars or life jacket - When the pilot dropped me off I asked him where the oars and life jacket was, and he said there were only paddles and that they forgot to bring the life jacket for me. This resulted in me not spending much time fishing and also not traveling very far from the cabin especially on the windy days. Mice in the cabin - The cabin had a lot of them. I should also mention that I didn't even catch one fish. I have spent over 40 years fishing all over the place and couldn't believe I didn't catch anything. I mentioned my concerns above to Cochrane Air Service's manager Cory, who finally offered a partial refund which I accepted, but I will not be using Cochrane Air Service ever again due to the above mentioned issues.
This lodge
SunnydaleRN
Jun 30, 2019
TripAdvisor
Cochran Air Service Kesagami Lodge
This outfitter sucked compared to Leunenbergers out of Nakina ON. Boat engines didn't work had to tow boats, swap out engines fight with trying to start them. No running water or hot water in cabin. Very expensive. Leunenbergers is less money and nicer cabins and amenities. Fishing was great mind you but a poor layout had to portage 8 minutes everyday through muskeg and mosquitoes to get to fish.
This lodge
Bret A
Dec 21, 2017
TripAdvisor
New Management Doing Great
I have been a 20 year customer with trips to Haultain, Nettogami, Mikwam, Edgar and Snare. A few years ago the management changed hands and there is a significant improvement in their customer service. The experience is just as advertised. Visitors should do their homework as to the best lakes as some are mistaken to think the best lakes are the most expensive.
Outfitter overall
Andrew B.
Sep 10, 2017
TripAdvisor
Fly In Fishing
Flew into Yesterday Lake 87 km north of Cochrane. CAS is owned by Moose Cree First Nation and boast about being 'North America's Largest Tourist Outfitter' only because they have bought up over 45 camps after competitors retired but they need to step up their game if they want return customers. Rustic old cabin, hadn't been properly cleaned, that was left up to the prior group of travelers which was not checked by pilots or anyone prior to us coming in. Mouse nests & mouse dirt/urine in the cupboards and mattresses was a problem. Kitchen grease on windows and walls was another. No firewood was available so we scavenged driftwood from around the lake. The cabin was very basic and dirty, room for 12 people but only 6 chairs. This place is in poor shape, needs some work, it looks much better on their website. We had problems with 2 outboard motors that failed which also was never pre-checked. Fishing was average but no trophies caught. Staff were very friendly and I would consider returning but only to a newer cleaner camp on a different lake. Pilots should land, inspect the place then fly out before bringing in new group of guests. The price was right but I expected more.
This lodge
Alan J
Aug 6, 2016
TripAdvisor
World class fishing and world class service
Server top notch, they put you on the fish, money well spent here, could not have asked for a better time.
Outfitter overall
Been going with Cochrane air for 20+ years now. Great service by John and his crew. Love the peace and tranquility and the Lunker Fish.
Outfitter overall
Luke & Crystal Harris
Google
Our first time doing a fly in fishing trip. Cory, the pilot, and the staff were fantastic at answering all our questions and making us feel comfortable. Although we didn't catch a ton of fish at 'Unknown' lake we had enough to eat that didn't deter anything from our awesome time. Each of us truly loved being at the camp and together and way from technology. My boys definitely said they want to do this again. Thanks to all of you at Cochrane Air! Hope to be back sometime.
This lodge
Everything was awesome pilots were great fishing is incredible cabin was great!
Outfitter overall
Fantastic annual trip - Bounce Lake
With only a very slight delay due to cloud cover getting out, we were on the lake by lunch time. Ranging from Age 33 to 83 we had an absolute blast! The fishing was amazing!!! Monster walleye and pike. Breathtaking views including unbelievable stars at night capped off another fantastic week!!! Be sure to plan well. Good drinking water, meal prep and organization are the keys to success. I would recommend this adventure to any outdoor and or fishing lover. Favourite meal, pickerel Fish tacos with coleslaw and Saracha mayo! ***** trip this year!!! Just keeps getting better!
This lodge
