Red Lake, Ontario
Family-run outfitter operating fly-in outpost camps and a full-service lodge in northwestern Ontario's Red Lake region.
Excellent Adventures Outposts & Air Service Ltd. is owned and operated by Faron and Joyce Buckler, longtime residents of Red Lake, Ontario. Faron began flying in 1975 and, after purchasing and selling an earlier lodge, the Bucklers started Excellent Adventures Outposts & Air Service in 1983. In 2004, they added Cat Island Lodge on Trout Lake to the operation. The family now operates a fleet of three floatplanes to serve guests.
The operation offers two distinct types of fly-in trips: self-guided housekeeping outpost camps on remote lakes, and the full-service, all-inclusive Cat Island Lodge on Trout Lake. Fly-in destinations include Cat Island Lodge, Lount Lake Lodge, Brownstone Outpost, Headwaters Outpost, Sumach Lake Outpost, and Scenic Lake Outpost, along with several remote hunting and camping lakes. The floatplane base is located at 61 McMarmac Road in Cochenour, Ontario, approximately six miles east of Red Lake.
Established: 1983
The outpost lakes on Brownstone, Headwaters, and Sumach offer walleye and northern pike as the primary target species. Sumach Lake also holds lake trout, smallmouth bass, and perch in the same body of water. Headwaters Lake is known for producing large walleye and northern pike exceeding 40 inches. Brownstone Lake features incoming rapids, rocky shorelines, islands, and weedy bays suited to both walleye and pike, and also includes two portage-in lakes for those seeking additional water. Several outpost lakes also offer maintained portages to additional lakes that see very little fishing pressure through the season.
At Cat Island Lodge on Trout Lake, anglers have access to over 99,000 acres of water holding walleye, lake trout, and pike. Guided and unguided packages are available at the lodge. The outpost camps are self-guided and housekeeping in style; boats, motors, and fuel are provided, and guests bring their own food and personal gear. Conservation limits apply on all outpost lakes, and trophy fish must be released on certain lakes.
Outpost cabins are described as modern, well-equipped, and roomy, featuring large windows, generator and solar power, indoor bathrooms, wood stoves, screened-in decks, fish cleaning facilities with running water, internet service, and C-pap outlets. The Brownstone outpost, for example, is a two-bedroom cabin with a screened-in deck, a sandy beach, 14-foot Lund boats with 9.9 hp Yamaha motors, and two canoes. Cat Island Lodge is a full-service fly-in resort with log-construction cabins accommodating up to 45 guests, an all-inclusive American Plan with meals provided, and 18-foot Lund and Crestliner boats with 40 hp 4-stroke Yamaha motors. Groceries for outpost stays can be pre-ordered and flown in prior to arrival.
Amenities available at one or more of this outfitter's properties.
The floatplane base is located in Cochenour, Ontario, approximately 210 miles north of International Falls, Minnesota, and six miles east of the community of Red Lake. Guests can drive to Cochenour via International Falls, or fly commercially into Red Lake Airport, where shuttle transport to the base is available. From the base, guests are flown by floatplane to their chosen outpost or lodge. Most outpost lakes are within 45 minutes of the float base, with Brownstone Lake located approximately 74 miles north.
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