Saddle Lake Outpost

Guest sentiment toward Showalter's Fly-In Outposts is strongly positive. Nearly every review is 4 or 5 stars, and the most common theme is loyalty. Several guests say they have returned for 7, 15, or more than 30 years, and some groups have gone since the early or mid-1980s. One group of twelve, ten of them first-timers, decided after a single five-day trip to make it annual. Forum, blog, and Facebook comments are just as favorable.

Guests most often praise the fishing. They describe it as excellent in both size and numbers, with steady walleye action, lots of 2-4 pound fish, and a 25-inch walleye reported. One blogger said dozens of walleyes were released in a day even after a cold front. Guests call the lodging and facilities great, and one guest says the owners keep investing in the outposts. Action and Irwin got new kitchen cabins, and new cabins are being added at many camps. Reviewers also single out the personal service of the Showalter family, including Eddie and Michael, along with the float plane flight and the hospitality at base. Guests mention many lakes and camps, including Action, Carroll, Cochrane, Irwin, South Rapids, Severn, and Hammerhead. They describe the setting as remote, with wildlife viewing as an added draw.

Complaints are few and minor. One guest reported cold weather around 45 degrees and wind on Action Lake in an otherwise good trip, a reminder that conditions in the north can be unpredictable. Another said his group once found a boat flooded on a portage lake because earlier guests had not pulled the plug. That points to guest carelessness rather than a flaw in the outfitter, but it is a reminder to check equipment on lakes reached by portage. One forum poster felt the need to defend the outfitter against the idea that the lakes are fished out, saying many guests keep returning. No review reports a serious problem with the operation. The outfitter suits walleye anglers who want numbers and quality fish, groups of friends or family, first-time fly-in guests (a mostly first-timer group of twelve was very pleased), and repeat visitors who like a familiar family-run operation.