Minipi Guides Report – August 2017

Over the past few weeks at Anne Marie Lake the evening fishing has been spectacular with rising trout in every cove. With fish up to 8 pounds sipping green drakes until the moon rises and dark settles on the hills around Loverboy, Petches Pond, West Bay and Man O’ War Key. While the wind has reached gusts of 50 to 70 km/h in recent weeks, it calmed off after supper allowing clients to enjoy the sight of rising fish! Evening fishing in stream areas such as The Pantry has also been productive, giving up a fish of 7 pounds caught and released on an orange bomber. Big Harry Outlet has also produced some great action on the orange bomber as well, giving up a 7 pounder and multiple 5+ pound brook trout; surprisingly the area also produced an 8 ½ pound fish thought to be a hybrid arctic char/brook trout. Labrador certainly is the land of opportunity for both angler and fish alike.

Wildlife around Anne Marie Lake has been prevalent with frequent moose sightings, various waterfowl, spruce and ruffed grouse, a black bear or two and even two woodland caribou seen at Little Loon Pond!

The beginning of August sees the end of the green drake hatch, and time for large flies to be tossed to willing trout throughout the Minipi watershed. Large brook trout and char of dark red and orange line the pools, streams and inlets eager to take whatever passes by! Large bombers, wooly buggers, muddlers and even deer hair poppers will trigger a powerful strike that will leave your line tight and a big smile on your face.

Trips to Little Minipi and Minipi have been highly successful with a few fish being caught weighing in at 8 ½ pounds on dry flies! Talk about bucket list experiences! A few arctic char were caught and released by the clients of Minipi Lake Lodge on nymphs such as copper johns and pheasant tails. It surely has been an eventful summer so far with another month of outstanding brook trout and arctic char fishing ahead!

Minipi’s Experienced Guides

Minipi is rightfully famous for its huge Brook Trout and Char. I’m from Michigan where Brookies are measured in inches … not pounds. Labrador is, without a doubt, the finest place in the world to fish for Brook Trout and Minipi is its crown jewel. The Brookie in this photo was 7 1/4 pounds and was one of the largest I have caught there. But trout of 8-to-10 pounds are within the realm of possibility.

If it were only the fish that brought me to Labrador I might be excused for writing about them alone. But a trip to Labrador is more than just a fishing trip. The wildlife, the scenery, the guides who are worth the trip alone, and the hospitality shown by the Coopers makes each visit a “trip of a lifetime” experience.

Hook in ear - Minipi's Experienced GuidesCoopers’ Minipi Lodges has experienced guides who can answer just about any question you might have about flies, techniques, tackle and places to fish. Most of them also have a wonderful sense of humor…they need it if they are going to guide me. They can extract a fly from your ear with a minimum of fuss and make you laugh at the same time. No… I’m not the voice of experience there. But I’ve seen it done on someone else.

They are a fountain of knowledge, so don’t hesitate to ask questions. Seriously, guides like Raymond Best, Ralph Coles, Todd Rumbolt and Pat Broomfield are some of Minipi’s best and are wonderful sources for helpful tips that really work.