North America's Best Trophy Brook Trout: Gods River

This series originally appeared in the February 2008 issue of Fly Fisherman. 

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Gods River: 54° 50' N, 94° 04' W

Gods Lake is one of the largest bodies of water in northern Manitoba. Sixty-five miles long and in places 20 miles wide, it is fed by more than 40 rivers and streams but has only one outlet-the remote and seldom-fished Gods River.

Nick Karas, author of the comprehensive tome Brook Trout (The Lyons Press, 2002) says, "If you're going to search for a record, Gods River is a good place to start. I consider it one of the eight best brook trout rivers in North America."

Fly-in anglers at Gods River Lodge near the outlet or Gods Lake Lodge have been fishing the upper river and the lake since 1955, but most of their clients use spinning tackle to focus on lake trout, walleye, and northern pike. The river runs 128 miles to the town of Shamattawa near the eastern shore of Hudson's Bay, and while lodge anglers flog the first few miles, the river is punctuated with many severe rapids, chutes, and drops-making trips far downriver both memorable and difficult.

Gods River Lodge has primitive outpost camps at Pine Rapids (20 miles down-stream) and Allen Rapids (mile 40) and can arrange forays into these downriver areas. In 2006 and 2007, Keith Kaneko at Angling on the Fly ventured as far downstream as mile 60 with experienced river guides from Gods Lake Lodge and discovered virtually unfished water below Allen Rapids. His best fish was an 8-pound brook trout caught on a #4 Mercer's Lemming. Other successful flies included #6-12 tan Elk-Hair Caddis, yellow Stimulators, and Whitlock's Deer-hair Mouse.

The brook trout average 3 to 5 pounds through the entire river, and Kaneko says anglers can expect to catch between 12 and 15 fish per day. The Gods Lake Lodge web site showed that 240 different guests caught and released at least one trout between 20 and 24 inches in 2006, and almost all those fish were caught in the upper river. Larger fish-up to 8 or 9 pounds-are more common in the down-river areas. Manitoba requires barbless hooks for all fishing, and brook trout in the Gods Lake system are protected with catch-and-release regulations.

The best time for dry-fly fishing the river is July when evening hatches of Green Drakes, Brown Drakes, and Hexagenia bring large trout to the surface. The fishing for larger brook trout is excellent after ice-out in June using wets like Muddlers, Woolly Buggers, and Conehead Zonkers.

The trip is customized for fly fishers, but be prepared for primitive accommodations, camp meals, and wilderness adventure.

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Click here to read the entire Trophy Brook Trout series.

Ross Purnell is the editor and publisher of Fly Fisherman.

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