Hecla Island a great spot to get away from it all

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/06/2020 (2167 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a sweltering 29 C when I hooked up the boat this past Monday for a visit to Hecla Island and Grindstone Provincial Park.

My wife and I were to meet up with a couple of friends for three days of relaxation in the provincial campground there. Before leaving I had paid for and printed my provincial park pass which is now available online.

We arrived at the park at the daily check in time of 4 p.m. and headed to our spacious camping spot. This campground is one of the nicer ones in the province with new washrooms and showers, along with many well-treed spots to choose from. The one drawback is the heavy underbrush that cuts down on air movement. This is a problem on a wet year when the mosquitoes can become an issue. On this trip, that turned out to be the case, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves.

After setting up camp, we headed out to the boat ramp at Gull Harbor, just five minutes away. Here we paid the $6 daily launch fee and headed out on the water. I have fished the area for many years now and have never been disappointed in the quality of the angling. There was only one other boat in the area we had decided to fish and it turned out to be Matt Cornell, a friend and outfitter who lives just outside of Winnipeg.

I slid the boat over to talk to Matt to see how he had been doing. “Great fishing Don!” he exclaimed. Matt said he had been trying several different spots in the area with excellent success. Most of his fish were caught in about six metres of water on jigs rigged with a four-inch Berkley Ripple Shad. Thanking him, we moved away to see what we could find.

I had pre-rigged several spinning rods before leaving home, so we were well equipped. Some had plastic on, and others were set up for salted shiners I had purchased. As it turns out we had better luck on the salted shiners than the plastic. That was mainly an experience preference. When you use plastic you have to get reaction bites from fish by snap jigging. With a salted shiner you can get it close to the bottom and just move it slowly.

I moved the boat until I marked several fish on my electronics, then hit spot lock on my Minnkota Terrova front troll motor. It turned out to be a great decision as we caught one nice walleye after another, some of the fastest walleye fishing I have had for a while. As the evening wore on, we were having so much fun we didn’t want to leave even though we were getting mighty hungry.

When friend Phil and I hooked up a doubleheader of 68-centimetre fish we knew that was the way to end the evening. A late evening feast of walleye and salad was the end to a perfect day.

Anglers Notes:

Hecla has become a popular destination in recent years with the resurgence of reasonable accommodation, combined with great fishing and golfing. My wife and I have enjoyed several times the Lakeview Resort stay and play golf package, a great deal at just over $100 per person. The resort at Hecla features comfortable rooms, good food and plenty of recreational options including a fantastic pool and spa area.

Just up the road at Gull Harbor, a new owner has been reshaping the Gull Harbor Marina and Lighthouse Inn. They have expanded the restaurant and patio area and it’s a beautiful spot to look out over the lake. The accommodations have also been totally redone, with one big cabin for rent

This year the fishing has been outstanding but as always one must remember this is Lake Winnipeg. After spending the morning of the second day walking the island we decided to once again fish in the evening. After arriving at the boat launch a howling northeast wind and three-metre rollers put a halt to those plans.

Since the drive from Winnipeg is just about two hours, many make it a one-day trip. If you are planning on coming fishing for the day, it’s best to check wind direction and strength. If you have a decent boat, the only direction you won’t be able to fish is that dreaded northeaster. You also might want to consider coming during the week to avoid the crowds.

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