The Experience

Fly-in Quality at a Drive-in Price

My name is Mark Ehr, and in addition to being the Webmaster for Davin Lake Lodge and Wathaman Outpost I am a repeat guest, visiting the camps four times in five years. I was first convinced to visit the camps by a friend of mine who has been to the camps six times. He in turn was convinced to come up by a friend of his, who has visited the camps over ten times! This isn't unusual - this "word of mouth" advertising has been the camps' bread-and-butter over the years, and it's hard to underestimate the value of satisfied guests and repeat business.

Davin Lake Lodge and Wathaman Outpost were first built in the 1970s by a group of people that recognized how truly special these two lakes in Northern Saskatchewan are. Over the years, the facilities have been steadily improved and modernized, including the addition an 1,800 foot oil-treated landing strip for those that choose to fly in, 24x7 power for both camps, and satellite Internet and telephone for Davin. New for this year is the ability for guests to also fly in to either camp by float plane.

A catch-and-release policy for trophy fish was instituted several years ago, easing the impact on large breeding fish and ensuring that ever larger fish survive for our guests to enjoy year after year. The result is an extraordinary environment for catching large Northern Pike, Walleye and Lake Trout. Guests may keep non-trophy sized fish (within the limits established by the Saskatchewan government), and the camps provide complimentary filleting and freezing services.

Davin and Wathaman have an annual contest called "Pikemaster." The person who catches and releases the largest Pike every year wins the title of Pikemaster for that year, along with a free return trip the following year to defend their title. Hint: if you want a chance at being this year's Pikemaster, you'd better stay over at Wathaman! Every one of the prize winning Pike below came from Wathaman.

Pikemasters, 2005 to 2008 (left to right)

Scott Harcharik, Chris White (on left), Fred Miller and Jack Marmon

Davin and Wathaman are not five-star resorts. Don't get me wrong--the facilities are comfortable, the food is excellent, the fishing is world-class, and the staff treat you like family. You won't find a spa here and neither will you find guides sit in the boat with you, putting lures on your line and reel the fish in for you when your arms get tired.

What you will find is the most down-to-earth, genuinely fun fishing experience of your life. I grew up in Colorado and have fished my entire life, and the experience of fishing in Colorado is nothing like Davin and Wathaman. I think I caught more fish the first day at Davin Lake than I had in a lifetime of fishing in Colorado!

Irv and Diana, camp hosts and part owners, along with guides Rory, Robbie and TJ, are some of the warmest, salt-of-the-earth people I have ever met. They go to great lengths to ensure that all of their guests have a wonderful experience, from Irv's incredible hospitality to Diana's amazing cooking to the guides' deep knowledge of the lakes and the fish that inhabit them. Add to that the fact that you can drive to the camp, and it all adds up to one of the best fishing bargains in North America.

Speaking of driving versus flying, keep in mind that it is possible to combine the two options. You can fly commercially into Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and then rent a car for the final part of the trip from there. There are non-stop flights into Saskatoon from a number of cities including Denver and Calgary, and the drive to Davin Lake takes about eight hours. Using this method it is possible to arrive at Davin or Wathaman on the same day that you depart, saving the majority of the drive.

We remain the exclusive outfitter on both lakes to this day. This means that, other than people that choose to fish the lakes on their own (and there are literally thousands of lakes in this area), our guests literally have the lakes to themselves. Our camps are also small - Davin Lake houses at most 30 people, and Wathaman houses a maximum of 12 people. We rarely run our camps at 100%.

While an experience such as this is hard and maybe impossible to define in words, a few facts might help a bit:

• Davin Lake has approximately 40 square miles of water area
• Wathaman Lake has approximately 60 square miles of water area
• Both lakes have hundreds of miles of shoreline
• Davin Lake has shallow, river, and deep water (100'+) environments where Lake Trout, Northern Pike and Walleye thrive
• Wathaman has shallow and river fishing environments, yielding huge Northern Pike and Walleye. The lake isn't deep enough for Lake Trout, but guests can also spend a day fishing for Lake Trout in Davin Lake if they prefer.

After many trips to Davin and Wathaman, I can guarantee that no matter which month you visit or which lake you choose to fish, you will have a great time. You couldn't choose a better place to spend your hard-earned vacation.

If you have any questions about Davin or Wathaman, please join our Google discussion group (see the invitation box to the left). The group is populated by many people like myself that have been up to the lakes many times,and it's your best source of information and advice, straight from the source.

Wild Blueberries Are A Wonderful Dessert After Shore Lunch

A Typical Vist to Davin Lake Lodge

Most Davin Lake Lodge packages are "American Plan", which means that you need only show up with your fishing tackle and license, snacks, and alcoholic beverages--the rest is provided. Guests arrive late afternoon or early evening the day before the package begins. Irv and Diana greet their guests as they arrive, help them get settled in to their cabins, and give them a hearty dinner (one of many to come!).

Each day breakfast is served at 7am and the menu is whatever Diana decides to rustle up that day, with an emphasis on down-home cooking. Example breakfasts include pancakes, french toast, eggs, bacon, and toast, etc -- you get the idea. No one ever goes hungry when Diana is doing the cooking!

Diana After Cooking Up Another Awesome Meal

After breakfast the guests gather their equipment and head for the dock, where the guides help get everything transferred to the boats. The guides hand out maps that show the current "hot spots" for each species, along with the location of that day's shore lunch. The guests then head out for a morning of fishing.

The fishing experience at Davin Lake is world-class. Every day you have an excellent chance of catching trophy-quality Northern Pike, Walleye and Lake Trout. Even if you don't catch "the big one," you can count on catching lots of good-sized fish. Like any fishing experience, there are great days and slow days, but over a three or four day period you will catch lots of fish--and the time of your life while you're at it. The guides are never far away and are always ready and able to provide advice when needed.

Your Guides: Robbie, Rory, TJ

At lunch time, everyone meets at the shore lunch spot, where the guides make a fresh-cooked meal of fish, baked beans and potatoes. After lunch the guests head out again for a full afternoon of fishing. It's not uncommon for our guests to catch 50 or even 100 fish a day. It's hard to describe just how exciting those days can be - it seems almost as if you catch something on every cast. Don't get me wrong - there are slow days as well - after all, that's why they call it "fishing" and not "catching"!

On arrival back at the camp in the evening, guests give the fish they decided to keep to the guides, who take care of cleaning, filleting and freezing. Dinner is served at 7pm, which is always a delicious home-cooked meal. Like breakfast, Diana's meals vary depending on what she feels like cooking up that evening. Example meals include steak, pork chops, roast, etc., served buffet-style with veggies and salad, plus an awesome dessert. Guests then typically head out to the firepit for a couple hours of socialization.

On the final morning, Diana cooks up breakfast for everyone, guests settle their accounts and collect their fish, and everyone is off by around 9am. While I'm on the subject, the guides do an amazing job of preparing the fish - you get them back filleted and frozen, plastic wrapped on foam trays. I have had US border officials marvel at how well the fish were processed--and believe me, they see a lot of fish come across the border!

Note: it's also possible to arrange a "Light Housekeeping" package at Davin Lake, where guests cook their own breakfast and dinner, but trust me - it's worth the extra money to experience Diana's wonderful cooking!

A Typical Visit to Wathaman Outpost

Wathaman Outpost is a "Light Housekeeping" facility, which means that guests cook their own breakfast and dinner. Since the Outpost is located on a remote island in Wathaman Lake that is only accessible by boat and portage, guests first arrive at Davin Lake Lodge and they are transported to the Outpost by pontoon boat - the trip takes about an hour.

Guests arrive the afternoon before the first day of fishing, and the guides help transfer the guests' items to the boat for the trip to the Outpost. After arrival at the Outpost and unloading gear, guests are free to cook their own dinner or even do some fishing on their own if they so choose. One of the biggest advantages of Light Housekeeping, in my opinion, is that guests can fish any time they want, day or night.

The next morning, guests cook their own breakfast and meet with the guide to decide the best area to fish and where to meet for shore lunch. After a full morning of fishing, the guide prepares a fresh-cooked shore lunch that consists of fried fish, potatoes and baked beans. Guests then head out for a full afternoon of fishing, returning to camp whenever they desire.

Irv (on left) at Shore Lunch

Guests cook their own dinners and then typically gather around the campfire for socializing. Some guests also choose to head back out for more fishing.

On the final morning, guests cook breakfast, pack and load the pontoon boat, and make the journey back to Davin Lake Lodge for their departure.