"The Aikens Experience" - Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge

From afar, one could think that lots of fishing lodges all look the same. In reality, it couldn’t be less true. All lodges have their thing; something that they do really well that sets them aside from other lodges.

At Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge, they have the Aikens Experience. That term was coined some time ago, but it’s a real thing that you feel the second you step onto their dock, every single time you go.

Check out the video below and keep on reading to learn all about it!

"The Aikens Experience"

‘The Aikens Experience’ has been around for a long time, but in 2017, Manitoba content creator Jay Siemens produced an incredible short film on what that term meant. It was an amazing film and perfectly captured what The Aikens Experience is. You can watch that below!

At the time, Jay was at Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge specifically to work on the short film. Since then, Jay has taken his skills and evolved into a YouTube content creator travelling all over Manitoba and the rest of the world telling his angling stories. In 2019, I went to Aikens for the first time and experienced firsthand what was so special. I’ve gone to Aikens almost every year since and can confidently say that the experience never gets old. Last summer, Jay came back to Aikens with us, this time to partake in The Aikens Experience for himself.

The Warmest of Welcomes

Although your trip technically starts before you even get to Aikens, it doesn’t truly start until you fly over camp. The flyover is synonymous with the beginning of The Aikens Experience as it signals to everyone in camp that the plane is about to land and guests are about to arrive. That gives staff the chance to make their way to the dock where they welcome each person off the plane. It is truly the warmest of welcomes. From kitchen staff to guides to the managers, you get to shake hands and give hugs to new and old friends.

Getting Settled in

From there, a staff member will give you a tour of the camp, identify your cabin, and end at the main lodge where you’ll have a famous Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge breakfast. Once you’re done eating, your luggage will have been delivered to your cabin and you are free to get ready at your own pace as your guide will be waiting at the dock to take you out whenever you get there.

Very quickly you get the sense that the schedule is largely up to you, with staff extremely accommodating about how you want your trip to be.

Accommodating Fishing Guides

Once you’re on the water, your guide will ask what your fishing experience is, what kind of fish you want to catch, and any other questions that can help them do their job better. Once you’ve identified what you want to do, that’s exactly what you’ll do. In our case, we wanted to catch as many walleyes as we could.

The Classic Canadian Shore Lunch

There were four of us in our group and we regularly pulled up to spots, boats side by side, and had little competitions in which boat could land 10 fish first. You never wondered if you’d catch any, you’d just wonder how fast you’d catch them and who would hit 10 first.

Once noon rolls around, it’s time to head to your designated shore lunch spot where the guides whip up an unbelievable walleye shore lunch in the most Canadian fashion. It’s remarkable how efficient they are. They’re a well-oiled machine and provide a delicious shore lunch with the walleye that you just caught and have you back on the lake fishing in around an hour. It’s amazing.

5-star Wilderness Dining Experience

At the end of the day, you can make your way to the main lodge where you have your supper and then you are introduced to Big Molly’s Bar. First, for supper, we enjoyed a perfectly cooked steak with several other outstanding courses.

The quality of the food and service at Aikens is without a doubt a centerpiece to The Aikens Experience. During supper, it allows the managers, Pit and Julie Turenne, and Pat and Janelle Trudel to do the Master Angler presentation. If any Manitoba Master Anglers were caught that day on the lake, a presentation in front of the entire dining room while handing over a customized award to the successful angler. Although I’ve never been a recipient, it’s an extremely wholesome moment to be a part of for anyone.

Big Molly's Bar

From there, it’s time to check out Big Molly’s Bar. It’s a fully stocked bar with beer on tap, popcorn, a pool table, and our favourite, shuffleboard.

It’s the perfect place to unwind, tell fish stories, and make memories with friends and family. In our case, we had the best of 3 shuffleboard matches. Jay said toward the end of our trip, “While a lot of memories are made on the lake, a lot of memories are made right here in Big Molly’s Bar.” And I couldn’t agree more. There’s so much more to a fishing trip than just fishing and Big Molly’s Bar plays an important role in The Aikens Experience.

Sunset Campfires

The next day, we had another heyday on the lake, catching too many fish to count and catching equally as many laughs. We crushed walleye, caught some nice northern pike, and soaked in the sun.

Later that day, the weather was phenomenal so we decided to have a campfire on the beach. The beach at Aikens is simply surreal. Many guests think that it's artificial as it is the perfect location for a lodge. On the beach, there are plenty of different campfire spots for guests to either have large groups together or be able to have some privacy.

The four of us with a couple of friends that we had made at the lodge brought some beverages down, enjoyed the crackling of the fire, and laughed the night away.

An Experience Like No Other

It’s the little things like the staff welcoming you on the dock, the Master Angler presentation, or the family-like warmth that the entire staff emanates while you’re there that create the Aikens Experience. It’s not just one thing, it’s all of the things.

During our trip, Jay said, “You can’t control the fishing, but you can control everything else; accommodations, food, and they nail it here”. He’s not wrong, Aikens does nail it. But, I remember that quote from someone else before Jay, and it was Pit who was quoting his dad Jerry who bought the lodge many years ago. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Jerry, but from what I’ve heard, his legacy of perfecting the things that you can control is what truly makes The Aikens Experience.