The Grand Slam of Canadian Fly-in Fishing - Ganglers North Seal River Lodge

Walking up and into the main lodge for the first time is a real treat. Ken Gangler, the owner, describes it as “the epitome of the classic Canadian lodge. It’s the perfect size; not too big, not too small. It’s comfortable, it’s grand. It’s magnificent to look at, but yet homey.” And I don’t think I could summarize it better if I tried. From a fully stocked bar to a pool table and fireplace to lures and photos painting the walls with memories for a lifetime, it truly is the classic Canadian lodge.

The main lodge is located on Egenolf Lake. However, Egenolf merely serves as a home base for the Gangler’s operation. Many years ago, Ken and his father's goal was for Gangler’s and the main lodge to open up the entire North Seal watershed. Find the best water and fishing, and open the area up with cached boats and outpost camps. A few decades later and that’s exactly what they did, now with over 100 boats cached and several fantastic outpost options, the North Seal watershed is open.

Opening up the watershed does many things for the operation, but there’s one clear reward to it: The Canadian Grand Slam. Northern pike, lake trout, walleye, and arctic grayling compose this coveted title. Catching all four in a lifetime is a notable achievement among freshwater angling. Catching all four on a trip is even better. All four in a day, unbelievable. All four trophy sizes on a trip? Almost unheard of. Incredibly, you can do all those things at Gangler’s. The Grand Slam is an impressive feat. However, I’d never caught an arctic grayling before, and neither had my friend Keevin that I had travelled with. So, although the Grand Slam was the goal, checking the grayling off the list would be a meaningful check mark for us.

At the end of the day, you walk into the main lodge, ready to tell other guests how your day was over a beverage served by the bartender. We played a couple of rounds of pool, and the next thing you know, it was time for supper. The service at Gangler's is exceptional. They make you feel special at all times and really make the experience feel unique. And the food, oh my goodness, the food. It’s pretty safe to say that relative to where you are, I can’t imagine it’s possible to eat better. From prime ribs to steaks, it’s a real treat; you truly eat and feel like a king. This is no accident. Ken tells both his staff and his guests that he treats his lodge like it's a trip of his own, and it shows.

One of the most exciting parts about the evenings at Gangler’s is when you decide the plan for the next day. There’s a fly-out signup in the main lodge, and over supper, a beverage, or the campfire, you can decide the game plan for tomorrow. Another group of guests was planning on going to a walleye fly-out called Chatwin the next day, and we liked the sound of it, so we decided to head there, too.

Our last fish to complete the iconic Canadian Grand Slam was lake trout. Sitting at the bar later that night, we were talking to a father-son duo who were in the same boat for the next day. The Lakers were next on the list, so both boats set out the next day with the same goal. We jigged white tubes in 60-70 feet of water, and it didn’t take long before both of us got bites and completed the Grand Slam. We never found any giant lakers, but even 30’’ lake trout sure put up one heck of a battle in that deep of water.

We returned at the end of the day extremely satisfied that we had completed the Grand Slam. We again met up with the father-son duo in the main lodge to share the news that we did it. The son responded, “We did too,” and showed me a photo of the 39’’ lake trout he caught that day. The second lake trout that he had ever caught, the first being moments before that one. He was in awe of his catch; it was an unbelievable story and moment to be part of.