Ontario Fishing Trip - What to Bring?

I'm headed to Eagle Lake next June for my first trip to Canada to fish.  I've done a lot of research on various lodge websites for what rods, reels, line, jigs and other artificial baits to have with me.  I'm also going to invest in a good rain suit.  I'm pretty much outfitting my dad and I with gear so what other items have you brought, or wish that you would have brought, that made your trip more comfortable, successful or enjoyable?  We'll mainly be targeting walleye, pike and lake trout.  Any specific baits that worked really well for those species?  The place we're staying is a drive to lodge and there's only two of us going so we'll have plenty of room for gear.

The lodge we're staying at is providing all meals, the boat and fish processing so we're covered there.  We're also going to be guided 3 of the 6 days that we'll be fishing.

BT-

I usually cross the border at night and grab a hotel room in FF, then start out for the last of the drive in the morning-  probably 90% of the resorts are Sat to Sat, so no matter what time you drive on Saturday, you will be bumper to prop with other folks heading to the same place.  The ride from FF to Dryden on 502 used to be about 2 hrs pulling my rig, but the last 2 years 502 has been under construction so it is about 3 hrs because of flaggers.  I suppose if you drove that at night, it would shorten it, and maybe stay at a hotel in Dryden-  the Best Western is okay, big place, decent restaurant, decent sports bar.

Dammit, all I can think about now is sitting on the cabin porch with a plate of perch and a cold Molson watching the sun go down on Eagle-  you rat bastards ruined Tgiving for me!

Thanks bucket!

I'm glad I started this thread.  So much good info.

Interesting that spirits are more reasonable than beer.  Wouldn't have guessed that.  We aren't going up there to drink but a nip or two after a day of fishing is sort of tradition for us.

We have a 9.5 hour drive from my folk's place to the lodge so maybe we'll just get our arses out of bed early and hit the border before noon.

Also spirits in Canada are similarly priced to US prices after the exchange. Beer is outrageous as a case will run you close to 40 bucks after exchange. We bring a case of beer and buy the whiskey over the border. Just a thought.

We drive overnight and get to the border at 9AM. The line moves pretty quickly as they just scan your passports and ask a few questions. I would say the longest it could take is maybe a half an hour. I remember riding up with my dad driving 20 years ago and having to wait a couple hours but technology now allows for the border crossing to run smoother. Just hope that there aren't pissed off border agents wanting to search everyone.

This conversation has officially ruined all of my excitement for hard water season. (joking of course but it has made me look forward to next June even more)

Thanks cajunmusky,

My dad and I have clean records so we shouldn't have any problem crossing the border.  We've read the border crossing rules and plan to just bring a bottle or two of good whisky or scotch (1L bottles, of course) for sippin' in the evening.  If we want beer, we'll grab it in Dryden as you mentioned.  Thanks for the advice on bringing Canadian currency and filling up at the border. 

The lodge we're staying at goes Saturday to Saturday so we were planning on leaving from my folk's place in N. Wisconsin that Saturday morning.  I read that Saturdays may not be the best day to cross due to heavy traffic and that it's not uncommon to get delayed an hour or so.  Have you crossed on a Saturday?  Would we be better off getting across the border on a Friday evening and staying in a hotel for the night?

The skeeters can get bad at night if its calm. You can hear em coming though and you can't night fish on Eagle so you should be fine in that regard. The flies on the other hand are a real pain. I've had em drawing blood through my socks before and they will find you even if there is a good breeze. I leave a spot and have my boat going 50 and they hang onto the carpet for the ride. Then they are right back at buzzing the dome and chomping the ankles.

OK.  The hairpin-style spinnerbait is my go to for pike and bass in Wisconsin so I have a bunch.  Not sure if I have any in white but the local Fleet Farm sells replacement skirts in all colors.

Bucket, how are the bugs in late June?  We're going to be there the second week of June.  Besides bug spray, I was going to pack a couple of Thermocells for the boat for calm days in case they're bad.  If it's windy, I don't expect them to be much of a problem.

BT-

A few other tips- make sure you leave Intl Falls with a full tank of gas- might be 2-3 hours till you see another gas pump if you go up Hwy 502.  And, gas can be a lot more expensive north of the border.  Read the border crossing rules and take them seriously- the Canadians certainly do- old DUIs, unpaid parking/traffic tix, Domestic Violence/Stalking charges, you might not make it across.  I am squeaky clean, but I hear a lot of horror stories of guys getting refused entry.

HWY 17 in Canada has a few speed traps, and the RCMP will be happy to tag a US vic.  Just keep it at the limit.  The beer is good, lots of variety in stores in Dryden and Vermilion Bay, but higher priced than what you are used to, and a deposit I believe.  No problem bringing some US beer or booze with you, just adhere to the import limits.  Small detail, but you can save some money by exchanging US$ to CAN$ and paying cash across the border-  your plastic will usually do a surcharge for foreign ex, and stores, resorts, restaurants etc. will take US$ but give you a crappy exchange rate.  Your local bank might even be able to give you a good rate before you leave.

Just a basic spinnerbaits. I think people call them hairpin style. We will find the bullrushes in the bays and throw in the middle of them. If you use a mepps you will be fighting with snags and those weeds are strong. The hairpins are pretty weedless. On calm days you can see the pike smash the bait out of nowhere. 

Mepps musky killers and giant killers are good if you find a bay with some deeper cabbage. They will get you some bigger fish. 

Honestly you can catch pike anywhere and it seems like on anything. We even caught a few on the old coors light can crankbait.

Thanks for the replies.  I don't have a portable fish finder and have no need for one outside of having it for a trip like this.  The lodge we're going to has upgrades on their boats which include a livewell, bow mount trolling motor and Lowrance sonar (might have GPS too) so I just went with that.  I've never used blade baits.  I've never considered them as I have an entire tackle bag dedicated to crank baits but they seem like a versatile bait that can either be jigged or pitched and retrieved.  I'll look into them more.

Bucketmouth, when you mentioned white bass spinners, do you mean something like a #3-#5 Mepps-style spinner?