Big Bear Camp, Horwood lake review

This past week I packed up the family and headed up to Big Bear Camp on Horwood lake. For those that don’t know, the camp is smack dab in between chapleau and Timmins off the 101. Great scenic drive up hwy 69 and 144 getting there.

We arrived Saturday at 2pm about an hour before check-in. The drive up was littered with lakes that tempted you to stop and cast. We resisted all temptations and drove on. It rained pretty heavy on the drive and we had even received a tornado warning for the area. Once we checked in we unpacked and got settled in.

Our cabin was fairly rustic and in need of sprucing up (the owners informed us it would be renovated in the fall and spring). We had 3 bedrooms with multiple bunks and could easily accommodate 10. A big wood stove sat against one wall waiting for the fall moose hunters to make use of it. The kitchen was fairly large and sported two refrigerators. The bathroom was recently updated and very clean. Unfortunately for us the rain persisted throughout the day and night and a leaky roof turned into the running joke for the week.

The Fishing was pretty much what is to be expected for these northern lakes. Horwood is a man made lake full of dead heads. There is lots of structure to fish. Boulder piles, drop offs, shoals and many sunken timber provides great cover for the walleye, pike and bass. Yes, I said bass. Although they do not advertise bass in the lake, apparently some smallies got in from an adjacent lake during floods a few years back. While there are some bass, the overwhelming population of pike and walleye seem to be the easier targets. We had no issues boating our 4 person limit of walleye every day. The most consistent sized walleye we caught were about 14”-15”. We did hook into a few bigger fish, but we were unable to land any over 20”. All fish were caught on plastics and a jig, or crank baits. The toothy pike make quick work of a jig and will leave you setting the hook with nothing but slack.

The grounds of the Camp are very nicely taken care of. The fish cleaning hut is very clean. The beach area and children's play ground are nice. The trailer park area is well manicured and the people are incredibly friendly. They have transient sites if you happen to bring your own camper.

The surrounding area is full of adventures. One day we went into Foleyet (small town with one restaurant, gas station and lcbo). We also did a day trip to Ivanhoe Provincial Park. Really nice place. The lake front goes forever and the camp sites appear well looked after. We stopped in at Air Ivanhoe and inquired about a day trip. For a group of 4, a day trip would run $1600 for the flight to and from plus $150 for boat rental plus tax. A bit to rich in my opinion so we bought a hat instead.;)

We we’re hoping to see a white moose on the trip but no luck. A cabin down from us apparently saw 2 on the lake. No bears either. The owners think they will be getting out of the bear hunt they currently offer. They told us there’s not much interest in it from customers, and most locals hunt on their own. We did encounter a family of young grouse, a dozen or more loons and a couple of red fox. The kids were amazed at the bald eagles (we saw 4).

All in all it was a fantastic trip. My only complaint would be the lack of involvement on the owners behalf to check up on guests and provide helpful tips. The leaky roof we told them about didn’t seem to bother them and nothing was done. We placed a couple of buckets to stop the floor from being wet.
Upon arrival we asked for a map of the lake and any fishing spots to check out. The map cost $10 (first time being charged for a map at a fishing lodge) and they had no advice on areas to check out or bait to use. “Everywhere has fish” that was the tip. Pretty much a hands off experience. But other than that, it’s a very nice place and a good lake to try.

Attachment 43821
Old gold mine from the 1930’s

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2 for 1 special. Hooked into a walleye and while reeling in a pike inhaled it. 13” walleye and roughly 36” pike or so.

Attachment 43823
orange and pink mr. Twisters worked best on 1/2oz jigs in 10-30 fow.

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outdoor flavours butter and garlic fish coating from Hanmer, Ont. Pretty tasty.

Good report. Visited there once on a canoe trip in 1986. Put in at Biscotasing and can't remember where we took out out but we passed by there one morning. We stopped and offered the owners 6 hours of manual labour for dinner and a real bed for the night. They took us up and spent the day cutting firewood. Walleye on that trip were numerous and the same size you were catching.

Great report. Glad you had a great time. I will have to check out that fish coating.