Rod Lake Outpost

Guests rate Hawk Air very highly. Most reviews give 4 or 5 stars, and the one 3-star review still described the company as great to deal with. Many reviewers are repeat customers: several report 6 to 9 trips, one group has gone off and on for about 25 years, and one reviewer has returned eight more times after his first trip. Reviewers describe the staff as friendly and accommodating, and one says they feel like extended family. Another says the company always goes out of its way to meet customers' needs.

Reviewers praise the variety of lakes and species. Trips include walleye and pike, brook trout, and pike and lake trout at ice-out in May. Several lakes have portages to additional lakes, such as a lake trout lake reached from Wejin. Duffy and Easey are terrific walleye lakes, with Duffy giving bigger fish and Easey more numbers. Reviewers report walleye from 18 to 27 inches, and individual walleye of 30, 31 and 34 inches. They also reported pike up to 40 inches, and one angler reported 193 fish in a week at Wejin. Little Miss is the most popular lake, with a waiting list and averages of 300-400 walleye per week per boat. Reviewers call the camps clean, well equipped and "first class," with running water, generators and, at the popular lakes, showers. Several reviewers rate the boats and motors highly and say cabins are improved every year. Reviewers describe the pilots and dock staff as polite and good at packing the plane, and one guest was kept informed and given a waiting room during a weather delay.

Complaints are few. Prices have gone up, though one reviewer attributed this to the cost of fuel for the planes. Fishing is not equally good on every lake. Reviewers found Wejin small with small fish, Mosambik had lots of perch, and Fulcher was slow during one August week with clear water and weather as factors. Reviewers also mention cold weather and north winds, so layers are needed. Popular lakes like Little Miss can be hard to book. This outfitter suits anglers who want a choice of lakes and species, including walleye, pike, lake trout and brook trout. It also suits groups of friends and repeat fly-in guests who want well-kept camps, and first-timers who want helpful staff.