Chaudiere Lodge
Housekeeping Plan:
7 Days or More at Chaudiere: $85 per person per day.
6 Days or Less at Chaudiere: $110 per person per day.
All Inclusive Plan:
7 Days or More at Chaudiere: $170 per person per day.
6 Days or Less at Chaudiere: $195 per person per day.
Chaudiere Lodge is located on an island in Ontario's legendary Upper French River, it is open from the third Saturday in May to the third Saturday in October. Just 4 1/2 hours north of Toronto, this five star resort is truly one of the closest near north experiences available to the GTA. The Upper French River and Lake Nipissing offer Chaudière’s guests two very different experiences. The French is sheltered providing countless bays, narrows, islands and inlets perfect for canoeing, photography and fishing. Nipissing and the mouth of the French offer an extremely large body of water where the fishing is excellent when the weather permits it. But no matter what the weather throws our way, it is always possible to get out on the water from Chaudiere.
The Upper French River and Lake Nipissing produce trophy fishing throughout the season and is one of the largest and most exciting water sheds to fish in Ontario. It holds world record Muskie, Walleye second to none, Large and Smallmouth Bass and huge Northern Pike. This lake and river system occupies over 900 square kilometers and yields numerous musky over 50” and 50 pounds per year, making it one of the fastest growing Musky hot spots in North America. It now boasts an official live release World Record Muskie caught by Kevin Davison on October 6th 2006. There really are few places where you know that a world record lives and this is one of them.
Chaudiere Lodge is a 17 acre five star resort with 14 Cottages spread over ½ a mile of water front. The Main Lodge houses a Dining Room, professionally-equipped commercial kitchen and lounge where guitars hang on the wall waiting to be played along with couple of telescopes ready to look into a night sky free of light pollution and full of the northern lights, if we are lucky. We can only entertain a maximum of 44 guests at a time so take that step and book your adventure today and make memories for the rest of your life.
Chaudiere Lodge established in 1905 shares a great history on the French River and because of the rugged nature of the Canadian Shield country surrounding this river, large parts of it remain relatively untouched and it is now a popular location for recreational canoeing kayaking photography and fishing. In 1986 it was proudly, the first river designated as a Canadian Heritage River insuring that this unique ecosystem will be protected for generations to come.
Our lodge is 3200 square feet complete with a spotlessly clean industrial kitchen.
We boost a large rustic dining room complete with a stunning view of the river and a lounge where you can watch the fire, listen to great music or watch the big game.
This building is the heart of our establishment, it is the place that we break bread together, tell stories and create friendships that last a life time. It is the place that we share our fishing knowledge, and strategize and plan your fishing adventure. You never know when you will see or hear live music from one of the many instruments hanging on the wall.
If you are not careful, before you know it this building will become a part of your life, it will feel like home.
All Inclusive Cottages:
The waterfront cottages at Chaudiere Lodge are 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms in size and can accommodate two, four, or six guests. They are all in excellent condition, spotless and modern and will meet the standards of any fishing group or couple alike. Spread far enough apart on our clean naturally kept shore line, a strong sense of privacy has been achieved.
All of our cottages are equipped with twin beds which are convertible to kings with 2” nylon strap and bed-bridge giving us the flexibility to comfortably accommodate couples or singles. They are covered with 250 percale sheets and Hudson Bay blankets.
The cottages all overlook a natural panorama of lush green islands and clean sparkling waterways. They are very well appointed complete with electric heat, comfortable furniture, coffee makers and bar sized refrigerators.
Bathrooms are all three or four piece very clean with flush toilets and hot and cold running water. Your towels are supplied and looked after by the daily maid services.
Porches are either screened-in or open-air decks. All of our screened in porches are furnished with Manitoba Log Furniture and our open air decks are complete with 5 piece teak patio sets.
Overall the all inclusive cottages of the Chaudiere Lodge are second to none and we are proud to be able to offer them to our guests.
Local Fishing tips:
The beautiful Upper French River and Lake Nipissing watershed…what more needs to be said? The Upper French River is the ultimate display of what Ontario, Canada has to offer to outdoors enthusiasts. It combines unspoiled wilderness, with stunning scenery, a massive river and a wide variety of wildlife.
If you are looking at this though, you are interested in one thing – fishing. As beautiful as the Upper French River is, what really counts is the world under the water that you can’t see. Chaudiere Lodge offers you a chance to fish both the Upper French River and Lake Nippising. These waters are yielding more and more big fish every year, it is prime fishing territory and its waters are well respected amongst the angling community.
A lot of lakes and rivers in Ontario are good for catching numbers, a lot of places offer big fish, and other areas offer a multitude of species. But the Upper French River is unique because it offers a combination of all of the above! Here you can catch big numbers but don’t ever forget you are in world record waters.
Walleye-
One of the most sought after species due to its unbelievable taste, the Upper French River offers excellent walleye fishing. Some of the most popular methods of fishing them are jigging, drift fishing and slow trolling in the evening. Some artificial baits are the worm harness, Mepps #3, Rapalla and crank baits like the hot’n tot. The best natural baits are night crawlers and minnows.
Northern Pike-
Abundant throughout the season in the waters of the French, Pike are a wonderful eating fish, they grow big and fight hard, not much wonder they are a sportsman’s dream. One of the most popular ways of catching pike is casting crank baits like suspending rapallas, rippling red fins, larger spinner baits, suicks and Mepps #4 spinners.
Large and Smallmouth Bass-
Pound for pound arguably the best fighter of all the fresh water fish Large and Smallmouth bass and are not heavily targeted on the Upper French River and Nipissing. As a result we are sitting on one of the best bass fisheries in Ontario. Caught throughout the season and at sizes exceeding 6 pounds they really are a treat to catch. You will not want to come without a few bags of Gary Yamamoto sinkos or Berkley Gulp 6” jerk shads along with the conventional top water plugs, spinner baits and crank baits.
Musky-
The uncontested king of the fresh water. Fierce and unpredictable, Musky roam the waters of the Upper French River and Lake Nipissing and will give you the thrill of a life time. The best time to fish for them is middle of August right through to Thanksgiving. Some popular lures used are large crank baits and bucktails top water baits like the suick, also Mepps #5 giant killer, the piky minnow, and you can’t forget our old time favorite the musky hound. The best methods of hooking into one is casting or trolling.
All of the above lures are only suggestions of what has worked in the past and only a general recommendation. Whatever you use and whatever the method, The French river and Lake Nipissing watershed will give you the chance to catch enough walleye to feed yourself a delicious shore lunch. Give you the chance to wrestle with some of the best fighter’s freshwater fishing has to offer; The fierce Northern Pike, Walleye, Large and Smallmouth Bass and last but definitely not least the Musky. It maybe your turn to hook into that elusive monster, the beautiful yet vicious Musky! Imagine holding on to a new world record, they live here, on Chaudiere Lodges door step. Come to the Upper French River and make that dream a reality.
Location:
From Buffalo: Take QEW to Hwy 403 at Oakville. Continue on Hwy 403 to Hwy 401.Take Hwy 401 to Hwy 400 North to Barrie.
From Detroit: Take Hwy 401 to Hwy 400 North. At Barrie take Hwy 69 towards Parry Sound. Beyond Parry Sound, cross the French River Bridge. Turn north on Hwy 64 to Noelville. Take Hwy 64 through Monetville until Dokis Reserve Road. Take Dokis Reserve Road to Dokis Marina (17 miles). Chaudiere Lodge is 1.5 miles from Dokis Village.
From Northerly Points: Take Hwy 17 to Verner. Proceed south on Hwy 64 to Dokis Reserve Road.
Contact Information:
Summer Address:
Box 72, Dokis Bay
Monetville, Ontario P0M 2K0
Phone: 705-763-2220
Winter Address:
501 Fiddle Park Lane
Shelburne Ontario
L0N 1S2
Contact (Steve): (519) 939 2455 or
Ray: (519) 925 0793
PHONE SUPPORT: 1-519-939-2455
SUMMER NUMBER: 1-705-763-2220
Email: fishfever17@gmail.com
Website: http://www.chaudierelodge.com/
3rd Saturday in May to the 3rd Saturday in October.
