La Réserve Beauchêne Wilderness Lodge
2 reviews 100 Lac Beauchene, Temiscaming, Quebec +1 888-627-3865 www.beauchene.com suggest an edit
09 October 2023 4:24
This is an amazing location! I went here as a business trip with from my office.this is a great location for someone who is fond of fishing. They have a variety of fish in a huge area. If you don’t want to fish, they have other activities like boating, cycling and hiking! We had a little stay there and their cabins are super comfortable and well maintained. The restaurant’s food is amazing I loved their soups the most! Definitely give this place a visit.
09 September 2023 15:31
I have now visited Beauchene 21 times in 22 years. On each trip I and my guests (usually my wife) have stayed at the campground located on the east side of East Beauchene lake. We have also eaten at the lodge and fished a couple of the back lakes. Since our activity has been centered around our stay at the campground, that is the perspective I will share from.
As you can tell from reading other reviews, Beauchene is an extraordinarily wonderful and unique place. Every visit for us has been extremely special beginning with our drive up from the south. We love the transformation as we leave behind the cities and pass through farm country followed by the beautiful Muskoka cottage country which is also where the Canadian Shield (complete with rock structures and numerous waterways) begins. An hour or so beyond North Bay, Beauchene is buried in the northern boreal forest. Here we have seen much wildlife including moose, deer, bears (no worries as they are seldom seen and never near the campground), eagles, falcons, many many loons, grouse, beaver, otters, hares and more. Beauchene also has the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen which are like an exclamation point at the end of many of our special days here.
My first visit to Beauchene was in 1999 and it was part of my honeymoon. My new wife and I stayed at the campground, rented one of the aluminum boats and without knowing for sure how to fish the big lakes did relatively well, especially for Smallmouth and Lake Trout.
Though many of the guests and for good reason tend to focus on the abundant, stocky and hard fighting Smallmouth Bass, we focus more on catching Walleye. Every trip our largest Walleye caught pushes 30 inches and we catch many fish over 24 which is when they seem to start “putting on shoulders”. Beauchene is also home to the rare “blue” Walleye which we have caught.
We’ve caught a few large Northern Pike which here are known for their beautiful markings and I have lost a couple that I believe would have topped 30 lbs! We have found that the Northerns tend to bite better earlier in the season up through early July but for the past 10 years our trips have taken place after that as that is when we do best with the Walleye.
Our Lake Trout fishing has been so phenomenal we take it for granted. We use slightly heavier rods than are used for Walleye or Smallies but with thin (mono or braided) 12 lb line to reduce resistance allowing for a deeper troll. We attach about 8 ounces of inline submarine or banana shaped sinkers followed by a snubber to absorb hard strikes or head shakes of a larger fish that may otherwise snap the line. We then attach a large silver (cloudy days) or brass (sunny days) Williams Wobbler (with the hook removed) as an attracting flasher followed by about 6 ft of 12 lb mono or fluorocarbon attached to a ball bearing swivel snap which the lure attaches to. We have experimented with all kinds of rigs and lures and this is what has worked the best. To top things off we have found the BEST lure is a copper spoon (not brass or bronze or something similar - it must be copper). A Little Cleo or something similar will work. Even without a graph one can refer to the Beauchene Lake map, target areas greater than 50ft deep, drop down deep and troll slow enough to keep your rigs down where the fish are and you should be catching a Lake Trout at a rate of one every 10 minutes!
Another fish which to us has been incidental but a delight to catch have been Whitefish. We get these occasionally while targeting Walleye. I want to learn how to catch them more regularly as to us they are the best tasting of the Beauchene fish!
Though I have described how wonderful the environment and fishing are, it’s the hosts that make this experience the best. Manager Tony is great as he runs a first class operation focused on his guest’s satisfaction. Over at the campground Tuppe is a joy and a friend and knows how to work with each individual under his care.
As you can tell from reading other reviews, Beauchene is an extraordinarily wonderful and unique place. Every visit for us has been extremely special beginning with our drive up from the south. We love the transformation as we leave behind the cities and pass through farm country followed by the beautiful Muskoka cottage country which is also where the Canadian Shield (complete with rock structures and numerous waterways) begins. An hour or so beyond North Bay, Beauchene is buried in the northern boreal forest. Here we have seen much wildlife including moose, deer, bears (no worries as they are seldom seen and never near the campground), eagles, falcons, many many loons, grouse, beaver, otters, hares and more. Beauchene also has the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen which are like an exclamation point at the end of many of our special days here.
My first visit to Beauchene was in 1999 and it was part of my honeymoon. My new wife and I stayed at the campground, rented one of the aluminum boats and without knowing for sure how to fish the big lakes did relatively well, especially for Smallmouth and Lake Trout.
Though many of the guests and for good reason tend to focus on the abundant, stocky and hard fighting Smallmouth Bass, we focus more on catching Walleye. Every trip our largest Walleye caught pushes 30 inches and we catch many fish over 24 which is when they seem to start “putting on shoulders”. Beauchene is also home to the rare “blue” Walleye which we have caught.
We’ve caught a few large Northern Pike which here are known for their beautiful markings and I have lost a couple that I believe would have topped 30 lbs! We have found that the Northerns tend to bite better earlier in the season up through early July but for the past 10 years our trips have taken place after that as that is when we do best with the Walleye.
Our Lake Trout fishing has been so phenomenal we take it for granted. We use slightly heavier rods than are used for Walleye or Smallies but with thin (mono or braided) 12 lb line to reduce resistance allowing for a deeper troll. We attach about 8 ounces of inline submarine or banana shaped sinkers followed by a snubber to absorb hard strikes or head shakes of a larger fish that may otherwise snap the line. We then attach a large silver (cloudy days) or brass (sunny days) Williams Wobbler (with the hook removed) as an attracting flasher followed by about 6 ft of 12 lb mono or fluorocarbon attached to a ball bearing swivel snap which the lure attaches to. We have experimented with all kinds of rigs and lures and this is what has worked the best. To top things off we have found the BEST lure is a copper spoon (not brass or bronze or something similar - it must be copper). A Little Cleo or something similar will work. Even without a graph one can refer to the Beauchene Lake map, target areas greater than 50ft deep, drop down deep and troll slow enough to keep your rigs down where the fish are and you should be catching a Lake Trout at a rate of one every 10 minutes!
Another fish which to us has been incidental but a delight to catch have been Whitefish. We get these occasionally while targeting Walleye. I want to learn how to catch them more regularly as to us they are the best tasting of the Beauchene fish!
Though I have described how wonderful the environment and fishing are, it’s the hosts that make this experience the best. Manager Tony is great as he runs a first class operation focused on his guest’s satisfaction. Over at the campground Tuppe is a joy and a friend and knows how to work with each individual under his care.