fishing & hunting guide - Tourism Saskatchewan

S A S K AT C H E W A N F I S H I N G & H U N T I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 2
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And that is how it all started for Maxine Key, now the
proud owner of Milton Lake Lodge.
The mother to two young children, wife to Peter, interior
designer and artist, farm girl from Ontario, and acreageowning
Albertan is now the “everything girl” at a fishing
lodge in northern Saskatchewan.
Alongside her sister Diana, and with the help of Peter, her
brother Roger, and her in-laws Doug and Mary, Key
welcomed her first guests to Milton Lake Lodge in June
2011.
The lodge, newly built and opened in 2005, is located in
the far northeast corner of Saskatchewan, 44 km south
of the Northwest Territories border. A fly-in only location,
the facility is 950 km from Saskatoon and 1,200 km from
Regina.
fish.” Misekumaw Lake can hold up to 11 guests. It is a
self-sufficient camp and boasts a beautiful beach in front
of the cabins.
The three remote lakes are teeming with lake trout,
northern pike, Arctic grayling, and whitefish. “Because the
lodge has only operated for five seasons with nothing else
around, the trophy-sized fish are plentiful,” Key said. “We
are the only people on these lakes.”
It is that seclusion that Key loves so much about her new
venture. “Northern Saskatchewan is such a beautiful and
awe-inspiring part of Canada. The fresh air, crystal clear
waters, wildlife, excellent fishing, and quiet remoteness
are a wonderful combination.”
Another aspect of the outfitting operation that Key enjoys
is playing hostess to guests from across Canada and
around the world. Over half of the lodge’s guests are
Canadian with the rest being from the United States and
some from the United Kingdom. Key plans to increase
marketing efforts in Europe with the goal of luring more
international clientele to the crystal-clear waters of Milton
Lake.
Maxine Key
The main lodge, which overlooks the lake and Key
describes as “luxury in the wilderness,” holds up to 16
guests at a time. Each gets their own private room with a
double bed, duvet, climate control, and daily maid
service. Common areas include a dining space, where
guests can enjoy hearty breakfasts, fine dining in the
evenings, and cocktails. The evening meal also includes
complimentary wine.
Other amenities include meeting space, a hot tub, satellite
TV, Internet connection, satellite telephone service
available at a nominal fee, library, beach, store, large
lounge and deck area, and massage therapy.
Packages include round-trip travel from Saskatoon with
shuttle service between hotel and airport, complimentary
fishing gear, a professional guide for every two anglers,
fully equipped 18-foot Lund outfitter boats with 40-h.p.
four-stroke outboards, and delicious shore lunches. There
are four- and eight-day trips available, which can be
customized to suit people’s needs.
Milton Lake Lodge has two outpost camps. Walker Lake
holds four to six guests and includes a full kitchen and
washroom facilities. Lodge staff do all of the cooking and
cleaning at this camp, so “guests can relax and fish, fish,
Milton Lake Lodge
It is flying over those waters in a float plane that takes
guests from their hectic lives to a place of pure bliss. “My
favourite thing is watching the guests change from being
business professional (sometimes uptight) to being totally
relaxed by the end of their stay with us,” she said.
She also enjoys hearing the guests’ “fish tales” after a
long day on the lake. But Key has a few stories of her
own to tell about the hobby that she has enjoyed since
childhood.
“Everyone has big fish tales, but a couple of my favourite
ones are small fish tales,” she said.
When Key was a little girl, her parents would pack her
and her four siblings into the boat and take them fishing.
“I was the youngest and my little yellow rod had white
string for line. We got to an area of a lake and my dad
taught us how to put worms on our lines and drop it over