What should you pack for a fly-in fishing trip?
Pack layers and rain gear for changeable northern weather, your fishing tackle, insect protection, personal items and travel documents, plus food and bedding if your camp doesn’t supply them. Use soft bags and stay within your operator’s weight limit, because floatplanes must stay within strict weight limits. Leave live bait at home: Ontario doesn’t allow it to be brought into the province.
Packing well is part of the trip. Get it right and the week is about the fishing. For the bigger picture of fly-in trips and lodges, see our guide to Ontario fly-in fishing lodges and trips.
Start with your operator’s list
Before you pack anything, ask your operator three things: the baggage and weight limit for your flight, what the camp supplies, and what your group needs to bring. Limits are set by each operator for its aircraft. Atikwa Lake Lodge’s listing, for example, gives 85-pound baggage guidance per guest, and the Northern Frontier Outpost asks guests to pack to the aircraft’s weight and loading guidelines.
What a camp supplies varies most at outposts. Destination Ontario notes that outpost guests typically bring their own tackle, food and drink, bedding and personal items. In the iFishCanada directory, guests at Glassy Bay Outfitters and Garson’s Fly-In Outposts bring their own food. At an American Plan lodge, meals are provided and the list is much shorter.
Clothing for northern weather
Northern Ontario weather can change in an hour, and a boat on open water feels colder than the shore. Even in midsummer, Red Lake’s July average high is 24.0 °C (75 °F) and its July daily mean is 18.2 °C (65 °F), according to Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals for 1991–2020. Spring and fall mornings are colder, so pack for the season you’re travelling in.
Dress in layers you can add and remove in the boat: a base layer, a warm fleece or wool mid-layer, and a waterproof jacket and rain pants on top. Bring a warm hat and gloves, a sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and footwear that can get wet. Insects are most active in early summer and ease by late summer, so pack repellent and a head net.
Tackle and bait
Pack tackle for the species your lake holds, such as walleye, northern pike and lake trout, and ask the operator what works on their water. Some lakes have special rules, such as barbless hooks, single hooks or artificial lures only. These apply to specific waters, not the whole province, so check the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary for your lake.
Leave live bait at home. It’s illegal to bring live fish, leeches, crayfish or salamanders into Ontario for use as bait, and non-residents must buy bait within the Bait Management Zone where they’ll use it and keep the receipt. Nightcrawlers can be brought in containers with artificial bedding only. See Ontario’s bait rules, and ask your operator what bait is available at the base or camp.
Food, if your camp is self-catering
Plan meals for every day, plus a little extra in case weather delays the flight home. Pack food in sturdy, lightweight containers and coolers within the weight limit. If you’re driving up from the United States, all food must be declared at the border, and some products, such as meat, poultry, eggs and produce, can face limits or temporary bans. Check the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s rules before you shop, or buy groceries in Canada on the way to the base.
Why soft bags, and how to pack them
Floatplanes have tight cargo spaces, and soft duffel bags fit where hard cases don’t. Pack each person’s gear in one or two waterproof or lined duffels, keep rods in a tube, and weigh everything at home. A small dry bag for the boat keeps your rain gear, camera and snacks close at hand.
Every veteran fly-in angler has the one item they’ll never forget again. For some it’s the rain pants left on the kitchen table at home and a week of wet knees. For others it’s the head net, missed on the first trip and packed first ever since. Ask the most experienced person in your group what theirs is, and put it at the top of the list.
Your fly-in packing checklist
Print or save this checklist, and adjust it to your operator’s list and weight limit.
Documents and licences
- Passport, passport card or NEXUS card
- Ontario Outdoors Card and fishing licence
- Booking confirmation, operator contact and base address
- Bait receipts, if you buy bait in Ontario
Clothing
- Base layers, fleece or wool mid-layers
- Waterproof rain jacket and rain pants
- Warm hat, gloves, sun hat and sunglasses
- Waterproof boots or shoes that can get wet, and dry camp shoes
- Extra socks
Fishing
- Rods in a travel tube, reels and spare line
- Tackle for your lake’s species
- Pliers, hook removers and a landing net if the camp doesn’t supply one
- Fillet knife and fish bags, if you plan to keep fish
Personal and safety
- Insect repellent and a head net
- Sunscreen and lip balm
- Medications and a personal first-aid kit
- Headlamp or flashlight with spare batteries
- Small dry bag for the boat
If your camp is self-catering
- Food for every day, plus extra for a weather delay
- Drinks, coffee and shore lunch supplies
- Bedding or a sleeping bag, if not supplied
- Coolers and sturdy food containers
Leave at home
- Live bait, crayfish and leeches
- Cannabis, which can’t be brought across the border
- Hard-sided luggage
Ready to go
Once the bags are packed, the next step is the journey north. Our guide to your first fly-in fishing trip walks through the travel day from the floatplane base to the dock, and our border and licence checklist for American anglers covers documents, licences, food and alcohol at the border. Still choosing a camp? Explore the lodges and outposts in our guide to Ontario fly-in fishing lodges and trips.
Have a packing question for your trip? Ask the iFishCanada Trip Planner.
Bait, food and climate details on this page were checked against official Ontario and Canadian government sources on November 7, 2026, and baggage guidance against operator listings in the iFishCanada directory. Confirm current rules and your operator’s limits before your trip.