The Sutton river flows 90 miles across the Hudson bay lowlands spilling into Hudson bay in Polar Bear Provincial Park. The Sutton is widely regarded as “the world’s best brook trout river.” I have now guided over 100 clients on fourteen separate canoe/fishing trips down the length of the Sutton. Many of these clients have fly-fished the world’s most hallowed trout waters, and to the man, they all rank the Sutton river as the best stream trout action of their lives. The best way for me to describe this brook trout fishing is “shock and awe”! You can count on spectacular action for big, bold, beautiful brook trout on a fly rod or spinning gear. We average nearly 2000 brook trout for the group each trip, about 250 fish per angler. Very few of these fish are under 18”. Most average 19-21”. You will catch many big, hook-jawed males that go 20-23”. Our top-end Sutton brookies have taped 24” and weigh about 5 lbs. These fish are extremely aggressive and are powerful fighters out in the current. Sutton river brook trout are sea-run fish that grow big out in the bay gorging on baitfish and are coming upstream late-July and august to spawn in September. About half appear as bronze-colored native brookies with purple spots; the other half is silver/salmon-colored and more streamlined. As most anglers know, saltwater fish fight harder than freshwater fish, and these Sutton river brook trout prove this point.

The GS-2 Sutton river trips are not nearly as physically demanding as my Quetico trips. There is no portaging on the Sutton trip, and the river is only class 1 rapids. We do move downstream each day, dressed in chest waders, pulling our canoes ashore at each fishy looking pool to try our luck. Rarely are we ever disappointed. Nearly every good looking run or hole holds a pod of big brookies. Often, huge schools. We have caught/released hundreds from the same pool.

The Sutton is virtually 75 miles of ideal brook trout spawning substrate- limestone pea-gravel, which keeps the ph of the Sutton right at seven and the water nearly always gin-clear. You can often sight- fish these big brookies, throwing your fly or spinner to visible fish, holding in the 3-foot-deep, crystal clear runs. Suffice to say, most days on the Sutton, these big brookies beat you up, and it feels good to get out of your waders, collapse into a camp chair in the big screenhouse, share the thrills of the day and enjoy a delicious streamside dinner. Then it’s off to the tents for a short-nights rest and back into battle with big brookies, day after day.

Over the past decade, nobody else has come close to spending as much time on the Sutton as i have. I know how to budget our time so we maximize our fishing efforts on the best parts of the river. I know where the best places to camp are, and I know how to deal with the notoriously bad bugs. And of course, there is always the threat of polar bears in camp. It takes many trips down the Sutton to learn how to make the absolute most of each week on the river. Most people will only fish the Sutton once in their lifetime. Trust your precious Sutton river trip to GS-2.

Only half a dozen groups fish the Sutton river each year. It is a very special place and if more accessible, would be overrun in short order. It is a very long way from the nearest road to the Sutton. It is nearly a 3-hour floatplane flight to get there. So that is the rub. There is just no denying that it is expensive to get anglers in/out of such a remote location. I have established a unique working relationship with the fly-in service and a Cree Indian camp at the headwaters of the Sutton to store canoes and aviation fuel that helps keep the cost per angler of this trip manageable. Going with a crew of 5 clients plus myself fills the plane and also helps control costs. The GS-2 Sutton river trip is eight days on the water (about 6 ½ days of fishing) and includes canoes, camping gear, food supplies, and guide service. The GS-2 portion of this trip is $2500/person. Then there is a flight cost of $4450 Canadian (about $3400 u.s. dollars in 2019). So altogether- figure about $5900/person for this 8-day trip. A trip that sounds expensive, but you will look back on it as absolutely priceless. Perhaps the best money you have ever spent on a vacation.