In later years, my angling appetite has taken me to a few places that fly fishermen dream about.

Some sage said that trout fishermen are as much in love with trout country as the trout themselves.

Could be. As fond as I am of Maine and its wild trout waters, Alaska and Montana fishing always left me wanting more. And it was the country as much as the superb fishing. In Alaska, the braided rivers wind on and on. The meadow creeks in Montana seem to stop at the mountain foothills, but those foothills are a long way off.

In both places, you feel the unending bigness of it all. It is a good feeling that touches your soul and makes you glad to be a fisherman and a big fan of his handiwork.

So it was, that I had a long-sought opportunity to sample another big country: Labrador.

Last summer, sporting camp operators Matt and Ellen Libby graciously agreed to entrust their Labrador fishing camp, Riverkeep Lodge, on the remote Atikonak River with my wife Diane and me. Diane hired on as the camp’s chief cook. I was to work with the head guide as “camp manager” and MPS (main pot scrubber).

As you might guess, you come away from this experience with many memories and almost as many stories.

For Diane who performed her Herculean cooking chores with grace and an even temper, the chance to boss me around in the kitchen was almost as much fun for her as casting an Elk Hair Caddis during the evening rise. She has her own story and plans to put some of it to paper.

As for me, I have alway enjoyed doing dishes, so I was in my glory, especially on Sundays, which were turkey days with all the trimmings. What I found particularly satisfying was getting into the dishpan at about 10 p.m. after an evening of fishing. (Our daily regimen was to get the guests fed early enough for them and us to get on the water for the evening rise.) It was a chance to unwind, ponder tomorrow’s challenges and go to bed with clean hands.

Labrador hooked us early.

During the short flight in the Otter from Lab City to the Atikonak River, I was slackjawed by the same sense of bigness that left me awestruck in Alaska and Montana. Labrador gives new meaning to remote wilderness. Water and finger bogs meander as far as the eye can see. And no roads. Once we got settled in at Riverkeep Lodge and met the guides and saw the wonderful lodge and facilities, we felt like we belonged there. We knew that we had not miscalculated, and that we would get the job done and bring back memories.

Looking back at out Labrador experience and aside from the country itself, I remain most impressed by the guides and the Atikonak River fishery.

As you might surmise, most angling guests come to spend a week in a remote camp 90 miles from civilization not knowing quite what to expect. Except for sleeping and eating, these guests will be sharing long days in a boat with their guide. So the guide is a critical part of the Riverkeep experience. Whether by plan or just good fortune, the Libbys are blessed by the capable men they employ as river guides. Head Guide Wilson Lawrence is, as they say, the best of the best. A highly experienced Labrador outdoorsman, this guy is a thorough, capable outdoor pro who knows the weather, the water and the way to please customers. His wry sense of humor and deep love of the angling challenge never wanes, even on those rare occasions when the fish aren’t cooperating. Much the same can be said for the other two guides, Chris Williams and Gerard McClennon. Of course, Chris and Gerard have their own individual personalities and unique senses of humor. Chris is the more outgoing of the three. Nicknamed “Chunk” by his campmates, Chris is the storyteller and Mr. Congeniality. Gerard, more quiet and introspective, is easy-going and a pleasant boatmate. As with head guide Wilson, Chris and Gerard’s knowledge of the river and the fishery excels. They, too, love sport fishing and for them each day is an exciting new fishing opportunity and a chance to share an angling memory of a lifetime with a “sport.”

During my first few weeks of pot scrubbing for Diane, I shared fishing thrills vicariously with “the boys” from the kitchen as they kept each other and me informed of their respective fishing successes via VHF radio. It took just about two weeks for me to get acclimated to my lodge duties so that I felt comfortable taking some time off for fishing. About the time I began to learn to speak a little “Newfie” and grumble about dirty pots, Diane took away my pot scrubber and ordered me into our boat.

“Hey, bye,” she mocked. “Go catch a fish, eh?”

Ah yes, the fishing. The Atikonak watershed is, as advertised, a dream sport fishery.

During our five-week stay I remained spellbound by the size of everything: the fish, the river, the lake, the sunsets, the solitude, you name it. The Atikonak River is a remarkably diverse sport fishery. Gamefish include football size brookies, large landlocked salmon, monster lake trout, wonderful eating whitefish, and northern pike the size of torpedoes.

As I learned, the diversity of the Atikonak sport fishery is the key to happy anglers.

As with fishing anywhere, some days are better than others depending on weather, water levels and temperatures. This is where the diverse fishery comes in. If the trout fishing slows, the salmon are hitting wet flies in the fast water or the heavy lakers are patrolling along the seams of the fast water. On bright days, when some fish are down, there are always big brawling pike ready for action in the river backwaters. At any time of day, there are multitudes of whitefish surface feeding, a blast on light flyrods.

In short, on the Atikonak there are lots of fish, the fishing days are long with 10 p.m sunsets, and the Riverkeep guides, all polished fly fishermen in they own right, all have intimate knowledge of the river and the fish habits.

If you are reading this and pondering the possibility of a week at Matt Libby’s Riverkeep Lodge on the Atikonak’s Big Fishery, here’s some advice:

1. Do it. Between the long Labrador days and the action-packed sport fishery, you’ll look long and hard to find more bang for your fishing buck.

2. Bring the best rain gear you can find.

3. Listen to your guides. I say again. Even if you are an experienced fly fisherman, or a well read fly fisherman, come prepared to park your expertise and listen to your guides.

4. If you are dieting, leave your weightwatchers guide behind.

If you are anything like me, Labrador, especially Riverkeep Lodge on the Atikonak River, will always loom large in your storehouse of wonderful outdoor experiences.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].