How do I find a fishing camp for sale in Canada?

A fishing camp can be a drive-to lodge, a boat-in cluster of cabins or a fly-in outpost, and each is a different business to run. This page is about finding one as an accommodation business. If you want guided trips and the permits that go with them, our page on finding a hunting or fishing outfitter is the closer fit.

Where camps are advertised

Try fishing camp, fishing lodge, fishing cabins and outpost camp on business-for-sale sites. Many camps are also listed by brokers who specialise in tourism, and some are passed along by outfitters, boat dealers, fly-in operators and fuel suppliers who deal with the owner every year. Tell these people what you want. A quiet word often reaches an owner before any advertisement does.

Timing your search

Camps sell around the fishing season, and owners tend to decide in the months after it ends. Searching in late autumn and winter often finds owners ready to talk. Visiting during the season, if the seller will allow it, shows you the place with guests in it. Visiting out of season shows you the buildings, docks and roads without distraction.

First questions to ask

Before you travel, ask how guests get to the camp, how long it is open each year, and who stays there. A camp that depends on one boat, one road or one outfitter is a different risk from one with several ways in and many returning guests. Also ask how many guests come back and whether bookings are taken directly.

• How do guests and supplies reach the camp, and who maintains that route?
• What does the guest list look like, and who owns it?
• Are boats, motors and docks part of the sale?
• Is the camp on land the seller owns, or on other terms?

Land tenure for camps can be complicated, so leave that question to your lawyer. Your first job is to find out who holds the land and on what terms, then let your lawyer explain what that means for you.