The strong Canadian dollar isn't enough to scare away American anglers drawn to Manitoba's remote fly-in fishing lodges.

Jim Crowley, who lives in Illinois and co-hosts a U.S. fishing television show, has been travelling to Manitoba fly-in lodges for the past four years.

"Manitoba always holds something special for me," said Crowley.

After extensive travels throughout North America, Manitoba remains one of his favourite spots to fish due to its resources, he said.

There are about 150 fishing lodges across the province, said Carl Wall, executive director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association. The lodges feature guided and unguided fishing and are an important part of northern Manitoba's economy, he said.

This year has been a good one for the fly-in fishing industry, said Wall, which depends mainly on U.S. customers. Manitoba's central location, plentiful fish resources and the appeal of quiet, northern locations are some of the reasons behind the province's popularity, said Wall.

A report released by Statistics Canada in 2003 showed American anglers spend more than $60 million a year on average for fishing experiences in Manitoba.

American anglers are "the highest yield in terms of what they're willing to spend on fishing," said Linda Deger, a spokeswoman for Travel Manitoba.

FEELS THE PINCH

Shawn Gurke, who owns Nueltin Fly-in Lodges about 1,200 km north of Winnipeg on Nueltin Lake, said business has been busy this year.

"Repeat customers are what is driving us forward," he said.

Like many fly-in lodges, Gurke charges in U.S. dollars. His business, which is 20 years old, feels the pinch when they convert funds into Canadian dollars to pay their costs.

Jerry Dunlop runs Dunlop's Fly-in Lodge and Outposts on Lake Waskaiowaka, about 140 km northeast of Thompson. His business is only three years old but has already grown significantly. He started with 32 customers and has had 155 customers this year, with even more reservations scheduled for 2008.

The muscular Canadian dollar hasn't deterred American anglers from visiting but it has hit Dunlop's bottom line.

"The dollar is what hurts us the most," he said. "It's not cheap to operate here."

In the near future, Wall said lodges will have to focus more on competitive marketing and keeping costs down.

"The next couple of years are going to be very challenging," he said.

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