Hungry Fish!

The 2010 fishing season is upon us and looks to be fantastic at first glance. Yes, we managed to sneak away from the camp opening chores for an hour on the water. We had no trouble catching a dozen fish off “Stringer Point” on Parker during our hour of fun. The weather has been very warm - upper 70s and even 80s during our first week and it's only rained once! A nice contrast to last year's weather so far. The water is much lower than what you'll remember from last summer which provided some opportunities for creative dock repairs. Other chores here are coming along nicely. We're still working on the new internet connection. Patching the leaks started out like the 'whack a mole' game at the old arcade. We patched one leak and three more popped up. But we have finally managed to catch up and are happy to report that all plumbing and electrical systems are in good order. The cabins are clean, the boats are in the water, and the fish would like to be fed. See you soon!

On the road again

We leave today!

Cosmo is clearly excited. This will be a short post, as we are ready to get on the road. After Saturday we will have switched over to our summer contact information.

We will always be available through email:

eaglefallslodge@yahoo.com

And our summer phone numbers:

807-727-7100 (lodge phone)

807-727-3757 (town phone)

We also wanted to remind everyone that we still have some openings for the 2010 season. The following weeks have some room left, so don't hesitate to contact us for more information.

June 26-July 2 --- 8 openings

July 3-July 9 --- 8 openings

July 10-July 16 --- 10 openings

Aug 28-Sept 3 --- 10 openings

Sept 4-Sept 10 --- 10 openings

For those of you who are interested in coming, but these weeks don't work please contact us and we will see what we can do.

We will post again when we have arrived. Look for lots of lodge updates headed your way!

Keeping it Legal

Hello all!

I talked to Travis at work today while he was excitedly finishing up his desk job this week. We like to check on each other during the day to make sure everyone is working as they should be. Well lucky me, he had a whole list of things to keep me busy. Isn't he sweet? That is a rhetorical question, because everyone who knows him would say yes without hesitation. I am a lucky girl. Alright, I got a bit sidetracked there. Today I was asked to write another blog post! He better watch out, or I will be the main author here before too long. I was actually thinking myself that we should get one written this week before we leave for Canada.

Hopefully with all the research we have done, okay that Travis has done, we will have a much more reliable and consistent internet connection this summer. Our goal is to keep everyone up to date on the Eagle Falls Lodge excitement throughout the summer. (Think lots of pictures, record catches, weather updates, maybe some guest bloggers?) We would love to know what you guys want to hear about this summer, so we can be sure to keep our readers happy. Let us know!

Anywho, before we can get up there and (cross your fingers) have new and improved cyber capabilities we have to get across the BORDER! Eek! I am a bit of a stress magnet, so you can image how I feel about this obstacle, albeit routine and somewhat straight forward. The number one thing to bring with you would be your passport. Everyone is now required to have a valid passport book or passport card to regain entry into the United States. We have had a few questions about who needs a passport, how long it takes to get a passport, how much does it cost, etc. The US Department of State has a really good website with lots of answers and information regarding passports. You can find them here.

The other card you don't want to forget is your Ontario Outdoors Card. You now need this card to obtain a fishing license as a non-resident fishing in Ontario. This card is NOT a fishing license, and is used for identification and administration purposes. While fishing in Ontario you need both your fishing license and your Outdoors Card with you in the boat. For those who had a valid Ontario fishing license in 2009, you should have received your permanent Ontario Outdoors Card over the winter in the mail. Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has more information about the Outdoors Card requirements for non-residents here.

Despite these small hassles we can promise you that it is definitely still worth it to come up and visit us at Eagle Falls Lodge the first chance you get. Travis and I both feel that it is best to keep it legal from the start, to avoid any disruptions during your vacation or any trouble at the end of a great week of fishing. If anyone finds that they still have questions regarding their Passport or Ontario Outdoors Card, or anything else, don't hesitate to ask!

Sports Show Recap

Hello!

Cosmo & I have been busy organizing and preparing these last few weeks and I came across our digital camera. It amazes me how long digital camera's batteries stay charged. This guy hadn't been on in months (which saddens me because I have this fear of not accurately documenting our existence) and it clicked right on. Incredible, don't you think? The last pictures taken were of our sports show booth this winter! I thought I would share them with all of you and reminisce about our first sports show season experiences.

In the picture from left to right is myself, Mary-Jane Owen (very close friend and lodge enthusiast), Mercer Mack (Travis's sister), and Whitney Mack (Travis's other sister).

Apparently I can't take serious pictures, thus the thumbs up & the peace sign. What can I say, we stayed pretty entertained in our fun-filled show booth.

As the proud seasoned owners of Eagle Falls Lodge we looked forward to trying out some sports shows this winter. Neither Travis or myself had really worked a booth at something like this before, so we decided to start with something on the smaller scale to get our feet wet. At the end of January we attended the Fin & Feather Sports Show in Bloomington, IL. This was a good opener for us because we could stay with Travis's family during the show. Getting input from them was very helpful and after the first day we actually changed some stuff to make our booth more visually appealing and inviting. We definitely felt like a little fish in a BIG pond. There are some very professional set ups in sports show land, but we held our heads high and met a lot of really neat people. It took us about 30 minutes tops to set up and tear down our booth, but its simplicity was a good indication for what we are all about. Also, I think the fact that we were handing out FREE maple creme cookies boosted our popularity.

The show was a huge success! We left feeling very encouraged to try other shows as a new marketing strategy that hadn't been used in the recent past for the camp. Many of you may recall that in our Christmas letter we mentioned the Minneapolis sports show that took place in March. This show would be much larger than our first one, but we felt that having some experience would help lead to another successful show in Minneapolis. Well.......so much for plans, eh? Fortunately for the Macks but unfortunately for the lodge Travis got a new fancy job this spring that would make it impossible for us to travel to Minneapolis for the five day show in March. We discussed every option of making it happen: me going alone, having some lodge guests in the area help out, Cosmo and his buddies taking over, none of which made the cut. So we apologize for misleading our avid fans, but this job was an offer we couldn't quite refuse. As much as we like steady paychecks, we were disappointed not to attend. We did get to go to a show in Des Moines that was a Saturday/Sunday show to hit another part of the Midwest. It was the Iowa Bassmasters' Fisherman Expo show held in late February. This show had a really good turn out, especially considering the winter weather that everyone in Des Moines was ready to see disappear.

These two shows gave us a chance to see what else is out there and what other lodges are doing to ensure their guests have the best week of fishing. That continues to be our priority and we were glad to meet some people that were willing to share their stories and experiences with us. Most of all it brought back that twinkle in Travis's eye that only talking about fishing and Eagle Falls Lodge can do. I guess I better get back to packing, and I can check the camera off my list. We will need it to document the twinkle in YOUR eye this summer at Eagle Falls Lodge!

Tight Lines!

You may have encountered the massive wall of fishing line you'll find at most fishing tackle retailers these days. It seems there are almost too many choices with more offered all the time. Much emphasis is placed on rods and reels and baits, but often fishing line is overlooked. Line selection can make the difference between an average day of fishing and a tremendous day of fishing and is the only link between you and that catch of a lifetime.

There are three main types of line: monofilament, braided, & fluorocarbon. Monofilament is the easiest to work with. This type of line makes knot tying simple and casts well especially when new. It has the ability to stretch, which is a pro and a con for mono. It can help absorb the force of a fighting fish, but reduces sensitivity making some light bites difficult to detect. The stretch also saves the bait frequently when snagged. Reversing the boat back over the snag usually will free the bait. Mono is subject to abrasion and has spool memory so it needs replaced if it remains on the reel for extended periods of time. My favorite monofilament line to use is Berkley Trilene XL.

Braided line is newer to the angling community, but does have some distinct advantages. Braided line has minimal stretch which means you feel lighter hits and often hook a greater number of fish. It is also easier to distinguish between bumping a rock, log, or an actual bite. Knots are tougher to tie with this line and so is cutting it. Read the directions on the box for recommended knots or go with the Palomar knot. You can learn this knot here: http://www.activeangler.com/articles/how-to/articles/knots/palomar.asp. When using braided line you also need to either use a lighter action rod or reduce your drag to prevent pulling the hook out of a fish's mouth. Berkeley Fireline is a very recognizable braided line. I also like PowerPro especially when it comes to casting.

Fluorocarbon is the newest innovation in fishing line. It comes the closest to matching the refractive index of water and is virtually invisible when submerged. It is a low stretch line and sinks which helps when fishing crankbaits deep. It is abrasion resistant, but does have spool memory. Be sure to wet knots before tightening when working with flurocarbon since it is very susceptible to heat damage. The most popular fluorocarbon is Berkeley Vanish.

So, which one should you use? It's a matter of preference. My favorite selections vary depending on the type of fishing I'm doing. My favorite all-purpose line is monofilament. This line is simple to use and can be successfully used for jigging, casting, & trolling. If you have a couple reels to bring and can specialize your choices then I prefer braided line and fluorocarbon together when jigging. Braided lines are much more visible to fish so I prefer to use braided line tipped with a fluorocarbon leader. This provides the best of both worlds – super sensitivity and invisibility. When spending a day casting I opt for braided line like PowerPro. If trolling is on the agenda, I select a fluorocarbon. Try the different types and see which one you prefer. Let us know which line or combinations you have had success with fishing in Red Lake!