Topwater Trolling

Topwater trolling is certainly an unconventional, yet highly effective, technique for catching Northern Pike.  First and foremost I love casting for Northern Pike and I still spend most of my Pike time slinging lures across the water.  However, casting all day can be tiresome and this technique provides a much needed rest for achy shoulders and arms.

Others may be using this tactic, but I'll give the credit to my brother Carson for perfecting it.  When he suggested it for the first time I was fairly skeptical, but after trying it several times the last couple years I'm convinced it works.  His lure of choice is a Zara Spook and he forward trolls the boat slightly faster than idle speed.  He lets out 60-80 feet of line and twitches his wrist and lightly pops the rod tip causing the lure to bob back and forth to achieve an exaggerated "Walk the Dog" lure motion.  I quickly found the two things you can do wrong is to leave too much slack in line and not pop the lure in a consistent pattern.  That will result in plenty of missed strikes.

We've caught many fish topwater trolling over the last couple years similar to the one Carson is holding above.  I've even been surprised to catch a couple walleye when trolling over shallower areas.  Our best outing yielded over two dozen fish in less than an hour trolling over the top of submerged weeds on Red Lake.  I plan to try other types of topwater lures next season.  Give topwater trolling a try this season and see what you think!

My Favorite Things

Hello all!

Can you believe it is already January 19th?  Crazytown.  In four short months we will be back north working our tails off (Cosmo already did this...ha!) getting ready to welcome our first group over Memorial Day.  So naturally Travis and I are starting to think about everything we hope to accomplish, both before we arrive in Canada and throughout the summer.  I know we try to ask everyone during their week for suggestions, but now that you have had a few months to ponder on this subject we'd like to ask again.  What do you absolutely love & would revolt against all things Eagle Falls if it changed?  What do you think can be improved?  What idea are we totally missing that seems obvious to you?  We LOVE feedback (as long as it is constructive and not too harsh...just kidding...but seriously).

My favorite things about Eagle Falls Lodge:
1. The people that make each week memorable.  We have made some amazing friends!
2. Hearing a guest tell a story about the "monster catch" they made.
3. Sitting on the deck looking out onto Parker Lake.
4. FISHING!!
5. Working on projects with Travis and Cosmo.
6. MORE FISHING!!
7. Hanging out laundry - nothing beats that fresh Canadian wilderness smell on clean sheets.
8. Baking cinnamon rolls each week.
9. Seeing the smile on Cosmo's face after a long day of chasing frogs, swimming, and long naps by the kitchen doorway.
10. Sinking into my pillow at night, because lets face it - we can put in some LONG days.

As for that view I was talking about...

Your turn!

Carrie

The Best Part of your Fishing Trip

What's your favorite part of a fishing trip to Canada?  

I was one of the lucky ones who was fortunate enough to start visiting Canada at a young age and continue a family tradition year after year.  What was my favorite part?  All of it! Seriously.  

The anticipation of the trip made the drive seem short.  I loved stopping at The Chocolate Moose for lunch before crossing the border.  The scenery is still breathtaking - all of those lakes and trees as far as you can see!  I liked unpacking in our cabin room knowing we had an entire week to spend outside fishing and exploring.  My father, uncle, brother, two sisters, and many great friends came along so I had fun with a new fishing partner each day.  I relished reeling in fish after fish after fish.  I liked chatting with the Matejas and the Aikens and enjoyed their terrific cooking.  I basked in the comfort of the lodge in the evening swapping stories or making battle plans for the next day on the giant map.  But if you make me pick just ONE favorite aspect of a trip to Canada it is savoring every bite of a Canadian shore lunch.  

                                  

This is a tradition that my family loves and during our stays we would enjoy multiple shore lunches.  The delicious taste of fresh caught walleye immediately filleted and fried is tough, if not impossible, to beat.  Thinking about it makes my mouth water.  I've tried time and time again to duplicate the shore lunch satisfaction at restaurants and at home without success.      

If you're not familiar with shore lunches, they basically consist of fresh fish, fried potatoes, and beans.  Pretty simple, but it must be the simplicity that makes it so good.  Onions and lemons are luxuries if included, but certainly not necessary.  We spend the morning "working" to catch lunch and then meet others at an agreed upon spot on the lake for lunch.  It's usually not a hard job catching lunch so we liked to challenge ourselves to find the "perfect" lunch fish.   

At Eagle Falls Lodge, we provide everything you need for a shore lunch except the fish and that's where you come in.  Just let us know the night before and we'll have your kit ready.  With a little practice, you'll have the fish, beans, potatoes hot and ready to eat all at the same time.