Red Lake Ice Out

The ice is off the lake and we are making preparations for our journey north in a few days.  We don't have word yet on the official date that will be recorded, but it will likely be between April 13 - April 18.  That will certainly set a new record for earliest ice out.  The previous record was April 20th and our friends at Red Lake Marine informed us the ice was mostly off the lake by April 15th.  To put that in perspective average ice out is May 8th.

You might be wondering how that will affect fishing.  Our best guess is this will lead to an early and plentiful spawn.  The above average temperatures will cause warmer water which should keep fish active and feeding all summer.  We are very optimistic about 2012 being the most productive fishing season yet!   Another question is will a mild winter and warm spring make for a HOT summer?  Time will tell...

We will have a few extra days of preparation this year and hope to put an extra dent in our wish list of projects.  We will try to get a post up as soon as we get everything running at camp.

Red Lake Map

Every part of the week in Canada is magical, but let us talk about a little magic found in the map of Red Lake. There is a beautiful map hanging in the main lodge.  I have one stowed away in my tackle box and one on my wall at home.  If this summer brings your first trip to Eagle Falls Lodge, your waterproof copy is awaiting purchase. This map is good for finding fish, planning adventures, and recounting the day's successes.

I like starting out the day in front of the map in the main lodge with my fishing partner.  If there is a wind blowing across Parker Lake behind us we can use the map to locate all of the shores awash by wind-swept waves - the shores with mud-lines.  These mud-lines attract walleye with the promise of food washed in from the banks. After a successful morning catching the most edible sized walleye (16-17") we meet at the predetermined (using the map) location for our shoreline lunch.

Following the finest fish dinner I have found anywhere, sometimes I feel like adventure.  This might be found in casting or trolling for the aggressive and hard-fighting northern pike which are frequently found in the pools below flowing water.  I reference the map to find rivers and creeks feeding into Red Lake and Parker.  Sometimes I feel like finding a new walleye fishing spot.  Walleye depth is usually figured out during the morning fishing trip.  Using this knowledge and my trusty map I can fish at similar depths, which are frequently very productive.  If I feel like a sight-seeing adventure, the Red Lake map also highlights historical landmarks which include wagon roads, abandoned gold mines and pictograph island which depicts the 'Legend of Red Lake'.

At the end of the day I have used the map several times.  It helps me catch fish, meet for lunch, locate new fishing locations and explore.  Through all of this I don't get lost and I don't hit rocks with my new 20 hp motor because I have navigated with the map as well.  I have one last use for the map before the day ends.  Near the wood stove in the main lodge (see right side of the picture below, courtesy of Carson Mack) the map on the wall collects the tales of the day's feats.  It is the perfect visual aid for showing where the walleye were brought up as fast as I could get my line back in the water, where the I caught and released the 42" northern pike as the wind washed the boat farther up the creek that was emptying into the bay, where the eagles are nesting this year and where a miner's cabin from the 1930s can be seen from the water.

I might hear stories of a moose on the shoreline, a portage trip that found small mouth bass, a northern pike too big for the net (don't let this be your story, bring a big net), or a 29" walleye that was caught and released so it can reproduce and grow to be bigger next year.  In the telling of these adventures I am certain that sometimes the fishing location is pointed out a little ways away from where the fish were actually caught - imagine that - but on the whole the Red Lake Map is an excellent tool to make the trip to Eagle Falls Lodge a success. 







    

Medical Upgrade

The newest addition to our extensive first aid collection this season is a Philips Heartstart AED (automated external defibrillator).  Carrie and I both renewed our CPR training this spring and practiced operating an AED.  Carrie has been affectionately calling him Phil.

An AED is a portable electronic device that is capable of diagnosing a heart arrhythmia and treating it with electrical energy to reestablish a regular heart beat.  Untreated heart arrhythmia can lead to cardiac arrest and every minute is critical.  AEDs have been proven to save lives on multiple occasions.  We are hoping ours collects dust and is never put to the test.

The most likely medical situation we face is probably dealing with a flesh wound due to a fish hook.  We have successfully removed a few hooks in the last few years, and this is also an injury that lots of anglers can handle themselves.  Of course if you aren't comfortable with us taking a hook out, we'd be happy to take you in to the clinic in town.  The lodge is about 20 minutes away from the hospital in Red Lake via boat and vehicle.  We took a guest in last year with a particularly nasty hook injury and the clinic successfully removed the hook for about $50 and only lost 2 hours of fishing time.  Not bad, huh?

Eagle Falls Lodge Art

I hope everyone is having a lovely Easter weekend.  The weather continues to be ridiculously beautiful here in Central Illinois.  I wanted to share some of the art that we have received since taking over the camp in 2009, all gifts from our beloved guests!  I'd like to think that I am someone who appreciates painting and photography and I love having these beautiful AND original pieces of art to show off in our home.

This first picture is of some note-cards that our super close/life-saving/adventure-seeker/makes ANYTHING fun-friend Mary-Jane Owen had made as a Christmas gift.  We are almost out (ah-hem...please give us more, Mary-Jane) and they have really come in handy for thank-you cards, etc.  She took both of these pictures while at the lodge - aren't they fun?

These next two prints were given to us by a first-time guest last summer named Stephen Gorman.  He painted while at the lodge and kept the original watercolors, but sent us very nice quality prints of his paintings showcasing both views of Parker Lake.

When my grandma came up to the lodge in 2010 she took a bunch of pictures to show everyone back in Missouri.  Our relative, Mary A. Shepherd Davies, does watercolor paintings and painted this next piece from a picture my grandma showed her after the trip.  She painted several, and Travis and I got to pick out which watercolor we wanted to have matted and framed.  What a fun present!

This next photograph is our most recent addition to the Eagle Falls Lodge art collection and was given to us by Jeff Zwieg.  He does some professional photography and always has amazing pictures to share each summer after his trip to the lodge.  He even made the frame just for me!  If you look closely at the top he included a view of the camp from the lake as well.

Finally, we have another watercolor painted for us by a very close family friend who traveled all the way from Rhode Island last summer.  Leslie Bostrom is an artist by trade and I was lucky enough to grow up in a house with Bostrom paintings.  We have not done this piece justice and still need to have it framed nicely.  However it is hanging in a position where Cosmo can see it, so he gets a little Eagle Falls Lodge fix during the winter months.  Yeah, we don't baby him AT ALL.

Impressive, right?  We may need to open a small gallery where these can be properly displayed.  We truly do love having them in our home, it makes us feel closer to Red Lake year-round, and it is always fun to show new people what the lodge is like.

Take care,
Carrie

ps.  We leave in 4 weeks!