A chance to save some moolah $$

Good morning everyone!

We've been meaning to tell everyone about another great benefit the NOTO organization provides that we are able to pass on to you guys.  As members of NOTO (Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario) we  have better access to industry information that allows us to better serve our guests - you guys!  To find out more about NOTO you can read an old post here or visit their website: www.noto.ca.  Everyone involved with the NOTO organization does a great job and works tirelessly to help those involved with outdoor tourism.

One of the perks of NOTO membership that we can directly pass onto our guests is a 20% discount at all Choice Hotels in Ontario.  When planning your trip up to Eagle Falls Lodge you may be planning to stay the night in Ontario either before or after your week of fishing.

We always stay in Dryden, ON (which is about 2 1/2 hours from Red Lake) and this year decided to test out this NOTO savings perk.  The Comfort Inn in Dryden is a Choice Hotel member and they gladly approved the discount and adjusted our room rate to include the "camp discount".

The Comfort Inn in Dryden has nice accommodations, a continental breakfast, and is located close to a McDonalds and Robins Donuts if you want to pick up some breakfast on your way out of town.  You can find out more details about this hotel on their website here.  The telephone number for this hotel is 807-223-2893.

Just another hotel option for those of you who have yet to make the trip up this year, or for anyone making plans for future summers.  Please let us know if you have any questions about this discount.  We look forward to hearing if anyone tests this out, let us know about your experience.

And a BIG thank you to NOTO!

End of June fishing report for Red Lake & Parker Lake

The end of June is already upon us and we saw several more nice fish caught and released this week.

We had a wild mix of weather this week which illustrates the need to pack for all situations.  A cool, overcast day with intermittent rain showers and 30 mph winds was followed up by a sunny and calm day in the mid 80s.

This can be illustrated by these two pictures of Louie - both taken on the same day!

The windy days produced better fishing and we were flooded with excellent reports from both Red Lake and Parker Lake.

Coby took the top spot on the catch and release board with this hefty 44" fish caught within the first hour of the trip.

Guests still reported catching walleye anywhere from 6' - 13' deep.  Lindy rigs with night crawlers and leeches as well as jigs and crankbaits worked well.  If you're wondering what lindy rigs are, you can read our post on how to make them here http://eaglefallslodge.blogspot.ca/2011/03/tie-your-own-lindy-rigs.html.  If you're coming to see us this summer we'd also be happy to show you how to tie them at the lodge.


We had a group up this week, some of which had been to Black Bear Lodge when the Rundles were operating that camp before opening Eagle Falls Lodge.  They had some neat stories about camping by Parker Lake before the guest cabins were built.

They made the trip up this year with their sons and had a great week!

Here is Trevor with a nice 35" northern pike off of Red Lake

 

Trevor and his brother, Cameron, made nice contributions to the weekly fish fry...

...and learned how to clean their own fish!

I have to hand it to these guys, they planned to do a shore lunch and the non-stop rain didn't stop them!

Here is TJ with a fat 24" walleye the released back into Red Lake

 He also caught this 38" northern on Red Lake

Way to go guys!  

Pie eating contest!

You all remember Ben (Skip's grandson) and Cole (Jack's grandson) from the last blog post, right?  Well they provided a major service to us last week by polishing off some leftover desserts.  Leftovers are pretty much public enemy number one around here.  If you don't stay on top of things it can get ugly.  So, in an effort to keep the refrigerator organized we try and offer up any leftover sweets after dinner each day.  I swear, if you wait 20-30 minutes after the meal they get scooped RIGHT up!

But, that being said it's all about how you sell it.  You have to work the crowd in order to make the sale.  The desserts in question last week happened to be 2 pieces of coconut cream pie.  How these delicious meringue topped beauties lasted past their initial unveiling I will never know.  But something had to be done.  Mary-Jane and I were staring at these poor pieces of pie in the storage room and about to plop them into the scrap bucket (such tragic fate!) when she perked right up and said, "How about a pie eating contest?!" Genius!

We sauntered into the main lodge with one piece of pie on each plate to make our pitch.  Lucky for us two growing young men (Ben and Cole) were playing cards and we had found what we were looking for.

They LOVED the idea!  So, naturally, it got recorded on video (you are welcome) for your viewing pleasure...

Cole was a good sport, and immediately following this loss he eyed the two remaining birthday cupcakes that were still out and proposed a rematch.  Which resulted in video 2....

If you blinked you may have missed it.  One bite, folks!

I think Ben may have career options, don't you agree?

Well done boys!  Never a dull moment around here.

If you were in a food eating contest what would you dominate in?  Or what food should you avoid?  For me, the list of options to try for are endless.  I think I could eat an infinite amount of fresh peaches or bowls of ice-cream.  Yum!  Mayonnaise would be my worst nightmare.

A trio of three generations and a trio of birthdays

I know we are well into our 5th week (WHAT?!  How is that possible???) but I wanted to share some more from last week before I blink and it is August.

We have a fair amount of guys who either bring their son/daughter or grandson/granddaughter up to the lodge for a week of fishing, but last week we had three guests who brought up their son AND grandson for a trio of three generations!  How cool is that?  We hope these weeks are some that will never be forgotten and it is really cool to get to be a part of such a fun family memory.

Here is Skip, his grandson Ben, and his son John.  Skip has been coming up since before I was born!

Next up we have Dave, with his grandson Brandon, and his son Bill.  I believe Dave's first trip up may have literally been the week I was born.

 Here is Jack, his grandson Cole, and his son-in-law Gene.  Jack is a friend of Skip's from Arizona and has made the trip up the last few years, and decided to bring along some of his family this time.

Cole had his 13th birthday while he was up fishing last week.  

It gave us an excuse to make an extra chocolate-ty chocolate cake.   

Remember Randy's 40 inch northern pike?  

Well, he also celebrated his birthday last week!  

Wait a second, I said a TRIO of birthdays....

I mean, what 27 year old doesn't want a birthday crown?  Travis, his siblings, and our friend Mary-Jane definitely know how to make it fun.  I never know what my birthday will include up here at the Eagle Falls Lodge.  This year I got to go to Timbit Town (see the last post), enjoy a Margarita, and move a few boats - we are in Canada after all!  

"Timbit Town"

So, here is the thing....


I have a definite love/hate relationship with donuts.  Any and all donuts.  My best strategy is to avoid walking in the vicinity of any place that offers them.  This becomes extra challenging if they are giving AWAY donuts.  Don't get me wrong, I will treat myself every now and again, but I can polish off a baker's dozen in no time flat.

Last summer Red Lake, Ontario got their very own Tim Horton's restaurant (read: donut heaven).  This is a fairly widespread Canadian franchise restaurant that specializes in (you guessed it) donuts.  I'd say it wasn't until last July that this became a real problem for me.  Tim Horton's is located on your way out of town (heading towards Vermillion Bay) so on a typical town day I wouldn't even go by it.  I need to find more town errands on this end of town so I can enjoy them more often.

I would highly suggest to everyone coming up to see us that they check it out for themselves.

Here at the Eagle Falls Lodge we have affectionately started calling it "Timbit Town".  Hehe.  For you poor souls out there that are thinking "what the heck is a tidbit?" let me tell you.  Timbit's are the equivalent of a donut hole - and at "Timbit Town" you can get 40 of them for like 6 dollars.  I told you this was trouble.

Now, if donut holes aren't your thing they have lots of other delicious looking donuts, pastries, muffins, etc.  And coffee, of course.  They also serve actual meals, but who am I kidding.  (Side note: Travis will tell you that their breakfast sandwiches are delicious and the lunch is good as well.)

So, to review...

YOU MUST GO TO THERE!!!

Please report back with any and all suggestions as to what I should have on my next visit.

Red Lake and Parker Lake: Mid-June Fishing Report

Hello everyone!

Sorry we were a bit M.I.A. on the blog this week.  It was a combination of our town trip falling on the day when the ENTIRE town of Red Lake was without power and some intermittent internet challenges through out the week at the lodge.  And we had a full house, so there is that.

This week was WONDERFUL!!!  Again, we can't say enough how much we love our guests.  The group that loaded up to head home this morning came to Eagle Falls Lodge for the first time in 1986.  As in the year I was born.

A nice looking group, eh?

These guys fished pretty hard on both Red Lake and Parker Lake.  I think they would all agree that most of the walleye were found anywhere from 5-9 ft of water.  The walleye are still very shallow.  We are just beginning to see weeds pop up on Parker Lake, which suggests the lake weed growth, water temperature, and normal patterns are a bit behind compared to an average year.

These guys are veterans and had a blast catching loads of really nice fish, as the walleye bite continues to improve following a late ice-out earlier this spring.

Check out some of these lunkers:

Bill with a nice 35 inch northern pike on Parker Lake

 

Dennis with his 25.5 inch walleye on Red Lake

Don's 26.5 inch walleye on Red Lake

Don's 27.25 inch walleye on Red Lake

Don's 28.25 inch walleye on Red Lake 

- the largest walleye to date on the 2013 catch and release board

Here is John with a nice walleye off of Red Lake

Not sure which looks better, the fish or that sharp looking Eagle Falls Lodge hat he's wearing!

Here is Gary with his 39 inch northern pike

Another big walleye on Parker Lake caught by Dave this week

Here is Mel with his 24.5 inch walleye

Randy had the biggest northern for the week - 40 inches

And check out Skip's fat 19.5 inch walleye off of Parker Lake

All the photographed fish above were caught and released this week!  Way to go guys!

One thing we continue to be encouraged by are the really healthy, fat looking walleye that guys (and gals) are catching on both Red Lake and Parker Lake this year.

We will continue to see more weeds sprout up on Parker and in the shallower bays on Red Lake which is typical for this time of year.  I'm sure the fishing will only get better next week.

I better finish up the town errands and head back to camp to gear up for the group arriving tomorrow!

Week 3 guests

Hi there!

We are constantly amazed at how lucky we are with the guests who choose Eagle Falls Lodge as their fishing vacation destination.  We look forward to seeing everyone year after year and they have all become very close members of our Eagle Falls Lodge family.  And the group we just wrapped up with in week 3 is no different!  

As hard as it to say goodbye each Friday morning, we know that the next day we have more smiling faces headed our way ready to catch up.  It's kinda like a 15 week long family reunion.  Oh yeah, and there is fishing.  Lots of fishing!

Here I am with one our beloved guests, Harry, from Ohio.  He has a great laugh and incredible stories.  His group stumbled on our website four seasons ago and they have been coming each year since.  How lucky are we?

These guys are from Sedalia, Missouri.  As many of you know the Matejas who ran the lodge in the 1990's and early 2000's are from Sedalia and we still have many guests from the Sedalia area.  This crew was last at Eagle Falls in 1995!  They certainly noticed a few changes since their last trip up.  We love hearing stories about fishing trips and adventures which took place well before our tenure as lodge owners.

Here are a few pictures from the past week of a big group shore lunch.  I love watching how seperate groups start to intermingle and get to know each other through out the week.  By the end of the week, everyone knows each other and sits together.  This shore lunch started out as just some of Travis' family, but by the end of the week most of the guests had joined in for a MEGA shore lunch!  Super fun.

Obligatory sunset picture...

And just for fun.... 

Any guesses as to what job I was about to tackle?  

Thanks for the photobomb, Travis (and Cosmo).

More big Northern Pike caught on Parker Lake this week!

Good morning everyone!

We dropped off another group of guests this morning who just wrapped up a great week of fishing on Red Lake and Parker Lake.  

We are still gathering and organizing some pictures from this past week - so check back later this weekend for some more fish pictures.

Below you will see some big northern pike that were caught and released on Parker Lake this past week.  These guys are dedicated fishermen who keep track all week of what they catch and may be a tad bit competitive.  

Shawn caught this nice 40 inch northern pike earlier in the week.

They definitely go after northern pike for the most part, but had some really nice walleye caught this week as well.  Here is Dan with a 25.5 inch walleye off of Parker Lake.

Here is Dan with another big walleye.

Nice work guys! 

For those of you wondering if our bear friend has been back, he/she has not been seen since Monday's initial sighting.  Just passing through I guess.  We will keep you posted if any more unexpected guests visit us at the lodge!

Happy Friday everyone!

Black bear sighting in camp!

Good morning everyone!

We are well into our 3rd week of guests (which doesn't seem possible) and they are having a great week so far.  Weather has stayed very nice, but we had an overcast day yesterday and we've gotten a little bit of rain in the evenings.

Travis' family is up here so he is finally making some time to fish with his siblings and dad while they are up this week.  Yesterday he snuck out for most of the day, so Mary-Jane and I had fun preparing the meals and hanging out around the lodge.

While we were busy making these.....

This guy (or gal) meandered into camp...

Yikes!  Before watching the video I need to do a little build-up for you all.

For those of you who don't know myself or Mary-Jane we have a TON of fun together.  Pretty much any mundane or undesirable task we face at Eagle Falls Lodge (or anywhere else for that matter) we can make fun.  So after our mountain of dishes yesterday morning we launched into pie making.  Mary-Jane was busy finishing the meringue on the coconut cream pie and getting it in the oven while I was battling a wasp in the hallway.  We have had our fair share of wasp battles this week for whatever reason.  Remind me to get Travis on that.

Anywho.   I had just swatted another wasp to death and opened the door to dispose of said wasp.  At this point I remembered I should probably do the cabin checks, so I start to leave the main lodge and head over to the big cabin.  I get just outside the door and I notice this big dark mass in front of me a little to the left.  My thought process is this: "How strange for Cosmo to be milling around outside.  Maybe he got stuck out here when everyone was leaving for the docks.  Waaaaaait a minute, my sweet puppy boy is yellow - not black.  Black = bear.  Bear = danger.  Oh crap, get back inside!"

For a timeframe reference, that entire conversation I had with myself took place in about the time Mary-Jane placed the pies in the oven to bake the meringue.

Panic and hilarity ensue.  Not once were we actually afraid.  I ran back inside yelling for the camera.

Sidenote:  Here at Eagle Falls Lodge the top of the refrigerator is a dumping ground for all random papers, screwdrivers, lures, pens, etc.  Naturally there is a camera waiting for us there for such an occasion.

We spend the next SEVERAL minutes taking photos and videos of the bear.  Where is our bear defender puppy, Cosmo, you ask?  Sacked out in his bed.  So much for that.  We didn't even start to think about having to deal with this bear situation until everything was adequately documented and discussed.  We were just getting ready to formulate a plan to get him/her out of camp when we realized THE PIES!!!  Drop the camera, oven mitts on, and swing open the oven door.  Whew, pies are fine.

Okay, back to the bear.  Mary-Jane did an excellent job scaring him/her back into the woods.  Oh, the adventures we have here at camp.  So much fun and excitement.  The best part was when Cosmo finally woke up and was outside he clearly could smell the bear.  With the hair on his back raised he quickly went into defensive mode - looking at us like "uh ladies, we should head back inside.  Seems we have a situation here - never fear, I will protect you!"  About 30 minutes too late, Cosmo.

You can hear us giggling in the background of the video.  Too funny.

You will be happy to know that the pies turned out beautifully!  Everyone seemed to enjoy them as a nice ending to the Monday night fish fry.

Did anyone else have unexpected guests yesterday?  We haven't had this type of unexpected guest in at least two years.  Sheesh.

Until next time.