Week Four Update

Hello everyone!

Isn't this a good looking bunch of guys?  

We got this group packed up to head home to Wisconsin, Missouri, and Arizona this morning and thankfully the rain has FINALLY stopped for at least today.  These guys battled some wet weather during the last 7 days.  They caught loads of really nice eater sized fish this week and had fun fishing below the falls now that it has opened back up.  We had another nice walleye come off of Parker Lake - 27 inches!  

We also celebrated Father's Day with a bunch of great guys this past weekend and made these super tasty fish cookies to celebrate.

We are hoping to get out on the water ourselves this afternoon while the sun is shining (YEA!) before our next crew arrives tomorrow.  Can't believe June is almost over!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Big Fish Bar Inches Higher

Last week we endured rain almost every day.  The new battery powered bilge pumps came in handy since the boats were filling up with water about as fast as we could pump it out.  The rain cooled the water off significantly.  We saw surface water temps drop from the mid-60s to about 59-60 degrees and the water level came up almost a foot.  The guests (which included several family members) enjoyed an excellent week of fishing.  

The big fish bar was pushed higher thanks to their efforts and all of the fish mentioned and pictured were released!  My uncle Terry tied Brenda Holiski with a big 42" Northern Pike.  My sister Whitney came in just behind with a healthy 41.5" fish seen below.               

My dad Tracy landed a nice 28" Walleye seen below.  

My brother Carson caught another lunker Musky - this one measuring 42" seen below.  

Carrie celebrated her 26th birthday with a key lime pie (her favorite, and no - she didn't have to make it).  Also, I handled breakfast duties to allow Carrie to sleep in for a change.  She says thanks for all the birthday wishes!  

  

Water, water, everywhere...

Hello everyone!

We welcomed our third group to camp yesterday in the midst of some wet weather.  The fish must have been thirsty because we had 18 walleye measuring 20+ inches yesterday afternoon alone.  I am happy to say that all of those fish are on the catch and release board!  We celebrated tonight with a special turkey dinner.  Travis' uncle Terry from Iowa deep fried two turkeys and we had all the fixings to go with them - including pumpkin pie!

Last night we had lots of heavy rain, along with thunder and lightning.  Lets just say we spent a fair amount of time dodging raindrops as we pumped out all our boats this morning.

In other water news (is that cheesy enough for ya?) we got our first water sample results from our new fancy water system a few days ago and we passed with flying colors.  Woohoo!  You may remember that we upgraded our system earlier this spring to better match what is recommended by Ontario's provincial health unit for lodges, camps, & outfitters.  We will continue to get the water tested on a regular basis throughout the summer.

This is excellent news for three reasons.  First of all, we can now use water straight from the tap out at camp for everything without any worries.  Secondly, our fancy new water has a much improved taste.  Third of all, we can (and will!) strongly encourage people to leave their cases of plastic water bottles at home.  This will help cut down on our recycling shuffle.  So consider this your official invitation to bring a canteen or reusable water bottle during your stay at Eagle Falls Lodge this summer.

First Muskie

My brother Carson caught and released the first muskie of the 2012 season.  He portaged the new kayak at Eagle Falls Lodge to Paulore lake.  The last cast of the day yielded a nice 39" muskie pictured below.  The lure used was a Mepps Musky Marabou with orange, green , & chartreuse coloring.  This fish proves once again that the next big lunker could be just one cast away.

 

Lure of the Year 2011

The winner for the 2011 lure of the year goes to the Williams Wabler.  We decided to bring a few with us last year after reading some rave reviews such as “spectacular...must-have lure...favorite spoon...my tackle box is full of Wablers”.  

We were pleasantly surprised after trying out a few varieties of the Wabler spoons.  Our favorite was a ¾ ounce hammered gold/silver, but Cabela's has several color and size combinations ranging from $5 - $8.  

Carrie landed her 42” Northern on the Wabler last season.  I has one that was likely bigger hooked and up to the side of the boat, but it shook loose before I could land it (Carrie doesn't believe it was bigger than hers).  We also caught some walleye on the Wabler too.  The spoon has an irresistable darting action on the retrieve that provides consistent strikes.  If you get tired of casting it, you should find success trolling it as well.  

It might be worth picking up a couple to try on your trip to Canada this season since we know many of you stop at Cabela's on the way.  We've got our eye out for the lure of the year in 2012, but we plan to keep using some Wablers in the meantime! 

What the...snowball?

Hey guys! Our first group arrived yesterday during a bout of sunshine to kick off the 2012 season. They have settled in nicely but are out facing rain and wind out on the water as I type.  Friday was much MUCH colder than it had been (I'm talking a high of about 42 degrees) and at about 1pm the rain started looking an awful lot like snow. It got to snowing pretty hard for about an hour.

That evening Travis and Carson went out for a bit to catch some walleye to make walleye chowder for supper. It was delicious! Weather will be continue to be cooler during the next few days, but we can see sun and 70 degree temps by the end of the week.

We've got the fire going and plenty of coffee while most of you are sweating in the sun.

Red Lake Fishing Update

Last Saturday was the opener for walleye season and we caught dinner off the Parker Lake dock.... a great start to the 2012 season!

We tried Red Lake for the first time today for a couple hours in Martin Bay.  We caught several walleye in 7-9' of water backtrolling lindy rigs with nightcrawlers.  The surface water temperature was 58 degrees, up from 56 on our first outing a few days ago.  The biggest obstacle today wasn't the fish, but the white fluffy cotton-like seeds from the poplar trees.  They are blowing in force and forming a coat on top of the water.  At times they were so heavy in the air it looked like it was snowing.  They get caught on line easily and gum up in the rod eyelets so hopefully they will clear out soon.  We seem to be catching up on rain too.  After a dry first couple weeks, this week has been pretty soggy.

Until next time...tight lines!    

Preseason Update Week #2

Hello everyone!

As we head into our second weekend up here we wanted to provide you with some more details as to what we've been doing.

Today we had our shiny new water system installed by Red Lake Heating & Plumbing.  They were out here by 8:15 am with the trailer loaded full of gear to help us update our water treatment to the recommended methods outlined by Ontario's Health Unit.  The Red Lake Heating & Plumbing guys are super nice; and Travis, of course, was giddy to watch and help them with the installation.

The weather continues to be unseasonably warm and mild, we have had virtually no rain since our arrival.  I've had the sprinkler going on my never ending attempt to grow grass out here.  However, the air temperature got up to around 80 degrees yesterday so I thought that I was fully justified in jumping in the lake to cool off.  Cosmo makes it look so refreshing.  Let me tell you...it was COLD!  However, it was nice to take a quick dip in the water and I may have to get back in this afternoon if it heats up again.  Definitely the earliest I have gotten in the lake!


We got all the boats and motors in the water this week.  The fleet is looking pretty good!  We ordered a new boat from Red Lake Marine last fall, and I think it is happy with its new home on our Red Lake dock.  Speaking of the Red Lake dock, we are getting ready to do some repair work down there that is much needed after the last few seasons of ice pushing it around.  It has been very pleasant to do all of these outside projects with the weather being so nice.  Bugs start to get bothersome at dusk, of course, but otherwise Travis & I have felt really lucky to spend the majority of our days in the sunshine.  That is one part of being at the lodge that we miss pretty badly during the winter months.

Cosmo has settled into his summer schedule.  Sleeping in late, patrolling the grounds, napping in the sun, hunting for frogs, taking his afternoon swim, and watching over the kitchen at meal times.  Such a lucky boy.

Oh, I almost forgot.  You may remember from our holiday letter that we planned to replace some mattresses this spring in the cabins.  We are super excited to hear some guest reviews, because they look pretty dang upgraded if you ask me!

Have a great weekend!

Carrie

Lodge Update

Hi everyone!  Eagle Falls Lodge is undergoing its seasonal transformation.  The power is on, the water is running, new mattresses are on the beds, and the boats are starting to hit the water.  The camp wintered pretty well (only 5 leaks that have already been repaired)!  The new water system is still in the works, but should be completed before week 1.  

We made a little time to test out one of the motors this afternoon and chase some Northern Pike.  No monsters yet, but we found a few hungry fish.  The water level was perhaps down slightly, but not far off the average.  The high water we've seen at times especially in 2009 and 2010 makes the lake seem low, but it looks comparable to last season right now.  It was surprising to see some weed growth with a healthy start already and much more weed remnants from last year than we are used to seeing.  Likely a result of the mild winter combined with an early ice out.  

Above is the rocky reef north of the 3 islands on Parker.  We don't usually see weeds until June.  

Two beavers came to visit this evening.  We have already seen 

eagles, ducks, loons, bears, and a moose as well. 

Beaver in the water + boats (without motors) in the background.  We thought they might come ashore, but Carrie scared them off trying to get a photo.  

We still have loads of cleaning to do, some dock repairs, and motors to test so we should stay busy.  Until next time, tight lines!  

Almost there

Hello everyone! We are currently in Dryden, and have had a great trip up so far. Border crossing went super well (yea!) and we are happy to take it easy tonight before finishing the trip up highway 105 tomorrow morning. Hopefully everything will have wintered well at the lodge and we will try to get the generator going and have the water on by this time tomorrow. The weather forecast looks reasonable and we are excited to start gearing up for an amazing summer! Look for a post update later in the week. Take care, Carrie