Well, the last group – the Countryman party - checked out November 1^st, ending the busiest season in the camp’s history.

We managed to get quite a bit done during the summer – not everything we had hoped for – but still a good stab at it.

Here’s what was new in 2003 and what we’re planning for in 2004….

Probably the biggest change in 2003 was adding our old residence – Cabin #6 – to the rental choices available to guests.

We mainly used it for peak periods in 2003 and it was very popular with large groups. With 3 bedrooms and a large kitchen / dining / living area, it’s really what we needed for groups of 7 – 10.

We put new carpeting throughout, along with new curtains and a small deck overlooking the lake. We moved the entrance so you have a "mud room" upon entering to hang coats, leave boots etc, and framed in the third bedroom where the camp office once was.

As far as exteriors go, both Cabin # 5 (the "Grannyshack"), Cabin # 6 and the Camp Office was finished with rough cut cedar siding. We were thinking of vinyl but felt that it would be too "modern" a feel for the camp, so we went with cedar. It looks so good the plans are to add it to Cabin # 3 and any new cabins in the coming years.

We finally got a shower into Cabin #2 – that’s the little log cabin right on the lake. In the past it was cold water only, with guests using the Showerhouse facilities. This makes life a lot easier for the folks staying in that cabin now.

In 2004, we plan to renovate the interior of Cabin #3 (the 6 person at the end), adding new paneling, flooring, paint, light fixtures as well as a new kitchen counter / sink & cupboards.

The bigger cabins (#3, the new 3 BR # 6 and the Grannyshack) will also get some more creature comforts – microwaves, clock radios, propane bar b ques and satellite TV (so late season groups can keep up with the Packers or the Vikings or whoever they’re cheering for!). These larger cabins are each getting new (cooking) stoves as well and will be considered housekeeping units.

The smaller, older cabins will continue to be light housekeeping cabins, suited for smaller groups.

We hope to have some smaller housekeeping cabins within the next few years as well.

We installed electric and water hook ups to a site on the way into the camp (beside the excavation where we plan on building a lodge / restaurant). It’s kind of a "lawn" there, and eventually you’ll have a nice view of the lake (with some underbrushing). It was a handy spot for guests – particularly "overnighters" with big trailers or motorhomes.

The biggest change on the camp premises is the west point has been cleared of all poplar trees, setting the stage for a number of nice, new campgrounds. We’re hoping to have some good, serviced "pull through" spots for RV’s & trailers, and a number of good tent sites as well.

The trees were cleared as a result of two big storms in 2002. Many of them were already down or leaning, and the rest we felt were just a matter of time. They really were dangerous. With the aspen gone, the remaining coniferous trees – red & white pine, jack pines and spruce trees – are thriving. It’s looking really good down there, and with the added visibility it’s really obvious that we’re situated on a peninsula with Banning Lake surrounding the north, east and west points.

Of course we had a few more big storms in late June and early July 2003, which snapped a handful more jack pines like twigs. It seems a good portion of every year is dedicated to cleaning up tree falls

We began to rebuild the shower house – new exterior and roof so far, and the "tanks" are in the ground for 2 new outhouses on each end of the camp. With "tank" style outhouses, we can get them pumped periodically, as well as vent them. In all it should be a lot nicer for our campers!

We finally got the payphone installed outside the Camp Office. It’s made things a lot more convenient for guests needing to use a phone at any time of day. It takes toll free & collect calls plus most major phone & credit cards. Cell phone service continues to be hit & miss, with only analog service in the Atikokan area.

After last year’s success pairing 16’ Naden boats with 15hp – 4 stroke Honda outboards it was an easy decision what to buy to supplement the current fleet. We added 4 more Naden 16’ Big Fish boats (with swivel seats) and 4 more 15hp 4 stroke Honda outboards. Naden’s, by the way, are manufactured in Vermillion Bay (near Dryden).

Returning from the Naden Factory in Vermillion Bay Ontario, May 2003.

We added a few more portable fish finders – Eagle, Bottom Line and Hummingbird. Although a little bigger and more cumbersome, the Bottom Line Fish Finders proved to be the most popular with the guests and it’s likely that we’ll add more of them for Base Camp fishing trips next summer. For Quetico Park & White Otter Wilderness fishing trips, we’ll likely go with the lighter Hummingbird fish finders.

Also, look for a number of new fishing packages plus a discount for catch & release fisherman on cabin based trips.

As usual, we added more 18’ Souris River Wilderness 18’ kevlar canoes, as well as a

" Souris River Quetico 18.5" 3 seat canoe, which is a great craft.

We supplemented our existing gear with more of the same – some more Ostrom Outdoors pack sacks, Coleman stoves, Carlisle paddles plus a Eureka Breezeway screen tent.

Our Canoe Trip Menu was tweaked a bit in 2003 – we used a lot more drinks sweetened with aspartame which helped lighten the load. We’ll always offer a choice between sugar or aspartame sweetened though.

We experimented with tuna & chicken salad sandwiches utilizing the small mayonnaise packets and the packaged tuna & chicken. Everyone who tried them gave a big thumbs up for both taste and ease of preparation. Needless to say, we’ll be adding them to our Lunch menu in 2004 along with some tasty Canadian treats for dessert (like MacKintosh Toffee). Keep watching the Menu Planner page on this site for the new choices. We’ll keep working to make the canoe trip food as delicious and easy to prepare as possible!

2003….

Great people, excellent fishing, amazing canoe trips , funnel clouds, northern lights and the planet Mars….

The ice was out on the Seine Chain by April 27, and the minimal snowfall we received over the winter set the stage for fairly consistent low water levels throughout the season, although not as extreme as places like Rainy Lake experienced further downstream from us. Levels were low, but not really low. Just low enough to wreck a few lower units on outboards!

For the second year in a row, the first guests of the year headed into the chilly wilds of Quetico Park. The Foster party was knee deep in adventure by the middle of May and had some awesome smallmouth bass, walleye and lake trout fishing. The guys checked out the Maligne River and Namakan River as well as Quetico Lake but had particularly good fishing on Jean Lake. They even got to see the sturgeon spawning at Twin Falls!

The Anderson party wasn’t far behind, checking out central sections of Quetico. We were really happy to welcome Jim and his Dad back for a cabin based trip in early June as well!

Larry Killeaney & Co fished the Seine Chain around the third week of May for the first of three different trips in 2003. Larry always does well no matter what time of year, and seems to have a particular knack for catching the walleye in Calm Lake. Brian came up later in June, and although he didn’t beat his 111/2 lb walleye record from a couple of years ago, they still did great (as usual!).

It was great to see the McNabb group for the first of 4 different trips in 2003. The guys had some good lake trout action on Big McCauley Lake. They also had a good day of northern pike fishing on Miranda Lake. Of course they worked for it – helping me bring another 14’ Lund boat to our cache on that lake. As they always do, the McNabbs caught and released a good number of great smallies in the 18" – 20" range.

The Denton’s were up several times over the summer, and in the May trip BJ landed a nice 40" pike (hopefully we’ll get some pics soon). He also caught an 8 lb walleye in August. Thanks a lot to the guys for bringing their telescopes in September and allowing us to get a great view of the planet Mars!

The Nelson’s were back in late May and had a couple of days of amazing pike action on Miranda and Milk Lakes. One day the two Nelson’s caught over 75 northern on those lakes!

Late May / early June saw the Salomey’s up for their annual fishing trip. Mike & Shane have been fishing the Seine Chain since they were kids, and they never fail to do great – in all species. One day they went away upstream – almost to Atikokan, and landed 79 smallmouth (I think that’s their smallie record)! That’s not to mention a number of 10 – 13 lb northern and 23 " / 24" walleye plus 17 lakers one morning on Big McCauley Lake. The guys hit it hard – usually dawn ‘til dark – but it obviously pays off!

It was great to see the Ruppert’s again – in particular Jerry who hasn’t been up in a couple of years. In keeping with the big bass trend, the guys peaked with a 21" smallmouth. They also spent a day fishing below the Calm Lake dam plus reeled in some whitefish to take home and smoke..

The Storey’s were a great group up for the first time in early June. Mainly fathers and sons, they caught a load of walleye with the main bait being minnows. The guys did most of their fishing near the Chub Lake bridge, and hardly moved from those holes they found early in their trip. Hey – if the wheel’s not broken, why fix it? On top of the walleye, Chris G. landed (and released) a 23" smallmouth!

Mid June had some really inconsistent weather, and, as they’re known to do, the walleye got really finicky.

The Peloquin group felt the walleye’s sluggishness and had to really work at them. They managed to bring some nice ones including one 26 incher, but numbers were hard to come by, so they turned their attention to some other species and waters, landing some nice lake trout and some good northern pike.

Here’s some of the Peloquin party with some tasty lakers from Big McCauley Lake.

The Peterson kept their spirits up through the sluggish walleye week, as did the Harder / Goering group. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for good weather in ’04!

The Randant / Jalensky group also had to work hard at the walleye, but picked up some smallmouth.

The Swichtenberg’s , had good fishing on Miranda as did the Cook / Allen party. They also had some good walleye action on Ear Lake.

The following week things (thankfully!) got back to normal.

The Davis’ were up fishing with the Patricks. Marion stole the show with a nice 26" walleye, and lost a couple other beauties as well. They landed lots of walleye’s and some great smallmouth as well.

Randy & Karla brought out the guys from the Milow group to show them some holes.

The Milow group did really well – especially considering it was their first year. They fished hard on the Seine Chain and on Miranda Lake. Chad got a great 28" walleye, and they landed a number of northern over 30".

Here’s Chad’s 28" walleye – next time you bring in one like that make it in the morning so our pictures turn out!

The Kotecki group had a really good week of fishing and weather. Don caught a 40" northern, 7 year old Cody caught a 20" bass and his Dad caught a 27" walleye! Plus a number of nice eaters as well.

The Sell / Hartl group did great as always. Lot’s of nice fish of all species. They also stumbled upon some good perch action away upstream. The guys were using Johnson silver minnows and I think they were casting for pike. Instead they nailed a pile of perch. When they went back to the same spot specifically to catch perch, they couldn’t get one. Figures eh? They also landed a nice 8 point white tail rack from deep in the lake – who needs to hunt when you can fish and catch your trophy rack!

The Thoma group was up and did great. The week earlier, some people mentioned that the northern were slow, but Tom & Co. caught tons of pike working the shoreline of the system.

The Collins’ got into some really good action by the mid to late part of their trip.

Jonkers’ had some trouble with their vehicle, and then one of their their outboards. Once they overcame the mechanical problems they had a really good vacation. It shows keeping a positive attitude pays off!

It was great having the Rubin party again. The guys headed up towards the White Otter (their second trip up there with us), and had some amazing fishing. Here’s hoping this is an annual trip!

 

The Rubin group returning from a great weeks’ fishing in the White Otter Wilderness.

Rick & Rick were up for their annual trip. It looked like they were going to blow away any records they had of number of fish caught when they landed over 70 in one day, but the weather turned and fishing slowed down by mid week, so they tallied 290 for the week (around their average). Keep in mind that the guys have been fishing the system for over 20 years so they’ve got it down to a science. By the way they use mainly all artificial bait and release pretty much everything that they catch.

The Hartnett / Godfrey group surprised me this year, heading into Quetico on their annual canoe marathon a month early. As usual they had a great trip and great fishing. Still waiting for some pictures Meghan!

Late June & early July the fishing was pretty good except for the odd day.

The Benson’s were back and had a great extended weekend. Their last day they had not only good fishing but a lot of fun with a shore luch. It was nice seeing the younger members of the clan again after a couple of years (the last couple of years they came in September so I assume school was an issue).

The Arneson group (another 20+ year Seine Chain veteran) came up with the Blodgetts and did really well.

The Hardin group had a good week. Have fun in Alaska Ken!

The Righter group passed around some illnesses early in their trip but got into some good fishing later in the week. Julie & Dan & Co brought in some beautiful pike.

Seyferts’ had some wild weather, but Jeff got some great bass near the end of the trip.

The Pozarski’s were up for their 26^th year and had some of the best fishing right on Banning Lake. We had some wicked storms while they were here. Craig was on the verandah of their cabin for one of the storms and saw the wind whip up funnels of water from the lake high into the sky.

We had a real rush of Quetico & White Otter / Turtle river canoe trips in early July…

The Rimmer family had a great trip looping from Beaverhouse Lake, down into Jean Lake, eventually over to Badwater and back to Quetico / Beaverhouse.

For some reason we had a lot of people passing across that horrible portage between Badwater Lake and West Bay on Quetico Lake. Some did it early in their trip to get it out of the way. Others did it near the end of their trip, and said that was better because they were able to rest when they came out of the park.

The Russell group did that portage twice – by choice! They headed in that way and spent their trip down in the Badwater area, and then backtracked back. Anyway they had a great trip and it was a lot of fun meeting the gang. Hope to see you all again next year!

The Webb group had to cut their trip short but had a good day of fishing on Quetico Lake.

The Sodini party had a great trip despite all kinds of weather and some wild winds. They also had some really good fishing – particularly on Oriana Lake.

The Thomas’ spent an extended period at the camp, fishing some of their favorite holes. Bob & Donna managed to land a couple of 3 foot pike while they were here. Good going!

Speaking of pike, although we had our usual handful of 40" +, we had tons in the slot size (27.5" – 35.4"). Actually a lot over 30". We’ve always seen some nice pike, but the last couple of years the benefit of the slot size is really kicking in. Basically, once a northern hits 27 ½" he’s home free to grow up to 3 feet. Look for a lot more in the 30" - 36" range and after that we’ll likely see a big increase in the 40" + monsters.

Well feature pike fishing the last couple of weeks of May in 2004 with our "Great Canadian Pike Hunt Fishing Package". Check out our rates page for details.

Having said that about pike, I need to pay some attention to the walleye. Although June is our most popular month for walleye fishing, I’d have to say that the first couple of weeks of July had some of the most consistent walleye fishing I’ve seen.

The Gerbec party said they did good in early July.

Fliers were up as usual and as usual had some excellent walleye and smallmouth fishing. They never fail to do well, although the twin 19" smallies this year were the show stealer.

Holgrimsoms made it up again a few times. Dale & co had some good walleye fishing in July as well as some great blueberry picking in August. Maxine & Jim actually came up for two other trips while I was out of town both times. Sorry I missed you!

Patricks were up a couple of times in July and did great as usual.

Charlie Cook came up to fish with Randy & Karla in July as well. Charlie’s our resident northern pike master, so it was fun to see him nail a bunch of walleye including a nice 26".

A good story about Charlie this summer – he’s a die hard fisherman with boundless energy. Anyway, one day in July, Charlie and Randy and Karla Patrick were hitting the fishing really hard, dawn ‘til dark every day. Finally, one afternoon on Miranda Lake, after reeling in fish number 67 or thereabouts that day Charlie laid his rod down and said : "I’m done - I can’t bring any more in!"!!!! That doesn’t seem like a big deal, unless you know Charlie and how much he likes fishing. Anyway he recovered and was ready to go again within the next day or so. It was one of those unbelievable history making events at the camp!

Randy & Karla are good guides. These folks are (were) rookie anglers!

It was great seeing the Langers from North Carolina again. Talk about ultralite outfitting, Tim & Karma have it down to a science with minimal packs for a 3 week long Quetico canoe trip. Needless to say in 3 weeks they cover a lot of the park and they had some awesome fishing. Karma snagged the biggest walleye of the summer at the camp at 30", while Tim caught the biggest lake trout coming in at 34". They also caught a 37" northern and loads of nice walleyes. They said Cirrus Lake and Quetico Lake is where they had their best luck. By the way thanks to Tim &

Karma for the great racks to hang my paddles from . They work perfect!

The amazing fishing that the Langers and others had in Quetico Park this summer prompted us to put together our "Quetico Lakes Fishing Package" – a completely outfitted canoe trip with particular focus on fishing in the park. Check out our "Fishing" or "Complete Canoe Outfitting" rates for details.

The McNabb / McPherson party was up again in the middle of July and they had amazing fishing. Each one of the 5 guys in the group caught a smallmouth bass 19" or greater plus Matt caught an awesome 42" northern (Did I mention that Matt was only 9 years old in July when he landed that?). Plus they started focusing on the walleye during their last couple of days and caught over 100! Great going guys!

Mike McNabb, Gary & Matt McPherson with some nice July walleyes.

The Taylor’s from Michigan had a nice, relaxing trip into Quetico.

The Milne family had a great Quetico trip, aside from being the 4^th or 5^th victims of the Badwater / West Bay portage, and having their walleye dinner eaten by snapping turtles!

The Schultz’ had some good fishing, particularly on Miranda Lake where they spent a couple of days and brought in some nice pike. They also picked some blueberries to have with the fish! A true Canadian meal!

The Schultz’ with some nice northern.

Early in August we were wall to wall with Quetico & White Otter canoe groups as usual, although one night was a little different. We had more groups from Northern Ontario than we ever had. Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay and Atikokan were all represented that week. It was great having local Northerners take advantage of the great wilderness in their back yard!

The Nordholz bros. had a good trip in through Nym Lake, Lonely Lake and Maria Lake area but had to push it to hit their targets.

The Saint / Peck group started off and realized they forgot their fishing rods at Nym Lake. Once we got some replacements they were off and when I saw them the next time a week later at Beaverhouse Lake I found out that it was a good thing they had their fishing equipment. They caught loads of fish and had an amazing time.

The Cox / Foy party was quite adventurous. They split their trip between a remote canoe trip in Quetico Park, and then spent the other half of it fishing the Seine Chain with a boat & motor. I’m already looking forward to the plans for some remote lake adventures next year!

The Gasiewski party caught a lot of walleye but had a hard time finding the bigger ones. They made up for it by bringing in some great pike and smallies.

The Gasiewski party with some nice pike.

The Beyerl party came all the way from Austria and did a quick trip into Quetico.

The Streichers’ had a good trip in the French / Pickerel / Buckingham Lakes area of north east Quetico.

The McGoven / Imhoff group had a good Quetico trip and had lots of ideas on marketing our camp (still open to doing some Japanese translations for me?).

The Stein / Cody party had to cancel their Quetico trip at the last minute due to the little technicality of broken ribs. They still kept their sprits high and stayed in a cabin at the camp and did some canoeing, exploring and had some great walleye fishing with the Patrick’s. Arleigh went from being the person who couldn’t catch a fish to being a walleye angling master. We hope you’re feeling better Paulette and hope to see you both again!

The Debrow group had some great smallmouth action on the east end of Quetico, while the Scroggins group got into some nice smallies on the Seine Chain. Kai also landed a 37" pike!

Loy with some great smallies.

The Brooks group also nailed some great smallmouth just out on Banning Lake.

Now that we’re into August I’ve got to talk about the smallmouth fishing. I still maintain that the Seine Chain has amongst the best smallmouth bass fishing anywhere. Of course the smallmouth fishing in Quetico Park is right up there as well and always makes "Best of" lists.

We had great topwater smallie action in June as always, and the 2 – 23 inchers were caught that month – the biggest of the year, but in August the numbers were also great. By the last week of August I had lost count of how many 18 - 20 inch bass were caught that month.

We’ll be featuring smallmouth fishing in 2004 throughout August with our "Seine Chain Bass Classic" fishing package. Check out the Rates page for details.

The Donegan / Nelson / Van Alstine group had a great Quetico vacation despite some intense heat.

The Villwocks’ had a real quick trip and caught some nice bass around the reef in Banning Lake their first day out.

Scott Timmerman and Eric Nygaard spent a week in Quetico in the Russell & Chatterton Lakes area and caught some awesome smallmouth. Thanks for sending the pics guys! They look great in our 2003 Gallery!

The Rahnastos’ were up again and had a blast as they always do. They almost made it up again in September but previous commitments got in the way. Maybe next year!

It was great seeing Pat & Janis again, who spent a week in Quetico for the first time since 2001!

The Stilwell group had a spent some time figuring out the system and are set to go again next June. It was always nice chatting with Randy, Dan and the boys. Looking forward to seeing you all next June!

It was really great to see Danny Martin Sr. again the end of August. Dan Jr. & his son were down several times and in mid August really laid into the walleye, catching over 70 in one day. Dan Sr joined them the following weekend and they caught and released walleye in the hundreds. Their hot spot that weekend? Banning Narrows.

The Lundy / Ebert group had to work a bit early in their trip, but laid into the smallies in a big way late in their trip.

The Lundy / Ebert / Flitsch group with a great stringer of smallies!

Evon Decko & Carla made it up in September which was a real treat. The Decko’s and all their kids came up for years and years and, as many of our guests have, became more friends than customers. I could go on and on about some of their visits, but I’ll save that for a few beer and a camp fire. There’s talk of the Decko’s and Eaton’s getting together and having a huge reunion at the camp. Name the time folks – I look forward to it!

The McNabb’s were up again in early September and did really well. Emily caught a beautiful smallmouth – I think it was around 19" – with awesome coloration. The pic should be up in our "2003 Fishing Gallery" soon.

Bobby Williams & co spent a week plus in September, and just did amazing on all species. Nice walleye and northern all over the place and countless trophy smallmouth bass.

We couldn’t let a year go by without at least one shot of Bobby and some nice fish.

Mike McLeod and the "Air Canada" group, as we call them, were up again in September and fished hard. By the end of the week there were some nice bass coming in and the guys really started figuring out the Seine Chain walleye patterns.

Here’s a beautiful "Air Canada" September smallmouth!

We had a great bar-b-que in mid September as a "Thanks" to folks who helped us over the summer. Mike McNabb & Co were there, as were Randy & Karla Patrick. Butch & Sue, our friendly neighbourhood minnow suppliers, the Air Canada guys, Garry & Dianne Demchuk and Jason & Anna & kids all made it. The Williams group was in camp but kept pretty busy fishing. The Air Canada guys were there, and by the end of the evening the AC gang and Randy were the last standing. I think a lot of fishing stories, tips & tricks were shared that night. As was a lot of beer, coolers, steak, burgers etc. All in all a great night – we’re definitely doing it on an annual basis. Maybe next year we can get all the musicians from Mankato MN to come up for entertainment (hint to Clint & the Eaton’s!).

The McNabb party was up for one last week in September and caught some amazing bass as well as a lot of walleye right out on Banning Lake.

Lester and Jack with a few beauties!

Fishing started slowing down a bit by the end of September. The Christman’s were up fishing in the cool fall air in September. They managed to catch some and had a lot of fun driving around and sightseeing.

Ken Arneson & Co. came again in late September / early October (their second year in the cold weather). They had to fish really hard but managed to get some. One time they noted that the walleye hit great when it snowed and shut off when it stopped. On and off like that for quite a while. I guess in a circumstance like that you actually hope for snow!

Yes, I actually got out fishing a few times myself…..

I did a lot of "system orientations" this year – a few hours showing new folks the rocks, reefs and hot spots (I hope). I also guided a few times…the first time I’ve been out actually guiding in a while. Boy, there’s a great job!

The best walleye fishing I had all summer was right off that rocky point across from the camp. I was jigging in about 10 feet of water with a leech & jig, and pulling the pickerel up like crazy. Nothing huge, but some nice "eaters". That’s always been a favorite spot of the Flier party and I see why. Watch out though, there’s a couple of big rocks right around there that could do some damage.

I was looking forward all year to doing some late fall fishing. My experience in the past is that it can be great or dreadfully slow. It peaked for me a week or so into October. I was trolling around the bigger island across from the camp and was hitting pike one after another. Not trophies but a lot of nice 24 – 28 inchers. It was a lot of fun. I was using a big Thunderstick, which I became really fond of this summer. By the way, after that night it turned into "really slow". Oh well, it still was fun.

I was talking with Dean Ebert in September about the appeal of fishing. He hit it right on when he said that there’s always that anticipation when you get that hit. It’s always "Is this the big one?" or "What is it?".

Lori & I brought the kids into Miranda one day in July and we had a blast. We trolled around the north section of the lake with spoons and caught a whole whack of pike. We found that the heavier1 oz. spoons were getting the most action and the biggest fish. A lot of people try a lot of different techniques on Miranda, but I’m pretty loyal to a 1 ounce Red & White Daredevil. The cheap ones seem to work just as well as the pricey Eppingers. It’s a good plan though to go with a single prong and pinch the barbs as you’ll likely be releasing a lot!

Some more of my favorite hooks this summer? I’ve always said you can’t go wrong with Mepps or Rapalas. Good all around / all species tackle. I really like the Mepps Black Fury #4, although there was a lot of action on various Mepps Aglias as well this year. Orange Fat Raps to me are some of the best smallmouth plugs going. Also any type of "rattletrap" for springtime smallies when they’re getting territorial during spawn & pre spawn.

I’ll always be loyal to Williams Wablers and old school plugs like Lazy Ikes and Canadian Wigglers.

I’m a firm believer – mainly through experience – that some of the biggest northern can be caught trolling with a good surface bait. The biggest northerns I’ve ever caught and the biggest northerns I’ve ever lost have been trolling on the surface with a Dying Flutter or Devil’s Horse (they’ve got those "propeller" type spinners on each end). Clem Charles & Joe Wysocki, two guys who came to the camp years ago, turned me on to those plugs when I was around 12 or so. One night at dinner, Clem gave me a Dying Flutter and said "Try this – it’ll get you some nice pike". I went out that night and nailed a beautiful pike. Of course I then decided that these guys were Gods and I think I still have that first plug from 25 years or so ago. Of course sometimes trolling with surface plugs can be really slow, but I’m still a fan of it from time to time.

We went through a lot of live bait this year. Minnows, which haven’t been as popular in recent years made a big comeback. Leeches were as popular as ever, as were nightcrawlers.

Some of the most successful techniques for walleye had to be jigging about a foot off the bottom with an ¼ oz jig and either a minnow or a leech. Once you’ve found the pool, anchor, don’t drift.

Of course we’ve got a lot of groups that do really well trolling and casting for walleye, but it seems that the veterans of the system do better with these techniques. They’ve found where to go and what to do, and with 5 lakes spanning around 30 miles it takes a while to find those hot spots.

The bass hit loads of different bait, as did the pike. Later in the summer, the bigger pike went deep as you’d expect. Working the shoreline turned up a lot of little "snakes", but some nice ones hit on guys jigging for walleye as deep as 30 + feet!

I’d really like to see someone try fly fishing for early season smallmouth and northern. I’d recommend the last week of May or 1^st week of June. I think it would be a blast.

THANKS!

Thanks to everyone who helped this year…

Mom & Dad – it’s great having that support there! Next summer you folks have to take a vacation!

Garry & Dianne Demchuk as always. Too many things to list, but when you look around the camp, a good portion of it was from them. Besides, Gary’s expertise with carpentry and related things was invaluable. You renewed my energy when I was running out of steam!

Jason Demchuk too. Jason would sometimes just drop in and do a ton of work. Thanks for everything!

Tom & Lorna Marr from Marr’s Perch Lake Lodge. Tom’s a contractor as well, and he did a ton of work at the camp this summer, plus offered some great suggestions!

Randy Riding and Dale Stus for some great guiding.

Clint Riding for a lot of work and some good old moral support. Especially for helping us when my Dad was in the hospital!

Randy & Karla Patrick for all the great hand made shelves plus for guiding for many of the new groups. Here’s a good story – I jokingly said to Randy that he should grow a beard or something, because I’ve got so many pictures of him & Karla, everyone thinks it’s the same fish. Guess what – he did!

"Bearded" Randy with some September smallies.

Mike McNabb for all the suggestions, and for all the business he’s sending our way. Thanks Mike!

Ken Arneson as well. Mike and Ken should open up a travel agency. I think they book more trips for me than I book myself!

Of course Gary our web master from iMarket. He’s the reason that I haven’t seen you folks at Sports Shows. He does awesome work and he’s an experienced outdoorsman and guide, so he really knows our business as well as we do. Thanks Gary!

I’m sure I missed people in this newsletter, and I apologize for that. Thanks to everyone – all the guests, supplies, bankers and friends. We couldn’t do it without you all.

See you in the woods or on the water in 2004! Have a great winter!!

Quent & Lori Branch

November 2003.