Press Lake Camp: News & Vacancies

News

Posted by Press Lake on 2012-02-04 09:02:25 CST

February 4th
Happy belated Groundhog Day. As I recall Phil told you that you will have 6 more weeks of winter. We have Wiarton Willie but we don’t really care what he says cuz in six weeks we will still have 3 feet of ice on the lakes regardless.
It is a cute tradition though but it has had its macabre moments. Google Wiarton Willie for what I thought was a pretty funny historical account of his coming into being.
However, our groundhog has not had a clean history! The BIG SCANDAL occurred in 1999 when, 2 days before the big event, Willie was found dead in his burrow! To salvage the moment, the organizers dressed him in a tux, coins on eyes, carrots between his paws and placed him in a little coffin. Of course the media, who are a huge part of the festivities, quickly discovered that the groundhog in the coffin was a stuffed stand-in for the long since decomposed Wiarton Willie.
Front page news in Canada! We were SHOCKED
Gerry is still ice fishing but only with the Argo. There is way too much slush for a snowmachine. This is definitely the worst year for slush that we’ve seen but he is packing trails at every opportunity and hoping for overnight freezing temps. Crazy warm weather. Plus 2 at this time of year. Walking through water to get to work. Not right but I think it beats 40 below. He wants 10 or even 20 below and that would sure help.
Two days ago he and Space (Billy’s dad) went to Snowstorm and caught 2 big and 2 small specks . They are the best to eat! OK Lake trout are great too but it’s hard to beat a trout pan fried in garlic butter and Gerry never keeps Lake trout that would fit in a frying pan.
We are getting deposits and so far one cancellation in July that I am trying to fill off the waiting list. If you need to cancel, email and let me know. I have a lot of people wanting cabins but the sooner they know the better for arranging vacation days, etc.

January 31, 2012
Gerry took Joe’s Argo into Snowstorm Lake to fish specks last Wednesday (25th).
Started heading back to the truck around 4pm. Argo quit. No gas. He had checked the gas gauge in the morning and believed it when it said ľ full. Wrong! He even told Joe – don’t trust that gauge.
So Gerry had to WALK 7.2 km (roughly 4.3 miles) back to his truck. Most of this arduous trek was on an unploughed road following an Argo track in the dark. Stopping for smoke breaks. Cursing every time he crested a hill and saw another long stretch of road. He got home at 8 pm and was very sore the next day
I would have been more sympathetic if it had been his first time ever running out of gas but... plus I was preoccupied with the logistics of getting the coroner out to Snowstorm since he has never failed to make it home on time before and I was sure he had dropped dead.
We got another big dump of snow today but it is really warm out, only a few degrees below freezing. Gerry is heading out to his Lake trout hut tomorrow(the Office) after taking a bit of a break to recover from his excellent adventure.

22 January 2012
We are getting lots of calls so we know the calendars have arrived!
We got a big dump of snow last night, enough that Ryan postponed his trip back to university in Thunder Bay today. Roads are really bad with lots of vehicles in the ditch and perched on snowbanks (even in Ignace!. But we finally have good snow cover. The boys went fishing on Saturday and brought home some very tasty brook trout and a lot of funny stories. But, the weather for the past week has been minus 30 C and that is not fun, even with a heated hut. The older you get....

January 14, 2012
The calendars were mailed on Friday. If you don’t get one in a few weeks, email and let me know. My email appears to be up and running again. When I suspended the satellite service on Oct 31st, they shut down that email account (lincsat), although it took them over 2 months to do it! The address is supposed to stay active so Bell hispeed can route sympatico messages to it. Computers! OK not the computer's fault but it is easier to blame an inanimate object It's OK though - Ryan is halfway through University now so I will soon be able to take a 12 gauge to mine.
Joe is still here, working on the house he bought and fishing with Gerry. He was also a big help with the calendar mailout for the second year in a row. But the last couple of days he has been playing darts and hitting the tavern and he is not looking good heehee. Having fun though - you know Joe!
Gerry really wants to go to Louisiana or Missouri next month to do some deep sea fishing. Has anyone been there lately? Is it worth it after Katrina AND the oil spill?

January 7th, 2012
Merry Christmas. Gerry is Ukrainian which means Jan 7th is the official Christmas Day (although we celebrate Dec 25th of course) and the 6th is Christmas Eve and the night when you are supposed to have 12 meatless dishes. Weird custom and I’m a carnivore so we had prime rib instead. It was awesome! Hope you all had a great Christmas and the kind of weather we are having here: little snow, temps around zero, lots of ice on the lakes!
My lincsat email address is not currently working and sympatico is moody so phone if you need info etc. I cannot email you so, if you have sent a message – I am not ignoring you. I simply do not get emails right now. Bummer but I am hoping to get it working again soon.
The calendars and newsletters are currently being stuffed so to speak by Gerry, Joe and I and will be in the mail before January 16th –the day postage rates to the US go up.
Please let us know if you cannot make your trip. We have groups wanting to come who have to commit now in order to get vacation.
I cannot mention too often that we are now unable to sell fishing licences due to a change in delivery methods. Please tell your group!

December 30, 2011
Sunday, January 1st is the most important day in Gerry’s year (other than the day YOU arrive at camp of course). The opening day of Lake trout season. He and all the young muscle he could round up have gotten the small ice hut set up on Butler Lake and tomorrow the big hut aka The Office goes out on Paguchi, holes get drilled and the propane heaters stay on all night, ready for the big day!
The hut on Butler (a brook trout lake) has been producing two or less fish every trip this fall (the season is not closed for brook trout) and may be moved to a currently more productive speck lake. Billy has been slamming the trout on the new lake and that’s enough to get the boys anxious for a move.
Paguchi (the lake trout lake) has been very productive for years now and I am sure we will be eating trout for supper New Year's Day!
Still very little snow here – just enough to get people out on their sleds, if they’re careful.
Have a Happy New Year!

December 24, 2011
Merry Christmas everyone! Busy season huh!!!
We still have next to no snow (that mentioned below basically evaporated) and the Thunder Bay paper’s headline today read “Tropical temps coming”.
On Dec 12 this month we had 9 cm of snow at the local snow station (about 3 ˝ inches). Last year at this time we had 54.3 cm (approx 22 inches), the most ever in the station’s 60 yrs of operation. The closest amount to this record fell in 1958/59 (52 cm/ 21 inches).
In a decade or so we could be offering February houseboat tours on Press Lake. I like it!

December 15th
What sort of idiotic, masochistic tendency causes me to comment on our wonderfully snow-free fall? Boy did we get dumped on last night! Oh well. Welcome to winter

December 14, 2011
This is a different year. We still have barely enough snow to make the ground white – opposite of last year when we were knee-high in the stuff by now! Very nice! Of course no weather is without its worries and people are already fretting about frozen septic beds, etc. Not likely right now at least – it was raining today. Gerry has only been fishing once (2days ago) due to a week in bed with the flu and major icehut repair work but he is gearing up now. Ryan writes his last exam on the 19th and will be home after that so let the fishing begin
Moose and deer season close Friday so Ryan’s cow tag will not be used and we will not get any venison this year. That’s just fine though since we have lots of moose meat to eat.
The calendars have been ordered and the mailout should be on its way before Jan 16th (the day the cost of postage goes up!. I may have to make all the changes by hand this year but, to be honest, that will be easier than trying to make it the computer do it for me.

December 5, 2011
WE CAN NO LONGER SELL FISHING LICENCES AT PRESS LAKE CAMP
The Ontario government has switched to a terminal system that requires a hard line phone (we have a radio phone). The other option (getting you a licence on line) is too iffy. It requires hi speed Internet and we have satellite (slower and totally down if it happens to be raining when you arrive).
This is what you do: You will be getting an application for renewal of your outdoor card soon. Online licence purchase info is included with the application. It is apparently a very easy process. You can buy your licence now or, if you are not 100% positive when you will be coming, wait til you’re sure and then follow through. Anyone reading this, please let your group know. I will be including this info in our calendar mailout as well.
We are totally bummed about the change but did not exactly have a choice. Opt in or out they said. Opt???? We have no option. Fortunately you do and if the online process does not appeal to you, you can still buy your licence at a store between the border and our camp.

December 4, 2011
We still have almost no snow cover. Many of our lakes are frozen over but not safe to travel on unless you are a 9 – 16 yr old Ignacian male. For them it is mandatory to ‘test the ice’.
Gerry got the flu on Monday and spent the entire week in bed. He almost never gets sick and I have to confess he did not whine very much. Of course he was only awake an hour or two per day
My part time work is tons of fun – I really love cutting meat and I am trying to get organized re Christmas and the mailout on my days off. Our calendar pic is chosen but I need a new program to create labels. The one I was using died and I need a simple user friendly program to create and print address labels. Any of you computer geeks have a suggestion? The simpler the better. I have never worked with form type programs so I know nothing.
There are still moose hunters actively pursuing game even this late in the season (it closes Dec 15th) but success seems to be limited. The animals just aren’t moving like they were earlier. My boss Tony has the only game processing business in Ignace and he and several of my winter coworkers cut and wrapped 70 moose this fall (3 -4 hrs per moose), almost all in the first two weeks of the season. That plus working full time in the store all day. Having them available to handle wild meat is a huge bonus every year but this fall was SO warm many groups would have had to head home early to save their meat if they could not have gotten it processed in town.

26 November, 2011
Gerry and I drove into camp yesterday. Next to no snow and temps around freezing but Press was frozen as far out as we could see. Wintering Lake still has open water in places and Norm Lake (the small lake on the right a few miles in our road) had ice only along the shore. We saw moose standing on the ice on our way in. Rather unusual – moose usually avoid ice til it is plenty thick enough to support them. As we came around the corner to the boat launch (such as it is), the moose raced from the lake across the road and into the bush. A big bull, followed by a medium sized with a spiker bull behind him. What a pic if I had not forgotten my camera!!
Tonight we are snowed in! It started snowing lightly at 4 this morning. By the time I left work at 4:30 I could barely see my car!
We have been going for wood to build up the winter supply in the garage but will have to wait and see if this melts. Doesn’t seem likely right now but the forecast is for rain on Tuesday. I generally like our sub-zero temps because we don’t get rain (black ice makes for scary driving) but we have been so late in getting snow this year, it is rather depressing to see it again.

24 November, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have basically no snow and temps well above freezing. Most of you seem to be having similar weather so let’s all be thankful for that

19 November, 2011
Since returning to town, our emails have been going out under the name Gerry Nicholas instead of Press Lake. Wally came over today to try to find out why. Due to probs with satellite Internet, we switched over to Bell hispeed a few years ago but only while in town for the winter as we cannot get it at camp of course. The bell sympatico address was set up to flip all emails into my business address (press@lincsat.com) and I assumed that system was working. After Wally talked to the Bell rep today, I hope it will be working in the future but right now I have well over 600 emails dating back to April 2007 that are unread. Many are jokes of course and hundreds are failure notifications (email replies I thought were sent but did not go through – I guess my sympatico is not set up for that). Lots are messages sent by you guys that I did not get. Most of those are from Glen, Joel, Kevin, Rick, Linda and Renee but many others are in there as well, including nearly all my email since we returned to town in October.
Weather is getting colder but still almost no snow. Ryan and his buddy went out to hunt ducks at a new pond last Monday and – frozen. Still some geese around and they have only been out for deer one day but life is busy, especially when you are using up every minute studying like Ryan is (I’ve been having these delusions for a year and a half now).

18 November, 2011
Gerry and Ryan and two of his buddies – Tyler and Matt, are leaving for Minnesota at 5 tomorrow morning. A friend of ours from Minnesota gives Gerry 4 tickets to a football game at the Metrodome each fall and they could not be more appreciated. Every year a different friend goes with them and gets to experience the game in a new way. OK you don’t get the replays on your home screen but there is nothing like being there and from what Gerry has told me it is quite the show!
So I am all alone for four days and I must admit that my attempt to hide my glee at this opportunity for a weekend of peace and tranquility was not totally successful. Fortunately Gerry knows me well enough to predict my response to his departure without feeling put out about it. We all need alone time.
We still have only a skiff of snow and our temps are just around zero so 32F I guess. After all these decades of metric temps I am finally learning to deal with it. It is a great system but I can picture an acre in my head but not a hectare, a yard but not a meter. Ryan can do both and his kids will not know what the word acre means.
After breaking down numerous times last winter with his old VK540 and turning me into a nervous wreck worrying about him, Gerry bought a brand new Yamaha (what else)VK last week. Jamie from Cobb Bay bought the same machine so Gerry took his double wide trailer and they drove down to Tomkins Hardware in Emo (near Fort Frances) a few days ago and brought both machines back. Now we need snow! And ice. He has been working on his 2 ice huts for weeks so they are ready and waiting
I am working again at Shoprite and my boss Maureen wants me to thank all of you who bought groceries in her store on your way up to Press. She appreciates your business. I am working less hours this winter which SHOULD mean I will get more work done but probably means I will read more books!

November 12, 2011
Our Remembrance Day, your Veteran’s Day was cold and snow covered here. Attendance was low but the French school and many locals attended at the Cenotaph. We still have four war veterans in Ignace: Ab Melander and Roberta Wren from WW2, Tony Taddeo (not sure which war) and, from the Korean war, Walter Barden (aka the Big Indian), our friend who used to own the first house on the left in Valora. Many of you know Walter and will be glad to hear that he is in great shape. Maybe not ready to run a marathon but he might be able to walk one
We still have a bit of snow here but good forecasts through the next week. Ryan is home from university for the weekend and he and Gerry spent today searching the Dryden area for deer. Male bonding. I spent it cutting meat at Shoprite. Obviously I could have brought home at least half a deer’s worth of meat for the price of their gas and restaurant food but (and I hate to quote totally gag-inducing commercials), the male bonding deal is priceless.

November 3, 2011
The phone problem turned out to be a result of a late summer wind storm that stretched the cables and caused probs for many residents along our street. We were just a little later noticing it due to our absence but it is always a good thing to learn that our phone trouble is at Bell’s end (free) and not our end ($87.80 charge).
Once the phone was fixed, Wally came over to do the 10 minute programming change that allows us to receive email on Bell hispeed through our Xplornet satellite address. And we find out the modem is dead. SIGH! So - the new one arrived by mail today, Wally hooked it up and we’re back in business just a little later than we expected.

I went to a workshop in Dryden yesterday: Owning the Customer Experience. Building Long term Relationships with your Customers. NO, I do not want to do that but Sheri from Cobb Bay Lodge asked me to go with her and I did. We had a lot of fun as anyone who knows Sheri can understand. We are now supposed to think about all of you and divide you into the 4 bird classifications outlined by the speaker. Some types need a lot of information, some just want to get at it and others are in various stages of in-between. If we know what bird type you are, we can connect better by giving you lots of info or just directions to the boat. Your choices are owl, eagle, dove and rooster. If you could let me know your bird type in advance it would save me trying to figure it out Or I could just use it as a party game and wait for the next fun training op (they are entertaining).

October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! Today we are moving the last ‘stuff’ and shutting down camp. One of, if not the, latest year ever but the weather has been good and so we’ve taken our time. History tells me that I will end up forgetting just as much stuff as usual but that’s life More time to pack does not improve your memory.
Our phone in town (807-934-2607) is not working for some reason. I am phoning Bell today so hopefully we will have it working again in a few days. Same with the computer. Wally is around so it should not take long to re-connect. I have to switch to Bell Hi-speed in town and that means some programming changes. This phone (807-934-6911) will be disconnected tomorrow.

Friday, October 28, 2011
Gerry and I each took a vehicle and load of stuff into town this morning. Made it just as it started to rain. We will be taking another load in tomorrow so that Gerry can see the UFC fight (Penn vs Diaz) - coming back Sunday to pack the rest and finish up hopefully. We’ve been lucky to have relatively good weather through til the end of October (makes up for the late spring a bit?). So, by Monday we will be moving the computer (no change in email address but we will be out of touch for a few days at least) and our phone number will be the winter one - 807-934-2607.
Yesterday afternoon I looked out the kitchen window at the table on which I place the food for the jays. It is not a very big table - in fact, our seagull is hesitant to land on it. But there’s a red fox, standing on the table and merrily eating the assortment of food I put out for the birds. I got a pic. Really gotta learn how to get those off this camera and onto the computer:(

October 26th, 2011
The forecasted minus 5 temps last night did not happen but it is always safer to shut down the hot water heater and run hot and cold water taps all night than to face that early morning question: Has Gerry lost enough weight over the summer to fit under the cabin or am I (finally) going to have to take a short course in soldering pipes. We have all the water running again tonight but after this the overnight temps are supposed to rise to around zero. Today was beautiful and Gerry took a load of ‘stuff’ to town while taking care of a bunch of business errands. The next 2 days have rain predicted – worse case scenario when we are trying to move. However, we are in no hurry to leave. Hmm. Let me re-phrase that. I am in no hurry to leave. Gerry is rather more anxious to get the heck out. He told my winter employer today that they would know when we were back in town cuz he would dump me off on their doorstep. I’m almost sure he didn’t mean it
It is hard to predict what will happen over the winter but right now it appears that we will not be able to issue fishing licences next year. The government has switched to a terminal system that runs through the phone line. After numerous emails/ phone conversations with Head office MNR and our personal and well informed Bell radio phone guy, the answer I have is it will probably work. Will probably work scares me. What if it doesn’t work? No prob where they live. Go next door to the next issuer. Here the next issuer is the Silver Dollar – 2 hours more driving to get a licence. But to be fair to our Natural Resources people, they probably do not realize that a lot of tourist camps are not located in downtown Peterborough and some are so remote as to not have cell OR hard line phones. Gotta love sarcasm. It is always there when you are too angry to use subtler methods of expression.
The other option is to issue you a licence through the computer. OK. What if it is raining on Saturday? Sorry – we have satellite internet so you can’t fish til the weather clears. BUT – there is an easy alternative I am told. If you are reading this, you are capable of getting your licence online. I am told it is super easy/hassle-free and I will provide complete info on this page on how to do it - way before you need it. Actually, most of you can figure it out without me but I will still post the info

October 24, 2011
Gerry picked broccoli, potatoes and carrots from the garden tonight to eat with the calf moose T-bone steaks. Now that’s eating local! What kills me is that broccoli can continue growing through umpteen hard frosts and still be tasty. Who knew!!!
It is supposed to get very cold tonight so I worked by butt off today and got all the sheets, blankets etc washed and we shut down the laundry room. Due to a maze of much-soldered pipes beneath the floor (which is totally open to the frigid air coming in off the lake) the water lines under this building regularly freeze and crack (one spring there were 17 breaks in the lines under what is a very small building). This year is looking very good. All the cabins are shut down and there is water only in the fish house, pump house and lodge, all of which have water running tonight to prevent freezing.
Gerry is heading out the road tomorrow to cut up a few trees that came down in the latest wind storm – we’re always looking for firewood. I’ll use the opportunity to finish up the taxes and assorted paperwork so that I don’t have to deal with that after we get to town. Sorting paper and boxes of stuff seems to take forever, even though we do it twice a year.
After tonight the weather is supposed to get warmer for a few days so that will make our yard tasks more pleasant. Westill have to haul the BBQs and deck furniture inside the cabins, take down the volleyball net and put the baggo boards inside. Somehow, after a decade of use, 3 of our 4 horseshoes disappeared in July. They’ll show up again though. Horseshoes do that. We lost one for 2 years until it showed up in the firepit woodbox
The badminton net came down weeks ago when a young robin got herself tangled in it. I held her and Tim Junkin used my knife to cut and cut and cut the net until suddenly she took off, finally free. Tough little birds!
Our yard grouse are all over now, munching on tasty weeds and enjoying the lack of people. The Gray Jays/Canada Jays/Whiskeyjacks have been fed copious amounts of food by our hunters all fall and I am now gradually emptying our freezers of stuff we probably won’t eat in an effort to keep up with their appetites. It’s a battle I’m losing so we’d better move to town quick

October 23, 2011
The last hunters/family/friends have left and Gerry and I have the camp all to ourselves for the first time this year. It is a strange but pleasant situation. Peaceful And warm! We have had only one night this fall where the temps went to 5 below C, requiring us to run water in all buildings not yet shut down. This has allowed me to get all the bedding washed and bagged. As you can imagine, there is no time in the spring to wash a couple of hundred blankets (2 at a time) and a pile of comforters (1 at a time). The wash cycle is 45 minutes. This year we made it to camp May 8th and the season opened the 21st. Next yr it opens the 19th and we will hopefully have an earlier spring! Plus rain. The water level is certainly not going to come up this year but a wet spring can make all the difference.
With help over the past few weeks we have all the boats, motors and docks cleaned up and in place for the winter. Gerry bought 8 new $100 BBQs to replace the $69 bargains that we got in 2008 (maybe not such a bargain huh! The $100 ones we bought in 97 lasted 10 years! and Gary Miller (friend who took last yr’s calendar pic) put several of them together this fall while waiting for hunting season to open. We will have them all in place next year.
I have sorted all the pix from the last part of 2010 and all of 2011 into a separate file and have searched through them for a possible calendar pic. I have one that looks good but if anyone is planning to send a pic (any pic) please do so ASAP so I can get the calendars ordered AND get your picture on the web site.
Ryan’s dog Bella is adapting to life in the big city (Thunder Bay). He has rented a house with 2 friends (having found life in residence too restricting) and they accidentally left the backyard gate open one day. Bella, proving that she does have Lab instincts despite her dislike for water, headed straight for the nearest Mac’s Milk and schmoozed for handouts. He got her back in two hours but, as you can imagine if you know her, she made a lot of friends in that time.

Wednesday, 19 October, 2011
Gerry shot a bull in the Jarvis Rapids about 4 pm today. He and Joe tied it to the boat and are floating it back now. While travelling from the rapids to the Rock Garden they saw 5 moose in 20 minutes. It seems like it is all or nothing although Gerry was convinced they would get their moose tonight or tomorrow morning. Weather is plenty cold (around freezing) but it is not snowing and the wind isn't blowing them off the lake as it has a few days this week. The Dewhurst crew have been fishing despite the weather and having a relaxing vacation after getting all their moose in the first 24 hours of their hunt.

Sunday, 16 Oct, 2011
Our last group of the year arrived yesterday and shot a bull last night. The animal came out into the bay east of camp. Since we do not allow shooting in camp, the hunters walked up the shore and called. The moose came out and that was that. This morning they got a cow and 2 calves in the English River and are now planning their fishing trips. While down at the shore this morning, I counted 5 adult Bald eagles with the numerous Ravens at the kill site in our bay. Nothing is wasted!
Gerry’s brother Dan shot a calf this morning at Dickie’s Corner, a turn in the road surrounded by swamp about 5 miles from camp. It is a very popular hangout location for moose. Like a Starbucks with more insect life (or maybe not). Their group of 10 guys still have a bull tag but the focus is turning toward fishing and small game hunting. Too Tall Rob is nuts about waterfowl hunting and may be able to convince someone to take a trip up to the duck blinds in the Grassy River one morning. Gerry and Ryan built 2 new blinds this year. Gerry built his out of poplar logs. Anyone who can’t see this coming has never watched a beaver at work. Ryan was in hysterics the next morning when they got to the blinds (blind and ˝ actually).
Gerry’s group were on the road today instead of the lake due to the 40 kph hour winds forecast. And the predicted rain and snow. All of which did occur. Very unpleasant weather but then it is mid-October and we have been blessed with some incredibly beautiful fall days. Until now. The forecast for the next couple of days is bad but we are not getting any water-line-freezing cold nights – yet. Cabins 2 and 3 are shut down for the year (water drained and therefore safe from freezing) and cabin 1 will be tomorrow if I get off my butt and finish cleaning it.
It is hard to believe that we will be back in town within two weeks. Moving day depends largely on what the weather does of course but we will definitely be in town by the end of the month – sadly! Sad for me but I think Gerry is looking forward to having TV again and his favourite recliner and his 2 ice huts to fix up and get ready for the season

12 October (Wednesday)
Yesterday morning, Doug Brooks shot a 2 -3 yr old bull at the north end of the rapids. Gerry's hunt group can now relax and concentrate on fishing, grouse hunting and beverage consumption. Our other two hunt groups already have their animals and have been spending time on the same activities. The great weather seems to be drawing to a close; weather forecast predicts non-stop rain for the next week. Still, our forecaster has been dead wrong all summer so - wait and see.

11 October, 2011
Hard to believe it is mid October and the over 70 temps we had today have become the norm; our hunters are suffering in their thermal camo clothing. If this weather pattern continues , we are going to have to start selling camo shorts and tank tops. I was thinking thongs but the mental images were too much!
Our bow hunters saw a lot of moose from Sept 17th til October but the beautiful weather does not get the animals moving and no one could get a moose in close enough for a safe shot. Gun season opened Saturday (Oct 8th) and that increased the odds dramatically Joel Hallowell and Shane Keating each shot a moose first thing opening morning – a bull and a cow. Tim Junkin got a cow late in the day on Saturday and then Jeff Minion shot a young bull today. Lots of moose sign. Also lots of wolf sign and sightings of lynx, eagles, otters, beaver. Grouse are all over on our road, making for a good hunt. Plenty of weekend hunters cruising the road though so it is best to hunt during the week. Same concept as when to hit the mall at home I imagine. Better results though. Pan-fried Ruffed grouse fingers are tasty!
Very low water levels still. We have enough beach (90 feet from plug-in to water's edge) for beach volleyball. Scary! No motor damage though. People are aware of the low water level and are being careful. You cannot get into many places that used to be accessible and some rocks that Gerry has never seen are now 5 feet out of the water. But fishing is good according to our last group of Wisconsin anglers who left yesterday. We now have nothing but Canadian hunters for the rest of the year unless Nate shows up.

Sept 27, 2011
Over 80 degrees F here today. Gerry took Joe (yes, that Joe) and Laurie fishing off a reef west of Shore Lunch island and the water temp was 66.7. They caught their limit in no time and went for bass. Two of our moose bow hunters had caught over 20 smallies off the reef near the Narrows when Gerry talked to them. The kids with the Harris group were swimming off the dock this afternoon. Yes they are Canadian but the water temp had to be well over 70 so I think any kid would have jumped in. All this non-hunting activity from our bow hunters shows that the weather is great for swimming but lousy for moose hunting.
My ability to send email is back. Whew! I have deleted almost all of my old email messages except pix and will focus on getting those to the site in the next 2 weeks. I found nothing from Brianna though John so if you have any pix of her fish, please forward.

Sept 26, 2011
We have had mostly bluebird weather throughout September, especially during the first week when our pike fishermen (Doyle and Ron from Missouri) were here. Of course the 55 degrees and chop that they wanted so much came the week after they left. Surprisingly though, the fishing was better during the hot sunny days. Ron boated a 40 inch northern and Doyle got several almost as big as Ron’s. But not. They also caught a lot of big fat 18 and 19 inch bass; that first week of September was the best week of the year for smallies. A lot of the best fish action this month has been around shore lunch island off points and islands in the main lake. In mid September, Ben Mras caught and kept for mounting a very fat 40 inch northern – nice fish. Donna Drost did the same with a gorgeous bright yellow 27 ˝ inch walleye – her biggest ever. Mike McCoy caught a 25 ˝ inch walleye that week and Matt Lockner, on his first trip to Press, caught a 27 inch walleye as well. He and his group had a great time, despite some weather problems. High winds on their last day kept every group in camp off the lake (although McCoys and Lockners were daring each other to go out. Mike’s words: I’ll be 100% behind you! but that was nothing compared to the wind storm on Sept 12th. We seemed to be the only camp hit (lucky us) with an amazingly strong west wind. Short lived (5 – 10 minutes) but when it ended I saw that one of our 16 foot Nadens and 15hp Yamahas had been picked up from the left (west) side of cabin 5’s dock and placed upside down on the dock itself. Three of us flipped it back into the water and it started fine. Cowling’s cracked a bit but minor. Unlike our road. It took Gerry and I three hours to cut our way to the first road to the old bridge (2 km or just over a mile). A west wind is the worst for taking trees down. The next day we had more wind and more trees. Oh well – lots of firewood for next year. We had 2 groups of guests coming in but fortunately Mike and Donna were prepared with rope and could pull the downed trees back enough to let them and the other group through. What to bring to Canada. ROPE!
This week we have 3 groups of bow hunters and bright sunshine, no wind. No moose. Last week the weather sucked and McBeans saw moose every day – bulls and cows together, cows, calves, bulls. Now – nothing. Scott and his son Ryley with the Harris crew did land a 28 and a 24 inch walleye two days ago and there are quite a few grouse on the road (except on weekends when everyone is out hunting them) but the moose are elusive. Ryan and Gerry have been hunting ducks and geese for two weekends now and have had reasonable success. They would be doing better if Ali were still here to retrieve. Bella prefers to kill animals by herself and she does not willingly swim so no help there.
We have had hail storms that left the ground white with marble sized pellets, windstorms, many frosts, incredible northern lights, the odd rainbow and lots of hot sunny shorts and t shirt days. Almost typical Sept weather. Many years we get our best weather now but in 2011 we have had great weather all year. Dry though and there are still some fires burning up north.
Hopefully my computer will be up and running soon but, for now, I can read your email but I cannot answer so – PHONE if you need info or email and leave a phone number.

26 September, 2011
My computer has been causing me grief since mid August but has essentially been down since September 6th. This did not affect wifi until now.
Numerous trips to and from town were required but I now have a new hard drive, new printer and most of my data back. I still cannot answer email although I can read them. Answers:
Yes I have your shoes Charlie.
Dean: I want my goat cut one inch thick, not butterflied and 4 chops/package
Doyle: I will answer your email as soon as I can
Wally came out last week to restore my send feature, contact list, etc but could do nothing. Extended calls to our Satellite company in New Brunswick revealed that someone in camp had downloaded 160mb of data the day before between 9 and 10. We have only 169 mb available for use so the system put us on automatic slowdown for 2 days, leaving Wally with too little speed to download anything at all. The way the tech fellow explained it is like a pail with a hole in the bottom. As long as you only read email or Facebook, the pail will never empty. Water (mbs) going in will equal those leaving. But 169 mb equals less than half a movie. Downloading a few YouTube videos can shut us down. Attempts to explain this to customers have failed and Wally has threatened me with death by torture if I plug in the wifi again.
I will now find out if I can send this. If it works I will have another update later today.

August 31, 2011
The new dock went in the water on August 26th. We put it at cabin 5 and took their dock over to the campground. It took Gerry and Ryan all afternoon to fix the various problems with that dock but it is now sturdy and functioning in the camping area. We plan to put one, maybe 2 more docks over there as we replace our other older cabin docks (#4 and 5). The construction went amazingly fast, when they had time to work on it. For a couple of weeks in August everything seemed to be breaking or falling apart. On the upside, the problems gave Gerry some much needed physical activity, although that seems to be my opinion alone
Now that everything is fixed (we hope), it is time to concentrate on getting wood. They have brought in 4 truckloads in 2 days with only moderate equipment damage. Gerry was POSITIVE that tree was not long enough to reach to where he had parked the quad. Sigh! Of course, with Ryan and his iPhone present, pix were on Facebook within hours.
I am getting pummelled on all sides re the necessity of a Press Lake Camp Facebook page. Anyone out there think it is a good idea? Apparently you guys can put photos, trip experiences or tips on it and all that stuff. I am not a social media type but most people seem to be now and we can create one if the demand is there.
The water level is still low but the forecast shows rain through Saturday. Typically however, we have only gotten a sprinkle today. Dry year! Forest fires have slowed right down and we did not have any campfire restrictions this year. All of the fire activity was hours north of us thank goodness.
Fish are still biting (OF COURSE!. Some really big northern have been caught and released in the past week and the walleye are spreading out. Our campers Kurt and Ken were doing well in the Rock Gardens in 5 feet of water but they are also biting on the reefs in 15 – 30 feet. Only nine people in camp right now so it's rather peaceful.
Bella's birthday today. She is two years old now and thinks she died and to heaven I bet. She has had a wonderful summer with all of the friendly people, kids and dogs to play with, critters to kill. Now she is going to Thunder Bay for the winter to be a university student's dog. Hope she survives

24 August, 2011
September is filling up fast but the 6th to the 8th is open in one cabin and there is some space available after the 17th/18th . We have no full weeks though until Sept 24 – Oct 1st.
We do have cabins open this coming week (Aug 27th) and 2 cabins available for October 8 - 15th, the opening week of moose gun season (Ontario residents only for a moose hunt although anyone can come just to fish).
Weather has been great but it poured rain today and there was enough wind with it to keep people off the lake until this evening. It appears our forest fire problem has slowed right down though so bring on the sun! Still no bears. Weird because there are few berries and Ignace is overrun with nuisance bears. We smelled skunks twice this summer but never saw one and did not trap any. Perfect. I trapped and relocated 13 of the little devils last summer and apparently they liked their new homes since they did not return. All other 'pests' are being taken care of by Ryan's little dog, Bella aka 'Killer'.
Gerry guided a group yesterday morning - two young guys who knew what they were doing but probably wanted to get to know the lake better. They did really well at Shore Lunch island (their first stop) but it was slow everywhere else they tried. Talking to people who hit the same spots but at different times of day I got the opposite story. Gotta be at the right place at the right time and that is often a crap shoot, no matter what the experts say.
Our new dock is half done; thanks to the Jaskolka clan for their assistance in moving the first section into the water and to Derek for his carpenter advice/help. Sorry about making you put your drink down Joe!
Fishing is still great and everyone is getting lots of walleye (despite the hot weather) but forget Hut and Hughes now unless the visit is crucial to your trip. The water is so low, you really have to work to get into either lake.

Aug 21, 2011
We have brought in worms (crawlers) for 3 different groups with no success. The last batch, which we bought for a guest this week, Gerry even fed and watered and they still died. He then ended up having to give up the big juicy worms he has been lovingly tending for his brook trout adventures. :(
So – you can get minnows and leeches from us but no crawlers.
Wally came out – again, on Saturday and found some faulty settings which appear to have been the problem. We now have wifi again and I can answer emails and print the weather. And you can connect with the real world although I still do not understand why you want to!!!
Guests this week thought we had cell service. There is no cell service at Press Lake. There is in Ignace although some phones will not pick up a signal. Not sure why.
Cabin cleaning was a bit slower this week without Ryan. He went to a Rock on the Range concert in Winnipeg to see Alice in Chains, Five Finger Death Punch, Art of Dying, Hinder and a bunch of other bands with equally interesting names. I sure hope he bought a CD so we can listen to it while we clean cabins next week. After which I am definitely hauling out my favourite Hank Williams Senior cassette!!
All of our new guests that I have talked to this week are catching lots of fish and having fun. Our young campers from Wisconsin told me they really had fun on Saturday – LOTS of fish!
The fish are in the same locations as in my previous posts and the water level is still amazingly low.

18 August, 2011
We have been Internet-free for a while now. Earlier this week, I spent a couple of hours on the phone with Wally, my IT guy, and it was obviously a drive to Press Lake problem (unfortunately). It seems my computer won't listen to anything my router says (sounds like a lot of relationships I know). Wally ditched the router and replaced it with a switch which worked very briefly (some of you may have gotten a short, fast email from me at that point) and then left me high and dry again!! I am now routed directly from the satellite to my computer which means no wifi until I get new hardware but at least I can read your emails and write this note to let you know what's happening. I could be shut down again in the morning so phone if you do not get a reply to your email.
Weather is beautiful! We had some wind and a hard rain this week but not a big deal and the fishing was incredible. 'Best fishing we've ever had here' is a line we've heard over and over this summer. Lots of fish being caught and more bigger (over 20) walleyes. They're still in 25 – 30 feet on the reefs and off the islands. Water is so low that no one is fishing the Rock Gardens although the rapids above are still producing of course. No one has done well by the old bridge for a couple of weeks but Rosie's Rock and 770 are producing fish. 770 (a reef named for its depth: 7 feet to 70 feet) is only about 4 feet under water now but still hard (almost impossible) to locate without a fishfinder.
Lots of ducks right now, including some yellow babies. You'd think they would not grow fast enough to fly south but they do. A few days ago Ryan and Gerry were cleaning boats and got to see a catch which is fairly tricky since the ducks are very attuned to eagles and other flying predators. An immature eagle did a low level glide across cabin 7 and scooped a full grown duck right out of the water before the flock even had time to telegraph the warning signal. It then landed in the bay east of camp and ate duck a la waterlily for breakfast.
We opened September up to anything a few years ago and I have quite a jigsaw puzzle happening there now. Because we have no minimum numbers for a cabin then and allow people to pay $50 per night for whatever nights they are staying, I am having to be very careful not to overbook people. It is working great though. A lot of people are taking advantage of the opportunity to have the flexibility of camping but in a cabin.
The material is here and the boys have started building the camper dock. Unfortunately this past week has been the week from hell for our maintenance personnel (Gerry and Ryan) and computer probs have eaten up a lot of time also. But.. we've had a great year with almost no big problems to fix so we were due. However the dock building was put on hold til next week when all the problems will have been taken care of and Ryan will be back from the rock concert he and friends are going to in Winnipeg. It says something about kids music today that I do not know the name of any band he is going to see. Too many crazy named music groups.

6 August 2011
Clarification re leeches and worms (crawlers): we can only bring in 1 pound or half pound of leeches and a flat or half flat of worms. We get them from our minnow supplier (Sawyer's in Savant Lake) and they deal only in larger units.
One of our guests told me a few days ago that he got into Hut with our boat (16 foot with a 15 hp Yamaha) but it was getting tough due to low water. I told him he would be surprised at what people will manage to get in there, even in low water years like this. Yesterday, Paul took his 20 foot boat and 250 hp motor into Hut. If you want to get there, you WILL get there
Fishing seemed to slow down right after my last report but picked up dramatically last week. Walleye are still deep (20 – 30 feet) and readily caught off the reefs and islands. Bass are being caught but the big pike seem to be in hiding – just waiting for a savvy northern angler to figure out what they're up to. Many of our groups fished the bay in front of camp last week with great success. Lots of reports of plus 20 walleye including a 26 incher off Shore Lunch island. Steve and Jacob Harden, new to Press, caught 23 and 24 inch walleye mid week. They could not buy a fish their first day on the lake but after talking to Gerry and Ryan, changing from leeches to minnows and re-thinking their technique, they did great. Steve said that once they got onto the fish, leeches worked just as well as minnows. Good to have a variety of options.
It is now 85 feet from the water's edge to the dock plug-ins. Bring lots of cord!
We have a big family group in camp this week and there are kids and kayaks everywhere you look. Our campground is fuller than it has been in quite a while. Hope the weather holds. The forecast predicts rain all week but they've been wrong 95% of the time this year so odds on sunny weather are pretty high.
Lots of baby ducks now. Yeah, you would think they wouldn't make it before winter but it is amazing how quick the little devils grow. We're feeding them lots of corn and they do well on that. There are 4 dogs in camp this week including Bella and they all start off thinking they can catch a duck. It is so embarrassing for a dog doing his great duck dog act to be surrounded by ducks laughing (quacking) at him/her.
Road is still in great shape and, although a few have been seen closer to Valora, we have no bears around camp at all. The one that tried to get into two cabins a few weeks ago disappeared as soon as we got the MNR to set a trap. Now we have dump problems because nothing is eating our garbage. Even the seagull numbers have dropped dramatically in the past few years and that means we only have eagles, ravens and turkey vultures to eat the fish guts. None of those species can match seagulls in fish consumption!
I know! Canadians are never satisfied. Whine about bears. Whine about no bears. And always whine about the weather!

28 July, 2011
Last week I promised some of this week's guests that I would make sure the weather was cooler. Saturday I had to wear a sweater. Darn, I'm good! We have had a mix of weather and temps this week but nothing extreme. The fishing is still great of course. A father and son from Wisconsin got lost looking for the old bridge, ended up here and decided to fish Press today for an hour or two. The young boy told me they caught a 36 northern and 231/2 inch walleye. He looked happy. Darryl Hall, who has been coming for over a decade, told us last night that he has never had better fishing. Fishing around the islands a lot, he caught a number of over 20 inch walleye, big bass and nice northern. Harris Mechanical brings a group every year and they had awesome fishing. Just a great year (aren't they all).
The water is very low but no one has hit a rock hard enough to do damage since mid-June. Lots of newer people fishing our bay where you – almost- can't hit a rock, and getting a lot of decent fish!
Road is still in great shape. Our friend Jack pumped out our septic tanks a week or two ago and said it took him only 35 minutes to come in our road. That's in a big sewage truck – empty! We even got a cut rate because he got to enjoy a smooth ride in
Gas prices have dropped from $1.30 to $1.20/litre (plus tax) since we got to camp. Hope the trend continues!
Minnows are still $3.75/ doz plus tax and, as I have mentioned, we can now get you leeches and worms if you let us know early enough.

21 July, 2011
HOT! We have had very hot (over 90) and humid weather for most of July and I hear that you're getting the same or worse south of the border. I love it but I am one of the few.
Fishing does not seem to be suffering as a result of the bright sun but then the fish are deeper now, on the reefs. The groups that I have talked to this week have had phenomenal fishing. The Donahues told me that they were catching fish everywhere on the lake and recommended orange and green jigs with a black twister tail. Leeches are working and minnows of course. Kasels tried minnows this year for the first time and found they really caught fish (that's why we use nothing else). Todd Metzger got a 28 inch walleye earlier this week and some decent bass and northern have been caught. Lots of fish coming in and a lot of reports of big northern grabbing hooked walleye! Even the new group has been catching a lot of fish this week. It can be hard for people who do not know the lake and we had a group last week that struggled. One of our long time guests took them out one day and Ryan guided them one night; they started to get more fish after that. If you are not getting on fish after a day or two, talk to Ryan and/or Gerry. We don't always realize you are having problems and we definitely want you to catch fish!!!!
The people we are buying bait from now, Troy and Penny Sawyer in Savant Lake, can supply us with leeches and crawlers. We meet them at the Silver Dollar every Wednesday for minnows so if you call us by Tuesday of the week before you arrive, we can bring in what you need.
It is now 75 feet from the edge of the water to the plug-ins. The water is very low! But, people in larger boats were still getting into Hut last week and I know from experience that if I write here that you cannot get in, at least one large boat will get in next week. Just be careful!
You may have heard that there are a lot of forest fires in our area and there are but they are many miles north of us. The fire near Osnaburgh/Pickle Lake is 3 hours north and it is one of the closest. Smoke travels though and we were heavily smoked in early this week. There are no fire restrictions south of the CN line (Savant Lake) as of yet.
Another side effect of all this hot, dry weather is a lack of blueberries. They are there but still small and white. The bears are used to having them as a food source by now and so they are hungry. There are a lot of bears around (we see several every trip out the road). Speaking of the road, the logging company graded it about 2 weeks ago (as far as the road to the old bridge and the public access) and people are telling us they have never seen it better.
Overall we are having a great year. Fishing has been consistently excellent, weather is beautiful, everyone is happy! Doesn't get any better than this.
We are not feeding as many ducks this year and I think that is due to Ryan's new dog Bella. She is a soft lovable little thing with people, a tireless playmate to every dog that arrives in camp and a vicious killer of any rodents she can catch. The ducks seem to recognize that she is more of a danger than Ali would ever be, even though Bella does not swim. She has that killer instinct.

July 6, 2011
Ryan and Hali went out to Frank's hole for an hour or so this afternoon and caught about 26 walleye. They were fishing with a jig and a minnow (orange jig) at between 14 and 25 feet. One over 18, the rest beween 14 and 17. Then it rained but very little so we're still watering the gardens.

July 4, 2011 Fireworks! Barbeque! Holiday! Have fun!
A lot of walleye action on the reefs now at about 20 - 30 feet with a jig and a minnow. One 42 inch northern caught this week, some 20 plus walleye and a couple of 18 - 19 inch bass.

July 3, 2011
Hot here on the weekend although we have guests from Nebraska who laughed at me this afternoon when I commented on Gerry and Ryan not liking the hot humid weather - 90 degrees and 86% humidity. I guess our weather is just right for them
Our wifi is back up but with so many people using it, I cannot get on to our website. However, one of our campers called and said I have not updated since the 23rd so I'd better do an update!!
Ryan told me that, in his conversations with our guests, he has discovered that they do not realize wifi here is not the same as at home. I guess we forget where people are coming from. With satellite internet, we are allocated about 1 gigabyte of usage – lots for checking email, Facebook etc. Nowhere near enough for downloads, web surfing and such. SO – if you are doing that while at camp, you are shutting everyone in camp down. And you are missing out on some great fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities
Fishing is still great. Wes Bader in cabin one last week got a 29 inch walleye on a jig and a minnow near the old bridge. A number of 23 – 26 inch walleye were recorded as well.
I had 2 childhood friends stop by to visit on their way out west last week. With them was Jenna, a 15yr old girl that they were taking as far as Edmonton to visit friends of hers. Gerry took her and my friend Janet fishing on Wednesday and they came back with a mess of fish, almost all caught by Jenna. She has never been in a boat before and has never caught a fish before so the smile on her face was a mile wide. Jenna has cerebral palsy but managed, with minimal help, to reel in all her fish. Amazing kid with a great sense of humour and lots of smarts. Gerry had a great time fishing with her and my friend (who did manage to catch the odd fish when Jenna's pole was out of the water.
Billy Baird, future pro-bass fisherman, caught 40 smallmouth between 17 and 18 ˝ inches in Anderson's Bay a few days ago. He fished from 9 to 3 using nothing but top water baits. He and Ryan went out tonight and are going to try again later this week. Ryan doesn't know much about fishing bass so might as well learn from those who know what they're doing.
Our weather forecast has predicted rain for about 58 of the 60 days we have been at camp and it has rained 2 ˝ times. Well, something like that. Hugely unreliable at any rate! So our water level is dropping fast but you can still get into Hut and Hughes. Not Rice of course.
We still do not have a grader but the road is fine – drive slowly.
We had acquired 3 bears at our dump this year. The littlest guy came into camp several weeks ago, Bella treed it and we never saw it again until today.
The other two were coming into camp, making runs at Gerry and one of our campers, taking garbage from in front of the cabins etc so we called MNR and Melody brought a trap out. Friday night, cabin 7 guys were packing their vehicles and boats back behind 5 and 6. The trap was set 50 feet from them and it was broad daylight. Out comes the bear and right into the trap. SLAM!!! Problem solved?
Saturday morning. If you watch shows like Law and Order, you know that one plot twist is for the bad guy to be arrested and thrown in jail and then, while he is incarcerated, the REAL bad guy strikes again. Major sign of bear activity/damage Sat am told me we did not have the bear that was the worst offender. We caught the mid-sized guy and he was quite relaxed in the trap and is hopefully now enjoying his new far away home. So Melody had to come out on the long weekend, take the first trapped bear away and bring a second trap. We caught the second and quite large bear that night. It went in the trap at 11:30 pm (Ryan heard it) and it was making very loud runs at the door when I got up at 5. This was the bear that was causing us trouble and he was not a happy camper in that cage. So Melody came back again! She called later to say that the big and nasty bear took off like a streak of um black fur when she opened the door. Whew! THEN, once the big guys were gone, the little bear showed up at the dump again. He is still scared of people ( a life extending character trait in a bear) but now he has the dump all to himself. Unlikely he will come back to camp to suffer the humiliation of being treed by a 40 pound dog - again!
Since we have young children, dogs and a lot of couples in camp this week it is a relief to know that we do not have to worry about bears anymore. Thanks MEL!!!!
If you have heard there are forest fires restricting access up here, don't worry – not true. Even the large fire just south of Pickle Lake is no longer a problem from what we hear.

June 23rd
Fishing has been excellent this week!
We did have really strong winds Tuesday and Wednesday and rain forecast every day. No rain fell though and the walleye chop (except for the two bad days) made everyone happy. In the past three days our fishermen have caught numerous walleye 23 – 27 inches. Saturday, Sunday and Monday each produced a plus 40 northern: 44 ˝ (22 pounds) on Sat, 45 ˝ (23 pounds) on Sunday and another 45 on Monday. Between them and the walleye, our fish freezer is filling up fast!
The walleye are being caught on a jig and a minnow or leech or crawler in 8 feet or 13 feet or really shallow at the rapids or old bridge or off an island. Fishing seems to be good all over! One fellow told me he and his buddies went out after supper and boated 69 walleye. Another got 500 during their week's stay. These are just the stories that I remember.
Our wifi is down at present – I am not sure why but hope to have it up and running soon. One guest told me this morning he cannot remember the last time he was totally without communication. Seemed a little dazed and not completely unhappy about it.
We still cannot scoop a grader. The Ministry of Transportation is a much better customer than us with our once a year rental so we can't blame the company for giving them priority. The road is rough but take your time. We have a motor home in here right now and even a couple of Fords made it in!!!!
The water level is about normal for this time of year and dropping every day. With the high winds this week, we decided not to push the docks out just yet and they have stayed put for once!
After I tempted fate, we did get a bear in camp of course. Just a small one and Bella (Ryan's dog) made its life hell until it left. She had it up a tree at one point. That was a week ago and I have only seen bears at the dump since then. Of course a lapdog can tree a bear – as long as it doesn't get mad. Watch out then! Bella is a varmint hunter though. No squirrels or groundhogs dare to show their face with her around so Gerry is happy.
The mayfly hatch started midweek and was thick in Rush Lake before we saw them on Press. They are now spreading to the main lake. Hopefully the hatch will be as shortlived and insignificant as it has been the past few years. If the main influx occurs on Fri/Sat, the impact will certainly be less.

Monday, June 13th
Third nice day in a row!
For some reason, this is always camper week. We have a beautiful big campground but everyone comes this one week. They do seem to be having a lot of fun though and there is still lots of empty space for the kids to play games in. A 40 inch northern was caught yesterday along with a number of over 20 inch walleye. Some groups said fishing was tough and others that it was great. Depended where you were I guess?
I should not even mention this (and jinx our luck) but we have not had any problems with bears in camp this year – not even with the FFA group who, despite having a clean campsite, seem to attract the critters. People have been seeing them at the dump but hopefully they will stay there!

June 10, 2011
We have had a crazy mix of weather during the past week, everything from warm and sunny to hail the size of grapes mixed with thunder and lightning and, of course, high wind. Our guests couldn't be happier though - fishing has been incredible! Everyone is bringing in nice fish with a number of walleye over 20 inches.
Darren Diedrich caught a 29 inch walleye on Monday while fishing with a 6 inch rubber shad in four feet of water.
Brian Waltz, one of the leaders of the St Croix Falls FFA group caught a beautiful, fat 31 inch walleye, again while fishing shallow water. He is getting it mounted. Several of the FFA students boated walleye over 20 as well so that, despite the varied weather, all 12 of them had a great trip.
Ryan Myers and his dad Ken are crazy about bass fishing and have had great luck with 19 and 20 inch bass in Anderson Bay and other 'hot' spots.
Yesterday Mike Ayers caught a 28 inch walleye, also in 4 – 5 feet of water. We're seeing a pattern here
No really big northern since opening week but lots of decent fish have been brought in (12 pound range).
The water level is probably normal for this time of year and we have some beach now. After our big storm dropped an inch and a half of rain on us, we had to switch from pushing the docks out to pulling them back in though; it is amazing how much the lake rises with a storm like that.
The Public Health Inspector flew in to check out our water system yesterday. We have never been inspected before so I was a bit nervous but our system passed with no problems. Our water tests have all been good and we have a safe, secure well – that is their main concern.

May 30
Memorial Day! Hope it's a good one!
Despite a bit of bad weather, opening week saw a lot of fish caught and all of our guests seemed to have a great time. The biggest northern was caught opening day (Debbie Truitt's 48 ˝ inch northern caught in Wintering Creek) and Jack Johnson got the biggest walleye - a really nice 28 incher taken in the Rock Gardens.
The water,level is dropping fast but guests are still getting into Rice Lake. Fishing there and in the creek was slow yesterday but the fish house was busy all day so they were biting elsewhere. Will update that when I get more info.
Our weather forecast promised rain, thunder storms, etc. but Sunday was a beautiful, clear, calm day and so far today as well. We have two groups of campers this week who are quite happy with the sunshine, although I would also like the 90 degree weather back that we had the week before opener.
When you are heading to Canada (finally!!), DON'T FORGET YOUR PASSPORT! One fellow did that this week and they had to drive an hour back home to get it. To make things worse, the bearing went in their trailer and five hours after they left home they had made it 7 miles. Trailer bearings are another thing to check before leaving!

Thursday May 26th
Frost again this morning but blue skies and no wind. Looks like a better day!

Wednesday, May 25th
Cold! There was a hard frost last night but not enough to freeze our water lines thank goodness. Fishermen don't mind the cold but unfortunately, it was also just windy enough to make it hard to hold at the Rock gardens or even the Narrows. Gerry had a heck of a time on Sturgeon too but stayed behind Fisherman's Island and they were home by 6:30 with their limit of nice trout.

Tuesday, May 24th
Gerry did a trout trip on Sturgeon today and it snowed. That's just not right on Queen Victoria's birthday! He took friends Doug and Laura and she caught 5 of the six trout. They were fishing at about 30 feet, using downriggers and Laura discovered how hard it is to reel in 140 feet of line, especially with a big trout on the other end. Lots of fun. Gerry is doing another trip tomorrow with some of our guests. He has such a hard life it's no wonder he wants to retire. It's just work, work, work
Cold today! There was a frost warning and Doogie said it was below zero at cabin 1 this morning. The sun did come out but it never got really warm. Oh well – no bugs at those temps.
Phil Kaestle caught and released a 41 inch northern today and we have had a lot of over 20 inch walleye caught as well.
Water temp was 54 a few days ago and I had reports of guests seeing lilypads, rather unheard of at this time of year. We have had a number of very hot days though and that kick starts the vegetation.

Monday, May 23rd
Queen Victoria Day and a holiday here! The weather is cold and windy which is a welcome relief from yesterday's hot sun, according to some of our fishermen. I disagree
Fishing was incredible opening day but slowed down a bit on Sunday after the storm went through during the night. Lots of people fished Wintering Creek and Rice Lake and they just hammered them! Ryan and his buddies got their limit in no time as did friends Doug and Laura who fished the Narrows. Others did well in the Rock Gardens. Jack Johnson got a fat 28 inch walleye there and Debbie Truitt (who ALWAYS gets big northern) caught and released a 48 ˝ inch pike in Wintering Creek. Lots of happy anglers!!
The water level has dropped some – we now have about a foot more beach than we did when we arrived.
Changes in Ignace: the Northwoods Motor Inn no longer sells fishing licences (mainly of interest to ice fishermen since we do sell licences here in the summer) but you can get them at Vern's Minnows (now located at the west end of town across from Subway) and at Black Bear Gifts across from the liquor store.
Wifi is working but so slow it has taken me two days to post this.

May 20th 10:30 pm
Ryan's 19th birthday! In Canada that is legal drinking age so I watched him drink today for the first time: a Bud Lite with Lime (gift from our fellow cleaner). Raising a kid involves a bunch of scary milestones and this is one of the scariest!
Everyone I talked to today said the road was nowhere near as bad as I painted it but remember – not everyone has been coming for a long time and people have different tolerances for bad roads. I want to ensure everyone arrives here as happy as possible. Everyone I saw today was very happy! One group said they were at the border for an hour, being torn apart with every other vehicle. No prob – they were legal but definitely a pain! No one else mentioned any border trouble.

May 19, 2011

Whew! We got into camp on Sunday, May 8th this year, close to the latest ever. Fortunately the season opens May 21st instead of last year's May 15th (the third Saturday in May thing).
It has been blistering hot and the bugs are out so bring bug dope! The water has dropped a few inches since we got here but it will still be no problem to get into Rice.
Before you curse us over the road – we tried. Elk Construction (our only grader source) cannot get a grader til the end of May/early June and we are booked for their earliest available date. I suggest you use the extra time on the road to bond with your group members. Perhaps talk about your true feelings for each other, followed by an in depth discussion on politics and religion. What? Oh – you want something that will more or less ensure you all arrive alive. Hmm – OK, how about ANOTHER discussion on what tackle to use and who is the best fisherman?
We had very few broken water lines this year and the ice machine is working like a charm. Despite our shorter time frame, I think we are now ready. That is thanks to our great cleaning crew: Sandy Cloutier, the Romas family and us. We've been at it for two weeks now and we are all pretty tired.
Al and Dean Lis from Wisconsin pulled into camp this afternoon wearing sweatshirts. Dean still has the furnace on in his barn at home. Close to 90 here. They were shocked!

14 May, 2011
Ok it is midnight on Saturday and we have one cabin left to clean. Tomorrow!
Last year, the season opened today! Thank goodness it is a week later this year!
Water is high, weather is improving.
Our computer is working again, obviously

7 May, 2011
Gerry and Ryan went into camp on Thursday and got the water running. Then they went back on Friday to locate the docks and reconnect them with land The water is up to the grass already and the docks were floating out in the bay but close enough that Ryan could retrieve them with chest waders. They did have to boat after the one missing dock that had grounded itself on the first island.
Gerry says the camp looks great – you can move right in. Yeah OK. We are heading up tomorrow to start cleaning, get the water working, etc, etc. And the ice machine – Gerry's perpetual headache. We have just enough iron in our water to cause problems for the machine's very sensitive thickness sensors so he battles with it at great length each spring.
I finished work Thursday and spent the last two days completing paperwork and packing; we have almost 2 weeks before opener so it will be tight but we'll get er done.
But we will not have email for an unknown period of time. Wally thinks I can hook the computer up by myself this year – not sure what he's been drinking but we'll see!
So do not expect answers to emails until you read on this page that we are reconnected.
Starting tomorrow, we will be on our summer phone number: 807-934-6911

FYI: The new owners of Vern's Minnows, now located on the western end of town across from Subway restaurant, told me today that they will carry everything Jon did and the hours will be the same (6 – 9).

4 May, 2011
Art Roy made it into his camp today with little trouble. Only a few wet spots on the road. Trees down but the boys will take a saw with them tomorrow. We have to pump the well for 24 hrs every spring so Gerry will start that and we hope to be there Sunday.
Big feed of delicious fresh smelt for supper tonite!

May 2, 2011
It's Election night in Canada for the umpteenth time in the past ˝ decade and celebration time for the USA with the end of bin Laden. Important day all round. BUT - still winter here – snowing this morning and I am getting a little teensy bit sick of the cold winter weather.
Gerry and Ryan are in Thunder Bay for smelt and rainbow fishing. Back Wednesday night and Thursday they will check out the road again. Two weeks before guests arrive and we are still not at camp! Scary but that is why we clean so thoroughly in the fall. Makes it easier to clean in the spring when we are probably hauling water from the lake and, this year, working on a tight time schedule. The camp and Press will be snow and ice free when we get there but it's the getting there. The road is the problem, of course. And if the temps don't warm up, turning on the water for pre-season cleaning is just way too dangerous.
My last day cutting meat is Thursday and I feel bad about leaving at the start of their busy season but I only agreed to work the winter obviously. Great job though – you've gotta love a job that lets you work all day with raw meat (my favourite food group).
Gerry is now smoke free since Feb 9th and told me that he would be dead now if he'd not quit. It was really starting to affect his breathing etc. And he has had a few strenuous adventures this spring which would have worn him out big time if he were still smoking. We're all proud of him!

28 April 2011
We spent the day at the dentist in Dryden – still suffering from sticker shock!! and came home to a phone message we could not decipher. The person's name was something like Alvin Officer – could not make it out. No phone number. From Wisconsin and he might have said they were coming July 9th. Not sure. Wanted to know how our weeks run. We run from Sat to Sat. If you read this and recognize my attempt at your name as being you, call me for more info. Thanks.
16 degrees here today (50s) and the snow is melting! We will check depths on our road early next week (after the boys get home from fishing rainbow in Thunder Bay) but the 7 day forecast looks good for melting and drying!
I have to get up at 4 tomorrow to watch the royal wedding (better than 2:30 which was the time I got up to see Charles and Diana get married). Very exciting for me. My mom was a war bride from London England so I am very much into the Royal family. They are like a soap opera that matters cuz it's your own – if that makes sense. It's no fun if they all behave but fortunately that never happens.
The boys are equally excited about the first ever in Ontario UFC fight Saturday night. GSP vs Shields. The tavern is airing it and half the town will probably be there. Who says there's nothing to do in small towns

27 April, 2011
Ron Frick, our T shirt guy, was here tonight. Actually he stayed on after our purchase decisions to watch the hockey game but he is a huge Montreal fan so he was pretty sad when he left.
We ordered a brown jacket with the walleye on the back, another camo fleece zip front jacket, a navy zip front hoodie, girl's pink t and 4 different t's for both sexes plus kid's creepers and t's.
Gerry, Ryan, Hali and I all had input so hopefully they will appeal to some of you
Temps are still too cold for snow melting but it is supposed to warm up this week.

25 April, 2011
Gerry, Ryan and Hali made an attempt to drive into camp today. They made it to the first big culvert a few miles in and were then pushing snow with the bumper. End of attempt. But the weather is warming and a few of the predicted rains will also help to remove the snow. In case that doesn't happen and we cannot get into camp in time to clean, I am purchasing 'clean your own cabin' kits from Walmart – marked down to 7.99 per kit (spring sale)!
OK OK I am not
We'll get er done one way or another. Because no machines have travelled the snow all winter and compacted it, ploughing by half ton may be possible. Or it may all melt this week. Patience is the key. Fortunately, since I possess zero patience, I am still working til the end of the first week of May and therefore obsessed with cutting meat. Beats the heck out of worrying about opener and the road and how are the cabins etc, etc. We'll know soon enough and everything will be ready for opener regardless of the degree of pre- opener worry.

24 April, 2011
Easter Sunday!
Hope you had a great Easter and are nowhere near as stuffed as we are right now. Ham, scalloped potatoes with lots of cheese, broccoli slaw, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts with bacon, blueberry pie.
Not to mention the guys' Easter bunny chocolate
I had the day off today while my bosses and helpers laid a new floor in the store. They researched it well because they had no one who really knew how to do it. Dropped by after church today and they were half done. Laminate boards with a sticky projection that joins and 'glues' the boards together. Seems to work slick. If it still looks good next year we might try it in cabin 5, our last cabin in need of a new floor!
Our last dump of snow has mostly disappeared. It rained today and temps are rising. With the boys home from university, Gerry had the necessary help to get both ice huts off the water. They used the opportunity to do some fishing as well and caught a bunch of nice specks and lakers. Billy caught a huge trout on Sturgeon last week but he could not get it through the 8 inch auger hole. Gerry figures 30 pounds and, to be fair, he DOES know his trout so exaggeration might not be involved here.
Gerry and Ryan will be checking out our road in the next day or two. Probably will have to plough but we might get lucky. Weather is crazy!
I gave my notice at work last week and will be done around May 5th although my boss tried to convince me that I had to give two months notice. Ha ha! He is a major golfer so it is pretty important that he find someone to work while he golfs in tournaments. True golfers understand that.
So we hope to get into camp 2 weeks before opener at the latest and I have some great people who think they will be able to come out and help get things ready!!There are a lot of unemployed people around but, when you need workers, you always have to look to the employed people. Strange.
Nothing has changed re fishing that we know of. Remember to bring your outdoors card, make sure your passport has not expired, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE (the number one border crossing problem!

16 April, 2011
There really is nothing as breathtaking as looking out the window on a mid-April morning and seeing a fresh, sparkling, three inch thick blanket of pure white snow covering your life. It truly was beautiful out there this morning. By 5 o'clock when I finished work and walked outside once more, the glory had only increased in depth and driftness We have received an unbelievable amount of snow in a very short period of time and can only hope that the good luck fairy has moved on to a more deserving region of the world.
This will probably not affect when we get into camp since it was a pretty sure bet we had to get the road ploughed regardless. It did make my boss suggest we might not be able to open camp and I could work for him all summer. Nice try
Ryan is now home from University and will be able to help with camp opener for the first time. Gerry's brother Dan will not be coming up this spring but friends Doug and Laurie will be here so we should have no problem getting everything shipshape in time for the 21st opener.
Funny coincidence that, with the season opening on the third Saturday in May, last year was the earliest opener possible (May 15th) and the road was driveable in April but this year the opener is as late as it will ever be and so are the winter conditions

April 10, 2011
Pouring rain here. Yucchy if you are trying to fish but great for getting rid of snow. We have large patches of grass visible now (and tons of bird seed waiting to be raked). Temps are supposed to drop to below freezing for the rest of the week – wait and see.
Gerry is getting anxious to get his hut off Big Butler. There is still tons of ice but getting to the lake is becoming a problem. However, our 97 Chev will not start, leaving me with no transportation. Of course it is only ˝ mile to work but I got soaked this morning! Mechanic coming tomorrow so hopefully I will have wheels again soon.

April 8, 2011
So I'm at work today, busily hacking away at various chunks of meat with my trusty knife when a fellow I know comes to the deli counter. “Congratulations on your new dog.” he says. “I don't have a dog” I say. His response “Statistically, if your kid gets a dog, within one year it is your dog.”
I went immediately into denial until I phoned Ryan tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise. At least it is not a grandkid. A dog I can handle. According to its captivated owner, this 1˝ yr old lab/border collie cross is adorable, does not bark, is very friendly and herds every thing that moves. Name is Bella. Guess she is the new camp dog. KIDS!
Temps are above zero now and snow levels are dropping. Walleye fishing is bad according to the people I've talked to but the trout are certainly biting!

April 7, 2011
Still a lot of snow out there! Rumour has it that it is like sugar in the bush – you sink gracefully out of sight. Not sure how our road is but we know it's not good; we will definitely need to pay to get it ploughed this year Looks like a late year for the walleye spawn as well but you never know!
I am still working full time cutting meat and Gerry is still fishing. He and friends have done really well with lake trout on Bell Lake and of course he is still slamming specks on Big Butler. West Kin (east of Ignace) has been producing walleye - no size but good eaters. Gerry is not much of a walleye angler but will go if coerced. His hut is off Paguchi (really tough ice and weather conditions this year) and he is going tomorrow to see if he can move the hut on Big Butler.
NEWS: Gerry has not had a cigarette since Feb 9th. Two months – his best try by far. He is on Champix but the main thing is that he finally realized he HAD to quit. He has been in a few 'bogged down in the snow with a big machine' situations since he quit and he told me that while he was smoking he could not have made it out without a lot of stops to breathe. If at all.
FYI for those who knew Dick Requarth, previous owner of Sac Bay Lodge. He died a few weeks ago and is sadly missed by those of us who appreciated his unique approach to life Great guy. He never really got over the death of his amazing wife Charlotte and is probably sitting beside her right now with a can of Canadian beer in hand and Beethoven on the stereo.
Now that he is in University, Ryan will be home mid-April this year and will be able to help with opener for the first time. Given the fact that it appears we will be late getting in to camp, we can use all the help we can get. Fortunately walleye season opens a week later than last year so we have a little more time.

21 March, 2011

Belated Happy St Patrick's Day!! I had a great one and hope you did too. Ryan brought friends home from university on Friday, giving me 5 teenagers to feed for the weekend. I was off Wednesday and Thursday so spent those days cooking since I was working all weekend. Gotta love those teenage appetites, especially when they have been living on residence food all year. Dog food would taste good to them as long as you did not season it with curry or garlic (their res's only 2 spice choices).
Gerry and the kids went fishing on Paguchi on Saturday and he took the opportunity to get his hut off the lake. No point wasting all that muscle power. Earlier than usual but it has been a bad year. Crazy weather, a snow machine that works one day out of six, rain, snow, iffy lake trout fishing. They only caught one on Saturday but fortunately it was caught by Leanna, the girl from southern Ontario who said she is a jinx when it comes to fishing. Nice trout too.
The snow is sinking fast but there is still lots of it! Gerry went to Bell Lake with some friends today and they got 9 nice lake trout. Two other groups were on the lake as well and also caught a lot of fish.
Gerry still has his hut on Big Butler, his favourite lake this year, but there is a ton of ice yet and it is a smaller hut so no problem getting it off the lake. In Northwestern Ontario, we do not have a date when huts have to be removed
Allan Sokolowski went in to his camp on Wintering today for a three day trip. Will let us know road conditions when he gets back. I expect there will be a lot of snow on the road.
We will have a cabin open for either the first or second week of the season this spring. We will know which week for sure within a few days. If you are interested, keep an eye on this page.

15 March, 2011

The weather is finally improving, even to the point of plus zero temps today. The water is running off the roof, snowbanks are shrinking, gas prices are rising. Spring is coming!!
Gerry is still catching lots of specks (brook trout) – small but blood red and delicious.
During March my 5 hour per day butcher job morphed into plus 40 hours per week when the owners left to kick butt at curling bonspiels and to help their kids with the birth of a new grandkid, baptism of an existing grandkid etc.
I have had complaints about unanswered emails and it is ALL my fault obviously but I am going to work harder to respond immediately. I am sure you are all familiar with the problem that occurs when you put off responding either due to time constraints or a need to get info and the email disappears from your view and (unfortunately for me) from life. I need time management and computer training
Every day now several people ask me if I am getting ready for camp, excited about getting to camp, have I been to camp yet, etc. It is mid March! There is probably 5 feet of snow on our road, AT LEAST! We will need a snow plough followed by at least a week of drying to even consider getting into camp and we won't even consider a plough til mid to late April. But most people don't realize that our camp is much less accessible than they imagine so I should not get upset by questions of that sort.
OK! For Lent I will give up letting those type of questions annoy me. This is not an invitation to bombard me with questions
I am off work for the next two days and will be checking the schedule for people who have booked but not sent deposits. If you are one of those people, call or email me and let me know what is happening.
Thanks

March 8, 2011
International Women's Day!! Pretend you care!!
Gerry got over a dozen specks today at his hut (the Outhouse) on Big Butler and brought home 5 nice ones. He said he has never caught his limit of brook trout so often in his life. I have fished specks a lot and NEVER caught my limit. They are a tricky fish but fun to watch down the hole and fun to catch. The ones he is getting are blood red and delicious no matter how you cook them!
Jon Rousseau has sold his inventory at Vern's Minnows to Naumann's Shell. What this means to you:
If you want to buy minnows in Ignace, drive west until you see a Subway restaurant and Esso station on the left (south) side of the road. Directly north of it on the right hand side you will see a Shell gas station and, no doubt, big signs advertising 'Vern's Minnows'. The Naumanns bought the name, t-shirts etc, ice machines and retail minnow business. It is still a work in progress but I know Jon is glad to be rid of part of at least part of his workload. After buying Flayer's Lodge (now Rousseau's Landing), he was pretty busy!! He will still be selling minnows wholesale to commercial customers like us out of his original location but it will be unstaffed from what I understand right now.
The MNR has also decided that there are too many businesses selling export permits (no they did not explain why that would be a problem) so in Ignace you can now get a permit at the gov't office when it is open or at the new Vern's Minnows location.
Gerry is now at the one month mark for quitting smoking! He is using Champix which comes with weird dreams and lots of gas:( but if it keeps him alive and healthy....- good thing. He just got a perfect report card from the Health Center. Prostate, liver, kidney, lungs, heart. Great blood work. No cholesterol, perfect blood pressure. THE MAN LIVES ON CHOCOLATE!!!!! What is wrong with this picture? The rest of us at least TRY to be healthy! Heck I even eat vegetables! When I have to.
What a guy! Well at least you know he will be around to harass you for years to come
We had another cancellation – job related. Not sure how your economy is doing although I know your dollar sucks Still Newt Gingrich has leapt forward to help you guys out. I don't know much about his politics but the paper today mentioned that he thought Michelle Obama could stand to lose a few pounds. This suggests to me that he does not own a mirror AND that he has a poor instinct for self preservation (she looks to me like she could take him down with one hand).
Only 2 months til spring!

March 2, 2011
When I got up this morning, the thermometer read minus 30 Celsius. Since it has been reading that for most of the winter, I went out and kicked it. Satisfying feeling. Still minus 30 tho.
I am working at Shoprite this winter cutting meat (and loving it) and, due to a shortage of delivery people, I took Tower Hill's burger order over to them myself this morning. I had not been on the highway east of Ignace for months (I lead a sheltered life), had a honkin' big semi right on my butt and could not find the truck stop. Seriously! The truck driver was probably getting a bit ticked at my stop and go driving but the snowbanks at the towing shop west of Tower Hill were higher than the machine shop itself. There were narrow little laneways into businesses and nothing could seen over the ploughed lumps of snow. It has been a long time since we have had this much snow. And a fellow mentioned to me today that we are supposed to get 3 months of really cold weather. HOLD ON HERE! We've already had that!
This could be one of those years that will force us to pay to get the road ploughed. Oh well – you can't put a price on remoteness
There are still a number of people that I do not have a deposit from. Let me know if you are planning to come or if I should put your cabin on our vacancies page. Thanks!!!
Gerry is just slaying the specks when he is alone. When the boys are home from university, they can't buy a fish. Ryan and Billy are both doing really well in university AND having fun. Many of their classmates have dropped out of college/university (at a great financial cost to their parents) so we are happy that the boys are still on track.

February 26, 2011
This has been the perfect winter for Canadians. Our favourite pastime during the winter season (the six months from November to April) is to bitch about the weather. This winter my thermometer has been stuck (apparently) at 30C below zero and the snow gods are taking very few days off. We can bitch EVERY day!
While fishing has been good, not great like some years but quite good, the unexpected dumps of snow have created massive slush problems. Gerry's great but ageing snowmachine has failed him several times as well. As a result I am very nervous about him fishing on his own and even he is getting a bit cautious. We really need to invest in a new snowmachine.
Gerry has been fishing Butler Lake a lot this year and catching naturally reproducing specks. They are small but delicious. We smother them in butter and lemon pepper and nuke them in the microwave for about 4 minutes. Check for flakiness and they're done. I saw you turn up your nose at the microwave idea. Try it – you will be amazed!
About 2 ˝ months to opener – hard to believe. Our snowbanks are so high I cannot see the highway and it seems that winter will never end.

Saturday, February 19, 2011
Joe and Ray left Thursday morning, heading for Edmonton, Alberta to pick up some equipment and then on to Vancouver, BC to load a pile of supplies in this huge shipping crate which will then be stored near the city til spring. They will fly home to Ontario til April and then return to pick up the truck and trailer and drive to the mine which is located in the middle of the Yukon Territory. A placer mine (gold filtered out through settling ponds from what I can understand from Joe). He bought it and now has two interesting partners in the endeavour. Everything involving the Yukon seems to have a great backstory and, if Joe's involved, it can only get better We're hoping for the best but he is happy, healthy, and has a great woman supporting him so life is good.
Today was not Gerry's day. He just spent $380 getting the track fixed on his snowmachine and headed off with Ryan and Hali to fish Butler, the speck lake, this morning. Two and a half klicks in the road (about one and a half miles), his track came off. Fortunately, someone had ploughed the road. Why we don't know but it was a big help. Ryan drove him back to the truck on his machine and then helped guide Gerry in backing the Toyota and double wide skidoo trailer the 2 1/2 kms back to the snowmachine. Road was the same width as the trailer. They dragged the dead machine onto the trailer and Gerry went home, leaving Ryan and Hali to fish (they got 2 specks).
Tried to write directly to this page and lost all the info re weather/snow, etc. Will rewrite it tomorrow when I am less angry

February 15, 2011
Joe and his buddy Ray arrived here Sunday Feb 6th, 15 minutes into Super Bowl. They left Sarnia at 6 am Saturday morning on an eleven hundred mile trip across snow covered, blizzardy Ontario, pulling a fifth wheel trailer loaded with a huge empty storage crate. Joe promised he'd be here for the game but I was so sure he could never make it, I didn't even have food ready. Dumb! We are talking Joe here.
They have been ice fishing as much as possible since arriving but the winter conditions have made life difficult. Very deep slush. Unploughed roads, 30 below and windy or snowing – again!
Today was a pleasant change. Plus two Celsius so maybe 35 F?
Gerry and Billy had a weekend from hell two weeks ago, getting stuck on Paguchi on Sat and then really stuck, call to have the chainsaw winch brought to the road stuck, on Sunday. Fortunately Billy had a lighter machine and ran a trail to the hut on Butler. The boys used it today (solid and slush free) to get to the Outhouse and had great speck fishing. Would have been even better if they had not taken a container of dead worms They're leaving at 7 tomorrow (the early bird gets the fish) with live worms and high expectations!

Late news update! ALL THREE groundhogs, including Ontario's own Wiarton Willie, have predicted an early spring. I can't wait

February 2, 2011
HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!
I was at work today and Gerry was fishing so I am not sure if we get 6 more weeks of winter or not. I think I can predict though, that our winter will not be over in mid-March. Groundhog Day needs to be the last week in March for us to have a chance
Our snow is now so deep that if you step off the trail, you will be eye to rubber with the track of your snowmachine. And you wonder why I worry about Gerry. It is not that bad on the lake of course but still a lot of snow. No slush on his trail though. Why is that you ask? Well, maybe because the thermometer has been stuck on 30 below for what seems like 2 lifetimes. Even snow can't survive at these temps.
Toronto got 5 cm of snow yesterday. Two inches. They shut down all schools and universities, told everyone to stay home, taught snow shovelling techniques on the news.
Every country needs a town/state/province to laugh at. We have Toronto. We also have the Newfies but we laugh WITH them. Hard to explain Newfies to you guys because you don't really have anything to compare. They are a lifesaver though and I bet if you had Newfies, you would never go to war again. That's how good they are
Still no Joe. The same huge storm that hit Toronto was slated to hit Sarnia last night also so they are waiting for it to pass before hitting the road. His partner in Egypt did get out though so all is well there!

January 31, 2011
The weather is not cutting us any breaks. More than 30 below this morning and that is getting to be normal but we are also getting tons of snow and it really should be one or the other right!!?? Basically the days all come down to how much wind and how wet is the air. Dry still air – good. Windy wet air – book trip to Jamaica.
After Gerry got stuck on the lake a few weeks ago, I am more concerned about his welfare! With the really cold weather and the snow – and the concern about the reliability of the machine, he stayed close to home for awhile but you can't keep a good fisherman down. He has been out the past few days and catching trout. Murray, one of the teachers in Ignace, is an avid fisherman as well and has been joining Gerry in his hut. They have hooked and seen lots and caught about 5 every day. Kept none but fun to catch and a trout's air bladder allows it to survive catch and release better than most fish. Unless they are caught by a Saturday morning TV fishing pro who catches the poor fish, does 20 takes, talks about whatever for 10 minutes then throws it back into the water. Someone should hold him underwater while a fish tells its life story and see how he manages. OK I do think they should treat their catch better but my main beef is with the phoney hosts. We have had some do shows in our area and I am sure you can imagine the stories. Good TV I guess.
Ryan's university life revolves around classes, homework, gym, MMA gym, skiing, girlfriend. I went to college in the 60s/early 70s so I am very proud of my boy for his lifestyle. He is doing well.
My other boy, Joe, is supposed to be here any day with his 'Iraqi' buddy Ray but they are getting a lot of snow in Sarnia and he has had equip probs so his trip has been delayed. They are planning to stay with us and ice fish for a week and then head up to the gold mine Joe bought in the Yukon. Unfortunately, his partner in this gold mine venture just got married and he and his wife decided to honeymoon in Egypt. Joe has yet to get hold of them but I hear Canadians are being offered flights to Europe by our gov't, just like your gov't is doing. I for one am glad that our governments are finally making these people pay for their rescue. My tax dollars are now stretched so thin they could go through the eye of a needle but are unlikely to offer me salvation.
Gerry lost a front tooth last week biting into a piece of jerky. Funny how a missing front tooth turns you into a different person. I call him my [fill in the state you think I might use] Hillbilly and he does look pretty rough. But don't worry, he'll be beautiful again by spring
Nothing much for cancellations yet so let me know if you are not coming or send a deposit if you are. OR, if you're like me, call or email to find out when and if you have a cabin and if you already have a deposit in. The only thing worse than getting old is the alternative.

23 January, 2011
Lovely weather we're having. 38 below, 36 below, warmed all the way up to 30 below this morning but the howling wind made up the difference. Tons of snow. Gerry put a new belt on his machine but knows he IS getting old cuz his days of going fishing at 30 below are over. Even WITH a hut! And I wonder how I used to work in the bush on snowshoes all winter. Cutting meat in a semi-warm butcher shop is right up my alley now
Gerry's favourite team is the Steelers. The favourite team of 40% of our guests (and an ongoing source of battle all summer) is the Packers of course. It is only the third quarter but it's looking like Steelers vs Packers for the Superbowl! I might have a medic on standby
Cancellations are coming in. Job loss and health.

18 January, 2011
I bet most of you think Gerry lives the life of Riley in the winter, fishing every day. Well, you're right – usually, but all is not well now. Two days ago, his snowmachine quit enroute to his hut. And off the trail (we had a lot of snow the night before). AND he was alone. He is OK but it was touch and go. He was looking at a mile walk. !!!!!! Fortunately, after changing the plugs, burning out and replacing the belt and managing to get back on the trail, the good old VK had a last spurt and flew back to the truck and trailer where it quit again. Morris Groves is our small motor mechanic (some of you may know him – he's lived in the Silver Dollar area all his life) but he has gone 'somewhere warm and sunny' for awhile so Gerry is machine-less. I will pass on your sympathy wishes.
STILL snowing here but after watching the US weather reports I will shut up about how much snow we have.
In the past week we had a crazy guy steal a snowplough and run over and kill a police officer and seriously injure a second cop in Toronto. You had a crazy massacre/ attempted assassination. Why aren't these people locked up under care like when I was young? Hmm not me of course......heh heh.
I know in Ontario we had a crazy premier (governor) in the 90s who hated government and got rid of all those silly money consuming health care facilities. Let my people go. They went all right!
I should mention that prior to his machine problems, Gerry was doing very well fishing - as always. At the Outhouse (his hut on Big Butler, the naturally reproducing speck lake west of town) he gets his limit of delicious little specks every trip. At the Office, his hut on Paguchi, he does really well but only keeps trout if we want a feed or someone asks him for a fish. That is quite often but certainly not every day. Still, he is missing the action. Forced to watch poker and curling and First 48, potentially THE WORST TV SHOW ever created but hey – that's just my opinion.
We have been called with a couple of cancellations but will probably get more as people realize OOPS I can't make it this year or after I call and ask about the deposit. Hopefully they will call or email first. Much easier that way
With all the snow we should have good water levels in the spring but that depends to a large extent on when the ground thaws of course.

January 10, 2011
The calendars are starting to arrive. If you don't get one in the next few weeks, call or email and I will ship one out to you. We have booked 3 cabins and processed one cancellation in the past two days so people are starting to think about their 2011 vacation. There will be more cancellations, hopefully soon so we can start filling them. Check out your schedule. If you cannot make it this year, be sure to let us know ASAP. Thanks!!
We are finally getting warmer weather here and Gerry is considering fishing WAH (without a hut)!! Big step but there are some speck lakes that are calling his name

January 6th 2011
Ukrainian Christmas Day!! Maybe that's why Gerry had such great luck at his hut on Paguchi today. He brought home a 10 lb trout for the Wren family and a four pounder for us to eat for supper. Caught 11 Lake trout, many over 10 lbs and 1 huge pike (released). Also missed 5 more trout that got off at the hole. A fantastic day to make up for the equipment probs on 4th and the unthinkable loss to Russia yesterday

January 5, 2011
Junior World Hockey final tonight and everyone in Canada was glued to their TV I think. I popped in for the last goal or two. I consider hockey a barbaric occupation where each team tries to cripple the other's best player. Maybe I'm too old and remember when there were 6 teams and it at least SEEMED more like a REAL sport. So I of course am happy that Russia won. Best team after all, haven't won for years. Gerry is a sweetie and I don't know that I have EVER seen him lose his temper but he did say "That whole team should be drafted to the Toronto Maple Leafs". You might have to be Canadian to know how insulting a comment that truly was

January 4, 2011 The calendars were mailed today. It was a bit time consuming this year mainly because I screwed up the printing. I must have said print 1-10, then 20 – 30, then 40 – 50 or something silly like that. So when I came up short 140 labels after the finished product had been thrown in boxes willy nilly – which 10 pages of labels do I not have? Thank goodness we kept the Canadians separate and there are so few of them. I used their missing names to pinpoint the missing pages. And since I was so into the bloody database, I decided to sort by state again. I did that a few years ago and wanted to see if the results had changed. The main change was the number of states represented and I know some have been missed. We may not have Sarah Palin but we did have a soldier from Hawaii who did not get counted.
Results: Wisconsin: 41%, Minnesota: 22%, Iowa: 10%, Ontario: 8%, Illinois: 4%, Indiana: 3%. That adds up to 88%. The other 12% are from 25 different states of the union. My last tally had the same 5 states and Wisc was 40% but the other states were higher and there were less states represented. Neat having guests from 30 of your states staying at our camp!
Tons of snow here as you no doubt know and it is fairly cold. Minus 25 this morning but that is in our degrees. The temps aren't the same til 40 below and we've certainly had that!
Lots of fishing action so far but – for the first time in 20 years, Gerry did not go fishing opening day (January 1st). Horrible weather – cold, blowing snow, etc but they went out the next day. Only got 2 trout – 4lb and 8 lb but had a great day. Monday, Jan 3rd we finished off the calendar mailout and shipped Ryan back to University.
Today Gerry set off to fish specks at Butler Lake west of town. He has the small hut (the Outhouse) set up there. At 10:30 he showed up at the used clothing store in town where I was sorting clothes (yes that IS where I get my great wardrobe needing my help.
Not Gerry's best day. He and the boys had an awesome, wide and well packed trail into Butler but the snow and the wind since their last trip created huge drifts and – yup – off the trail he went. Gerry is not in shape for shovelling and hauling a huge snowmachine back onto solid ground but he isn't stupid either so he took his time and got it back on the trail. Off to the hut. Where the third pull on the auger left him with the cord in one hand and auger in other – unattached. So – pack up, back to the truck, load the snowmachine on the trailer, back up. Trailer buried in the snowbank. We have had so much snow so fast, no road is ploughed the way it should be and the Mameigwess turnaround at the railroad is really bad. But we got it out and he is heading back out tomorrow. Gerry's incredible patience allows him to have a day like that and ignore it.
I would kill something. Anything!!!

December 29, 2010
When the boys returned from Kukukus my query as to success got the response “there are NO fish in that lake”. Not true actually. They caught 2 bass (unusual at this time of year) and a few pike. The walleye just are not on yet.
Today five of them went to Butler and kept 18 specks, let lots go and missed lots. Had so much fun, they are going back tomorrow.
Gerry and Ryan will then have to take a day or two off because I should have all the newsletters and labels done by tomorrow night and they will have to spend time helping me get the calendars ready to mail.
Ryan and Billy do not have to be back in Thunder Bay until the 3rd of January so they will get some fishing in before it's back to the grind. Both boys are doing really well in their studies and having a great time to boot. That's what university is all about

December 26, 2010
It's over – doesn't that feel great!
Gerry is happy because he can now give all his attention to fishing. He, Ryan and Billy took the hut out to the shore of Paguchi today. Test drills found over a foot of clear blue ice. Perfect conditions this year and we can only hope the trout will cooperate on January 1st. They are heading to Kukukus tomorrow to try for walleye. Good lake so they are likely to do well. The weather is excellent – cold but not brutal like it was in early December. Weather-wise, NW Ontario has definitely been blessed in 2010 but we don't have to turn the TV on for long to realize we are almost alone in that!
We have the calendars and newsletters and will get them mailed by early January. Meanwhile, if you are not coming, don't wait for the calendar to call us. The earlier we know about cancellations the better and we will always like you even if you are forced to cancel
I am still cutting meat five hours a day at Shoprite, one of our two local grocery stores, and loving it! Something about the knives and the blood and the meat.... Guess I'd never make it as a vegetarian!
Our water level was probably around normal when we left camp and we have one heck of a pile of snow. That does not translate into high water levels this spring of course because there are so many variables. When the ground thaws or the snow melts or how much spring rain we get for some examples but the snow is making the sledders happy and Gerry is happy it came AFTER our cold snap so the ice had a chance to form.

December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas to everyone! We are enjoying the warmest Christmas weather in years right now! Nice change!

December 23, 2010
Wow! I always thought I was good at multi-tasking but it has been 1 month since an update! Not good!!
Happy Holidays!!
We have lots of snow but it did come after our really cold spell so the ice is the best we've had in years- over a foot in mid-December! The boys (Ryan and Billy) are home from university and the fishing has begun. Tuesday they took Gerry's new-to-him ice hut and set it up on Big Butler, a naturally reproducing speck lake near Mameigweiss 10 miles west of town. Art Roy from the cabin on Wintering had the hut at his camp but wasn't using it so he told Gerry to take it. We went up to get it this fall and I guess I had forgotten that I'm 60 yrs old now. We had a bit of trouble but by putting our brilliant minds together heehee, we managed to get the deceptively heavy hut loaded into the back of the Toyota.
Five of them went out and they brought home 21 specks. The boys said they would have had their limit and blame the one dozen worms that Gerry thought would be enough. The biggest fish was about a pound but they were delicious!
Yesterday they went walleye fishing on West Kin east of town and five of them caught 7 pike and 4 walleye. Not good but over a foot of clear blue ice with very little snow on top. Great conditions. Weather is nice as well. On Butler they fished outside of the hut all day, not something that is usually possible near Christmas.
More news shortly

November 26, 2010
OK God enough! We now have WAY more snow than we got all last year. Moving snow is a daily job and gets old pretty fast
Poor Gerry is shovelling snow from around the house and to the bird feeder and garage and he has broken out in a SWEAT twice in one week. I was at work and missed it but he promised to take a picture if it happens again. Obviously all this snow means no ice (not cold enough) but Gerry is very happy we got the snow before the lake's froze over – should make for good ice when we do get it.
No more deer hunting – too much snow in the fields. The focus now is on getting ready for trout fishing.

MNR sent out the fishing licence prices. The 8 day licence will be $49.02 Canadian in 201. FYI

20 November, 2010
We now have snow although not yet enough that we need to plough our driveway (no there is not a W in the word plough. Sheesh)
Winter weather is definitely here though as Gerry discovered when he decided to fish Brook trout several days ago. There is no ice on lakes around Ignace so he figured what ice might be present could be broken with a few well- aimed rocks, enough to allow him to cast from land. What he found: unbreakable ice from shore to shore. They are small deep lakes, usually surrounded by hills – quick to freeze. I did point out that they are NOT yet frozen enough to support his delicate body !! Anxious anglers will do some crazy things although the speck lakes are actually quite safe. You can walk out 10 feet, fish in 2 feet of water and get great action. If the ice does give way your knees get wet. A small price to pay for 5 delicious brook trout! Especially when Gerry's paying and I'm eating.
Nov 16 (Tues) we went to camp to pick up a few things, including a second ice hut from Art's place at the second bridge on our road. There was ice around all but the main dock and rabbit tracks galore but what a difference from most years when we couldn't dream of getting into camp this late. The water is fairly low but nothing to worry about.
Gerry left the head from the cow moose they shot this year at the top end of the campground on a fire grate. Several sets of wolf tracks could be seen heading to the grate and then to the bush on the far (west) side of the point where they seem to take all their treasures. They will be chewing on it for awhile.

14 November, 2010
We got our first snow last night – still just a skiff but enough to make the roads treacherous. Our first NASTY weather day was Remembrance Day of course. Seems it is always cold and windy when the kids and veterans are standing at the cenotaph.
Gerry got a young deer last week and he and Ryan cut it up themselves. Ryan got butchering experience while helping Al, his girlfriend's father, cut moose. Ryan's school, party and gym schedule are not giving him too many weekends to come home so Gerry has been hunting with a friend of ours. They hope to get out again next weekend.
I was fortunate enough to get a winter job cutting meat at Shoprite, the grocery store across from the police station. Started last Monday. I worked before at the other meat dept in town so am still adjusting to a different way of doing things. Having fun though!

November 7, 2010
What a fall!! We are still getting double digit temps during the day and it is supposed to be over 50 F for the next 3 days. No snow of course and very little rain.
We went to camp Tuesday and dug well over 100 pounds of potatoes and over 25 lb of carrots. The only things the groundhogs didn't eat on us!
Packed up the rest of our gear and locked the gate til next year. Always a sad day.
Gerry has been hunting deer west of Dryden for the past few days. Seeing a lot of animals but nothing in the freezer yet. We do have moose meat though so life is good.
I have a calendar picture now and it has an animal in it. Don't worry, it's a four legged animal - not that picture of you acting up at the campfire
From what I hear from his girlfriend, Ryan is doing really well at university. He is supposed to be home this weekend so hopefully I will see him long enough to make sure we're getting our money's worth Kids! I really can't complain about him not calling home though. I still vividly remember how I felt when I was in college. It's a big, new world out there!
NEAT STORY ALERT!
During the first week of October, Gerry's brother Dan and his two buddies Gary Miller and Mike Closs, went fishing at the Jarvis Rapids. There are 2 sets of rapids. Above the first set, there is a rock out in the water and then the rapids, a calm bay and then the rapids that you DON”T run that take you into Jarvis Lake. Dan and the boys were fishing between the two sets when they heard the screaming. Looking downstream they saw a lynx with 3 kittens on the east side of the river (right hand side as you are going towards Jarvis Lake).Mom jumped in the water and swam to the west shore, then started screaming at the young ones to swim across. There is quite a current there and they were hesitant to say the least but mom wasn't going back for them.
Eventually the first one jumped in, got to the rock, rested and then made it the rest of the way. With mom's encouragement, the second one made it across as well. Then came the last little guy. He did not want to do it but knew he had no choice so in he jumped. When he hit the water it was obvious that the current was too much for him. He was quickly swept down over the rapids and was heading towards Jarvis Lake. Mom took the two kits and left. Seeing Dan's boat, the young lynx swam toward it, no doubt thinking it was an island – safe haven of some sort. Dan yelled at Gary to get the net and when the lynx was close enough Gary scooped it into the net. It immediately jumped out of course. He re-netted it as Dan turned the boat and headed for shore at the last point they had seen the lynx family. Fortunately Gary is a good catcher because the lynx kept jumping out and Gary would scoop it in midair. If they had not had a rubber net, I don't think the ending would have been as happy but as it was, they made it to shore and the lynx bee-lined after its family.
This is a great story but what is really weird is that two years ago, Dan and Gerry were fishing in the same spot around the same time and saw the same scenario. Mom and five kittens. Four made it across and the fifth one would not try and ran crying into the bush. Survival of the fittest but still sad. Probably the same mom and we can only figure that her breeding/raising young habitat is on the other side of the river from her winter habitat. Wild animals don't needlessly desert their young.
But what are the chances of seeing the crossing twice!

November 1, 2010
We are now officially living in town so if you intend to call us, use the 807-934-2607 number. Obviously Wally got the computer switched from satellite to hispeed or you would not be reading this. Only took an hour this year – maybe we're learning the shortcuts? Or maybe it's the new 5% alcohol driving restriction. That's not even one drink. Sigh!
Gerry and I are going back up tomorrow to get the quad, dig the carrots and potatoes and pack a few more things but the year is over:( Still, our season was longer than usual with one group booked for the second week of the moose hunt. We generally avoid that due to problems with lines freezing but global warming was good to us this year! All of our moose hunting groups got their animals except for one bunch of bow hunters. They saw a lot of moose but had no shot closer than 80 yards; that's bow hunting! Gary Miller, in Gerry's hunting group, was here for 2 weeks and saw 21 different moose. He is also the group member who made the single 200 yd shot that brought down their cow, using the new 300 mag his obviously wonderful wife bought him for the trip.
Water level right now is normal if that means anything! What is normal lately? We had t shirt and shorts weather through much of October and even now we don't need a coat to go outside. Well, OK it is below zero Celsius but I'm talking from a Canadian perspective
I went to a 2 day NOTO (tourism) convention in Dryden last week with Sheri Fassett from Cobb Bay Lodge. We leaned a lot. Interesting discussion on border crossing problems. Almost everyone there had lost guests to the Fort Frances custom officers this past season. It is a known problem and hopefully something will change. That said, if you have a DUI in the past 5 yrs forget coming to Canada. Although - we have guests who sit quietly and look innocent (hi Jim) and get through simply because the guards do not run them through the system. If they can do it, it's worth a try but Jim's group has a back up plan. He is completely prepared to spend the week at the casino if he is turned back. Obviously, it is hugely unfair to ruin your friends fishing trip by not letting them know you have a record.

30 October, 2010
What a strange year. No snow here and barely below zero but - we're packing the last items now and heading for Ignace.
My computer should not be down more that a few days.
Happy Halloween!

20 October, 2010
OK I've never done this before but the Odells (September guests) gave me this insane dessert recipe which I have to share. It has 3 ingredients, 2 of which you can buy and leave in your cupboard for a year until Angelina Jolie has some free time to drop by and be dazzled by your culinary skills The third one is butter and surely you have that!
Grease a 9 * 13 pan. You can buy them at Walmart. Use butter or no-stick spray for the greasing.
Dump two 19 oz cans of blueberry pie filling in pan. Level with whatever utensil is handy. Dump a white cake mix on top (dry – right out of the box). To save dishes, use same utensil to level cake mix.
Melt 2 sticks (˝ lb) of butter in the microwave and pour over top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for ˝ an hour. If you want to get really fancy, you can sprinkle a cup of nuts over top before baking but I've never gone to that much trouble. It's called a Dump Cake for obvious reasons. Gets raves!!!!

It is raining right now. Four p.m. on October 20th! Our water level is on the high side - Gerry saw no rocks at all when travelling through the Rock Gardens yesterday. The moose have been moving this week but the Dewhurst crew have not seen a bull they could shoot yet. The weather has cooled off enough that they are still hanging the cow and calf they shot on Saturday. Grouse are hard to find now after 5 weeks of open season but the fishing is great. Gerry and his brother Dan and friend Gary Miller went out yesterday and got their limit of walleye and, while fishing near 7 Pine Island, 2 really nice bass. The wind was so strong they couldn't hold on the reef or they would have gotten their limit of smallies as well.
We will be moving back to Ignace (sob) early next week so use the winter number (807-934-2607) to contact us after Oct 26th probably.

October 18, 2010
Late last week, I noticed that ever male in camp (including mine) had eyes/binoculars/cameras/cameras and binoculars combined, focused on the bay to the right of camp. Sure enough - a big bull was hanging out on the shoreline
When it started to swim across the lake away from camp, Tim Junkin walked into the bush with a can of 'cow in heat' and sprayed a bit into the air. The minute the bull got a whiff of that, he did a left turn and headed for shore. Despite the dozen or so people congregated on the grass near dock 6, he swam ashore to the right of number 7's dock and bee-lined it for the bush. At that point Tim decided it was time to get the heck out of Dodge and left the area. The moose was not seen again but, as you can imagine, a lot of great photos were taken!
I have heard that scent sprays will be banned next year and that incident definitely shows why the ban is necessary. Made for a great show though and the moose was safe - we don't allow shooting in camp and, even if we did, no one in camp had an open bull tag!

Sunday October 17
We ended the first week of the gun moose season with all tags filled. Hallowells shot a bull and a cow as did Junkins. Gerry's group shot a calf Monday morning and got their cow in Anderson's Bay early Friday morning. The Dewhurst group (booked for the second week of the hunt) shot a cow and a calf on the road into camp yesterday, getting 2 moose before they even arrived. They had driven straight through from Bobcaygeon in southern Ontario and so had been on the road since early Friday morning. Pretty tired bunch by the time they got the moose hung in the yard!
Weather is holding up. Still above freezing but we are keeping a close eye on it! Cabins 1,2,3 and 7 are drained and down (safe as I think of it) for the year.

Sunday, Oct 10
Junkin's group also got a cow and a bull first thing opening morning, leaving them fishing and grouse hunting for the rest of the week. All three animals were immediately taken in to town to be cut up. Way too hot to hang meat! Gerry and his group saw 2 bulls yesterday but only have a cow tag so they are out again this morning. It is 7 am now and the lake is like glass. 46 degrees now with a forecast high of 64. Not bad for October.

Saturday, October 9th 8 am
It is operning day of the gun season for moose and Mort reports that his crew already have a cow down. Good start! The weather is still beautiful and our hunters and fishermen have had good fishing all week. Yesterday, a number of people were fishing without a shirt on. Yes! It is that hot!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Amazing weather. It was over 70 yesterday and similar temps (and sunshine) are forecast for the entire week. Our fishermen are doing well again – fishing around Shore lunch Island and at the Jarvis rapids.
I released the 11th skunk of the year this morning and there are still 2 more harassing our guests. Prolific little devils!
The water level is dropping; Gerry had to pull in the docks this morning but there is still lots of water. The level is about normal for this time of year.
There are lots of grouse on the road and people are seeing moose every day. Our bow hunters have not been able to get close enough to one yet but with all the activity (and horny young bulls racing around), they should connect soon.
Our business this September was up over 25% from last year. I'm hoping that is saying good things about your economy!

Oct 2, 2010
I hate to say it but we had lousy fishing last week. It was hard to get out on the lake due to the strong winds and the cold temps didn’t help at all. There were productive days but overall it was a good week to be hunting. Fortunately, most of our guests were hunting moose (bow hunters) and grouse. Jim and Gary were after walleye but they have been coming for a few years and know that fishing is usually great. The front that came through last week really slammed the bite. Nate, our fall camper, brought his brother this year AND a tent. He is our ‘loner sleeping in the van’ guy so we saw a new side of him this year No complaints from them and they did catch fish every day and said they had a great time.
We had two groups of bow hunters last week. Shorts and Ralph (who I used to work with at MNR) and their real estate buddy Dave (who provided comic relief), got a nice young bull Sunday morning in the river down from the old bridge. That gave them time to go fishing (good luck with that) and to spend relaxing days shooting grouse.
The other group consisted of 3 fairly normal guys from Sarnia and……. JOE. Fresh from months without a drink while working his butt off in the Alberta oil fields. Quite a week They shot a cow about halfway out our road – near the Wintering Lake “subdivision”. Came back to camp for reinforcements to help find it. Gerry went back with them and they tracked the blood trail til it disappeared. On foot. Through the bush. Gerry. No 4 wheeler! Joe and his buddies were up and back at the search at dawn the next day and they found her – still steaming and not too far from where the trail had ended. Joe was smart enough to bring me back the tongue and the heart. Gee I hope Shorts is reading this Joe’s girlfriend Laurie came to camp with Joe and stayed at the lodge – her only chance to see him til Xmas. Good money in the oil business if you don’t need a life. After 5 yrs in Fort McMurray, he is determined to quit within the year. But they keep offering him obscene amounts of money to stay. See kids – a strong work ethic does pay off!!
We have another group of bow hunters in camp this week. If they get their animal we’ll be at 100% success. Gerry’s brother Dan and his buddies are here as well – hunting grouse and fishing. One group of gun hunters moved in to cabin 5 today and more will come later in the week – gearing up for the opening of gun season on October 9th. The cabin 5 guys are milling around in the fish house right now (8 pm) so MAYBE fishing has picked up. Things should improve – the forecast this week is for 65 to 70 degrees and sunshine. I hope they’re right for once!
Ryan is doing well in university but this weekend he is in Winnipeg at a rock concert. Nine bands starting at 4pm. It’s called the Uproar tour and I am told Hailstorm is the least heavy of the bands playing. He and 4 buddies got Mosh pit tickets for the event. Apparently they cost more but instead of getting a boring old seat you get to stand for 9 hours in a crowd of people in front of the stage dancing and whatever. The drinking age in Manitoba is 18 (19 here) and Ryan is 18. I’m not worried.
But I am 60 years old. This from a hippy who thought 30 was ridiculous! Sept 23 was the big day so by Sunday Sept 26 I thought I was safe. Nope! Surprise! 40 friends show up, food galore, a whole roasted pig, more haha you’re 60 cards that I would ever believe existed. Gerry is sneaky!!!! It was a really wonderful afternoon so I postponed my original “I’m going to kill you” thoughts
NEED A CALENDAR PIC. ANYONE GOT A POTENTIAL SHOT? THINKING IT IS TIME FOR A PEOPLE PIC BUT SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT EARLIER I GUESS!

September 23, 2010
It has been windy all week, making fishing difficult. Todd Sinz left today and said the fishing was great as usual but I know some groups, especially the newer people, are having more trouble. We're trying to help but the bloody wind plays havoc! Fortunately the forecast shows better weather coming.
I have now removed 8 skunks this summer but the one on Tuesday was a problem. The trap had been set between cabins 5 and 6 and he was attracting quite a bit of attention from guests, partly because he never quit frantically pacing from one end of the trap to the other. EXCEPT when Jack McKay showed up and started pumping out the septic tank less than 50 feet from his trap. Then he relaxed! But, you could tell he was a skunk that should have been on Ritalin. I brought a sheet to cover the trap and hopefully relax him, but I was still 5 feet from the trap when he sprayed. Just a little warning spurt but smelly enough. I got the sheet over the trap and released him without incident down the road but I dumped the trap in the lake to soak and parked the truck a long way from anywhere
Most skunks are asleep when I go to move them. Some I have to yell at to get them to notice they are being moved. But they all hightail it to freedom when I open the door! Unlike bears. Several times I have opened the door to a bear trap, pounded on the sides of the culvert and poked sticks into the trap. No dice – the bear would not leave. Once I had to leave the trap in the cutover and come back for it the next day.
Water level is low. You can still get into Hut but be careful.
Lots of moose are being seen all over the lake and some on the road. The rut is definitely on!
Lots of grouse - the boys are going out every day.
Gerry is working on new moose poles. New location. Today he bummed an old hydro pole that was being replaced at Wintering Lake. It should make one sturdy cross-piece - need one more. Looking good!

September 21, 2010
Ryan and Gerry went duck hunting in the Grassy River Friday night. To the surprise of everyone, they came home with 10 ducks. That is the first double digit kill I can remember so it was a very successful shoot. Ryan was using his new birthday shotgun – a Remington 887 pump. It shoots 3 1/2 inch magnums and he says he cannot miss with it. Nice gun!
Billy and his mom came up Saturday and, after we had cleaned cabins, Ryan and he got everything together for the Sunday morning hunt. I have to believe that duck hunting is their favourite sport. Generates the most excitement at least and I am sure that is because it provides so many shooting opportunities! They ended up with only five birds Sunday but put some miles on the canoe. One kill was a male wood duck that Gerry is getting mounted. Between the guns and the taxidermy, this is getting expensive!
The boys managed to bag a Canada goose in the bay left of camp Sunday afternoon. 'Snuck' up on it with the canoe.
Gerry coated the duck breasts with seasoned flour and fried them in butter with some green onions. Delicious!!!
Weather is cool with some frost most nights but the forecast shows warm weather coming.
Fishermen are doing well. Les Pintok got a 28 inch walleye yesterday and there are lots of fish being caught. The rapids and the bays down by 770 are popular and most of the walleye are at 25 – 30 feet.
Drizzling today but no wind. Should be a good day on the lake.

Sept 16, 2010
CRAZY week for northern! More plus 40s caught today to add to the ones previously reported.
Don't worry Doyle – there'll still be a few left for you next week
Mike McCoy reports catching a lot of bass around Seven Pine Island AND a huge walleye he could not lift off the bottom at the Jarvis rapids. Fishing was really on today but I would need a highly paid fishing professional to explain why today and not yesterday. That's fishin' !
Water level is dropping fast but ther is still good access to Hut etc.
Gerry and I have been cutting and hauling wood steady. Nothing like that nip in the air to remind you that the wood piles are low! He had just dropped a tree across the road this morning when the saw quit.
“This would be the time when Bergs and Mornings (our expected campers) will arrive” I said just as they rounded the corner. Of course.
Word from newly arrived guests is that highway 599 is now great for travel. The loose rocks are gone and the smooth surface allows you to travel fast enough to get a very expensive Canadian speeding ticket.
Duck season opened on the 10th and Ryan will be home from University very early tomorrow to try out his new birthday shotgun. I am no longer feeding ducks here of course (feeding is prohibited by law after Aug 31) but no one is allowed to shoot animals/birds in camp anyway. Gerry, Ryan and Darren (and sometimes Billy) hunt at the mouth of the Grassy and do well enough to get us a few feeds. Delicious! We need more hunters to keep the birds in the air but they do well under the circumstances. Sad that Ali will not be there. She had a Lab's deep love for duck hunting, matched only by Ryan's deep love for duck hunting.
I drove my 6th skunk of the year out to its new home at the Twin Hills pond this morning. I think (hope) that might be the end of the litter.

Sept 15, 2010
Opening day of grouse season. Gerry drove out to the Norm Lake bridge this morning and saw 27 grouse. Back with his limit in just over an hour. Great year for birds. Lots of ducks in the Grassy River also. The moose were moving last night - tracks all over the road. Heavy (but not killing) frost here this morning.

September 14, 2010
Still cool but no frost since the 5th and our red peppers and tomatoes are still growing.
Water level is about normal and the fishjing is very good according to people here this week. Our fall weather has been good overall. We had 2 days of wind this week but excellent fishing and today the wind died and the sun came out. YES! And our water level is about normal for this time of year. Still good access to Hut and Hughes.
While buying minnows this morning, Darwin Mras told me about the 45 inch northern he caught yesterday. He has already mounted a 43 incher he caught here a few years ago so he released it but he promised me pictures.
Looking at our web site, you would think we were a pike camp. In reality, most of our guests fish for walleye and obviously get lots or they wouldn't be coming back every year. We hear almost every week about the increase in size since the 4 fish, one over 18 regulations came into effect and the change is very obvious to us, but big pike... OK we're talking prehistoric monster. Picture – mandatory!
Ryan is now a lecture-attending University student. Gerry helped with the move and said it was a zoo! Lots of good looking girls in red t shirts welcoming students (hmm I'm sure there were guys in red t shirts too but he didn't see them), people everywhere, noise, confusion. Gerry retreated to his hotel room. Ryan lapped it up and is enjoying the experience. Duh – who wouldn't?
When I started college in 1970 I remember an office clerk handing me a list of my classes and pointing me in the right direction. Where were the dancing girls? The parties? Ah well!
We have had very few animal pest probs this year. One bear hanging around for awhile in June then nothing til yesterday. Nice young bear doing a Peeping Smokey routine at one of cabin 5's bedroom windows. Gerry suggested it should leave and it obeyed him.
There HAVE been a few skunks. Tonight Gerry went out to set the trap and the little devil walked right by him and started munching the compost pile. Totally saying “You feed me as is my right but that doesn't rate you a thank you.” Sure enough, the hot dog in the trap caught him a few hours later so, first thing in the morning, I will drive him down the road (WAY down the road) to his new home.
Note to people worried about skunk: I always release them unharmed near water and shelter.
Note to people worried about why I release skunks: There IS NO ODOUR FREE WAY to kill a skunk. Even if you do the head shot, the smell leaks out and the stink lingers. So a 20 minute round trip down the road. Happy skunk. Happy me! I get a lot of people asking why I am not sprayed. I'm no skunk expert but I think they have X amount of spray and it is their last resort. When I load the cage in the truck I keep their butt away from me although at that point they are out of their element and totally confused. Still – better safe.. When I release them, I point the cage to bush and water, raise the door and the last thing on their mind is hanging around to spray me.

September 8, 2010
On Monday, Aug 30, I finally had to say it was too hot. Me and my big mouth! Sunday September 4th we had our first frost. Monday we had our second frost and it is still cold! We had one bit of wind excitement a few mornings ago as docks went every which way and we were racing around in the rain straightening everything out but overall we have not lost much fishing time to wind. There's been some rain and cold mornings crossing the lake but good walleye chop and the fish are biting.
Despite Gerry's insistence that the firewood piled beside the cabins and inside in the wood boxes is there only for decoration, fires are burning every night in every cabin. I see this as a positive thing as it forces Gerry to venture out into the forest to cut more wood, thus prolonging his life. He has a slightly different view on the issue, especially since Ryan and his muscles are no longer here to help.
Speaking of which, Ryan moves into residence at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay tomorrow morning. Gulp! His dad has gone with him to help with the move and to pick up camp supplies. I'm left taking care of things here and wondering how my little boy could go from learning to read to leaving home in the blink of an eye. Nothing really prepares you for that moment when they walk out the door.
We're looking for a calendar pic again, hopefully a picture that everyone will recognize. Some great pix have come in so far and thank you to everyone who thinks to send us their photos!
The water level is dropping so we pushed the docks out just prior to the previously mentioned big wind which had us pulling them back in again. Gotta love living on a river system.
Hwy 599 is being resurfaced. Didn't that happen 2 yrs ago you ask. Why yes it did – I have the tire repair bills to prove it. I'm not sure why it is being redone. The shoulders were washing away but only the tar experts know for sure But be careful driving up – lots of rocks flying, especially if you are travelling at higher speeds.

30 August 2010
We have only four cabins booked this week and a couple of groups camping so it is pretty quiet around here. No waiting for the fish house
The Albrights from Iowa are back after a few years absence. Paul is 75 now and wanted another trip to Press. They are catching lots of fish and wishing for cooler weather! We had an 84 year old in camp last week and the week of August 14th, 96 year old Fred Smith was here. Son Don couldn't get him off the lake. They'd just be ready to head in and Fred would hook a big walleye. Can't go back yet!! Funny – Don is exactly the same as his father; now we know where he gets it from!
It is hot and humid this week. The thermometer reads 30 (90 US Degrees) and that is with a cloudy sky. I don't know what the humidity is but it is HIGH! Forecast shows cooler weather as the week goes on, thank goodness. I love the heat but....
Fishing is still good of course. Our guests this week have been fishing the Jarvis rapids and the rock garden, Barrel falls, 770 and the reefs past the big narrows. Hut has not been producing but most people fishing it in the past few weeks were also not familiar with the lake.
It will be interesting to see how many gallons of minnows we bought in August; I'm sure it was a record month. Crawlers were working too – not sure how they're doing this week. I know one fellow using them and he caught one walleye yesterday. Hmm
The water level is a bit low but nothing serious. After two years of high water and no motor damage at all, I was expecting a lot of wrecked props and lower units this year. Didn't happen. One lower unit and that was a guy who has been coming for a long time and knows the lake. Our new guests had no damage I can recall.
Gerry and Ryan have gone to Sturgeon trout fishing today. On September 1st, the limit changes and you can keep only one trout over 22 inches; that effectively cuts the limit on Sturgeon to one fish since there are very few small trout caught there.
Ryan will be moving into residence at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay on September 9th. He is enrolled in a Business (Commerce) degree program with an eye to taking over the camp in 3 years.
It will certainly be different around here. Gerry will have to eat for two

August 21
Word from our guests crossing the border today: no one was asked about eggs so - sorry! The ban is apparently in effect but the guards aren't worrying about it so use your own judgement>

August 19
Just got word from our Tourist Association that there has been a big egg recall in the US and no eggs are being allowed across the border into Canada. What a year for us NOT to have chickens. Oh well. We will buy extra in case you can't pick some up enroute to camp.
On the plus side, fishing is excellent, water levels are good and the sun is shining. Hut has been slow this week but the reefs (like 770) are hot.
We're buying minnows like crazy but worms are working also. We do not sell anything but minnows so stop at Vern's in town or bring your own crawlers. No ban on them yet

August 16, 2010
Border issues have been surfacing this summer on a regular basis. There are a number of issues (alcohol, cigarettes, firewood!?, no passport) that can cause trouble but the one that drives everyone nuts is the DUI issue.
I went on the Canada Revenue Agency's website AGAIN this year and could find lots on info on importing pineapples, how to import antique cars, etc but nothing on DUIs. So I called the number on the site and got to talk to a real human woman. “Well, of course not” she said in that voice people who hate children use when talking to children. “ That information is on the CIC website” The 'any idiot knows that' part was unsaid but still heard. So I went to www.cic.gc.ca. (Citizenship and Immigration Canada).
Navigation assistance:
From home page, click on Visit under Come to Canada on the left side of the page.
From Visiting Canada page, click on Frequently asked questions (centre of page near bottom)
From FAQ page, click on overcoming criminal inadmissibility on the right side of the page.

Last week one of our guests needed DUI info so I called Fort Frances customs and talked to another woman. This one was very informative and did not once call me an idiot. Pleasant change.
The two sources gave me the exact same information.

First: You cannot, under any circumstances, get into Canada with a DUI within 5 years of the end of your sentence. So if you have probation or whatever, 5 years after that ends you can move on to step 2
Step 2:
5 - 10 years after your penalty ends, you can apply for criminal rehabilitation. There is a $200 admin fee for this but you get into Canada.
Step 3:
After 10 years – no problem. You are considered 'cured'.
Two points before you start yelling.
No one that I know in Canada thinks any of this makes any sense whatsoever and YES it does appear to be a money grab.
Secondly: Yes I know that, despite what the rules say, anything can happen when you get to the border.
So, if you think you may have a problem and the info on the cic website does not help, I would suggest you call well before you intend to come and ask if you are eligible to cross.
The number I called was 807-274-3655 (Fort Frances Customs) and they were great.
Hope this helps and let me know if you get different info than I did.

August 15, 2010: First wedding at Press Lake Camp
Joe Jaskolka and Diana Drollinger from Siren, Wisconsin were married today in a very sweet ceremony
on the main dock in front of camp. Signing of the register took place in the office with the reception and dinner following in cabin 6. The celebration around the community firepit finished off the evening in style We will have pix of this first ever Press Lake event on the photo album page soon.

August 10, 2010
Around 5 this morning the heavens opened and dumped 1 ˝ inches of rain on Press Lake in about ˝ hour. The impressive thunder and lightning lasted half the morning but the gale force winds were of shorter duration. Long enough though to bring down trees across 599, closing the highway temporarily.
I realize this isn't much of a weather story compared with those I have been hearing from just about everyone this summer (especially the flooded out Iowegians! but it's all we've got. It's been one of those summers. Great weather, no really bad wind days to speak of, few bugs (although the no-see-ums had their moment earlier in the year) and fantastic fishing. The big thing, according to our guests, is that the average walleye size is increasing every year. The same appears to be true across the Ignace area so it would seem that the change in limits (4 fish in possession rather than 6) that came into effect in 1999 did what it was supposed to do – created a better fishery. Many of you have told us how much you agree with the change but it's value could only be proven over time and I think the proof is now on the stringer.
Tim Fisher fished a couple of humps just past Red Rock yesterday morning with his two young boys and in a very short period of time caught over 50 walleye, with lots of doubles. The kids had a riot.
We have a number of fishermen booked this year who have never been to Press before and they have all done really well. Sometimes a new group will need us to guide them for a day to get them on fish. Not this year!
Hot spots include the Jarvis rapids of course, Gilligan's Island, 770, the old bridge, Red Rock and area but the fish are biting everywhere. We have had a fair number of hot totally calm days – not typical walleye weather but with awesome catches. This morning's storm slowed things up a bit today but no one went hungry
Water level is normal and it is easy to get into Hut and Hughes. Paul Bachman took his 18+ foot boat with a 225 hp motor in and out of Hut last week with no trouble and a lot of nice walleye have come out of there this summer.
We have gone through 2 – 3 gallons (around 90 – 100 dozen to a gallon) of minnows this week so I would say that minnows are definitely working well.
No bear problems here or in town or at the parks. Hmmmm!
Our road is um bumpy but not terrible. You can still drive here in your Lincoln Town car – no problem.
I think the biggest drop in tourism we have seen is in camper numbers. I expected tenters to increase as the economy struggled but the opposite occurred, not just here but across the region. Why? Who knows!
Pix are on website except for Doyle's (they seem to have gotten lost but I WILL find them) and the ones that I received in the past few days. If you have more – please forward to me!!
We are booking up in September but still have openings for the month with no flies, no kids, great fishing, superb weather! Hah- watch me be proved wrong on that promise but that is normally the way Sept goes.

29 July
I am sending this year's pictures to my web guy now so if you have a pic you've been meaning to send me - think now I have some good ones but I know there are more out there.
Wally was here today with my new router and he got everything up and running. This new router is much more powerful which may help cabin 7 to the east and the outhouse to the west get better reception. I have asked people to check it out. Good so far altho no report from the outhouse yet.
Nordy from cabin 6 told me tonight that the fishing is even better than last year. They're having great luck with worms and artificial, fishing points and the reefs.
Gerry and Ryan and his girlfriend Hali fished the shore across from Red rock a few days ago and got some great fish trolling with a spinner and a minnow.
Seems minnows, crawlers, spinners are the winners this week.
And I looked out my window today and all I could see was boats. Our bay is getting the most action I've ever seen and that action makes it a great option for a quick trip after dinner or a stop on the way back to camp.

July 27
Several groups this week are doing well with crawlers, fishing the reefs and points. Zillgitts (a new group except for Rick) are trolling with spinners and crawlers and seem to be having a great time. Buying us out of tackle Lots of action at the Jarvis rapids and the rock gardens. Drlee and friends caught a pile of walleye yesterday at the top end of Anderson Bay. This is his fourth year at Press and he finds the fishing better than usual.

July 23
Guests who came through International Falls yesterday mentioned that there is repaving happening on about a 4 mile stretch of hwy 502. Slow going. Also, the town of Dryden is repairing the overpass near the McDonald's restaurant and there are apparently no detour signs.

July 22, 2010
Thank you to everyone who voted for Joe and Laurie! They won and want to thank all of you for the help.
We're having a great summer here with awesome fishing and weather that is never as bad as predicted. Where do they get those forecasters?
There has been enough rain to allow good access into Hut and Hughes and I have had some excellent reports (over the past report-free month – gulp – sorry) about the fishing in both lakes. Chris Fatland told me they spent a very rainy day in Hughes last week hauling in walleye and sauger non-stop. Lots of fun and lots of fish; the biggest was 20 inches but they never quit.
Mike Donahue has been coming for 15 years and he told me last week that this was his best trip ever. Partly because he is getting bigger fish on average than he did years before but largely because of the invaluable time spent with the grandkids and family. You can't buy memories!
Our bay is really producing as always and is being hit hard this year by our more savvy guests. If this keeps up our gas sales will plummet! Red Rock is still hot and a favourite spot for many of our anglers on their way back from the big lake.
Obviously the rapids by Jarvis are still producing. Reefs like 770 and the Trojan reef by Seven Sisters Island are hot. George Judkins was doing really well off Gilligan's Island yesterday. The old bridge area has been slow this week, even for those who went up above to the waterfalls from Barrel Lake. That changes weekly though.
Everyone is buying minnows and they seem to be working better than the crawlers right now. The most effective walleye fishing this week is off the reefs. Put a marker on the reef and drift. Fish are at around 16 – 23 feet. Nobody is raving about any one colour of jig so bring a bunch
Water level is normal but you still need at least 100 feet of cord to plug in; we have 50 to 60 feet of beach.

July 12, 2010
Request. Joe (who used to work for us) has entered a contest for best bamboo project and the winner is the one who gets the most on-line votes. If you can help, go to calibamboo.com and hit vote now. The contest ends on July 16th I believe and he is now in 2nd place. He needs 20 votes to win. His project is #6 on the page under the name Laurie W (his girlfriend). It is, and this is no surprise, a swim-up Tiki bar he built on the corner of his pool. That's Joe
The prize is $500 worth of bamboo so I think he's only in it for the glory Thanks from Joe.

July 8, 2010
Weather has been hot and beautiful since the weekend and the fishing is good. The Dunsirn/Fry group told Gerry it is the best fishing they've ever had here. We have four brand new groups this week and it's always harder for the 'new guys' but the Burkes in cabin 5 tell me they are having a great trip and eating lots of fish. Binder the beagle in cabin 2 is very happy to be here and our anglers tell me lots of fish are being caught. The water level has come up a bit and there is still no problem getting into Hut or Hughes.
We had to buy a new fridge for cabin 5 yesterday. All the door shelving was broken as was the freezer. “How To Stock A Refrigerator Without Destroying It” should be a mandatory course in high schools across North America! Since the truck was delivering, we also ordered a new queen sized bed for Ryan. Gerry had purchased the bed Ryan was using in 1970 and it seemed fine to me but kids are such whiners these days!
Ryan graduated from high school on June 25 and in order to attend, Gerry and I left camp from noon til 9pm – first time ever but not much is more important. It was a great ceremony! I spent four years waiting for the teenager thing to happen and all I got was a bit of whining and a lot of waiting. I guess the teen horror story isn't mandatory. Ryan was co-valedictorian with Aleixs Lotsios and he was named Outstanding Student for 2009/10. He, Alexis and his buddy Billy all ended up with marks over 90 which got them $2500 off their tuition at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay this fall. He also got lots of awards from local businesses as did the rest of his class. Several of our American and Canadian friends who have watched Ryan grow up attended his graduation and they were impressed by the local support for grads. I think the small town – everyone knows everyone atmosphere, makes that generosity possible.
Most amazing though!! Ryan (last kid to be picked for the team) Nicholas was named Male Athlete of the Year for 2009/2010! I think that was the award that astounded us the most! Now he has to get through 3 years of university after which he currently intends to come back and take over the camp. Gerry can't wait and Ryan is wondering how he is going to get rid of me

July 4, 2010
Hope you are all enjoying Independence Day and having better weather for it than we are! We have had lots of rain this weekend (over 2 inches) and it is still drizzling on and off. The ducks are loving it but our just-arrived fishermen are less enthralled. We have four new groups this week and Barnason's seem to be the most avid anglers. They even went out last night during the storm, although three casts later a bolt of lightning changed their mind. Gary went out again this morning and caught half a dozen walleye for breakfast instead. Then there's the Kochs, Paulsons and Andersons who come every year and have a more relaxed approach. They did get their boats in the water by noon today though.
We do need the rain however. The forecast has been calling for precipitation for weeks without producing and it has been getting very dry; there is around 50 – 65 feet of sand from the plug-ins to the water's edge. You can still get into Hut and Hughes although access is getting tough for bigger boats, but all this rain draining into Press should bring the water level back up in no time.
Fishing is good anywhere in the river up to the old bridge, off shorelunch island and off many of the points along the south shore in the west arm (toward Hughes). Steve Taylor caught a pile of 18 to 20 inch walleye fishing at 15 feet off Red Rock late last week and a lot of people are finding the fishing good right in our bay. John DeAgazio picked up a 41 ˝ inch northern on Canada Day while fishing with a spinner for walleye between the 2 islands in front of camp.
Harold and Mike Baird were doing well on 770 last week, a couple of weeks early for that reef to be hot but it's that kind of year. Paullins went up to the Jarvis rapids and hammered them there.
Some nice smallies have been caught and, as of July 1st, can actually be kept. We are still hoping the rules on bass will change next year!

June 19, 2010
Another Saturday draws to a close as the new fishermen pile into the fish house, exchanging fish stories
We lost a group at the border today. One of our guest's sons had a misdemeanour offence on his record and was not allowed in. The border guards were new, young guys and perhaps not too familiar with the law. Best to call in advance I guess if you have any record, no matter how minor.
Now we have an empty cabin and worse, an entire group of guys has missed out on their annual fishing trip.
We had a massive wind storm here on Friday. Trees were dropping left and right (3 took down my clothesline and a bunch of trees in the campground and in front of cabin 7 bit the dust) and our fishermen had a bit of trouble getting back to camp. First real wind storm of the year!. Weather is looking good for tomorrow though!

June 16, 2010
It's been a great fishing week. Hut was really producing and a number of big walleye were taken there
but the hot spot must be the water below the old bridge. Bill got the 48 inch northern there last week and tonight George Judkins and his group caught two 28 inch and one 28 ˝ inch walleye in the same area. A lot of mid-twenties walleye were landed this week but the bite is so light, it is easy to miss. You really have to pay attention (I know – work, work, work)!
Minnows and worms are both working consistently and leeches are sporadic. They'll work one day but not the next.
People are having good luck in the rivers and off the rocky points for walleye and bass are hitting in Anderson Bay. Dan Quam got a beautiful fat 17 ˝ inch smallie at the opening going into Hut last week.
The weather has been OK. No wind problems to speak of and not a whole lot of rain.
A few mornings ago when I went down to post the weather, I found the pump house and fish house covered in mayflies. A strong east wind was whipping the flags about. BAD omens. Everyone came in that night raving about the awesome fishing. Go figure!
Dave Peloquin caught a very large (well over 40 inches) northern last night while casting from his boat in front of cabin 7's dock, yet today half of the camp ended up in Hughes Lake, almost as far from camp as you can get. Probably because it was a beautiful sunny and calm day, a good day for boating!
Water is still coming up and a 100 foot drop cord is now lots for plugging in. Hard to believe that the plug-ins were half way up the docks last year. All part of living on a river system!
No bear problems yet this year although we have quite a few campers right now (the only week our campground could be called busy) but we do have a rabbit problem. They keep running into us
Our rabbits are actually snowshoe or varying hares but whatever they're called, they are all in heat!
Everywhere you look there are rabbits chasing each other and not really caring much about humans that get in their way.
No one has reported any difficulty in bringing potatoes across the border; in fact the only problem I have heard mentioned was the long lineup a week ago due to large numbers of people.

June 13, 2010
Great Saturday. All of our arriving guests were wonderful and allowed us to get their cabin cleaned while they went fishing. Mark Williams was rewarded with a 28 inch walleye and everyone who went out did well from what I heard. Weather is a mix of sun and rain with more sun forecast for tomorrow.

June 10, 2010
NOTE TO GUESTS ARRIVING ON JUNE 12TH – THIS SATURDAY
Six out of seven groups have told us they will be here between 11 am and noon. We start cleaning around 6:30 am. This means Ryan, a teenager, has to be up and ready to leave Ignace at 4:30 Saturday morning. I can't really ask more than that. It takes us a max of 12 hours to clean all 7 cabins. Less if people are clean. I am sure you get the picture.
I had to go to town today (my least favourite way to spend a day). Just asked Gerry if he'd heard anything about fishing while I was gone. His response: All I heard is that they're 'biting real good”.
Bad grammar but sounds like good fishing despite the mayflies. And, with all the mayfly action the whitefish are just boiling on the surface. Prime time for fly fishermen.

June 8, 2010
Fishing has been very good this year despite the different weather! On Saturday, Liam and his son Aaron fished around the point from camp and caught 8 really nice walleye before lunch. Other groups did well in the Rock Gardens, Wintering Creek, the Narrows and at Shore Lunch Island. Lots of walleye but the bass have slowed down – the spawn must be over. At least this year the water warmed up enough to allow them to spawn. We've had a couple of really cold springs as you know!
Gerry has still only been fishing on Press the one time. Trying to keep the ice machine working is turning into a full time job for him. Manitowoc makes a great machine but it does not like the iron in our water. He is winning though – we have lots of ice. If I and my 5 second patience span were in charge of maintenance, that ice-spewing hunk of metal would be at the bottom of Press Lake.
Gerry has infinite patience. I like that
The weather has cooled down and there has been enough rain to bring the water up a bit – enough that, for the first time this year, we finally had to pull the docks IN this morning. Still lots of beach though.
The mayflies are thick right now but it does not seem to have affected the fishing. They came on a couple of days ago and I have to wonder why we get mayflies in June and Junebugs in May!
Bill Barnaby caught a great fish last week while he and his dad Ron were fishing by the old bridge. He had a small Rapala on and flicked it over his shoulder into the shallows by the boat launch. Several very exciting minutes later, Ron (net man) said “It's gotta be a 36 incher!” Then he saw it and yelled that the HEAD was 36 inches When they finally got it in the boat, they measured the northern at 47 inches plus (their ruler only went to 40 inches so things got complicated). A beautiful fish. Bill has sent me the picture they took before they released it and it should be on the fishing page soon. He is 5'10” and the fish looks as big as he is!
Doyle Swindell and his group from Missouri and Oklahoma were mainly after northern last week but never got into one that huge. He and his fishing partner did catch over 117 in Hut one day last week though – a lot of fun!
I know. I know. Most of you don't care about pike. You want walleye. Well – no problem. The fishing is excellent. We have not had any monsters caught this spring, only some 24 and 26 inch but lots 22 and under. It has been a happy year for Press Lake anglers. Minnows, leeches, crankbaits and Rapalas are all working – not sure if anyone is using worms.
Everyone is happy except for one fellow who got a hook in his finger today. He cut the hook off so I couldn't pull it out but, if you don't have one yet, go to Bass Pro or Cabela's and buy a Hook Removal Kit!! They cost $6.99 and are worth, well, $200+ since that is what people have paid at the Sioux Lookout hospital to get a hook taken out before I found out about this removal system. Thank you to whoever left it in cabin 5 last year!!
This week we had a group who has been coming for over 15 years simply not show up. No prior warning at all. Bummer to have an empty cabin in mid-June when we could rent out 20 cabins if we had them BUT we now have a big cabin available for the week of June 11 – 18, 2011. If you are interested, call or email us.
If you didn't read my note in May: you can now bring potatoes across the border; details in previous post below.

May 27, 2010

Incredibly hot here. I love it, Gerry hates it and our guests aren't sure what to think cuz they've never taken their parkas off in Canada before Fishing has been great, even at midday in full sun. We have 4 northern 40 and over on the board already and young Kayla Oachs is going to get the beautiful 24 inch walleye she caught today mounted. Her grandfather, Ben Wolske, is super proud of her.
Deb Truitt, usually our queen of large northerns, caught an 18 1/2 inch bass by Wintering Creek today. Nice fish!
Gerry went fishing on Press this afternoon for the first time this year. We HAVE been busy!
His first 4 casts at the rapids brought in 4 small northern. The next 32 casts he had a walleye every time. On the way home he stopped and caught a pile of walleye in the Narrows. Everyone had great fishing today and my gut bucket test tells me the fishing has been good this year. Spotty some days but overall very good fishing.

Wifi is working but VERY slow. Please remember that downloading is not an option in the bush. If you want to watch a movie or read a book, download and save it at home, then read or watch it here. When you are on Satellite internet, excessive use (and almost any use seems to qualify for that designation) results in your speed being cut in half for X number of days. We could pay more for more space but the tops offered costs $500 per month and still does not offer enough to make a difference. We now pay $95 per month for satellite internet compared to $55 in town for high speed which is way better of course. BUT - we are in the bush so quit bitchin' right?

Around noon on Monday, I was coming back from a late dump run when a cow moose ran out from a trail at the top of the hill before camp and stopped dead on the road in front of me. Seconds later two calves the size of Ali raced out from the same trail and, unable to stop in time, careened wildly into mom's back legs. They're upside down and backwards and mom is freaking at the sight of a truck 20 feet from her twins. She hightailed it back the way she came and the kids scrambled to their feet and raced after her. I'm still sitting in my truck thinking WOW!
Deb and Art in cabin 1 saw the same moose family in the bay west of camp early on Sunday. Debbie said the little guys were just beetling along trying to keep up to mom!
We have a lot of bear sign (that's a polite way of saying poop) on the road near camp and they are obviously in the dump but none have been seen in camp yet. A cow with twins has one heck of a time keeping them safe from bears since she can only defend one at a time so I'm sure she's teaching them military tricks. Do what I say and at double time.

Game warden was in today. One group was officially warned about packaging. I have signs in the fish house and freezer room, in the info package in your bathroom and on the counter in the office. We are also willing to explain the requirements to you verbally. Packaging can now cost you over $200 in fines and the loss of all your fish. It is worth a little extra effort to do it right.

MAY 21, 2010
POTATOES: NOTO, our tourism assoc., informed us that it is now legal to bring 10 pounds (4 kg) of potatoes per person into Canada with you. They cannot be bulk (must be packed commercially in a bag) and must be US Grade No. 1. Just to be safe, I called customs in Fort Frances and asked the agent. He assured me that it is true and that all customs officers should be aware of the change.

Our Ontario Provincial Police are rigidly enforcing the drinking and driving laws on highway 599.
Remember it is illegal to have open alcohol in a vehicle (car or boat) unless it is in a closed container and not within reach of the driver.

May 17, 2010
Opening week and it is hot and sunny! Gerry is already complaining about the heat, everyone is getting sunburnt and we cut the grass today.
Fishing was really hot on Sunday - everyone in camp did well although, due to the very early spawn this spring, the fish are not in the creeks. They are now where you would expect to find them at the middle to end of June. Frank's hole, Red Rock, the river, even the Narrows are producing. Lots of fish were caught off the islands and points in the bay in front of camp. Or you could travel to the other end of the lake and fish the rapids which always seem to be loaded with hungry walleye. Low water levels and an army of beavers make it tough to get up Wintering Creek this year and you cannot get to Rice Lake.
We sold almost 2 gallons of minnows Saturday and Gerry had to run to town Sunday morning to get more. Some people are fishing with leeches and dead bait as well.
Last year the plug-in posts were under water. This year there is over 70 feet of sand beach between the posts and the end of the docks. One group brought a 100 foot cord and it wasn't long enough.
We have had a couple of inches of rain since we got to camp at the end of April – enough that open campfires are now allowed but not enough to bring the lake level up.

NEWS: The law has changed and you are now allowed to use your own life jackets when you rent our boats. We will still supply them if you wish but you can legally wear your own.

Press Lake road is in good shape. The logging company graded it just before opener – a huge bonus for us! And you

Projects completed before opener this year:
new wood stove in cabin 5
new floor in cabin 4
new door on cabin 3

I mentioned on this page that we would like to know of anything you wanted fixed. Brian Bergman asked if we could get a new window in cabin 5. The seal was gone and it was hard to see through. Turns out any glass over 48” wide has to be special ordered and the agent in Dryden told Gerry he would never get it to camp in one piece anyway. His suggestion was that we separate the 2 panes of glass and use one of them. Great idea.
The night before they attempted it Gerry got no sleep imagining what would happen if they broke it in the process. A month with a cardboard window!
They did manage to get the job done successfully but he had several comments on what he would do to me if I came up with a job like that just before opener again

But most things went well this spring. Wally came up on Thursday, May 13 and hooked up the wireless with no trouble. The ice machine is working and there were only a few broken water lines. One problem: last fall Gerry had no trouble getting under the lodge to solder pipes but now he doesn't fit.
He lost his slim, trim body over the winter.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the family and friends who came up to help us get ready: brother Dan, Mike, Peter, Doug and Laura and to my spring cleaning crew – LaVerne, Sandy, Ryan, Yvonne and Hali
It is amazing how much work it takes to get this place going.

April 29, 2010
We start moving tomorrow! Computer will move out when Wally is available to help with setup.
We can be reached at 934-6911 for the next week if we are near the phone. Call 934-2607 to get our machine or else just send an email. Both will be checked every few days when we are in town.

DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR OUTDOOR CARD WITH YOU WHEN YOU COME TO CANADA! IF you do forget it, you can buy another outdoor card so it is not the end of the world but it is an unnecessary expense ($9.00).

April 23, 2010
Yesterday was the first snow-free Earth Day I can remember in a very long time. Usually we need a snow shovel to find the garbage on April 22nd. This year we could have done the whole town on March 22nd!
Gerry and I drove into camp today. The road is bumpy but dry except for a long dam down the middle of the road at the first big culvert past Valora. A very energetic beaver! Those furry little critters are a never ending problem!
Camp looked good until I saw the Canada goose swimming offshore. We need to rename them American Geese so that all of North and South America can join in one big love-fest for this magnificent bird. I'm thinking maybe an 11 month season with a bag limit of 50???
Water is low. There is approximately 70 feet of sand between the plug-ins and the edge of the water right now so bring one or two long extension cords.
IDEA: attach your name to your cord somehow. They are so easy to leave behind and we often don't find them early enough to know who owns them. Getting quite a collection
Just three weeks to opener!
A friend of ours in Ignace was reading a fishing website and called to tell me that some fellow had written a post saying that he hadn't been to Press Lake for 9 years because 12 years ago the commercial fishermen had totally fished out the lake.
I moved to Ignace in the early 80s and the commercial fisheries on most area lakes were shut down a decade before that. Just can't trust net info. Except for this guy from Nigeria I've been talkin' to. He seems real nice

Monday, April 19, 2010

Gerry and Ryan took the boat to Paguchi on Sunday and caught mega trout!. They fished from 11 am to 4 pm off a rock near where Gerry puts his ice hut. He said the only time they weren't boating trout was the 3 times a northern came in. Once they caught the pike the
trout came back. They boated about 20 (could have been 30 but they got tired of releasing and let them come off in the water beside the boat instead). Lost another 20 - 25. Most were 5 to 8 lbs but 4 were around 10 -12 lbs.
Brought home four really nice ones. They were vertical jigging with a white tube jig at about 30 feet. Anywhere outside of 28 - 32 feet, they got nothing. Incredible fishing.
Ryan's buddy Billy was going to go with them but decided to
take his girlfriend to Angel Lake instead. They got one little one.
Yeah, Ryan and Gerry rubbed it in a bit.

)April 17, 2010
Getting anxious to get to camp! It was minus 10 last night so still too cold to turn our water on but the ice should be gone from Press by now. It has been really windy the last few days.
Our friend Bob who drove down to the old bridge last week said the road is in great shape so that is good news!
We have a lot of wood waiting to be split and piled at the cabins so the sooner we get in the better but we have been tied up in town.
Gerry had rented his house to a fellow who left it a real mess. We have replaced all the carpet and redone the bathroom, painted, taken truckloads of junk to the dump, cleaned, etc etc. Now maybe we can rent it – hopefully to a cleaner person. Or better yet – sell it, but Ignace is not a good place to own real estate.
We should be at camp some time this coming week. I hope!

April 12, 2010
Snow is long gone and the ice is off many of the lakes. Friends fished Press yesterday, putting their boat in at the old bridge. The lake was ice-free down the river and out as far as Big Island but with a water temp of 37 degrees the walleye haven’t gotten frisky yet. They caught lots of northern but not one walleye.

If :
you bought a fishing licence in Ontario last year and

you have NOT received a plastic Outdoors Card from our government

you must call the Outdoor Card Centre and explain that your card did not arrive. Give them the number on the right hand top corner of your pink application form, verify your address and they will send you your card.
The number to call is 1-800-387-7011

If you have lost your pink form, contact me and I will find your number from my copy. This only works if you bought your licence at Press of course but, if you didn’t, Head Office may be able to locate your record without the number. Worth a try.
If you come to Canada without an Outdoor Card, you can still get a licence but you will have to pay the nine bucks for the card again.
The system seems to have worked fairly well. I have only had 7 people contact me re no card – many less than we expected.
I have discovered that they will not issue your card at my request. The licencee must call to verify their contact info. It is a simple process however.

April 5, 2010
Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! Our weather was windy and cool but nice for the first week of April. I had to drive Ryan to Dryden emergency on Saturday – turned out to be strep throat so he is now a druggie – penicillin and Tylenol and lots of sleeping and moaning He never gets sick so he`s even worse at it than the rest of you guys!
There is still ice on most lakes but only people who make the papers (“snowmobiler drowns in area lake”) are crazy enough to travel on them. Walleye fishing has been up and down the past week or two and is now over til ice out. Hard to say when that will be but the weather forecast says temps are going to average around 50 degrees F for the next week so it shouldn't be long.
Obviously it is an early spring and water levels are low now but we haven`t seen any spring rain yet so
don`t panic !!
Gerry has not been back to camp since the 26th because any travel at this time of year is guaranteed to make an expensive mess of the road. Even in heavy snow years we never plough til after walleye closes on April 15th . A driveable road encourages all the four-wheeling fisherman to rip up the road en route to fishing walleye on Wintering and that makes it tough on us AND all the Wintering lake campowners.
We are planning to check things out again early next week.
Our cold and rainy summer in 2009 used up all the cabin firewood so we cut lots more last fall and dropped it off at camp. But it still has to be split and delivered to your cabin so the pressure is on.
It is looking like we will be moving sometime after April 20th this year – way better than last year`s May 6 arrival at camp. 2008 was a late spring as well.
FISHING LICENCES
Call (807-934-2607) or email me if you have not received a plastic outdoor card in the mail yet.

March 26, 2010
Gerry drove into camp today. Still quite a bit of snow on the road in places but it was frozen hard enough to support the Tundra. Lots of moose activity from the second bridge to camp and the frozen tracks in the snow made the ride a tad bumpy!
We were worried about trees down since we have had some heavy wet snow and strong winds this winter but he only cut one tree. Camp is in great shape with the only snow being a bank between cabins 4 and 5. Because there are no trees near the cabins (plus the big lawn in front), the snow melts there while the road in is still ice covered. Water level is low right now – no spring rain yet. Lets hope spring rain is all we get - I wouldn't mind a LOT of sunshine this year.

JUNE 26 – JULY 3 I have a cabin booked to Chad Scott. My mistake - I did not record a phone number or any other info and he has not sent a deposit. If you read this Chad, let me know if you still want the cabin. Meanwhile I am going to guess I have an opening for that week if anyone else is interested.

The ice is still holding up. Ignace school even has an ice fishing derby planned for a lake north of town on Monday but we are at the end of the season for sure. I think our usual April rush to catch walleye prior to the season closing will be done in a boat, if at all, this year.

March 24th
I just found a phone number you can use if you did not get your outdoor card. It is 1-800-387-7011. If that does not work, let me know.

March 21, 2010
We raked the lawn today. WOW! Gerry's friend Walter, the Indian fellow from Valora, has NEVER seen a winter like this. Of course, all of our memories are less reliable than they used to be but this is crazy. Everyone is expecting more winter of course; it is not Canadian to be too optimistic.
Gerry pulled his hut off Paguchi last week during March break (while he had 2 strong boys to help). They pulled Billy's off Victoria Lake at the same time. There is still lots of good ice but the road is getting soft and there are other places to fish.
For the second year in a row, Gerry has not done well on Paguchi so it is looking like a new lake next year – he just has to decide which one. He likes the thrill of landing big trout so even though they were just slamming the fish at Billy's hut, he doesn't want to have his hut on a lake with 3 pound trout.
The slow fishing did get him moving around to different lakes. For a week he focused on brook trout lakes west of town. Many are stocked but he fished Big Butler, a lake that is naturally reproducing. One day he caught 11 specks in 63 minutes! It was the wildest trout fishing I've ever heard of. Lots of fun. They weren't big. The limit is five so we could cook his day's catch in one big frying pan but boy are they tasty! And fun to catch!
McLaurin Lake and Krisko Lake across Hwy 599 from the Press Lake road are stocked Brook trout lakes that some of our guests fish. Hakli Lake, just south of them, is stocked with splake.
IMPORTANT NOTICE RE FISHING LICENCES
Darwin Mras emailed to tell me his son and a friend had not been sent outdoor cards. After a lot of phoning, faxing and emailing, I believe their licences are now being processed but I learnt a few things in the process.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PLASTIC OUTDOORS CARD YET AND YOU PURCHASED YOUR 2009 LICENCE AT PRESS LAKE, LET ME KNOW ASAP.
The woman in Dryden MNR who handles licencing told me that if you come up this year with just last year's pink application, you will have to pay $9.00 again for the card. Apparently a lot of the pink forms were incomplete and the cards could not be processed. The two I faxed were complete so there are errors in the system. Given the incredible number of forms being processed that makes sense but I don't want you guys to be inconvenienced when you get here. Email or phone and I will pull your pink copy from my file and fax it directly to our licencing branch at head office.

March 18, 2010
What crazy weather! Last year we almost had to plough the road to get into camp the first week of May. This year our snow was basically all gone over a week ago. The boys put the snowmachines back in the garage and out came the quads. There is still lots of good ice on the lakes but another warm spell will end ice fishing for this year. Fortunately, Gerry brought his boat home last fall so he will still be able to fish.
I'm still not intact - no word processing but I did manage to get this weather report on here. more later.

March 6, 2010
I bought a new computer - $600. This one is so slow I have a book on the desk to read while emails open. We hotwire it to turn in on and off. It was timeJ Wally is taking this one with him and transferring all the ‘stuff’ into the new tower. Could this be the end of my problems? Probably not – there is apparently a ‘learning curve’ to be negotiated in order to master the new machine. Sigh!
The last time I upgraded, I lost all my emails. It was very liberating but I am hoping that I will be back intact by Monday.

Feb 23, 2010
Not a bad winter so far. Enough snow for the sleds, lots of ice and enough 30 – 40 below to reaffirm that YES we are Canadians .
Of course the Olympics are dominating our lives right now. Gerry is even missing days of fishing to watch the curling and the hockey. It’s a pretty exciting time for Canada and we are loving it.
Gives us something to talk about besides the weatherJ
Reminder about licences: Do not throw out the pink application form you got from us last year unless you have already received your plastic outdoors card from our gov’t. If you do not get the card in the mail, your pink copy will save you from paying again so bring it with you.

Feb 3, 2010
Well, we made it through another Groundhog Day! Wiarton Willie saw his shadow so there will be six more weeks of winter. Obviously, the fact that we will still have ice and snow in mid-March is not earth-shattering news to the people of Northwestern Ontario - or northern Minnesota/Wisconsin for that matter. But the presence of a working groundhog does serve the purpose of firing up the PETA people in defense of rodent rights and will hopefully help them to forget about us anglers and our dead fish.
Not many dead fish this year though. Gerry has been in his office AKA fish hut most days but the fish are not leaping out of the hole like they have in the past. Still, he is getting enough to keep us in trout and to supply the trout lovers of Ignace who depend on him for supper. On the other hand, Billy put his hut on Victoria Lake this year (a trout lake between Paguchi and Barrel) and he has been just slamming the lakers . Go figure!
We had an incredibly warm start to our winter with little snow and balmy temps. That changed in January when we got both frigid temperatures and a large dump of snow which, of course, brought the slush up on the lakes. For a week Gerry wisely postponed his fishing trips to the weekends when our two boys could go with him and help shovel/push/pull but all is back to normal now and he is spending his days on Paguchi. Gerry can sit in his ice hut ALL DAY (sometimes 7 am to 4 pm) jigging for trout. Sometimes without getting a single bite. I do not understand this.

January 23
Calendars went out on the 21st. Yes, finally!
Freezing rain here today!

January 16, 2010
Still only the one good dump of snow around Christmas so we’re saving money on snow ploughing at least! We had what seemed to be a long stretch of 35 below weather but now we are like Florida - almost literally this year from what I read in the papers! I am very concerned about the problems in the sunshine state and the impact the cold weather will have on their orchards - particularly their orange juice crop.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fishing has been up and down as always but overall a pretty good year for walleye and trout. We’re eating well!
Yesterday and today, on his way up the 325 road to his hut, Gerry has encountered young lynx that have no obvious fear of humans. “Here kitty kitty” (Gerry’s attempt at speaking lynx) barely makes them blink. They appear to be young animals , intent perhaps on snowshoe hares or other prey that they can see but our guys can’t. Billy got some good pix today and I will try to scoop some for our site.
The calendars! Yesterday I had my first success with the database and I worked hard today entering addresses. Starting the Ns tomorrow. So they will be in the mail this coming week. A truly bad year! But boy am I stupid. Gerry and I were at the school watching Ryan play basketball last week and I was sitting beside Jamie from Cobb Bay Lodge who was there cheering on his son Hunter. Why don’t you just write out the addresses with a pen he said. Because I am so focused on the ‘database’ I forgot about pens. OK 1,000 hand written addresses would be a pain but nothing like the pain of the last month.
Joe was here fishing and socializing for a week (left Wed am) and he did the Lion’s share of envelope stuffing for us while watching TV at night. As hyper as he is the calendars just flew!
Some of you have emailed to let me know you will be sending a deposit soon and I appreciate that. If you are or are not coming this summer please email, phone or write to let us know.

January 8
January 1st. Opening day of trout fishing. Ryan and Billy bring Hali and Alexis (their girlfriends). Gerry comes along as guide. Gerry’s snowmachine is still awaiting parts but they have Ryan’s Phazer and Billy’s new to him Polaris. Fish all day. No keeper fish. Girls: But you told us we’d get dozens of fish. Guys: ummmm Go to start machines. Ryan’s Phazer won’t start. Frozen up. Ferry everyone back to shore on Billy’s sled.. Next day Billy, Ryan and Gerry go to lake with Billy’s Polaris to tow Ryan’s Phazer back to shore. 100 yds from hut Billy’s motor blows up. Boys walk back to shore where Gerry is waiting (hold it - you didn’t really thing Gerry was out there walking across the lake did you. Nah of course you didn’t), come to town, borrow 2 more sleds, back to lake, tow BOTH dead sleds back to shore and onto trailer. Ryan and Billy ride machines back to town while Gerry trailers their machines home. Positive note: when they went back for the dead sleds they fished for an hour and caught one good sized trout for supper. First of the year!
Joe arrived Wednesday. He is still in Fort McMurray (a foreman even!! but took time off to go home to Sarnia and come up here ice fishing. Same Joe - hasn’t changed a bit except that he has a lot more money
He and Gerry have been fishing 2 days and the fishing has really picked up. Caught around 10 today and kept three for families in town that we know like trout but don’t have a family fisherman.
Weather has been 30 - 35 below fairly consistently. No more snow of course - too cold, so we still have only a foot or two of the white stuff. Lots of ice though.

December 31, 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!
I did not have to end the year without a computer - Wally got it working today.
The device Gerry got me for Xmas is another matter. I wanted a scanner/photocopier but you can’t get anything simple these days. It looks like it would print photos some day (if I had any) but at present all it does is make a frighteningly loud grinding noise when I hit print. A winter project
Our fall was amazingly warm and snowfree but that ended just before Christmas when we got a two foot dump of the white stuff. I think most of the midwest was hit at the same time.
Gerry was worried about slush with all that snow falling on the frozen lakes but on their first trip out a few days ago, they found Paguchi slush-free with over 14 inches of ice.
Lake trout season opens tomorrow. The hut is in place and while pre-fishing two days ago they caught and released 3 big lake trout so the location looks good. Frantic last minute sled repairs are currently underway (why, when you know you your snowmachine needs work do you wait until....sigh). This year marks a turning point in the annual lake trout opener trip though. Billy and Ryan are bringing their girlfriends! Gerry thinks this could be the beginning of the end

I found a calendar pic and the calendars should be ready for pickup next week.. We hope to get the mailout done before Jan 11 when the cost of postage goes up.
During the next few weeks I will be phoning people who have not sent a deposit. Last year I missed getting a deposit from a few groups and ended up with no shows so I hope to eliminate that problem this year.
Have fun tonight!

November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope it was a safe and happy one for all of you.
We are still snow-free and putting up Christmas lights in our shirt sleeves. Ryan wears his shorts home from basketball practice but that’s normal for teenagers I guess. Still a great fall though.
Gerry has hauled 11 half ton loads of wood to camp since we moved back to town so we are now looking good for spring. On his last trip in, tracks showed a wolf coming from behind cabin 5, peeing on #4's woodpile and then going up to the lodge door where Ali always went to get in. I guess no one answered the door cuz he left and wandered over to chew on the moose rack by the chicken coop. A moose walked right through camp as well but not at the same time fortunately. There is now ice to the end of the docks and the rest of the lake is wide open. Normally, Gerry would be ice fishing on the small speck lakes by now!
I do not have a calendar picture yet but there are some pix from you guys in my rather large inbox file and hopefully I will locate one I can use. If you have a nice picture, feel free to send it to me. Thx!

November 20, 2009
Sad day. Today we had to take Ali to Dryden and have her put to sleep. She was 12 yrs, 4 months old and in very bad shape. It is so hard to part with a friend but, from what the vet told us, she was in more pain than she let on. Ali was the best camp dog anyone could imagine and loved you all (especially those of you who brought her treats or spent time petting and loving her). We will not be getting another dog.
Internet Explorer has not allowed me to access my page since we moved. My web person told me to download a new browser - Firefox, and I mentioned to Wally today that I was sure I could do that myself. He arrived at my door within the half hour and downloaded it for me. Guess he figured that was easier than fixing the mess he knew I would make of it. Sigh.
We still have no snow and Gerry is continuing to haul wood to camp, although the deer hunt slowed him down a bit.
After several years of buying deer licences for himself and Ryan, Gerry finally got a deer. He was applying in 15A (around camp and Ignace) and the odds of running into a deer there (while hunting) are not great. Then he applied for unit 8 around Dryden but it is all posted farm land so they would see lots of deer but they could not shoot them. This year they got a tag for unit 5, just west of Ignace. Less than an hour after leaving home, he called to tell us he had shot a young buck near Melgund Lake. The rut is in full swing right now and 2 grunt calls brought a 5 pointer out. Gerry gutted it and dragged it a couple of hundred yards to the truck. I know!! We were amazed as well but, despite the fact that he lives on chocolate, the doctor says he is healthy as a horse.
We cut out the backstraps that you guys all tell us are so great and the tenderloins and BBQ’d them for supper. Incredible meat, especially since it was not living in the farmland that is supposed to make such a difference. None of that taste that venison sometimes gets. Could have been beef. Awesome. Feel free to use this info the next time Gerry harasses you about your ‘swamp donkeys’.
I will leave my Remembrance Day message below. That was when I discovered my site was inaccessible.

November 11. 2009
Remembrance Day. Lots of people at the service this morning, possibly because the war/mission in Afghanistan is constantly in the news. Or maybe because the weather was the best I have ever seen on Nov 11th. No wind and sleet ripping the flags and freezing exposed body parts but enough to blow over the wreaths of course.
Our September to November weather has been incredible. It was raining this morning but cleared, fortunately, in time for the eleventh hour. Rain in mid-November is not ‘normal’.?
We have no snow yet obviously and Gerry has been able to cut and haul 8 or more loads of wood to camp. This summer was so cold and wet everyone burnt wood and we were running really low by the time we moved. We have enough now to get the camp through til next fall but Gerry has had to work hard to find enough dead trees to cut. Good for him though - keeps his mind busy.
When I switched from satellite to Bell this fall my email was shut down (communication error) for several days. Any messages sent during that period went into cyberspace, never to return. If you sent me anything recently, please resend.

Monday, October 26, 2009
Tomorrow is moving day! We have hauled a lot of stuff into town in the past few days but Tuesday is it. Drain the main water line, shut off the generators, drag Ali kicking and screaming into the truck (or is that me?) and lock the gate. End of another year!
Our computer will be down for a bit until we get hooked up to Bell hispeed in town. Hopefully Wally is around to help us. If he is, we will be down a day or two; otherwise it could be awhile!
Grouse hunting has improved dramatically in the past week. We had to fight for one possession limit (15 birds) to send home to Dan’s wife Nancy (payment for his fun time hunting moose). Now they’re everywhere. Gerry drove Ryan into town on Sunday (back to school) and he got 5 birds on the trip out to the highway. Right around Camp Wintering they spotted three birds on the road. Ryan got out, loaded the gun and got 2 with one shot, spun around and downed the third one on the wing. Gotta love that!
I will post on this page when we are back up again. If you need us before that, phone 807-934-2607

Friday, October 23rd
Gotta love winter. Even though we left it running, the water in the lodge froze Wednesday night. The thaw occurred around noon: lines broke in three places under the building and an outside tap popped off (quite loudly). I won’t say Gerry was thrilled with the unexpected work but he was quite thrilled to discover that he now fits easily under the building. When lines broke this spring, he was too ‘round’ to fit and had to send Ryan in. Must be all the exercise he gets in the summer!? I’m sure you burn more calories on a quad than on a snowmachine
Gerry, his brother Dan and Webster hunted Wed to Mon without seeing an animal. Then on Tuesday they saw 6 moose, including a cow and a calf in the river toward the old bridge. They couldn’t get a shot at the calf in the afternoon (momma was in the way) so they went back Tuesday night and Gerry managed to shoot the calf around 5:30 pm. He shot the cow last Tuesday at 5:30 pm and the bull last year on Tuesday at 5:30 pm. Hmm.
Since the heavy traffic that is always a part of opening week has ended, we are seeing more moose and more grouse. Very peaceful here now. The forecast for the next 5 days is low 40s in the day and around 34 at night so we are not in any hurry to leave. Well, I’m not. Gerry keeps mumbling about touchdowns and such but I’m trying to ignore him.
Once again I am without a calendar pic so if you have some shots from the summer, forward them please.

Friday, Oct 16th, 2009
By nine this morning, all of our hunters ( except for Gerry’s group) had headed back to southern Ontario with their moose. The quiet is a bit unnerving after a week of trucks, quads and boats buzzing about. During the summer, people arrive on Saturday, launch their boat, park their truck and - fish. Nothing but the boat moves til the next Saturday. Hunting is more vehicle-intensive for sure.
This was a good year for our moose hunters. We had one group of bow hunters (the Harris crew from Sarnia - Joe’s old hunting group, although they seem to be drinking a lot less beer since he left - surprise?) and five groups of gun hunters. They took a total of eight moose and every group got at least one animal. We shot (or arrowed) 2 bulls, 3 calves and 3 cows.
Gerry, Dan and Webster are still hunting for a bull but not too strenuously.
We had an available cabin for opening week this year and it is still open for 2010. We also plan to be open for the second week of the gun hunt. The weather has been quite nice in October this year and last so we are thinking a second week hunt might be safe (from freezing water lines, etc.).
The water level has dropped dramatically. Gerry said rocks are showing in the narrows for the first time this year and our beach in front of camp is huge. Lots of sand for sand castles now!
It seemed that all of our October fishermen were targeting bass and they caught a lot around 18 - 20 inches, mostly off 7 Pine Island. We also had some nice walleye and at least one 40 inch northern caught.
All but two of the moose shot at our camp this year were cut and wrapped at Al’s Meat and Greet. Unfortunately, Al is closing his business next month to take a position as meat manager at the grocery store in Red Lake, so forget our advice to buy your meat from Al en route to camp. But we have two other grocery stores that are well stocked.. Gerry’s brother usually buys from the big stores in Thunder Bay but this year their produce was horrible compared to what he found in Ignace.

Wed, Oct 14
No moose shot today but Tim Junkin said they shot 22 grouse. Doug and Earl went fishing and Gerry, Dan, Peter and Webster spent the day skinning our cow and getting it ready to go to town. Webster spent a lot of time preparing the moose liver. I just cut it up and throw it in a bag but he obviously knows how to do it right! Junkin’s guys are going in to pick up their cow tomorrow so they are taking in our cow and Brooks’ calf. We almost sound organized but don’t let that fool you.
Every group in camp had at least one moose by the 4th day of the season and the weather, though cold, has not been so bad that it stopped guys from going out. The cold temps are depressing to me after no summer but they are a bonus to our hunters. No worries about meat spoiling due to warm weather.

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2009
Ed Dewhurst and his group found the calf that he shot yesterday and got it hung on the moose pole this morning. They now have the cow and calf and are looking for a bull. The lake is like glass today so everyone is on the water but no one is seeing much for moose.
Gerry radioed in about 6 pm to tell me he had shot a cow at the north end of Anderson’s Bay. He was alone so his brother Dan and friend Peter went out to help him float it back to camp. They left with it about 10 to 7 and got to camp about 9:20 - 2 ˝ hour trip. Fortunately the stars were out and the lake was calm. I think it was the biggest disappointment in Gerry’s life when he went to get the ‘hoe (to haul the moose to the dump for gutting) and found the battery was dead. Men and their toys!
We now have 2 cows and 2 calves on the moose poles. Junkins and Mort’s group got their animals cut and wrapped at Al’s Meat and Greet in town. They bring a small freezer up with them and keep the meat frozen in it. Brooks’ calf and our cow will be going in to be cut tomorrow. It is so much easier to get it done here than have to haul them home whole and then deal with the skinning and processing. Good for Al’s business too.

Monday, Oct 12, 2009
Sunday was a quiet day with no moose coming in but we made up for it today with four animals hanging.
Jeff Minion shot a cow in the river late Sunday night. There was a lot of swamp between them and it so they went back this morning and spent the better part of the day getting it out. His brother Chris shot the bull on Saturday so that group (Junkin’s) have now tagged out and are planning their fishing trip. After the day they had up to their um knees in the swamp it is unlikely they will be partying, but Mark Hawley (with Mort in cabin 5) shot his first ever moose this morning (a calf near Rush Lake) and his group predict that he will be table dancing tonight!
Tim Verrydt, first timer with the Brooks’ gang, shot a calf tonight in Anderson’s Bay. Always nice to see the new guys get an animal.
Dustin Dewhurst shot a cow in the river this evening and they borrowed a boat and trailer to take down to the landing at the old bridge. Easier to load it there than float it back to camp.
Gerry has a cow tag so he went back to the Rush Lake kill site to see if the cow was still around. When he pulled up to shore 12 eagles flew up from the gut pile - 9 adults and 3 immature. The ravens (my favourite bird) were hanging back waiting their turn. Nothing is wasted out here.

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009
Opening day of moose gun season so it is snowing of course. Junkin’s group shot a bull in the river this morning - first time in a few years that they have gotten one opening day. Tim said it is nice to have the pressure off so quickly.
Our bow hunters went home today with their bull. They never got a shot at a cow and neither did Bill and Gerry but now the big guns come out
The fishermen are bringing in some nice bass, still with eggs in them Too cold to spawn this year probably.
Not a lot of grouse and ducks around but a few are being taken. Main focus now though is the moose!

Wednesday, October 7th
Summer ended with a bang in late September after gracing us with her presence for 3 glorious weeks. We’ve had quite a few frosts this month, the Gray jays are back for the winter and most of the flowers are a sodden pulp of unfulfilled promise. Maybe NEXT year we will benefit from global warming.
Our regular as clockwork (and one and only) October camper (Nate) missedcoming in 2008. When he arrived he told me he had an accident last year 4 days before he was due to come to Canada and then showed me his 3 fingers (2 re-attached and one shorter due to the end being sucked into the vacuum pump on his table saw and therefore unavailable for re-attachment). Be careful out there!
Water level is dropping but is still not low. Easy to get into Hut and Hughes. We’re into hunters now but Mort’s group are fishing - targeting bass and they caught a bunch yesterday. Dean, Josh, Kirk and Al Lis arrived today. Kirk just came in and told me they caught lots of really nice fish off Big Island using an orange jig and a minnow.
We have a group of Southern Ontario bowhunters here this week. They arrived Friday and got a nice young bull on Saturday. Great luck. It crossed in front of them close to the Camp Wintering road. They called and back it came - young, horny and now dead. They are still hunting for a cow.
Gerry and Bill have been hunting for a cow as well (well, not very hard but they have gone out a few times). Today Gerry had to run to town for minnows and doesn’t he see a cow that would not leave the road at Crystal River bridge. He stopped and talked to her for awhile so that was fun but if he had brought Bill (cow tag holder) with him, it would have been more fun

September 28, 2009
What a crazy month. It rained today but this was one of the very few days in September that was not sunny and hot! Gotta love it but wish we’d had more sunshine (of course).
Our fishermen are doing well fishing off islands and reefs and Gary from cabin 3 said minnows and leeches are both producing for them this fall.
Donna got a 17 ˝ bass yesterday and Mike told Gerry they are getting great fish this year.
Water level is dropping rapidly but is still above ‘normal’
Tons of little flies - weird for September but then again there is nothing normal about our weather lately. Due to the unexpectedly heavy use of wood all summer, Gerry has been using his hunting trips to cut firewood (OK I take back most of what I said about men and multi-tasking) so that our moose hunters can stay warm. We have one bow hunter here now and a group will be coming in on Friday. Moose gun season opens Oct 10 and we will have a few groups of Ontario hunters here for that.
I attended a tourism marketing workshop in Dryden last week and learned a lot about what we should be doing. Dan Lennon (brother to the Lennon sisters) showed us how they had worked to keep Branson, Mo in the spotlight. Very interesting stuff!
The last speaker on the second and last day (a sociologist) told us to search our guests on Facebook, become friends and chat with you regularly, thus making you want to come back next year. [insert long pause here]. That won’t be happening.
Results of court case:
Backgrounder: Gerry was charged June 12 for not reporting a nuisance bear he shot June 10. He went to court Aug 25 (defending himself) and the Justice of the Peace hearing the case deferred judgement to Sept 22.
Verdict: Case dismissed. Gerry says due to insanity and there is merit in that but the JP said that the Crown did not prove that there was, in fact, a dead bear. I had been bugging Gerry to look for it ever since he shot at it but it took getting charged to make him really look hard. Nothing, not even a speck of blood.
So we ended another year without having to kill a single bear. We know they are around - the garbage at the dump is ripped to shreds as soon as we drive away but they are avoiding camp. Too noisy here

September 21, 2009
Everything here is a month behind. Our tomatoes are ripening now, fish are where they should be in August, there are still lots of blueberries and oodles of bugs and the fans are going in every cabin.
Pushed the docks out about 10 -15 feet on Saturday but water level is still above ‘normal’. Guests are seeing lots of grouse on the road and lots of moose on the lake. Gerry was hunting grouse every morning and seeing nothing and is now hunting moose and seeing nothing. That’s the way it goes.
Our fishermen are working the Jarvis rapids and different points in the main lake. Some nice bass, one 40 inch northern last week and a few big (27+) walleye. We only have 3 groups in camp this week - relaxed atmosphere. Still crazy nice weather. I love it and it isn’t having a majorly bad impact on fishing. If it was, I would have heard!

September 16th, 2009
Mike McCoy measured the water temp this week at 69 - 71 degrees, 10 degrees warmer than last year at the same time. He is also wearing shorts for the first EVER time in Canada in September. Yeah and we’re wearing shorts for the first ever time in this @#$%@# summer.
Fishing has been spotty but I’m getting no complaints. Slower than last year at this time for sure but everyone is having fun. Darwin and his group have the campfire going every night (yeah Renee I know - never in your week!!!! and the weather is awesome.
Next to no ducks, probably due to the warm weather. Next to no grouse but hard to say why since we’ve seen lots this summer. Wait for a change in the weather I guess.
OK for all of you who couldn’t take a fishing trip this year because [fill in the blank], we have a guy here this week who is a true fisherman. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in December and is now getting chemo every Tuesday. SO - he and his buddies came today (Wednesday) after chemo and are leaving Monday to get him back for chemo. I am so glad we can be flexible in September and accommodate these kinds of situations. Well, OK I would be happier I guess if we were booked totally solid (gotta be honest - I heard you get points for that later) but it is really great to have the flexibility when needed.
Water is still on the high side and the road is great according to guests.
Walleye are being caught in 20 - 30 feet of water most places, near bottom at the Jarvis rapids, south of the Big Island. Hut Lake was good last week, not so great this. BUT it changes daily and is worth the trip for the scenery alone.
The northern chasing the walleye to the boat routine brought us an awesome picture of a fellow holding up a northern that was almost as tall as he was. They had no scale or ruler and they released it but it was a monster. The successful angler is probably still shaking! Pic is supposed to be coming right George? And I forget who caught it> oldtimers!Saturday, September 12, 2009
Quiet week! We were to have 3 groups but health issues sidelined two of them. A shame since we’re having the best weather of the year AND really great fishing. George Judkin’s group has been doing really well with leeches and minnows around Shore Lunch island in about 30 feet of water. A trip to Hut brought them some exciting encounters with big northern but not much for walleye so - back to Press. Gordie and Louise (Thunder Bay residents and owners of the trailer that lives in the campground) cleaned up at the rapids yesterday on their last fishing trip of the year. Everything is winding down but so fast! What happened to summer?
Four more groups came in today ready to take advantage of near ideal fishing conditions. The water level is close to perfect, the fish are biting and the sun is shining. Gotta love it!

September 10, 2009
The moon tonight is a huge and bright-orange ball; its reflection - an oval shaped pool of swirling orange with a candle-like flame thrusting toward the camp. I envy photographers who can capture those moments. I did take a picture but only to brighten some Walmart photo tech’s day. Hey Joe - look at the pictures this idiot is paying for!
But, another beautiful day in paradise - almost 2 weeks of unexpected summer weather.
AND - Gerry and I went fishing - first time since July 7, 2005! We went to the Jarvis rapids of course (in front of the beaver house and eagle nest) and also over by the dead tree where the lake narrows. Caught a bunch of nice walleye, fed the eagles, checked out some beaches, enjoyed the sun. Both agreed that we really have to make more time for this. Work gets in the way. Nice now because water is still high (great for getting around) but is low enough that most of the beaches are visible again. The picnic table on the long beach by the narrows was almost totally under water earlier this year but is now high and dry of course.

September 6, 2009
OK ! We have had 8 sunny days consecutively!!! My apologies to all guests who were here before now ( for the lousy weather they had) and to the weather people for doubting their forecast. Although, some people did have to work for their fish and blamed - you guessed it - the weather.
On the other hand, Gary Thornell had an awesome week and his fishing partners decided that the only reason he outfished them was the nicotine on his fingers. It is possible. If we knew what attracted fish for sure, we'd be rich so never discount a theory.

Sept 2, 2009
My report on the court case last month has brought me letters from guests wishing they could have heard Gerry tell the cigarette story. No kidding! Gerry can spin a tale.
And he gets the best stories! While he was in town for court, he got 3 amazing bear reports.
One fellow was fixing equipment in a garage at a resort on Sturgeon Lake. Suddenly, the garage door lifted. Yup, a bear! Lifting a garage door! Go figure. The meck an ick had no gun so he threw a wrench at it and it took off.
An Ignace woman told Gerry that she was working in her back yard in downtown Ignace when a bear came at her. She ducked into her garden shed and spent over an hour in there screaming for help before someone heard her and chased the bear away. It was later shot by the police near the arena.
Another Ignace woman told Gerry that she rented a cabin in Savant Lake while her husband worked in the bush nearby. She awoke to find a bear heading down the hall to the room where her 2 children were sleeping. In mother mode, she grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the bear. It left.
But there are no bears at Press Lake. In fact I haven’t even seen a skunk in months! Lots of ducks but I had to stop feeding them (law) so they are clearing out fast. But there are still squirrels. I swear they will one day run this camp. OOPS - leaving me open to emails stating that squirrels already run the camp. I beat you to it so don’t bother
Everyone here this week informs me the water is a lot higher than it was this time last year. Fishing has been great in Hut from what I hear and the river and old bridge area are producing walleye. Some big bass this week as well.

Hooks in fingers!
Around suppertime tonight, Mike and Nancy from cabin 2 came in and he showed me his hooked finger - asked if I knew the ‘jerk and pull’ technique. I had heard of it but nothing else. However: someone this summer (in cabin 5 I am sure) left a hook removal kit on the table. I stored it.
Finally a chance to try it out. Mike knew the technique and kept trying to tell me what to do so I had to tell him to shut up while I read the directions on the pkg (any of you who have tried to ask me questions with numerical responses while I am counting out your minnows are familiar with the shut up response).
Push down, pull up, clean jerk. Hook flies across the room, no pain apparently, apply sterilizing pad, iodine bad, bandage. Go home.
It worked like a charm for Mike and I still have the kit under the counter so, if you should hook yourself in a non-critical location, let me experiment on you.
Mike mentioned that Nancy would not try the removal technique on him. But, like I told her - you love him. For me it’s - Ooh, bummer - THAT didn’t work. Sorry about your luck Mike.

August 30, 2009
The five day forecast shows 5 sunny days. Like that’ll happen. It was nice today though and the fish were biting. Gerry and Ryan went fishing - one of the only days this year they have had a chance to do the male bonding thing, unless you count playing crib. They did really well at the Jarvis rapids as always.
Last week, people had good luck around 770 (the reef down by Hughes lake) with a jig and a minnow in 20 - 30 feet of water and by 7 Pine Island in 28 feet of water.
But the 41 inch northern and 24 inch walleye that the Canadians brought in were both caught in our bay with a jig and a minnow.
We have a good sized beach now but Gerry said there are no visible rocks in the Rock Garden so water is still on the high side.
Two weeks ago an MNR fish survey crew stayed with us for 3 days while they netted the lake.
Each day, the four technicians set approx a dozen gill nets (each 50 yards long) and left them overnight. The next morning they lifted the nets and recorded info on fish numbers, age and overall health. Contaminant and DNA samples were taken also. They said they did really well and caught lots of fish so they did not have to stay here long.
Now this week we have 2 fellows doing a creel of sorts. Their job is to travel around the lake, counting all boats and fishermen they see and surveying some of the anglers to find out how many fish they caught, etc. They are not staying here but they have rented a boat from us.
I am going to try to get a copy of the results from the survey of course.. I know from the netting crew and from our guests that we have a great fishery but it is interesting to see the data.
School starts Tuesday so Gerry is taking Ryan in tomorrow to get him set up at Fran’s again. His last year boarding in town - he’s a senior this year. Scary!!

August 25, 2009

Water level is still above normal and it is still raining almost every day.
Last week’s anglers were just slaying the walleye around 770 (the reef down by Hughes) and off the reefs near Seven Pines or Seven sisters. The rapids by Jarvis are still producing of course and our bay has been getting a lot of fishing pressure lately
Minnows seemed to be the bait of choice and I had to step between one couple when the poor misguided husband wanted to get 4 dozen while the wise, forward thinking wife wanted 10 dozen. I have been taking flack for my poor marketing skills lately but I really nailed it on that one. And to be fair, they really nailed the walleye.
Fishing this week is great for the Sonnek crew who are old timers (OK not OLD timers) just long timers who know where the fish are. Our other groups are new or almost new and that makes it a bit tougher. No complaints but just to help out, Gerry is going to take them out tomorrow. He would have done that earlier but he had to go to court today to fight his charge for not immediately reporting that he had shot a bear ($180 fine).
Ryan went to town with him to learn the finer points of the law (or just to laugh at his dad?).
Gerry’s letter said to be in court at 10:30 and they were but the docket was long with lots of traffic violations etc. One case had the whole courtroom in hysterics.
A pickup truck and U-haul trailer hit the ditch east of Ignace and had to be towed in to a local garage. Some time after storing the vehicle in his yard, the garage owner saw 3 men ‘looting’ the trailer. He called the police (conveniently located directly across the highway from his garage) who arrived immediately and discovered that the pilfered goods were illegal cigarettes and the pilferers were the driver and his buddies.
It came out in court that there were 665,600 illegal cigarettes in the truck and trailer (who ticked someone off so bad that he got the job of counting I wonder?). The Ministry of Revenue comes down hard on people who try to sell tax-free cigs so the fine was $244, 000 (the amount of the tax times three). When the Justice of the Peace announced the fine, the defendant, a male in his early 20s, protested the amount of the fine on the basis that the smokes were unmarked, heck - they weren’t even premium. When asked if he had a reason why the fine should be lowered, he said well, he didn’t have a quarter million dollars available right now. Further questioning showed that he lived with his parents and his total net worth was 2 vehicles whose combined value was approx $6,000. The final straw was his comment that he would have trouble doing the 80 hours of community service because he had an under the table cash-only part time job. Just the thing that he is already in trouble over. Where do we get these guys? Of course, he did provide badly needed humour after a long day of boring traffic cases.
I understand that almost all of Hwy 599 is now gravel. Much smoother but we are getting more rock damage to lights and windshields and more tire problems so - go slow. The job should be complete in a week or two.

August 14, 2009
We are finally getting warm weather; this week has had actual sunshine and temps in the 80s and even 90s. Still getting rain though - of course.
Excellent fishing according to most people. Shelby Suski released a 40 inch northern yesterday, just across from Red rock. He also created what would be a new record if we had records. He used the same orange and white jig on fire line all week. After the northern, the hook was straightened out quite a bit but it still performed!
Lowell Wyrum released a 271/2 inch walleye yesterday as well. He caught his near 7 Pine Island, also known as 5 sisters and probably other names as well!
Hut was on fire today. Gordie said he was getting a fish with every cast and throwing back tons of walleye over 20 inches. Hughes, hot earlier in the year, has been a ‘dead sea’ lately but there’s lots of action on 770.
The walleye are crazy, hitting in 5 feet of water all the way up to 30 feet. Everyone this week was using minnows so we’re not sure how well worms and leeches are doing. Should find out this week coming and will let you know.
From one squirrel that Ryan trained 3 years ago, we now have an army of street squirrels cruising the cabins, fighting vicious territory battles and demanding peanuts at claw-point. Who knew it would come to this. OK anyone with half a brain but... they’re cute.
We had a cabin open for next week but Gerry booked it yesterday. Love the Internet!
Even if it is not exactly fast, you can still get on and check mail. Watching movies online - no.

August 1, 2009
It’s August and there are wood fires burning in every cabin this evening. It’s raining of course - . two inches since yesterday. But - there is sun in the forecast! Our campground is quite busy this week so any sunshine would be more than welcome!
Fishing picked up towards the end of last week as the fish began moving out into the main lake.
Several of our guests who had never traveled to Hut made the trip this year and were impressed - by the scenery and the fishing.
Matt Ott caught a fat! 45 inch northern on his birthday, July 28th. Now he needs to find someone to pay for the mounting as a birthday present.
Weather kept a lot of people in the bay and they discovered that fish can be caught within sight of the camp

We started the floors in Cabin 6 on Tues July 28th and finished Friday morning. Yvan did the brain work, cutting and laying, while friend Doug, Ryan and Gerry ripped and moved stuff. Doug’s friend Laura helped me paint the bedroom walls. It looks great!
The laminate flooring for the dining area, hall and 8 bedrooms in cabin 6 (30 boxes), Ryan’s bedroom (8 boxes) and 4 boxes left over cost about 1600 dollars. Good price.
The 12*14 chunk of cushion floor for the kitchen was $600!!! Burn it and die!

Highway 599 is under construction. FINALLY! Last I heard it was gravel from south of Cozy Camp north to our road but it is smooth and easy driving. They are moving fast so it should be paved soon. The rain has played havoc with our road despite the fact that I just paid for the grader but it is still better than it was.

Water level is dropping but is still above normal. Nice chunk of beach at camp now and the numerous beaches around the lake are finally above water as well.

July 26, 2009
Beautiful night. The lake is totally flat, the sky clear with only a few wispy clouds. I mention this because I do believe that, if it holds out ‘til midnight, this will be the first day without rain in what seems like months! No sun, lots of rain AND fishing was really slow. Our first slow week this year though. Still, Chuck Leach spent a lot of time on Hut and did really well and Clare Lillis told me they caught more fish this year than last so it wasn’t all bad. Ryan guided the McDermotts (their first time at Press) and got them into lots of fish at the Jarvis rapids (his favourite spot - same as his dad). Everyone had lots to eat but it was harder work to find them.
This week seems a whole lot better! Red Rock has been producing well all year and Bill Barnaby got a 27 ˝ inch walleye there early this morning. He told me that’s where they catch all of their bigger walleye.
The Rock gardens and Jarvis rapids are popular and the Big Narrows has been hot yesterday and today, probably due to the continuing northwest wind.
We’re selling lots of minnows but people are also using worms and leeches with success.
Gerry’s buddy Doug and his girlfriend Laura are here this week and they went fishing (guess where) this morning. Gerry caught a nice 17 1/4 inch bass just past the Rock gardens and they got into a lot of walleye at the rapids.
The water level is still high but lower than this time last year. Easy to get into Hut and Hughes still.

Our Internet has been on summer slow-down for a week or two now but it is still working!

We ended up with an unexpected empty cabin this week due to my stupidity. I don’t book over people who have not sent a deposit without checking with them first - I know how easy it is to forget! But I didn’t notice the couples we had booked into cabin 1 had not sent a deposit. That’ll teach me to look closer!! Still, if you book a spot when you leave, PLEASE let us know if you can’t make it.

Cabin 6 will have a new floor and freshly painted bedrooms (I hope) this week.. We are putting new linoleum in the kitchen and laminate flooring in the dining area, hall and bedrooms.
Cabin 4 and 5 need the same thing but - one floor at a time.
We bought 4 new motors this year. Apparently Yamaha is no longer making 2 stroke motors after 2009 and Gerry and I are too old to lift the 4 stroke 15s. We need newer motors anyway and are selling off the four oldest Yamahas to help pay for the new ones.
Yes, this is a bad year to spend money but - life goes on.

Ali had her 12th (and probably last) birthday on July 21st. She is getting quite deaf (duck hunting related I’m sure) and the ‘partial laryngial paralysis’ the vet told me about has her wheezing whenever she walks anywhere. Poor girl.
Tons of ducks! What a switch from last year when we had only two broods. This year there are new babies every week.
I took Ryan to Dryden last Thursday to do his road test for his driving licence. Remember sweating over the parallel parking, parking on a hill, checking your blind spots, etc.? No one forgets that day. In fact, being a caring and supportive mom, I pointed out to Ryan that if he failed his first test that failure would be with him for decades. Fortunately he passed.

July 16
OK. Today we all watched the white pelican fly over the campground. It does exist so now we all have to apologize to Joe for doubting his bird sighting. Damn!!
A few days ago a beautiful male pintail duck began feeding with our blacks, mallards and wigeons - first pintail Gerry and I have seen in Ignace. I have seen them in Moosonee and BC but not locally. Very graceful bird.

Rain today and forecast for tomorrow but fishing was good, especially in Hut. Starting Saturday, the sun is supposed to shine. I really hate posting that sort of weather forecast on Thursday morning - it's downright depressing to all our guests leaving Sat morning.

July 15, 2009
It took Wally a bit of work to get rid of the virus. His computer had it earlier and now another computer in town has it. Guess it’s a difficult one. Security Suite 2009 is one of the names it uses. It fills your screen with warnings about the viruses you have - 38 infections!!!!! but really it is the only virus. My computer came down with it while I was cleaning cabins so ??? I’m not sure where it came from. I have up to date anti-virus protection but they still sneak in.

Fishing is great. Mike Donahue has been coming since 1990 and now brings adult grandkids who love to fish, thanks to many years of coming to Press and learning from dad and grandpa. He told us last night that fishing this year is the best he’s ever had here.
Water is still fairly high and the weather is ‘not bad’. Hut has been hotter than normal this year while Hughes is not giving up much for fish. Fishing is still best in 4 - 9 feet of water.
Joe and Laurie are here and they did really well with a pink and a green jig up by the old bridge. We do not have green jigs so if you want that colour, buy it at Vern’s. Ryan has guided the past two days, using a pink fading to white jig with great success. Like his dad, he loves the rock gardens and Jarvis rapids but there are also lots of fish off the points around Red rock, the islands and narrows, up the river to the old bridge. Even Wintering Creek is still producing a few fish. Not much action on the reefs yet but fish HAVE been hitting on the reef by Seven Pines. And Joe fishes his Barney hole of course (the patch of reeds out front of camp).
He and Laurie are staying with us for the week and he IS as crazy as ever after almost five years in the Alberta tar sands! Lots of stories!

Lots of baby birds this year, unlike last year when we had to make do with one brood of ducklings. A pair of Pileated woodpeckers raised their young in a tree in front of cabin 7, providing entertainment for our guests. A Yellow-shafted flicker made her nest in a tree beside the (empty this year) chicken coop and raised two young. I didn’t see them leave the nest but the day they did we found them squawking and learning to fly on the road by the shower house. We have several large broods of baby ruffed grouse with over protective mothers bustling about in defense mode, lots of black and mallard ducklings, some baby loons and an abundant supply of eagles attempting to eat all of the above. Add in the snowshoe hares (all sizes - you know what rabbits are like) and the increasing squirrel and chipmunk populations and it’s like bloody Disney World around here! And Joe saw a white pelican on the lake. I know! I know! But Rosie Taylor saw one two weeks ago AND got a picture so it might not have been an hallucination.
I have yet to be out but am told the road is much improved. We had the gas and propane trucks in within days of the grading and they helped to flatten out the rocks.
Our new Baggo game is quite popular and the campfire has been getting a lot of use. The rain has eased up and we have had a lot of nice days in the past two weeks. Still cold enough at night to freeze in place any thought my plants might have of pushing out a new shoot but pleasant for fishing and even playing on the beach during the day.

Saturday, July 11, 2009
Very strong wind today but those who braved the weather found great fishing.
My computer came down with a nasty virus last night. Gerry will take it to town on Monday to have Wally debug it but meanwhile - no email. You can call us at 807-934-6911 if you need info right away.

July 9, 2009
Crazy weather year. Frozen pipes til mid June. Scorching hot one week this year and people had the nerve to complain. Sigh. That’s been it. Now it’s cool then cold then rainy then sorta sunny then rain. Forecast is good for the next week but I think the forecaster has become inadvertently addicted to a low level 1960s hallucinogen because a reality TV show looks like gospel compared to his forecasts.
BUT - great fishing, high water and we have not had a lot of strong wind.
My ENTIRE family is here this week. Brother, wife, daughters, husbands, grandkid. They live in southern Ontario (2 days drive) so we don’t see each other much. Despite the fact that only one person (Mike) in the group is a die hard angler, they are having a great time! Gerry and Ryan took them up to Jarvis rapids yesterday and they caught a ton of walleye. Ryan said white and blue jigs seemed to work best but Nordentoft’s group are having great luck with dark blue and a homemade twister tail.
Art finished grading the road yesterday - 34 hours. He did an awesome job! It is still not the Interstate but it is much improved.
Joe and his WONDERFUL girlfriend Laurie are coming this Sunday to spend a week with us. Should be hectic and fun

July 7, 2009
The forecasted hot sunny weather for this week was one of those insider jokes meteorologists like to play on the unsuspecting public. I think it is to get back at us for the ongoing line: “how can you be wrong over 50% of the time and still keep your job?” They know you are dissing them and they know how to get even!
Still, it may not be over 70 and calm every day but the fish are biting and the wind is not that bad. Lots of fish being caught - jigging and trolling. Ryan is using only blue jigs but hot pink is really producing as well. Funny how men cannot understand the female fascination with the colour pink until it is a factor in something that matters - like fishing tackle.
Art started grading the road yesterday. Last year we tried to grade but the endless torrential rainfall shut us down. This year is different. Art should be in camp by noon tomorrow and the road is greatly improved.
New game! Tom Madsen made us a Baggo/cornhole game. Lots of fun to play! We put it on top of the putting green since no one plays golf there. To be fair, our “putting green’ is not quite up to the standards any golfer anywhere in the world would expect. Joe worked his butt off to get good grass there and it worked but it is still not golf course standard. So, we went for a drinking game to replace it. I know - it’s a long shot

July 1st, 2009
Happy Canada Day!!
We have 2 groups of Canadians (our first this year) in camp this week so the Canadian flags are flying. Gave up on fireworks a couple of years ago though. The fireworks we can buy burn funny - I guess fizzle is the best word for it. Sort of embarrassing when you light the fuse, look up and the darn thing just fizzles out at your feet. Hmm OK moving on............
I have to say the weather this week was awful. Lots of rain, no sun, cold. Just what you need with lots of kids in camp. Worse yet when they know last week was great and the weather forecast shows 70 degrees and sun next week. We can’t control it but I still feel REALLY bad. Still, most of these people come this week every year and this is the first time they have experienced a week of yuch weather so they can accept it. Reluctantly. Even the fishing wasn’t great although some really nice fish were caught (pix soon I hope) and everyone I talked to had lots of fish to eat.
The rain has postponed our plans to grade the road (we learned our lesson last year and will never spend good money trying to grade soup again) but it is not in horrible shape and you can bring any vehicle you own into camp with no worries - unless you drive like Dale Ernhart (either one). Go slow.

June 26, 2009

We’re on WiFi slo-mo now but still getting online. Heard about Michael Jackson dying. Sad. The guy had an inverted life. Forced to be an adult as a kid. Condemned for trying to be a kid as an adult. It’s over now.

Hot, wonderful weather and Fantastic fishing. Everyone is raving about the number of walleye over 20 inches. To beat the heat this week, a lot of our fishermen took an afternoon break and fished in the evening with great success while others went out at 4 a.m. OK - only one actually but he did great and saw lots of wildlife to boot!
But everything seems to be working right now. Worms and leeches, minnows (we sold gallons of them this week), artificial. Trolling with spinners (orange and copper were the best colours last week), jigging.
Red rock is hot as is the river up to the old bridge. The water has dropped enough that the mouth of the Grassy (which has been hot all spring) is getting too weedy and is not producing much for fish but there is starting to be action on reefs in the main lake.
Harold got some nice walleye at the mouth of Wintering Creek ( a spot that hasn’t really been fished much for a couple of weeks now). Of course while fishing still, weedy corners of the lake, you realize the truth in what Harold told Gerry the other day: “The mosquitoes this year are so big they can f*#% a mallard while standing flat footed.”. Bring bug dope!
We are selling ice cream now that it seems like summer is finally here!

June 18, 2009

Hot again today and great fishing. Lots of happy people! The Dodds told us they have never thrown back as many walleye over 20 as they have this year - makes you think the one over 18" regs that came into effect in 1999 are working. Of course, we’ve also had some really good year classes since the turn of the century. Whatever the cause, we all love the result!

Gerry is motorless. The 40 hp blew 2 pistons and is in the shop for at least two weeks. So, no trout trips for awhile. Sorry.

June 17, 2009

George Judkins’ group arrived today and I told them about the guy who said it took him half the time to get in our road this year over last year. They told me to switch that around for their opinion.
Hot, hot, hot. Love it. Yesterday was very hot and yet so was the fishing. Lots of walleye taken. We had one group go to Rice (!! In mid-June!!. Caught lots of northern (what they were after) and a few walleye. Had to work a bit to get in (throw the anchor ahead and haul etc) but had fun. Another crew, not satisfied with fishing happily in Press, decided to go up above the old bridge.
High water seems to bring out the worst in men.
But - no casualties and bunches of walleye caught.
The Peloquin camping group got a 39 and a 41 inch northern yesterday and Dennis Wegner boated a 40.5 pike today. He is getting a relative (Todd Wegner) to mount it for him. Todd is the fellow with the mounts in our office and he is usually here this week with the Oswald crew - great taxidermist.
Seeing more action on the reefs in the big lake, less in the creeks and hearing of some nice (20 inch bass) being caught.
So hot today that most boats came in mid afternoon just to get out of the plus 90 degree heat. It’s 8:30pm now and over half the camp has gone fishin’. Calm water, cooler temps, walleye light.
Water level is crashing, if you can say that. I put corn in the water for the ducks in the morning and, if they don’t eat it all, it is on dry land by noon.
We pushed dock 1 out 15 feet yesterday morning. They came back from fishing to discover their extension cords had shrunk - wouldn’t reach the boat anymore

OK I put the June 16th info on our site and the computer replaced my bracket with a wry face thingy. I'm too non-techno to grasp how the program knew that was the thing to do. Sorta scary tho. Yes, I am old - thx for asking.

June 16, 2009
Over 90 degrees here today; hot yesterday as well. It’s a heat wave - first one of the year!
Water is dropping faster than it rose and is now lower than at this time last year. Still high though. People are boating up through the old bridge and down into Jarvis. We do not recommend that but no injuries yet and our guests are not kids (chronologically at least). They have a right to do crazy things.
Fishing is very good. A couple of groups have told me that they are catching over 50 fish an hour when they go out in the evening. Hut was hot this week and there’s a lot of action off points at the mouth of Grassy and opposite Red Rock. Haven’t heard any reports from Jarvis rapids but it is usually a good bet for fish.
There are lineups for the hole in Wintering Creek (lineups in Canada - that’s just not right! and the river up to the old bridge has a number of holes that are producing good fish as well.
Jesse Virlee told me they were fishing off a point at an ‘undisclosed location’ using a jig and a live minnow, dead minnow, crawler, minnow head , squished minnow they peeled off the bottom of the boat. Anything worked. When you manage to locate and drop your bait in the middle of a school of hungry walleye - look out!
Jack Oswald took some guys into Rush yesterday and discovered that our boat had a big gash in the bow - rammed into a rock last year. If I could remember who used it last I would ask them to please let us know in the future so we can get it fixed without ruining a guest’s day. Accidents happen - no problem but it sucks to find out this way. The boys got pretty wet. They took Gerry’s torch and some green stick in today and fixed it but, of course, fishing was way better yesterday when the boat was slowly sinking beneath them. That’s a given.
One guy told me it took them half the time to get in the road this year compared to 2008! Hmm. The logging company did send people in a week or two ago to properly replace the washed out culvert and do some ditching so hopefully that will reduce some of the problems.
Our son Ryan writes his last exam on Monday and will then be done with grade 11and back out here to work full time. The older I get the more I appreciate his help!

June 12th
Busy day today with everyone paying, leaving, campers arriving, cleaning cabins.
Then the Game Warden arrived and gave Gerry a $180 ticket for not immediately reporting that he had shot a bear. I guess reporting it here doesn't count . My bad cuz I had intended to call but did not actually know that there was an "immediate" requirement altho I realize ignorance of the law is no excuse. We honestly didn't think they cared anymore - there are so many of them being shot. The last time Gerry went to the office to report that he had shot a nuisance bear (several yrs ago), he was told by staff that they didn't care - they weren't in the bear business anymore. I guess they are now.

I got a cancellation on June 10 for the week starting Saturday (June 13). Put it on our site and booked it to 3 guys tonight. The Internet is amazing.
I just wish it was amazing enough to let me keep an eye on Ryan and his girlfriend Hali at the prom tonight. Sandy (she and Ryan clean cabins with me) is picking him up at 4:30 am tomorrow and I am guessing he will have had no sleep. Fortunately he is only 17 and so he won't have a hangover because you have to be 19 to drink in Ontario. I typed the majority of that sentence with a straight face.

The FFA crew left today and Brian (leader/teacher/head guru) said they caught more fish than on any other trip. Great bunch of kids too.

Everyone liked the weather - cooler, and the size of the fish - bigger

Water is going down fast, weather report calls for sunshine and plus 70 - yippee! On the strength of this we bought our flowers and herbs. Gulp!

June 10th
The sun has been shining for most of the day today (unusual) and the fish were biting like crazy this morning (not unusual - of course).
Not as many big pike this week but then again we do not have people targeting them with the expertise we've seen in past weeks.
Scott Wolden told me the walleye were biting on Gulp yesterday which basically proves that, at times, anything will work
Fish are still in the fast water but are finally moving into the lake, making for more normal mid-June fishing. We have people using a variety of presentations this week and no complaints so bring whatever but be prepared to be flexible (that advice is good for the year).

We had to kill one bear today, unfortunately. He ripped the licence plate and trim off the FFA trailer, survived being chased by the boys in cabin 5 and spent a lot of time in camp snuffling around the kid's tents. Didn't get anything to eat but that didn't discourage him. I saw him at the dump and he grabbed the garbage as soon as I threw it. None of this hiding til I'm gone stuff and once he's done there - right to camp for dessert. They don't speak English so are basically untrainable. Sad.

We are planning to push docks out!!! tomorrow, depending on amount of rain we get tonight. Weather forecast for next week shows sunshine and plus 70. Wait and see.

No chickens this year so - no eggs.

June 5
Finally the water seems to be be ebbing - a little. Still cool and rainy though. Bring warm clothes and raingear.

I was wrongly informed on the exchange rate. When I went to the bank yesterday, they told me it has been between 5 and 8% all week.

June 3, 2009
The water is now at the fish house. Bring boots! A mix of rain and snow is forecast for Friday JUNE 5TH!!!
The bad thing about bad weather is that there is no living person, no concrete 'thing' on which to place the blame. Or there wasn't until Al Gore. Logic rarely enters into discussions about the weather and we now take great pleasure in blaming him for all of our weather problems.

Nice day today though and Gerry took the opportunity to go fishing on Press for the first time this year. He went up by Jarvis and did well. The narrows was hot on his way home (around 5 or 6 pm) and some nice fish have come out of Wintering creek this week as well.
One group is swearing by black jigs but others are cleaning up on artificial bait and still more on minnows. Trolling isn't working for the most part but Jim McDowell did catch a 45 inch northern the other day while doing just that so - who knows!

Our phone has a problem. If you call and we suddenly 'hang up' in the middle of the conversation, we didn't really. We can still hear you - for a while at least, but incredible static hits our end (you can't hear it)and then the phone disconnects. We have a trouble call in but...

Exchange rate right now is at par. Border problems - next to none just like last year.

May 31
Rain this afternoon turning briefly to snow. Large soft flakes that would be romantic on Christmas Eve.
Tomorrow is the 1st day of June and tonight I am turning on all the taps to stop the water from freezing like it did last night.
But the fish are still biting. Bob Hosch and his 2 buddies caught 65 walleye in a few hours at the rapids today. Others found fishing slow, especially in the narrows. Today's weather was much better than the cold, blustery and very windy day we suffered through on Saturday yet - you guessed it, fishing was way better yesterday.
There is maybe 6 inches of crushed rock between the fish house deck and the lake. Almost as high as in 2001. Way higher than last year. Our plug-in posts are at the middle of some of the docks. I know - hard to imagine. I am taking pix for the website.

If you are coming in the next few weeks - bring rubber boots. We are doing what we can but we can only pull the docks in so far and still have the water depth to park a boat. And bring lots of warm clothing. In my experience that guarantees a hot spell.

May 29th Joe (cabin 1) caught 3 northern over 40 inches in one day. Best year they've had!

May 28, 2009
That 2 inches of rain has now made its way into Press. I went down this morning and could not get to the fish house without rubber boots which, fashion queen that I am, I was already wearing.
Water has not been this high since 2001.

Two teenagers determined to beat the adult members of their group came to me last night for tips on catching BIG northern. So, of course, I introduced them to Deb and the rest of the cabin 1 pike experts. She told me this morning that she was showing the boys how to use dead bait off the dock just around dark last night. She gets a hit - lands a 38 inch northern. See boys - that's how it's done.
Big thanks to all of cabin 1 for helping the boys out. That's what fishing is all about.

We did finally get some sunshine today and it is predicted to continue but I'm already casting a somewhat dubious eye at this year's forecasts. Last year they were right on. This year, hmmm. Don't plan a picnic around them!

We have some prices:
gas $1 per litre plus GST
minnows $3.75 per dozen plus PST and GST (13% total)
8 day licence + outdoor card: $48.61 @ todays 8% exchange rate
Rate has dropped to 8% from 14% 2 weeks ago and is still going down.

NOTE TO SMOKERS:
Gerry tried all winter to quit smoking using Champix and it did not work for him. Now he has started using the patch and has not smoked since April 4th. I asked him to pick up cigs for the office today and he told me if there were cigarettes in the office he would probably be smoking them. SO - if you smoke, be aware that we do not carry cigarettes. Also be aware that I quit 2 yrs ago after 41 yrs of smoking and I love the smell so stop by and smoke with me anytime.

May 27, 2009
Nicer weather today finally although not the sunshine we were supposed to get. Still, everyone had a great day on the water. Several 19" bass caught and lots of walleye and northern.

Less than 5 feet between the water's edge and the fish house. Water is higher than it's been since 2001 when we had to put up planks to get in to clean fish.

May 26
TWO! inches of glorious rain since yesterday. It poured all night.
Our tenters are using my dryer. The cabin folk are breaking out the cards and ordering more alcohol. Although, the rain let up in late morning and most people went out and did some fishing.
But, the rest of the week is supposed to be sunny and near 70 so why fish in the rain!
Yesterday, Deb in cabin 1 caught a 41 inch northern on a spinner rig. After bringing in the 'smaller' fish, she saw a second northern by the boat. Dropped the line back in and caught the other one - 44 inches. Just when Joe thought his 43 inch fish was going to win. Poor guy

May 25, 2009
It’s raining here today but that beats snow I guess. Our campers are getting a bit wet but the fish are biting and there hasn’t been much wind so life is good. On this day last year we got a wind so strong it sunk almost every boat in camp. I notice this year, people are facing their bows out.
The fish appear to have finished spawning but are still hanging out in the fast water. The rock garden and rapids (up towards Jarvis) are hot and so are the narrows and Wintering creek. There is movement into the lake of course and fish are being caught off Red rock and several points near Grassy. Going into the Grassy River is like entering a lake so it takes a bit to locate the channel. I haven’t heard any good reports out of Hut this year yet.
Lots of over 40 inch northern being caught (like last year) and a great many good sized smallmouth have been hooked as well. Opening week Chris Jahnke caught a 17 inch smallie off the campground point. Of course you cannot keep any over 13+ inches until July 1st. We’re hoping that silly rule will change next year.
Lots of bears are being seen on the trip in but none near camp. Sackmasters spotted 2 cubs in a tree on the road and Gerry saw a family on his way to town last week.
A cow moose was seen swimming to the island last week so she may be calving there again. No calves seen yet.
The water is higher than last year (only a few feet from the fish house deck) but has quit rising so we may get baby ducks. The hens are on the nests now and the weather is supposed to be sunny and warmer starting Wednesday.

May 18
The computer and wifi were set up at Press Last week and are working fine.
BUT - I lost all emails sent prior to May 13th, 2009. Feels somewhat liberating to have next to nothing in my inbox and sent files but I also lost everyone's address of course. FYI

May 17, 2009
WELL! Opening day (yesterday) was not the best day of our lives. The water froze at noon. THAT is ridiculous. Middle of the night (although the saying "It's coldest just before dawn" seems to be true)I can understand but noon is very unusual.
Gerry, Ryan and friend Johann worked hard crawling under buildings and thawing frozen pipes. By 5 pm all the lines had let go on their own or were thawed with the torch. Gerry told everyone to leave water running in their cabins last night and, despite the fact that it was 8 below this morning, nothing froze. But what a strange year!

There is now less than 10 feet of dry land between the fish house deck and water's edge. From close persual (carried out by Gerry's brother Dan and his friend Mike while sitting on cabin 1's deck drinking beer etc) it appears that the rise has ended and the water is VERY slowly receding.

Getting into Rice Lake is a breeze with only two minor beaver dams to cross. Fishing was great in Rice yesterday and pretty well dead today. The Narrows and the Jarvis rapids were hot though and there are a lot of fish guts in the buckets tonight.

Opener on Saturday was snowy and cold but not as bad as last year. Almost everyone ventured out and managed to get a feed at least. The weather today was so much better that everyone had a smile on their face!

From early reports, it appears that the walleye have not spawned yet. Females are fat and full of eggs. The males are spewing milt all over the boats too but that isn't unusual No spawn by May 17th IS unusual!

Everyone I've asked for an opinion on our road has told me they found it fine. Better than last year, not bad at all. Hmm.

All good reports on border crossings except for two of our guests who flew into Thunder Bay. Better to drive if you want quick entry to Canada.

Temps almost reached 70 degrees today with sunshine and flat water. Made you happy to be alive. We have more of that forecast but still some sub-zero nights.
Opening weekend is always Ryan's birthday celebration (17 this year) and the boys have slept in the tent up on the point site for 2 cold and snowy nights. They seem to have perfected the positioning of the mega-tarp (thanks Gordie and Louise) and are now dry and semi-cozy. Having lots of fun as always.

May 12, 2009
Well, the cabins are clean, Gerry is fixing the broken valves and lines and we're almost ready for the season. I had to come to town to pay the government some more money before the May 15th deadline so I decided to pick American Idol night. I have never seen it this late in the season but - gotta luv Adam!
The road is not a highway but Gerry and Yvan took the hoe out yesterday and fixed the washout that would have stopped anyone pulling a boat trailer. I made good time coming out this afternoon. No major problems - just drive slow as always.
Water is high - no beach. The sucker spawn is just winding down now - it's a late year and that should make for good fishing.
Gas truck came in today. Gas will be $1/litre until I fill again (he says gas is going up). Diesel is not going up and was less that half what I paid last yr. So why are gas prices rising when a barrel of oil is still dirt cheap?
Wally will be bringing the computer to camp on Thursday, May 14th if all goes well. If you need us before that, call 807-934-6911

May 5, 2009
Well, if there is still a recession, it is not our fault. Gerry and I went to Dryden today (dentist appointment and buying camp supplies) and did our bit to help prop up the economy.
On our way in this morning Thunder Lake (trout lake just east of Dryden) was solid with white ice. On our way home at 3 pm, it was half open so I am sure Press is now ice free. It was over 60 degrees most of the day and we did get some rain.
I am heading to camp tomorrow but the computer will stay here for a bit. If you need to contact us, call 807-934-2607 and talk to Gerry or leave a message. Or call 807-934-6911 (no machine there yet but we will be in at night). You can email - Gerry will check it - maybe.
But Wally will be fixing everything up ASAP so - patience

May 4, 2009
Gerry, Ryan and I went to camp Sunday morning. There was quite a bit of snow on the road and several muddy spots. The first washout (before Valora) is more or less fixed (by MTO I think). The one by Wintering is not too bad and will be fixed soon.
Still ice on Press but it's going fast, giving the ducks more swimming room daily.
The main water line is still frozen so I am cleaning with 5 gal pails of lake water again. This global warming thing is starting to get on my nerves!
I stayed over til tonight to figure out what supplies we need and begin cleaning the lodge. First thing this morning, Buddy the squirrel ran over for a nut. This is his 3rd yr and red squirrels live to be three but then again they don't wear name tags - there could be a lot of Buddys scamming us for food.

May 1, 2009
Happy Mayday! In case you didn't know - m'aidez (French for help me) is the word origin for the use of Mayday as a distress symbol.
We're just a bottomless font of knowledge, huh?

Gerry and Art made it into camp today. The road is washed out in Valora and by Camp Wintering but they made it through.
Bowater told MNR that they will fix the Wintering washout before opener.

Gerry said they had no trouble - a few poplar down on the road and some snow but basically the road is fine. They pulled the docks up while they were at camp (the water was just coming up past the ends so the timing was good), fed the ducks, got the gen running and started pumping water from the well. The phone is working but there is no answering machine on it yet so don't phone there til next week.

The snow guard that Ryan, Jake and Gerry put on the roofs (rooves?) last summer worked great. No damage to chimneys, air vents or flowerpots this year!

The English River is open and the ice is out past the end of the docks. A few more days and we'll be ice-free.

We are going up Sunday with 'stuff' and will be moving next week sometime. Only 2 weeks til opener!

28 April
The MNR sent a fellow in yesterday to check on a reported washout near Wintering lake Road on the Press road. Sure enough. Too deep to drive through apparently.

26 April, 2009
Snowing again today. Isn't life great?

23 April.
It melted.
Gerry made a try at getting into camp on Wednesday. Made it 1/2 mile past Valora before encountering snow too deep to drive through, even with his beloved Toyota. Patience, I guess. We need rain, wind and heat.
Ryan and Billy helped Gerry bring the ice hut bsck to town today. The hut in the yard is a sure sign of spring - like dog poop.

20 April
Finally we got more snow - about an inch last night. It was so nice to see a blanket of pristine white flakes covering the world this morning. I have to go now.

19 April
Hali's team (Northwest Storm) won the provincial bantam hockey tournament today with a 2 to 1 win against Nepean (a town near Ottawa, our national capital). The game went into double overtime but our girls came through. The 12 member team played six games and won them all. One for the north!!

Snow is shrinking rapidly although we have been getting flurries the last two days. Gerry noticed a big drop in snow depth over the past few days while travelling north to fish Sturgeon Lake. The boys brought back Gerry's snowmachine (the old coil worked OK) and four trout tonight. Probably the last trip. Ice is still good but we have to get busy preparing for camp - only 4 weeks til opener.

18 April but later
The boys pulled in the yard early today but one snowmachine was missing. Gerry had probs with his coil and had ordered a new one and put it in. He knew he should take the old one with him today but didn't so his machine is now sitting by Rusty Rock on Sturgeon. They are heading out tomorrow morning to rescue it. One trout was caught and kept (and left on the lake - so much for supper. Hard to find a good breadwinner these days).

Ryan's girlfriend, Hali (daughter of the fellow I butchered with - it's a small town), is in Toronto this weekend playing in a girl's hockey tournament. Her team members were gathered from towns across Northwestern Ontario - girls who played well. They met when they got together in Dryden 5 times to play games as a team (a requirement to qualify for the tourny)and then jumped on a plane and headed south. It is important for you to know that southern Ontario has it all. They own the province and are the BEST at everything.
So when our little girls (14, 15 yrs old) arrived and won their first four games, there were demands for birth certificates, etc. Heehee
In four games, they had one goal scored against them. No matter what happens in the playoffs tomorrow, these kids have scored a lifetime of glorious memories.

18 April, 2009
Gerry and the guys were skunked on McLaurin - not unusual when fishing for specks.
Today he left for Sturgeon Lake at 7 am with Billy and Ryan. Amazing how early 16 yr olds will get up if it's a fishing trip!
Drizzling today and rain forecast. Hope for lots!

For info on the new passport card, go to www.travel.state.gov.
One advantage of it is that it fits into your wallet. It cannot be used for international travel, only land or sea travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

16 April, 2009
Well, Happy Easter! I did originally write this closer to the actual event but my computer told me I wasn't allowed to edit so I lost those pages. Ah well.
I got Gerry flowers for Easter instead of chocolate. He was very happy to have something beautiful to look at instead of bunnies and eggs. I think anyway - he's not talking to me so it's hard to know

Temperatures are finally getting into the double digits on a regular basis and the snow is melting fast. Roads that have been ploughed are mud and getting up the 325 road to Kukukus for the last weekend of walleye was an adventure from what we heard so Gerry went to West Kin instead. It is just east of town and they hammered the walleye on Easter Monday. Tuesday (the last day of the season) was slower but they still caught fish and the weather was awesome. Biggest need was sun block!
Kukukus and Flatrock were both hot at the beginning of April but seemed to shut down at the end for some reason.
Gerry, Bob Hosch and Chuck Leach (from St Paul) went to Bell Lake yesterday for lake trout and got their limit by 4:30. Today they are trying for specks on McLaurin Lake (a stocked lake near Valora).
The sun is shining, birds are singing and there's tons of ice - a great time to be fishing!

Our road still has lots of snow on it but this warm weather and the rain forecast for Friday should knock it down. Last year we could not get in until May 7th - way too late. We are hoping to get new floors in 4, 5 and 6 before opener.
With all the vacancies we have this year, it is a tough decision to spend $$ on anything but those floors are BAD! And - life goes on.

I have contacted some people who did not have a deposit and they told me they could not make it. We sure understand but PLEASE CALL and let me know.

5 April, 2009
Gerry got his hut off Paguchi on Friday. Still 3 feet of ice but it is April so anything could happen.
He and Ryan went to Dryden on Saturday for Ryan's orthodontist appointment, a trip which put him within reach of Walmart one week before Easter. Gerry has never really trusted the Easter bunny. So - about 12 lbs of chocolate bunnies plus assorted eggs came home with him and he's still sorta hoping for more Easter morning. I am considering cancelling the life insurance policy I have on the big lug and investing the money in chocolate futures.
There is a hint of spring in the air, just enough to get us thinking about moving. It's been a long winter and the snow never seems to end!!

29 March, 2009
Gerry, Ryan and Darren went to Indian Lake today to fish trout. Gorgeous weather and good sledding. They each caught one trout but nice size. Gerry and Ryan got a 10 and a 12 pounder. Bright red meat. We're having one filet for supper.
Weather conditions are very different this year. Remember the 9 feet of snow on our road last year? We haven't been north to check it out but I'll bet there is very little snow there now. Roads that have been ploughed are bare although there is still lots of snow in the bush. The reason the boys went to Indian today was the ability to reach the lake from our house by snowmachine. No trailering. Yet coming home tonight they encountered mud that wasn't there (that was covered by snow) this morning.
Did you all turn your lights out for Earth Hour last night? I considered suggesting to Gerry that he should turn off UFC on the TV and sit in the dark but, as with kids, some fights aren't worth the effort

March 21st, 2009
Two years ago today I quit smoking. I don't crave cigarettes but I still feel strongly about the people who blame all the ills afflicting our world today on the hapless smoker. Guess we are an easy target. Quitting didn't improve my health (unless major weight gain is an improvement) but, at over $10 a pack, it did help the pocketbook. And forced Ryan, teenager and therefore perfect human being, into a quick readjustment of my faults. I now need to quit drinking.

Gerry and his crew of merry men fished Sturgeon Lake today. Ice was up to the auger head but no slush. They brought home 6 nice trout and great suntans. If you're coming up to Canada to ice fish this week, you're in luck. Great sledding and the fish are biting.

March 20th
First day of spring. Hmmmmmmm! Gerry is in his ice hut - too cold and windy to stand outside. Trout fishing is still slow, especially on Paguchi, but the walleye are biting on Marchel so the boys are eating fish.
We got about a foot and a half of snow a week ago. Some people had to shovel their way out of their houses and every plough and backhoe in town was working overtime clearing roads and driveways.
As a result, the lakes were a mess - until the tropical heat wave we enjoyed a few days ago. Everything melted and Gerry reports that his hut is high and dry, slush is gone and the snow is just right for sledding. We still have lots of the white stuff but not like last year. Hopefully the Press Lake road will dry without needing to be ploughed this year and we will be able to get into camp earlier.
Couldn't get in until May 7th last spring and that makes it tough to get everything ready for opener (May 16th this year)

Feb 24th, 2009
The new pix are on our site. If you have photos that you want on, forward them to me ASAP. Thanks to everyone who sent the pictures that were added today.

Gerry has not been getting many trout in Paguchi this year and even last year wasn't great after January. Last week, he and Billy tried Victoria, the lake north of Paguchi and south of Barrel. Much better. Darren Elder caught 18 trout the first day he fished the lake and the fish are dark skinned with very red flesh. Nice trout! Gerry is EVEN considering moving his hut there next year.

With the nice weather, he has been out fishing almost every day. They can snowmachine from town to the hut and stay there with the heater if the weather is bad or head to Victoria if it is a nice day. Rough life! But now he has another animal to feed. On their way up the 325 road on the weekend, he and Billy spotted a white house cat with a jet black tail in the middle of nowhere. Thought it was a hare at first. It had a tunnel dug in the snow and appeared to have been abandoned. So our scrap food is now going to the cat.

I have often said that labs will eat anything but last night took the cake! Ali ate a bag of playdough (2 c flour, 1 c salt and 1 c water) that I had just made and then stored in a ziploc bag in the closet. When I got up at 5:30, there were piles of what looked like raw bread dough everywhere and her water dish was empty. One dog going cheap!!!

Ryan took the trapper's course this winter and passed. Ken, the fellow who traps our road and Press Lake wants him as a helper on his line. Ken is 72 (although you'd never know it) and his wife who helps him is not much younger. They need a young strong helper and Ryan needs responsibility. Perfect.

February 11, 2009
Closing in on Valentine's Day guys. If you really like your fishing trip, this is a good time to make Brownie points. Flowers, chocolate. It's a no-brainer.

I sent all the 2008 pix in on Jan 26th but Dave the web guy is doing a leisure guide at the moment. He said he would upload the pix next week.
Still warm and wet here. The snow is compacting and the moisture makes it soft and heavy. If we get a hard freeze now, it will be tough on the moose. Deer too I suppose but I really don't care about them. Sorry.

February 7, 2009
We are now at the beginning of a major heat wave. Minus 5 and some rain today. Won't last long but we often get a bit of a heat wave in February. Just enough to melt any trails that are ploughed and really upset the sledders.
Ryan had an orthodontist appointment in Dryden today so no fishing for him but Billy is still slamming them on Marchel. He and his friend Alexis kept their limit of walleye this afternoon and released another 20.
The Ignace police had to shoot a moose in Ignace last week. It got stuck between two houses and, according to the officer Gerry talked to, was a very old,balding and toothless animal. How it got itself trapped in suburbia is a good question. The Conservation Officers skinned it out (useable seized and road killed animals are given to welfare) but there was no edible meat on the poor old critter.

February 5, 2009
Bill Gates should suffer for inflicting Vista on the helpless computer owners of the world. As if the stress of Super Bowl Sunday followed by Groundhog Day Monday AND the recent and tragic loss of Letterman's Great Moments in Presidential History weren't enough, Vista wiped out my updates last night (not the first time).
On the up side Bikini Girl got dumped from American Idol. I think I need a life. The winter is only half over and I'm losing it!

And fishing sucks. Gerry is catching trout but I don't think they've even had a double digit day yet. They are going to try Balmoral again on Sunday. Last week's trip - not even a bite, but Darren and Ryan were pretty sore after fighting to break a trail through very deep snow into Belmont. Now the trail is there so we'll find out if it was worth the effort.
The weather is warming up after the nasty cold snap that you suffered along with us and ice fishing is a lot more pleasant when you only have to drill your hole once. It has been so cold the holes were refreezing even in the hut with the heater going. Poor Gerry. heehee

We have quite a few openings in May (five cabins). Three are due to graduation conflicts plus snow days and two of those rebooked later in the season.
The group who had to cancel opening week has had the cabin since it was built in 1989 and will be sorely missed. I PROMISE to drink a toast to you guys from the deck of your cabin at least once that week. We'll miss you!

Note to those who know Press Lake Joe: I wrote here last month that Joe had made enough to keep him in geisha girls for the year and then added a note to his girlfriend Laurie that I was just kidding. She emailed me that she wasn't worried. Joe read that on the site and asked her what a geisha girl was. Blonde AND a sweetie.

January 29, 2009
The temps have risen a bit so Gerry, Ryan and friend Darren are going to head south of the highway on Saturday to fish Balmoral Lake for trout. The plan is to, hopefully, get to Belmont (north of Balmoral)if the slush isn't too bad and the trail is passable. Note that they planned this adventure on a non-school day in order to include the 16 year old who loves to exercise his muscles.

January 26, 2009
Still bloody cold here but Ryan and Billy have been slamming the walleye on Marchel Lake, a mile north of town. Gerry is getting trout off Paguchi as well but his holes were freezing up even with the heater going so he's slowed up fishing a bit.

I went through all my emails and sent all the pix I could find to my web host so there should be 2008 pix on the site this week. If you have other pictures that you want on the site, please email them to me.

January 21, 2009
Congratulations on your new First Family! The inauguration was spectacular. You laugh at us for our Royal family but it is fun to have the pomp and ceremony occasionally. Let's hope for the best over the next four years.

Gerry has been catching nice fish every day now that the weather has warmed up. He is OK because the trail to his hut is well packed but if you are coming up ice fishing, watch out. We've had a lot of snow and, from what I'm hearing, the lakes are soup. Good ice if you can get through the slush to your fishing spot.

January 18, 2009
Gerry and Ryan went to the 'office' today and the fish are finally on again. Kept 4 nice lakers and had a great run with the machines. There is slush off trail but they have a beaten path across Paguchi and the new powder made the trip to the lake a dream. The weather is warming up finally so - all in all - they had a great day. I was desperately lonely without them but managed to hold up.

We are now at that time of the year when people start a)sending deposits b)calling to change weeks or book for the first time
c) thinking Gee I can't make it this year but I really don't want to call and tell them so I'll just put it off until Barbara calls me.
Remember: I don't bite and I understand that stuff happens but the sooner I know the sooner someone else can plan their vacation.
SO! To encourage you to let me know if you can't make it, everyone who calls me before I call them will get one free drink at any Ignace drinking establishment, including Press Lake (although we are not technically (or legally) a drinking establishment believe it or not). Unfortunately, this sales pitch will only work if you forget that by cancelling you will have trouble collecting.

January 14, 2009
Never quite made minus 40 here today but it was minus 52 in Hearst last night (NE Ontario). Now that's cold! Not exactly balmy in the States either so you know what I'm talking about!
Trout fishing is slow and the walleyes aren't biting either. Good time to get other things done while we wait for the fish to get hungry.
I lost my email Dec 24th and came a hair's breadth from chucking all post-1970 technology out the kitchen window and going back to the good old telephone. But.. got it back Sunday so will struggle on for awhile longer.
Joe was here for a week with his friend Ray, ice fishing with Gerry and visiting. Hasn't changed a bit (except he did use my computer to check the stock market. For Joe to do that is ..well.. scary). Said to say hi to everyone. He is heading back to the oil fields on Sunday.
The 'economic downturn' has affected Alberta of course and it is hard to know what is going to happen with Joe's job but he made enough last year to keep him in pina coladas and geisha girls right through 2009. (Just kidding about the girls Laurie).

December 26th, 2008

Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope Santa brought you everything you expected he would. Notice I didn't say "all that you wished for". We'd all like that but....

I'm getting reports of calendars arriving and would like to point out to the many doubting Thomas's that I did get it mailed in 2008 as I promised (albeit for the first time ever). I am of course fully aware that none of you believed I could send our mailout in the same year it was written and the people at the Ignace post office are even more shocked than you are!! If you do not receive a calendar and want one, email me. I have lots this year so you don't even have to be a guest. Just send me your address.

My (Wally's) new database program even makes sorting very easy. So, out of curiousity, I had it sort guest numbers by state.

Results:

Wisconsin 40%

Minnesota 24%

Iowa 11%

Ontario 10%

Illinois 4%

Indiana 3%

No real surprises there. The rest of our guests are from more far flung states like California and the Carolinas. Plus the retirees in Florida, Texas and Arizona. We had one from Hawaii this year (in the armed forces) and one from Germany. But it doesn't seem to matter where you're from. Everyone has a great time when fishing and eating are the only to do things on the daily list.

My email is down right now and I have a message out to Wally. Vista says I have the wrong password. Sigh. BV (before Vista) I could just turn my computer on and go to work. Now I need a password and, if this keeps up, a handgun to shoot the monitor right through the o in error.

Gerry, Ryan and friends Billy and Johann went out to Paguchi today to check ice conditions. We have had less snow that usual and fairly cold temps the past two weeks so it's looking good. There is over 2 feet of ice already and very little slush. We are having better weather this winter than southern Ontario AND most of you guys from what we're hearing and we really do feel sorry for you.

Dec 19, 2008

The calendars were mailed out yesterday.

We're having really cold weather now but not a lot of snow. Making ice - good ice.

Gerry, Ryan and 2 of Ryan's friends (Tyler and Lui) are heading to Minneapolis tomorrow to see a Vikings/Falcons game. Ryan loves the Falcons. His friend Lui loves the Vikings. Gerry loves the cheerleaders. They'll have a great time! They expect to be back Monday, get Christmas over with and then get the hut out in preparation for Jan 1st.
Dec 6, 2008

We are finally getting enough snow to run a snowmobile and there is enough ice on the small speck lakes to make it safe to WALK out and fish - even for Gerry heehee. But the forecast for tomorrow is minus 30 and if that happens it will definitely impact the first day of trout fishing. No hut and freezing temps. My crystal ball shows - no trout for supper.

If you have heard boat operator licence rumours - no fear. It comes into effect in Sept 09 and only applies if you are here longer than 45 days. Canadians are affected but not not non-residents.

I am almost finished the label database so our calendars could be out this month! Send me your new address if I don't have it.

Dec 1, 2008

While there is not enough snow in town for sledding, Gerry took logs up to Paguchi today and said he would not have made it with the Chevy. Too much snow for a non-Japanese vehicle. Ah how things change! FYI: He puts the logs under the fish hut once they take it out and set it up on the 'perfect' location. That stops it from sinking into the ice and freezing in, making spring removal a pain in the butt.

Newsletter is done and ready to photocopy, calendars are folded and ready to send. Working on database. New program is ..uh.. difficult.

Ryan is in grade 11 so I picked up a career survey at the last parent teacher interview. Help him to focus.?! I tried it to test its accuracy. I should be a gardener, Conservation officer, forest technician, writer, critic. All things I have been or am. Sounds good so far. Ryan takes it. All his career choices focus on jobs involving people and money. Suits him to a T although the first choice was import/export which made me nervous. But I have probably watched too many Godfather movies. So now that we know it is quite an accurate test, I get Gerry to do it.

The career for which he is best suited: Wedding planner. Yes, Press Lake Camp is offering a new service for 2009. Getting married? Talk to Monsieur Gerri and plan the wedding of your dreams. Heehee I am so glad he never reads our web site.

Gas prices in Dryden were in the 70s this week and even Ignace gas dropped below $1.00/litre. Why the drop in price? Who knows but it can't be good (I'm Canadian - that's the way we think. Although this time we may be right).
November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Nov 25, 2008

We still have only about an inch of snow but the lakes are making ice. Gerry is rushing off every day to get wood; one more load and he will have enough to heat his garage for the winter and will be able to concentrate on fishing specks. He and the boys have been hunting moose and deer and cutting wood while they're at it. They saw 16 deer in Dryden on the weekend but all on private, posted land.

Passports: you will need them to get back into the US next year and I found this website that seems very helpful: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Wally was over yesterday to solve some of my computer problems and I plan to start the calendar process today. The calendars are in Dryden ready for pickup but that's not the part that slows down the mailout of course.

Nov 21, 2008

Bob McIlroy, the fellow who mounts fish for us, is also a trapper. He currently has a couple of beautiful wolves and a big lynx that he is interested in selling. He will skin them but his taxidermy work is restricted to fish so if you want a rug or full body mount, you would need to send the hide to a taxidermist. His phone number is 807-934-0824.
Nov 20, 2008

OK exchange rate my computer recorded for me today (one good Vista feature) is now over 29%. I wouldn't get that at my bank but it is still amazing! Fallout from the optimism generated by your new prez maybe?

There will be changes in the licences next year. Not a big deal but I will post info once I figure out just what is going on.

Gas was 79 cents a litre in Toronto this week and not much more than a buck here. Strange that the further it travels, the cheaper it gets but I'm Canadian so that's OK with me. We do get riled but when we do it usually involves hockey. Or beer.

Still very little snow. Getting colder and most lakes are frozen over but just. You could walk out and fish the smaller brook trout lakes but that's about it. Late fall - as predicted!

Nov 14, 2008

Exchange rate 23% and gas prices still below a buck. Economy is not healthy. Ignace is particularly hard hit with most industry moving out to Thunder Bay and Dryden. I'm not saying that real estate is worthless but.....

We got our property assessments this week. My house is assessed at $26,500. Our one acre dump at Press Lake is assessed at $34,500. I'd whine if it wasn't so funny!

Gerry and the boys got the ice hut out to Paguchi last night, ready to be towed out once we get ice. The road to the lake is usually not ploughed so this move ensures they'll be fishing opening day (Jan 1st)

Nov 10, 2008

Well, we finally got snow on Friday. Not a lot but it does look like winter now. Ryan's friend Billy still has a bull tag so he, Ryan and Gerry spent the weekend stalking the elusive moose. They also took a load of wood to camp so we did get something out of their efforts. All the cabins now have plenty of wood on hand for the spring. We fill all the wood boxes inside the cabin in the fall of course but getting the outside piles topped up is important. We're so busy come spring we don't need to worry about that.

Water level is around normal right now. Not crazy high like last year but not super low either. No guesses what spring will bring just yet.

Gas price last week was 98 cents a litre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice if that lasted til next season but if only we could predict these events! And the exchange rate is 19%. I don't think it has been that high since early spring 2007. So gas is cheap, your money is good and.. it's November. That sucks.

I forgot to mention that, before we left camp, Gerry and Yvan put new doors on cabins 3 and 6 and fixed all the other door problems. Hopefully. We are also going to have to get a new wood stove for #5 for next year. Gerry loves that old monstrosity but it's warping inside and it's a pain in the butt - an ugly pain in the butt. Once we change that one, all the wood stoves will be new(ish) and fairly efficient.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day in Canada. My dad was in the army during WW2 from 1939 til the end so I always march in the parade. He was a mechanic working on the tanks and came back from Europe with a powerful hatred for horses. Never went into detail about it. I always wondered.

Nov 4. 2008

OK!! Grrrr!!! Try as I might I cannot remove the bold from this so until I talk to Dave tomorrow, we will live with it. Right!!!

Weather is still balmy - almost t shirt and shorts temps today! We're checking out your election between Gerry's cop shows. Exciting! Which also describes gas prices! 85 cents a litre in Toronto! Now that oil is 63 cents a barrel (half what it was), Joe tells us all the oil plants are on shutdown and maintenance. So - his trip to moose hunt with us was cancelled. Yet when oil is high, they still need him and won't allow vacation. Sheesh. BUT - he did check his last pay stub and told us he has made $203,000 so far this year.However - all he does is work. 24 on and 2 off. Poor guy. Well uh sort of. He does not plan to do this for too long - it would kill him. Although it IS keeping him out of the kind of trouble only a ladies man like Joe could get into - which could kill him faster. He has Laurie now and she is a fantastic partner for him.

Gerry has been cutting wood but took a day off to fish splake in Hakli Lake (off 599 near the Valora road). Got two beautiful approx 2 pounders with bright red flesh. Delicious.

NOTO (Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters) convention: This turned out to be a very worthwhile two day expense. Mark Sobchuk, a senior biologist with MNR (your DNR), filled us in on the latest changes planned in fisheries. For one, and I am very happy about this, they are planning to get rid of the slot size for northern. There will still be a max size of course but you will be able to keep any fish under the max. They also want to eliminate restrictions on SM bass harvest. Heck, bass are not even an indigenous species in the NW! They were introduced by railway workers years ago and spread from there. BUT - DO NOT expect any changes next summer. We are talking the government here. Still - change is in the air. No that was not an Obama joke.

Also learned about how climate change has impacted forest fire fighting. One to 2 billion hectares (2 1/2 acres/ha) of blowdown and insect killed forest in NW Ontario. Try crashing your way through that with a pack of hose or a fire pump on your back. And of course there were companies present selling fire equipment. Definitely something to think about. Talk on survival in cold water. How long before you become hypothermic in near freezing water conditions? The film footage was impressive! DO NOT EVER go out without your life jacket on! Every one should see these films. The answer to the above question is 1/2 to one hour.Totally not what you would expect but most people dropped into cold water still die. Gasping from the cold and swallowing water - panic - no life jacket. With a life jacket, as long as you don't panic - your breathing will calm in up to one minute, you can survive over one hour. The fatter you are the better for once. SO - think about it!!!! We want you back next year! I mean think about the life jacket of course, not about getting fat!

Oct 30, 2008

Gerry and I are packing up today and moving. We may not get everything on but we're trying. If not, we can return tomorrow. It is 70 degrees here right now and sunny!

Oct 25, 2008

Ryan and I cleaned cabin 1 today and Gerry shut down the water. All the cabins and the shower house are now drained - safely water-free. It is raining (surprise) and is supposed to for the next 2 days. We want to pack up and get out before winter does arrive (and while Ryan is here to help) but it is hard in the rain. But - it beats the sub-zero and snowy weather we so often get at the end of October! I forgot to shut the window last night and it was still too warm in the lodge to put a fire on this morning. The boys are out hunting grouse this afternoon- too wet to do much else. Ice machine and freezer and the minnow tank are drained and clean. I have enough kindling cut to keep Richard out of work opening week 09.

NOTO, our provincial tourism association, are holding their annual convention in Dryden on the 28th and 29th. If I learn anything startling, other than the economy sucks, I will let you know. We don't expect any drastic changes but...
Oct 22, 2008

Our last guests left today and Ali has been walking (waddling I mean - some hunters cannot be trained not to feed dogs!! cabin to cabin with a droopy tail and a tear in her eye. Six months of being tied up awaits her and she knows it.

We (Dan, Webster, Gerry and I) cleared the yard of garbage, took down the volleyball net and stored it and the golf clubs and horseshoes in the fish house for the winter, pulled in the docks and flipped all the benches and picnic tables. A few years ago, I turned half the tables upside down for the winter (supported on a piece of wood so they were not flat on the ground) and left the others as is to determine the effect of each position. The stain on the flipped tables was in great shape while the ones left upright had lost much of their coating. See, reading this page is NOT a waste of time. Valuable little factoid there - research done for you free of charge.

OK I still have not been out the road but..

The logging company did hire a contractor to work on it last week. I don't believe their own money was involved but taxpayers' pockets are deep right?

They put in 7 culverts, gravelled, graded and widened. Gerry has been out and said there is a huge improvement. We will still have to find more gravel and re-grade but it is great that something finally got done after the mess we've been living with for years!

Water is still rising and temps are still balmy for the end of October! 50 feet from water's edge to plug-ins so more beach than most of you saw this year but it is shrinking daily. Still, I doubt anyone would complain about high water again next year.

Yesterday, Oct 21st, was Gerry and I's 12 anniversary and the first one either of us remembered. He brought me flowers from town. What a sweetie.

We are getting bookings so not everyone is totally depressed by the economic depression/recession/dip.

We plan to leave camp (sob) early next week so the computer will be down for a bit and our phone number wil revert to 807-934-2607
Oct 18, 2008

Last cabin cleaning day of the year. As we cleaned, Gerry came behind and drained the water.

We will have to pull in the docks today. Some are truly floating and it would be a good idea to have one end on dry land for the winter.

Very little frost. Now 5 1/2 inches of rain since the start of the hunt but (up side) it was 50 degrees when I got up this morning. And, soggy beats frozen in late October.

Gerry's brother Dan and our friend Webster are still here in cabin 1, doing some hunting, fishing and relaxing. We will not be moving to town in any big hurry unless the weather changes drastically!

Oct 16, 2008

Now that all hunters have their moose, the fishing frenzy is on. Lots of really nice bass have been caught this month. Plenty of walleye and northern as well but LOTS of big bass! The grouse hunt was really slow - wet spring? Who knows - everyone has an explanation. Not hard to figure out the ducks though. No rice no ducks. EASY! Hmm. Going back through my entries I notice that I never mentioned the rice I am talking about is the very nutritious wild rice which grows naturally in many of our rivers and lakes here in NW Ontario. Water fluctuations can drown or starve the crop and because it is a hugely important food for waterfowl, the amount of rice directly affects the number of birds.

I realize 90% of you guys know that but that still mean 10% don't, right?

Ali is now so fat she resembles a barrel. Thank goodness she is moving back to Ignace and dog food twice a day.

I have not been out the road but reports say: Awesome.
Oct 15, 2008

Well - lots of moose taken despite the lousy weather! It has rained every day since opener and I have dumped almost 5 inches from my rain gauge. So much for pushing the docks out. Tomorrow we have have to pull them in - you need rubber boots to get to them!

Opening day (Sat, Oct 11) Dan Gray from Mort's group shot a spiker bull in the river (by the old bridge). On Monday, Mort's guys got a calf in Anderson Bay and Chris Minion (Junkin's group) shot a cow and a calf in the river.

Tuesday morning Brooks' got a spiker bull off the old rail line north of Press. They did get pictures but, a warning: they posed Too Tall Rob (5 foot nothing) beside it to make it look bigger. I thought only fishermen pulled stunts like that! UPDATE: Rob has informed me that he is actually 5'5 and one half. The half, he says, is very important to him.

And Gerry got a nice bull around 3 yrs old in the Rock Gardens last night. Got it back to camp around 8 pm. They floated it back beside the boat (as did Mort's guys with the calf) - a slow process but easier than trying to load it in a boat. Moose float fine (as long as you don't gut them of course). Gerry gutted it by the moose poles last night and Ali has been spending a lot of time back there today!

Yesterday was election day. The campaign was 37 days long (shortest allowed) and the conservative candidate - Harper was re-elected with a stronger minority but still not the majority he wanted. Hard to say who the best candidate is but at least if they have the majority, they can get things done. Oh well.

Oct 10, 2008

Gerald Zehr called tonight to let us know that his mother Roberta died today. She was 92. Many of you knew her and Russell. The rest have seen the plaque behind the counter with a picture of the "Mayor of Press Lake'. Russell and Roberta came to Press every year since 1963 and their children, children's children, and friends continue the tradition. Roberta (and Russell) are greatly missed by Gerry and I and by the many guests who knew them.

After several killing frosts, the weather has 'improved'? Depends on your perspective of course. Raining - bummer for hunters. No frost and broken lines - upper for owners.

Tomorrow is: tah dah!! OPENING DAY!!! We have 28 hunters (4 groups of 7) and lights were out early, beer consumption hit what will be the low for the week and I bet half of those 28 hunters are tossing in bed right now (10:45 pm) dreaming of the big kill in the morning.

Road: OK> more later but there may be work done. I'm not superstitious....... OK I am superstitious. My mother was from London England (war bride) and over there it is bad luck for a white cat to cross your path. So black cats, white cats, new shoes on the table, it goes on and on. I WILL keep you informed though. Exciting!

Our local biologist is now working on the fishing regs for the unit Press Lake is in. I gave him a copy of all the letters I have sent to the Ministry since 2002 suggesting the pike slot size was a bad decision and I hope and pray that they will do something about that. Anything that you really think we are doing wrong or should do differently? This is the time to get it out there! Let me know if you have concerns.
Oct 5, 2008

Our first group of moose hunters arrived yesterday (Mort's crew) and agreed (without admitting to age) that the bigger writing on this page is a positive thing.

They have been getting some grouse off the road but are just slamming the fish from what I've seen. Will have pix.

Weather - frost last night but not much below zero. Glads are still flowering. Got up to 70 degrees this afternoon. Water has come up enough to make Gerry right about not pushing the docks out. Geez I hate it when that happens.

Hung what are probably my last two loads of sheets on the line. Sigh. Hmmm When that is a life moment, I gotta think I need a life!!??

Gerry is in town til Tues and using his time to cut wood. We tend to forget about fuelwood during summer and then freak about it in the spring and fall. Human nature I guess. Every trip to camp will now involve wood. We have to cut it around Ignace because there is no active logging in our area now - thank goodness. We used a lot of wood this summer when mother nature decided to give us the cold shoulder heehee OK lame joke. Very cold wet summer though as most of us know. The claims for a warm fall, late start to winter are not likely to come true I think but I am usually wrong.

Our election for our new? national leader is on Oct 14th (middle of opening week of moose so Gerry voted early on Friday). Thank goodness we're finally voting - we've been listening to them argue with each other for 2 long months now since they called the bloody election! OK sorry. I would be a raving lunatic if I had to live with your system. Seems you're always in election mode. Two yrs ago I had to tell a guy who was all happy about getting a new leader that it was congress being elected not a new pres. But it's good for the economy I guess.

Yesterday I saw a wolf in the yard for the first time this year. Black, brown, white, not a saleable coat. He was at the bird feeder in the morning and later up by the old water tower. Very skinny, young looking. Maybe one of the kids from last yrs dump wolves? I bought 2 lambs from one of our hunters and they brought the heads up with them (costs $$ to dispose of them in Southern Ontario) so that will give it something to eat at least. The wolf was ignoring our chickens but they were keeping a close eye on it.
Sept 30,2008

I now have a calendar picture! A local woman took the pic and there are no people in it so you can now sleep easy without visions of a naked Gerry dancing in your head. I am getting the proof in a few days and should have the calendars in October. I would REALLY like to get the mailout to you in 2008.

Just noticed that I lied - there are 2 people in the picture and I am curious as to who they are. If you are those people, let me know when you get the calendar.

Even tho I have a calendar shot now, please send pix if you have them. Now that I have my old company back I will be forwarding a bunch of pictures to the site and some I have gotten lately are awesome.

Last day for Lake trout but Gerry is in town with Ryan so they will miss out. Not long til Jan 1st though. The woman Ryan boards with during the week (Fran) had to leave for 3 weeks so: leave our 16 yr old boy in town alone for the week OR move one of us to town? That was a tough decision. She'll be back just in time for Gerry to make the moose hunt. Or I would be moving in and no one wants that. Unlike Gerry, I refuse to drive Ryan the 1 km (1/2 mile) to school in the morning. Thus, I am evil and all other adults are good.

We have 4 groups (5 cabins) of moose hunters coming this year (season opens Oct 11) and 1 group of fishermen. The season always opens the Sat closest to Oct 8th which made it a week later than usual this year. As a result we are not taking any hunters in the 2nd week. We will be lucky to make it through to the 18th without freezing.

But - the weather is still great. Well, rain off and on of course. It IS still 2008, the year of the floods.

Our 2 fishermen are catching fish and seem happy. I think they ventured as far as the Rock gardens this week, further than many of our guests bother to go.

Two Snow geese landed here on Monday and Gerry is getting the adult mounted. Our local biologist's dad is an excellent taxidermist. So, when you ask what the new white bird in the office is, Gerry really did shoot it in the yard. Unlike the willow ptarmigan over the counter that he keeps trying to tell people is a local bird.

The water level is down but not horrendously. We have about 70 feet of beach and not much fluctuation for the past few weeks.
Sept 24, 2008

Only 2 guys here this week - Jim and Gary. They're new to the lake but are learning fast. The weather has been wonderful - wake up to temps of 60 to 70 degrees. SO- they had a brainwave and phoned home to make sure it was alright for them to stay til Wed next week. Great weather, lake all to themselves - sucks to be retired huh?

Eight Canada geese dropped by this week. Four of the stupider ones are still here -waiting (I guess) for Ryan to shoot them when he gets home from school on Thursday.Ali is so excited she's even made the odd run at them. She knows of course that they have wings and she doesn't but it's too much for an old dog to take.

No calendar pic yet. Jim Rahe sent me an awesome pic of an eagle with a fish which I will put on our web site but we just had a calendar eagle unfortunately. If no one sends one I can use it's OK. I have a whole bunch of pix of Gerry with his shirt off on his four wheeler. What else says Press Lake like that!!!!
Sept 21, 2008

Spent 11 hours cleaning cabins yesterday - last full week of fishermen. We have a group of fishermen/duck hunters staying over the weekend and, despite the shortage of birds opening week, they have been getting some ducks and a few grouse. Plus fish of course. Weather has been nice - sunny, no bugs of course. Not hot - just right.

Sandy, the woman helping Ryan and I clean cabins this year, left for the USA today. She wanted the job this summer in order to save money for an air brushing course offered in Vegas each year. She is the artist who painted our Press Lake signs and she does a lot of work in Ignace. Ryan told her all her classmates will be biker dudes. Sigh. Most people don't get to hear the musical mess the three of us make on Saturdays as we each get our turn to play our music. Avril Lavigne (Sandy) to Three Days Grace(Ryan) to Irish and Newfie (me). Our hunters were coming in to find out what all the hysterical laughter was about. Ryan is 16, Sandy is 35 and together they are both 12 yrs old. It has been a fun summer.
Sept 19, 2008

Gerry has been hard at work today painting the ceiling in cabin 1. Can't beat that. He started out in the working world as a body man (before GM) so he is an awesome painter. Doesn't even use a drop cloth. I, on the other hand, basically use my body as a drop cloth and it is essential that I cover everything within a 100 foot radius of what I'm painting. Painted surface (end result) looks the same with either method but Gerry's is much less messy and is preferred by me for obvious reasons.

Thermometer was right on zero (32) when I got up yesterday. Today it was at 60 and it has been sunny and hot all day. Art cut the grass today for the last time this year.

Winding down - sadly!

Sept 18, 2008 - Thursday.

First frost of the year last night. Gerry wanted to bet me but fortunately I didn't. It was a hard one too - killed some of the tomatoes and flowers, left others. Day turned out beautiful though.

Mark Paynter in cabin 2 caught a 28 1/2 inch walleye this week trolling near 770 and Mike McCoy caught the 28 incher earlier in the week. But the biggest walleye I've seen in a while came in tonight. Bill Groepper (Les Pintok's group) caught a 30 inch walleye at 14 feet as they were trolling up towards Red Rock on their way in tonight. Fat and beautiful fish! They promised to e-mail a picture.

It is getting difficult to get into Hut due to water levels. But fishing has been poor there for a week or two and even worse in Hughes so best to just stay in Press.

Sept 17, 2008

Weather is still great and shows sun til the 24th on the long range forecast. Chance of frost tomorrow but it is 50 now (10 p.m.) so - I doubt it. We had our first frost and it was a killing frost last year on Sept 14th. Then we had to cover the veggies in the garden. The weather this year was so lousy all we have in the garden are potatoes and a few sad looking tomatoes and green peppers so - they can take it. They've taken worse already.

I washed (scrubbed) the gas tank (how does it get so black!?) - the 1,000 gal one beside the minnow shed. It would be a great idea to comment on how white it is when you get here this fall. Next year's guests don't have to bother.

After holding our gas at $1.40 a litre all summer, we just got Ike'd. Our gas guy - Earl, said the gas guy thing - Don't shoot the messenger, but the message was - Hurricane Ike jacked gas prices drastically. On Sept 12th - Friday - one day before Ike hit Texas but no oil installations. Too late for us and our hiked price. ?????????????????? Wish I was smart (and rich) like the people who make these decisions. Now I have 1,000 gal of overpriced Ike gas ($1.45/litre til gone).

Weather and fishing have been great this week and everyone seems happy. One day of bad wind but Al from the nameless (OOPS! group whose boat sunk told me the fishing that day (after they got floating again) was the best they had all week.

Black jigs worked briefly this week but the McCoy group are now buying me out of chartreuse jigs. Mike caught and released a 28 inch walleye at the rapids 2 days ago - caught it on a chartreuse jig and a minnow and the whole group are doing well with that colour.

The Ryan's have done really well on bass by Seven Pines. Mike said he even got hits trolling a floating plug behind the boat. They have space difficulties with 3 guys in one boat but it worked to their advantage that day. Why 3 guys in one boat? Ike! Pete, their fourth fisherman, had his flight cancelled twice due to the Houston airport being underwater. His latest option for a flight was Wed which did not seem practical. Lousy excuse to miss a fishing trip. He couldn't drive? Hitchhike? Ask FEMA for a lift?

Cabin 6 lost a ham, hamburger buns and who knows what else to a black four-legged predator. A good locking cooler works. Or maybe a heavy weight on top. Although she has accessed coolers with jugs on top. By next year she will probably not be here sadly but til then your food is at risk!

Mike and Donna Drost ran into a moose carcass (literally) when they entered Hut Lake yesterday. There is no season open yet so we assume it was a native kill.
Fishing hasn't been great in Hut or Hughes for the past few weeks but everyone is catching fish almost anywhere on Press. The Jarvis rapids of course. Old bridge not so much but islands and reefs - yes.
Sept 14, 2008

Awesome fishing this week and the weather has been good til today. Terrific wind this morning sunk one boat but the nameless owner did know better. Same story - I should go out and turn that boat around. Nah it'll be OK. Strong north wind and, as we've said here before, transoms don't bob. No big deal though. They all got in the water and had it bailed out in no time.

On Friday, all we had in camp were couples. Some that had never been here before and others that came first as kids. Can't remember a day before when we had no all male groups. Lots now of course (and women too). Weather improved this afternoon and looks good for the next few days. We have one fellow who was to be here Sat but won't make it til Tues. Lives north of Houston. Not a fun place to be right now I guess.

Gerry, Ryan, Ali and Darren went duck hunting Saturday morning in the mouth of the Grassy. No rice and almost no ducks so Ryan and Darren canoed into Rice Lake. Again no rice and no ducks but the 1 1/2 hr paddle gave Ryan a renewed love for Yamaha motors. Even Darren, an avid canoeist, was happy to accept a ride from Gerry when they exited the creek. Our little camo canoe is not a fun craft to paddle. Should have used the Grumman but it is shiny metal and would have scared off the only two ducks shot. Ali was bummed at having no ducks to retrieve but had a lot of fun sniffing out the marsh and shoreline.

I think we have guests this week who don't realize how good Ali is at opening coolers (despite my warnings). I did not even feed her today and she doesn't care. Oh FYI - chocolate may kill dogs but black labs thrive on it.

Sept 11, 2008

Two groups of guests this week and next week I needed 8 cabins - had to turn away a regular guest. Hate doing that.

Weird weather. One day the docks are starting to look high and dry. Better pull them in tomorrow. By tomorrow it has rained enough they are almost floating. Over and over. Weird weather. But great fishing. All year. Gotta love it.

This week everyone wants black jigs. The whole chartreuse thing is in the toilet. We, of course, are now out of black jigs.

Duck season opened yesterday. Ryan and our friend Darren are coming up Friday night after school/work to get ready for an early Saturday hunt. Ryan and Ali live for duck hunting and I think Ali has at least this season left in her. She is on prednisone and it is keeping her alert and active. For the short term but - she's happy. And she would be some miserable if all those guns and guys left Saturday morning without her.

Ladt year she retrieved like a trooper til she wore out; then she just laid down and basically said - get it yourself!

SEPT 8, 2008

Three Canada geese landed here yesterday and spent the night and most of the day covering our beach and lawn with poop. Apparently they did not get the pamphlet telling them goose season opens Sept. 1st. Ali may be sick and stinky (especially skunky after getting wet) but she dove right in and dragged back the goose that landed in the water. She lives to hunt waterfowl and, believe it or not, she will even ignore food while hunting.

Last year Gerry coated the goose breasts in olive oil and spices and BBQ'd them. Awesome! I just finished cleaning up the gizzards (huge), hearts and livers for later consumption. In the freezer, the Canada goose is a beautiful bird. Pooping on your golf course - not so much.

Off and on rain this morning but warmer than Minnesota.

SEPT 7, 2008

We have only 2 groups in camp this week - very peaceful.

George Judkins told me they got all their fish today around Shorelunch Island. I haven't talked to the Odells about their day but they did well last night.

Ali is 11 yrs old (77 in human years they say). YET, this morning she finally got sprayed. Never too old to learn right? She hangs with the skunks every year no prob. But she didn't reckon on this one's bad temper. Good reason for it actually:

A. It had been in a trap all night.

B. It had been rained on for several miserable hours before Ali came along to see if the bait was still there and still unreachable.

Unhappy stinky dog. I finally let her in about 6 pm, 12 hrs after she got sprayed. And only then because she could not have gotten it full force. And Gerry and I washed her with dog shampoo. But, like a hangover, only time really works.

Yes I know - tomato juice DOES NOT work. Internet recipe for peroxide, baking soda and dish soap sounded good but she is not too bad - wait and see tomorrow.

Forewarned, Gerry took a feed bag with him when he went to get the trap. It sprayed but he held the bag in front of him and he said the spray ran off the bag. Amazing! So no getting the trap. Get the gun.

If only the darn skunks would quit pooping in Gerry`s newly cleaned out shed (actually not JUST pooping - great big piles of it right where he can`t miss it. Like a challenge almost! and digging futile holes trying to get into the chicken coop, we could all live happily ever after. Usually I live release them down the road but I wasn't about to give this grumpy bugger a 3rd chance.

About 60 feet now from the dock to the grass. A few weeks of warm weather makes a huge difference in the lake level! As do the periodic heavy rain showers . We pushed the docks out last week and then had a day of rain. Almost had to pull them back in. Crazy!

Raining today off and on but still warm enough. Cool at night, fire in the morning and then nice all day. Usual nice Sept weather. No bugs. Lots of fish. Great weather. Guess if I want to convince you to come in September I should take a less direct approach. I sound a wee bit obvious.

Gerry drove Ryan back to school today - grade 11 (junior) this yr. It appears that he is enjoying it although all I`ve heard so far is that he and Hunter (from Cobb Bay Camp) were a team collecting grasshoppers and they filled their container 3 times. The insects are then frozen, heads, legs, etc are removed and they are boiled and eaten. The same kid who says he`s moving if I cook kidneys in the house again is looking forward to eating boiled grasshoppers.

SEPT 4, 2008

Kevin Brandenberg had barely dropped his line in the water off shorelunch island today when he nailed a 25 inch walleye. There was about 40 feet of water where they were but Kevin figured the fish was not even 10 feet down. Black jig and a minnow. Apparently all he's used for 3 yrs. I have had other guests bugging me to stock dark and muddy brown jigs as well. You would think that in water as stained as Press a dark jig would be useless. Wrong obviously

IMPORTANT: Send photos. I need a calendar pic. Gerry and Ryan have a photo idea but in case that doesn't pan out I need alternatives. I do want to get the calendar out early this year so that I can advertise cancellations before Feb. I know you've heard this before but I promise to try harder this year. Although I'm not sure what our family would do Christmas Day if we weren't stuffing envelopes!
Sept 3, 2008

Labour Day weekend was blistering hot. This morning people lit the wood stove and dug out the warm clothes. Nice now though. Sunny but still a bit cool.

Except for 3 guys who are from Ga, Mn and Ks, everyone in camp this week is from Iowa. Cabin 1 and 2 guys are from Iowa Falls and did not know each other til they got talking next door. Small world!
Sept 1, 2008

The water level is dropping fast. Lots of beach now.

Forecast is for rain all the rest of this week but we have just had 3 weeks of summer and that has dropped the water. It has been over 90 degrees Sunday and today. Gotta love it!

Daryl Hall took his big boat with 200 hp Merc into Hughes yesterday. Had to use the trolling motor to get through the chute but made it fine. Said fishing was fantastic! Went back today and got 2 walleye. That's fishing!!

In the same group, Hummer caught a 27 inch walleye he is going to get mounted. Not sure where he caught it but it's a nice fish.

Henrich's group went to Hut yesterday (they have a smaller boat so I'm not sure how the level is for bigger rigs). One fellow in their group told Gerry he has been coming to Canada for 15 yrs and that was the best day's fishing he's ever had. And last week you couldn't buy a fish in Hut!

We had only about 2 dozen ducks this summer. Can only figure that the cold, wet weather interfered with hatching. They don't nest by the water as a rule so levels should not affect them. It does affect loons but we had lots of baby loons seen this year while here we had only one brood of blacks and one of mallards.

HOWEVER, the Michelin guide for wandering waterfowl obviously lists Press Lake Camp as THE place to get cracked corn on your way south. Every year around mid-August our duck numbers double and/or triple. I went through 3 large bags of corn in one week. By law I have to quit feeding at the end of August so I now have a lot of very upset ducks. Tough love!

You will not need a passport til 2009 unless travelling by air. You will need photo ID and a birth certificate to cross the border by vehicle.

2008 Fishing Licence Prices

IN CANADIAN DOLLARS AND AMERICAN DOLLARS (PAR)

Non-resident:

Seasonal licence $65.77

Seasonal Conservation $40.26

8 day licence $42.22

8 day Conservation $24.55

The limit on a regular licence is 4 walleye, northern pike and bass and 2 lake trout. A Conservation licence allows you 2 walleye, northern pike and bass and one lake trout.

NOTE OF INTEREST MAYBE

It IS illegal to fillet your fish on the lake and transport them back to camp. They must be kept whole so that they can be measured. In case you're wondering, there are a couple of ways to measure fillets and determine total length but the entire fish is the easiest (especially on the water).

Don't complain. The letter of the law interpretation would force you to take your fish home whole or gutted and gilled. No fillets on the water is a great compromise.

June 25th

Nothing but northern biting in Hut today but lots of walleye caught in Press. Dark coloured jigs are working well and the fish tend to be in shallow water (4 - 8 feet). Minnows are good. If you are incapable of taking care of minnows and tend to drag the bucket beside your boat (no names mentioned), try leeches or worms. They do stay on the hook better and usually live longer. We use nothing but minnows - that's the main reason they are the only bait we sell. Other reason: most people bring their own crawlers and leeches. If we sell them AND minnows, our death rate is higher than downtown Chicago. Plus, our chickens can eat only so many leeches. We're getting so many given to us, Gerry is now throwing them on the ground by the lake and then strewing cracked corn over top of them. For some reason the ducks won't eat them plain but with a dusting of corn they're gone!

Which reminds me - we have eggs. $3 per dozen. As I recall American grocery store prices though, you can probably get them for $1/doz.

Johnny G took our little motor into our portage lake (Rush) and they had a lot of fun with walleye. Also hooked what was probably a monster pike. Didn't see it but it snapped fire line!

Water is dropping but almost no beach at camp yet. John, who is coming into cabin 5 on Saturday and bringing a truckload of kids, is going to kill me. But what's wrong with the horseshoe pits? Could be a bit dodgy (heehee) if a game is in play but it IS sand.

The consistently cool and wet weather is keeping all the anglers happy. When the sun does shine (making ME happy) the fish quit biting. Sigh.

Gotta say though that this has been a great year. The high water makes it easy to get where you want to go and it seems the fish are anxious to be caught. No reports of hitting rocks this year although, of course, there are always submerged rocks and you always have to be careful.

The grader: It will be back from Graham tomorrow and will then be used to grade the shoulders on Hwy 599. They will leave it in Valora on Friday and, with any luck, Art will be available to run it and we will get the road graded sometime next week. But - anyone coming up this weekend will still have a slow trip. Sorry!!!!!!! The rain has been our biggest problem but tell that to Iowa. I'm not complaining.

Ice cream. Big seller!! Amazing!

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Press Lake Camp
Box 1077, Ignace ON, P0T 1T0
Email: press@lincsat.com
Phone: 807-934-6911 (summer)
Phone: 807-934-2607 (winter)

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