Loon Haunt Outposts---2006 newsletter---Tremelo

Our season came to a close at the end of September when the cabins were all cleaned, painted and winterized and the boats all stored away till spring. At this time we enjoy sharing some of the highlights of our year in review and keeping you up to date on what’s new and what next year might bring.

Our 29^th season simply flew by! We think this is partly because we seem to stay busy and also we definitely think time speeds up as we age. For those of you who couldn’t make your annual trip to Loon Haunt this year – you missed the best summer ever. The very hot weather experienced by much of the

U.S.

did not extend this far north into

Canada

. Even when the thermometer indicated very warm weather, it didn’t feel like it as we could always count on cooling breezes to make things pleasant.

There must be something to this global warming idea too. For the second year in a row, we experienced a record ice-out. The ice was gone by April 21^st at most locations making for unhurried outpost openings. As usual we were able to ready the Monroe and Unnamed outposts first and then flew to Goose Lake for the season. Our friend, Dave Knox, could not make it this year but we really appreciate all the help given by Bernie Tanski and Bill McEwen. Taking time out from their fishing, they were a BIG help in getting things ready for the first fishermen at Goose Lake. The outposts at Cherrington, Poirier and Whitelaw were whipped into shape next and we were ready for the spring fishermen.

A few days of unseasonable hot weather right at the start of the season in May brought a hatch of wicked biting flies like we have never seen before. They covered the fishermen and the boats making things unpleasant to say the least. Thankfully, as suddenly as they arrived, they also departed. We were grateful because we were starting to wonder what other surprises to expect from Mother Nature. All in all however, this year had fewer bugs to contend with because of the drier weather.

Goose Lake peaked very early in the season on June 4^th and we did not receive any meaningful precipitation all summer. Consequently, lake levels were low everywhere. It was particularly windy throughout the summer with just enough rainfall to hamper any forest fires from starting. Only later in September did the fires start with a vengeance but luckily none of our outposts were threatened. While we were flying back to camp after shutting down the Monroe outpost, we observed a string of 5 good sized fires burning well to the north of Goose Lake. Some of our September fishermen did experience several days of thick smoke while on the lake.

Fishing was superb this summer with great numbers caught once again. Although there were plenty of bragging board entries, the large walleyes and northerns did not give themselves up as easily as they did in 2003 and 2004. This pattern was consistent at all locations and at other resorts as well.

One rewarding event that happened this summer was the completion of the new fish house. Bill had finished building it just before we left in the fall of 2005 and I had done my job of staining and painting the outside. Left to do on the inside was the construction of shelving, plumbing, wiring, varnishing and moving the ice machine over from the old location. Between the new service building and the new fish house, we are thrilled with all the space we now have. In late July Bill saw the perfect opportunity he needed to dismantle the old fish house. Along with 3 helpers from Pikangikum, 4 days was all the time he needed to level it. In the end he did not save the old logs so guests WILL be burning the nicest firewood they’ve ever seen in 2007! One of next year’s projects will be to build a large new deck and service area where the old fish house sat.

Quite early this summer, we saw indicators that the wild rice crop looked very promising. The plants were extremely plentiful and at an advanced stage early in the season and we were cautiously optimistic of a good crop. The first week in September, along with the help of my nephew and his wife (Lance and Loreto Drechsler), we began picking. With their assistance, the bulk of the 6300 pounds we were able to pick, was done during their stay. Then a run of rainy and windy weather set in and shut us down for over a week. Coupled with the desire to harvest the rice before it fell off was the need to shut down outposts before really cold weather set in and froze the water lines. In the end, the outposts had priority and we simply ran out of good picking weather. (Our rice picker has a 20 foot speed head and wind conditions play a critical role in whether Bill can operate or not. It has to be almost dead calm for Bill to be able to maneuver the picker through the rice field.) Many geese and ducks happily enjoyed the fact that Bill did not resume picking and they had the rice field all to themselves!

Our daughter, Kari, helped us with the shutdown and all of the fall chores and it was wonderful to have her assistance for 3 weeks. We have never had help in the fall
before and we liked it enough to make it a permanent thing. We discussed looking for a younger couple to help us in 2007 for our 30^th season, so don’t be surprised to see new faces at camp next spring. Tired but satisfied with our accomplishments, we flew home through snow showers on the 27^th of September.

· Finished moving everything from the old service building and fish house to the new buildings

· This year there were many, many wildlife sightings at all locations. Clint and Gale Mote saw a moose on the beach at Poirier Lake. Bill spied a lynx on the point right next to the camp at Goose Lake. Brad Hamilton and Brandon Whitted also saw a lynx. Otters were seen by Bob Christiansen’s group, Lon Bernth’s crew, Scott Bittner and Harold Strever. Some of the Mike Forgey crew saw several moose during their stay. The Troy Kruse party also saw moose. Bud Stocks and Elmer Trueblood saw a caribou at Goose. We had our own resident caribou cow that wandered through the camp at Goose Lake on 3 different occasions and was seen by many people: members of Bruce Bertzyk’s group, most of Ken Dawson’s large group and by Louise. At Goose Lake, a lone beaver or sometimes a pair of beavers daily swam by the camp and enabled many people to see them. A special treat occurred when the pair brought along their kit and we were able to see the mother carrying the little one in her mouth. She sometimes came ashore to drop the kit and take a rest before picking it up again and resuming her swim. I once watched this show and was surprised by the vocalizing that went on between the 3 beavers. This I had never witnessed before.

· Bud Stocks, Elmer Trueblood and Leo Steffen reported great June fishing in just 3 feet of water at Goose Lake.

· Russell Saueressig, not a novice northern fisherman, reported hearing a strange sound while at Poirier Lake. He heard his reel really “sing” like it had never had before. He had latched on to a huge northern near the flow-out location but did not even get a glimpse of the monster before it snapped the line!

· Thanks to Bud Stocks for mailing Dave Keller’s forgotten rod tube back to him. Our thanks to Don and Lynn Pieper as well for mailing a misplaced pair of glasses to Ashley Beck.

· A couple of our groups found out that it is advisable to bring along 2 depth finders, 1 to use and 1 to throw in the lake!

· We witnessed many father and son groups this year. Some trips were graduation gifts. For us it was nice to see the introduction of young people to the sport of fishing and who better to be the teacher than dad?

· We’d like to thank the guys in Bruce Bertzyk’s group who carried the old catamaran to the burn pile. We really appreciate your help!

· Harold Kruse caught his largest fish to date at Goose Lake this year, a nice 29 1/8 inch walleye. He figured his name was definitely on the traveling trophy his family group brings up each year until his daughter Debbie Hager caught a 29 5/8 inch walleye a mere 3 hours later!

· At Goose Lake we installed Vonage phone in early June and wireless internet along with it. Now guests can bring along their laptops and keep in touch with home or the office if they wish. The free Vonage phone system was very well received by our guests.

· Three times this season at Goose Lake, guests caught nice northerns that were not even hooked. Steve Schlack was reeling in a small walleye when a 32 inch northern latched on to it and wouldn’t let go. He was able to net both at one time!! Later in the season, Herb Nadelhoffer had a small walleye on a stringer and a 32 inch northern latched onto it and he was able to lift the stringer complete with northern into the boat!! In late August, Ken Dawson and Monty Watson were netting a walleye when a nice 32 inch northern followed it into the net!

· Thanks to Ron Grell for interrupting his fishing to give Bill a hand with fixing the dock at Poirier.

· Mark Dilts was fishing Nechigona Lake and threw a marker out when viewing his depth finder indicated a good spot. His intention was to return to it later in the day but continued on to another place. Team mate Ed Reutebuch cruised by a little while later, saw the marker and decided to cast over. Not long after he caught a 28 ½ inch walleye – hey thanks Mark!!

· How many guys does it take to catch a nice northern? 5 - if you’re from the Mark Dilts crew! Joe Dilts baited the hook with a minnow, set the bobber and threw the line into the lake. When nothing happened in awhile, Joe pulled the line in to change the location. A big northern followed the minnow up to the surface and made a pass at it. Charlie Dilts threw the line back in to a new location. The northern hit the minnow and Joe set the hook but snapped the line above the bobber in the process. He tried to grab the line but missed. Brennan Dilts made a valiant attempt to grab the line as well but had no luck. Ed Reutebuch, in a nearby boat, heard the commotion and zoomed over and grabbed the line. Will Dilts netted it – a nice 36 inch northern that they all took credit for!!

· Thanks Ethan and Eron Gresham for helping unload a plane load of beer. By the way Eron, your lost fishing rod was snagged by my cousin Tony Baliant and is at camp waiting for you to claim it.

· Thank you to Bill McCollough’s foursome and Terry Cummings for their help in unloading another stack of beer at Goose Lake.

· This season Ashley Beck traveled the furthest to fish, all the way from

Guatemala

to Goose Lake.

· The Ministry of Natural Resources sent a group of 5 people to Goose Lake to look for caribou calving areas. They determined that while we definitely have caribou in the area, the population is not large.

· The Canada Jays, or whiskey jacks as they are most often referred to, made their appearance a full month early at Goose Lake, arriving on August 5^th. These are the grey and black birds that are very tame and will eat out of your hand. They entertained our guests until late September with their antics and ate a lot of free grub in the meantime.

· Once again we have to thank Ken Smithson and his guys for their help in unloading lumber. This has gone on for years now with Ken’s crew handling the building materials for most of the new buildings. We do appreciate all the help!

· Not only can they handle lumber, they can also bake a cake! Thanks for the birthday cake made by baker Tom Steepy and for the accompanying homemade ice cream made by Ken Smithson. You are the greatest!

· Thanks to Brian Doubek for his help in moving the dock out to deeper water at Poirier. Poirier Lake had the lowest water level we have seen to date.

· Mike Austin and Mark Schnorenberg took time away from fishing to help Bill with firewood at Poirier Lake and we sure appreciate it.

· A big thank you to the Visker party for helping load the Otter with wild rice. We also want to thank Scott Bittner and Harold Strever for their assistance as well.

· We appreciate all the help given by our guests with loading and unloading propane cylinders, gas drums and firewood.

· We have now adopted a new word coined by Scott Bittner and Harold Strever. “Dayburners” are unsplit logs that are used to extend burning times in the wood burning stoves.

· John and Bethany Harrelson found fishing particularly tough at Poirier one week in September with cold fronts, rain and wind lasting for days. They took an exploration trip to the flow-in and found fish trapped in several shallow pools there. What alerted them to the presence of the fish were opportunistic mink and eagles hovering nearby. John was able to catch a sucker fish by hand!

· There were some mystery fish caught this summer. While fishing on Nechigona Lake this summer with my cousins Paul Horban and Tony Baliant and Paul’s friend Larry Preweda, one of us caught a fish that coughed up a sizeable minnow unlike any we had seen before. I was sure it was a small sturgeon as the head had a snout very much like a sturgeon. After examination by the local Ministry of Natural Resources, it turns out the fish was a long nosed dace, a bait fish that only grows to be 6 inches long. John Harrelson claims to have caught and released a blue catfish at Poirier. He did not take any pictures. Has anyone else caught anything strange looking?

· My flower gardens looked sensational this year but I missed my groundhog friend “Chuck”. He must have died of old age and I do miss chasing him out of the flower gardens.

· Everyone enjoyed using the new fish house this summer. The new fillet table was a big hit!

· Mike Hubbard generously shared coffee, Vidalia onions, corn, tomatoes and candy with us. Thanks Mike!

· We have many to thank for their acts of kindness – Bud Renkoski for baking us a strawberry/rhubarb pie, the Lon Bernth crew for once again sharing their dinner with us and for the Sudoku book of puzzles, John Schommer for the beverage holders and Ken Winters for the shirt for Bill. We always look forward to the garden veggies brought by Howard Eads, Terry and Brenda Cummings, Ken Smithson and Sherm Sweeney. Stan and Amy Kosiewicz brought us special dips and jam from New Mexico. Mike Forgey’s group brought us a bottle of rhubarb wine that we are saving for a special occasion. Todd Anderson brought along special Wisconsin cheese as did Jeff Dewane. Jeff also brought along very special bacon from Wisconsin. Brian and Betsy Doubek donated candy, nuts and some knives for Bill – many thanks!

Thank you for taking the time to enter your catch on the bragging boards. We enjoy reading about your success and often feel we were in the boat with you! We can imagine the thrill of catching these fish and the satisfied feeling of releasing them so they can swim away unharmed

Name	Date	Species	Length
Mike Keller	May	Walleye	22.5
Mike Keller	May	Northern	30
Josh Mocek	May	Walleye	22.5
Josh Mocek	May	Northern	30
Mike Certo	May	Walleye	21
Mike Certo	May	Northern	31
Dave Keller	May	Northern	28.5
Dave Keller	May	Walleye	25
Jon Salmon	May	Walleye	25
Jon Salmon	May	Northern	24
Bill Keller	May	Northern	37
Bill Keller	May	Walleye	21
Larry Krahn	June	Walleye	28
Kevin Schwartz	June	Walleye	24, 27
Sean Mullen	June	Northern	29
Gerald Wilson	June	Walleye	25
Gerald Wilson	June	Northern	30
Wayne Wilson	June	Walleye	22.5
Derek Wilson	June	Walleye	18-22(numerous)
Bud Stocks/Elmer Trueblood	June	Walleye	18-22(boatload)
Scott Kruse	June	Walleye	26.25
Randy Burns	June	Walleye	24.5
Bill Schuneman	June	Walleye	24, 26.5
Randy Burns	June	Northern	33
Harold Kruse	June	Walleye	29.13
Isaac Kruse	June	Walleye	27.5
Scott Kruse	June	Walleye	26.75
Debbie Hager	June	Walleye	29.6
Barry Hager	June	Walleye	25
Mike Kruse	June	Walleye	24.75(2)
Barry Kruse	June	Walleye	24.25(2), 27.5
John Kastner	June	Walleye	24(3), 25
Tim Stahman	June	Walleye	26.4
Tim Stahman	June	Northern	30.25
Ryan Stahman	June	Northern	30
Barry Kruse	June	Northern	32.5, 33.5
Michael Kruse	June	Northern	33.5
Harold Kruse	June	Northern	33.5
Joe Dilts	June	Walleye	23, 26.5
Doug Karr	June	Walleye	24
Mark Dilts	June	Walleye	24.5, 25.5(2)
Steve Schlack	June	Northern	32
Ed Reutebuch	June	Walleye	28.5
Ed Reutebuch	June	Northern	34
Charlie, Joe, Willy, Ed, Brennan	June	Northern	36
Willy Dilts	June	Northern	33
Merritt Dilts	June	Northern	32.5
Schlack party	June	Walleye	3000+(week)
Dave Messmann	June	Walleye	23.25, 25.25
John Schlack	June	Walleye	24
John Schommer	June	Walleye	24
Eron Gresham	June	Walleye	26.5
Nick Novak	June	Walleye	23.75
Ron Bernth	June	Walleye	23
Clark Nelson	June	Northern	30
Patty Meyers	July	Northern	27
Val Meyers	July	Walleye	23
Wesley Meyers	July	Walleye	19
Ashley Beck	July	Walleye	21.5
Marlene Meyers	July	Walleye	21.5, 23
Alaina Beck	July	Walleye	20.5
Ralph Blankenburg	July	Northern	34.5, 35
Dave Nevalainen	July	Northern	30
Jordan Lutz	July	Northern	33, 36
Scott Reel Jr.	July	Walleye	21
Scott Reel Sr.	July	Walleye	23, 24
Scott Reel Sr.	July	Northern	32
Scott Reel Jr.	July	Northern	32
Curt Fleming	July	Walleye	25.5
Grant Fleming	July	Northern	33
Rick Souler	July	Walleye	27
Mac McCollough	July	Northern	30
Bill McCollough	July	Walleye	23
Ray Morrissette	July	Walleye	24
Jeff Klein	July	Walleye	27.5
Les Salley	July	Walleye	23
Terry Cummings	July	Northern	30
Brenda Cummings	July	Northern	27
Lynn Vorbrich	August	Walleye	21
Pete Berrie	August	Northern	26
Andy Vorbrich	August	Perch	10
Herb Nadelhoffer	August	Northern	32
Brad Wessel	August	Northern	36
Jason Harrison	August	Walleye	26
Dennis Krohe	August	Northern	33, 34
Doc Washa	August	Walleye	27
Carole Washa	August	Northern	30
Nicholas Bell	August	Perch	11
Doug Bell	August	Northern	35
Larry Preweda	August	Walleye	21
Carley Washa	August	Northern	27
Don Seaton	August	Northern	33
Ken Dawson	August	Northern	30, 34.5
Ken Dawson/Monty Watson	August	Northern/Walleye	32
Tom Steepy	August	Walleye	24
Roger Hutchinson	August	Northern	34
Ken Smithson	August	Walleye	23
Roger Hutchinson	August	Walleye	24, 26
Dan Gudeman	August	Walleye	29.5
Kristi Gudeman	August	Walleye	22
Carolyn Gudeman	August	Walleye	26
Brandon Whitted	August	Northern	33
Lawrence Montoya	August	Northern	30.5, 37
Ryan Copley	August	Walleye	24.5
Ryan Copley	August	Walleye	111 in one day
Lynn Vorbrich	September	Walleye	22.5
Lee Visker	September	Walleye	24.25
Mike Bradford	September	Walleye	24
Kyle Visker	September	Walleye	22
Scott Stouffer	September	Whitefish	5 pounds
Scott Stouffer	September	Northern	28

Name	Date	Species	Length
Jonathan Murphy	June	Northern	44
Jacob Murphy	June	Walleye	24, 25
Charlie Peigler	July	Northern	42
Charlie Peigler