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LOOKING BACK ON THE SUMMER OF 2009

Spring was slow to arrive this year and we waited impatiently for the ice to melt in late April and early May.  Finally on May 11^th there was just enough open water on Howey Bay for Bill to take off and land at our dock in town.  (Our airplane spends the winter on the shore of Howey Bay, across from Green Airways)  The following day it was off to Unnamed Lake to ready it for Matt Crabb’s group.  On May 13th the rest of the ice went out of Howey Bay but the weather turned cold and snow was forecast for opening weekend.  The forecast turned out to be accurate with an accumulation 10 to 12 inches of heavy, wet snow.  Matt’s crew took it in stride as they have experienced all sorts of weather in their many years of fishing Unnamed Lake early in the season.  No fishing trip is ever the same as the one before it or the one to follow.  They found the walleye fishing to be slower than usual but the northerns were actively feeding.

Goose Lake was our next destination.  We found the lake level high but no other surprises.  Over the following week we visited all the other outposts to open them for the season.  Spring rains kept raising the water level and by the time Dave Schlack’s group arrived at Goose Lake the dock was well underwater.  The water level didn’t quite reach the previous high set in 2004 but it certainly dealt us some problems.  The portage to Nechigona Lake was now a tributary of the river so we had to find higher ground.  The boat ramp was surrounded by “beaver sticks” and other floating debris and we were grateful Dave’s group volunteered to help pull boats out of the bush, flip them over and attach the motors.  It was much appreciated, we just couldn’t have done it without their help.  Walleye fishing was tough early this spring and fishermen found they weren’t in their usual spots.  Ken Kehlenbrink and his guys tried all the usual places with no luck and then finally located them in a brand new spot never fished before.  This was the refrain we heard all season – “the fishing is different this year.”  Although large northerns were caught at all locations, it was not in the usual numbers.  Some of our seasoned northern fishermen didn’t even get on the bragging boards and we know they fished their usual hot spots hard.  Walleye fishing on Goose Lake was very good with the upper river being consistent throughout the summer.  The walleyes stayed in the river but moved around and the fishermen who experimented with different locations and different presentations were rewarded for their efforts.

One of the good things about high water is being able to travel to usually inaccessible places.  At Goose Lake there is another set of rapids way up North Bay.  Several groups made the journey and got to do some exploring and fishing in very remote spots.  

Mother Nature reminded us over the summer that we have no control over the weather or insects.  Generally we saw a lot of rain, wind and cooler temperatures and we were thankful for good supplies of firewood.  The mosquitoes and black flies had a banner year.  This year we saw some weather systems that tried everyone’s patience and tested character as well.  At the end of June the bad weather shut down flying and many of our guests were inconvenienced for a couple of days.  People were stuck in the bush waiting to get out while others were stuck in town waiting to get to their locations and start fishing.  We got to know the NWA ticket agents by name over those few days!  We were thankful to those guests who made the best of a bad situation.

Even though the summer was quite cool and wet, enough dry conditions started a big forest fire near Whitelaw Lake this year. It made an interesting trip for the Lindemulder party as they witnessed a lot of water bomber and helicopter activity.  So much for the peaceful north!  In July the rains started once again and fires were no longer a problem.  Now the problem was too much rain.  The rains fell in early August and the water level continued to rise.  Goose Lake peaked on August 16^th with the highest water we have ever seen in our 31 years here.  It was worth the trip to Woman Falls to behold the volume of water cascading over it.  Fishing at Nechigona Lake presented its own challenges as the portage was once again unusable.  Bill cut a new portage twice so fishermen could use the boats on Nechigona.  Luckily for us we did not have any damage because of the high water and everything still worked.  We were only inconvenienced by wearing rubber boots for weeks.  Bill had barrels of gas and propane cylinders holding the dock down.  It was a happy day when we finally were able to wear shoes again and the dock reappeared in early September. 

The fluctuating water levels totally drowned out the wild rice crop and was a big disappointment for us as we had relatives and other workers all lined up to help pick.  Our feathered friends went unfed this year and we noticed fewer geese and ducks flying overhead than in past years.  However, on September 3^rd,  there were huge flocks of geese and cranes flying overhead – the largest we witnessed this month.

Summer weather unexpectedly arrived in September and we enjoyed weeks of warm, dry conditions.  We were able to shut down outposts in lovely weather, do a lot of painting and staining and cut piles of firewood for next year.  When we left camp on September 27^th the flowers were still blooming.

Woman Falls mid August 09

LOUISE’S CHATTER

-  We, like others in the resort business, were apprehensive about the 2009 fishing season because of all the bad economic news constantly in the media.  Our worst fears were realized and the economy played a huge factor in keeping many of our regular guests from taking their annual fishing vacation.  We sincerely thank those guests who fished with us this year.  We appreciate your business.

-  Another issue we thought might keep people home was the need for passports this year, however this turned out not to be the stumbling block we thought it would be.  We heard some good “passport stories” from our guests though.

-  Joe Doyle reported having the best hour of fishing in his life at Goose Lake in June.  He caught 2 20”, 22”, 23”, 24”, 25” and 28” walleyes in one hour at the “honey hole”.

-  Barry Kruse was surprised by the appearance of a fisher in a tree behind the cabin at Unnamed Lake.  The startled fisher  hissed at him as he walked by.  (A fisher is a flesh eating member of the marten family – like a weasel, only larger.)

-  Breathing machines are not as rare as they once were.  This year we saw them used 3 weeks in a row at Goose Lake.

-  This year we experienced the biggest pollen buildup we have ever seen.  The shores of the lakes resembled pea soup and the waves washed the pollen up on shore to dry.  It was easily a quarter of an inch thick under the boat ramps.

-  Tim Stahman’s group of 4 fishermen reported catching 18 walleyes over 24 inches at Unnamed Lake this June.

-  Tom and John Butcher had more fun than most fishermen.  They headed out fishing at 10 p.m. in June at Poirier Lake.  At the inflow they caught lots of nice walleyes on the surface using buzz baits.  The best part was looking into the water as the fish came to the boats.  Tom and John were wearing LED lights on their hats and were able to observe several walleyes accompanying the hooked walleye coming to the surface.  Cool eh?

-  Thanks to Ronell Carr for getting her line tangled in the propeller at Nechigona Lake.  While husband Brant was untangling the line they drifted against some weeds.  The other 2 accompanying boats of fishermen sidled alongside to wait for Brant to finish his job and threw their lines in while they waited.  Much to their surprise the walleyes were just stacked there in 3 to 6 feet of water and they reported catching a lot of really nice fish.

-  Joe Kellar caught a 27 inch walleye in South Bay on Goose Lake and was first on the Bragging Board for his group.  A few days later he proceeded to best this record with a 30 inch walleye, caught at the same place.  The fishing hole is now known as Joe’s Island and many nice fish were caught there by his group and others over the summer.

-  At Monroe Lake, walleye fishing was great off the dock for the Bud Scott group.  They just set up their chairs and proceeded to catch many nice fish up to 24 inches!

-  Warren Douglas, a long time Monroe fisherman, hadn’t been back to fish his favorite lake in a few years.  Warren showed he hadn’t lost his touch and chaulked up an impressive 463 walleyes during his week long stay.  He did mention that the fish were not in their usual spots and he had to find them.

-  Fishermen spent a lot of time at the 10 foot hole at Goose Lake with outstanding results.  Walleye fishing was superb there and several large northerns provided entertainment with unexpected appearances.   Sarah Wirtz was reeling in a walleye when a large northern grabbed it and swam away.  The northern let go of the walleye when she tried to reel them both in.  Fred and Shirley Brown had a big northern (probably the same one), hooked a few times as well.  Finally Lynn Eberlin hooked the northern and was able to land it.  It measured 36 inches and was returned to the lake to grow and provide excitement for next year’s guests.

-  The Mark Dilts foursome should be giving fishing lessons.  They caught and released an impressive 56 walleyes 24 inches and over.  Most of the action happened at the “honey hole” in Goose Lake.

-  This year good rain suits were a must.  Some guests wore rain suits for their entire stay.

-  I like to observe nature and this summer noticed birds I had never seen at Goose Lake before.  I was pleased to see and identify a pair of Blackburnian Warblers and a pair of Scarlet Tanagers.  This year our robins did not leave for the summer as they usually do.  Instead we viewed them all summer long.  They finally disappeared for a few weeks in late August only to reappear in mid September when they were present in larger numbers.  They seemed to be in a feeding frenzy, fattening up for their fall migration.  Right on schedule, the Canada Jays (also known as Whiskey Jacks and Grey Jays) showed up in September to entertain fall fishermen by feeding from their hands.

-  Big walleye of the year measured a hefty 31.5 inches and was caught and released by Jonathan Holets on Whitelaw Lake.  Whitelaw is our “numbers lake” so it was a pleasant surprise to see this catch.

-  Joe Schobert caught and released an impressive 44+ inch northern at Cherrington Lake this year.

-  In September Jared Visker’s fish locator accidentally fell into the lake.  After dragging the bottom for awhile, fishing partner Mike Bradford snagged it in 15 to 20 feet of water and brought it to the surface.  Jared announced it was still running!

-  When Bill picks up reef markers in the fall he finds a real variety of lures and jigs tangled in the buoy anchor ropes.  We are dye hard jig fishermen and are amazed at all these different methods used must catch fish. 

-  We were the recipients of many treats and shared meals over the summer and we want to thank everyone for thinking of us and bringing along specialty items from their part of the country.  Our guests are very “hands on” and are not adverse to helping out.  Raymond Hardy, Dan Dunlop and Gene Theisen’s group helped Bill get boats ready for fishermen.  The Frank party lent a hand with stacking firewood at Goose Lake.  We appreciate the help given by the Kehlenbrink and Brazier parties with unloading dock building materials and freight.  Thanks to Scott and Max Barnes for helping pull out the floating dock at Goose Lake so it could be dismantled.  The Leppert party arrived at Goose Lake in high winds and helped me secure the planes to the dock.  They also muscled empty drums and cylinders onto the departing airplanes.  Rodd Rosenthal’s group unloaded new mattresses and carried them up to the Cherrington cabin.  Joe and Nell Abramajtys got a workout helping Bill haul firewood at Poirier Lake.  The Fleming party cheerfully lent a hand with dock materials at Goose Lake.  Scott Schaefer, Brett Beede, and the Lindemulder crew helped with dock building materials at Whitelaw Lake.  The Holets party helped the pilot unload lumber for the new floating dock at Whitelaw Lake.

-  Wildlife sightings were plentiful at all locations.  Many Goose Lake fishermen were lucky enough to spot Moose with Rick Leppert’s crew seeing the most - a total of 5 during their stay.  Moose were also seen by members of the Schlack party, the Beede crew, the Johnson party, the Kehlenbrink guys and members of the Winters party.  There were also some Caribou sightings this year.  Not as plentiful as Moose are Woodland Caribou.  Members of Brian Wynn’s party saw 2 Caribou on Unnamed Lake this year.  At Cherrington Lake Skip Rambo’s guys spotted a Caribou cow and calf.  Paul Osborne snapped a couple of pictures of a swimming Caribou at Goose Lake.  Otter sightings at Goose Lake delighted our guests.  Bob and Laurie Pearson, Steve Robinson’s guys, Ken Dawson’s party, Scott and Jan Bittner and Brian Doubek all spotted Otters during their fishing trip.  Our resident Bald Eagles on Goose Lake entertained fishermen all summer long.  Bob Tarter’s party saw the most - a total of 7.  There was a Pine Marten at Goose Lake for a brief time and a few guests were lucky enough to see it.  It seemed to like hanging around under cabin 2.  The rarest animal was a Fisher seen “up close and personal” by Barry Kruse at Unnamed Lake.

2009 IMPROVEMENTS

-         New large deck at Monroe Lake

-         New floating docks at Whitelaw Lake and Goose Lake

-         Hinged ramp for the floating dock at Goose Lake

-         New water pump at Monroe Lake

-         The airplane was outfitted with a new interior

 PLANNED FOR 2010

-         Replace the large freezer with a new fridge at Cherrington Lake

-         Terrace the shoreline at Goose Lake to prevent further beach erosion.  This project had to be postponed in 2009 because of high water

-   New mattresses for Cherrington Lake

Please send in your picture to qualify for the 2010 draw.  We thank everyone who took the time to send us photos in 2009.

FREE TRIP DRAW

Warren Douglas is this year’s winner of a free fishing trip.  Congratulations Warren!

Warren is the good looking guy on the right.  No, Warren does not work for us. He is just one of those generous people who is happy to share his love of and knowledge about fishing at Monroe Lake.

THANK YOU

We sincerely thank you all for choosing our camp for your annual fishing holiday whether you are first time guests or have been with us for many seasons.  We know you have choices on where to spend your time and dollars and we are honored and pleased you chose us. We enjoy catching up with you every year and work with diligence to keep all equipment in top running condition for you.  

RESERVATIONS FOR 2010

We look forward to your return!  We enjoy renewing old friendships and making new ones.  Join us at Loon Haunt Outposts for a relaxing fishing adventure.  Please contact us to lock in your favourite week and your favourite location.

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 satisfaction of releasing them so they can swim away unharmed.  We noticed, however, that this year our guests were not as diligent in posting their catches as in past years.  A special thank you to those guests who did!

GOOSE LAKE
 

Max Barnes 25 inch Walleye

Max Barnes 37.5 inch Northern

Joe Doyle 28 inch Walleye

Joe Kellar 30 inch Walleye

Leppert crew shore lunch

MONROE LAKE

Scott Kruse with a nice Monroe Northern

Great fishing from the dock at Monroe

Scott family 42 inch Northern

CHERRINGTON LAKE 

J

Caribou cow and calf at Cherrington	Fishing by Moonlight at Cherrington
Calm water Lake Trout fishing	More Lake Trout
Tim Siehr with 43 inch Northern	The ZEE

UNNAMED LAKE
 

Cam Zimmer with a 28 inch Walleye	John Kastner 29 inch Walleye	Cam Zimmer 38.5 inch Northern
Matt Crabb 42 inch Northern	Don Graven 37.5 inch Northern	Rich Kastner 26 inch Walleye

WHITELAW LAKE
 

Lifting the big Walley from the landing net

A very pleased Jonathan Holets with 31.5 inch Walleye

POIRIER LAKE
 

Kathy Neider with a nice Poirier Lake Walleye	Ron Neider caught this Ling or Burbot at Poirier Lake
Nel Queen of the Eyes	Sunset at Poirier Lake

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