Eagle Lake Blog

ART of BURTON PENNER at the pavilion at Vermilion Bay towndock

2012-01-11T10:56:00.000-06:00

These are the selection of drawings by local artist Burton Penner. They celebrate the interesting history of the area including Giant Muskies from Eagle Lake.

Electric Beaver

2011-08-14T11:03:00.003-05:00

Just another reminder that we have moved most of our activity to our new site at http://www.electricbeaver.ca/ . Check it out!

gOOD Grip on A wALLEYE

2011-06-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

THIS A SLIGHTLY MORE AGGRESSIVE HOLDING POSITION FOR A Release Photo.
Sort of a like-a--football. This fish was caught on a homemade large jointed wooden crankbait!

2011-06-30T15:51:00.001-05:00

These are some of the interesting scenes on our June Trip at Vermilion Bay Lodge.

We travelled to the exotic and distant McGregor Lake.

The Walleye were golden and the pike were fun too!

It's worth the trip up the long and winding creek and back. Hey! a new and interesting painting has appeared over by the V-Bay town dock break wall.Portrait of Northern pike and it's close personal minnow dining companion.

Just a reminder........

2011-05-30T20:04:00.003-05:00

We have begun posting on our "alternate site".... http://www.electricbeaver.ca/ . Actually it is more than just an alternate location, it is THE location. While there may be new posts happening here, the bulk of new information is on the Electric Beaver. Be sure and check it out! While you are there sign up for the electronic newsletter........any new post will be sent to you automatically by email. Now that is progress.......don't miss out .......

Opening week 2011

2011-05-14T14:29:00.002-05:00

Well we are down to 1 week before the big 2011 opening day with the cold spring this year across the country one can only hope that the Canada 2011 opening day brings some more spring like conditions.

As I think back over the years and the different conditions we have had compared to this year I can only expect that this will be one GREAT opener.

Cold water equals shallow water lake trout and hungry shoreline walleyes.

Can't wait to arrive at VBL on Friday afternoon crack open a moosehead compliments of Gord I hope....

Look forward to meeting some new guests this year and GOOD LUCK to all the others that will be making the trek north of the border to VBL..

ice and snow in May?

2011-05-11T10:38:00.000-05:00

This is a photograph Gord sent me years ago, before the start of the blog for the lodge.
This was beautiful day in the month of May 2004!
The written comment on the back of the photo,
"Even the dog looks pissed off from seeing the snow."
I think this late spring snow caused great fishing throughout the year.
My wife Diane caught her largest bass and pike that year!

"Time on the Water".....Quote #18

2011-04-27T18:52:00.004-05:00

"This is different fishing. We've got deep-running lures on each of the three rods, and Rose is cruising along at a fairly good clip. Speed trolling is what they call it. He fishes the bars, the humps, the sharp dropoffs. And deep--never getting shallower than 15 feet and frequently in 30 to 60 feet of water. And he keeps doing it. And doing it. And still doing it. Hour after hour. I can hardly stand it. I want to say the hell with it and stand up and throw casts around. It doesn't matter where, anywhere, just to be doing something. Tassi nods off a couple of times. At one point I fall asleep...

That was the longest boat ride I've ever been on. Nine hours. Rose said he averages one musky for every 29 hours of trolling. For those who say trolling rapes a lake, I say it's not rape, it's attempted rape."

-Bill Gardner

Comments on the Electric Beaver....

2011-04-23T08:34:00.006-05:00

Here's an update on the Electric Beaver . While we still have a few glitches, it is now possible to make comments on postings similar to how it works on this (blogspot) site. Just click on the comment box and fire away! You can also have your image next to your post, as you do here, by going to this site.... http://www.gravatar.com/ where you can set one up.

Another good feature on the beaver site is the sign up box for an email newsletter. Basically that will notify you whenever a new post goes up. Check it out! This is worthwhile since anything posted over "there" does not show up here. I will be putting up an ice out update soon on the beaver site so stay tuned!

"Time on the Water".....Quote #17

2011-04-22T21:46:00.003-05:00

"Saw no muskies today...I think it's safe to say these last two days have been rather unproductive. Why? I've already heard some grumbling that it's been too sunny. Now just a minute here--two sunny days out of 20 is not too much sun, muskies or no muskies. Terry Tassi and others of his ilk say the sun makes musky fishing bad. Who are they trying to kid? Musky fishing was born bad."

-Bill Gardner

Launching a boat at VBL

2011-04-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

As opening day approaches, I am reminded of a favorite spring ritual. Observation of the idiots launching their boats for the first time of the year.

It's always quite entertaining and a bit frustrating. Some people just weren't meant to launch boats. So, if you bring your own boat up to VBL, rest assured that Gord has consulted with his canadian friends at the Red Green show and has come up with a solution. It's been a long winter in Vermilion Bay, and Gord has thought long and hard about how to use those extra rolls of duct tape out in the shed. He now has a boat launching device that will solve all of your problems. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9h3NqMokmg

new trophies for another exciting year of FISHING MADNESS

2011-04-21T12:12:00.002-05:00

These are a couple of interesting new designs for the Walleye Madness and the Muskie Madness weeks at Vermilion Bay Lodge this Summer.
Yes! Eventually there will be a summer.
The fish on the frame are carved from wood.
The paintings are acrylic.
They are ready to hang on the wall for the
lucky winner.
Hopefully the defenders of the walleye and muskie competitions will be worthy of such prizes!
www.charlesweissart.com

"Time on the Water".....Quote #16

2011-04-18T15:15:00.002-05:00

"One musky in two hours isn't fast enough action to please us so we head to Lake Tassi. As we work the weedbed where we saw the 30-pounder, Tassi insists on humming the music from Jaws. We don't see any action on the lake. The problem, Terry says, is that those big muskies don't feed that often. "You've just got to be here and be here and be here. You've got to be here even when you ain't here."

-Bill Gardner

Eagle Lake Ice-Out....Update #3

2011-04-15T12:10:00.002-05:00

Spring seems to be on "hold". Snow is in the forecast for tonight and the long range predictions are for below freezing night time temperatures for the next week. While we've lost a bunch of snow, things are tightening up.

The creek is still flowing but not with any real vigour.

I've noticed a lot of April ice out guesses this year. I even had someone predict yesterday as a possible date. Enthusiastic optimism? Delusional climatic confusion? Only time will tell....

"Time on the Water".....Quote #15

2011-04-14T21:20:00.002-05:00

"Tassi and I saw two muskies today and they saved us the trouble of taking them off the hook and putting them back into the water. I'll admit the Muskies, Inc. guys are great sportsman, releasing all those fish, but I believe I've gone them one better. I simply don't catch the fish in the first place. And some of those I haven't caught are damn big too."

-Bill Gardner

Eagle Lake Ice Out.......Update #2

2011-04-12T21:52:00.002-05:00

A few more views from recent days.

The creek has busted loose up by the culvert.

Some recent rain has really knocked down some of the snow banks.

......and added even more water coming down the mighty Sucker Creek.......or as it is shown on my property deed......Grassy Creek. I think I prefer the latter.......

Eagle Lake Ice Out........Update #1

2011-04-09T15:50:00.004-05:00

Incremental changes are happening to the landscape, and to Vermilion Bay on Eagle Lake. It has been a long winter but things are turning around.

I decided to throw in a few shots of the creek and road culvert to help give you a sense of the "big melt". A bit of current beginning to show up as things heat up a bit.

A few days later and it is not looking a lot different.....or is it? Where is Waldo?

More current though........and less ice at the culvert. Hmmm.....?

A quick walk out to the Gull Rock reveals a healthy flock of gulls showing their displeasure at the hounds. I thought the ice seemed to be changing quite rapidly...

This photo shows the power of the April sunshine. This leaf was sunk down about six inches into the ice due to it's ability to attract solar energy. So, are you quietly shaking your head over your ice out guess? Predictions are for some substantial rain over this weekend.....still plenty of time to formulate a guess if you haven't already done so.

"Time on the Water".....Quote #14

2011-04-09T07:29:00.008-05:00

"Walking through the bookstore, I got this irresistible urge to reread The Old Man and the Sea. So I bought it.

As the book opens, the old man has gone 84 days without a fish. I know the feeling, buddy. I can identify with a long losing streak, all right. But it happens that the old man once had an even longer losing streak, 87 days. After that streak broke, he caught big ones every day for three weeks. That I can't identify with."

-Bill Gardner

Fishing without a license can land you in the big house

2011-04-08T18:12:00.002-05:00

This is a true story. Meet my cousin.... Jay did a very bad thing. Jay went fishing without a license and got busted. I haven't heard the details on that part of the story. Then he did something not so smart. He missed his court date. On March 30 he went to the 1st district court in Logan, Utah to pay the $220 to settle the case.

Now the scary part. The officer comes out and says, "You are wanted in Nevada for Meth trafficking, in fact, Mr. Patrick you are on the top ten most wanted list". The long story short? He spends two days in the big house while they figure out they have the wrong guy while trying to extradite him to Nevada.

As a newspaper reporter, I suspect Jay could make some hay reporting on this incident. Want the total scoop? Google: "Writer mistaken for meth dealer"

Here's the funny part. The professor and I are making plans for going fishing next week. Our licenses expired March 30, 2011. It never dawned on me until reading about this today that I needed to renew my license. So unless you look good in stripes and enjoy strip searches....get your 2011 license today!

Eagle Lake Blog vs. Electric Beaver....

2011-04-06T09:57:00.004-05:00

Over the past few months I have been trying to move the Eagle Lake Blog to a new level that will actually work better for letting folks know about Vermilion Bay Lodge, and Eagle Lake. So far my technical progression has been slow......I am somewhere on the left hand side of the monkey scale.

In order to do this a "new" site has been created...... http://www.electricbeaver.ca/ Why you may ask? They both look the same, don't they? Sort of....but not really. In the world of social media, google, facebook, etc ....things have changed. The new site allows for the potential to reach many more folk about the great things Vermilion Bay Lodge has to offer.......rather than just preaching to the converted (that's you, a VBL regular guest).

The Blogspot site is like a grumpy old man........charming, somewhat smelly, and stuck in a rut (hey, that kind of describes me?). So, just to put you on notice, you may find some changes happening here.......and you may find some interesting stuff over on the Electric Beaver site if you wander over there. My plan is to start doing more posts over there but still leaving a tie-in to this site. Be sure and check out www.electricbeaver.ca and let me know what you think.

"Time on the Water".....Quote #13

2011-04-04T11:47:00.003-05:00

"I know darned well that if all I wanted was a big fish on my wall I could have gone after sailfish and taken care of the matter in one weekend. Earlier this year I was watching one of Johnny Carson's guests...tell of the big sailfish he caught. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember thinking to myself, "This is fishing?".....

Let's say I did want a sailfish. I'd hire a guide with a big boat and let him cruise along with some baits dragging in the water while I sipped mint juleps and buried my head in Hemmingway's The Old Man and the Sea. I'd tell him to let me know when I caught one. Now let's say Johnny Carson wanted a 30-pound musky. He could come up here and hire a top guide, say Joe Bucher, for a few days. He'd probably hear a few good stories, get sunburned, rained on, windblown, a lot of sore muscles and maybe a couple of muskies. But no 30-pounder. He could have hired Bucher every day of the season so far and still wouldn't have taken a 30-pounder. He could have hired him every day of last season with no better luck."

-Bill Gardner

Eagle Lake Ice Out.....2011..."Guess the date!!!"

2011-04-03T14:22:00.005-05:00

Well, folks, it is time once again to start buffing up your crystal balls. Yes, that's right, put down your carrot and put on your thinking caps. To help you with your mission, I present a few images from the Vermilion Bay Lodge vault. First up, the April 2nd, 2010 image of Eagle Lake as seen from the lodge deck. Remember that this was an extremely early ice out year....April 14th to be exact. Congratulations to Chuck Weiss for nailing that one.

Second up, the image from a few days back of the same April 2nd date....only from 2011. Can you spot the difference? If you guessed that the flag was blowing in a different direction you are working on a different contest....but good use of detail!

Another shot from April 2nd, 2011......this time looking towards the lodge. All those nice cabins just waiting for guests to arrive on their annual Eagle Lake adventure!

Susanne and the hounds heading towards the little island by the lodge.....

It turned out to be a warm day and the result was some watery ice. Still a couple feet of solid ice according to my Jiffy ice auger.......and trucks are still driving on it.

Your Mission....should you be willing to accept it .... Be the first to guess correctly the date that Vermilion Bay on Eagle Lake is ice free and win a very nice Vermilion Bay Lodge fleece zippered hoodie (new this year, and to die for!). Submit your entry by clicking on Gord and I will make note of your guess. Remember....the first correct entry will win the prize and glory.....but before you rush and make a rash decision consider the following. Do you bide your time to be able to check my ice condition updates.....or do you throw caution to the wind to enter that "special date" before someone else? You only get one chance and the judge's decision is final. Anyone can enter, even those that are just lurkers on this site. My only stipulation is you must pick up your prize at VBL. Good luck and keep tuned for my ice update posts!

Electric Beaver.....The Hard Copy.

2011-04-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

I just received my own hard copy of the 2010 season of the Electric Beaver! 164 pages of rivetting, action packed reading.

When you are next at Vermilion Bay Lodge, be sure to browse through the archives of what took place in 2010.

Any idea who these 4 attractive looking fans of the Electric Beaver are? What are they looking at, and why are they hunched over? Maybe it's better to not know!

VBL Guest Profile #1..."The Round Island Boys"

2011-04-02T09:32:00.004-05:00

In this new series, "The Guests of Vermilion Bay Lodge", we will shine our spotlight on those folk who make the annual trek to Eagle Lake in NW Ontario. Who are they and what makes them tick? The "Round Island Boys" from Milwaukee, Wisconsin....an enigma wrapped in a shroud of mystery? A group of walleye anglers led by a leader driven by the need to catch as many fish, and drink as many beer, as possible? Let's view the details.......

Back row (left to right).....Arnie Novak.....known for catching geriatric walleye and landing the "big one" while fishing solo. Steve Blatter....has been seen trimming trees at the lodge around cabin #6 to allow for better monitoring of Round Island...a seasoned walleye veteran. Rob Hanel...don't let his sleepy demeanor fool you, his walleye catching prowess is second only to his ability to smoke cigars and consume Labatt's Blue. Front row (left to right)....Pat Mitchell...reluctant bottom bouncer and accidental muskie angler....knows his way to the beer fridge. Mike Mitchell...known for his ability to navigate Eagle Lake and, in particular, a route to Round Island in a fog. Also, passionately driven to try and pull the starter cords out of the camp motors.

Favourite time to fish Eagle Lake Ontario............end of August, Early September

Favourite cabin at Vermilion Bay Lodge...............cabin #6

Favourite activities........jigging for walleye, shorelunch, campfires, sitting on the deck by cabin #6, cigars, beer, fishing Eagle Lake, relaxing in the screened porch, harassing each other.

Favourite fishing hole........it might be Round Island??

"Time on the Water".....Quote #12

2011-04-01T07:59:00.002-05:00

"I was out there blissfully throwing bucktails over the weeds when my reverie was suddenly interrupted by someone yelling, "Help!" And then again "Help!" My god, I thought, someone's drowning out here. I looked around, trying to figure out where the cries were coming from. And, more desperate than before, another shout rang out across the water. "Help, I've got a big musky on!" Well, that really got me going. A guy drowning is one thing, but when someone needs help with a big musky--that's a real emergency."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".....Quote #11

2011-03-29T20:05:00.000-05:00

"Turned on the television for a few moments this morning and there was Willie Nelson talking to Rona Barrett, the Hollywood gossip queen. So this is what things have come to while I've been away fishing. The beautiful people have clasped ugly old Willie to their bosoms. To them he's real. He writes down-to-earth songs about life. All of a sudden, I had this tremendous urge to grab Willie by his ponytail and scream, "What do you know about life? You ain't ever fished for muskies!"

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".....Quote #10

2011-03-26T22:05:00.001-05:00

"Well, here I am in Reno, Nevada, one big-time gambler in a city of two-bit pikers. Look at all these people at the blackjack tables. You call that gambling? Blackjack is nearly a one-to-one proposition. Where are the guys who play the long shots? Who around here is betting 10,000-to-one odds? That's what I do each time I throw out a cast. And that's just for a keeper. Who knows what the odds are on a 30-pounder."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".......Quote #9

2011-03-21T09:13:00.003-05:00

"Back in California the earthquake experts like to say the "big one" gets a day closer with each passing day. I feel the same way about muskies. I'm a day closer to my big one than I was yesterday...There's a thin line between success and failure this season. One cast...A good season is 99,999 casts that don't yield the lunker and one cast that does. A bad season is the same, except for that one cast."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".....Quote #8

2011-03-21T08:59:00.004-05:00

"I took Musky Marsha out on Big Lake today, and we did't catch anything, but did have one of those experiences that makes musky fishing exciting. After a couple of hours of no action, suddenly there was a musky right behind my lure at the boat. He was good-sized, probably about 40 inches, and he showed no inclination to dart away so I kept my lure moving and he grabbed it. But before I could set the hook, he was in the air right by the boat and was off and gone in a flash. That's the thing about musky fishing. Even when you're not catching any, you have encounters with them, frequently heart-stopping encounters. I'll probably remember that musky I didn't catch longer than most of the walleyes and bass I have caught."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".....Quote #7

2011-03-21T08:47:00.002-05:00

"I gave Birch Lake another try today and...didn't catch a fish...Stan Godfrey arrived and went out on Crab tonight with Mike, but they didn't catch any or see anything big. They ran into Terry Tassi on the lake, and he didn't catch anything either. That's one nice thing about musky fishing. If you don't catch anything, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Everybody understands."

-Bill Gardner

Finale to the March Break Ice Fishing Frenzy....

2011-03-20T09:18:00.007-05:00

It has been March Break here at Vermilion Bay Lodge, and while in the past this has been our chance to split to warmer climates, this year we decided to hang out at the lodge and do more ice fishing. Over the past two days we have fished Clearwater Lake (Holly above with a whitefish)....

......and a lake trout. These were the only two fish we caught! (###note: NewMexicam has pointed out the "snowmachine lure" that this trout was caught on. Yes, it's true, and it almost swallowed the whole seat!)

Even with a number of holes and fishermen! That's fishing.........

.......there is always the fire and some food to take your mind off the slow bite.

When things get real boring then take a drive. Here we are at.......can you guess where? If you said Caribou Lake then you are correct. Anyone who has ever been there will have caught bass around this large boulder.

The next day Susanne and I ventured back to Teggau Lake (500 feet deep, remember?). We did pretty good in a couple hours..........

......probably 7 fish caught, with these four kept.

On the way home we did some adventuring and came across a fresh deer carcass and some wolf tracks.........also a whole pile of deep slush. This picture doesn't do it justice, but getting stuck in 12 inches of slush is not for the weak hearted. We survived to tell the tale. Weather has warmed and things are wet........perhaps a trip to take gas into the portage lakes needs to occur soon.

"Time on the Water".....Quote #6

2011-03-19T15:52:00.005-05:00

"So it's Friday the 13th, so what? Musky fisherman aren't

superstitious. You never hear about a musky fisherman

refusing to change his lucky socks. And there's a good reason

for this. Most musky fisherman never have enough luck to

have lucky socks."

-Bill Gardner

Southwest Seafood Chowder Canadian Style

2011-03-19T10:13:00.003-05:00

Gord's scolding prompted me to dig through the freezer and find some walleye fillets. I decided to try this recipe that I saw in Food & Wine magazine (March 2011). I had not cooked with fennel bulbs before and that intrigued me. It also called for smoked sweet paprika that I hadn't used before.

I was anticipating the fennel taste to be a bit overpowering but it was very subtle. What surprised me was the nice smoky flavor the paprika added. I substituted walleye for halibut and reduced the number of clams. It called for 2 dozen clams that ran almost a dollar a piece here in Wisconsin. Interestingly, the cherrystone clams were imported from Canada as was the walleye.

Paired with a round, full-bodied white it was excellent! 2009 Copain Tous Ensemble Viognier

The prep time was lengthy (90 minutes) but you can do most of the preparation ahead of time, refrigerate over night, then add the fish, shrimp, and chopped clams and heat.
1/4 cup canola oil
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
5 garlic cloves, smashed
2 large ancho chilies, seeded and torn into large pieces (this is a dried version of the poblano pepper, I used the fresh chilies because I couldn't find them in the store)
1 t fennel seeds
1 cup dry white wine (that means you might have to drink 1 1/2 bottles)
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup 2% milk
2 dozen cherrystone clams scrubbed (I used only 7 plus 10 littleneck clams. They were expensive and they only had 7 at the stores. Could probably used canned clams as well)
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
10 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 t. smoked sweet paprika (not just the plain stuff!)
1 lb halibut cut into 1 1/2" cubes (I used walleye)
1 lb shelled and deveined medium shrimp
Crusty bread (I used roasted garlic bread) or oyster crackers

1. In large pot heat 2 T. oil. Add yellow onion, garlic ancho chiles, fennel seeds and cook over moderate heat stirring frequently until the onion begins to brown (8 min). Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Cook over moderate heat until the veggies are very tender and the broth is slightly reduced (15 min).
2. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Strain the soup into a heatproof bowl and rinse out the pot (I was left wondering what to do with the puree that is left over? Might make for a good sauce?)
3. Add 1 cup water to the pot along with the clams. Cover and cook over high heat until the clams open (8 min). Transfer the clams to a bowl and remove them from their shells: rinse to remove any grit. Chop the clams. Pour the clam cooking broth into a bowl and let the grit settle, then add the broth to the soup.., stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom. Season the soup lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Rinse the pot and wipe dry. Add the remaining 2 T of oil to the pot and heat until shimmering. Add the potatoes and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots (5 min). Stir in red onion, celery, chopped fennel and corn. Add the paprika and cook over moderate heat, stirring until the celery is crisp-tender (7 min). Add the soup and bring to a boil (If you are preparing ahead of time. Simply store in the refrigerator over night at this point).
5. Add the fish, shrimp and chopped clams to the soup and simmer until the fish is white and the shrimp are pink (5 min). Season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup in shallow bowls with oyster cracker or crusty bread (As you can see in my presentation, I didn't have shallow bowls and most of the ingredients do not show as nicely).

Bon Appetit!

Andy

Ice Fishing, March 15th, 2011

2011-03-17T08:43:00.003-05:00

Susanne and I took an adventure trip to fish Lake of the Woods for crappie, and Shoal Lake for whitefish. These are both huge lakes and fortunately we had a good guide, Scott and Lynn.

I had never caught a crappie before so this was something unique for me.

The whitefish were bruisers and we caught a bunch! For a full, detailed report on the day's activities just click on the link below to view the video production!

Ice Fishing, March 15th, 2011

Can a Dead Fish Be Revived?

2011-03-15T17:22:00.004-05:00

Sadly, a dead fish cannot be revived. However, all is not lost if you have lifeless fillets aging somewhere in your freezer since last summer. These fish are losing their table-quality as each day passes. Gord does a fine job cleaning and packaging our fish to take home from VBL, but they will acquire a serious off-taste after several months in the freezer. If you have a package of fillets leftover, pull it out and take a good look. You will see ice crystals and signs of freezer burn on the flesh. Not good, but the fillets can be revived if you act very soon. Noted below is the remedy that works for me.

Start by defrosting the package of fillets overnight in the refridgerator. Rinse well and cut off the skin tag and any whitish spots or areas that look funky. Next, soak the fillets in buttermilk for an hour or two. Then rinse again, pat dry and prepare the fish using lots of seasonings that would eliminate any remaining off taste. I don't understand food science well enough to explain what the buttermilk does, but it works wonders.

Gord introduced me to a recipe that is perfect for past-prime fish (or fresh) and I think you would really enjoy it --pan-fried fish cakes. I've made this dish many times for friends and family and they love it. Email me for the recpie if you wish.

Ice Fishing with Henry......

2011-03-14T21:51:00.004-05:00

Henry has been a regular guest of VBL for the past number of years, chasing muskie, walleye and anything else that will bite in his "man boat". This past week he paid us a visit to try something new......ice fishing. Here he is jigging for lake trout on Teggau Lake, which at over 500 feet deep is one of the deepest lakes in the region.

An eater walleye from a spot in Vermilion Bay, on Eagle. Besides never having ice fished before, Henry had never driven a snowmachine before.......pretty exciting stuff, for a Polish guy from Chicago.

Susanne and Henry pose with a nice selectin of lake trout from a small lake off of Eagle.......

They were a dark copper colour, but very tasty...........

Yours truly with a dandy walleye from Vermilion Bay. Caught in 25 feet of water on a Salmo Chubby Darter. Released to spawn this spring. Is that the lodge in the background?

'Time on the Water".......Quote #5

2011-03-14T16:48:00.003-05:00

"Musky fishing is not for pessimists. You've got to believe that next cast will be the one, a notion that falls just short of being completely absurd. Realism must be avoided at all costs. If I knew I wasn't going to catch a keeper for days at a time, it would be mighty hard to go out there every day. I should know it. That's the way it's always been, for me and for most others too. I guess you could say I know I probably won't catch anything, but I don't believe it."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".......Quote #4

2011-03-11T18:58:00.004-06:00

"One of the legends of musky fishing is that the nastier the weather, the better the fishing. I'm beginning to think that's a cruel hoax cooked up by musky guides, who have to be out there every day anyway and want the rest of us to suffer along with them. Most of my keepers have been caught on pleasant, sunny days, and none of them was caught on a really nasty day. I've braved the cold and rain many times and all I got for it was cold and wet."

-Bill Gardner

"Time on the Water".......Quote #3

2011-03-11T18:09:00.004-06:00

"I went out on Van Vliet today, but no musky. There are probably those who are wondering just what I accomplish in the course of a day. Here's a guy who spends most of the day fishing for muskies and doesn't catch any. Well, looking back at my working years with the Associated Press, I wonder how many days I really accomplished anything there. I remember answering the phone a lot. One day I kept a log and tallied 99 calls I answered. There was one woman who called several times a day, and it seems I always picked up the phone on her calls. In the seven years I worked at the AP she never once asked for me. I've probably spent the equivalent of one day of my life telling other people that this particular woman wanted to talk to them.

The point of all this is that most of us don't really accomplish much that is memorable on any given day. Some days at the AP were very rewarding, but those days were rarer than days that I catch a musky. I have a feeling it's like that for most people.

So what did I accomplish today? I did what I wanted to. How often can a guy say that at the end of the day?"

-Bill Gardner

More "Time on the Water"

2011-03-10T17:26:00.003-06:00

Quote #2: "So what keeps these guys going, throwing heavy baits hour after hour for nothing while waiting for that one special cast? Your average musky addict will tell you that one musky is well worth 10,000 casts. The long wait for a fish is part of the musky mystique, and anglers frequently talk of "paying your dues.".....If muskies are so dadblamed hard to catch, why bother? Why not try for something easier, like trout or bass? Let me put it this way: Would I quit my job and move 2,200 miles to go trout fishing? What do think I am, crazy? No, it's muskies for me. I've got the fever. I'm looking for one a little over four feet long with sharp, inch-long teeth that could make mincemeat out of the average trout. That's right, I came here for one fish. I want one big musky. Some men want to be President, others seek the Nobel Prize. I can't help it if they are short on ambition. I believe in setting goals high--I want to catch one of the ten biggest muskies in Vilas County this year."

-Bill Gardner

TIME ON THE WATER, Part Two

2011-03-07T09:49:00.005-06:00

Readers of the Electric Beaver may recall Gord's review of the book "Time on the Water" by Bill Gardner. Its a classic muskie fishing tale that I enjoy reading every winter. In order to help all of us "muskie hunters" make it to opening day I thought I would periodically post a quote from the pages of the book. I would encourage anyone who has ever fished for muskie to read the book in it's entirety. You won't be disappointed!

"I suppose many people think I must be nuts, quitting my job in Southern California and dragging my wife and daughter off to the north woods of Wisconsin so I can spend my time pursuing a particularly slimy fish that is rarely caught and doesn't even taste good. However screwy I may be now, you ain't seen nothing yet. Wait till I've spent 200 straight days fishing for muskies. Nobody ever came out saner for dealing with muskies. Jason Lucas, probably the most famous fisherman in the country during the 1940's and 1950's when he was fishing editor of "Sports Afield", once put it this way: "If a man wants to be made a complete fool, there are but two quick, sure and convenient methods of going about it. One is to fall it love with the wrong woman. The other is to fish for muskellunge."

-Bill Gardner

The Thinker

2011-03-02T15:16:00.000-06:00

Andy let "the cat out of the bag" so to speak, when he posted this picture on his slide show. I thought it deserved it's own musical score. Check it out.........

The Thinker

The Vermilion Bay Lodge Circus

2011-03-01T22:41:00.003-06:00

And now for something completely different...The Vermilion Bay Lodge Circus.
See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFBT4sb1jUM

Joe, if you want to learn how to do this just watch one of the many video tutorials on Youtube. Just search by "Windows Movie Maker tutorial"

VBL Video challenge has been met

2011-02-27T16:38:00.000-06:00

VBL Video Challenge

2011-02-21T22:55:00.003-06:00

Or "why I like to go to VBL"

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipnNT_Jcq1E

I will try to get a sound track added but it didn't like the format of the audio clip I tried to use.

Excellent Lake Trout Recipe........

2011-02-14T09:10:00.007-06:00

A Sunday outing to catch lake trout produced a key ingredient for that night's dinner. Usually we catch most, if not all of our fish jigging with spoons. That day this fish preferred a live minnow on a Rattle Wheel.

Having one in the bag for dinner is critical, especially when your fishing partner seems to be fading! I also have a recipe in mind..........

The recipe came from outdoor writer Gord Pyzer and called for Chorizo pork sausage. I had never heard of it before and my first attempt I substituted Italian sausage. The result was mediocre. Then I stumbled into this Corizo sausage, courtesy of friend Jim K from Minneapolis.

Well, the trout is filleted and ready to go......it doesn't get much fresher!

The Corizo is in the frying pan. I'm not sure what I was expecting but this is definitely a spicy ingredient.....definitely not just a normal sausage.

The fish is cut up into chunks....... and a can of diced tomatoes awaits its turn.

Add the tomatoes to the fried Corizo and let simmer.

Add the lake trout chunks and simmer further. One addition I made to the recipe was to add some frozen corn.

It didn't take long. Served over a bed of rice, a salad, and a glass (or two) of a chilled Gewurztraminer. It was excellent! Give it a try next time you happen on a lake trout. Better yet come up to VBL this spring and catch some fresh trout.......it doesn't get any better.

VBL 2010

2011-02-10T18:12:00.000-06:00

VBL 2010 First try at this not great but was worth a shot. Looks like a guy needs to purchase the longer version for this.

Winter at Vermilion Bay Lodge

2011-02-08T14:13:00.002-06:00

Click on the "Winter at Vermilion Bay Lodge" link to see what really goes on here at VBL!

Winter at Vermilion Bay Lodge

Here's a challenge to you bloggers out there! Go to www.animoto.com and create your own 30 second video / slide-show of your adventures on Eagle Lake. It's free, it's easy......be creative. If you can't figure it out have your kids do it for you! Post it to this blog and be eligible to win big in the VBL Video Challenge! Don't delay......do it today!

Winter Trout

2011-02-06T14:38:00.003-06:00

Susanne and I managed to get out for a few hours to catch some trout. This "lunker" was caught while I was checking the depth. I was using a large orange clip-on weight attached to the treble hook on my spoon to figure out how deep I was when the fish hit! I never did get my weight back......

Susanne was putting the new Otter "Ice Lodge" to a good test......keeping out of the wind and catching fish!

I thought this was an artistic shot of a technique that caught squat. I'm not sure why I bother with live bait, tip-ups, or in this case a "rattle wheel". Seems 90% of our catches are on jigging spoons, without live bait. It is always a cold, wet chore at the end of the outing to pull in the tip-ups.....made even worse when they don't produce.

Most of the VBL guests who do the portage trail seldom get to see it in the winter months. Let's just say it is faster in the winter and the chances of getting attacked by mosquitoes is slim to none!

Well, we didn't set any records but we did end up with a good meal. We had some other bites and lost two fish on the way to the hole, but not bad for our first trout outing!

Eenie, Meenie, Miny, Moe......

2011-01-30T21:31:00.007-06:00

Every year, before open water arrives, I seem to spend a lot of time thinking about the tackle I might use in the upcoming season. I often begin with my choices for line. There are so many types, and so many options within each type, that it can be very hard to choose. Monofilament, copolymer, the various super lines.

Once I choose a line type I am still faced with the question of color.

And let's not forget about the line test weight. That will undoubtedly make or break (sorry!) my year. All these choices do matter and I play around with different combinations often. After all, I don't want to be the one responsible for some poor bloke losing his job because line sales are in the toilet. What I want to know is what the many great fishermen that call Vermilion Bay Lodge their fish camp of choice think about all this. I don't want to have to make these decisions alone. So, let's hear it!

Mojakka Days Celebrated In Edgerton, WI

2011-01-24T21:44:00.003-06:00

Mojakka...It starts with a vision of a delicious fish soup from Finland. But it only materializes after a sucessful lake trout hunt into Clearwater Lake or Eagle Lake's Trout Holes. A successful trip produces a few pounds of laker filets which become key ingredients in this soup. Add these to to a variety of vegetables, herbs, spices and dairy products and what you wind up with is an incredibly tasty soup that is perfect for cold weather.

Mojakka Days is an annual event at my home every winter and it celebrates Finnish independence from Russia with soup. A few friends come over, we toast the Fins, and we eat mojakka. Then eveybody is happy. My friend, Andy, was over and he was very happy. For his own good, we had to cut him off after he consumed five bowls of mojakka in rapid succession.

Sadly, Mojakka Days is now over with. It only lasts as long as the soup does. The photo shows the last bowl from what originally was a big pot full. It made for a fine lunch.

If you like fish chowders, you would likely enjoy mojakka. There is no one right way to prepare this soup. But the recipe I use is a winner and I'll send it to you if you wish. Just click on "Professor" under the Eagle lake Blog "Contributors" heading and email me.

Kurt, back in the day..........

2011-01-20T18:03:00.003-06:00

This poor photo by Gord documents our 55 minute 2 man limit. It was a day trip that we had to portage due to low water levels that year. Gord dropped us off for the day and while we ran out of minnows that day by lunch time we ended up using just plain fuzzy grubs catching walleye after walleye.
Mark with a whitey

Some whitey's come in good size and you will usually run across schools of these great fighters.

The Wiley Whitefish....

2011-01-20T08:10:00.003-06:00

In our continuing effort to showcase all the species we fish for here at VBL I present the whitefish. There is a good "how to" whitefish section on the VBL website that gives a background on how to catch this overlooked species. With a generous limit of 25 on a regular licence, they are well worth the effort.......very tasty as well.

Whitefish are a deep water fish that can be caught on Eagle and Clearwater Lake. I must say that most of our whitefish efforts take place on Clearwater Lake.........catching most of them as we jig for lakers.

Which bodes the question......"Why don't we do more of this on Eagle?" Good question. Perhaps we should take up the challenge in 2011 and do a few "whitefish missions" on Eagle. Two areas that come to mind would be the Trout Holes, and Portage Bay. Both would have the added bonus of lake trout as well.

Whitefish are great fighters on light tackle.

We've been most successful with this species in the Fall when they seem to school up as they prepare to spawn (usually late September, early October). I'm sure though that there are other techniques, such as trolling, that might work well at other times of year. Let's mull this over this winter and try something new this coming season!

BULLSEYE!!! Come to VBL for perchfest 2011

2011-01-19T17:38:00.005-06:00

This is for you Bastable!!!!

There will be none of this sitting around CRAP in 2011

Yup Gord taking a sip of beer before the nightmare begins

Which one of these dinks did you catch Kurt?

Man this is going to take some time.

Come join in the fun for "PERCH FEST" 2011

Team Vollmer..........

2011-01-18T08:29:00.006-06:00

It was pointed out to me after the last issue of the VBL newsletter "The Beaver" was mailed out that I had neglected to mention some of the bass that were caught last season. Whoops! As Joe Vollmer (above) pointed out to me "Some of us are bass fishermen first, and we love the smallmouth fishing up there!". In an effort to correct my oversight I present "Team Voller, 2010".

Glen and Shawn Vollmer with a brace-o-bass. When, almost 20 years ago, we had bought the camp who should be the first one to phone about booking a cabin but Glen. Since then the brothers Vollmer have spent many, many 2 week stints at the lodge chasing bass, drinking martinis and smoking cigars.

It looks like all their practise has paid off. Even "rough fish" such as walleye have fallen victim to their expertise.

It's great to have guests like the Vollmers who really enjoy the experience here at VBL and we hope to have them back for the next 20 years!

January at the lodge.....

2011-01-14T15:30:00.007-06:00

Welcome to the lodge in the winter......

Mike's garden shed project looking good, but it must be pretty chilly in there without a door!

Dog pack down by the cabins.

No fish fry today.......but coming soon enough.........

......if we ever get out on the machines.......

We had a visitor on the road into the camp. By the size it was definitely a timber wolf.

The wolf had a nice stroll from the camp to the railroad crossing......into town for a nice beagle or poodle perhaps?

Cryogenic deer........

2011-01-12T13:17:00.005-06:00

Last weekend Susanne and I went for a ride on Eagle Lake and came across the site of some recent wolf activity in the form of some deer hide, a couple of hoofs, plenty of wolf tracks, wolf pee, and this object protruding from the snow.

On closer investigation it would seem that the head had partially frozen into the slush that was present on the lake in December. Time to bring out the axe!

This must be a new form of archaeology.....chipping away the layers of time, in this case ice.

Further along and I think I've gone as far as I need to go. Now for a little precise surgical separation using my axe.........

A nice looking 8 point rack. What a bummer to survive various winters, numerous hunting seasons and then succumb to who knows what just shortly after the hunt of 2010....but that is nature I suppose. By the way, this deer was located close to shore in Favell Bay.

Summertime, makes me feel fine.....

2011-01-08T20:21:00.009-06:00

Well, its a new year and that means deer hunting is over and spring fishing seems a long way off. I find it helps me drift off to sleep on these cold winter nights if I think about the good fishing memories of the past year and imagine the season to come.

The highlight of every season is our annual trip to Eagle Lake and Vermilion Bay Lodge. If heaven is this good it'll be worth the wait. Gord, Susanne and Mike made us feel like family from the first time we met them. Actually, they made us feel terrific. It seems though, that Gord has an oddly disturbing ability to make everybody think he's Canada's gift to the world. We knew this in earnest this year as we neared the town formerly known as Vermilion Bay.

Now, we all love Gord, but this is a bit much. Not withstanding Gord's over developed ego (and under developed waistline), we once again were reminded why we are enamoured with Eagle as we pulled up to our first fishing spot.

Does anyone ever tire of scenery like this? And this is just above the water line. My wife could blow a million dollars on film while "we" fish Eagle. Thank God for digital cameras. Me, I'm still waiting for new Polaroid film, which I hear may be coming back. Still, I worry about Gord. No sooner do we return to the cabin after a morning on the water than he feels obliged to show off to my girls. "Look girls, no hands!". Wow.

To be fair, they were impressed. But then again, warm Spaghettios make them positively giggle. I was less impressed. Despite Gord's spin I still don't much care for the "custom" look of my pick-up box. Oh well, maybe this year I will finally out fish the Silver Fox and pull him back to earth. If not, I'm putting concrete in his Sorels. Until then, "keep your stick on the ice".

Photos from 2010......in no particular order....

2011-01-06T19:50:00.009-06:00

Colonel's Island in a veil of frost.............

Brother in law John enjoying ice fishing and Keith Mitchell's Crown Royal.

Nuclear explosion in the west?

......or just a nice sunset

Checking out the Indian pictographs on Clearwater Lake..

A shoreline cedar tree on McColl Island which must have had some good wave action last Fall.

Flashback to the Fall of 2010.......a foggy morning and fishermen at VBL.

September morning down at the docks......

Cliffs along the portage trail to McGregor Lake......and Fall colours.

Frost on the roof of cabin 7 last Fall.

Another foggy morning ...........

A curious fox checks out Keith Mitchell and I..........

I think he's lonely Keith.......

Trolling for muskie on Halloween day off of muskie point.......no muskie but a nice lake trout!

Caught trolling the "Lil Fat Bastard" in 27 feet of water. "Beware the Fat Bastard!"

Vermilion Bay Lodge News Flash.....

2010-12-24T23:14:00.001-06:00

Click on this link for some ground breaking VBL news!

http://email.xtranormal.com/wf/click?c=dfTuyQJUYXr9%2B49BSM4u4aFsB8CqKRc7pTXothmL4LEqjXCNf%2BQe2BjWZal5iZSi&rp=yi%2BloX0Jig0wQXLaLOwEShYSvdcVscB76oJVgEA%2F4cse5Nq%2Fbl3VNdRT4nqgzSli&u=w6SgLL19RFCFgqN0nUEchw%2Fh0

Last Day for Trout, 2010....or...How I Spent September 30th!

2010-12-06T09:19:00.005-06:00

Keith Mitchell, from the "Island", was part of the excursion to tackle the lake trout before the season closed on October 1st. As we navigated the creek to the trout lake we were surprised to see the work the beavers had done on their dam. Keith stunned us that day by announcing "I have heard that the young beavers taste the best!" Was this a dark side of Keith that had not been revealed to us before? A connoisseur of beaver? We laughed the rest of the way up the creek!

Keith was very excited to catch a fish (and change the subject)! No Keith, that's not a trout.

We struggled at first trying to target a deep water bite. We could mark fish on the locator, but getting them to bite was a problem. As the water temps were still fairly warm I was not confident that the trout were going to be shallow, but when all else fails you have nothing to lose by changing tactics. We moved down the way and started casting the wind and wave swept shorelines.

Ron (Jo-anne's hubby) connects with a lake trout in the shallows using a Little Cleo spoon! This method ultimately works better for Ron, since the $5 reel he has been bragging about has only 30 feet of line on it! Regardless, I think we are on to something! Using this technique we caught many trout in the 3 to 6 foot depth range....basically right up on shore. So much for my water temperature theory. I do think the wave action was triggering these fish........

The boys after a hard day on the lake. Some good eaters to enjoy till the trout season re-opens on January 1st. By the way, Keith was right........the small (young) ones do taste better!

Dueling Banjo's at Vermilion Bay Lodge

2010-11-27T17:39:00.002-06:00

Let it be said here that Gord has access to some lakes where it truly doesn't matter what you throw at them - Like Mikey on the Life cereal commercial, they eat anything. That was the case last year while visiting this top secret lake. Click here to see the results.

The Freeze........

2010-11-24T13:24:00.004-06:00

What a strange season this has been. Ice out was possibly the latest on record and now we are well into November and the lake has been pretty much ice free. The above photo was from yesterday, Tuesday, November 23rd. Vermilion Bay is basically ice free except for some weed edges and the creek. What you can't see from this shot is that some of the bays (Meyers, Waldhof) are frozen (which is the normal progression of things). It has been cold and my motivation for taking the shot was that I did not think it could last much longer.

Even the bald eagles were still in their old haunts.......probably wishing their gull buddies were still keeping them company. The northern duck flocks have pretty much headed south, but there are plenty of deer carcasses to feed on!

The next day things have changed......this is Wednesday, November 24th. During the late afternoon yesterday, and overnight we have this nice hard surface which has developed. The fish population can now kick back and relax for a few weeks, snug in their water beds. Time to contemplate ice fishing...................

2011 Classic Muskie Calendar!!!

2010-11-23T15:24:00.004-06:00

Artist (and VBL guest) Charles Weiss has once again done an outstanding job on his Classic Muskie Calendar for 2011.

With some great muskie and wildlife art this is probably one of Chuck's best!

This is a very limited production and is available at Chuck's website for a modest $20 including shipping. Check it out and order one today! http://www.charlesweissart.com/ Click on "Chuck" to contact him directly.

How to fillet a pike

2010-11-22T22:06:00.003-06:00

Here's a nice bonus after catching lots of fish at VBL....Gord fillets your fish for you. Gord's the master when it comes to filleting pike. Watch and learn

Perch Fishing in Bottle Lake

2010-11-22T19:12:00.002-06:00

Most people want to know...why would you drive to Ontario to fish for perch? Well if you get tired of catching walleye, trout, whitefish, pike, and musky - perch fishing in the spring offers a nice change of pace in the middle of the week. And who doesn't like jerking big perch one after another until you have a live well full of nice eaters? Mr. perch seemed to enjoy it (click here to view the video).

A new adventure sport for VBL?

2010-11-15T21:28:00.002-06:00

Some of you will remember my post describing our "adventure" to Favel Lake across beaver dams and nearly inpenetratable bogs. While my partners complained about this "death march", it turns out some people pay for this kind of experience. On August 22, 2010 the New York Times reported on "bog-trekking" in Estonia. The following picture appeared with the caption: "Triin Ivandi, a guide, in rubber boots and bog shoes to help her keep from sinking into the Viru bog in Lahemaa National Park in Estonia". A sub caption declared, "Soggy fun: 'This is like walking on a giant sponge".
I can only tell you that without a guide and without bog shoes, this isn't much fun and is more like falling through a giant sponge. I am fully expecting Gord to be offering a couple of new services in 2011....(1)A guide wearing yellow rubber boots. (2) bog shoes. Gord, please don't try to pass off those snow shoes as bog shoes. Turns out there are bog adventures here in North America as well: Philbrick-Cricenti Bog in New Hampshire, Tannersville cranberry bog in Pennsylvania, Volog Bog in Illinois, and Burns Bog in the British Columbia.

"They" say you start looking like your pets...........

2010-11-15T16:47:00.002-06:00

.....very interesting...............

........very distinguished..................

..........very hairy.............

.......maybe it's true!

The Moose Hunt Trailer.......Blue Lantern Hunt Club 2010

2010-10-30T10:56:00.002-05:00

The anticipation is building!

Gord's Moose Hunt 2010.........Movie Trailer

2010-10-30T10:54:00.004-05:00

Once again I ventured south in search of the elusive moose, joining my brother in law John, and an eclectic group of "merry men" in pursuit of this "ghost of the forest". Stay tuned for the riveting movie by Director, and avid sportsperson, Will Lamb.

Professor and Missus Welcome a New Bundle of Joy Into the Family

2010-10-26T11:00:00.003-05:00

Well, the dirty deed is done. I went into the marketplace and found a replacement boat. This was done strictly for medical reasons. My wife has been unhappy about the ride of my Crestliner 1650 Fish Hawk, the Nanjo Minnow, for several years now. She complained about big waves causing her neck to become tender. Plus, there were problems with wind and rain that she found disconcerting. I did my best to make her comfortable, but nothing I did proved satisfactory. Finally, I realized that the only solution was a different boat--one that was longer, wider and with a windshield. More powerful, too. I hoped to find a deal on a used WWII PT boat. But these things are hard to locate and might be difficult to dock at VBL.

What I settled on was a Crestliner 1750 Fish Hawk. This has been named Nanjo II. I believe this boat will cure my wife's medical problems. Unfotunately, it is producing much anxiety for me. I have spent decades controlling a boat with a tiller handle while fishing, socializing and entertaining. Now, I have to learn how to do all of this with a steering wheel.

It is not going well. The missus and I went for our first ride in the Nanjo II last week. Within two minutes I found a rock that saw fit to reconfigure the geometry of the prop. TWO MINUTES! I was so pissed off at myself. After many deep breaths and considerable cursing, I composed myself and remembered that I loved my wife and was grateful for the new ride.

Anyone out there looking to buy a used 1650 with a Honda 50?

Let me close by acknowledging your kind thoughts concerning my smashed fingers. Neither finger got infected from the surgical proceedure performed by Gord and both are healing nicely. The many well wishes, cards, flowers, chocolates and bottles of Canadian Whiskey are deeply appreciated.

50+ inch Muskie

2010-10-17T08:41:00.003-05:00

So as to not give away the secret spot, I have removed all background from the pic.

Here is the beast. 50-52 inches. Ernie Hull is the proud fisherman.

It was caught and released. Thanks Gord!

Operation "Rubber Glove".........

2010-10-10T08:11:00.003-05:00

At VBL I like to think that we are a "full service" lodge. From cleaning your fish, to removing hooks from your head, to giving you the Heimlich Maneuver......we do it all. This summer I was called on once again to perform an experimental procedure on the Professor after he foolishly slammed a car door on his fingers (well, that's the story he tells). In order to relieve the pressure and throbbing pain there was only one alternate.....get out the drill!

The Professor was pretty brave after the first finger.......actually pretty cocky would be a better description.

On to finger number two..................do I sense that the "bravado" has seeped away?

Oh, yeah................

Someone grab him.......he's about to keel over!

Is it the sight of blood........or the eerie feeling of the drill bit going in?

The pressure is relieved.........the patient lives!

The aftermath........the Professor in an orgasmic state! Another Happy Ending at Vermilion Bay Lodge!

Fall is here

2010-10-01T15:00:00.007-05:00

I have again enjoyed watching everyone's post from their visits over the summer to VBL. My father and I visited this year in July and the walleye bite was great.

Dad caught a 50 inch Muskie while reeling in a 20 inch Pike. Gord took us to Clear Water lake and then on up to Rock lake. It was breath taking and pristine. The small mouth bass were everywhere, and Gord taught us some new techniques that even us old dogs enjoyed and are implementing back home for more success. Overall the fishing seemed to be even better than last year and we limited out just 5 days into our visit.

The lady of the house (lodge) was out for the week and Gord was out of control in the Gin room every night. He was always bushy tailed and bright eyed in the morning though. Well, except for the morning that he realized that he forgot to put water back in the minnow tank and had a hundred dead minnows in the morning. :-) He blamed it on the drain pipe falling down, but we all know it was the whiskey.

Mike was busy building a traditional log cabin style building down by the entrance to the lodge. It would be nice to see some finished pictures of that.

MNR even visited this summer, but I'll let Gord explain that one.

I'm posting some pics of of our trip, and will eventually get around to posting more as it gets cooler this fall and the bite stops.

I'll put in a shameless plug for my new brew blog at http://letshomebrew.blogspot.com/
Since the fishing in Kansas sucks I have rededicated my time to perfecting the art of brewing beer at home. I'll take some to VBL when I visit again next year.

Clearwater Lake......late Fall.....

2010-09-30T08:00:00.005-05:00

A week ago I ventured back into Clearwater Lake to visit the lake trout and whitefish. These two Rapala ice fishing lures were big producers.

They even work on the whitefish..............

Big Bob from Virden, Manitoba caught his very first laker on this trip. Come on Bob, smile!!

The other half of the family managed to tie into one of those deep water pike. What the heck are they doing in 70 feet of water!? Eating trout and whitefish of course.

Estimated 38 inches, 14 pounds, this young lad was pretty happy! The fish took off like a rocket when released. Now check out this video I made with my new Pentax Optio W90 camera.......pretty cool!

Gord & Keith's Somewhat Excellent Goose Adventure...

2010-09-29T07:53:00.003-05:00

Keith Mitchell (from the island) and I decided it would be interesting to try goose hunting. Although we technically have the wrong type of decoys, they are set up in a location where we are told "hundreds" of geese have been landing each day. Boy, we can hardly wait!

First off Keith decides to field strip his gun and remove some extraneous parts he has discovered. Now we are ready to shoot! Is that a goose I hear?

Oh oh........what's with this long faced critter?

The decoys seem to be having the wrong affect. It is time to pull up stakes and move onto "plan B".......location number 2.

This is much better. Keith craftily disguises himself as a bail of hay. Keith, are you there....where are you?

Perfect. Hardly a horse in sight! Will the geese show up?

Success! We each bag a bird and Bell is happy to retrieve them. Her expression seems to be saying "It's about time!".

The "Great Grey Hunter" and sidekick striking a pose. The dog is really the only one that knows what to do in this photo.

As the sun sets on Keith and Bell, I reflect on an interesting day, and wonder why my back will no longer straighten up.............stay tuned for "Keith & Gord's sharptail grouse adventure".

Muskie Madness Week, 2010......

2010-09-28T21:01:00.004-05:00

Seven muskies were caught during the 2010 Muskie Madness Week here at VBL........unfortunately none were of the caliber pictured above!

Midweek we all took a break from the high winds and took shelter at the Bayview Hotel for the annual shuffleboard tourney........

Dan (Honourary Dick) Kornelyck, and Bob (Chicago Dick) Kaufman, with a combined total shuffleboard experience of 156 years, shake hands before duelling it out.....

Tension runs high when it comes down to a fraction of an inch..........

Seems plaid is back in fashion........or is it?

A smiling Ken Zipzow is crowned the 2010 "champeen", kicking the butts of Gord B. and "Good Dick" Miller. Tracy from the Bayview steadies Ken, in what must have been an emotional moment for the tall Minnesotan...........

Sweeping ahead to the wind up dinner and awards night, Norm takes the prize for the smallest muskie caught.......16 inches of muscle and teeth! Norm walks off proudly with his VBL coffee mug and burlap sack.

Henry and Phil battled it out for the northern division and tied at a solid 38 inches...

Phil was back up again to the deafening applause of an appreciative crowd.....3rd place in the muskie tourney. What's that........another lure for his extensive collection?

Big time trout fisher Marty McVicor scores big with a second place finish and a lovely VBL t-shirt and Dominatrix lure.

The grand prize winner, holding the original hand carved Chuck Weiss muskie trophy, is none other than the "Garlic Ring Man"......also known as Hugh Ferry. A dark horse contender, he surprised even the grizzled old muskie dudes with his perseverance and good luck! Congratulations Hugh.............and to all who participated in the "Madness"!

Joe and Marty's Somewhat Excellent Adventure

2010-09-21T21:07:00.004-05:00

Marty and I just returned from VBL and, for the most part, we were humbled by the walleye and pike this trip. For the past four years the late summer walleye bite in the Vermilion Bay area has been outstanding with lots of fish caught, including many large fish. Not so this trip. Although we caught dozens, most walleyes were in the 14-16 inch range. Our biggest went 23" and each of us caught one in the five inch class. I'd never seen a walleye that small before.

We worked the hell out of deep areas (25-55') with bottom-bouncers and crawler spinners that held plenty of fish, but the bite was very tentative. Mostly, our baits were ignored. The pike were even less cooperative. Again, the fish were running on the small size. The sole exception was a fat 34"er that I got on Clearwater Lake. But overall, the pike bite was slow for us. We weren't alone. Most VBL guests were running into the same situation that week.

My conclusion is that Marty and I were doing something wrong. Otherwise we would have caught more and bigger fish. This I need to contemplate.

Lake Trout fishing was good the day we spent on the West Arm of Eagle, running our lures in the deep water of Trout Holes #1 and #2. This is typically a "hit or miss" situation. And it's not unusual to get skunked. But this area holds some big lakers and anything 35 inches or more is a big laker. Several fish in this class have come to net in the last few years. They fight incredibly hard and for a long time. For my money, these are the best fish to catch in Eagle.

Marty wanted one of these bruisers more so than anything else on this trip. His wishes materialized with the monster 38 " laker shown above. This heavy fish was successfully released. Gord estimated it's weight to be about twenty-five pounds and I think that's pretty close. This was one of six we caught that day, which also included three piddlers (caught by me) and a pair of 26"ers caught by Marty. Four years ago, my buddy Andy also caught and released a 38" laker from Trout Hole #2. According to Gord, these are the two largest lakers ever caught on Eagle by VBL guests. I hope to catch one someday as well, but netting both of these brutes was very thrilling, regardless.

The top picture reveals the basic set-up we use for lake trout. It shows my St. Croix Trolling Rod, Dawia Line Counter Reel, three-way swivel, eight oz. lead weight and typical spoons. The reel is spooled with 14# FireLine. The spoon and dropper weight are tied to the swivel with 14# fluorocarbon line. A system like this will catch big lakers, but sometimes we have 225' of line out to get our lures down into 70' of water.

Extended Musky Mania.

2010-09-21T19:57:00.001-05:00

Looking forward to extending the madness.... Will need an icebreaker prow for the old Smokercraft.

Big Buck Island

2010-09-19T08:23:00.002-05:00

During the "Muskie Madness Week" (report to follow) I ran across this fellow swimming to an island I have now named "Big Buck Island".

Hmm......interesting rack with the dripping velvet........how many points?

Ten at least..........much bigger though than the mount in the lodge..........

He was moving pretty fast, probably didn't appreciate our company!

With plenty of splashing and crashing noises in the bush, he was soon gone. May he live long and prosper!

Gold Digging in the Fall

2010-09-14T16:06:00.009-05:00

If you have been told that August represents the "dog days" of summer, you haven't fished Eagle, or you are using the wrong tactic. Nothing beats consistently catching large numbers of large golden walleyes on a warm summer day. You have to plan for the rain and occassional cold day even in August, but more often then not you are fishing in great conditions. While some worry about catching these deeper water fish, I can honestly say that I don't believe we had a single casualty in the two boats this fall other than the smaller "eaters" that we kept. The fish were not as deep as they can get...29' - 32' of water seemed to be the magic number this year. We released our fish quickly and the eagles went hungry. Most of the fish in fact could be observed on the locator heading back to deep water in a hurry.I have no doubt that the Professor, his glove, and Marty "the total package" are repeating this pattern right now in September on Eagle Lake. So go ahead and book your spring trip but consider a second week in the fall to get your pot of gold!

Here is something you don't see every day on Clearwater

2010-09-14T15:32:00.007-05:00

Most of you that have experienced fishing on Clearwater in the past probably enjoyed the tranquility of a lake that rarely has many boats. Well....things were a bit different this fall with the high water.

While traveling up the river to Clearwater lake we came upon some huge Andy Myer's lodge boats with props full of weeds and grass. The motors were so big they couldn't reach the prop. We pulled over and gave them a hand and motored up ahead to our favorite spot on Clearwater. We arrived at our spot for jigging and we were the only two boats on the lake.

The water was calm, the sun was out, and it was a nice mixed bag of whitefish and trout. All fish were caught jigging with the "lewie rig" on light tackle. Drop me an e-mail if you want to know more.

Then we experienced something we had not seen before. A stream of boats who all headed within a few yards of where we were fishing. Yes its a big lake, but evidently this is the only place you can actually catch fish. Seriously, it was like the flotilla of boats we see fishing perch in Wisconsin when the bit is on.

The interesting twist this year, is the other boats were fishing with lures tipped with minnows. Without much success I might point out. Even Gord arrived at the scene and was kind enough to point out his "secret spot".

Well there is no such thing as a secret, ever since the "Woods and Water" television show a few years ago. We all know John Gillespi has a difficult time keeping a secret. The good news? The fishing was great in our two boats. The better news? Nobody else was catching much. After catching our limit we decided to mess with the other boats a little bit. We rigged up the trolling rods and proceeded to troll about 30 yards out from the flotilla. We consistently caught double after double in both boats. This attracted some attention. One of the other boats was curious enough that they motored over to Shawn and asked him what he was using. Shawn, always the helpful angler pointed out that anything shiny seemed to work. In fact that was true. We were trolling 4 different spoons, and all were catching fish. E-mail me for details. Fascinating. We discovered that the fish were not concentrated in this 40 yard area. In fact, you could catch trout in all parts of the lake that had depth and fish on the locator.

If you have never tried trolling for trout or jigging for trout and whitefish....give it a try. Its a beautiful lake with great fishing opportunities. And the truth be told, this kind of boat traffic is unusual, and thus the post. In fact, during low water periods, Gord is the only lodge with portage boats on the lake. Can you taste the smoked trout and fish cakes?

Favel Lake

2010-08-30T20:26:00.016-05:00

Back in July, Kurt reminisced about visiting Favel Lake and said it was on his bucket list after a failed attempt a few years ago. Well, Bill, Shawn, Brian and I made it back to this lake a few weeks ago. Visions of fish which hadn't seen lures danced through our heads. Now I was tempted to post monster pike pictures for all of those lurkers out there, but let me tell you the honest story.

Water levels are very high on Eagle right now. Navigating the first part of the stream was a breeze.

Ah yes, it was a glorious day. Just think of those monstoreous pike we are going to see today! Then we came to the first beaver dam. Gord warned us about these. He said there might be more than one.

When I had asked Gord, "who was the last person back to Favel Lake", he replied "Keith Mitchell". I began to wonder if he meant Keith the fish? We cruised for a while longer. "That wasn't so bad", said Shawn.

Well, then we came to the second beaver dam. This dam had an elevation change of close to four feet. Oh yea, Gord said there might be more than one beaver dam.

After breaking through the second beaver dam, I'm thinking that Favel lake just dropped two feet in elevation. Bill says, "those beavers are going to be mighty angry. We slug on. The channel begins to dissapear and is beginning to be consumed by acres of floating bog. We push, pull, and paddle through and over narrow openings in the bog. I'm thinking, "Brian will never want to come back to VBL again". He troops on.

Can you see the lake from there boys? They reply, "I don't think so". We've gotten so far back it doesn't make sense not to continue for a chance for fishing for foolish pike.

In some places you could stand on top of the bog and it would slowly sink. In other places you went through. At one point I jumped on to a thin layer of bog and went completely through only to catch myself at the arm pits. The water was over our heads. It was like playing a game of frogger. Could it be? Is that the lake up there? Yea, but the channel is completely gone.

Is that a leech I feel crawling up my leg? Those biting flies are awful. Well, we make it to Favel lake and revel at the beauty of this lake on a nice sunny day. We are greeted by three loons who seem puzzled by our presence. Time to start trolling and casting for our sweet, sweet, reward. The lake was thick with pike.

Nothing but snakes. If there are big pike in this lake, they are smart and back under the shade in those acres and acres of floating bog. This was the bad news. The worse news was we had to go back through the "death march". Interestingly that's the term that one of Gord's competitors used to describe the 20 minute easy portage to Clearwater lake. Perchmaster....you can take this one off your bucket list. I've got the mosquito, fly, and leech bites to prove it.

I've learned new respect for the friends and family that join me on these trips. I knew there was a reason I brought them along. I also have a renewed respect for the man or fish they call Keith.This was a true adventure. Now don't get me wrong. I fished Caribou lake for the first time this spring and I plan on going back. I also plan on trying to explore a new lake on each future trip to VBL. And perhaps this trip should be the hazing event that all new VBL guests like Brian should endure? Get out of the rut and explore all that VBL has to offer!

Things you may not have seen before.........

2010-08-24T17:10:00.002-05:00

Fish soup made by the "Russians" out of heads and fins. It looked weird but it was actually pretty good!

This pineapple-looking floating object is either a limb from a giant amphibian, or the root system of what is commonly referred to as a lily pad. Don't show this to the Russians, it's probably edible.

You won't see this too often......a swimming eagle. Perhaps having a brisk "dip" on a hot day, or just a case of not stopping before hitting the water. Either way, he / she looked a little "p-o'ed".

Nothing like the humiliation of having to dry out on a rock when you screw up! (photography by Mike B.)

Walleye Madness Week, 2010......

2010-08-09T10:17:00.005-05:00

The 5th annual "Walleye Madness Week" was held during the week of July 24th, here at VBL. Good weather, good fishing, fine folk.......and a good time had by all! Pictured above was a mid-week shore lunch hosted by the "Dick's".

Even Susanne had a chance to get involved. Here's a nice slot sized fish (25 points) that was caught trolling a Rapala in 12 feet of water near the "Straights of Gull Isle".

The Thursday night awards night and pot luck was a highlight of the week. Bruce and Sally Rasmussen seem rather pleased with the LCBO gift pack. Finally a beer big enough for Bruce!

Connor Anderson was the youngest angler who entered a fish into the competition. Way to go!

The coveted Walleye Madness lodge trophy which has the archives of competitions past. The take home trophy was a nice hand carved walleye plaque done by Toronto artist Charles Weiss.

The husband - wife team of Dan Kornelyk (Honorary Dick) and Joan (No Dick) took 1st and 2nd place for largest walleyes released.........26 and 25 inches. Good work Joan & Dan!

Overall winner, Mary Keller (Bride of Big Dick) with 224 points, holding the official tally sheet. Mary took home a nice St. Croix rod and hand carved Chuck Weiss walleye. In second place with 175 points was Joan Korneylk. Both Mary and Joan get their names engraved on the VBL lodge trophy.........way to go ladies!

What happened to the men in the competition? Of course, the Professors, are not up to the rigorous challenge of a mid summer competition, and prefer the much easier deep water bite. Well, maybe they will muster the courage for next year!?!

Some noteworthy men did receive recognition. Merv "It's all bullshit" Anderson was awarded "Most Improved Angler" by actually catching some walleye this year! Well done Mervin!! Bad Dick Buchie was the winner of special "Shorty" pliers and a "King Rat" lure for his outstanding catch of a 9 inch perch. Congratulations on landing that lunker!

We look forward to the last week in July, 2011 for the 6th Annual Walleye Madness Week........See you there!

The McLewie WBLT Sandwich

2010-08-05T16:21:00.003-05:00

How does that grab you? This sandwich has become a tradition for the professor and I during our trips to VBL. You have all had the lousy McFish Sandwich. You have all had the traditional BLT. Try this one:

Toasted Rye bread from the Coop

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato

Walleye Fillet fried in panco bread cromes (very crunchy). Flour, egg, panco breadcrumbs

Tarter sauce and fried onions

Cold Beer followed by a nap

Andy

Esox Masquinongy

2010-08-05T11:42:00.004-05:00

I think we have been looking at Gord's ars a bit too long. My apologies. Now on to something more interesting.

It's a well known fact.....thousands of musky go to bed hungry every day in Eagle lake. It's up to you to do something about it. I have a lot of respect for the musky anglers that spend hundreds of hours casting hefty lures over the cabbage and into the shadows. If you are good at it, the odds are good that you will have success. On the other hand, I also get some perverse pleasure out of accidentally catching a few of these monsters using light tackle for walleye. It happens almost every trip to VBL.

This fine fellow snacked on a small tail dancer on 8 pound test mono

Here is a little known fact: Musky's love crawler harnesses trolled behind a bottom bouncer almost as much as the walleye do. Just ask this guy:

Now, you will have to ask the professor why he is holding my fish, but to make a long story short we were trying to avoid using a net and wanted a quick release.

A week from Friday I will be making a return trip with my son Shawn, and friends Bill and Brian. It will be a multi-species week but I may spend one day targeting these fish. Maybe Gord can re-enact his sad sad tale from last year while showing me the scene of the crime?

Andy

Richard Gere look alike?

2010-07-26T15:24:00.005-05:00

I have been waiting patiently for the Professor to post this but remembered that the missus waited a very long time for her kitchen to be completed, so here it goes...

When the professor and I went up to VBL in the spring, Susanne told us that Gord had an appointment with his proctologist. Well, when Gord returned from the Doctor's office we were a littl disturbed to see a smile on his face.

Gord soon spilled the beans. The nurse had told him that he looked like Richard Gere. He was beaming. "Oh really" thought the professor. Meanwhile I was reminded of the post that showed a resembance between an inebriated Gord and Charles Manson.

Let's just say we were puzzled by this comparison. That is until Gord took us on a portage trip to Carribou lake. It hit us when Gord was demonstrating his unique guiding stance in the back of the boat.

Perhaps, we thought, the nurse was refering to the resemblance between Gord's ars and that of Richard Gere? So we winced, and took a closer look.

So in the tradition of old Elvis/young Elvis debate, we will let you weigh in....old Gere or young Gere?

More muskies.........

2010-07-18T13:09:00.002-05:00

Here's a few more muskies that have been caught over the past several weeks. Above is Henry Mowraski holding his 45 inch fish..........caught on a 6 inch perch colored Rapala.

Dan Witzlib and a dandy 50 inch fish caught last week! Congratulations to Dan and Henry........

A good muskie day........

2010-07-17T17:24:00.002-05:00

On Friday I was able to take Brandon Lacrosse and his dad Mick out for a few hours of muskie fishing here in Vermilion Bay. We had a few days of high winds and recurring showers, and Friday was no different. The barometer was on the rise (I checked this later) and it turned out to be one of those days you could do no wrong. Pretty much every spot you would think a muskie might be, there was one.........and they were active!

The first fish was yours truly with a 38 incher caught on a small black and silver Mepps Muskie Killer doing a figure "8".

Two spots later Brandon tied into this nice 42 incher. In between, Mick managed to hook into another 38 inch muskie (sorry, no picture). In total we ended the day with 4 muskies (Brandon had a second fish in the boat.......28 inches) caught and probably 6 or 8 others that followed.

It was a great muskie week too. We had 12 fish caught with the biggest caught by Brandon's buddy Dan Witzlib.....a beautiful 50 incher. Dan also had a 47 incher. John Biesterveld and his father in law, Clay, had a number of muskie boated including a 48 inch fish. I was not able to download pictures of these fish but will do so if Dan or John can email them to me. The moral of the story is..........."you should have been here this week!" Don't despair though.......the really big fish season is still ahead of us!

Clearwater Lake walleyes......

2010-07-12T22:24:00.004-05:00

Well, at long last I can finally say that I have caught a Clearwater Lake walleye! Caught this 24 incher while trolling a heavier version of a Mepps type spinner. What is interesting is the location where this fish was caught......let's just say I might be on to the whereabouts of these mysterious fish...........a cloudy day or some chop on the water would be one of the keys to targeting these walleyes.

This has to be one of the smallest trout I've caught on Clearwater L.

A couple of dandy pike also came out of the same area as the walleyes.

Henry's fish was pushing 40 inches.

8 more days until arrival at the VBL

2010-07-07T08:39:00.004-05:00

With just 8 more days until I pack up with the old man and head up North I am more antsy than a 10 year old on the 3rd of July. I've waxed up the boat and swapped out all of my old line for new. Binge shopped at Cabela's twice just to ensure I have all the needed equipment for success. I still need to pick up one more Marine battery to get the trolling motor all ready.

This year my Dad wants to catch more Walleye, and I want some Small Mouth Bass. Muskie and Pike are simply a bonus this year. We have arranged for Gord to be our guide for day and we look forward to getting a better idea of where to fish for particular species of fish and the techniques required.

Fishing here in Kansas has sucked the last two years as everyone is keeping small fish and depleting the stocks of the public waterways. I often wish the Fish and Game officers would more strictly enforce the creel limits and have a presence on the boat docks for inspections of fish. I commend the DNR in Canada for a job well done, and it shows in the numbers of fish caught by all.
The fishing must be good at VBL this year because Gord is not posting any updates due to spending all his time in the fillet room.
If you are going to be up at the lodge between July 16th and July 24th drop a line here and we look forward to meeting you.

Neil

What Should I Do With This?

2010-06-29T08:38:00.002-05:00

Many folks will return home from VBL with frozen fish fillets. Pictured here is a nice northern pike, expertly cleaned and deboned by Gord Bastable for my dining convience.

Pike are good-eating and I regularly serve them up at home. They are similar to a walleye, but have a bit more flavor. Compared to the robust flavor of salmon, pike is mild. I prefer it seasoned-up and recently found a recipe that is a killer in this regard. My dinner guests raved about it and I'm going to share this one with you.

Grilled Northern With Herb & Caper Vinaigrette*
(T=tablespoon, t=teaspoon)

MARINADE
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T lemon juice
1 T chopped, fresh tarragon
1 t minced garlic
.5 t grated lemon rind
3 T olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Pike cut into six portions (one 24-26 inch pike will be fine)

VINAIGRETTE
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T chopped chives
1 T chopped, fresh tarragon
1 T capers, rinsed and chopped
1 t Dijon mustard
.25 cup olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper

STEPS
1. Whisk together marinade ingredients (except fish) in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Put this off to the side for now.

3. Spread the marinade over the fish and allow this to stand at room temp for .5 hour.

4. Preheat your grill to medium-high. Oil the grate (if you have one for vegetables/fish, use it).
Place the fish on the BBQ and grill for about three minutes, gently flip and grill for three more minutes. Remove from grill, drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

This dish, along with a salad and a side or two, will serve four. Your guests will be pleased.

*Source: Food and Drink Magazine, Early Summer 2010, p.170

Garlic ring man

2010-06-28T19:48:00.002-05:00

Here are some of the pictures that you requested Gord. I'm looking forward to seeing you in September.

garlic ring man

2010-06-28T19:31:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share a little knowledge with my fellow fisher-people out there. Some of you already are aware of this but here goes.

I have been seeing a great deal about florocarbon leaders so I decided to try them. I don't like tying thick knots as they clog with weeds and I'm sure fish can see them. I bought a Berkley sleeve clincher and some #3 metal sleeves and small and large swivels and snaps. I used 20bl test for small fish such as pike and used 50lb test for larger fish such as muskies. I found that the leaders didn't have to be changed anywhere near as often and in the clear water of Eagle Lake the fish couldn't see them. I caught multiple walleye and pike, and changed the leader once in a week. I used a traditional metal leader and changed that in one day because it kinked and I also did not catch many fish on that set-up. The other added bonus was I caught a 47 inch muskie and he did the usual roll and was not cut up at all where a thin metal leader would have badly cut or marked him up.

I find the florocarbon leaders tough, abrasion resistant, transparent, non-kinking and very easy to make. I used leaders in length from 18 inches to 24 inches and was extremely pleased. I hope this info helps others out there.

Garlic ring man

2010-06-19T22:41:00.002-05:00

Well after busting two really good rods and using all sorts of brand new lures, it figures that the fish in Eagle lake liked all my old lures instead, so I think I'll save my money and stop buying all the new CRAP. The fishing was incredible and well going even if the weather didn't co-operate.
I also learned that you don't sail Eagle Lake during tornado style winds, right Gord. Sorry about your hat.

Mayfly walleyes..........

2010-06-18T06:39:00.005-05:00

For the past few weeks we have been in the midst of the dreaded "Mayfly Hatch". Here's a nice smallmouth caught by Steve from Indiana that was slurping mayflys along with surface baits.

While the theory is that walleyes won't bite during a mayfly hatch, the fishing has been consistantly great. There is a shallow water bite going on (8-12') that is outstanding. Wade from Mpls. gave me some of the pictures from their fishing early in the week.

Here's a shot of a 24 inch walleye just before it jumped out of Danna Ferry's hands. This was caught trolling a Rapala in 10' of water.

Of course with all the walleye activity in the shallows, the northern (and muskie....several caught or sighted this week) are not far behind.

Another slot walleye. I am amazed at the numbers of 14 inch walleye we are catching.....must have been a heck of a hatch a few years back. Many of the bigger walleye are coming out of a little deeper water (up to 20') but not always.

The fishing has been great........ Make note of this time period for a future trip to Eagle Lake!

Why The Backcountry?

2010-06-14T21:55:00.006-05:00

Pictured to my right is fishing partner, Andy Lewis. We just hiked the portage trail from Clearwater Lake back to Eagle, and it had been a long, adventurous day. Our senses were in overdrive as we felt hot, sweaty, thirsty and tired. Cold beer was less than ten steps away and we could already taste it.

This day was spent traveling to Caribou Lake to fish for smallmouth bass and pike with Gord. He accepted our invitation for a 5:30 breakfast featuring pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and juice. By 6:15 we motored away from the VBL dock and just less than two hours later we arrived at Caribou. Between the dock and Caribou were four lakes and four portage trails.

We fished the hell out of Caribou, making hundreds of casts to bass concentrated very close to shore and pike bunched up on a rock reef. We threw poppers, spinners, jigs, swimbaits, and shallow divers. It didn't matter much to the fish; they hit nearly everything. We stopped only for a lunch break on shore. By 4:30 I was fished-out, and shortly thereafter my partners called it quits, too. Then the two hour return trip began. But what a day it had been.

So, why the backcountry? Caribou Lake is in a near-wilderness setting and is rarely visited. Prior to our trip only one other party fished this lake during the past two years, according to Gord. The fishing opportunity is exceptional, but so is the genuine solitude that this truly wild place offers.

Nearly 100 years ago, John Muir wrote, "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." That's why I go to Caribou. And I'm grateful that Gord and Andy value this kind of experience as much as I do. We had a great time together.

Caribou Lake is the most remote portage lake available to VBL guests. But, there are two additional options that are easier to get to and offer good fishing, undeveloped shorelines and the potential for solitude. However, there is the chance of seeing other anglers. But, I usually have these lakes to myself when I fish them. Ask Gord about Clearwater and High Cliff for detailed info that could put you into the backcountry on your next trip to VBL.

A few words of caution...Backcountry trips take you into wild country. The trails are decent for the most part, but you have to pay attention to rocks, mud, tree limbs and slippery spots--especially if it's been raining much. I wear very good boots and have never had a problem with my feet. Everything I need for such an outing usually fits into, or onto, my daypack. That way my hands are free and hiking is safer and easier. I'm in reasonably good shape and find the trails to be moderately challenging. Two weeks ago, I hiked the portage trail between Eagle and Clearwater six times. It always took me just under 20 minutes at a steady pace. Stick to Eagle Lake if you're out-of-shape or don't like hiking on terrain that will be challenging at times. And remember to apply insect repellent before you hit the trail.

Well, I hope you find this post helpful. Perhaps it will inspire you to give one of the portage lakes a try. These lakes offer nice alternative to Eagle and can spice-up a VBL fishing trip.

Part 2 photos from Eagle Lake

2010-06-11T17:58:00.007-05:00

These guy's popped up right next to the boat as I scrambled for the camera to catch a picture.

Mark with one of hundreds of walleye caught during the trip

Moon rising on Eagle Lake

Mark with one of many Northerns caught while trolling husky jerks

CPR a nice walleye

Another eye

Back to the waters of Eagle to be caught another day

Another slot eye

Kurt with walleye from one Gords secret spots SHHHH!!!!!!

Another from his spot think we forgot to tell him we caught a couple in obe of his spots

Mark with slot eye from the culvert

One after another

Snapped this pic a little slow as another was there and gone

Double bubble

More double bubble on Eagle Lake

OK think your getting the picture we caught lot of walleye on this trip probably more Eagle Lake eyes than ever since we started going to VBL

OK enough pictures I don't want to rub it in anymore Dustin you missed a good year so 2011 will be another year.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures from our May 2010 trip it was a blast and look forward to next years trip and hope to meet new friends, like Andy and Joe.

Again we want to thank Gord Susanne and Mike for another great trip.

You do a great job keep up the great work....

Things you might see on a portage trail......

2010-06-08T06:31:00.005-05:00

......a hidden lake ..........

.......a large wolf poop........

.......a boggy trail (bring your boots!)......

.......a large sweaty man in a moment of reflective contemplation..........

.........what the hey!......more wolf poop........

.....a pair of abandoned sunglasses (refer to wolf poop above.....coincidence or tragic reality?)

.......fresh moose tracks............

........non-electric beaver activity............

.......interesting flora..............

........weird flora..................

.......plenty of flora................

........purple flora.............

...........and rose colored flora to go with those sunglasses. The moral of the story is to always keep your eyes peeled when on that next "death march" to a hidden lake.........you never know what you might stumble upon. Perhaps you will even run into the owner of those sunglasses!