GREETINGS EVERYONE,

In my never ending quest to make every trip a great one I have compiled an indexed list of what you can expect and what you should pack for a fly-in to our outposts.  If I tickle anyone’s funnybone in the process of explaining things the way I see them, good!  If I offended you, I apologize [unless you have already booked a trip with the competition in which case I say ‘toughen up’, you sensitive whack a doo].  In addition I discuss what to pack, how to pay us, how to get a discount and what the 40 inch pike always like to bite on.

PACKING

A favorite target of mine in the often times satirical newsletter.  If a trip to Canada is one of your ‘bucket list’ objectives it is important to not bring everything you own on the trip.  If you are a regular who comes every year you should know by now that it is important to not bring everything you own [the one exception to this is if you feel that your wife is leaving you while you are off fishing in which case selecting all of your favorite possessions and bring them with you is okay, I will just make you leave the excess in the truck]  So, why is this a problem, you might ask?  Because we are flying in and the plane can only carry so much weight at one time.  A good rule of thumb is that your weight and your gear weight should come in at under 400 #’s.  If you can pull this off I will be high fiving you and offering you a 4% discount off of your bill [based on groups of 6, or the math becomes wickedly complex].  If you have more than this I do not charge for it but I also get it in at my convenience on my service plane flown by me.  IF you want it at your convenience you can hire a small plane that will take an additional 700 pounds and get it up there right away.  It is a great idea to have one small bag with your ‘mandatory’ stuff in it that can always get on the plane with you in case we have to shuffle planes or loads at the last minute. [Note, it is important that once you get all your heart medicine and cholesterol pills in one bag that you do not leave it in the truck]

A SAMPLE LIST to guide you to efficient packing for a fly-in:

• – 2 rods and reels per man
• – spare line 8# walleye, 12# pike
• – well equipped tackle box
• – pliers and a jaw spreader
• – pic coils or bug lanterns
• – leech or worm lockers
• – GPS [so you can return my boat!]
• – sunglasses with neck strap or no neck strap and spare sunglasses.
• – towel , soap, shampoo, toothbrush [in case no one has left one behind!]
• – reading glasses [for tying on a lure and possibly, reading]
• – sleeping bag and pillow
• – filet knife
• – sun screen
• – insect repellent
• – rain gear
• – Advil or Tylenol and Benadryl
• – personal needs kit
• – medications
• – spare car keys
• – flashlight

For the Group:

• – Coolers to transport your food and store excess in and small day cooler for boat food
• – snacks
• – beverages
• – an alarm clock
• – toilet paper
• – garbage bags
• – fish filet bags
• – books or games
• – small first aid kit
• – lighters and flame throwers

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Since it is unlikely that you can live entirely off the land for more than 6 hours you need to think about what kind of food to bring.  Here are some thoughts:  for starters it is not imperative that you plan for the possibility that we will forget you and therefor you should bring an extra weeks provisions.  We will not forget you as we need the cabin for the next group, unless you are the final group for the season in which case a weeks extra grub will be insufficient anyhow so why bother.  Sit down at work, as soon as your lunch break is over, and figure out 5 breakfasts I will eat xyz, 5 lunches I will eat abc and 5 dinners I will eat fish and whatnot. If your boss catches you at this task, invite him along! Condiments that go with all the meals and you have a perfect meal plan.  Costco sized condiments work well for Costco but not well for planning a sufficient amount unless you are in a group of 10 guys!  If you are struggling with quantities, ask your wife to help. You are not saving money by buying a gallon of beans and then throwing away half of them! I know it appears that I am talking to a kindy gartner here but if you saw how much food we fly out on most trips or gets left behind in the cabin “for the next group” you would understand my viewpoint.

FOOD PLANS

Sometimes it is just handier for us to do the food for you.  Our food is not cheaper in the north [walleye works out to about $500.oo  per pound!] but it is convenient.  We feed you well and will customize the order as necessary.  If you decide to do the food plan it is imperative you let us know how many meals of fish you plan on and whether they are lunch or supper, so we can adjust the quantities of certain items.  Here is the menu we base our plan on:

-Beverages – Coffee, frozen orange juice, milk [2% unless specified]

-Breakfast Goods – Bacon, sausage, eggs, pancake mix, syrup, cereal, jam, butter

Lunch Material – Sandwich meat, hot dogs and buns, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, cheese, bread, cookies

-Shore Lunch Items – Fish fry mix, tartar sauce, brown beans, potatoes, onions, cooking oil

-Dinners – Steak, hamburger for spaghetti, pork chops, chicken, hamburger for hamburgers, buns, pasta noodles

-Produce – Apples, lemons, oranges, carrots, onions, potatoes, fresh vegetable, salad ingredients for two days

-Miscellaneous Dry Goods – Coffee mate, sugar, crackers, chips and salsa, popcorn, nuts, salad dressing, canned vegetables, pepper, salt, garlic seasoning, BBQ sauce, puddings

-Cleaning Supplies – Dish soap, SOS pads, toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, dish towels and cloth, matches, tin foil, kitchen sponge, sandwich bags

HOW TO PACK FOR A FLY-IN:

Similar to Packing above but now we talk about what you put your meager gear pile in to.  The best thing is medium sized totes for all your food and dry goods.  They should be stack able so when empty 8 take up the space of 1!  Barring a $6 tote being in the budget, stout cardboard boxes are fine, they can be burned before you leave the bush.  What is not okay is the plastic bag the high school girl grocery clerk gave you when you bought your stuff.  Just as bad are the paper bags that groceries are put in by the store.  Both do not stand up against the pilot kicking them around, a wet dock, a Chinese seam in the bag or a murder of crows picking your stuff apart on the dock.  Coolers are good for your perishable stuff but should not be loaded with ice [heavy] canned goods [heavy] a secret  unpaid for fisherman [very heavy] or beer [heavy unless it is lite!]  A good rule of thumb is that if you can not lift it by yourself then we do not want to even try to get it 5 feet in the air and in to the plane.  I relax all restrictions once you get the plane unloaded at your outpost and you can feel free to pull out the plastic and paper bags to transport your gear to the cabin!  Duffle bags are fine with clothes as are mid sized suit cases.  Rods should always be in rod tubes, preferably the little 4 footers and not the ones that can handle a golf bag and a caddy.  If a rod tube is out of the budget then make sure the rods are broken down and NO HOOKS or last seasons bait please.  For your winter lunch hour enjoyment while you are awaiting your trip date to arrive, you can calculate what can be brought given that the planes take the following weights:

• – Cessna takes 3 average sized men or 700 pounds
• – Beaver takes 3 to 4 men or 1200 pounds
• – Otter takes 4 to 8 men or 2400 pounds

Feel free to guess the weight of your buddies and think of helpful ways they might lose some weight before the trip so you can bring some spare tackle.
We used to have a pilot you could bribe and he would take more but he is no longer with us. [may his soul find mercy and he rest in peace] WE PROVIDE SO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BRING YOURS
Anchors and 6 feet of rope, swivel boat seats, nets, minnow buckets, depth lake maps, life jackets, block ice in regular intervals, paddles, boat kit.

HOW TO GET TO US:

This is important because if you can not find us, you can not go fishing.  I will lead you there from Minneapolis which most Midwesterners can find, right?  Head north on I 35 towards Duluth, a couple of hours later you are at Duluth, take #53 to International Falls and follow a zig zag last couple of blocks to the Canadian border [See Border issues] Talk nicely to the uniformed guy who will ask you some simple questions.  If you pass you will cross a toll bridge where the first Canadians you meet will be plucking some money from your pocket for the toll.  IF you fail, you will be spun back in to your own country and might as well go to the Casino and double your money that you would have spent with us!  If you lose, just don’t tell your wife that you were inadmissible and she will be none the wiser [for now].  At this point, you cross one block into Canada [a left turn] to highway 11 east [turn right] and stay aware of the speeding limit for the next 10 miles or so, it is very slow through an Indian reservation but not obviously apparent to a guy in a hurry to go fishing. Cross the very large bridge and go another 10 or so miles watching out for highway #502 north and turn left.  Two hours of tedium brings you to Dryden, cross the river and keep going straight through town through 4 lights to the 5th light and a dead end at highway #17, turn east, through the little hamlet [cute word] of Wabigoon and about another 5 miles to highway 72 to Sioux Lookout.  At this point you are finally on the last 45 minutes and you then will enter town, hotels and motel are easy to find but you should have booked a room in advance as often they are all booked up. You then contact me at 807 737 2903 and we will give you a start time for the next morning at the Airways.  If you are coming from anywhere other than Minneapolis, I suggest you by a Rand McNally atlas.

If you want to fly to Sioux Lookout your best bet if you have a group of 3 or more is to fly as far as Winnipeg or Thunder Bay or International Falls and rent a van and drive the last 5, 4 ½ or 3 hours respectively to us.  IF you have only two or one or less people then you should consider flying directly in to Sioux Lookout through either Winnipeg or Thunder Bay and we will pick you up at the airport and give you a courtesy vehicle to run to the beer store, the liquor store and ultimately a hotel.  IF you have your own plane, we no longer have Customs at Sioux Lookout, you will need to clear Customs either in Thunder Bay or Fort Frances and then off to us.  Our runway is 5,500 feet long, paved and hangar space available if you want to pay for it.  The local frequency is 122.0  Over the years we have used Red Lake Travel a lot to book the flight tickets and their phone number is 800 465 3305.

Once you have made it into town you will notice a number of float planes just off the main road on the left.  Our office is right on the main drag beside Robins donuts and by the planes.  Contrary to many folks’ expectations, I do not hang out at the office located on the ground, I am only there by prearrangement and lift off time.

WHERE DO I STAY THE NIGHT BEFORE?

There are several hotels and a motel.  In an order that I favor for a variety of reasons you have:

• – The Bunkhouse at the Air base
• – THE LAMPLIGHTER MOTEL 807 737 1014.
• – THE BEST WESTERN 807 737 4444
• – THE FOREST INN  807 737 1330

The Lamplighter does breakfast and lunch.  The Forest Inn is full dining and best in town.  The Best Western does continental breakfast and the Dirty Dicks is open for good dinners but no breakfasts.  In addition to those dining places the town also has Robins Donuts [by my office], The Wellington, The 5th avenue, Chicken Chef, Knobby’s and a small handful of others.

RATES

HOW TO PAY US
We do take personal checks from an account that has money in it.  We also offer a 4% discount for keeping your group of 6 under a total weight of 2,400 pounds [one otter load]

These change more often than I rewrite this manual but basically if you can convince  your wife to give up one latte a day you have enough money to purchase your share of the food for the trip.  IF she will give up getting her hair done your trip is covered.  IF she decides to give up you, then likely we will never see each other again as you likely will not be able to afford me again until after I retire.  Let me see, what can YOU give up? Golf at some fancy pantsy resort? [I could do that since I do not golf], tipping your waitress?, air in your tires?  Hold on a minute, too much sacrificing going on here, just take a bit of money out of your kids college fund before he knows it even exists or better yet bring him with you and he might decide on a career as a fishing guide,  which does not require a college education, and then you are golden, you have enough money saved up for making two trips a year!

TRAVEL TIPS- phones, border, sign in, departures, costs and hospitals

• – Be sure that your dates are the same as mine at least a month before your arrival.  It stinks for both of us when you arrive early/late and we are both pointing the finger at each other and saying ‘it is your fault!’  Most of the groups come in as directed, the night before, so that they are ready for our routine early departures.  Typically, we leave the dock at 0600 but have been known to leave earlier than that and it is too risky to think you can drive through the night and make it at the appointed minute at my office.
• – At our office you will sign in and leave me a contact number in case you are delayed for some reason on departure. [wife, cat, possibly mortician]  Our contact number that you can use for them to call us is 807 737 2903.  You may see it written on rest room walls around the mid western states “for a good time call!”
• – Your cell phone will work most of the way north of the border to Sioux Lookout and not at all at your remote cabin [where you opted to get away from it all]
• – We collect our fees in American money but most businesses do not pay exchange so a bit of Canadian dollars in your pocket for donuts and coffee is a good thing.
• – Gas is sold by the liter and as of 2014 was running about $1.40 per liter or about $5.50 a gallon in Canadian dollars.  Sorry to have to tell you that but it does make a person feel sorry for me right?
• – Speed limits are in kilometers per hour so 90 kph equates to about 55 mph.  Speeding is not a problem as long as you are not cot or hit a moose!  While it is always fun to see a moose you do not want to see it on your windshield.  The cops are not fun to see and generally do not care that you are a tourist that has come up to drop your annual savings off to me.
• – Border guys are known for their lack of charm as a rule.  They do not care if you enter the country or not, they are paid by the federal government and apparently there is a huge disconnect between the money you bring in that supports our economy and the money they earn provided by the tax dollars that I send in to aid the government in running the country.  As of 2014 you are allowed to bring in a bottle [either wine or hard liquor, 1 liter] OR 1 case of beer per legal drinking age person.  You are also allowed 200 cigs per person.  Potatoes were potata non grata for decades but now they have cleaned up their act and are currently welcome.  Eggs on the other hand are restricted to a dozen per person.  Basically, you can bring in any reasonable amount of groceries for your trip.  I have found that the more subservient you are, the easier they are on you [like your marriage].  Currently, they insist that you have a valid passport when you enter the country [we do not require it but the Canadians do not want to be stuck with you because your own country will not take you back!]  Juveniles need a note from the other parent indicating who they are traveling with and for how long.
• – Bait is a bit of an issue, frozen or salted okay, live not okay unless it is worms packed in commercial quality bedding.
• – We have a state of the art hospital in town should your luck run out before you get home.  They take all types of cash and maybe the odd health plan.  If you have prescription medicine, keep it on your person.  It is always awkward when I get up to your cabin and find that you have left your blood pressure medicine at home, I immediately start to worry about you since you have not yet paid for your trip and my blood pressure goes up but I can not go to the drug store and buy more for you because I am not in the black market prescription business and it just becomes problematic for me when I go down to the drugstore and explain to the guy that I am perfectly healthy but I know a guy who is not and has self prescribed himself a medication, could you please fill it out and then I will hop back in my plane and burn an additional $300 of fuel and bring you back your meds that you should have just remembered in the first place.

BAIT

I often get the question? do I need bait?  My answer to that is “no”.  I never use live bait as I do not want to bother with it and always catch plenty of fish without it. However, those who use live bait do catch more fish than those who think that fish like the feel of metal in their mouth over that of a minnow.  My problem with bait is that it is generally alive and requires baby sitting.  Pretty much all bait does well in June when water temps and air are reasonable to them, but once you get in to July and half of August you really need to be on your game to keep minnows alive.  Worms and leeches you can refrigerate and just dole out on a daily basis.  If you want to use a lot of minnows then it is best that I recharge you with fresh ones on one of my check flights.  The best way to deal with all of your bait needs is to let me deal with it for you.  When you check in a week in advance, you let me know what you need and I will have it ready for you at sign in the morning of your flight, packed in oxygen and ready to go.  I supply minnow buckets but not leech lockers, so bring those with you if you are going to use leeches.

What works best?

As for what works best, this is a real toss up.  Leeches are pretty much only available until mid August, worms and minnows are not a problem anytime.  My personal preference would be minnows, then leeches then worms to use and reverse the order for ease of care and keeping them alive.  Talk to anyone who knows how to fish our waters and they will likely give you a different order of preference.  So, go with what you like to use, keeping in mind the month you are fishing in.
Cost of bait changes annually but generally anticipate somewhere in the $4 to $5 a dozen price point, leeches are sold by the pound but still work out somewhere in that range.
All of the above not withstanding at least half of our guests do not use live bait at all!

FORTY INCH PIKE

Since I threw that in up top to get you to read on I best deliver right?  For starters, late May and June are best months as the big lads cruise more accessible depths so you are most likely to bump in to one then.  That being said the bait that does the best over the entire year is a small jig while fishing for walleyes.  The big guys come cruising in for a walleye lunch and stumble upon your puny offering and, if you lip hook it, come and visit you instead.  They can be duped in to biting a large, white minnowy lure trolled at deep depths but you might spend a day or two trolling around this type of lure and catching nothing else while your partner is slaying them fishing traditionally and still blundering on the odd big one.  So, you gotta choose, fish and enjoy and hope or come in the spring when the numbers of accessible fish are higher.  If you wanted me to go with you and regale you with tales of the big ones that I have lost over the years while we wait for a big one to blunder upon us you can ask me. [over the years I have developed a HUGE inventory of excuses why you should have been here yesterday, or next week or next year and would be happy to use them on you!]  Since I have expounded on the timing and luck required to catch big pike [my humble opinion not yet sanctioned by anyone who knows anything at all] I shall throw my oar in the water on big walleyes in a nutshell:  you can blunder on a 25 inch + fish anytime but best likelihood is to fish them from late July on where they are more concentrated on reefs than earlier in the year.  This bite generally holds well right into mid September as well.

TEMPERATURES and DRESSING wh

Tricky one here, the full extreme is from -45F to +100 if you stayed 12 months.  But since you are coming when the lake is not frozen we can narrow that down to +35 to +100F and further refine it down to what is probable and that depends on the month.  For the few of you who brave May you may see a day or two of 40 ish weather and likely 60 to 70 degrees [so chilly] June, July and August seldom sees below 50 or so and seldom gets above 85.  Once you get  in to the fall, the warmer temps become quite scarce and snow in the air late September and frost some nights in October is normal.  So, with that variability, how do you dress.

I like the layered approach of a suit and tie where I have a coat over a vest over a shirt over a tee shirt and long johns over my tightie whities under my insulated suit pants and then big gum rubbers to keep my feet cozy and ski doo mittens.  If it gets cold on my ears I can take my tie off and wrap it around my head [or double bonus my fishing mates neck if he has ticked me off more than normal]. So, as the day heats up I just start taking off layer upon layer until I am down to my unmentionables and realize I left my sunscreen back at camp. My problem with this get up is that if you sit back and paint a mental image of me all decked out for any climate some folks find me amusing in an unkind way.  So, in order to preserve my integrity of outfitter extraordinaire, I only dress like that when I am fishing by myself on an unexplored lake where no human has ever been or will be.  If I am fishing where I might stumble on another angler I still go with the layered approach but wear clean underwear and some of the high tech stuff that Cabela’s sells that is waterproof, windproof, bug decapitating, heat absorbing and heat shedding, made of bat wing or some similar ultra light material, camo and if they have it in my size, fish attracting.  I could expound further but I think you get my drift, you will be exposed to a wide variety of weather on any given week and you will need at least one set of clothes that can deal with whatever that extreme is.  Note: we do not have a rainy or windy season, if you got a week that was very windy or very wet you can fix this by fishing with luckier friends but keep in mind that the problem could be you and not them!

BEER

Drinking beer is a popular past time with anglers.  Couple of things on that:

1/ It is illegal to drink and fish and you might get a ticket if you try it and get interviewed by a warden

2/ beer bought in Canada is expensive [around $40 a case]

3/ beer bought at the duty free works out to about half of that

4/ I generally keep a few cases of beer in office for last minute 0600 a.m. purchases

5/ you should only fly in canned beer as the weight difference is about 12 pounds a case and a broken bottle on the rocks vs a broken can are two different problems!

6/ Canadian beer cans are recycled by us and should be kept separate if possible

7/ cans do not burn well in your bonfire and should not be put there

8/ you are allowed to bring one case per person across the border from home. [if they are 19 or older]

9/ if you bring one empty clear bottle with you the lake water at Maskara is similar to Coors Lite or Bud Lite or Miller Lite, and is free.  Only difference that I can detect is a slightly higher alcohol content on the lake water!

Even though I drink water from all the lakes on a regular basis, unfiltered and untested I am still not sure on my overall longevity, according to the Canadian water police, I  have outlived my life expectancy by several decades given my rash disregard for the common sense of only drinking processed water.  That being said, bringing water in those handy little 16 oz plastic bottles is pretty darn convenient, they can be frozen and taken in the boat as a cold beverage.  Heck what am I saying, if I have to describe how to use water to you, best you join the butterfly worriers and not come up here at all.  Quantity is another thing that we need to discuss.  You are not going to the Sahara desert, you are in a boat surrounded by drinkable water.  You can not and will not drink a case of water per man per day so do not bring it as it is heavy for me to haul around. [note: it weighs twice as much southbound]  Do some math and figure how much you will realistically use and bring that amount.  You do not need bottled water for coffee, you are ruining the experience and the quality of what you could be drinking.  And, unlike food, if you miscalculate you will not perish, just go to the lake and help yourself.  IF you die from dehydration on one of our trips I will feel very bad for any of your offspring that inherited your genes!  If it was dangerous our government would make this warning even more laughable, and I quote “if you are utilizing untreated water in a shower you should assist any child under the age of 14 in showering so they do not inadvertently get water in their mouth”  Try this at home and you likely will not be coming fishing as you will be in the state pen for 10 to 20!  The government has also chosen to determine that while showering could be life threatening swimming is not.  Go figure!

SATELLITE PHONES

We rent these on advance notice in case you feel you want to touch base at work or home, just let me know.

CABIN  EQUIPMENT
Each cabin is equipped with all the pots and pans and cutlery and dishes that you will need.  In addition, each cabin has a propane BBQ, a propane deep fryer, propane cook stove with oven and propane water heat.  All of our lights are solar powered, the fridges and freezers are also electric solar powered.  Running water to the cabin is also solar powered and each cabin has water at the sink as well as a shower [as of this writing the government has a move afoot to make us remove all of our indoor toilets within the next year or two.  Apparently, a system that has worked fine for nearly 20 years is not likely to work another ten and unless I figure out how to fly a backhoe in to the woods we will have to eventually remove the toilets.  So, on that note I am revamping all my outhouses and working on making them better and better, just in case.

BOATS AND MOTORS

Over the years we have pretty much switched to Alumarine boats, wider and more stable than a lund, they stand up the best.  Our motors are currently all 4 stroke Hondas, very fuel efficient.  Sizes range from 9.9 h.p. to 15 h.p., they all have rock guards on them to aid in minor rock strikes and assure you a good propeller whether you come in June or August.

FISHING REGULATIONS
I will go over these on your specific lake when you arrive but keep in mind that all of our lakes are conservation limits and no trophies killed, please and thank you.

Packing  fishing equipment for a fly-in

I could write a book on this but will be general instead.  Since most of you are repeat guys you already know what works, right?

Each angler should bring a pike and a walleye rod and and a few spares scattered through the group.  The pike rod needs to be stout and have 12 to 14# test line, walleye for me is a medium to light action rod with 8 to 10# test.  For pike you must have either fluorocarbon line to make your own leaders [25# + test] or steel leaders or you will be giving up most of your tackle to the big guys.  NO leaders or swivels please on the walleyes.

For pike you need pliers and jaw spreaders as well as some flashy type lures, an assortment of bladed type lures, large rapalas and some spoons.

Walleyes love a jig, I move up from ¼ oz. in the spring to 5/8 or ¾ oz. in mid August.  I want to be able to drift and still get down to the bottom.  IN the spring I will use rapalas sometimes but have a hard time getting my depths in the summer months so pretty much stay with jigs.  My more experienced guys will work bottom bouncers in the summer with great success but I find these trickier to fish myself so I like my jigs.
Color for pike is white or bright and flashy.  Color for walleye is orange or chartreuse or white or whatever other color you have in your box.  Twister bodies in yellow or white are my favorites.

COMMON SENSE

This is an accumulation of the times in your life when you read, watched or participated in a stupid event that ended up with a lucky outcome in which someone was hurt, or could have been, and not killed.  Our ancestors all had these same lessons to learn [Grog, DO NOT stand in front of my stone wheel while I test it out].  You and I are the progeny of these successful ancestors and we should be learning along the way ourselves.  Unfortunately, our various governments will not let us drive a car without buckling ourselves in, or ride a bike without a helmet,  drive our cars at the speed at which the road conditions allow or even go slow and cautious through a stop sign.  This is not the case in the north country, you can pretty much do what you want.  We do carry insurance for your next of kin but that does not help your personal goal of staying alive, right?  So, be careful, think before you do something with a potential consequence and keep in mind that we are a long way from you and even with a satellite phone assistance will take several hours.

On that note, I have prepared you well enough, get on up here and go fishing!