Medicinstone Fire!

It does not take long for things to swing from one extreme to the other here in Red Lake. It was not even a month ago when people in town were complaining about how much snow and ice there was, and now there are forest fires popping up! Yesterday a fire started at the southeast side of Medicinstone lake. As the crow flies, it is only 5 miles from our camp. It is the closest a fire has been to us since we took over 9 years ago. I drove the ATV up to the top of an adjacent hilltop (our hunters know it as North Wall) to get a better look as to how dangerous it was. I watched for 20 minutes as the smoke rose high into the air. There was 2 helicopters, a spotting plane and 4 water bombers working on trying to get control of the fire. You can see th bombers in a couple of the pictures below.

According to the fire headquarters, the fire has grown from 55 hectares to 95 hectares (approx. 250 square acres) over night. Fortunately for our camp, the wind is in our favor and as of right now there is no immediate danger to us.  But with no substantial rain in the forecast, it will a tough job for the fire crews to get the fire out. We will try to keep everyone updated. The link to the active fires map is  http://www.ontario.ca/law-and-safety/forest-fires.

This is looking East towards Red Lake. Suffel Lake is just over the hill on the left side of the picture.

It took the squadron of 4 water bombers less than 5 minutes to pick up water from
Red Lake and return to drop it on the fire.  

 

More fish pics...

Well the guests this week have definitely had their ups and downs where the fishing is concerned. I have heard of some tough stretches where boating  5 or 6 six fish was the norm, and the next day the catches where closer to 30-40 fish. A couple of boats have reported catching close to 100 walleye in a day! And as the pics below show, there have also been quite a few big ones landed as well. This afternoon the Kirgans set their sights on the lakers and they sure did a good job finding them. If my math is correct from what I heard, I believe the boys caught something like 8-10 trout in the last 24 hours. The biggest one was caught by Dick, it weighed in at a staggering 28 lbs 3 oz. and approximately measured over 42 inches long!!!

Dick with a 25 lb laker

Ron with a nice laker

Dick with his 28 lb laker

Dick with another laker

Dick with another laker

Carl with a nice pike

John, Don and Carl with a nice stringer of fish

This is how we should start everyday!

Because the fishing and the weather was so good, almost all of the groups had a chance to take some time out and enjoy a tasty fish fry. There is no such thing as a bad shore lunch. Josie added to the meal by offering drinks and donuts to the groups. The donuts were made by deep frying small jelly and bread sandwiches. They are delicious!

The boys hanging out in the main lodge playing cards

Josie and Jeremiah dressing like dad. 

Sorry for the delay...

Sorry for the delay in getting this post out. If you can imagine, with 50 guests in camp this week, things have been keeping me quite busy...don't forget about the 18 month and 5 year old that Jillian and I are trying to keep pace with. 

First things first, thanks to all of our guests from last week! Jillian and I had a great time with all of you! I am glad everyone got home safe. For those following the blogs, fishing picked up at the end of the week for may of the boats. We saw much improved walleye numbers as well as bigger sizes. Also, the pike machine in the lake continued to produce a bunch more "slot sized" fish along with a few more 40's. I sure hope everyone has filled out the fish charts in the main lodge, because I can not keep up with who got what anymore. Below is a few more nice fish from last week. Anyone who has fish pics from last week, feel free to send them my way. 

This week started off with nice weather and slow fishing for most. There were still some nice fish though. Logan (10 yrs old) already has a 41 inch pike to his name. It was almost as long as he is tall. I am still waiting on the picture. I am also waiting to get pics from many other guests as well, because I  have heard stories of quite a few large walleyes in the 25-27 inch range and many more large pike over 36 inches. No lakers yet. 

Bill Griffin boated a 42 inch pike yesterday and Stockton got his 41 inch pike today.

Stockton is here at Black Bear for the first time, while his dad Richard and his grandpa Dick are returning back after a long hiatus. Richard's last trip was 1977 and Dick's last trip was 1952!! Dick's dad actually owned and ran Black Bear Lodge for a couple of years, which I was not even aware of. Needless to say, we have already shared many stories, pictures, and memories. Dick says that the camp looks different, but the lake still looks like he remembers it. The last time Dick drove to Red Lake with his dad, highway 105 was all gravel from Vermillian Bay to Red Lake. And yet we complain about a few pot holes and 11 miles of gravel. 

Stockton with a 41 inch pike!!

Last side note: the new cabin (Newfy) is officially open. We have guest staying in it this week!!