So long to an old "friend"...

 If you have not already heard, the Old Main Lodge has been taken down.

For 75 years the Old Main Lodge has stood in the center of camp and was the heart and soul of Black Bear Lodge. It was the main dining hall, the kitchen, the pantry and even sleeping quarters for a few guests and employees. Guests would routinely gather there at the end of a longs day of fishing and trade stories of their successful catches and about the big ones that got away. It was also a great place to play a game of cards and to spend quality time with friends and family. The walls of that building have had a front row seat thousands of stories dating all of the way back to WW2. It is almost hard to fathom. And it was truly hard to see it go.

The people who built this cabin truly did an amazing job, considering the tools and environment they had to work with. Mother nature is just hard lady to live with.  It is just a matter of time and weather before any building succumbs to her power. Many of the logs on the Main Lodge had begun to rot away and none of them had been spiked together so the building continued to creep and lean towards the lake. We attempted to save the shell of the building, but after removing both porches, we realized there was no way we were going to be able to bring her back to her true self.

Our plan for the future is to build a new cabin or 2 in its place. We may also put up a temporary gazebo for shore lunches and for guest to hang out at. It is a future project, so please do not expect to see any new structures next May.

Even after 2 weeks, I am still not used to the look of the big open yard. Although I do have some amazing views from our front porch.

The Main Lodge was a great building in its day and we will always hold it in a special place in our hearts and minds.

If you have any nice pictures of the Old Main Lodge (especially inside pictures) please share them with us.

Here are some pictures of how the cabin looked and how it was removed...

This is a rare picture of the old kitchen. The pantry is to the immediate left just off
the picture. This is what it looked like for 5 decades before the New Main Lodge was
built and this room became the back porch.

This is what it looked like in 2007. 

No more kitchen.

This was the main dining hall.

Front of cabin in 2007

Front of cabin in 2016

back porch in 2007

back porch in 2016

The last morning for the Old Main Lodge.
The back hoe is nearly half the size of the building.

Phase 1 - remove the back porch...

Phase 2 - remove the front porch....

Phase 3 - remove the main shell...

Phase 4 - Enjoy the new view from our porch...and answer the most asked question

from the guests...what are you going to build next?

What's missing from this picture? Answer coming soon...

Fishing as hot as the weather!

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up. I know many of you were waiting to see your pics on here but what can I say, sometimes things move on camp time...especially on change over day.

Anyway, last week was a great mix of awesome guests and terrific fishing.
Once again there were eater sized walleyes being caught all over the place. We also saw quite a few larger ones as well. Larger pike are still a bit tougher to come by but, as you will see from the pictures, a few guests boated some monsters. With the warmer temps, the pike are going to remain in or around the colder water.

The warmer weather also came with a break in the wind, so fishing on the main lake was much easier.
As a result, we saw some more lake trout being caught along with quite a few whitefish and burbot.
Big white jigs seemed to be the ticket.

The guests who took the opportunity to portage to other lakes also had good success with finding some muskies and smallmouth. Throw in some jumbo perch and our guests last week can say they pretty much caught every game fish Red Lake has to offer. Nice work everybody!!

Here are your bragging pictures you gave me... enjoy. And thanks again for such an awesome week!

\

A crazy busy week...

I am still waiting on getting pictures from the groups, but overall the fishing was pretty good. I realize it sounds like a broken record (for those who do not know what a record is, you may want to google it) but there has been a lot of eater size walleyes and pike with an occasional big one here and there. The biggest fish of the week so far is Dennis Coon's 42 1/4 pike. Also, Joe Beuchel caught a 26 inch walleye and Brian Kitzerow landed a 25 inch walleye.

Considering how exceptionally hot is was this week, the groups did pretty well overall. Last week was by far the hottest week of the year. I will not go into details or brag about how we endured through the heat, because I well aware of how hot is was elsewhere in the States. Fortunately for us we have cooler coming.

Sorry Katherine I could not resist 

Dennis   42 1/4

July 9-16 Summary...

We had another pretty good week. The sizes of the fish have dropped off a bit, but there are lots of eater size walleyes and pike. Which means lots of shore lunches and "cheezer" sandwiches! The bigger fish this time of year tend to be a bit deeper or at least near the cooler water. So if you are searching for trophies, vary your strategy a bit or maybe consider taking a trip to one of our portage lakes. Here are some pictures from last week.

Also, I have updated the biggest fish pages for 2016. Still need to get some pictures up though. If you are on the list, feel free to resend your picture with accurate information.

What is a Burbot?

A burbot, also known as a ling cod or eel pout, is a deep water fish indigenous to Red Lake. It is not the most attractive fish in the lake, but it sure is a good tasting one. The burbot looks like a cross between a catfish and an eel. It has long whiskers and no scales. However, it is loaded with tasty white meat that many people call "poor mans lobster". Boiled or fried it is delicious. And if you are lucky enough to consistently catch these fish, there is no limit to how many you can keep.

Another great week in the books.

Small groups, but big fun. Thanks to all of the groups (old and new) who made last week a fun one for me and my family. We truly enjoyed your company and the time spent in camp. Overall fishing should have been better, but what we lacked in trophy fishing, we made up for in entertainment with guests. Stories and laugher always trump fishing...well maybe not 50 inch pike or 30 inch walleyes...that might be an even draw.

I am still waiting on some more pics from the different groups, but here are a few to get us started...

A beautiful full rainbow over camp.

No, these following pictures have not been altered. The Kuncl crew bring big fun in a BIG package.

Sorry Jeremiah, with the parents you have,
I don't think you have any chance of matching these boys.

To quote the boys..."this one was to small to keep."

I sure hope these boys are still loyal guests when Josie turns 13 years old.
Or I may just hire them out as body guards.