Bow Narrows Camp Blog on Red Lake Ontario

Our new water plant is up and running

2009-07-13T06:31:00.003-04:00

Our new water treatment system is now producing great drinking water to all our cabins and the lodge.

This extensive system creates crystal-clear, delicious and safe drinking water that makes bringing bottled water a thing of the past.

Instead of hauling into camp cases of the bottled aqua, we invite you to just bring a refillable water bottle and fill it up out of the tap.

In the bottom photo you can see the huge tank brought on the stern of our cabin cruiser, Lickety Split, that was part of this system.

At top is Mike from Wolframe's World of Water of Kenora explaining to me how the system works. Mike and Derek, also from World of Water, installed this system last week. They did a great job.

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Yes, we provide life jackets

2009-07-12T07:36:00.003-04:00

I've had several questions about whether we provide life jackets.
Yes! We do!
So if you don't want to bring a life jacket, you can use ours.
This confusion comes from a recent blog where I stated the most important gear a fisherman should bring is a life vest and excellent quality raingear.
Once again, we DO PROVIDE LIFE VESTS!
However, if you are more apt to wear a life vest because you've picked one out at the sporting goods store that fits your build and has features that you will use, then why wouldn't you spend the $30 to bring it? After all, it is only going to save your life!
The average fishermen probably brings at least $1,000 of fishing equipment, including depth finders, rods, reels and lures -- none of which will save them if they are flung overboard.
Our life vests will also save your life, but not if that are laying on the bottom of the boat which is where too many people leave them. They are the popular, comfortable, vest types, not the orange neck collar ones which really are uncomfortable. Still lots of people don't wear them because they bind them in the middle or chafe them or make them sweat. I suspect they really don't wear them because they think wearing a life vest is for sissies or some other nonsense.
If you are not going to wear a life vest anyway, you might as well not wear ours, I guess.
They are required by law to be in the boat but you are not required to wear them. That's about as useful as requiring cars to have seat belts but not requiring its occupants to strap them on.

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Warm days, cool nights are just great

2009-07-06T07:07:00.003-04:00

The weather and temperatures this week have been wonderful.
Daytime highs have been in the low 70s F while nights are cool and perfect for sleeping.
It has been a special treat for some of our guests whose hometowns have been going through heat waves of 100 F.
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Lots of moose being seen on the lake

2009-07-05T06:47:00.002-04:00

All of our guests are seeing moose either swimming or standing in the lake.
They are being seen on virtually every bay of the lake as they come out of the bush to cool off in the water and to get away from the flies.
Most of the moose are cow-calf pairs but some single cows and bulls have also been seen.
Make sure you take your camera fishing with you so you can get some great photos.
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Sunny skies and good fishing have returned

2009-07-04T07:04:00.002-04:00

Within a day of the icy cold weather departing last week and the reappearance of sunny skies we started catching a lot of big northern pike.
The key is to fish extremely shallow areas, apparently where the water is warming up the fastest.
We caught many big northern pike, slot size or larger. The largest was 45 inches.
Virtually every fish was caught on Mepps #5 or Mepps #4 spinners. All colors worked equally well.
Walleyes also started biting with a vengence. These were taken on 1/4 ounce black jigs tipped with twister tails, Gulp Alive grubs, and various live bait.
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Major cold front slows fishing

2009-06-30T08:07:00.002-04:00

The temperature this week fell to the 40s from near 80 last week and that really slowed down the fishing.
Fortunately everyone this week is fishing for northern pike which are less susceptible to temperature changes than are walleyes.
But it has been tough fishing for pike too. We did have one 40-incher caught and released as well as many slot sizers.
Along with the cold weather came rain and high winds from the north. It's not the best for being out on the lake.
Warmer temps and sunnier times are in the offing with near-normal conditions returning in the next few days.
This experience should reinforce our advice to fishermen on what to bring to camp.
Number one is a comfortable life jacket and the second most important piece of fishing gear is excellent raingear, including rubber boots.
Finally a good rod and reel and some lures are handy!
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Early to bed, early to rise

2009-06-22T06:46:00.004-04:00

If you want to extend your fishing day here, do it by getting out early, not by staying out late.
Our fish go to sleep soon after supper, it would seem. There's absolutely no point in staying out until dark to catch them.
On the other hand fishermen who take off in their boats before breakfast often do well.
Early morning is also the prime time of day to see wildlife such as moose and bear.
Afternoons are often the best time of day to fish, especially around 2 p.m.
A lot of fishermen miss this opportunity because they stay up late the night before. After lunch they nap or otherwise dawdle until nearly 3 p.m., then spend a lot of time fishing after supper when the fishing has mostly wound down.
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Beautiful summer weather; second phone working

2009-06-16T07:04:00.002-04:00

After a very cold month to start the season the weather has switched to gorgeous.
Temperatures this week have been in the high 70s.
We finally got our digital bag phone so our second phone number is now on the air.
That number is 807-727-0439.
Also continuing to work is our first phone number: 807-727-2730.
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Now about 19 hours of daylight

2009-06-12T06:24:00.004-04:00

This view shows the night sky at a quarter to 11 last night.

The light on the northern horizon is the sun's glow, not northern lights.

It is really only dark now from about 11 to 4 a.m. when the sun rises again.

We're all looking forward to the warm sunny weather predicted for this week.

It has been way wetter and colder than normal so far.

Fishing has still been good and the cold water has meant that lake trout are still being caught on the surface. There are lots of lake trout being caught this year. Under Ontario regulations they must all be immediately released in Red Lake.

There are still many big walleyes being caught and also some eaters under 18 inches.

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Four generations; dress warm; telephone

2009-06-09T06:48:00.002-04:00

Here's a first for Bow Narrows Camp: four generations of anglers!

That's long-time Bow Narrows angler and hunter Charlie Morrison on the right and his son Bob, also a long-time guest here. At bottom right is Charlie's great granddaughter Branejha, age 6, and at left is Bob's step granddaughter Veda, age 4.

The 44-inch northern pike was actually caught and reeled in by Branejha. At 44 inches it is only two inches shorter than she is and is one inch longer than Veda who caught and reeled in a 42 incher herself a day earlier.

Fishing is very good but the weather remains cool and wet. Make sure you bring excellent raingear and warm clothes.

Also if trying to phone camp, only one of our telephones is functioning: 807-727-2730. If you get no answer try again immediately. Our second number might be up and running in a week or so if Thunder Bay Telephone would ever send us our new digital bag phone.

Incidentally your cell phones might now work at camp or from your fishing boat.

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High water wrecks docks, threatens loons

2009-06-04T06:30:00.003-04:00

We are experiencing record high water levels due to the snow fall last winter, the foot of snow we got three weeks ago and some big rain storms since.

Loon nests are still above water but just barely as the photo shows.

The deep water is making building new docks at our boathouse exceedingly difficult for our son Josh.

Despite all the obstacles we're getting camp into fine shape including building a building for new drinking water treatment equipment that will be installed in July.

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Leaving day comes all too soon

2009-06-01T06:22:00.003-04:00

Last week just flew by as they always do here.

Here's a couple of scenes from leaving day on Friday.

In the bottom photo staffer Ben Godin helps Dee Hall and Fred Specht with their "luggage."

Incidentally it was Fred who caught and released the big trout mentioned in the last post.

At top Joe Overman and Brenda say "see you next year" at the bow of the Lickety Split.

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Weather is chilly but the fishing is hot

2009-05-31T06:56:00.002-04:00

The predicted high for today is only 5 C!
Yesterday we had to delay taking guests out of camp for 45 minutes while we waited for the sun to raise the thermometer to above freezing. It was quite windy and I feared driving the boat in below-freezing temps could lead to spray turning to ice on the windshield.
These are cold days.
Some forecasts are even including the S word for today (snow).
Mostly though the weather has been pleasant since we opened for fishing a week ago. There was only one rainy day. The rest of the week was sunny and although the temperatures were a little below seasonal were still enjoyable.
I didn't hear anybody complaining about the weather last week. Probably because they were doing very well with the fish.
Our first-week pike experts did their usual thing by catching loads of humungous northern pike on dead bait. The largest I heard about was a 46-inch pike that weighed 22 pounds. It was caught and released by Dave Myers. Way to go, Dave!
Virtually everybody caught a 40+-inch fish.
There were nothing but big walleyes caught which is typical for this time of year. We don't get the eating-size fish until the water warms up. Most walleyes were caught on dead bait (half a ciscoe) or on crankbaits. For some reason live bait didn't work as well.
There were also many lake trout caught and released. We are catching more and more lake trout each season. The average size trout was 32 inches but we also are catching small ones again, including one 24-incher caught and released by angler Boyce Privett.
I forget who it was in Joe Overman's group that also hooked a giant 42-inch trout that they figured weighed in excess of 30 pounds. If it wasn't Joe then it was Fred Specht or Dee Hall.
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What's happened so far

2009-05-26T07:29:00.006-04:00

We flew into camp aboard Viking Outposts' Beaver floatplane on May 12.
The only ice in the lake that day was at the east end where Red Lake was located. It broke up entirely two days later on May 14.
The weather immediately turned cold, windy and wet.
On Friday, May 15, we received 12 inches of snow. It was one of the largest single-day snowfalls of the winter!
Desite the snow staffer Joe Cox and I took a fishing boat to town on Saturday, May 16, and got our big boat Lickety Split.
Temperatures were very cold, far below freezing at night and not much warmer in the day.
However, when our first guests arrived May 22 they must have brought the warm weather with them because it has been quite seasonal since then. Other than a little rain yesterday our fishermen have not had any inclement weather.
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We're on the air again, sort of

2009-05-25T07:34:00.003-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since our last post. We are into camp now and our first guests arrived Friday.
Fish of all species are biting well. We've already had many giant northern pike, lake trout and walleyes caught.
Only one of our two telephone systems is working.
If you need to call us, call 807-727-2730. Our other number, 727-0439, is currently not working.
If sendiung e-mail, please keep messages very short and do not include any graphic material. We must download this over a radio telephone and it's like the slowest version of dial-up imaginable.
We're working on improving communications but it will be awhile before we're finished.
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Take care to measure northern pike accurately

2009-05-08T08:00:00.005-04:00

As we wait these last days for the ice to breakup in Red Lake, it's a good time to remind everyone about the importance of accurately measuring the northern pike they catch.

Under Ontario fishing regulations it is illegal to possess any northern pike that is 27.5 to 35.4 inches in length.

This measurement is made by placing the nose of the fish at one end of the ruler (provided in your boat) and then pinching the rays of the tail which makes it longer.

You should also be aware that a pike will lengthen a bit once it dies. For this reason we advise not keeping any northern pike larger than 26.5 inches which is one inch shorter than the legal limit.

For conservation reasons we also advise releasing all pike larger than the slot size unless you intend to have them mounted by a taxidermist. These big fish are almost all females and constitute the breeding stock of the lake.

It is a myth that really big fish no longer reproduce. In truth they continue reproducing until they die. This myth do doubt comes from the fact that the number of eggs per pound of fish decreases as the fish nears the end of its life. However, a big fish still produces more total eggs than does a smaller fish.

Incidentally, the slot size was chosen because it represents two-thirds of the reproductive pike in any Ontario lake. This is so not only because these fish are prime breeders but also because there are more of them compared to larger fish.

So here's a test: can you keep a fish that is exactly 27.5 inches?

No! A fish at the start of the slot size is just as illegal as one right in the middle.

Can you keep a fish that is 35.5 inches long? Yes, but would you stake your life that you've measured it this accurately? If you're wrong by 1/10 of an inch you will be fined!

Also, it is a bad idea to keep big fish to eat. By doing so you are not only hurting the fish population, you are also consuming a top predator that has lived a long time and so has accumulated more environmental toxins than young fish have. This is true whether you are fishing in a pristine Ontario fishing lake, in the ocean or in your local river.

It's a better choice to grab a photo and let it go. It will be even bigger next year and maybe the next time you meet it will be at the end of your kids or grandkids' fishing rod!

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Ice is nearly out in narrows in front of camp

2009-05-07T12:17:00.006-04:00

Hugh Carlson of Viking Island Lodge and Outposts flew over camp yesterday and could see the narrows is now clearing of ice. Thanks for the update, Hugh!
Enid Carlson published a couple of views of camp from Hugh's plane on her blog today. Click on the link to see these pix.
We are delaying until Tuesday flying into camp on the hope that just possibly the ice will be gone from the rest of the lake by then and we can take the Lickety Split.
If there's still ice in the way for this 20-mile trip we'll see if the Viking planes can ferry us over the ice from town to camp.
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Skookum indicates Red Lake ice-out next Tuesday

2009-05-05T21:04:00.004-04:00

I learned today that the ice left Skookum Bay on Red Lake today.
My late father, Don Baughman, who spent many a year waiting for the ice to break up in Red Lake, always said that seven days after Skookum Bay was clear, the ice will break up on the rest of the lake. If that holds true this year then ice-out would be next Tuesday, May 12.
Enid Carlson of Viking Outposts notes on her blog today that husband Hugh drilled a hole on Howey Bay today and there were just 13 inches of candled ice!
Melting conditions have been great the last few days and are supposed to continue tomorrow but then a three-day cold snap is forecast.
There are mixed predictions on tomorrow's weather too. One weather service calls for a thunderstorm which would be death to the remainder of the ice and the other simply calls for light rain which wouldn't have as much effect.

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We supply required on-boat safety equipment

2009-05-04T07:11:00.005-04:00

Bow Narrows Camp fishing packages include a boat and motor for each two fishermen and also the safety equipment required by law for each boat.

This includes a life vest for each person, bailing device, two paddles, emergency flashlight, a sound-signalling device and a 15-metre buoyant heaving line.

By far the most important of these items is the life vest. If you are wearing your life vest you will be safe in almost every boating situation. However the world's best life vest is useless if you aren't wearing it.

I always wear a life vest, so does our family and so does our staff. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers and all other Ministry of Natural Resources personnel wear them. So do all police officers. So do most of our experienced guests including long-time angler Kim Gross, above.

Even though we provide comfortable life vests for each person we still recommend that you bring your own for the reason that you can find one that fits your physique the best and is the most comfortable for you. There are many varieties to choose from including ones that have mesh backs and shoulders for ventilation, models with handy pockets and C02-operated ones that self-inflate if you end up in the water.

The next two critical pieces of boating equipment are the bailing device and the paddles.

We place a bailing scoop made from a bleach jug in each boat. This allows you to bail a lot of water in a hurry if you need to and also to empty the boat each time it rains.

The paddles let you manoeuvre your boat even if something happens to the outboard engine.

The flashlight in your boat kit is meant for emergencies, not ordinary use. You should never be on the water after dark but if it does happen you can use the emergency flashlight to signal help and warn other boaters of your presence.

This year our boats will have new wind-up flashlights that do not need batteries.

The sound signal device in the kit is a pealess whistle. A whistle carries farther than the human voice.

The final piece of equipment, the 15-metre buoyant heaving line is the kind of thing our friend Bob Moninger who owns a cabin near camp would call "mouse milk." This is meant to be a line that you could throw to someone who was in the water. Why you wouldn't just motor over to the person or paddle to him is a mystery. And if you wanted to actually throw a rope to someone, I would think you could untie the 3/8-inch floating rope from the anchor and use that quicker than you could open the safety kit and get out this useless wad of 1/4-inch spring-like heaving line. But it's required by law so there it is.

Anyway, the person in the water should be bobbing safely around in his life vest that he wisely always wears. He could then just swim back over to the boat.

New this year is all of our boating safety equipment will be contained in a waterproof Sealine dry bag clipped to one of the boat braces. In the past this stuff was in an orange jar that would frequently open and let water into the contents.

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Red Lake ice-out "probably" two weeks away

2009-05-02T07:55:00.010-04:00

It's all up to the weather.

Will the next couple of weeks finally turn above normal and finish off the ice in Red Lake or will it stay unseasonally cool and delay the process?

Brenda and I, our dog Sam, and our staffers: Ben, Jenn, Emilie and Joe, are chomping at the bit to get into camp and get to work.

For sure it looks like we will see if our good friends at Viking Outposts can fly us from the Chukuni River in town to the narrows in front of camp as soon as the ice is clear in those places. This usually lets us get into camp a week before the ice goes out in the rest of the lake. Our hope is we will be able to do this next weekend.

We are so fortunate that Bow Narrows Camp is located in an area of the lake where the current melts the ice early, just as it does at the river in town.

There have been times where we were able to get into camp three weeks before ice-out in the main lake.

Last year, however, it ended up being only a few days advantage. If I remember correctly we were able to fly into camp on a Wednesday and our first guests arrived two days later, on Friday. Then a big wind came up on Saturday and smashed the ice out of the lake.

Hugh Carlson of Viking Outposts, phoned us at camp Saturday night to say he could see from the air that we should be able to get to town by boat if we favored the north shore which was clear.

On Sunday, staffer Mike Biloski and I took one of our fishing boats back to town to get our cabin cruiser, Lickety Split. We had to skirt a few ice sheets but made the trip OK. Ice sheets continued floating around the lake for about a week after that.

This shows how unpredictable ice-out can be.

Red Lake Publicity Board thoughtfully is posting a list of recent ice-out dates in its May newsletter.

They were: May 17, 2008; May 5, 2007; April 23, 2006; April 21, 2005 (a record); May 9, 2004.

From a camp operator's point of view, we need a couple of weeks ahead of guests arriving to get camp into shape for the upcoming season.

Docks always need rebuilding, firewood needs cut, boats need put in the water and cabins need maintenance before we settle in to the routine of fishermen coming and going every week.

The photos above are from our trip into camp last May.

We took off from the Chukuni River and as you can see Pipestone Bay was frozen shore-to-shore. So was the rest of the lake. It looked then like it could be weeks before it would clear.

But the narrows in front of camp was open and JB from Viking Outposts was able to land Viking's Beaver aircraft easily at our dock.

This year Bow Narrows Camp isn't opening until May 23, one week after walleye season opens May 16. After last year's experience with the late ice-out and with walleye season opening one day earlier than last year (it's always the third Saturday in May) we just felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

So when will ice-out come this year? No one can say but it looks possible that it will occur sometime in the next two weeks, or in other words, before the regular walleye opener May 16.

It just depends on the weather.

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Remember, everybody needs a passport

2009-04-30T16:59:00.002-04:00

New border-crossing rules go into effect this June.

Everybody now needs a passport.

Make sure everyone in your group knows about the new rules.

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Dan's favorite lures for northern pike fishing

2009-04-27T22:09:00.007-04:00

My favorite fish is the northern pike. I like to fish for them and I prefer them for eating over all other species, even walleye.

And although I know you can catch pike by trolling and dead-baiting I much prefer to cast.

Casting by itself is a fun and challenging exercise. You have to develop the skill to accurately plop your lure right next to stumps and rocks and into holes in weedbeds and do this in all sorts of wind conditions.

So when I say these are my favorite lures, you'll know that the only way I fish them is by casting.

At the upper left is the Blue Fox Vibrax spinner. I like the #5 in this. Best colors are the red, orange and silver.

Next to it is the Mepps Long Cast Spinner. I like the #5 and the #4. The same colors are good in this as the Blue Fox but I also like the fire tiger color shown and the blue-bodied spinner with silver and red blade. Although I like the Mepps Long Cast because it sinks the deepest, the other Mepps models are also excellent, again in the same sizes as mentioned.

Then there is the Len Thompson Five of Diamonds. For sure you want this exact color scheme: yellow with red diamonds but also the nickel, brass and nickel-and-blue patterns. Most importantly, you want these in the 1/2-ounce size.

These spoons are made in Canada and can be hard to find in the States although I see Cabelas sells them. I would highly recommend stopping at Bobbys Sport Shop in Vermilion Bay at the corner of Highway 17 and Highway 105 to buy these spoons. They always have a marvelous selection.

Speaking of spoons, the Johnson Silver Minnow is the ultimate in weedless spoons. If you have the weed guard adjusted correctly it will come through just about anything. However, be warned that you must have a trailer of some sort on the hook for this lure to work effectively. I would suggest 3 and 4-inch plastic twister tails in various colors and also an old time favorite -- pork rind trimmed to about three inches.

Make sure you keep the single hook on this lure ultra sharp. My favorite is the gold spoon but you also want the silver and I've done well with some of the painted options too, especially the red-and-white.

To the right of the Johnson is the Acme Little Cleo. This is a wonderful spoon, especially in the nickel, gold, rainbow trout and fire tiger patterns. You absolutely want the size to be 2/5 ounce.

Finally, there's the old reliable leadhead jig. For pike you want both the same 1/4 ounce size you would use for walleyes to be used on clear, calm days and the 3/8 ounce size for all other times.

Use a single 3-inch plastic twister tail on the 1/4 ounce jig and a 4-inch single or double twister tail on the 3/8 ounce. Bring a dozen different colors of twister tails. It's amazing what a difference changing the color of the tail makes throughout the day.

And that's all the lures I use for pike. You'll notice there are no stick baits or crank baits on the list. Lots of our guests use them almost exclusively but I don't. I just find they have too many sets of hooks to extract every time I catch a fish, are too light to cast accurately and cost too much.

You've probably already noticed that none of the sizes of the lures I've named here are large.

Don't I want to catch big fish? Yes, that's why I use the sizes mentioned here. Big lures tend to catch nothing but little fish on Red Lake. See Lighten Up.

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Pink Lady Slipper orchids rare spring bloomers

2009-04-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you are coming to camp in late May or June you might be lucky enough to spot a Pink Lady Slipper Orchid growing on the shores around Red Lake.

These rare, beautiful flowers are also known as Moccasin Flowers.

They are great to photograph but care must be taken not to disturb them as they are disappearing from most areas of the world and need to be left alone.

If you do spot one, look carefully around the flower for the distinctive leaves of other plants that may not yet be flowering. This will allow you to pick a route that won't harm other orchids before getting a picture.

Usually you find just a few orchids at any one site.

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Great photos come from more than just fish

2009-04-25T08:15:00.003-04:00

This summer when we are at camp we could all take a tip from a great group of anglers that generously provide me with their photos each year.

This is the Lehmann-Olaskowitz-Heneise-Jeffery-etc. group (Sorry if I don't mention everybody).

These guys always get some unusual shots that the rest of us never think to take, like this photo of two River Jewelwing damselflies (I think).

Just as there is more to a fishing trip than just catching fish, our photos should be of more than just people holding lunkers.

It's great to look back the next winter at shots of fishing lures that have taken a beating, flowers that graced the edge of a waterway, scenery that changes with the light conditions, boats skimming across the waves, itsy-bitsy fish that somehow got on our hooks, strange fish like suckers and tulibees, action photos of fishing rather than after the fact, critter shots of all the birds and animals we encounter, scenes around the little town of Red Lake, the boat trip to camp, inside the cabin and the lodge and of course, most importantly, photos of our buddies and families.

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Summer birds are here, we just need ice to melt

2009-04-24T19:37:00.004-04:00

Signs of warm weather are everywhere but summer itself seems to be coming at glacial speed.

Every day brings a new species of birds from down south.

A few robins have actually been here for a couple of weeks. The first robin is always a bittersweet sight. It's a sign of spring but robins always get snowed on several times.

There are flocks of robins here now but also a lot of other summer birds as well. A wave of yellow-shafted flickers landed today. I've also seen and heard song sparrows, ruby-crowned kinglets, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, sandpipers, red-winged blackbirds, killdeer, all species of ducks and geese, eagles and even a great blue heron.

The water birds are crowding around wet spots in fields, ditches, creeks and rivers. The lakes are all still frozen tight.

The lakes are melting both from the top and the bottom. Daytime temperatures are only about 10 C (50F) with some days colder and most nights below freezing. About once a week we get rain which turns to snow but luckily there has been no significant accumulation for more than a week.

People who are still drilling holes through the ice report the ice structure is changing. It's starting to "candle" which is what it does before it breaks apart. That's the good news. The bad news is there is still 20+ inches of it out there. Still the days are long now and the melting process is accelerating.

Barring a tropical heat wave, it still looks like ice-out on Red Lake will be approximately May 16 or a week later than normal.

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