Sights & Sounds of the Falls in February

In between the bitter cold and wind we've had so far in 2008, we finally had a perfect sunny day for a nice long walk. I ended up eventually over near the Falls, which looked and sounded fantastic in the sunshine. The animals were out enjoying the day too, but I wasn't able to get the camera out to catch them. There's a pair of otters living right in front of the Lodge at the top of the Falls, there was a muskrat at the falls, and I was excited, but leary too, seeing a wolf trotting off down the ditch past the lodge.

Thought I'd share this video clip of Perrault Falls in the winter with you. It was beautiful in person, & I hope you enjoy it in video too!

Testimonial at Green Bay Sport Show

We had a great trip down to the sport shows in January, visiting Milwaukee, Madison & Green Bay, in a 10 day sport show circuit. The shows were very well attended, and we got to visit with many of our past and present guests. Thanks to everybody for coming out to see us.

One of our visitors was Larry Wetenkamp, and his son Dave. He was kind enough to let me try out my new video option on our camera, and tells everybody about his trips to Rainbow Point Lodge. Thanks Larry! Look forward to seeing you and your group this August in Cabin 11 as usual.



It's not too late to book your late summer fishing trip. Don't forget our fall special rates start August 2nd. Great deals to end of the season!. Visit the website for details.

Spring Fishing Trip Still Possible!

Bob & I are back home after our 10 day sport show circuit. We travelled to shows in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. Aside from an 8" dump of snow in Madison, we managed to miss most of the bad weather, and managed to miss the worst of our Canadian cold while we were gone. We are still in a deep freeze like most of you in the midwest are right now, with temps in the range of -30 and down to -45 with wind chill. Brrr...

The shows were very well attended, and it was great to visit with many of our guests at the various shows. We also met many new people who will be making their 1st Canadian fishing or hunting trip to Rainbow Point Lodge this season. Bob & I are excited to show them a wonderful time at the Lodge this coming summer & fall!

For those of you who haven't made their fishing trip plans yet, we have a couple of odd cottage openings the 1st couple of weeks of season shortly after ice-out (Mid May into Memorial Day weekend). The fishing will be fantastic that time of year, so if you have a chance to get away for a few days, give us a shout and we'll see what we can do for you to get the spring fishing itch scratched!

Shown here is Kurt Carlson with one of the many northern pike caught during opening week. Fast action and plenty of numbers this time of year!
Call us today Toll Free while vacancies last! 1-800-282-9039.


Talk to you soon!

New U.S. Passport Card Update

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE WILL START TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEW PASSPORT CARD, BEGINNING FEB. 1st.

While passports are still the best form of identification when traveling in the world, we have received word today on details of the new U.S. Passport Card implementation. For those of you who have not gotten or applied for your passports, this may be a good option. This card will suffice if you are travelling back from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, by LAND CROSSINGS ONLY. If you travel by air, a passport is still a requirement.

Follow this link for complete details.

US Department of State Passport Card Information

A reminder that passports will not be required until 2009 for travel back from Canada if using land crossings.

Hope this info helps! We'll keep you posted if we hear anything more.

Join us on Facebook

For all you savy internet users, and Facebook fans.......
Our daughter Karla was kind enough to help us get a facebook group set up over the holidays, and we'd like to invite you to find us there, and join the Friends of Rainbow Point Lodge group on Facebook. Share your photos and fish tales on our site. It'll be great for our guests this summer to be able to post their pictures and stories about their Canadian fishing trips. See you there! Don't forget to check out the website from time to time too -- we've made some changes over the last little while, and have some great links to help you plan your fishing or hunting trip.

All Canada Sport Shows coming up

Hi everyone.

Just a heads up that we are going to be attending a few of the All Canada Sport Shows starting next weekend. If you're around any of these cities, we'd sure love to see you!

Milwaukee - Jan 18, 19, 20
Madison - Jan 21, 22, 23
Green Bay - Jan 24, 25, 26, 27

We'll have a busy trip, so help us break it up a bit and come down for a visit! Hope we don't run into any terrible weather like happened this past week!

And Remember everybody -- You DON'T NEED A PASSPORT to come into Canada by land crossings this year! Take advantage of this extension, and get your trips arranged while we still have vacancies. Also, remember that you can look after getting US Passport applications started while you are at the All Canada Show, so you're ready for next year! Visit our Links page on the website for great information sites on this & other important topics.

p.s. -- can't wait for fishing season!!!

Gale

Good News on Passport Requirements!

Anyone that flies into Canada has already had to get used to having a passport handy to travel between Canada & the U.S.

Great News though for those of you traveling through land border crossings!

YOU DO NOT NEED A PASSORT TO TRAVEL INTO CANADA by auto.
There is a tentative date of June, 2009 when the US Department of Homeland Security will require passports at land crossings. We will keep you posted as we hear more. We urge all of our U.S. customers to take advantage of the extended time to go ahead and get their passports so when the regulations come into effect, your travel won't be disrupted.

Visit our links page on our website for access to the US Dept of State Passport site, and many other helpful sites to keep you informed.

Fire Destroys Workshop at Rainbow Point Lodge

The year 2007 didn't have a very good ending for us at the Lodge. During the early morning hours of December 31st we were awoken by loud popping and banging sounds, and looked out to see fire and sparks coming from the back of the Lodge workshop. By the time Bob ran down to check it out, the other half of the building was ablaze. Without a winter fire department in this neck of the woods, we could only call some neighbors, armed with shovels and snow. There was not much we could do but watch, as the fire quickly engulfed the building.

This building was a vital part of our lodge. It was Bob's workshop and tool shed, loaded with more spare parts than a small hardware store, and a lifetime of tools, not to mention the million other things he had collected over the years. It was also Gale's storage room, with a treasure trove of spare household items to keep the cottages well stocked, as well as many personal momentoes. It was also Gale's laundry room, and linen storage building. Needless to say, this was a tremendous loss for us.

We are thankful that this wasn't our home and that no one was hurt, and also thankful that this did not happen during the summer. Not only would it have made camp operating extremely difficult, it would have posed a serious threat of fire spreading to other buildings or the surrounding forest. We have a new understanding what people must go through when they lose their homes.

Click on the photo album link below to view larger images of some photos taken of the fire that night, and the remains later:

View Album

Get your own

Many a good time was had visiting guests, and sipping a cold Labatt's Blue under the shade of the willows at the workshop. We'll miss that particular spot, but 2008 will be a new year. We'll have to build a new favorite deck, and start some new memories for Rainbow Point Lodge.

So, if anybody has a line on some good deals for hardware, parts, tools, linens, dishes, you name it, keep us in mind. We'll have lots to stock up on and get ready for, before we open up next spring. Gale will have an excuse to go to some garage sales!

Looking forward to sharing better news next time! Happy New Year everyone.

Happy Holidays from Rainbow Point Lodge

It's been great hearing from so many of you over the last few weeks. Thanks for your holiday wishes, and for scheduling your fishing trips for next summer. We're looking forward to seeing you!

It is a busy time of year for everyone, but don't forget it's also the time of year you need to be thinking about next summer. If you haven't made your reservation for next year, it's a good idea to contact us as soon as possible, as some weeks are at or near capacity. With everyone getting together over the holidays, that's the perfect time to get your plans made.

We're looking forward to celebrating Christmas with all of our family, and are especially looking forward to having both of our two girls, Amanda & Karla, with us. None of us have seen Karla since March, so we are very anxious.

Highway 105 celebrates 60th Anniversary

2007 marked the 60th anniversary of the official opening of the Red Lake Road. Many of our regular guests are familiar with the commemorative rock/plaque located just across from our Lodge entrance at the Perrault Falls park signifying this opening.

I recently came across this photo in the local newspaper, and thought I'd share it with all of you. (Photo originally provided by the Dupont Family) Besides the fantastic cars, it was exciting to see the bridge in the background, which would be the Perrault Falls bridge right before our entrance. You'll notice nothing but forest to the right of the bridge. This area is now the store and entrance way to Rainbow Point Lodge.

We'll give you some more great history in the weeks to come!

Canadian Fishing Vacations at Perrault Lake, Ontario

Bob & I have been experimenting in how we can make our fishing & hunting blogs more interesting for everyone. Here is one of our 1st attempts at a short video show showing some of the fishing and vacation images from the lodge. These are camp images we chose randomly to practice, but I think they show a pretty good representation of the lodge, and the fishing we have here at Perrault Lake in Ontario. Let us know what you think!

Guests at Rainbow Point Lodge

Fishing, Hunting & Vacations at Rainbow Point Lodge

Bob & I are trying to catch up with technology, and are learning how to upload our fishing, hunting & vacation photos a bit better. Check this out!! We're excited to be able to share our lodge photos with you all so much better, and faster. Hope you enjoy this little sample, and we'll be doing some exciting things with our website photo albums in the near future.



Let us know what you think.

Winter at Rainbow Point Lodge

We had a fantastic warm fall, extending well into mid November, but Old Man Winter has definitely arrived now. The last couple of weeks has seen a steady cooling of temperatures, and we have had plenty of snow. There is about 10" on the ground already as of December 1st, and temp is more like what we get in January, at about -10 F. Bob has the wood stove a pumpin!

I took a nice long walk today & it was pretty pleasant all considering, decked out in my hunting boots, snowsuit, scarf & touque (or as you guys call it -stocking cap). The falls looked just amazing with the thick coating of frost on all the branches. I'm not the best picture taker, but this gives you an idea.

Bob & I have not done nearly enough hunting this fall, but are going to have to get at it now. Bob likes to wait until there is a snowcover on the ground, and he definitely has it!

We've been busy getting the Christmas mailing ready and out to everyone, and I'm sure many of you have your copies already. If you didn't receive one by the 5th or so of December, give us a shout, and we'll make sure we get the current info off to you.

We'll be talking to you soon (hopefully with news about our moose!)

Bye for now

Gale

Grouse and the Fall!!

The past few weeks we have had a fair number of grouse hunters in camp. As with other years, the hunting seems to get better after the low lying leaves fall off and we get a frost. With the ever warming seasons that we all seem to be getting, the first hard frost is coming more in the last week of Sept-the first week of Oct. This year we are seeing more birds and it is not very hard to get a limit of 5 in a short walk. You can have a three day possession of 15 total which, combined with a little fishing, makes for great fall get away. You do not need an ATV but it gives you a little extra versatility.
Amanda was home for our Thanksgiving weekend, (Canadian Thanksgiving was October 8th), and for some family fun the 3 of us went grouse hunting. Amanda was the sharpshooter of the day, and we had a great time.
We did already have a little snow, as is depicted in the picture from October 9th, but it obviously did not last. The weather has just touched the freezing mark, for the last few weeks at night, and up to mid 50s-mid 60s during the day.
Gale and I have got the bulk of the shut down work done but it will be another week until we can finally say it's complete.
We are presently working on the fall rate schedule and advertising avenues. Once all these are finalized we will be posting them on our web site http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ for ALL to view.
I was lucky enough to be drawn for a Bull moose tag for our area and will be working on that the next month or so. I usually like to wait until the bush quiets down from the bird hunters and we have a little snow on the ground. I will keep you posted as to any success.
Keep the Blog comments coming as I will write about anything you would like to hear about as it is very hard sometimes to come up with topics that we think you'll be interested in.
Take care and look forward to seeing you all in the near future. BOB and Gale!!

Moose Hunt

Im on a roll.... Two Blogs in one day, and maybe a third, depending on the two finger typing speed. We have completed the Archery moose hunt and had a few resident gun moose hunters through the lodge. The archery moose hunt went well with a small bull being taken in each of the two weeks this year. We had other moose called in with no clean shot, and a great video taken by one of our hunters that showed a 50+ inch bull with a cow and calf that would just not come close enough to the hunter to get a shot. As with bow hunting, a big percentage of the hunt is the thrill of hearing an animal call back and the anticipation of him breaking through the bush at 15-30 yards!
Our second week of the archery hunt saw the hunters take a bull after a grueling ten minute hunt!! They called twice and just about got run over by the bull but were able to take him vey easily.
The gun hunt is comprised of Ontario resident hunters from southern Ont. that apply for their own tags in the resident only catagory. They are not outfitted by us other than the accomodation but they were also succesful. They took three small bulls and a few calves. A great time was had by all.
I am posting a picture of one of the bulls that Ted and Tom Coon took. If you ever have the opportunity to talk to these two about their hunt, the story is great and I can back it all up. They had such an experience that they don't even need to embelish it to make it good!!!!! Guys I had a great time, see you in G. Bay and next fall on the bear hunt.
I think I am good for one more post so read the next one on the current grouse and fall situation. Talk to you soon. BOB

Bear hunting news!

Well: I am getting down to writing the blogs that I should have written a while ago, but the drive was not there, and we were busy through out the day and night with the bear hunt. The hunt on the average went as I expected with some VERY nice sized animals taken. I think that the average size was up from past years. This can be attributed to hunters being very selective of the animals before they take their shot, and also the feed conditions this past summer. The FANTASTIC blueberry crop helped the animals build the fat that they need for the winter, but as I have found in the 30 odd years of doing this, it makes them very skiddish when it comes to hitting the bait. If there is a smell or a sound that they don't like or are curious about, they will quite often not hit the bait until after dark. In years that the main source of food, being blueberries, is poor they tend to be a little less cautious and are more willing to hit the bait during shooting hours, as their metabolism needs nourishment. I used a few trail cameras and found this to be the case.

I am posting a couple of pictures that we have and as of this writng we are waitng for a few more hunters to send us the promised pictures.

We are presently setting up our fall web site changes and one of the new additions will be a page devoted to hunts only, and we hope you visit it. If we have not posted you picture from a recent hunt, e-mail it to us and we can have it up in no time. Please visit http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ to see the upcoming changes.
On to the next Blog MOOSE!

FALL IS UPON US !!!!!!

How is everyone enjoying the end of the summer? I can't believe that the last day of Aug. is tomorrow. This seems like a very quick summer to me and the weather is starting to turn to cooler nights, which is great for sleeping, but a sure sign of Fall.
We are right in the middle of our bear hunt and and also have a pile of late summer fishermen. The fishing has been a little challenging the last week as ALL the lakes are turning over but this is coming to an end. The northern and bass fishing has been good, the walleye have been down in deep water (25-35), but the patient fishermen will have good success with all species. Normally the fall fishing picks up from the turn over and we expect the fishing to be fantastic in the next week or so. Life is too short to say "I should have done a fall trip " so why don't you enjoy the fall colors, low numbers of people, great cool fresh air, good fishing and reduced rates and make a call now or go to http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ and see what you are missing!
O.K. the sales pitch is over but we enjoy Rainbow as a home and want to share it with you!
The weather has been 45- 55 over night with the day time highs reaching 70 -99 <(just trying to see if you are really reading this) actually the highs are around 75. We have seen the lake go down about a foot, to just below the norm, as we had fairly high water this summer with all the rain this spring. All in all, the fall weather is starting off great.
Bear hunting has been going very well. We are seeing a large number of Grouse in the bush as we are bear baiting this year. The bird numbers have been down the last few years, but as they do in their cycle, the population is increasing quickly! The nice thing about hunting birds in the fall, is that you have vast roads and logging areas to hunt, and can also enjoy the fall fishing at the same time. The bird season starts on the 15th. of Sept. and goes on and on past our closing date!
I am going to sign out again, but hope you all have a great Labour Day weekend, and we hope you will keep us in mind for a Spontaneous Fall trip or next summers vacation. Talk to you soon and Fins Up!! BOB
I really appreciate the comment to the blogs so take a minute and type a reply. Thanks!!

Bob & Gale Go Fishing Too!

I am so excited, I had to throw in a blog for a change myself. We have found a couple of days where we could actually get out on Perrault Lake for some fishing, and it was great. July 23rd we took a trip out on the lake, shore lunch pan in hand, and tried some of our old hot spots. Dispite the heat (mid 90's and sunshine that day) Bob's island produced quite a few bites, a few northern and bass, but we were catching too much "Canada" for our liking that day, so moved on to try some of our old haunts. Grassy Bay produced pretty well, and we caught a couple of nice northern that we put on the stringer for our shore lunch. Then off to try a point that Bob liked just south of Bass Island, where we found a nice walleye honey hole. Between 16 and 20 feet of water we landed two walleyes in short order, one 21" and one 22". Plenty of good hits there. Then it was shorelunch time, and we enjoyed the company of Bill & Marge Bock from McHenry, Ill for lunch. We wanted to pass some fresh walleye on to our parents who can't get out this year to fish, so mission was accomplished today.

Another great day was had on July 29th when Bob took me all the way down to the end of the Ord River, to the rapids that empty in from Ord Lake. I hadn't had a chance to get down there for quite a long time. Such a fantastic ride down the river. Water level is up quite high, so aside from a few rocks to watch out for, it wasn't too bad getting in. We caught quite a few small northern and bass below the falls, and then carried on into Turtle Lake, and then on into Lost Lake. Lost Lake is one of my favorite places, with it's high cliffs.

We spent the day seeing the sites mostly, enjoying the many eagles and loons on the lakes. The water lillies, one of my favorite sites, were in full bloom, and I absorbed as much sunshine as I could handle for the day.

All in all we had a great relaxing day. We weren't trying too hard in the fishing department, but got quite a few we just caught and released during the day.

The guests in camp did very well fishing today as well, catching more than enough to eat, and putting some away for the trip home.

That's my brag of the week. Hope I can get out on the lake again soon!

Bye for now,

Gale

p.s. Still some cottage space left for August & September. If a last minute trip is in the cards, give us a call at 1-800-282-9039, and we'll see if your schedule can fit ours!.

The Heats On, but the fishing is GREAT!!!!

We were in a heat wave last week with 3 days at 95-100 degrees-----NO KIDDING!!!!! The temp was up but the hardy fishermen that went out early and late had good success. The perch fishing has been very good with lots of nice 9-12 inchers (after the cull) being the norm. The walleyes have been in surprisingly shallow water for this time of the year but the mid twenties have produced many larger ones. The northerns have been the most productive with a 43 incher being the largest lately.
This coming week the forecast is for some more warm weather but it is sure better than we had earlier this summer with all the rain.
Make sure you check out our late season specials at http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ if you think you can make a short notice holiday.
We are hard into our bear baiting for the upcoming season but would like the heat to drop a bit as the lack of wind in the bush and the heat is killing us.
The BLUEBERRIES are fantastic this year and we have the INFO on the easy picking.
Please send a comment to the blog just to let me know that someone is reading these things and I will have more drive to update them more often!!!!
Take care and we will talk soon!

OK! OK! I know it's been a while!!!!!

The answer to ALL your questions is YES!! the fishing is still GREAT and the weather has been co-operating fairly well.
The walleyes are in the mid teens in the morning and some of the larger ones can be found in the 20-25 foot range as the sun comes up. We are using everything from jigs and minnows,when you know you have a school grouped up, to spinners tipped with either a minnow leech or crawler. The choice of bait does not seem to be the critical point but the color and presentation still are the main points to remember. CONSTANTLY, my biggest observation of many fishermen (and Gals) is that they are trolling way to fast! If you would slow down your presentation all of a sudden,to your surprise, you may start to catch more walleyes. The second biggest problem is patience, don't leave it at home, as sometimes the fish are not biting and if you work an area for a while you will find that they have just moved a little deeper and may start biting again. Full throttle running from place to place is not the way to fill the stringer. The northern fishing is starting to get"Mid summer good"as the cabbage weed is coming up in some of the deeper bays and the casting of large spoons and spinner baits has seen some beauties caught and released.
The fish flys are just about finished hatching and really had little effect of the numbers of fish being brought in. The perch fishing has been very good with many people spending quite a bit of time cleaning their limits.
Gale will be putting some more of her many pictures on the web page for you to view @ www.rainbowpoint.com . She has been putting in many long days in the store as this is not her lucky year with staff! Life goes on and we are enjoying it so when her free time permits you will see more pics. Please send the pictures that you all promised to send as soon as you get home and we will put them up on the web.
Make sure that you are signed up for the web only specials that we offer from time to time as you never know when a time sensitive special will pop up, and you may have some time to take advantage of it!
Take care and enjoy the summer and if you have the urge we are just a call away 800 282-9039. Til next time. BOB

Had a few minutes for some quick news!!

It's June 18th. and we are into the summer with a splash! We started the summer with drought like conditions and through some pretty steady rains have got the lake back up to what I would call fairly high water levels. Last night we had another major down fall of rain during the 31/2 hour thunderstorm. I noticed this morning that the road seemed awful quiet and I was to learn that the highway between the Lodge and Vermillion Bay was washed out in one spot and that early estimates were that it would take at least 24 hours to repair. The rest of the week looked fairly nice with a small chance of showers but starting to moderate towards the weekend. As you know with weather predictions it could be snowing by then!
The fishing last week was excellent with many large northerns being caught, especially by the Oberers in cabin 9, as they mastered the sucker fishing like pro's. We had some very nice walleyes taken and the perch fishing was nothing short of fabulous. The walleyes are still scattered a bit with nice fish being caught in shallow bays in the early and late times of the day, and also some beauties now being found in 20+ feet of water.
Gale just posted some more pictures on the web site www.rainbowpoint.com if you want to have a look. We would love to be more current with the news and pictures but the day to day running of the resort keeps you going from morning til night and any free time you have, writing a blog is the furthest thing from my mind.
Hope this info helps you keep in touch with the Lodge and reminds you of some great memories in the past and makes you want to create new one's in the future.
Hope to see you all up here sometime soon!!!!! Take care Bob and Gale

Summer's Picking up Speed!!

Hi Everyone: We are getting a reversal with the weather the past few weeks as we have had a BUNCH of very needed rain. The lake level has risen a good foot over the last two weeks but we are still a foot from what I would call normal. As I am writng this (Thurs. afternoon) we are getting more rain (surprise)! We get the odd day that the sun shows it's face and all we can hear is the sound of the Grass Growing!!
For those of you that are coming up this weekend the weather is supposed to moderate quite a bit and the temps are going to be from the high 70's to the 80's. Just to be sure, you may still want to bring your ice fishing clothing and shorts as our weathermen are NO DIFFERENT than yours and have been known to make the ODD mistake in predictions!
We have been getting many pictures that we are starting to load on to our web site @ www.rainbowpoint.com and as we have time in this busy part of the season will be adding more so keep watching.
Our first fish fry of the season last week was a rush to cook as I was trying to beat the oncoming rain. For those of you that have joined us at one you will know that 10 gallons of hot oil combined with rain DOES NOT mix!! This weeks fish fry on Tues. night was picture perfect with all attending and WOW what a spread! We had the usual Rings games going and a few dollars I'm sure changed hands as the players became more????
Gale has sure got the store looking Great and we hope you will take advantage of the discount you will recieve as our guests and check out the items we have to offer.
The fishing for walleyes and northerns is still fairly shallow and I expect this to change in the next few weeks as the weather warms steadily. We will direct you to the fish if you give us a few minutes of your time when you arrive. Minnows and crawlers are the bait of choice at this time but we will soon see leeches come into play as it always does at this time of the year. The large sucker chubs have, and are still producing some monster northerns ( 99% released) and we will only carry them for two more weeks as they are hard to come by after that.
Gale and I hope you have a safe trip up for those of you that are coming up to spend time with us this summer and for those of you that have the urge GIVE US A CALL and we will take care of you. Till next BLOG (soon) BOB and Gale!!!!!

Opening Day WOW!!!!!

What a great opener! On Friday morning the temperature got up to the high 70's and throughout the day we started putting layers on instead of normally taking them off as the day warms up. By the end of the day Fri. the temp. was 35F and when we went down to the dock yesterday morning, Sat. the temp was 24F. with the wind blowing a light snow around. NOTHING like spring in Ontario! All the fishermen put everything on that they owned,and I'm sure even doubled up on the underwear to keep warm, and headed out to catch the first walleye of the season. By lunch time we were seeing some very nice catches of walleye and smelling the unforgetable smell of hot oil and frying fish. I was walking around hoping to get a taste from someone but I guess they were all scared to open the door and offer any for fear of losing any cottage heat!! Today the temperature is a balmy 24F with a forecast high of 45.
I will post some of the pictures of the fish caught this week when we get a hold of the digital pictures from the fellows as they check out. Yesterday there was a 44" Northern and a 38" released out of the same boat on film, along with some beautiful bass and 20+ inch walleyes. I have seen these and the shots are great. I have talked to all the other groups and they are very happy with the first day totals.
The last month has given us great weather with the chance to totally paint all the buildings so I guess this little delay of summer is giving us a chance to slow down and enjoy the surroundings and our guests a bit more.
I've got to get going but will post the pictures a the end of the week at www.rainbowpoint.com for all to see at the end of the week.
Take care and hope to see you up here this summer. Bob and Gale

Fire Under Control

Just a quick update to let everyone know we haven't gone up in flames. With the good work of 4 water bombers, and a couple of helicopters, 30 + ground crew, and a wind the finally slowed up, the fire was brought under control. Today the fire crews that were camped out here packed up, leaving a smaller ground crew to continue on the hot spots. They have been using our boat ramp for the last few days as a good access to fill the pumper trucks for the ground crews to use. It's always an uneasy feeling when things hit close to home, as many of you in the States are finding out these days with all the major storms happening. We hope that none of you that we know from the lodge have been affected by these.

Bob has been busy with his crew painting on the cottages today since we finally got a nice calm day. Got almost half of the buildings painted today, and the rest should go tomorrow. Then comes the trim. Might have to issue a paint brush to each of the 1st guests to finish it off! l.o.l. Next is to get the bait house & docks ready, and finally - getting the boats in the water for you!

Everyone has been busy getting things ship shape for the 1st guests to arrive the Canadian long weekend which is May 19th. (Victoria Day holiday May 21st - Queen Victoria's birthday). About 3/4 of the cottages have had their spring cleaning, and we are busy getting the store up and running for next week.

Sure looking forward to seeing everyone again this summer!

Wish for some rain for us, and till next time,

Bob & Gale.
http://www.rainbowpoint.com

Ice Out 2007

Sorry -- we've been so busy getting the camp in ship shape for the season, we neglected the Blog!

With the help fo heavy winds, the ice on Perrault Lake went out on April 30th this year.

The water level came up slightly with the ice out, but we are still down considerably. Some area lakes are in much worse shape than Perrault. We are able to use our docks at least, where some places have their docks high and dry.

We have had no rain to speak of for a long time, and the forest fire situation is extreme. Yesterday a fire broke out just south of us from a tree hitting a power line. With very high winds to flame the blaze, it quickly spread north-westerly, endangering cottages and a tourist camp on Wabaskang Lake. The water bombers were using Perrault Lake as their pick-up location, and we watched them come directly over camp for about 8 hours yesterday. The fire crews camped out at Rainbow Point Lodge last night, with about 16-18 firefighters, each with their own individual tents. It was quite a sight this morning. They were out on the front line about 6 this morning, and are using our lodge for their refuelling on pumper trucks that working the ground. Let's hope the wind dies down, and they keep this 1st blaze under control.

We'll update you later on the progress of this fire, and try to post up some photos of the bombers when we get time.

Only 12 days till opening of walleye season! Still a couple of cottages available for the 1st 2 weeks of season, so if you are getting the fresh fish urge, give us a call right away!

Till next time,
Gale

Springs Pretty Close!!!!!

Well the winter is pretty close to history and we are getting geared up for the spring fishing guests. The grounds are full of leaves and last of the snow banks will be gone in a day or so.
The ice will hang on for a little longer than the last couple of years but, compared to five or ten years ago it will be gone early. It is very black right now. If the weather continues the way it is now, we should see the ice move out in a couple of weeks.
All the lakes up in N.W. Ont are in drought condition water levels. Perrault is not as bad as some, only down about 2-2 1/2 feet but that is quite a bit considering we normally only fluctuate by a foot or so. We're hoping we get some rain to bring things up, and water down the woods. We're planning some outdoor painting this spring, so that will surely bring on the rain!
We'll be posting some early spring pictures later this weekend, so if you want to see for yourself how things look, go to www.rainbowpoint.com and click on the photo album (06 tab for now).
Hungry for some fresh walleye? Need a break from it all? A trip to the lodge this year may be just you need. If you haven't booked you're trip yet, give us a call toll free (1-800-282-9039) or e-mail us back. We have had a couple of early season cancellations, and still have some later openings, so you're not too late to get in on a great spring or summer vacation.
Opening Day - May 19th! Can't wait!

Late Winter----Spring is NEAR!!!!!!!

Well! : In the last 2 month's we have stayed in more hotel rooms than I want to remember doing the never ending list of Sportshow's that we took on this year. It was sure nice to see all of you at the shows and we appreciate your continued support.
After almost 25 years at Rainbow Point Lodge we still love the job and hope that you continue to appreciate the time and effort we put into your stay with us!
While we were gone to the States for the shows the weather went below the -45 degree mark for a week and a half, and since we have been back it is starting to warm up a bit which makes us feel like we are getting closer to spring. We are doing a little ice fishing and getting our lists of spring projects together to do prior to opening up. When American Idol is the one thing you look forward to each week you know it's time for spring!!!!
We are sure glad that everone is finally understanding the passport information correctly and if you still need clarification go to our web site www.rainbowpoint.com and link to the border crossing information tab. In the short-term, you DO NOT require a passport to cross into Canada by land this year, but will require one for 2008. Kids under the age of 16 will not be required to have a passport.
While you are in the website make sure you sign up for our news letter for our WEB ONLY specials that will come up from time to time. These specials are time limited and need to be taken advantage of immediately and cannot be combined with any other offers.
Without giving away any ideas, to the rest of the reading world, of things that we are doing to improve the quality of your stay lets just say that we are planning some changes to the bait house and are looking at some changes to the Fish Fry to spice it up a bit. Exterior paint will be the big spring job so we are hoping for nice weather.
We also challenge you remember that when you are comparing prices of lodges MAKE SURE you are, above and beyond the price, considering all the service and amenities that we provide in trying to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible!
Remember our mottow : " We always remember you have a choice" and we strive to show you the best vacation for your dollar!
Take Care and Look forward to seeing you!! Boband Gale

Mid show report!

Gale and I just got back from 5 Sport Shows and will be in Des Moines,Omaha and St. Louis starting next week to conclude our early spring show season. We sure loved seeing all of our old guests and had a great time making new contacts as well. We are looking forward to a busy spring and summer and warm weather. For those of you who have not looked at the web site in the past while you can do so at www.rainbowpoint.com Make sure you visit often as there is lots of info and also from time to time some on line only specials if you sign up for the e-mails. Well , got to go but will write another longer one when we return from the last show. Take care and stay warm. Hi: Mel!

Passports at the All Canada Show!!!!!!!!!!

I'm just going to give you a quick paragraph regarding the bare bones of what you need to do to conveniently get your passport at the All Canada Shows that we are attending. Please note that you do NOT need a passport to return to the U.S. by vehicle until Jan. 2008. Do the smart thing and get one now as it is quick and painless, and if you were to travel by, AIR, anywhere, you need one NOW!
You need to bring a Birth Certificate(it has to have a raised seal, embossed, highlighted or multicolored seal) from county or state government (not a hospital document) and your current, valid drivers lisence. A government I.D.,State I.D. or military I.D. may be used for those who do not have a drivers lisence. Cash and check are the only forms of payment the State Dept. will accept. It is my understanding that the fee is $97.00 not including the photo fee done at the All Canada Show of &15.00. It seems very easy to do and I wish our Canadian Gov. made it as easy, so take advantage of this opportunity. Also the passports are good for 10 years (by the way our Canadian ones are only good for 5 years and then we have to do it all over again so the U.S. ones are not a bad deal at all!) If you have any other questions refer to our website at www.rainbowpoint.com for more info, or e-mail us, or better still come and see us at one of the shows. Hope this quick info helps and that you will take advantage of this opportunity not put it in the same pile as your New Years Resolutions, that never get done!! See you soon . Bob&Gale

Hope you all have a Great NEW YEAR!!!!

Well; We hope you all made it through the Christmas and New Year season. Gale and I are looking forward to getting back to normal and preparing for our sportshow season. As a reminder, look at the dates of the shows we are doing this year on our website @ www.rainbowpoint.com and if you are able to come in and see us, please do! We are really getting excited about the upcoming summer and have a few new things up our sleeves that we hope you will take advantage of. This is looking like a real busy year and we see that the travel into Canada is seeing an upsurge as we are all getting used to the new world that we all live in. The best to you all and we hope to see you SOON at a show near you. Take Care Bob&Gale

Dec.?? Already??

It just seems that the Fall ended yesterday and that we have a couple of months till we have to worry about Christmas. WRONG!! Gale and I have been extremely busy for almost two months working on our new brochure, between set up and proofing etc. We hope you like the look of it and that our time was not wasted. We have sent out our new price list and brochure to you all last Tues. and if you are on our mailing list you should have it any time soon. For those of you ,and you know who you are!!, we have now published the rates on line for you to see @ www.rainbowpoint.com .

We are looking forward to having our girls, Karla and Amanda back home from school for Christmas. Gale and I have not quite got the empty nest stuff accepted yet but we are working on it. We are also getting anxious to get on the road after the new year to do the few sportshows that are listed on our home page. We would love to see you at any of them.

The lake has finally frozen over out on the main part just last week. The wind would open it up one day and then freeze over the next for the last few weeks but it's done for good now. The temperature is a balmy -24 C right now and no real warming trend in sight. I hope it warms a little around Christmas as the house gets a little smaller with all the LAWS around if you know what I mean.

I won't take up any more of your time but hope you all are having a great holiday season and are finally getting over Thanksgiving. Give us a call if you want to make a reservation for the New Year or, do as a few have already and, give a trip to a loved one for a present at Christmas. We make up a nice letter and gift box for you, if you want to present it on Chrismas morning!

Make sure you sign up for the online only specials as there may be some stuff coming up in the next little while or in the New Year, you never know.

Take Care until the next burst of writing energy!!!!

Checkin In !!

Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that winter has arrived (at least up here) We have had a couple of snows and the first one dissapeared but this one is here for the duration I am afraid. The bay in front of the Lodge just started to skim over but we are not getting the real below freezing temps. yet to really make her solid.
We just came back from a quick trip out to Prince Edward Island off the east coast of Canada to see Karla for her birthday. She is enrolled in a Culinary School to become a Chef and is really enjoying it and doing well. Amanda our older Daughter is in Winnipeg Manitoba at the University and also doing well.
We have just finalized our new brochure for this year and I think you will like the New updated pictures and we should have them in our hands from the printer in two weeks or so. We will be mailing out the 2007 Price List at that time so look for them in the mail around the end of the month or early Dec. We will also be posting the 2007 Rates on our web site in the near future for you to look at. We have made some small changes to the packages and also put in some early booking discounts that you should take advantage of.
With the two girls gone to school this year Gale will be joining me at a number of sportshows and they are listed on the front page of our web site www.rainbowpoint.com Make sure you take advantage of our website and sign up for the free news letter for online only specials that will occur from time to time. As we get closer to Christmas we will be updating our Blog more often and into the new year while at the shows we will be running regular updates on our web newsletter that will only be seen by signing up.
Gale and I have really enjoyed your support and friendship over the last 24 years and hope that we can continue to find ways to improve and make your stay enjoyable every time you come. Take care for now and we are always looking for interesting things to write about so if you have any questions or comments be sure to let us know. Bye for now Bob&Gale

Finally Time to update the Fall !!

Hi ALL: Gale and I have had a very busy Fall, and I know it's no excuse for not writing a BLOG more often, but it's the best excuse that I have right now! In the past month and a half we have run four weeks of very successful bear hunts, many late summer fishermen, a few fall bird hunters and we just finished our archery moose hunt on Saturday. We also said goodbye to George and Laine for the summer. George spends his winter working in Winnipeg and Laine is a University student in Southern Ontario.
At the end of August I took my oldest daughter,Amanda, to Winnipeg to get her set up in her apartment, so she could get ready to start the second year of University. As soon as I got back Gale flew out to Prince Edward Island for a week (off the east coast of Canada) with my younger daughter, Karla, to get her set up in Chef's school. As you can imagine with all this going on and trying to run a business at the same time, no wonder I have not updated the Blog!!!
On a lighter note the fishing this fall has been nothing short of fabulous. I am seeing first timers to the Lodge come in with their limits of Nice walleyes and northerns, the first time out. We have a few groups in right now that are doing real well and are finding that they are almost the only boats on the lake. We have some Muskie fishermen coming in next week and I will let you know how they did later.
The grouse population is as good as I have ever seen it this year with 5 a day limits taking no time at all. The summer has been so dry the young birds did not have the high water and wet bush conditions to put up with and their survival rate was very high.
I will post a few pictures of the water level as it is the lowest that I can remember in twenty-five years. For those of you that have walked over to the falls you can almost walk anywhere with your sneakers on and there is only a trickle going over the falls in front of the Lodge Store.
I will end for now just to let you know that we are just finalizing our new Brochure and Price List for 2007 and have some new and interesting packages available that I hope will be of interest to you all. Keep a eye on our website http://www.rainbowpoint.com for all the News and info you will need to make your plans to visit us next year. One last thing there is a special out right now, that we posted yesterday, that may be of interest to you so go to the web page and have a look.
Bye for now!! I hope I didn't bore you-----Bob and Gale!

Website and Mail down

We have had the misfortune of being affected by a problem with our internet and mail host. Apparently the main internet provider has been hacked into, and thousands of clients have been put off line. The hacking is along the same lines as what happened to E-Bay not too long ago. We apologize for not being able to reply to our e-mails over the last few days, but with the crash that has occured, all website and mail traffic has ground to a hault. It boggles the mind to wonder why people would spend their time creating chaos on the web when obviously they have great computer skills, and could use their talents to do something good. We are told that the techies with our internet provider think they will be up and running a day or so. We're anxiously awaiting. In the meantime, if you are waiting for a reply to us, give us a phone call and we'll look after your enquiries right away.

August Eh!!

Well, the start of the month has been a good one when it comes to the amount of fish that are being brought in. A lot of our regular guests are catching lots of fish in the regular spots the first day out, and within one or two days, the new guest to the lodge are catching on and enjoying the start of the late summer fishing season. The HOT Spots are the humps and subsequent drop offs down to the thermo cline. We are seeing REAL NICE walleye up to 31 inches and lots of bass and northern caught in the same areas. The Perch fishing has been nothing but GREAT and lots of 12+ inch fish are more the norm. I am steady into the bear baiting for the up coming season and we look foreword to a very successful one. This is a quick update but better than nothing at all. Thanks again for reading these Blogs and I hope you enjoy them. Any feedback would be appreciated as sometime I feel I am writing these for my own reading. Take Care till next time. Bob and Gale!!

Fantastic July Winds Down

What a fantastic summer this continues to be weather wise! The last few weeks have been consistently warm and sunny. We've had 80's to 90's, very low humidity, and little to no rain. The evenings cool down great for sleeping. The last few days have shown a bit of a cooling trend, with temp in the mid to high 70's, and down to 50 at night. If you want to keep up on the current weather conditions, click on the bottom link of our website for The Weather Network.

The lack of rain cause the MNR to put up a fire ban for the last couple of weeks. This was a bit disappointing for everyone coming to the fish fry (mostly for Bob the cook!), as we couldn't have the usual wood fire to cook on. We did make the best of things though, and cooked up the fish and spuds the more modern way, and everything from the meal to the great company was well worth it. The restricted fire zone was lifted on Thursday, so things are be back to normal this Tuesday. We haven't had any major rains right here, although there's been some good showers in areas around us.

The perch fishing has really been the story the last couple of weeks. There has been no problem finding good schools of them, and the size is fantastic. Some the last couple weeks up to 13". Where there's perch, there's northern, and there are still lots of good northern being caught. Sandy Meulemans had a monster get off her line Thursday, husband Bob thought it would have been 48" range. I think she was still shaking when she was telling me the story. Marty Coel caught a nice 25" Walleye, and the bass are still very active, and can been seen jumping in the water for the suface bugs. Our Web Photo Album has a good collection of pictures to share - check it out!

The families are having a ball this time of year between the fishing, the swimming, volleyball matches, and of course the evening drive to see moose on the roadside, and the bears at the dump. What's a Canada trip without that! There have been a few very tame fox hanging around the camp, and have been seen outside some cottages, posing like a house pet. Other wildlife as of late include the thieving otter that robs the minnow buckets or eats the fish off the stringers when you're not looking, the 50 or so residents mallards, the resident blue herons, the neighborhood eagles, and the rest of the usual bird and animal crew.

We all enjoyed a last minute trip here by Fred & Bettie Stiles from Des Moines, IA. Freddie and his bride have been coming up to our area since the highway was just a rough travel road, and have been coming here to stay with us each year for the past 23 years. Fred, turning 89 this year, still enjoys fishing very much, and Bettie gladly goes out with him every day for a few hours, and they always are able to bring back enough for supper. I know many of our regular guests have gotten to know this pair over the years, and enjoy their company as much as we do. There is never a lack of good fish stories to be told!

We expect to start seeing more avid muskie and northern fishermen over the next while, getting in on the late summer and fall action.

Bob has also started getting ready for the fall bear hunt which starts mid August, so we know we won't have too much of this fantastic summer weather left.

Keep cool everybody!

Mid July Stuff!!

I Know, I Know how come so long between posts!!! It is very hard to sit down and type with my two fingers every week so sometimes I have to let them rest. I also would like to put alot more into the Blog but have to be very diplomatic as I can only imagine who may be reading this, friends, neighbours,etc... Anyways since the last post we have had nothing but HOT weather and very little rain and as of yesterday the whole area is a Restricted fire zone. We had two little fires close to us yesterday and listened to the spotter planes and the waterbombers for quite a while. I finally got fishing with my youger daughter Karla two days ago at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, with no wind and 93 degrees (great walleye weather!!!) and as luck would have it within three minutes she had a 27 inch walleye. I now look like the best guide on the lake in her eyes. The picture will be on the photo's page on our web site http://www.rainbowpoint.com The walleye fishing has been in two different depths as you can catch them in 10-12 feet of water on the weed line and also on top of all the humps early and late in the day. These seem to be the eater variety in general but the consistantly larger ones seem to be in the 18-23 foot range with the fish dropping to more than 30 mid. day. The northerns are well established in all the bays and are readily being caught. Some nice catches of larger fish are being caught in the deeper cabbage and take a little more patience but it quite often pays off. The perch fishing has been nothing but fantastic and there is no real, hotspot, as they are readily available in all shallow bays of the lake. Last week we had a 13 1/2 incher caught,Nice fish!!
We are finally going to get to finsh painting the whole camp. We wanted to have it done this spring but the wet weather early made it hard to do. The smile on alot of guests faces when they check into the cabins with all the additions and interior remodeling ,that was done this spring, made the effort and expence worth while.
One last personal comment from myself, Bob, I would like to Thank all of you on behalf of the staff, and Gale and I, for the very generous tips that they recieve each week as it sure brings a smile to their faces, and it goes a long way to making the long days they put in alot more enjoyable if they know you all appreciate it.
My fingers are stating to get hot so I will sign off for now but will make every effort to keep the Blogs coming. One last thing, I am looking for your favorite brine recipie to use in my new smoker the girls got me for Fathers day. Any brine recipies that you might care to share especially if they are a little different than the norm would be appreciated. If you get a chance e-mail me at info@rainbowpoint.com.
Thanks for making our summers enjoyable!! Bob and Gale

July 1-8 Canada Day and 4th of July Week

Well the fist week of July was a real nice one weather wise with lots of sun and sunburns. The wind blew a little more this past week but it was taken in stride.

The fishing for northern and perch seemed to be the busiest with the walleyes coming a close second, smallies are still aggressive and easy to catch. Most of the walleyes seemed to be in the 16-18ft range early and late with some nice ones taken in the middle of the day in the mid 20ft. Range. Both crawlers and minnows were working and it just depends who you talked to as to what worked best.

The Baumanns, Lederers, Vandervries, and Zelinski groups all seemed to do well, they fished early sometimes leaving at 4:30 a.m. Dale Schlapper and his family caught some nice walleyes also and it was sure nice to see them back at the lodge. 11 year old Broc Borchardt caught a 24 inch walleye (see photo album) and I don’t know who was more excited he or his father. They were saying they also tore up the northern on the sand bar the same day.This upcoming week we have a full group of mostly regular guests so I hope the fishing and the weather folds out for them.

P.S. Sincere thanks to all for your friendship and support

Bob and Gale

Great Fishing Photos to Share

Hi all!

I've pretty much given up with downloading very many photos on the blog the way it's been working, but I've put a new 2006 photo album up on the website. I know so many of our guests have been anxious to see themselves up on the web, and so many of you who are just interested in what's going on are just as anxious.

Check out the new photos from the photo album link at Rainbow Point Lodge.

By the way, it's a gorgeous sunny day, about 80 degrees, and nothing but sunshine in the forecast until Saturday. Wish you were here!

Bye for now!

Bob & Gale

found a few minutes for an update!!

Well as you can imagine we are right in the middle of our busy season and the weather has been great and the fish are co-operating. Last week the big one's seemed to be the game of choice. Dick Gardebrecht and his wife Cheryl and their granddaughter Courtney caught and released 5 walleyes from 27-29 inches over the course of the week. They also caught lots of eaters and a bunch more in the low 20 inch range. Arlie Doel's group did very well fishing for walleyes also with their biggest one being 31 inches caught by Craig O'Connell. The weather was absolutely perfect all week with a big thundershower over night on Fri.

The fishing for northerns has gone a little deeper with some of the larger ones starting to suspend in 15-20 feet of water just off the weed lines. Perch are picking up with nice catches in 6 feet of water. Walleyes are being found in 16 -25 feet with nice catches on the humps early in the morning and later in the evening. The bait of choice is either minnows or crawlers. Everyone has their favorite way to fish and they are all good if your catching fish but good old SLOW backtrolling will get fish in the boat!! I forgot to mention Smallies. They are very aggressive on the humps and in 8-15 feet on the shore lines. A mixture of artificial sinking and top water baits are working well with presentation of leeches being also very productive.

We have had a little problem putting pictures on our Blog but will continue to work on it so in the meantime we are creating a 2006 photo gallery from our website.

We are sure getting a lot of great feedback and comments from our guests when they see the additions and decks we have put on many cabins this spring. We always hope that you will see and appreciate the amount of time and work we put into our Lodge on an on going basis. As our
logo says, "we always remember you have a choice" and our commitment is to have you enjoy your stay and return in the future.

Hope you are having a great summer also and if you need a get away in the next few months come on up and enjoy!!

Bob and Gale

Pike & Perch!

Michelle Gevets kept showing up her partner Craig last week with her catches. After making it clear that she preferred fishing for perch because there was more action, she proceeded to catch a 40" northern on June 13th. Apparently northern fishing wasn't so bad any more, as she did it again on the 16th catching a 41". One of these was caught while fishing for perch using a crawler with a pink hook. Antoher was with a suick. Craig and Michelle spent most of their week fishing for perch though, and caught plenty, mostly near Jackfish Bay! Some were up to 15" so they were extremely happy with their perch catches.

June 21st, 2006 Update

Well the summer is in full swing and the weather has been great. In the last 2 weeks we have seen very little rain with lots of sun, and highs in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. The bush is very dry, so we are warning all shore lunches to make sure their fire is dead out.

Last week the walleye fishing was good, with some nice 16-20” fish caught by all with a few over 25”. The walleye are moving deeper but the average depth is around 12-17’ depending on the time of day. Leeches are the bait of choice right now with crawlers and minnows coming in 2nd. Nate Ongna had a lucky horseshoe to start his trip this week, catching a 28" walleye in Grassy Bay while casting for Northern with a Strike King Spinner Bait, during his 1st hour out! You never know when it's going to be your day.

Northern are moving out into the growing cabbage weeds and are starting to hit top water and large spoons caste and retrieved aggressively. The smallies are unbelievable as they are in pre-spawn and very aggressive. The largest this week was a 17 ½ “ caught by Norman Stine.

We just had another fun filled fish fry last night, and Mother Nature seems to be co-operating with us by holding off the rain while dinner is going on.

Please read our next blog in a week or so and make sure you sign up for our online newsletter for news and specials. We will be offering some very nice fall deals to online e-mail subscribers only!

Take care and remember that Rainbow is not that far away!

Bob & Gale

June 3rd to 10th Fishing Report

I'm have a devil of a time trying to get this blog to upload properly, and have so many pictures to share with everyone, but it's just not happening for me. I'm trying to figure out how to solve the problem, so bear with us - one of these days you'll see some of the great fishing pictures our guests have shared with us!

No on to the June 3rd to 10th fishing action.

What a warm week we are having – started in the 80’s and is now setting down more into the high 70’s.

Fishing is good for everything right now. The walleye are not being caught as quickly as usually yet – I think we are a bit spoiled. Getting a run of a few, and then they seem to shut off mid morning. The walleye are starting to be caught now all over the lake – 2nd bay producing quite well, the channel by Whale Rock, Jackfish, and right down into our own bay have been fishing well. The hot clear weather during the day has a lot to do with that though. Guests are catching plenty of them to keep their bellies full . Ken Slaughter caught a 29” walleye off Whale Rock also on Sunday, fishing with a Rattletrap. He was lucky that day also catching a 29” northern on a twister tail. Dwight Trowbridge caught a 9 lb. Walleye back in Church Lake where he had caught several last year over 9 lbs. Scott Wascher and his group who are new to Perrault Lake are having a blast. Scott caught a 42” Muskie (weighting 18.3 lbs) on a Husky Jerk bait on Tuesday. His brother Jason caught a 35” Northern (10.5 lbs) the same day. These were caught just on the backside of South Sister Island. To end off the trip Friday, they caught and released a 40" Northern.

As the week came to a close we had a major drop in temperature - down in the mid to high 40's at night, and daytime to about 60. The cool temps were welcomed by most after such warm weather earlier in their stay.

Looking forward to a great week next week, and to having the walleyes really hungry!

Fishing Report May 27th to June 3rd, 2006

The week of May 27th to June 3rd saw a mixed bag for weather, with the 1st few days of the week having a lot of high winds and severe thunderstorms moving throughout the region. Everyone had to keep a close eye on the storm cells to make sure they didn’t get caught, but of course, a few had to wait out some storms under the trees on shore.

Walleye are moving out more into the main lake from the shallows, and are proving to be a little harder to find than usual for the groups this week. Shad Raps seemed to be the best lures for the walleyes judging by the most successful anglers. There are still the most numbers of walleye being caught in the East Bay, Whale Rock area, and in Jackfish. Spadina is also fishing quite well. Everyone is doing great on Northern Pike, which have been biting very well since opener. Several groups caught and released lunkers this week. Rick Meier caught a 40” Northern in Jackfish Bay June 1st, and this was just one of many that he and his brothers caught during their stay. They fished primarily with sucker chubb baits. Wayne Knight caught an 18 lb. Musky while northern fishing, which was a nice surprise. There have been quite a few caught already this spring, so we know the muskie population is doing very well!

As the week wound down, weather became much more stable, but temps were still quite warm, up into the mid 80’s.

Northern Pike on Sucker Chubb Baits

Parker Dietz could barely keep a hold of this 40" Northern that he landed solely by himself. He was fishing with his dad Mark, and several regulars who make the spring opener their yearly tradition. This group fish primarily with live sucker chubb bait for the big northern, and catch and release many of the lunkers during their short stay each spring.

Parker will have a trip to remember! I'm hoping he or his dad will add some comments to this blog on their techniques and location of their fishing.

Spring Opener, 2006

Well another great season is well under way. We've been so busy, and Bob & I must apologize for not getting on the postings right away - have to get into a routine, as we know many of you are anxiously awaiting news of the fishing and goings on around camp.

I'll start off with a little bit about our opening week at camp. Most of the regulars for opening week arrive Friday to get an early start on the fishing 1st thing Saturday morning - opening day of walleye season. The couple of days just before opener had geat temps in the high 70's and even hitting 80, and then, opening day came! A cold front moved in with very heavy winds, and near freezing temps during the night. We saw a few flurries and some rain during the day. Many of the guests in camp didn't venture much past the bay the 1st day, but the opener guests are a tough lot, and took everything in stride! Things did smarten up as the week went on. The cold front affected the fishing for a few days, but everyone was getting plenty to eat, and had plenty of action. The Ord River was where most of the fishing action was happening.

Big northern seemed to be what most people were getting a lot of. The walleyes were mostly smaller males. Typical after having a late spring - spawn was well finished. Smallmouth bass are really active.

Kurt and Jessica Carlson were the 1st guests into camp for the year, and so, I'll give them the 1st photos on the blog spot for the '06 season. - WHEN the blogger lets me upload the pictures. Having technical difficulties I'm afraid. We'll keep trying!

Gettin' ready for the opener!!

We are working long & hard to finish our cabin renovations and deck additions on a number of our cabins. The weather has cooperated somewhat but the last few days have been at or below the freezing mark in the mornings with rain/hail mix during the day.

No time for news - get on later when we have time..

Ice out on Perrault Lake

We woke up this morning to a beautiful blue lake, totally free of ice! We've had a lot of e-mails and calls about this over the last few weeks, and I know everyone is anxious to come up for their fishing trips! We're just as anxious to see everyone and get another great season under way!

A bit of history for you -
Ice out date in '05 was April 22nd
Ice out date in '04 was May 8th

George arrived this weekend to start work for the summer. The rest of the staff will be gradually starting over the next week and a half. We're in full gear getting our spring clean-ups and work projects completed before opening day. Walleye season starts May 20th.

Ice Condition Report Apr 17/06

April is continuing to give us some unbelievably warm temperatures. Easter Sunday had a hight of 73 degrees, and today is shaping up to be much the same. At this rate the ice won't be long in going out! Took these pictures yesterday. Top layer is very slushy. Hard to imagine that we were out ice fishing just one week ago!

Photo to the left is the view down the lake from Cottage #4.



Below, view from the bridge at the long dock, and from Cottage #7.

Fishing Licence Change for 2006

There has been a small change in the fishing licences which I thought I'd pass on to you. It won't affect too many of our guests since our packages run for 7 days, but there are few cases where it will make a difference.

7 Day Fishing Licences have been discontinued, and there is now an 8 Day Fishing Licence instead. The 8 day Sportsman Licence this year costs $41.00 Canadian, (about $36. USD) and a Conservation Licence costs $24.00 Canadian (about $21. USD). If you're on a Complete Fisherman's Package Plan with us, your Conservation Fishing Licence is included.

There have been no other changes in the fishing regulations for this area for 2006.

Happy Easter Everyone

Gale & I are sitting at home waiting for our digital camer to be returned from the repair shop. Otherwise we'd have a picture or two for you to look at this time.

We have just sent out our 1st Rainbow Point Lodge E-Newsletter, and if you have not received your newsletter, please refer to our website, to sign up to receive it in the future. For those of you that are not familiar with this newsletter, it will have periodic one time web only specials and news so if you'd like to take advantage of these, sign up today.

The ice situation - it's starting to turn dark and slightly pull away from the shoreline, but I'm sure it will be a good 2 weeks before it is out. Most of the snow is gone other than small piles in heavily shaded areas. Now I can see how much raking we have to do!! Temperature has been in the mid 40's to low 50's with a small breeze blowing each day which has helped take care of the last bit of snow.

Hope you all have a good Easter Weekend, and as soon as we get our camera back next week, we will update this blog with some pictures and a report on the ice conditions.

Perrault Lake Snow Free But Solid

Just ran out the door to take a few pictures for the blog for you. Don't get fooled by the lack of snow on the ice, as there is still 3 feet of solid ice left. The temperature is just above the freezing mark, with the wind blowing and the outlook for the weekend is sunny and 40 deg. F.

We plan on going ice fishing on the weekend and we'll take some more pictures and upload them in another blog early next week. Judging by the lake right now, it looks like we'll be going on 4 wheelers instead of the snow machine!

Snow/Ice Report

It is unbelievable how much snow has disappeared over the last few days! We got some rain overnight, and the weatherman is calling for steady rain through today, tonight, and off and on for the next 3 days. No below freezing temperatures in the forecast. That should really cut down the snow! The lake today looks like a lake with the all the water sitting on top of the ice. We are hoping that the water will go under over the next few days, and we'll have a week or two more to do some ice fishing. There should still be 2-3 feet of ice out there. The bay right in front of the falls is opening up quite a bit farther now though - almost to the dock at #26 /the boat launch. More signs of an early ice out if this keeps up!

Pike & Northern are biting on Perrault Lake

Had a fantastic fresh Ontario walleye dinner last night - make you hungry?? The fishing on Perrault is really turning on as the fish start heading towards the spawning beds. Went out on Saturday just for about 3 hours and could hardly keep up with the lines. Caught several perch 10-12", a 25" & 37" Northern, a few walleye, the largest of which was 23 1/2" long. Had a great time out. It was so warm and sunnny, a shirt was ample to be warm in the sun.

Day time temperatures this week are definitely on the rise. Supposed to be up to the mid 40's as a high for a couple of days. Still well below freezing at night. You can keep up to date on the weather through a weather link on the website to the Weather Network. Starting to see a bit of grass on the sunny side of the ditches, but there is still 2-3 feet of snow in the bush and around the yard. The lake has only about 6" because it has compacted so much. Haven't had a heavy snowfall for quite awhile.

Water level seems pretty low right now judging by the amount of water going over the falls. Could practially walk across it near the top. Might be a low water spring unless we get some good rains. The spring runoff won't amount to very much.

Well, till next time, think spring, and think fishing Perrault Lake soon!

Wildlife at the Lodge

We have enjoyed seeing a few of the local critters this winter, and thought that some of you might be interested in seeing a couple of pictures. The first is Pine Marten that paid us a visit on the deck of our house. He spent quite a long time back and forth, looking right into our patio doors at times, and then moved on to the woods. It was one of the best front row seats we've had for watching these beautiful creatures.



The 3rd photo is not the best as my camera was giving up the ghost. This was a mink that came right across the lake on our snowmachine trail, and trust me, he put on a fair distance. Then he didn't seem to want to leave the area where we fishing. I investigated further, and found that he had a couple of dens in the snow near a couple of outcropped rocks near us. I tried to get pictures of the lairs, but again, the camera didn't co-operate very well (or maybe it was the photographer??)


A sure sign that spring is arriving - the Bald Eagles made their return visit to the area a couple of weeks ago, and we're enjoying hearing them out in the yard. There is a nest very close to the lodge, and we can here them throughout the summer. The eagles like making this area home because of the open water at Perrault Falls early in the spring. I'm sure I'll catch some good pictures when I get my camera fixed!!

Looking forward to seeing some of you this spring. Opening of Walleye season is May 20th! Can't wait!!

Quick Spring Note

Just thought we would write a quick note to let you all know how spring (which started yesterday) is going at Rainbow Point Lodge. Our temperature is still in the 15 to 20 degree F at night, and not getting much above the freezing mark during the day, but this will soon change and an all-out melt will surely follow.

It's difficult right now to predict whether the ice will out early or late as the weather just doesn't show any sign of abrubtly getting warmer. I'll have a better idea of the ice conditions in the next week or two, but as of now we still have 3 feet of solid ice covered by 8-12 inches of snow. All around the lodge we have 2-3 feet of snow sitting on the ground, and like anybody this time of year, are anxiously waiting to see some green instead of white.

Keep an eye on this blog, and we'll update it as the weather starts moderating, and we'll include some picutres. Hope this finds you all well, and anxious for your next fishing trip to the Lodge.

Current Ice Conditions on Perrault Lake

Perrault Lake has 20" of blue ice covered with another 15" or so of slush ice. We have not been able to get on any of the lakes until just lately, as the slush has been a big problem. We're finally getting some colder weather and that is helping to freeze up the slush so you can ride on it. Just beginning to try some more ice fishing, and enjoyed a delicious fish fry last night!

Natural Ice Sculptures on Perrault Lake

Gale & I were out ice fishing the other day, and noticed a lot of strange ice formations on the south end of the lake. We took a ride down to take a closer look for ourselves, and as you can see in the pictures, we found some beautiful ice sculptures along the shoreline. The wind was blowing very hard from the north in November when the ice was forming and I believe the waves splashing up on the south shoreline instantly froze into these beautiful formations. We have never seen this kind of massive ice build-up before

With the snowmachine in front, you can see how expansive these formations are! We took a few more of these - once in a lifetime sight, I'm sure!

Gale shown in front of one of the formations. Twice as tall as she is! Notice the wind angle at the rear of the formation.

















Bob is sitting on a natural ice Captain's chair nestled in the ice block. Notice the icle in the front. It was out by itself, about 4 feet in front of the formation, and it stands approx. 6 feet tall!




Long expanse of ice. The big cedar on the right has ice creeping up it's trunk probably 15 feet in height.

Hope you enjoyed these amazing photos as much as we enjoyed seeing them!



Till next time, keep warm, and enjoy your winter!

Sport Show and Promotion Updates

Just got back from the Green Bay All Canada Sport Show a couple of weeks ago and it turned out to be a very busy one. It was great to see so many of our regular guests come in to say hello, and we look forward to seeing them, along with all the new guests we met at the show, up at the Lodge this summer.

There have been some changes and additions to our website lately, in an effort to give you the most information possible to help you plan your trips. One of the most significant of these is a link to The Canadian Border Crossing Resource Guide. Many guests have questions about crossing the border, and this site covers just about everything. There are also links to fishing regulations, and a new FAQ page. Check it out if you haven't lately. If there's information that you'd like to see on the website, please let us know.

We are also excited to have a new feature being added to our website. Now we will be able to offer guests and potential guests interested in coming to our Lodge, automatic delivery of the Rainbow Point Lodge E-Newsletter right to their e-mail box. These newsletters will keep you up to date on news at the Lodge, as well as well as have advance notice of any last minute openings or specials as they arise during the year. If you want to be in the loop of what's new, and want to take advantage of special savings offers at the Lodge, simply subscribe to our E-Newsletter from our Website. You can choose to opt out of the membership at any time.

Hello All: It has been the post Christmas recovery lull so I haven't been very quick on the writing end. Now we are busy answering the phone and replying to many e-mails daily. Everyone this time of year is looking forward to spring and the upcoming fishing trip to the Lodge. We are getting ready to go to the All Canada Sportshow in Green Bay in 10 days Jan.26-29th. If you are going to be in the area please come on in and say Hello. Our winter has been on the mild side with the coldest temp. -29 so far. We may have 2 feet of snow so far but this is much less than we normally get. The ice fishing is good but the lakes have a large amount of slush on them which make you watch very carefully where you're going. We are presently doing the yearly interviews to secure our summer help. This is always interesting!! I will post a few pictures of the Lodge and area in my next post. Hope you all are doing well and we look forward to seeing some of you in a week or so, and the rest of you, this summer. Take care. BOB