Spring Perrault Lake Ice Update

I know there are a lot of you that are pretty anxious to hear some news from the "Great White North". Perrault Falls, like most places in the central states and provinces, is having a slow start to spring.   We've had lots of wind the last several days so that's helped kick down the snow a lot.

Here is the progression from April 28th to today of the same view.
At least a little less white!

         

We had a few flurries today, then sleet, then rain, and then over again.  At least it isn't freezing overnight anymore (that we have heard in the forecast anyway)        

Looking out over Perrault Lake today, there was a bit of water at the shore; most of which was sitting on top of the ice.  Lakes are pretty much iced in all over the region and on into Manitoba.

Staff are all anxious to get working this spring.     Usually they are starting work this weekend at the Lodge, but with the snow cover we have put them off to start after at least next weekend.  Can't rake leaves with snowbanks.

 On a brighter note, it won't be long before the Blog will have more pictures like this one!  Think Fishing and Think Summer!  It's coming!  We have a few spots left for the prime fishing during the last couple weeks of May, just after ice-out.  If you have some time to sneak away for a few days before June, give us a shout and we'll see what we can do to get you into some great walleye & northern fishing.  The fish will be hungry and so will you!



We'll keep you posted in the next week on how things are looking around Rainbow Point Lodge.

  

Late summer fishing lodge review!

Triple catch by Patterson Family in July

    I have taken a lot of "Flak" lately about my blogging consistency!! I make no excuses, we have been busy and writing is not one of my top priorities but, what do you know, I'm here now. Gale and I have had one of the busiest and enjoyable summers we can remember in recent years. The weather and the fishing have kept spirits high and what more can you ask for.

  A quick run down on the fishing is in order. The walleyes have been very co-operative this summer and as of now are in the 18-25 foot range off a lot of the drops and edges. Many of the mid lake humps are producing nice catches and the size has been excellent. The average walleye is easily the 16-20 inch range with many high 20's and a few released in the 32" class. The other walleye fishery that many people over look is the weed walleyes. We are getting some nice catches reported in the 9-14 foot range and surprisingly on hot calm days! Go figure! The bait of choice seems to be a tie between the leech and the crawler, but don't leave the dock without a few minnows as they are sometimes the deal maker. My favourite method of fishing is trolling a little joe with a minnow but jigging this time of year is also a very effective method.

Steffen Family releasing Perrault Lake Northern

The northerns have been very consistent with lots of 25-30 inch fish to fill in the mid day casting itch. The largest caught and released so far this year was a 43 incher two weeks ago. Almost any top water bait and large spoons cast into the cabbage will do the trick. The bass fishing has been great as usual and the perch fishing has also given us lots to clean.
  George and I have been busy lately out bear baiting and the season looks like a good one.
The only thing we really have to contend with is the blue berry crop that is coming on strong. Some of the crop is small but we have found some patches that are blue as far as you can see. If you ask politely I will show you how to get there.

Black Bear sighted around Perrault Falls
Photo by Jordan Steffen

Gale planted her usual garden and I think it's on steroids. She is going to need a ladder to pick some of the things in it. The one problem is that everything is ripening at the same time, so we have to eat healthy for quite a while. Salads aren't my cup of tea three meals a day!

 I know I promised a web cam this summer and we have had it sitting in the box with the router at the dock for two month's. Due to internet issues it will be another few weeks before it's running (I know it's the end of the summer!) but we will try it out and get some feed back.

 I'm going to sign off but We Thank-you for all your support and we live by our Moto..
 "We Always Remember You Have a Choice" and we hope it will continue to be Rainbow!!

Talk to you soon    BOB and  GALE

Great Photos… Great Fishing…Great Family Times at Rainbow Point Lodge

I just had to take a second to share some pictures a few of our groups from last week shared with us.

Charlie, Gary and Max Triple Slam

This was the 2nd visit from the Meyer family from Wisconsin, and they have had great luck fishing both years.  You may recognize them from our photo album from last year too.

Gary Meyer released this 40" northern pike on Perrault Lake!

Besides the bass and walleye, we are seeing or hearing about a lot of big northern and musky being caught.  Perch are also turning on.

Young Grace and her brother Roger and parents have spent their vacations here at Rainbow Point Lodge for 8 years now. 

Grace Grube's walleye poses for pic

 Cheryl and her extended family have been regulars for nearly 20 years.

Cheryl Prazak with a nice catch

All of these catches represent the kind of great action that our guests were having on Perrault Lake last week, and are continuing to have this week!   (28" walleye yesterday caught by Cheryl Gardebrecht).  Great action all around!It's always great seeing our repeat guests year after year, and to see the kids grow up and enjoy fishing and vacationing with their families.

I'm working on a new album for 2012 guest photos, so will let you know when it is up!  In the meantime, wish you were here!! Maybe these photos will tempt you to make a trip up before the summer is done!

Have a great week…  Drop us a line or visit us on FACEBOOK for regular updates!

Gale

Early Season Fishing at Rainbow Point Lodge

Can't believe it's already June 8th.  We have already had 3 weeks of camp guests this season, and it's been so busy we have neglected the Blog.  Sorry guys! (& gals)

Bob and his gang had a very busy spring re-building a couple of the docks…then the never ending "honey do" lists from me for misc. cottage repairs.  My gang of staff have been great helping me with all the cleaning and prep to get the cottages just perfect for the 1st guests.  I'm sure many of you will notice the improvements all around camp as you drive into the lodge this year.  Always something to change up to keep things interesting.

The opening week of fishing saw great weather for awhile, then fiercely cold and windy weather too, so a typical May opener I guess.  The fishing was nothing short of outstanding for smallmouth bass opening week which is really kind of odd.  The best smallie fishing that most guests have ever had.  Northern were also very active.  Walleye were smaller, but plentiful opening week, so it was apparent they were still in their post spawn rest period.   Fish were scattered throughout the lake, from the Ord right up to the bay in front of the lodge.  

The 2nd week of season saw really chilly weather, which even included a morning snow flurry one day.  Everybody still went fishing, and it was great that some of the best fishing was just in the bay near camp, and into 1st & 2nd bay.  More action in the walleyes, with more larger fish being reported to have been caught (& released).   The bass & northern still continue to be aggressive

The 3rd week had unbelievable summer weather, with temps daily into the low 80's + and little or no wind.  Everybody had a great time this week in above normal temperatures, sunshine, and great fishing.  Amazing to hear how everyone was actually SEEING the walleye schools swimming in the shallows.  26" walleye I believe was the biggest caught this week, with many fish being caught and released in the low and mid 20" range; 14" perch, lots of bass, and I mean LOTS.  Again the smallmouth seemed to create the most excitement, with one guest commenting that they were nearly jumping in the boat.  Great fun for all!   Regulars had to find new fishing holes since the water temp was up in the 60's instead of the usual 50's or less, but it didn't take long to get into some action.   A soggy day at Perrault Falls today to end off the week, with  2" of rain so far, and a bit more forecast for over night.  Nice to have a rain to dampen down the forests and bring up the lake level after that hot stretch. Should be clear for the new group of guests arriving tomorrow.   I've got a few pictures shared from the guests, but haven't got them uploaded to this computer yet, so watch for some pictures in the next few days when I get caught up.  

Big day tomorrow, so I'll sign off, but either Bob or myself will update you again soon!  If you really wanted to follow us more often, I am keeping the Facebook page up with short posts more often.  "Like us" on Facebook or through our website link, and you'll be able to keep in the loop!

Gale

Opening Week 2011

Can't believe we've already gone through our 1st week of season at Rainbow Point Lodge!  We had our usual share of big projects to get done before opener, and I think we all did a good job in getting them done in time.  The biggest project of the spring was new dock in front of Cottage 8/9.  The new set-up will allow more boats to be docked at that end without going under the old "bridge dock" which is being taken down during the summer.  Bob and George spent many hours in their neoprene waders hauling rocks and placing cribs.   The lights are in place, and everything looks great.

Ken Sharlein from Wisc.
 shows off a nice 30 inch Northern Pike

We had a busy opening weekend with many Canadian guests taking advantage of the long weekend in Canada (Queen Victoria's Birthday).   The guests that were with us for the whole week had a great time enjoying fishing every day with very calm winds, which made the relatively cool temperatures pretty comfortable overall on the lake.   There was enough sun to give many their spring sunburnt noses as a free souvenir!   With the consistently cool temps (down to just below freezing overnight for a couple of nights) the water temperature also dropped considerably, so the walleye bite was slowed down from normal.   Best action was  mostly in and around the mouth of the Ord River, and outside Jackfish Bay, with patient jigging getting the best catches.   The bigger story of the week was the many large smallmouth being caught,  some up in the 18-20" range, which was unusual for this time of year.  Of course the northern pike were providing plenty of action as well, with large sucker chubbs giving the best results.   As the water starts to warm up more over the next few days we expect the walleye bite to really turn.  Good news for all the father and son groups staying with us this week.

Wish you were here!  If you have time to get away for a fishing trip this summer, give us a shout.  There are still a few openings here and there through the summer, so you may not be too late to get a trip organized.

More to post soon....... and I'll get on the photo album as soon as I get a few extra minutes.  Gale

Ice Fishing trip

Hi all.


As Bob mentioned we were going to head out ice fishing before season ended, and we made it out the last day, being April 14th.  Turned out to be a great day - sunny, bit of a breeze, but warm enough we didn't miss having a shelter or fire to keep us warm.   Thankfully it had cooled down a bit the last couple of days and what had been a slushy top to the ice was now a smooth sheen of ice.  Almost too smooth... we had to really watch our step to keep our feet facing the right direction.  We took the 6 wheelers out.   Headed straight out to Ord Bay to try our luck.  I caught a good size northern right off the bat - a keeper size, but we put him back for another day.  Then we got into quite a few jumbo, and I mean jumbo perch.  The largest we measured was 13".   Aside from one that swallowed the hook, we put all of those back as well.  Then we got into some walleye, and no... we didn't put them back.  The goal was a walleye supper, and it was mission accomplished.  



SEE MORE PHOTOS



 It was such a nice evening we didn't pack up until nearly dark.  The eagles were on her nest in the bay, soaring & waiting for anything that we may want to share - always fun to watch them.   On the way back the sun was setting over the lake and the ice reflected so much it looked more like water than the frozen lake.  Wish you could have been there!  And,...... that fresh walleye was amazing!!! mmmmm...

When Bob was drilling the holes he confirmed what we already knew.  The ice was not very good - many layers of slush, few layers of good ice.  With the lack of snow cover on the lake, it won't take much to have the lake clear out this spring if things warm up.  Not promising this week.  We got about 8" of snow over the weekend, so it looks more like Christmas than Easter right now. I'm sure we'll see things turn around by the end of the month.      

Still have a few spots open for May fishing.   If you have a free weekend or a few vacation days left, why not give us a shout and make a trip up to the Lodge.  There's a pan full of walleye waiting for your supper too!

We'll keep you posted as things warm up.

Bye for now,
Gale

High water story of 2010

2010 has been quite a year for rainfall here in NW Ontario.  While we started off very early, dangerously dry, and moderately low water levels, early June changed the trend.  From early June until early August, the water just kept on rising.  The weather was very nice overall once again for our fishermen and families.  We got tremendous rainfalls that usually came in short spurts, or during the night, not bothering the vacationers much at all.  By tremendous rainfalls, I mean dumps of 3-5 inches at a shot.  Each time the water levels on Perrault would continue to rise for days afterward, from all the runoff. 

High water levels seemed to have nothing but good effects on the fishing throughout the summer, so that was a bonus.  On the down side, we had a couple of our docks that were not usable for about a month.  Thank goodness this wasn't the case when we had the largest of our boat traffic in.  With the high water and waves, our docks have sustained quite a bit of damage, so we have a fall/spring project for sure.

As September approaches we're looking forward to seeing some great northern pike and musky action once again - typical for the fall season.  Don't forget our great Fall Special pricing!  If you can't come for a week, we also can work out a daily package for you to fit your time schedule.  September is one of the nicest times to be up here in NW Ontario. 

Loons are starting to gather up, so I think they know something we don't know....  Always a fantastic sight to see so many in groups on the lake. Lucky enough to see a family of wolves off the roadside last week, and yesterday one of the guests sighted a bear on the lakeshore.  The bald eagles that have their nust just up past our house kicked their young one out the other day for what we think was it's 1st flight.  Amazing to watch the flying lessons!  Also have had a golden eagle hang out on a tall tree near the main dock the last few days.  Just sits for hours on end and doesn't seem to mind the human attention.  Add to all this, the occasional moose or deer on the roadside and it just doesn't get much better than this!   Wish you were here. 

Till next time,
Gale

Such big fish!!

Gene Fischer, Cecil, WI - 44.5" Pike

Each year we are seeing more and more big fish caught and released on Perrault Lake, and 2010 has been no exception to that statement.  Throughout this summer there hasn't been a week that has gone by without hearing about several of our guests catching and releasing big fish out on Perrault Lake.  Last week alone, we are aware of 4 walleyes over 28"  - one at 30"!!!  Also a 44" northern.  More and more muskie are reported to have been caught also.  While some of the big fish have been kept to have mounted on the wall, most of these big fish throughout the summer have been released back into the lake for another lucky angler to have the opportunity at the catch, and for the chance for another successful spawn next spring.   Congratulations to all of you who have been so lucky (ooopss... to be such talented anglers...!..) to have landed a Canadian trophy fish. 

Dan Boivin, Shawano, WI - 28" Walleye August 13

Here we were during one of our warmest weeks of the summer last week with temps up in the high 80's and mid 90's, and the big fish action continued.  What a great week it was with the last week of family groups in before the inevitable return to school.  13 year old Dan Boivin from Shawano, WI ended his week's vacation off by catching this 28" walleye in the last hour fishing for this trip, Friday night.   After a very quick discussion in their boat about whether to release the fish or have it mounted, Dan chose to have it mounted (with his dad's help).  Congratulations on a great ending to a great vacation. 

Summer Fun off off Whale Rock

Besides fishing, everyone in camp was enjoying the great summer weather - not too hot, not too cold... just right!  Miraculously too, even though we have had a tremendous amount of rain this summer, the bugs have not been bad at all.  We are questioned each week whether we spray to keep the bugs down, and of course we don't.  It's just part of living in paradise. (yes. we do pay for it in the winter.)  By the sound of the weather in the mid west and southern states this summer, I'm surprised everybody didn't migrate north to keep cool.  If you suffered through it this year, maybe you should consider a trip up north to Rainbow Point Lodge next summer.  We'd love to see you, and we know you'd love all this great part of the country has to offer!

Hey..... did you see our fall special on our website?  Maybe you can still get in that last minute fishing trip?  Give us a shout.

Till Next Time,  Happy Fishing!

August Update

Pictured Left, Stacey Long, IA with a 30 inch walleye caught & released August 11th.

Here we are on the last day of August, and we're now really starting to feel like summer has started. An entire week forecast of no rain, and warm (high 70's), sunny skies. It's been a year where we have all really appreciated the sunny days more than usual since they seemed few and far between. The fishing was some the best we have seen on Perrault Lake though, throughout all the rain and cool weather, so I guess there was a silver lining in it all. Fishing has slowed up a bit the last couple of weeks, but still some great fish being caught. Right now they are finding the walleye's in the 25-30 foot level which is pretty normal for this time of year. Some of the fishermen last week did very well on big northern and muskie, which again is pretty typical as fall approaches. We'll look forward to some great catches in the next couple of weeks.

The blueberries are out in full force - very late in the season due to the lack of warmth and sunshine. Just went out the other day with George, Dianne and Bob to areas where they are also bear baiting, and picked 4.5 gallons in just an hour. Delicious!

Happy fall everyone, and we'll update you soon.

Gale

How about that weather??

As I indicated in the last Blog, we are back at the Lodge and are finished shoveling for the 99th. time, and also getting caught up on all the mail and bills etc. I make it sound like I do all the book work, WRONG!, if it wasn't for Gale and her accounting ability we would be doing our work out of a shoe box!
In all our travels we did not get into any bad weather or were lucky and just left before a storm hit in the various cities that we did sport shows in. On the last day going home we got stuck in Grand Forks North Dakota with the roads into Canada closed due to ice accumulations on the roads. I was able to find another "Cabelas" store so it was not a complete loss of time. Gale will be glad not to have me see another one of those signs for a while.
Our youngest Daughter Karla is coming home from her Chef's job in St. John's New Foundland, for a week starting tomorrow. We have not seen her since late last summer so we are looking forward to her visit. One small item is that she is also bringing her Boy friend!! I am presently going through all my knives to make sure they are sharp and that all my guns are oiled and in proper working condition. they will be strategically placed throughout the house just to make him feel comfortable while visiting. I understand that he is dreading the first meeting and I just want him to feel a home!!!!!
I will be doing a bit of ice fishing next week and will let you know how we did and hopefully post a few pictures for you to see. It would be nice just to have a small walleye or northern, fresh, fried for dinner.(doesn't that make you hungry?).
Anyways take care and if you haven't made your summer vacation plans yet take some time and visit the website www.rainbowpoint.com and we may see you this summer or the first time or as a repeat guest.
Have a great week. Bob and Gale

A Fish Story

Well, we did have our 1st snowfall of the year, and the highways department were out in full force with their salt and sand trucks already. Thankfully it was just a one day wonder, and we got a couple of fantastic (above normal) days just after that to bring us out from the downer of seeing that 1st snow. We're taking advantage of the great weather, and now that that the woods are a lot quieter, will be spending some time getting the winter firewood, and hunting for our moose. Freezer is empty, so we're looking forward to some success. We can hunt until mid December, and so there is no rush. Will keep you posted.

We were going over some photos from the summer, and I thought I'd give you a good look at the biggest walleye for the season for 2008. This is Jason Rosonke with a 32" (10 lb) walleye caught the last week of August this year.

He and his wife Suzanne did exceptionally well this week. Besides this trophy walleye, Susanne caught this 41"(14 lb) northern. She also caught a 40" (17 lb) muskie, and another 35" (12 lb) muskie. Way to go girl! This type of success is what we like about mid/late summer fishing. The numbers are not as fast as the earlier weeks, but the quality can be fantastic. Congrats to The Rosonke's from Urbandale, Iowa on another great year.

We'll try to update you on some other great fish stories through the winter just to tie you over for your fishing fix until you can get up to Perrault Falls yourself next season!

Summer's Half over Let's get Fishin!!!!!

Well we just had a very busy week with a few shy of 100 people at our fish fry! The over all fishing last week was nothing short of Great. There were a few days at first, where everyone was learning the patterns, but after that we saw many BIG fish being caught and also plenty of eaters and smaller. We are uploading the pictures to our photo album in the next few days so be sure to visit our home page at http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ . Over the weekend we had 4 inches of rain and the ground is totally saturated along with the extremely high water. I know we are not anywhere near the torrential amonts of water in the mid States but a few weeks of nice warm dry weather would be nice about now.

(Shown above is Dan Pecard from Wisc. with his 41" northern caught June 27th.)

With respect to the specific species- the walleyes are being caught in two depths, from 4-12 feet early in the day and up to 17+ feet when it's sunny and hot. Last week the bait of choice was either minnows or leeches with the night crawler not as productive. There will always be someone that will swear by a certain bait but I am just reporting on the over all trend. The northerns are starting to become a little more aggressive as the cabbage weed tops out and a combination of large spoons and spinner baits is working well. The smallies are being caught in all areas of the lake by casting almost up on shore and retrieving in a pumping manner with mepps spinners, jig and a tail, and small rapalas being the favorites. The bay just in front of the Lodge is really becoming a hot spot that most are overlooking but as they see limits come in they are giving it a try.

If there are any of you that think they need a quick fishing/vacation trip Now is the time so give us a call and make it a reality. We still have plenty of late season openings and we would love to be your hosts this summer.

If there is any thing that you would like e to address in any future Blogs please repy to the blog or send me an e-mail and I will be glad to talk about it. If any of you that have been here lately would like to post a comment on our blog please feel free to write about your trip and we can get some chat going to make this that much more interesting

Take Care and hope you have a Great 4th. of July as we are celebrating our Canada Day today July 1st. Talk to you soon. Bob and Gale

Alright "NOW" I have a minute !!!!!! (mike)

How is every one doing these days? Looks like lots of us are sitting at home complaining about the gas prices, "that we are all dealing with". Those of you that are able to make the trek north are being greeted with fantastic fishing and great deals that go the distance to help with the SMALL extra fuel cost. I am doing a small rant about the gas cost and am pointing out that we are NOT charging extra surcharges for your package plan gas as some lodges are and therefore the only difference to you is your fuel up and back. I say BIG DEAL! We don't like it but we are not going to let a bunch of speculators and camel jockeys ruin our already short lives! NOW I'm finished with the rant and I feel better
On a lighter note we have seen plenty of rain, and I know that many of you are dealing with even more of it at this time. The summer has not really hit us yet but the long range forecast says we should see a warm day or two by August. With all the rain we have a lot of run-off that has slowed down the "jump in the boat" spring fishing a bit, but there are still Great catches of Walleye and Northern being brought in daily. We have had many large walleye released this spring with a 33 incher witnessed by two other boats being released last week. The sucker fishing for Big northerns has been extremely productive with a number of 40+ inch fish being released this spring so far. The small mouth have been coming on strong as the spawn is close at hand and they are very aggressive in their pre-spawn setting. Two days ago I measured a perch at 14 inches and that is the largest one that I have legitimately seen in years. Granted they are not all like that but the size and numbers are getting better as the years go on. The final species that I will report on is the white fish, and they are being caught by a few people that are using the BOB method of fishing for them. It takes some patience but can produce very nice results.
We just had our first fish fry last night and it was a Blast. We had guests from Arizona, Texas, Florida, Arkansas, Tenn., Wisc, Minn, and a few others so you can imagine the different dishes and flavours that were there!! No septic problems for a few days!!!! The Canadian "RINGS" champions are still going strong (BOB-GEORGE) so any time you would like to give it a go we are ready!! Your losses can be put on your bill!
I am going to sign off but, I sincerely hope you like to read what comes out honestly, and that you read these blogs with a sense of humor and realise that life REALLY is too short to waste your time complaining about things that really mean nothing.
We have had a few serious Parental health issues lately that make the above paragraph something that we realise more now.
Gale and I sincerely Thank-you for your continued support and every week look forward to seeing old friends, and new guests that will turn into old friends.
Till next Blog. Take Care

Ice Out 2008!

Finally!!! The ice is out on Perrault Lake this afternoon!

Had a good steady rain, and a good heavy wind, and the ice all blew up on the far shore of Perrault (away from our docks!!). Great news for all of you coming up this weekend for some fantastic walleye and northern fishing!

See you then!

Bob & Gale

Thin ice.....

I know you are all anxious to hear what's happening. Today Old Man Winter was trying to show his face once more, giving us quarter size snowflakes for a few hours, mixed with some rain now and then. Dispite this, the thaw has had some progress over the last few days. Our bay is 1/2 open, but the lake is still iced in today. Still project an ice out on Perrault for Thursday or Friday. Had to go to Dryden today, and neighboring lakes just south of us are just starting to open, so we're not far behind. North of us will be just that much more behind. Lac Seul and north are very questionable for opener.

Anyway, it's looking good for opening day fishing for 2008 on Perrault Lake this Saturday. The northern fishing will be fantastic! Can't wait for some fresh walleye too. The guests that are coming the first couple of weeks of season are in for some great action. We'll see many of you this weekend. We have all been busy getting the camp ship shape for opening day, and things are looking great.

Happy travels!

p.s. remember if you haven't made your plans yet, and want to fit in a last minute trip for a few days or a week, give us a call. Have a couple of spots open in the near future. Toll Free: 1-800-282-9039

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!