Interesting Article

Here is an article from Field and Stream On-Line that discusses 30 great new instant classic lures. A number of the lures are irrelevant for fishing at Big Hook. However, several look rather intriguing and a couple are a staple in my tackle box.  Click the highlighted text above for the article.

Lures mentioned that in my tackle box are:

• The ever popular Bulldawg.  Many of you know that I am a firm believer in this lure, it consistently produces trophy fish for me in the months of July, August and September. However, there are drawbacks such as durability (it only takes one 24" pike to rip the tail off) and price tag (around 13-17 bucks). 
• I have tried the Sebile Magic Swimmer.  The lure looks fantastic gliding though the water, however it has yet produce great numbers for me.  Perhaps I'll give it another go this summer.  
• The Gulp minnow is a staple for walleye, don't leave home without it on a trip to Big Hook.  
• The Zoom Fluke is a great rig for early spring pike.  Twitching a texas rig in the shallow mud flats will produce great pike and even walleye action. 
• The Bomber Salt A is a close cousin to my favorite pike lure Bomber Long A magnum.  The gold or silver colors are a must.
• Reef runner makes quality baits.  The color combo posted in the article is effective in our tea stained waters. 
• The Yozuri crystal minnow is a great spring walleye lure.  The blue silver color combo has been good to me in the past. 

A couple of lures on the list that I'll be purchasing for this summer are the:

•  Salmo Hornet-looks very similar to my favorite walleye trolling lure the Shad Rap. 
• The Lucky Craft Sammy could be a lot of fun for pike on calm nights. The upturned nose could provide awesome walk the dog action. 
• The Cavitron Buzz Bait could be another top water winner.  
• The Live Target Crawfish Crank looks to fit the bill for walleye.  Crayfish are one of the primary forages for walleye in our waters.  I fore see this bait becoming a quick favorite.   

So many lures so little time.  Good luck on the water everyone.  Remember to practice CPR (catch, photo and release). 

-Nathan

Big Hook Wilderness Camps

Spring Fever

Spring fever has officially set in.  This yearly ailment usually strikes me around March Madness, as much as I like to watch the NCAA tourney, I would really rather be outdoors.  Temperatures here in Minnesota are on the rise and the snow is dissipating quickly, it is only a matter of time before the ice retreats from the shoreline. Unfortunately, it is matter of time before I can get a line wet.  

However, the weather is a different story up north around Big Hook.  I have been keeping a close eye on the temperatures in the Opasquia Provincial Park and have yet to witness temps above the freezing mark.  We just had a report from Sandy Lake Seaplane that the tankers are still running the ice highway with fuel.  This is excellent news because there is never a surplus of fuel in Sandy.  Looks like more snow is on the way up there, so that furthers the expectation of high water this spring.  

So let us get back to fishing...

Spring is a great time of year for great discounts at most retailers.  Fishing specials often roll out in February and March.  I like to keep an eye on Cabela's Bargain Cave.  Here are a couple great buys they are offering and other store specials.

• Rapala Glass Shad-a great trolling bait for walleye in July and August. The Glass Citrus Shad looks like it could be effective for trophy walleye. 
• Hot N Tot- another great walleye trolling lure.  The Orange Fire UV and Blue Chrome are my fav's. 
• Free shipping on rod/reel combos, is a great deal.  It is often expensive to ship fishing rods. 
• Cabela's Tackle Bag-These are perfect for a fly-in fishing trip and at $40 is not a bad price. 
• Gander Mountain- has 20% off all soft sided tackle boxes. 
• Fleet Farm is another great place to check out for fishing.  They don't post sales on the website often so check your local store.  I have found most of the time they will beat out Cabela's and Gander. 

Those are just a couple of deals I have stumbled across while browsing the web this morning.  I'll keep everyone posted if I come across anymore online deals. 

-Nathan

Big Hook Wilderness Camps

  

March Madness 2011

It's that time of year to start going crazy over NCAA basketball.  Selection Sunday is just around the corner. This is by far one of my favorite sporting events.  Who will be this years surprise?  That anticipation for a Cinderella team to emerge is just awesome.  We have set up a Big Hook NCAA Tourney Pick'em Challenge.
Yahoo Tourney Pick'em
Once you visit the link, click on the Join a Group tab.
Group ID#: 28671
Password: bighook
Good luck to everyone that enters.  Top three finishers win! 


Nathan
Big Hook Wilderness Camps
www.bighookcamps.com 

10 Traveling Tips

Planning for a fishing trip to a foreign country is an exciting process.  However, numerous simple items and important issues are often overlooked when traveling.  Here are 10 brief and helpful tips for planning a smooth and successful trip to Big Hook Wilderness Camps.

• One of the first and most important steps is to accustom yourself with border crossing requirements.  Remember US Citizens will need a passport or a passport card to reenter the USA.  A great site for border crossing information is: Canada Welcomes You .  Please also remember Canada has a different criminality code.  If you or a party member have had a criminal conviction in the past i.e. Impaired Driving charge, please contact the Canada Customs office you are planning to pass through for admissibility requirements and/or restrictions. 
• An important issue with fly in resorts is WEIGHT. Guests are limited to 100 pds of gear per person and are subject to overweight fees if exceeded. If possible, please pack your personal gear in one or two duffel or gym bags.  Please, no coffin sized boxes or coolers. Bags should fit into the airplane without having to make a new door or hire extra staff to lift them.  If it takes more than one man to lift or carry it – it is too big!  Note that a case of beer is 22 pds and a case of water is 26 pds, these two items eat up your 100 pd allowance quickly.  
• If you are planning on staying in Red Lake the night before your departure to Big Hook Camps book a hotel reservation EARLY.  Presently, Red Lake is experiencing a gold boom and hotel rooms are in high demand with miners and prospectors. A list of hotels in the Red Lake area is listed here . 
• Prepare yourself for the weather.  Stay up to date with weather patterns at Big Hook by visiting this blog or our web site.   
• Remember we provide a list of staple foods to help customers keep weight to a minimum.  Review this list so you are not packing items we stock. 
• Upon your departure from Red Lake to Big Hook, please arrive at Wasaya Air in Red Lake at least 45min-1 hr in advance.  Make sure to have ALL of your bags marked with your destination outpost.  If your flight is delayed due to weather, please be patient. Know that if the pilots don't want to fly, you don't want to fly. 
• Before you travel northbound you can watch a quick tutorial and familiarize yourself with Mercury motor operations.
• Read the fishing regulations provided at each outpost or visit the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) fishing regs page for more information. Make sure you understand the rules.  Note: Big Hook has a no trophy take out policy, meaning all walleye over 18" and pike over 27" must be released.   
• When at the outposts, properly disposing of fish guts, cooking oil and scraps is important and keep unwanted animals out of camp. 5 gallon buckets are provided at all the outpost, make sure to place fish guts and your daily food scraps in them, then transport them across the lake for disposal.  Seagulls and eagles are natures amazing vacuum cleaners.
• We go through extensive lengths to make sure our cabins are properly stocked with the items we provide. During your stay should you require additional staples, a member of your party may really really like the peaches or baked beans, notify us as soon as possible.  All outposts have communication to the main base at Central Lake.  If you are at an outpost with radio communications we have the radio operational from 5:00-5:30 pm every day.  Or if your outpost is equipped with a satellite phone just call and leave a message.  A last resort to communicating with us is to simply leave a message on the table, it is something we keep a lookout for when doing camp checks.  

Hopefully these listed items above will aid you in planning and experiencing a truly spectacular Canadian fly-in fishing vacation with us at Big Hook Wilderness Camps.  The fishing season is quickly approaching and we are very excited for the 2011 season.  We look forward to visiting with everyone this summer.