Ice is Out

Yesterday we received the much anticipated phone call from Sandy Lake Seaplane that the majority of Central Lake is free and clear of ice.  According to the pilot report, some ice still remains on the north end of the lake.  As many of you know, last year was a late late ice out.  I taxi'd the plane around icebergs on the 24th of May and some lakes were not free and clear of ice until the 28th of May.  Our all time latest ice out was June 1st roughly 10 years ago.

My plan was to travel northbound today, however snow and wind has decided to grace it's presence as winter refuses to relinquish it's grip on NW Ontario.   Currently, Sandy Lake is basking in sunshine and warmer temperatures.  Unfortunately, visibility and ceilings are holding it far from flyable here on Eagle Lake.   But, warmer weather is on the way and the season will get steam rolling before we know it.

Food Restrictions 

Do your research before heading northbound.  Just recently, Canada has banned transporting numerous foods into the country in an effort to combat the spread of the Bird Flu.  The majority of the restrictions are related to poultry products such as: eggs, uncooked chicken and turkey. Attached is a link to an extremely helpful article on the details of the restrictions. 

Click HERE for the article.  

Customers have the option to purchase chicken products in Canada.  Grocery stores on your way north of the border are: 

Safeway in Fort Frances

Dryden Walmart

 

Safeway in Dryden

IGA in Red Lake

I hope to arrive at Big Hook tomorrow, weather permitting, and am excited to get the 2015 season rolling.
Good luck on the water everyone!
-Nathan
www.bighookcamps.com

Major warm up

Things are beginning to heat up in the north country.  An incredible warming trend has caused the snow and the majority of ice to vanish in the Eagle Lake area.  I arrived to Vermilion Bay two days ago with my travel companion Shadow the wonder dog. On my travels north from the States I didn't witness any ice on the lakes adjacent to Hwy 502.  Needless to say, if the future forecasts hold true, we should be experiencing an early ice out this year.

Sunset view on Eagle Lake 4/30

Preparing 

Mom, Dad and myself are beginning the early season scramble; gathering last minute supplies and staging goods to head northbound.  I am hoping to retrieve the airplane from Selkirk as early as Tuesday.  Word from Sandy Lake is that a fair amount of ice remains in the area but is melting quickly.  Temperatures the next several nights will remain above freezing and Saturday's forecasted high is a toasty 73 degrees.  Several days like that and open water throughout the Opasquia Provincial Park will appear in no time.  Rain is also in the forecast for Sunday and will only aid in the erosion of ice. 

  

Another positive to consider, is the majority of our lakes throughout the park have a considerable amount of flow. Both Cocos and Central lead the charge, having numerous rapids pushing water and are typically the first two bodies of water to open.  We will keep in touch with Sandy Lake Seaplane often for current ice reports. 

I expect fishing patterns to be well ahead of last year.  Official ice out for 2014 was May 24th.  The late ice and cool weather last year caused a delayed spawn for both species.  I remember catching walleye full of eggs into the first part of June.  The earlier ice out this season should have both species shaking off their post spawn laziness by the time guests arrive. 

Good luck on the water everyone, we are excited to get the ball rolling for the 2015 season. 

-Nathan 

www.bighookcamps.com 

 

News From the North Country

The warm weather everyone experienced recently, and yes that even included Northwestern Ontario, has spawned visions of spring and summer.  A recent change in the jet stream brought temperatures well above freezing into the greater Sandy Lake area yesterday. Maybe we will get lucky and experience an earlier ice out this season. Finger crossed! The area just weeks ago was bombarded with temperatures reaching well below 0 and as cold as -45 F without the wind chill.

The Winter Road Adventure

Mid February Dad, myself and a close friend ventured up the yearly ice highway.  The cold temperatures mentioned above accompanied us the entire voyage.  Six of the eight mornings we traveled dipped below a frigid-35 C (-31F), creating excellent ice conditions.  All in all, we managed to transport approximately 15000 pds of materials. Two boats, a new solar fridge and thousands of pounds of lumber were just some of the bulk we lugged.

The cold of the north. -40 C=-40 F

This years journey was fairly uneventful.  The extreme cold held the road together amazingly well and allowed quicker travel.  When I say "quick", I mean we were able to accomplish our 226 mile drive in under 10 hrs. The only drawback to favourable road conditions meant more traffic on the highway. Drivers encounter dozens of blind twists and turns throughout the journey and must exercise extreme caution driving the narrow road, especially during the day. Twice over the years I have had to abruptly bury my truck into the snowbank to make last minute room for a barreling fuel transport. This year no such drama unfolded even though we encountered several fuel transports, freighters and many locals taking advantage of the ability to drive to Red Lake vs flying.

Only one animal was spotted in our four trips.  A single otter trotted down the middle of the road one morning oblivious to his whereabouts and even failed to notice a half ton truck immediately behind him.  Where this otter was attempting to travel was beyond me due to the fact no open water existed for miles.  Several signs of other wildlife was present such as fresh moose and wolf tracks.   One evening, I attempted several times to capture the dancing northern lights, however neither my GO Pro or cell phone camera were able to capture the aurora borealis.

One unfortunate instance however, cost us.  The morning we scheduled to pick up the majority of our lumber Dad's Ram 2500 began acting unusual, revving up unpredictably.  After about 20 miles, the RPM's failed to drop below 6000 and Dad burned through an extreme amount of gas.  All the signs pointed too, you guessed it, a busted transmission.  The only positive to that situation, we weren't 100 miles in the middle of nowhere when it occurred.  We parked the truck at a friends in Vermillion Bay and after several phone calls, were able to track down a Chevy Silverado half ton for the drive.


March Madness Begins

Dad with a frosty mustache unloading freight 

Every year Big Hook gives their guests/friends/family an opportunity to test their NCAA basketball knowledge against other fisherman. Join our tourney pick'em, top three places win! Just click HERE to create a bracket. 1st place is a Cabelas gift card, 2nd place is a Big Hook shirt and 3rd is a Big Hook baseball cap.
Pool # 28122
Password: bighook


Good luck in your early season fishing adventures.  Spring is just around the corner.

-Nathan
www.bighookcamps.com

This semi took a corner too fast on the ice highway

 

Inattentive driving will cause you to fall off the already
slippery and steep road.  

Punxsutawney Phil

Yesterday, the worlds most famous groundhog poked a nose out from his slumber and witnessed a shadow.  And according to Punxsutawney, we are in for six more weeks of winter.  However, don't fret and let the little critter get you down. History shows Mr. Phil is about as reliable as our local weatherman with a meager 39% accuracy rate.

The airplane sees its shadow during this amazing sunset.

A cold long winter benefits Big Hook at least in one way; the winter road.  Basically, the more cold Mother Nature can unleash the better the road.  This winter has been no exception; plenty of frigid cold has settled in NW for some time creating excellent ice conditions.  Unfortunately, the last time I chatted with Sandy Lake Seaplane they informed me there was very little snow in the bush.  Limited amounts of snow means we will be in for one bumpy ride along the ice highway.

All of our goods have been purchased and await our pick up in Dryden, ON.  A new screened in porch for SW Lake, several new boats, and about 2 tons of lumber for new docks and countless other projects are just some of the items we plan on hauling this winter.  Also, an eight passenger van, that dad purchased last fall, will be making the voyage to Sandy Lake.

As usual, I'll try my best to document our expedition northbound.  With the help of a GO PRO camera I have a feeling I'll capture some great footage.  In years past, we have experienced exciting moments from vehicle brake downs to semi-trucks jack knifed across ice bridges to narrowly missing lethargic moose.

For those of you who are a little down from the cold weather,  I have posted a couple warm weather video's from this past summer.  The first video, is just a simple boat ride on glassy water. My brother and I enjoyed a warm relaxing ride down the west arm of Central Lake during an amazing sunset in August.  While the second, is a nice northern boated and released at SW Lake in mid July.  Now, just imagine yourself at Big Hook in true north amongst friends and family enjoying the outdoors.  See life is good.

Good luck on the water/ice everyone!

-Nathan
www.bighookcamps.com