GAC 2015 Year In Review Newsletter

Sioux Falls, South Dakota-SIOUX FALLS CONVENTION CENTER
March 10th – March 13th
Milwaukee, Wisconsin-WI STATE FAIR PARK
March 2nd – March 6th
Indianapolis, Indiana-IN STATE FAIR GROUNDS
February 19th – February 28th
Tinley Park, Illinois-TINLEY PARK HIGH SCHOOL
February 13th – February 14th
South Bend, Indiana-CENTURY CENTER
January 29th – January 31st
Fort Wayne, Indiana-MEMORIAL COLISEUM
January 22nd – January 24th
Kokomo, Indiana-KOKOMO EVENT & CONFERENCE CENTER
January 16th – January 17th
Perrault Falls Ontario, Canada
Gold Arrow Camp Canada
Sport and Travel Shows
We will be attending in 2016
2 Adults per Boat ........... $495.00 per Person per Week
3 Adults per Boat ........... $470.00 per Person per Week
Party of 5 Adults ............ $480.00 per Person per Week
(2 Boats & 2 Motors)
Children 6 thru 10 ............. $195.00 per Child per Week
Children 5 & Under ............................................................... FREE
(when accompanied by two adults)
RATES INCLUDE: Boat (no motor)
and 1 bag of ice per boat daily
If extra motor or boats are needed, refer to daily rates.
2-3 Adults ........................... $445.00 per Person per Week
4-7 Adults ............................ $425.00 per Person per Week
Children 6 thru 10 .............. $195.00 per Child per Week
(when accompanied by two adults)
Children 5 & Under ................................................................. FREE
Children 5 & Under ........................................................... FREE
Housekeeping Cabin
Summer Special
July 2nd to August 5th
A
Black Bear
Fall Hunt
Bow or Gun
29 Years in the Field Experience
The difference between just a
Hunt and a Successful Hunt.
For 6 Days on Baited Stand
Sunday thru Friday
RATES INCLUDE: Boat (no motor)
and 1 bag of ice per boat daily
If extra motor or boats are needed, refer to daily rates.
$1700.00
2-3 Adults ........................... $430.00 per Person per Week
4-7 Adults ............................ $400.00 per Person per Week
Children 6 thru 10 .............. $170.00 per Child per Week
To ensure the date of your choice –
please send in your reservation early.
(when accompanied by two adults)
Children 5 & Under ............................................................ FREE
Per Hunter
Our Fall Season Begins August 15th
Reservation Request
Gold Arrow Camp
Perrault Falls, Ontario POV 2KO • Phone: (807) 529-3137
Winter Address: Todd & Angie Heath, 2104 North Binkley Road, Larwill, IN 46764 • Phone: (260) 327-3406 (Oct. 1st – May 1st)
Website: www.fishandhuntontario.com • Email: [email protected]
Name ________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________
City __________________________ State/Prov __________________________ Zip Code ___________ Phone No. ( _____) _____________________
Housekeeping Cabin
Travel Lite Package
Summer Special Package
Extra Boat
Motor
No. in Party: Men _______ Women ________ Children ________ Total No. ___________ Deposit Enclosed $ ________________________________
ARRIVAL DATE: ________________________________________________ DEPARTURE DATE: _____________________________________
• Personal checks accepted for deposit only. Balance must be paid in cash or traveler’s checks. Sorry, no credit cards.
• Deposit of $75.00 required per person. • All Rates in U.S. Funds.
WARNING: FROM THE “STURGEON GENERAL”, the truth of any news event reported in this
paper may be stretched so far as to be hazardous to any honest fisherman’s integrity. But will be okay
for most of our guests to read.
Gold Arrow Camp
To include modern cabin, boats, motors, mixed gas,
life-jackets, minnow buckets, landing nets, freezers and
1 bag of ice per boat daily
(when accompanied by two adults)
NOTE: This paper is not intended at anytime to represent the proper use of grammar, spelling or
editorial etiquette. It will vow, however, to report the news as we see it and stretch the truth as far as
possible and from spending so much time in the woods takes no responsibility for its content.
ATTENTION: No names have been changed in these articles to protect the innocent. There weren’t any.
July 2nd to August 5th
2 Adults per Boat ........... $470.00 per Person per Week
3 Adults per Boat ........... $445.00 per Person per Week
Party of 5 Adults ............ $460.00 per Person per Week
(2 Boats & 2 Motors)
Children 6 thru 10 ............. $170.00 per Child per Week
Housekeeping Cabin
Gold Arrow Camp
2104 N. Binkley Rd.
Larwill, IN 46764
To include modern cabin, boats, motors, mixed gas,
life-jackets, minnow buckets, landing nets, freezers and
1 bag of ice per boat daily
Summer
Special Package
Smoke Signals from
Volume 6
GOLD ARROW CAMP
2015 – A Year In Review
To:
Travel Lite
Package Plan
Gold Arrow Camp
Perrault Falls, ON, Canada
Editorial
bout thirty four years ago a young kid, actually a
freshman in High School, was given the opportunity
to travel north to Alaska to bear hunt. I was invited
to go on this trip as a fill-in thanks in most part to my cousin
deciding that he was too afraid to fly. (Since then he has
actually went on to obtain his pilots license so I can’t really
pick on him about that anymore.) While on the trip I had the
privilege to meet Joe Rogers who ended up guiding me on
my first bear hunt. Joe wasn’t a professional hunting guide;
he was actually the best friend of my Uncle who took me on
this trip. Joe’s actual profession was running a commercial
salmon operation. Joe ended up spending a week of his
time with me and gave me the opportunity to harvest my
first bear. The excitement for a fifteen year old to go to Alaska
and hunt bear was incredible. Now looking back I am sure
that Joe had much better things to do that week but he took
the time and made a lifetime memory for me. Joe passed
away last year and I think about him often and his influence
in my life. I realize that the time he spent with me greatly
influenced
my
desire to run Gold
Arrow Camp. In
addition to Joe,
my
Grandpa
Virgil, my Dad
Jim, and of course
Don Moore have
all enticed me
with the beauty of the great outdoors and showed me that
sharing it with someone makes for an enriched experience.
To say I have been blessed with those around me is an
understatement. This year every single one of our guests
made lifetime memories while being in the Northwoods of
Canada. You may not have caught the biggest fish or got
the biggest bear but you will remember your time spent
with loved ones. Nothing is more rewarding for Angie & I
than being blessed with the opportunity to have Grandpas
and Grandmas bring up Grandkids or Dads and Moms
bring up Sons & Daughters for their memory making trips.
The kids you bring up may not realize it now, but later in
life they will realize that you took time out of your schedule
to make a lasting memory for them. For all of you who
chose to spend time with us this year, thank you so very
much! We are truly honored and blessed by all our guests.
Excitement is quickly building and the Holidays are fast
approaching! Wishing you lots of turkey and pie for
Thanksgiving, a peaceful, family filled Christmas, and an
awesome 2016!
God Bless,
Todd & Angie
Blast from the Past
We love old pictures of camp
and appreciate everyone who
sends them to us or shares them
while in camp. Some years we
don’t receive any while others
we receive quite a few. This
year we received several good
ones from Victor Johnson who
has been coming to camp since
the early 70’s and also one from
Gaetan Perth whose family used
to own Gold Arrow back in the
60’s. Ironically both photos
shown here are of the same area
of camp about a decade apart.
2015 Largest Fish Awards
Species
Length
Walleye
27 /2"
Northern
Small Mouth
Large Mouth
Perch
42"
20"
161/2"
131/2"
Musky
Lake Trout
453/4"
28"
Crappie
Whitefish
151/4"
20"
1
Caught By
Belinda Wagner
Bryce Jackson
Larry Wynberg
James Derdzinski
Abbie Hanson
Mike Chiovaro
Gary Maxwell
Jeff DeJongh
Kevin Suchomel
Joe Wittkamper
Tony Beregzazi
Jeremy Van’t Hul
Belinda Wagner top Walleye
Mike Chiovaro top Perch
Larry Wynberg top Northern
Congratulations to all these winners. As
always only a picture is necessary for proof. We
are pleased to report that most of these record
fish were slipped back into the water so that
the rest of us can try to catch them. Honorable
mention goes out to Steve Shoup who caught a
46 3/8" Musky but had no camera. And finally
yours truly caught a 29" Walleye but Angie
said that I don’t count!
Jeff DeJongh top Musky
James Derdzinski
top Small Mouth
Jeremy Van’t Hul top White Fish
Tony Beregzazi top Crappie
Joe Wittkamper top Lake Trout
Honorable
Mention
Steve Shoup
Musky 46 3/8"
Abbie Hanson
top Large Mouth
Kevin Suchomel top Lake Trout
Gary Maxwell top Perch
Bryce Jackson top Walleye
Go Away Brian!
Jay Metzler comes up with a group of five other guys each year for some fantastic spring fishing. Their specialty
is focused on lake trout, walleye, and relaxation. Jay said that most of the guys in his group have similar fishing
patterns, which includes getting a good nights sleep, waking up to some coffee and a nice relaxing breakfast, and then
gently easing into the day’s adventure. Usually, with all things being perfect, this means leaving camp somewhere
between nine and ten in the morning. Just a real enjoyable pace and, in the scheme of things, one that provides
plenty of opportunity to catch all the fish that you could ever hope for. If you noticed earlier in the story I said that
“most” of the guys have similar fishing patterns. The exception in the group is Brian Jacobson who is a programmed
fishing machine. You know, one of those guys who will fish from sun up to sun down and wonder why everyone
else in his group is ready to call it a day; or one of those guys who has to go home and take a vacation after his
vacation because he leaves Gold Arrow totally exhausted from fishing 24/7. According to Jay, Brian reminds him
of one of those lab pups who early in the morning starts pacing the floor waiting for somebody to move just a little
so that they can pounce on them. Brian stirs early and goes from bed to bed analyzing if anyone is going to move or
not. If nobody moves Brian resorts to making noise, moving chairs, clanking dishes (but not washing them, he’s not
that desperate). Obviously most of the guys have caught onto Brian and they have perfected the art of faking a deep
sleep in order to get to stay in bed past 6:00 a.m. Every once in a while somebody will feel sorry for the poor pup, I
mean Brian, and actually stir a little bit. Brian then jumps at this opportunity and goes over to the knowing victim and
prods him asking, “Are you ready to go fishing?” Truth be told I think the guys draw straws the night before to see who
has to stir first, sort of like sacrificing your own well being for the benefit of the whole group. Anyways once you stir
first you know you will soon be headed out the door with Brian into the early morning dawn asking yourself how did
I draw that short straw!
Bear Season Update
Opening Weekend
g it
Brice, Randy & Les hammin
ing
fish
d
Goo
.
era
cam
the
up for
fy!
days seem to make you goo
G
That’s what a dump truck that
hauls 40 ton of gravel looks like.
Scott Stroup walked in one
And to think, we had to spread
mile
two of those loads in the same day. not only one night but two prior
to bagging this nice bruin,
great effort Scott.
Last Chance Moose
ame populations rise and fall and unfortunately
we are currently in a period when the moose
population has been declining for the past several
years. You can blame it on too many wolves, ticks,
disease from deer, a lack of timbering which would create
new habitat, or a combination of all of these. Bottom line is
the population has been struggling. What many of you may
not know is that the Ministry of Natural Resources actually
allocates the moose tags to all of the outfitters. How they
allocate the tags is based upon a share system, the more
shares you own the more moose tags the Ministry is going
to allocate to you. For as long as the share system has been
in place Gold Arrow has always had enough shares so that
we were allocated two bull moose archery tags. However,
this past summer we were informed that based upon the
declining moose population, we will not be allocated any
bull tags in 2016. So
not knowing when
we will get our bull
tags back, we really
wanted our guys to
be successful since
we don’t know when
the next opportunity
may come around.
Naturally
when
hunting any big
game animal you
hope and pray for
calm winds and
cool temperatures. Unfortunately the first week of archery
season didn’t quite co-operate and delivered high winds,
seventy degree days and a very heavy dose of mosquitoes,
not quite the elements you hope for! One of the bull
tags went to George Hamm, who hunted hard all week
and had just one brief moment where a bull cooperated,
but unfortunately the moment was too brief and the bull
slipped back into the woods unscathed. Louie Osswald
had the second bull tag, as always, and was lucky enough to
hunt the second week of the season when the wind seemed
to settle down, temperatures dropped and the bugs went
away. With the positive change in weather the bulls started
moving and Louie called in and placed the perfect shot on
this awesome bull. Not knowing when the population will
increase enough to regain our bull tags, this was a great
way to end……….for now that is.
The official Gold Arrow
mascot Danny Boy owned
by George Hamm modeling
a retro bear hunter hat.
More impressed if he was
holding a pole too!
ught
Tonia Van’t Hul ca
ky
this awesome Mus
the
of
ek
we
ing
en
op
ke.
season on Cliff La
smaller
Tonia if you catch
sier to
fish they will be ea
hold up!
Holy Flipping Batman!
For those of you as old as I am you probably remember
the batman TV show that occurred back in the mid 1970’s.
I realize that this eliminates probably 50% of you but for
the other 50% you know what show I am talking about. I
used to rush home from grade school, turn on TV to one of
our three channels and watch Batman. It was one of those
shows that when Batman would throw a punch the caption
“Pow” or “BAM” would show up on the screen. Sort of a
cool show at the time. Anyways, where am I going with
this? Oh yeah,
I was sitting
around the table
this
summer
sipping
coffee
with Jim Suchan
when out of the
corner of my eye
I thought I saw a
person go head
over heels. This
immediately
made me think
two things: first I
may be losing my
mind and second,
there should be a caption like “Flip” beside the person I just
saw go by the window. Jim noticed my surprised look and
said calmly that is my granddaughter Anna who is upside
down more than she is right side up. Jim said she was even
doing flips while on our dock. Truth be told I don’t think
anyone has ever flipped like that before at Gold Arrow.
Upon seeing Anna flip again and again, I had Angie grab
our camera to document this never-before-seen talent. We
went outside and had Anna demonstrate all her gymnastic
ability. Cartwheels, back hand springs, no-hand flips…it
really amazes me what skills some people possess. This
coming from a guy who thinks that a forward somersault
is a challenge! Anyways thanks Anna for the entertainment
and for sharing your gymnastic ability. With your talent,
we look forward to seeing you in the Olympics someday.
No Water for Most!
One of the biggest fears of running a camp is losing either your power or water. If either happens you worry about the
inconvenience that your guests have to endure, and then you worry if it is something that can be easily fixed. Early one
morning this past July, Angie got out of bed and headed to the shower to begin her morning ritual. You know getting cleaned
up, baking cookies, answering e-mails, responding to Facebook all before we open up the camp store. Me being courteous
I always let Angie get up first while I contemplate all the important things I have to do that day while sleeping in another
thirty minutes. I certainly don’t want to get in the way of Angie’s progress for the day. Anyways on this particular morning
Angie promptly returned to the bedroom and said those dreaded words, “we have no water” which really means “you
have to get out of bed”. Now all those other projects that I was going to dream up for the day were put to the backburner
and getting the water going prior to our guests waking up became priority number one. First action was to naturally check
the breaker and it was ok. With that being eliminated I figured the pressure switch was bad. The pressure switch is under
our cabin and I have about two feet of height between the ground and the floor joist to maneuver in. Considering pressure
switches only cost about $20 I switched it out. Upon turning the power back on I was a little more concerned as we still had
no water. This, I thought, is something serious, maybe the well pump itself. So I did what every camp owner would do and
called the previous owner! Mr. Don Moore quickly showed up (as always) to lend his words of advice and you know what
the first words out of his mouth were? He had the gall to ask me if I walked the water line and checked for a break! I mean
what type of repairman would I be if I didn’t check the actual line itself prior to making the repairs that I had already made!
Well looking Don in the eye I felt like an idiot when I responded, well no I really didn’t think about that. (Note to self…
in the future, prior to making electrical repairs to the water pump equipment, maybe you should check the actual line for
leaks.) He said come on let’s do our best Johnny Cash impression and go “Walk The Line”. So we set out walking through
camp looking for a break in the main line. Around cabin number 8 we ran into Anthony Purdy who was heading out of his
cabin with a five gallon bucket. We asked Anthony what he was doing and his reply was, “I am heading to the water line
where it is disconnected to get some more water”. I said what do you mean more water? Anthony said you know where
you disconnected the line last night! So here we have the water line pulled apart right beside cabin eight and Anthony just
casually goes out with a bucket to fill it up as if that is normal. Now I don’t know about you but if a water line is pulled apart
and flowing all over the ground I would probably want to tell somebody to fix it. Anthony on the other hand didn’t seem
to mind as long as he could get water with his bucket. So had Anthony told us about the break we could have eliminated
an hour repair underneath the cabin and getting Don out of bed, and I could have slept in another half hour. In Anthony’s
defense, as previously stated, he simply thought I was working on the water system and flushing the line. Note to all you
other guests: should you see water gushing out of our water line and me not standing beside it, please feel free to let me
know at your earliest convenience, or at least fill up enough buckets for everyone else in camp! Another lesson learned at
Gold Arrow for the rookie repairman…check the obvious things first, then, when all else fails, call Don. Live and learn!
Not that
it co
record bu unts as a camp
t
29 ½" w this is what a
alleye loo
ks like.
Walking a trail for a couple
hours on opening day resulted
in Mike VanRentergham
getting his limit of grouse.
eat catch,
lex with a gr guide,
Garrett & A
od
go
a
d
ha
must have go Angie!
way to
Lisa, Devon, Hann
ah, and David Sc
spent a very prod
hultz
uctive day on Sa
nd Lake
as evident by th
is display!
ght what
Draper “Peanut” McCoy cau
hog of a
a
as
ed
crib
des
be
can only
season.
the
of
k
wee
nd
Musky the seco
Tom Richtsmeier, Bob & Mik
e Meduna
sure know how to work thei
r dogs.
Nice limit of birds prior to
lunchtime!
Best Hooked Award
In years past we have always had several contestants in this
category to choose from. However this year the pickings
were very slim. In fact it just may be that you all are
catching on and realize that the best hooked award really
isn’t something to be excited or proud of. After all hooking
yourself really isn’t that big of a personal accomplishment.
Sure you get your name in this prestigious newspaper and
are famous for like
five minutes. But
do you really get
noticed on the
street from your
photo, heck half
the time your
face isn’t even
in the picture.
Having said all
of that, as long
as we have good skilled fishermen who continue to hook
more than just fish, we plan to stick with the award. On
a side note Angie asked me when doing this story how
come no women ever hook themselves? I didn’t really
have a good answer on that one. So, without further ado,
congratulations goes out to Eric Creighton for this year’s
Best Hooked Award!
Trout Jinx Continues
As most of you know catching Lake Trout seems to be more
of a challenge for me & Angie than it should be. After all,
if we can successfully give our guests tips on where to fish,
what to use, and they catch trout surely we should be able
too. The jinx seemed to be in full bloom once again this
year. During the first week of the season one of our guests,
Rob Hamm, helped us haul a boat back into Square Lake.
As a thank you we offered to take him for an afternoon of
Lake Trout fishing. I told Rob it was really pretty easy, just
use a blue and silver Rapala Countdown #9, let out about
100 feet or so of
line and wait for
them to bite as
we troll Cliff
Lake. Anyways
we get to the
lake and once we
get far enough
away
from
shore, Angie & I
started fishing.
Rob meanwhile
can’t seem to
get his lure tied
on. After about four or five attempts it appears that he was
finally able to tie a knot. He then casts the lure into the lake
and then attempts to light his lucky cigar while holding
the pole between his legs. Being quite windy that day the
cigar just wouldn’t light. For a while I was laughing inside
as Rob hunched over trying to break the wind but it just
wasn’t happening. So as all good guides do I stopped so
Rob could light his cigar. He finally got it lit and I started
to troll again. Before we got back up to trolling speed Rob,
with his pole still between his legs, shouted out “I got a
fish”, to which I responded yeah right. Looking at the end
of his pole however told me he actually did have a fish on. I
cut the engine and Rob reeled in a very nice Trout. I thought
to myself, this is how it is going to be, somebody that can
hardly tie his lure on, can’t light a cigar and he is the one to
catch a trout. As luck would have it, not too much later Rob
blurted out again, got one. At this point Angie was ready
to throw Rob overboard however since he hadn’t paid his
bill yet she decided not to do it. The day ended with Rob
catching his limit and Angie and I getting skunked. Rob
thought that Trout fishing was so easy that later in the week
he went fishing by himself and once again was successful.
I guess the old adage is true, do as I say and not as I do and
you will be successful.
aka Gar y
Sawyer took Dad & Mom,
hunting for
& Beth Johnson fishing &
some surf & turf.
Abbie & Tia decided to let
the old guy photo bomb
them. Jeremy proved to
be a great guide!
Steve & Carol Schramm and
their family represented the
biggest family of the year
at
Gold Arrow. A lot of fishing
knowledge in this picture.
Walleye season opens every year on the third Saturday of
May. The earliest the season can open is May 15th which
happened this year. One of the worries with the season
opening up on the 15th is the potential for colder weather.
However having said that, the weather for opening week
during each of the past five years has been absolutely
beautiful with bright blue skies and temperatures in the low
60’s. We have always been able to go to the sport shows and
talk about how pleasant opening week is. Well this year put
a change to that sales pitch! Opening day was very nice and
part of the second day too. But then Sunday rolled around
and with it brought cold rain and upper forty degree temps.
All day long we watched the thermometer fall until early
evening the rain turned to sleet. As darkness fell it was
snowing and windy. Temps dipped all the way to the lower
twenty’s and when we woke up the next morning it looked
like a winter wonderland. They say if you get a snow that
late in the year
it is going to
be a heavy wet
one and melts
real quick. Not
this one it was
crusty, hard, and
lasted a day and
a half. The storm
also took down
several trees on
Aerobus, April Road, and Deer Lake Road. Rob Hamm
& I headed out right away and spent the better part of the
day cutting trees off of the road. Thanks so much Rob for
your help. While we were out cutting trees, Angie helped
get everyone’s water pipes unfroze. A special thanks to
everyone in camp that week who took the two days of bad
weather in stride. Some people would find every reason to
complain, not a single one of you did! Next year the season
opener falls all the way back to May 21st so a repeat of this
will most likely not occur.
Changes at Playboy so
Changes at Gold Arrow
By now most of you, meaning men, have heard that
beginning next spring the once popular Playboy magazine
will no longer carry photos of nude women in them. Now
you may be asking yourself what in the world does this
have to do with Gold Arrow Camp? In keeping with the
new standards set forth by Playboy please note that we will
not be publishing any nude centerfold photos this year.
Instead, we chose to
take the higher moral
ground. Convincing
our models to be
fully dressed has
not been much of
a problem as you
can see from all the
fully clothed people
in this newspaper.
However
there
is
always
one
exception to the rule
that, no matter how much you preach, is going to want to
break the rule. Mark Creighton used to be an every year
guest at Gold Arrow but then his modeling career took off
and now he just manages to pop in now and then when
his schedule permits. When not modeling, walking the
runway in Paris, or posing for Playgirl you can find Mark
busy fishing for smallmouth bass on Ord and walleye
on Schultz Lake. After stressing to Mark about our new
stringent policy he reluctantly agreed to give us a photo
with clothes on, thank goodness!
If you follow the pictures that Angie posted on Facebook during bear season this fall
you probably noticed that many of the bears that were harvested were really nice
ones! I should rephrase that, all the bears were nice ones but many were bigger than
average. Four went over 300 pounds with the largest being taken by Art Benotti with
a bow was pushing 500 pounds. What was great about the bear that Art harvested
was the fact that it only went about twenty yards after the shot. This quick humane
kill is what we like to see. Not only did Art make a great shot but so did the majority
of the other hunters… thank you! I would like to say that everyone who hunted the
entire week got a bear but unfortunately that wouldn’t be true. What I can say is that
out of the twenty-one hunters that hunted the full six days, only two hunters didn’t
see a bear. Our first week of the season started out with a bang with the hunters
going five for five. One of the highlights from the first week was Alyssa Monen
taking a large 300# boar as the first animal she ever harvested. Most people start out
hunting squirrels or rabbits, not Alyssa she started out on a bear. The second week
was also very good with one of the highlights being Scott Stroup putting in a little
extra effort to be successful by hiking in nearly a mile to hunt a large bear and he
was rewarded. Normally only hunters on four wheelers will be that far in but Scott
wanted to hike in so give him credit. The third week was flat out miserable with a
heat wave rolling in and temperatures near ninety degrees. This slowed down the
action with Pete Rynders & Brian Whipple not seeing a bear even though they did
everything right. For some reason having a black fur coat and six inches of stored
fat just doesn’t mesh well with ninety degrees. Needless to say, that week the bears
moved a lot after dark. We were very pleased with the number of nice bears seen on
trail cameras after the season came to an end which ensures that 2016 is going to be
another great year.
Givers & Takers…Part 3
If you take time to read this newspaper every year, by now
you probably know what this article is going to be about.
It basically highlights how much you all contribute to the
roadwork in our area and how much some other camps
in the area get a free ride. My Dad always said there are
people who work hard and get the job done and then there
are people who will hang on your coattails taking pride
in how little they can actually contribute. We prefer to
be a contributor instead of a user for two reasons. First,
that is who we are and second, you all are deserving of
our re-investment in the area. However having said that
and before we get into all the road projects that your hard
earned money was used to fund this year, I would be remiss
if I didn’t give a shout out to a couple of other great camps
that do chip in financially to help fund the road work. I
know, I know who in their right mind gives a competing
camp owner a plug in our newspaper? The answer is we
do because we consider those who chip in not only good
camp owners who care about their guests but also our
friends. First off a shout out to Northern Lights Resort
for helping fund the large dump truck load of cobblestone
that we spread in those deep water holes along the last half
mile to the Ord landing. Also a shout goes out to Linda
& John Henry for always helping organize a fund raiser to
help support the Ord Road improvements. This year the
Ord road project turned out to be a two day affair. The first
day Angie drove the tractor with me in the bucket with the
chainsaw cutting all those low hanging limbs so that the
dump truck could back up to where we needed the load
dumped. You really need to trust your spouse when you
are up twelve feet in the air in a tractor bucket running a
chainsaw. She never once tipped the bucket with me in
it! The second day was spent on the tractor filling in the
holes with forty tons of fill. Overall it was a successful
improvement. Another shout out goes to Pickerel Creek
Camp for helping support the grading of Fleet Road North
as well as the maintenance of several landings. It was the
first time since 2010 that Fleet North had been graded with
an actual grader, the road is now not only smoother but
wider as well. We also spread another 40 ton of cobblestone
on the way to Gerrard Lake to make that trip a little better.
And finally, as usual, we trimmed out several miles of four
wheeler trails. Overall we made a positive difference to the
area.
2015 Accomplishments
You can always tell if
we worked during the
year by comparing what
we promised we were
going to do to what we
actually did. For 2015 we
promised a remodeled
bathroom in cabin 4, a
new roof on cabin 6, new
windows in cabin 5, all
new kitchen chairs, and
grade the roads. Not only
was every one of those
projects
accomplished
but so was putting new
metal roofs on the fish
cleaning house and two
out buildings. We also
put a new window in
cabin 10 for better cross
ventilation. A different
boat was hauled into
Square Lake, and two
brand new Lund boats
were added to our fleet
at Jackfish. Out in the
bush we brushed out all
of Fleet Road South, dug some ditches, brushed several
sections of Fleet North, trimmed out miles and miles of 4
wheeler trails and graded Fleet North & Smart Lake Road
for the first time in five years.
For
2016
another
bathroom is going to
be totally renovated,
which one is a secret.
We also will be putting
new kitchen windows in
cabins 1 & 9, and some
slider windows in some
of the screened in porches that
the rain tends to blow in. A new
metal roof on cabin ten is a very
likely possibility too, this will be
the last cabin to get a metal roof.
New kitchen shelves in cabin one
will be added as well and a new
vinyl floor in cabin 4’s kitchen.
And if everything falls into place
with getting our grader serviced
we would like to grade the road
all the way to Gerrard!
Fill ‘er Up......
Ninety-nine point nine percent of our guests realize that if they need a shot of gas they simply head north up the road about
five minutes to Dutchies General Store. The next closest gas station is either north in Ear Falls or south in Vermilion Bay
which are both thirty five minutes away. And then even further, about an hour away, is Dryden. For those heading over to
Ord Lake you know that it is going to take about an hour to get there, two hours round trip, so you better not be low on gas
when going. Enter Nick Purdy and his gang of adventurers who hooked up to one of our travel boats and headed over to
Ord Lake for a full day of fishing…on less than a quarter tank of gas. As they got closer to the lake Nick started to worry
about the gas situation but decided fishing was their first priority. After a full day of great fishing and as night began to fall,
they decided it was time to head back to camp. Forty minutes later they reached the highway and noticed the gas gauge was
really low. At that moment, for some unknown reason, Nick pushed all his past memories out of his head and turned left at
the Highway and headed into Vermilion Bay instead of north toward Dutchies. So low on gas, getting dark, and pulling one
of our trailer boats that don’t have any lights, Nick headed into Vermilion Bay. Upon arrival in Vermilion Bay, now after 9:00
pm, he was very concerned to discover the gas station was closed. With no other option available they headed into Dryden
still another 35 miles away. Pulling into Dryden around 10:00 p.m. they thankfully found the trusted 7-11 was open and
they were able to top off. Heading back to camp some 65 miles away (130 miles round trip mind you) and over two hours
out of their way it finally dawned on Nick that he could have just went to Dutchies. On the bright side no moose were hit
nor were any tickets issued for pulling a boat trailer that doesn’t have any lights.
Dave & Deb King alo
ng
with Peggy & Tim Sim
mons
are commonly know
n as the
perch slayers! Look
at that
table full of them.
back
& Luann Suchan
Great to have Jim with their family.
ar
ye
in camp this
Candek,
rge Krug,Tim
Front row Geo in the back the tall
d
John Focht, an ek always put the
guy Chris Cand e to good use.
cleaning tabl
Six years ago when we bought the camp
this picture had a bunch of good lookin
g
kids in it. Times have changed the Mair
s
boys are all grown up now.
A cigar, a fire, and a bunch of good
friends, can’t do any better than that.
,
Remember Sydney, Camdyn
Bryce, & Marissa I like my
n.
marshmallow golden brow
off his
Mike, on the right, showing
you ever
rather large cigar, haven’t
tter. Sorry
heard Mike size don’t ma
ll.
sma
lly
rea
is
rs
Rob you
Brandon Vaugha
n displaying
another one of
his many nice
fish. Brother Co
ry co
too if he didn’t ha uld do this
ve to drive
the boat all the
time.