March desktop

Karen’s March desktop is online.  You will find the different resolutions here.

Enjoy.

Engine off

The Beaver is known for its blunt nose.  Without its engine it is even more blunt (if that is a proper term).  We had the engine removed to fix a bearing problem and it will soon be returned to the aircraft and will be ready to go as good as new this spring. 

A Beer?

Only in Wisconsin.  I don’t know what goes on in the woods there but I saw this animal wandering around at the sport show in Wausau. 

I guess it can be called a “beer”.  I’m thinking that after too many beers this might be a common sight.

New Shoes

Every once in a while everybody likes a new set of shoes.  I am sure that even an airplane feels a little better about itself with new shoes.

 

Monday, while on the way back from the sport show in Wausau I veered by Minneapolis and picked up some “new shoes” for our Cessna.  Actually they are not brand new but they will certainly be an improvement over the old ones.   This was not an impulse purchase.  The Cessna floats needed some work on the bottoms (years of flying off and onto northern lakes can take its toll) and we felt this was a good way to upgrade the Cessna shoes.  We will see if they are “run faster, jump higher” types like the old 60’s TV commercials.

We seem to never stop trying to improve our business.  Updating cabins, boats, motors, and aircraft is one of the behind the scenes things that many only see the results of.  To us it is an investment in our effort to be leaders of the pack.

Wausau Central Wisconsin Sport Show

This weekend Brad is in Wausau at the Central Wisconsin Sport Show.

If you live in the area, stop by and say hi.

So far there has been considerable interest in our fly in fishing and our fly in hunting trips.

Look for the airplane in Packer colors!

Know where you are

Our fly in camps are in 4 different fisheries zones.  Ontario regulates fisheries by zone.  Do you know where you are fishing?

NW Ontario fisheries zone map.

Ignace Outposts operates in Zones 2,4,5,and 6. 

here are the fisheries regs for those zones.

Zone 2  - Flindt Lake

Zone 4  - Seseganaga Lake, Hilltop Lake, Tri Lake

Zone 5 – Irene Lake, Gamble Lake

Zone 6 – Kawaweogama Lake, Metionga Lake 

Zone 5 is the one that is dramatically different in daily and possession limits.  This zone encompasses the the boundary water area where non-residents have different limits than residents. 

Remember; ignorance may be bliss, but it is no excuse.

Fish Identification

I know that many of our guests start planning their fishing trip with us early.  In fact I think some don’t stop planning from year to year.  The next year is planned before the current year is complete.  I like that way of thinking. 

Here is a link to a fish identification document.  It is time to start studying the differences between some of the fish we have available in Ontario.  Most of our lakes feature walleye and northern.  But do you know the difference between a walleye and a sauger?  Can you identify a whitefish from a cisco if you catch one on Seseganaga Lake or Irene Lake?  How about a burbot?  They are edible and they are in our lakes. 

We have no test on fish identification, however we do expect that our fishermen can identify their catch if for no other reason than to brag about the biggest.  Boasting of a 48 inch walleye just doesn’t cut it around here.  Neither do tales of having to get the guys together to vote on whether the catch is a trout or a northern.

Guest Handbook

Karen and I have been fly in outfitters for almost 30 years.  Over those years we’ve helped tens of 1,000 of avid and not so avid outdoorsmen plan and execute memorable fly in vacations.  I must admit we’ve seen almost everything that can or can’t be done in this type of trip.  Someday there will be a book and there are a few that may have a whole chapter just to themselves. 

We do use our experience to try to make the planning of an Ignace Outposts adventure be a pleasant and successful venture.  One thing we constantly update and work on is our trip planning guide.  Having been asked and subsequently answering many of the same questions year after year, we’ve consolidated a Guest Handbook and placed it on our website.  Today I uploaded the latest version of this handbook. 

Click the hypertext above and check it out.  There may be something of value there for planning your trip.  It has become an honour to us to see that many of our competitors have emulated and some downright copied our handbook.