Fall Gathering of the Loons

I kept forgetting to post this picture, so the timing is a little off, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. Each fall it is a must for me to get out in a boat and see the loons as they are gathering before leaving for the winter. It is really quite a site. The water looks black with them from a distance, and as you come closer, they are not all that alarmed - just gracefully swim away. To sit quietly in the boat amongst these beautiful birds is really something. Groups of loons in the fall can number in the hundreds. Then one day you wake up, and they are gone - no more loons calling in the evening until next spring. This generally happens mid September - totally depends on the weather - sometimes earlier. Wish my photography was better, but this may give you an idea.

Minto stops by the Lodge

Just hosted my nephew Kalvin Olafson and his band for a night stay and dinner as they make their Cross Canada tour. The Band, Minto, just left Winnipeg Manitoba, and are playing in Thunder Bay tomorrow. You can see/hear them on MySpace. If you like them, pass the word! We wish them luck on their tour, and success with their new album.

Moose Article News Paper

It's snowing and cold and winter is coming. The temperature 3 weeks ago when Greg took this moose was 80 and now the day time highs are 35 and 20 at night. Just thought that some of you would like to read the first story. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910110693
Stay warm!! BOB

Fall is definitely here

After an incredibly warm September at Perrault Falls(the warmest month in 12 months!), we are now into below normal temps for early October. Bob has most of the water lines drained and motors put away, and so much more to ready for the cold nights ahead. Just a few cottages are left open for the last guests arriving this week. I've been working on fall close-up cleaning in the cottages, and inventory and packing at the store. Seems like we just finished opening up such a short time ago!

The opening day for rifle moose hunting in our area is on Saturday for residents, and on Monday for non-residents. Our little highway is busy with trucks, trailers and atvs arriving for hunts in the area.

Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, so Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Twittering at the Lodge

Checking out the world of Twitter, and wish we had looked into in this summer. We'll have fun giving updates through the season next year on the great people, fishing and hunting. In the meantime, if you'd like to follow our "tweets" look us up on Twitter (twitter name - fishinontario)

New pictures up on Hunting Album

Just finished uploading a few new pictures on the hunting photo album. Congratulations to Rick Mather from Mukwonago, WI on his 520 lb. black bear (rifle), and to Greg Wierzba from Green Bay, WI on his Pope & Young 64" moose. These two hunters got the big guys for the year for sure!

Archery Moose Update!!!!

Well: As I promised I am posting a quick update to our archery moose hunt. Last week our hunters were hunting in 80+ degree temps, which was extremely hot for this time of year. I don't own a pair of camo shorts but I wish I did. The minute they left to go home last Sat. the weather turned around with a hard frost and seasonal temps. in the 50's. Go figure!! We called quite a few moose in but the weather was not helping the Rut much. On Tuesday Greg Wierzba from Green Bay, and I, called in a nice moose and after holding full draw for more than 3 minutes (which seemed like an hour) the moose gave him a shot at 23 yards. I have hunted with Greg before and I was sure that the shot would either be perfect or he would not take it. He did not disappoint me, and as you can see the animal turned out to be a Pope and Young trophy!! He is having the head "green scored" just to get an idea how it will rank in the stats, and has to let it dry for the 60 days as prescribed in the P&Y rules for the final measurement. The rack measured 64 inches, and as you can see has great structure. I will keep you posted on it's P&Y ranking.

The hunters this week have seen two 50+ beauties but were unable (so far) to get a clear shot. Keep an eye on the photo section of our web site as we will be posting more fishing, bear, moose pictures in the next week or so.

Gale and I will be finalizing our fall-winter advertising schedule in the next month and will be sending out our new price list etc. soon there after. We are going to be using the Internet and our web page a lot more so make it one of your favorites and visit it often. We will be introducing a new twist to the web page, that I will be talking to you about in the future, so have a look at it to keep up to date with what's going on @ http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ .

Not to forget about the fishing, but the walleye and northern fishing was great last week, while we were putting on suntan lotion. We also went after grouse and had limited success as the ground cover leaves are still on and we need a couple of frosts to remove them.

Anyways, I said this would be a short blog but as usual these two fingers keep going when they get warmed up. Thank God for speilchezk!!! Hope all is well and will talk to you soon. BOB

Fall Report!! "So Far"!!

Well: We are catching our breath after a busy bear hunting season. George and I have been baiting since late July, trying to give all our hunting guests the best possible chance at a black bear. Most people don't realize how much work goes into the pre-baiting part of the hunt as all they see is the bait when they get there. This year for instance we went through more than 4000 Lbs. of bait and lots of gas, nails, lumber, sweat etc. The summer was a cool one as we all know, and the blueberry crop (that the bears depend on) was roughly 2-3 weeks late so it put the peak of the season for them right in the middle of our hunt. This makes the hunt a bit tougher but we tried as hard as we could to keep the baits active. We had a great mix of hunters from all over the States with many of them taking home a nice animal.

On Thusday, last week, Rick Mather from Mukwonago took this nice 500+ pounder. The animal weighed 475 dressed out with 30-40 lbs. left in the bush. No need to embelish the size just have a look.

I sure want to thank all my hunters this year and look forward to seeing you again in the future for another hunt or even a fishing trip.


The fishing has been a bit funny lately with respect to the locations they are being caught at this time of year. We are finding that the walleyes will be active one day in 25-30 feet and the next day someone will come in and say they were biting well in 10ft. Go figure! The musky are really becoming agressive and many 45+ inch fish have been caught and released. (waiting for pictures from the fishermen!!). Bass and perch have also been quite easily caught in large numbers.


We are presently waiting for the fall grouse hunt that starts tomorrow. This is a great time of year as the leaves are changing and the colours are beautiful. You can combine great fishing with leasurely walks in the bush for birds and small game. Totally relaxing!


Today the temperature is going to be close to 80F. and I may even turn on the air conditioning as it hasn't run much this year. We are having nicer temps. etc. now, than we had for most of the summer.


"Enough Complaining" about the weather and the economy etc. and lets look forward to the winter and the ALL new season next year. I am going to try and look at the positive side of the future, as I tend to be a bit of a pessimist looking forward but what do I know? We are going to announce our fall-spring promotional travel schedule soon and also finalize our printed and internet advertizing. We will continue to try and keep Rainbow Point Lodge at the top of your list of vacation plans and hope that you will continue to return year after year. Make sure you look at our web page regularily @ http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ for the current packages and rates and be sure to read the customer testimonials and also look at our photo page as it changes quite often. If you have pictures that you would like to send us from this year or years past e-mail or send them to us and we will post them on the web.


We are going to be running our Fall Archery Moose hunt next week and I will do another blog after that to bring you up to date.

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

Summer News!!!!

Well it has been a while but this is he first time I have had a few minutes to write a quick note. The fishing the last month has been nothing short of great. It seems the weeks start out slow but as soon as everyone figures out the pattern and the depth's etc. then the week ends with many smiles! The past two weeks we had the late mayfly hatch (due to the cold weather and slow water warm up) and the fishing has been very good for walleyes and bass in the shallow water. The fish are feeding on the larvae, and an gentle approach with a small minnow, leach or a night crawler has been producing well. The hatch is over and the fish are moving to deeper water for their food. The larger northern fishing is in the cabbage weed in many of the deeper bays and smaller ones can be found in any weedy area of the lake.
We have been bear baiting for quite a while and have been out in the bush with the flies and mosquitoes rebuilding old stands and establishing new one's. The activity seems right on par and we hope for a good group of hunters. The blueberry crop is a few weeks behind, also due to the cold weather, but it looks like a decent one. If you want to make a last minute trip for fishing and berries the week after next would be the start of the picking in my estimation.
We have been seeing a fantastic number of grouse this year as we are bear baiting, so this fall we expect a good hunt with excellent success. the past few years the weather in the spring has taken it's toll on the birds but this year it seems to be to their liking.
Please take a look at the picture page on our web site @ www.rainbowpoint.com for some of the recently updated photo's. Gale has been putting up as many as she can get time for and will be adding more in the next few weeks so keep sending them to us after you get home.
This is the time in the Blog where I put my personal feelings out and sometimes put my foot in my mouth and other times get good feedback from some things that just need to be said. My rant is very positive this time and it is regarding tipping! We all know that when we go out for the 1 hour meal we leave a tip for the waiter for the three or four trips to the table and we think nothing of it. In the Lodge business we deal with the same people for 16 hours a day, seven days a week, in all types of weather doing everything from manning the bait house to cutting grass, picking up garbage, maintaining the cleanliness of all buildings and grounds and being at your call all day long plus many other things that you don't see behind the scenes. We used to find that most people either never left a tip or left a tip,based on the way the fish were biting! Now we see that most of our guests realize that our guest to staff ratio is extremely good and that the overall experience and comfort while you spend a week or more with us appreciated. We personally get many letters and verbal Thanks just saying how nice and clean everything was without bringing up the fishing or weather( which are the normal conversation topics) Our staff gets paid a fair wage, but we all love to get a tip, and in doing so it tells them that they are doing a great job! To summarize the last few lines I just want you all to know that your tips when you leave are GREATLY APPRECIATED BY ALL THE STAFF and even though you don't hear it from them directly most of the time they are touched by your generosity. Now that I have gotten that off my chest I am ready for the the next trip to the dock!
I closing Gale and I want to give our sincere condolences to the families of the three gentlemen that lost there lives in a freak tornado a few weeks ago not to far from our Lodge.
I will go now as this probably gives you a lot to talk about and We hope that you all have a great remainder to the summer and look forward to hosting you soon. BOB

WOW The season so far!!!!!!!!!

We got off to a very cold start (weather wise), but the fishing has been nothing short of exceptional. I know this sounds like a sales pitch but after owning this place for 26 years I can honestly say the fishing keeps getting better and the blend of size from the, small to the trophy, tells me that the spawns are good and there are more great years to look forward to. Since my last post regarding personal issues, I have received many letters addressing that, and really do appreciate the thoughts.
We have not had the warmest spring to say the least but the last two weeks of fantastic weather have started to make up for it. Gale is going to busy with the photo album update as we have tons of great pictures to post from the past few weeks so keep you eye's open for that. For those of you that said you will send the pictures when you get home--- we have received some of them but not all!
For those of you that remember our dog Kasey, we had to put her down last week as she was suffering from both old age and a terminal illness. (Not been the best year I can remember!) I promise not to depress you any more but she was a part of the Lodge.
I went golfing the other day and I cannot remember the score (must be old age) but it was nice to get out, since the last 9 holes I golfed last year (pretty sad Eh!). I hate to get out to often as I usually creates a crowd (helping me look for balls). Bill you can attest to that!
There are a few of you pilot guest's out there that know I have been looking for another plane but as of yet I have not found the right one, but I will know when I see it (that's the update Mike, so far!) After flying for 35+ years, the last few years without a plane are taking there toll on me as I watch the other guy's fly over. Gale is still talking to me, so it can't be that bad of an idea, or else she hope's I will grow out of it!
I am going to sign out until next time with my usual, but sincere, comment and that is that Gale and I appreciate all your loyal support and friendship and if we haven't seen you yet this year we look forward to hosting you in the month's and years to come. Please visit our web page at www.rainbowpoint.com as we try to keep it current and get your "Rainbow Fix" with some of the pictures on our album page
Take Care and if you keep watching the blog as you never know what will come up next. BOB

End of May update!

I know many of you know situation with my Parents health problems and I thought I would just clear the air and fill you in. My Mother passed away last Mon. and Gale and I and my two daughters are in Winnipeg taking care of the situation. If we are a bit late at answering our e-mails we do apologize but we will be back at the Lodge tomorrow, Sun. and carry on with the very good start we had in the last two weeks with respect to the fishing. My Father is not doing very well and we hope for the best for him. Enough about my problems, but many of you have asked about them and I thought I would just be open about it.
We had a great opening week and the fishing just carried on fantastically this past week with many beauties being caught and released. The weather has not been the most favorable but it looks like we may be in for a bit of a warming trend (not fast but warmer and sunny).
We will be posting all the pictures on our 2009 picture page as soon as we catch up with things after our arrival back at the Lodge. Gale and I look forward seeing you all this summer and can't wait to get back in the routine..
Take Care and see you soon!! Bob

Ice Out May 11th, 2009

Weather conditions were just right yesterday, and the ice cleared off of Perrault Lake by evening. Finally!! Cooler, damp weather moving back in for the next few days, and even a forecast for some of the white stuff Wed night to Thursday. Spring is sure having a hard time warming up this year!

Ice Situation!

Just going out the door but thought I should bring you up to speed on the ice!! It went out in the bay 2 days ago and there is quite a bit on the main lake but won't be a problem by the end of the week. The fishing should be awsome! Look forward to seeing everyone this coming weekend. BOB

Morning Mist on Perrault Lake

Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures we took this morning. There was a thick fog around the lake this morning, and just as it was lifting there a beautiful defined fog line on the lake. While down at the dock taking the pictures, we noticed our loons were back, and were swimming in the bay in front of the fish house.

We have been getting lots of phone calls and e-mails from everyone checking on the ice. Glad to hear that you're all anxious for opener. We sure are! Bob was even out yesterday with a blow torch trying to melt some ice & snow covering one of our frozen waterlines - Now that's what I call helping out mother nature! (should have gotten a picture of that site). Lots of wind yesterday - the bay in front of camp may clear out soon.

Keep that sunshine coming!

May 5th. ice update!!!!!

Well: This morning we are supposed to get a small amount of rain that will help the ice out situation! The temps. have been around the mid to upper 50's the last few days and the ice in the bay in front of the Lodge is looking real black. After watching the spring thaw on Perrault for the better part of thirty years we always notice that it is one of the last lakes to be completely free of ice. The bay out front will probably be clear in the next week or so and the main part will not be to far behind it. Gale will be attaching a couple of pictures to this Blog later today so if there are no images check back in a couple of hours. All of our projects are going according to plan and the new staff is going to start the Learning Curve this week. Will Blog again in a week or so with current conditions and feel free to comment to me on this Blog as we do enjoy the comments. Stay warm and remember- less than two weeks to opener!!!

Quick Ice update!!

It is only three weeks to the opener and the ice is taking a beating from the wind and temperatures. As we all know and have said over and over, IT WAS COLD THIS WINTER and it is taking it's time warming up. The daily temps are just above the freezing mark with the odd really warm day thrown in as a teaser. I was out yesterday with the bobcat knocking down piles of snow and drifts in the shade, not that it helped thaw it out, just that beating up the snow was a therapeutic exercise and made me feel good!! I will post another update in a week or so and give you my prediction on ice out. It looks promising as of now for a clear opener. Take care and we look forward to hosting you this coming summer and seeing all of you, our local neighbours that follow this Blog. BOB

Ice Fishing Done For The Season

As promised, we thought we'd give you a little report on our ice fishing. We had a great time during the latter part of March and early April fishing various spots around the area. Good friends and good fshing are a great combination. It was fun for all.

We had good success on all species this year. The perch and walleye were fat with spawn, and we had fun catching and releasing quite a few. The northern were very active, and we were catching mostly large guys, so that was a blast of course. We had a several exceptional fish in the mix.

Bob caught a 30" walleye, which of course was photographed and sent back down the hole. Gale caught a 35" northern (she has the cuts on her hands to prove it), and also sent him back down the hole. What a blast seeing these monsters come through the ice. Besides that, we kept a few for a couple of very tasty fish suppers! It was fantastic weather, and we all managed to get some sunburned faces.

The ice fishing season ended on the 15th, and now it's watch and wait for the ice to leave. When we were fishing we still had over 3 feet of ice, but since then the sun has taken the snow down a lot, and is able to get right at the ice. Like all of you, we can't wait for spring! Speaking of which, have you got your spring/summer fishing plans made yet? If not, give us a shout. We have some openings for early season for last minute trips (maybe the Memorial Day Weekend is a good time for you?), and have a few great cottage vacancies during our prime mid summer period. You can still get a fantastic vacation here at Rainbow Point Lodge without breaking the bank! Check out the website rates today!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Owls & Eagles at Perrault Falls

Just touching base quickly with everyone on a beautiful sunny day at Rainbow Point Lodge in NW Ontario. Temps today are about 3 deg. C (38 F).

Thought I’d share a picture of this northern hawk owl that made an unexpected stop at our living room window the other day. While he was probably a little starry for awhile, he seemed no worse for the bump, and flew off in just a few minutes. Besides the owl, we are enjoying hearing our local eagle pair chattering away up behind our house. All of the area bald eagles seem to have returned over the last couple of weeks. On a tour around the lake the other day on snowmachine, we sited 4 different pairs for sure – busy getting settling into their nests, and waiting for some good fishing at the river, creeks and falls, just like us land dwellers. We know there are several other nests down the river and the tributary lakes, but we won’t be going down the river unless it’s in a boat!

Thing spring everyone! It’s on it’s way.

Have a great day!
Gale

Will" SOMEONE" tell the weatherman it's SPRING!!!!

Well: Gale and I just got back from a once a year vacation and the weather was great when we arrived home. The weatherman must have known we were back and decided we had missed some of the Feb. weather! I just got back in the house from shoveling 10 inches of snow off the deck and driveway. It rained a couple of inches before it got cold or that moisture could have been a LOT more snow. The temps. are around -6C (20F.) so not real bad but it ain't melting!

We are going to get a head start on a couple of building projects in a week or two and you should be pleasantly surprised with the results!! The summer looks like it is going to be well represented from all over the U.S. and Canada. The global recession has taken it's toll but, there are those that are coming to Canada for the first time and have done the math and have figured out that the Country next door offers many new, exiting, and reasonably priced vacation possibilities.

If you are reading this blog for the first time or would like a quick link to our web site it is http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ so feel free to have a look, or sign up to our online specials section, for one of a kind specials that come along.

I was going to give you an update on my ice fishing adventures but I have not had any time to do much with a few parental health issues we have been dealing with the last while. I do plan to go out and fish a few day's in the next few weeks before the ice fishing season closes and hope to post a few pictures from our adventures.
I will say bye for now but will keep you posted on the melting and ice condition's as they become more apparent. Take care and Merry Christmas (That's a snow joke--Bill!) EH!!

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

Sportshow's Wind Down!!!!

Well: Gale and I have just made it home after a 28 day grind to 6 different sport shows from St. Louis - Green Bay and in between. We are home for two days to catch up on the mail, snow shoveling, laundry, etc. etc. and will be going to Des Moines for our last show this weekend. It was sure nice to see all our friends in the various cities and to see what the various places do when they think they are cold!! As we left home the temp. dropped to -43 and stayed there in that area for a week, as we were told many times, by our friends that looked after our house.

We found the response at the shows was favorable but the economy is sure scaring a lot of people. I have had many chats with ALL types of people regarding the economy, as we all do, and firmly believe that the news media has given us all the impression of total financial loss and hardship that we are not going to move or do anything that may require some financial output. To be a little more specific, when it comes to a vacation we are just not going to go or we are just going to wait and see! If you look outside you will see that the sky has not fallen and that spring is coming, and that you can still pay your bills, and to the main point that you can still afford to vacation with us at http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ . HOW"S THAT FOR A RANT AND SEGWAY!!!!

In all seriousness there are some great vacation deals out there and a trip to Canada is one of them. If you are thinking about it but just need the extra little push, grab a cup of coffee and look at our photo gallery, and just put yourself in the pictures that you see and that may be all you need to have the summer trip taken care of.

I am posting this Blog after we got back from Des Moines as I forgot to do so just after I wrote it. I will work on another one today. It was pointed out by a good customer of ours, Norm Stine, that some people actually read this stuff so if you all could send a little comment after you read one of the blogs it would help me to write a few more knowing that they are actually being read. Till net time. BOB

Plan your Summer Vacation Now

Bob & I are in the midst of our sport show travels, currently in Madison for a 3 day show and then off to Green Bay and Des Moines. We thought maybe we would have a break from the cold weather up at Perrault Falls, but even down here it has been much cooler than usual, so we haven't been able to put aside those winter coats. Show attendance has been very good for the most part so far & the interest and response from people that have come to see us has been great. If you are considering a trip this summer, don't delay. Contact us today to ensure a spot is available for your week.

The website has been updated recently with additions to the FAQ's, fishing licence information, and more, so if you haven't visited the site lately, stop by and see what's new.

Hope to talk to you soon!

Gale

On our way South!!!!

Happy New Year All!!
Gale and I are on our way to Chicago on Wed. for the first of our Sport shows. We sure hope the weather is going to be a bit warmer than it is up here this winter! We have a couple of feet of snow and 16 inches of pure blue ice as of our ice fishing trip yesterday. We are trying to get as much fishing in as we can because we will be on the road for the better part of a month living out of hotels and restaurants. If you would like to see our Sport show schedule please go to our front page @ www.rainbowpoint.com . If you can come in and see us we sure would love it. With all the turmoil in the world these days we have tried to keep our rates trimmed to the best of our abilities. We are all in this together but I for one am not going to let the economy ruin my vacation time.
If last years fishing was an indication of what is to come in the future we are in for nothing but better numbers and quality of all species.
I thought I had enough firewood for the year, plus some, but it has been sooo cold that I may have enough for a week after we get back from shows. Guess what I'll be doing for a few days in Feb.
We have a couple of stories in the Jan. and Feb. Midwest Outdoors Newspaper that were written about our Lodge and lake. We are getting good responses to the articles and look forward to the extra exposure that they bring to the area.
I must go and pack for the trip but just wanted to remind you of our travels and hope that you will look us up at the shows and make another Rainbow Reservation for the summer of 09!

Take Care BOB&GALE

Do I Need a Passport to Travel to Canada?

With everyone busy making their plans for fishing and hunting trips next summer, the question of "Do I Need a Passport" comes up quite often. There have been a lot of changes in the last few years regarding border crossing requirements between the U.S. and Canada. Air travellers have required passports for some time, but The US Dept. of Homeland Security regulations affecting land border crossing will require everyone to have a passport to re-enter the United States starting June 1st of 2009.



Passports have long been the best form of identification for crossing the border. We encourage everyone to get their passport applications in early to avoid any last minute hold-ups on your trips. Youth under the age of 16 are exempt from the passport requirement, but again, we do encourage everyone to get the passports regardless, both for safety and for ease of travel.



There is a less expensive PASS (People Access Security Service) available in the US as well, which will suffice for land crossing from Canada, but not for other travel you may need to do in the future.



We have some excellent links on our website to provide you with full information on passports, and travel information in general. Visit our FAQ page to get started.



Don't forget to contact us for your reservations before the New Year to avoid disappointment. We start our sport shows start early in January, and many weeks will be booked up by then.



For our guests and friends..... Watch for our annual letter and information in your mailbox next week.



p.s. We can hear the lake making ice like crazy the last few days. Always neat to hear though - like thunder. Brrrr .. it's cold outside.

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!

SINK or FISH & HUNT!!!!!!

Here is my "Rant" for the month!
As outdoor folks we are all in the same boat, or so to speak!! We seem to be bombarded on a daily basis with bad news about our troubled economy and possible world recession. There are still plenty of places in the world where your hard earned vacation dollar can go a long way. Why not take that well deserved break and treat yourself to to our N.W. Ontario treasure, that being, Rainbow Point Lodge! Everyone we talk to these days keeps telling us about all the bad things that are going on in their part of the world, (as if we are not affected up here in Canada!!) All I want to say to that is, try and spend a little time finding the good things in life, as it goes by way to fast to waste it moaning about the negative! ( Now I'm Done)
Our season is fast coming to a halt and with the threat of light snow flurries tomorrow, I guess we will have to face the inevitable Winter. I am really looking foreword to doing a little ice fishing later on and will be going out moose hunting in a few weeks after there is some snow on the ground.
The fishing was above average this summer as we look back at the overall success. Take a look at the picture page on our website@ http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ to get a feel for the different species and sizes of fish that Perrault Lake has to offer.
Our fall hunts for Bear and the Archery Moose hunt have just been completed, and as success is not always measured in taking meat home, we had a some nice animals taken. Our blueberry crop was one of the best in years and this made the baiting challenging and, with respect to the hunter, the control of your own personal scent and movement even more critical. We had a very diverse group of hunters this year with some of the hunters learning for the first time what Bear hunting is all about (nothing like deer hunting!!!!) and many return hunters that know that bear hunting is not always having success with sightings of animal or seeing the size they are looking for. All in all it will go down as one of the more interesting ones I've seen in 30 years with referring to the many different types of personalities we met. Thank-you to you all!
We are going to a few sport shows this fall and will be letting you know which one's in our annual fall letter. I hope that you can come and see us next year up at the Lodge or at least drop into one of the shows and say Hi
Keep checking in our Blog as I now have a little more time to write my monthly Rant! Whether you agree with it or not, it is not meant to offend just meant to let you know what I am thinking at the time and to let you know that we are constantly working on trying to make Rainbow Point Lodge a part of your yearly must do things.
Until next time thanks for the feedback but if you want the comments posted you have to let us know who you are to be published!
Stay warm. BOB

Peak Summer Fishing!!!! ( O.K.Bill I'm Writing!!!)

The weather is finally acting like summer! The fishfly hatch is over! The fish are acting like they haven't eaten for a month and lots of nice catches of walleye, northern, perch and bass are coming in quite regularly.

Over the last two weeks our guests have had much to smile about! The walleyes can be found in various depths depending on the prevailing wind and time of day. Our home bay is fishing as well as many down the lake. The eyes are active along the weed line at 14-16 feet and if you try mid to high 20's you will be rewarded with some beauties. First and second bay are regular spots but Bob's island and the Sand bar are fast becoming favorites. Yesterday we had a 27" and a 27.5" walleye and a 39" northern. The bass in the 14-18" range are very aggressive and are a nice change from one species action. The use of leeches and crawlers are the bait of choice lately but the big walleyes were caught on minnows "go figure!"


Shown here is Rick Niewald from Missouri with his 38" northern pike caught on July 21st.
The northerns are always in the summer weeds but the larger ones are in the cabbage in 15+ feet of water. A few of the monsters have been caught suspended just off the reefs. The use of large spoons and jerk baits are causing quite a commotion. Guests going for musky are not disappointed, with plenty of action on that front.

The perch are finally being boated in the weeds, that were slow to show their face, because of the high water levels and cold weather this summer. The standard bait of choice is the small chunk of a crawler and jig head.

Last week Gale and I did our yearly golf outing with our good friends Bill and Marge from McHenry Ill. We go to Ear Falls golf course and have lunch and then do 9 holes with carts and that usually takes the rest of the day??? If you are a golf Pro and interested in fishing there are three of the four of us willing to work out a DEAL!!!! We also went fishing for a day with Bill Marge and their son Mike"Little Stick" Bock! and cooked a shore lunch the old fashioned way and it was lots of fun!!

Our bear baiting for the fall season is well under way and we are hoping for as plentiful season.
George and I hope that you will recognize us the next time you see us as the bug bites should be gone by next season HAHA. With the standing water and the 80+ degree temps. the baiting has been pretty bad for bugs. The blueberries are hit and miss so far in our areas. We are finding that the ones up in the open and are able to catch any of the sun are probably a week or so from being ready to pick, but the ones with some cover and are not getting a lot of sun are suffering so far and will be a bit longer.

As I am running out of things to talk about I will just throw in our plug for any of you that are in need of a last minute trip to give us a call. If you need a bit of help making your decision take a look at our photo gallery @ http://www.rainbowpoint.com/.

Thanks to all of you that take time to read this stuff, and I only hope it helps bring back memories of your trip, and helps you look forward to the next time we have the pleasure of seeing you. Take Care. Bob & Gale

Fishing Pictures are up

Just a quick note for all of you who have been anxiously waiting to see your photos up on our 2008 fishing photo album. I spent the morning uploading some of the photos that many of you have left with me, so feel free to check yourselves out! There is a comment option on each photo, so if you have some good fishing story or details to add, go ahead. We'd love to hear from you! Also, if I've gotten any names or details mixed up, drop me an e-mail and I'll fix it up! Here's one of the shots we received from Courtney, Shawano, Wisconsin. Thanks Courtney!

Thanks to everyone for sharing your pics of your trips to Rainbow Point Lodge with us. Enjoy!

Gale

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

Ice Condition Update May 7th

Sorry to say, we're still iced in here at Perrault Falls. Some lakes around the Kenora area are opened up, but everything from around Vermilion Bay north is still socked in. Cool temperatures have not helped our spring thaw. Things are slowly going though. Still snow in the bush areas, but the open spots are clear. The ice is pulling away from the shoreline around the Lodge. I'm going to stick my neck out and predict that the ice should be out by Wednesday or Thursday next week. Opening day for walleye season is May 17th. Some areas up north of Red Lake will probably not be open for that weekend, but our area should be all opened up by then.

Still some openings for the 1st couple of weeks of season. Should be some FANTASTIC walleye and northern action, so if you're in need of a good fish fix, give us a call toll free today! 1-800-282-9039. Don't forget our weekend special if you don't have a lot of time to spend this year.

Updates in a few days.

Gale

Ice and Weather Updates after Late Spring Storm

During the week of April 19th to 23rd we had pretty nice weather, a good rain, and some real progress towards spring. The ice was starting to pull away slightly from the shore, and there were just a few odd snowbanks, and snow accumulation left in the woods. Then came a freak storm on the 23rd that closed the schools just north of us, and on April 25th, and the biggest snow storm we have had for quite awhile really socked us in. We received a new dump of about 18"+ of snow. EVERY road in NW Ontario was closed from early Saturday morning until Sunday. There was not much anyone could do but keep the fire stocked and keep warm. As of Monday morning, Hwy 502 from Fort Frances to Dryden was still closed up. On the TransCanada Highway 17 on Sunday after the roads were opened, the semi trailers were lined up for miles. Quite the site. This TransCanada highway is the only main trunk highway from East to West, so when a storm like this hits and closes the roads, it has a huge affect on the country. Not like some areas where there are alternate routes to take.


So, back to winter we are, and again looking forward to seeing the grass show itself. Ice-out will definitely be delayed from what it was looking like earlier last week, as the temperatures are well below freezing at night, and only in the mid 40's in the day. Will keep you updated.

Ice Condition Update for Mid April

We still haven't had much in the way of warm weather, but it has been above freezing, and we have still dodged all the big snowstorms! The wind has been a big factor the last few days, and it has cut the snow down considerably. There is no snow left on the lake, and there is about 1.5-2 of ice right now. There's still a fair amount of snow around the bush and the yard, but a good steady rain today, and warming temps over the next few days should help knock that down some more.

Spring is definitely coming!! Walleye season closed on April 14th, and will re-open on May 17th. Northern is open throughout the year.

Will keep you posted on the ice/snow conditions over the next couple of weeks, as we know all of you spring ice-out fishermen are anxious!

Still some openings for the early weeks for your information, so you are not too late! Also have a special running for the 2 long weekends in May if you can just spare a weekend. Visit the website for details!

April Snow Storm Misses Perrault Falls

We are hearing a lot of bad snow stories from around the province and the mid-west U.S., but are happy to say that so far we have "missed the bullet" and the heavy snows that arrived the last couple of days in many places has missed Perrault Falls! Just south-east of us, they really got a dumping on Sunday, and many schools and roads were closed.

Today at Rainbow Point Lodge in Perrault Falls it is a sunny day, with temp warming up to about 42 degrees or so. It is still dipping well into the freezing mark during the night, but the sun is trying it's best to cut our snow levels down. Much the same forecast for the rest of the week.

Hope the rest of you are able to dig yourselves out alright today!

Ice & Snow Conditions, April 1/08

I know many of you starting to get pretty anxious for spring and fishing season, but unfortunately it's still a little bit away right now. This picture was taken yesterday (April 1st) at Cottage #1. There is about 2.5 feet of ice on the lake, and there's still a good 2'+ of snow on the ground. It's not all that unusual for this time of year for this area, but after such a hard, cold winter, we are definitely anxious for it to be over too!

The ice is not the best this year; with all the early snow, there is a lot of slush on the lake, and the ice layers have slushy sections. When the temperatures really start to warm up, it "should" go out fairly quickly. Right now, it's getting to just a few degrees above freezing during the day, but dipping well below overnight. We'll wait and see what the weather does, and we'll keep you posted!

There are still a few vacancies for early fishing weeks at ice-out. We also have a long weekend special going for the Canadian Victoria Day Weekend, and the US Memorial Day Weekend. Check out the website for details! If you can't sneek away for a whole week, a long weekend might just tie you over and help get the fishing itch scratched!

Sights & Sounds of the Falls in February

In between the bitter cold and wind we've had so far in 2008, we finally had a perfect sunny day for a nice long walk. I ended up eventually over near the Falls, which looked and sounded fantastic in the sunshine. The animals were out enjoying the day too, but I wasn't able to get the camera out to catch them. There's a pair of otters living right in front of the Lodge at the top of the Falls, there was a muskrat at the falls, and I was excited, but leary too, seeing a wolf trotting off down the ditch past the lodge.

Thought I'd share this video clip of Perrault Falls in the winter with you. It was beautiful in person, & I hope you enjoy it in video too!

Testimonial at Green Bay Sport Show

We had a great trip down to the sport shows in January, visiting Milwaukee, Madison & Green Bay, in a 10 day sport show circuit. The shows were very well attended, and we got to visit with many of our past and present guests. Thanks to everybody for coming out to see us.

One of our visitors was Larry Wetenkamp, and his son Dave. He was kind enough to let me try out my new video option on our camera, and tells everybody about his trips to Rainbow Point Lodge. Thanks Larry! Look forward to seeing you and your group this August in Cabin 11 as usual.



It's not too late to book your late summer fishing trip. Don't forget our fall special rates start August 2nd. Great deals to end of the season!. Visit the website for details.

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!

New U.S. Passport Card Update

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE WILL START TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEW PASSPORT CARD, BEGINNING FEB. 1st.

While passports are still the best form of identification when traveling in the world, we have received word today on details of the new U.S. Passport Card implementation. For those of you who have not gotten or applied for your passports, this may be a good option. This card will suffice if you are travelling back from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, by LAND CROSSINGS ONLY. If you travel by air, a passport is still a requirement.

Follow this link for complete details.

US Department of State Passport Card Information

A reminder that passports will not be required until 2009 for travel back from Canada if using land crossings.

Hope this info helps! We'll keep you posted if we hear anything more.

Join us on Facebook

For all you savy internet users, and Facebook fans.......
Our daughter Karla was kind enough to help us get a facebook group set up over the holidays, and we'd like to invite you to find us there, and join the Friends of Rainbow Point Lodge group on Facebook. Share your photos and fish tales on our site. It'll be great for our guests this summer to be able to post their pictures and stories about their Canadian fishing trips. See you there! Don't forget to check out the website from time to time too -- we've made some changes over the last little while, and have some great links to help you plan your fishing or hunting trip.

All Canada Sport Shows coming up

Hi everyone.

Just a heads up that we are going to be attending a few of the All Canada Sport Shows starting next weekend. If you're around any of these cities, we'd sure love to see you!

Milwaukee - Jan 18, 19, 20
Madison - Jan 21, 22, 23
Green Bay - Jan 24, 25, 26, 27

We'll have a busy trip, so help us break it up a bit and come down for a visit! Hope we don't run into any terrible weather like happened this past week!

And Remember everybody -- You DON'T NEED A PASSPORT to come into Canada by land crossings this year! Take advantage of this extension, and get your trips arranged while we still have vacancies. Also, remember that you can look after getting US Passport applications started while you are at the All Canada Show, so you're ready for next year! Visit our Links page on the website for great information sites on this & other important topics.

p.s. -- can't wait for fishing season!!!

Gale

Good News on Passport Requirements!

Anyone that flies into Canada has already had to get used to having a passport handy to travel between Canada & the U.S.

Great News though for those of you traveling through land border crossings!

YOU DO NOT NEED A PASSORT TO TRAVEL INTO CANADA by auto.
There is a tentative date of June, 2009 when the US Department of Homeland Security will require passports at land crossings. We will keep you posted as we hear more. We urge all of our U.S. customers to take advantage of the extended time to go ahead and get their passports so when the regulations come into effect, your travel won't be disrupted.

Visit our links page on our website for access to the US Dept of State Passport site, and many other helpful sites to keep you informed.

Fire Destroys Workshop at Rainbow Point Lodge

The year 2007 didn't have a very good ending for us at the Lodge. During the early morning hours of December 31st we were awoken by loud popping and banging sounds, and looked out to see fire and sparks coming from the back of the Lodge workshop. By the time Bob ran down to check it out, the other half of the building was ablaze. Without a winter fire department in this neck of the woods, we could only call some neighbors, armed with shovels and snow. There was not much we could do but watch, as the fire quickly engulfed the building.

This building was a vital part of our lodge. It was Bob's workshop and tool shed, loaded with more spare parts than a small hardware store, and a lifetime of tools, not to mention the million other things he had collected over the years. It was also Gale's storage room, with a treasure trove of spare household items to keep the cottages well stocked, as well as many personal momentoes. It was also Gale's laundry room, and linen storage building. Needless to say, this was a tremendous loss for us.

We are thankful that this wasn't our home and that no one was hurt, and also thankful that this did not happen during the summer. Not only would it have made camp operating extremely difficult, it would have posed a serious threat of fire spreading to other buildings or the surrounding forest. We have a new understanding what people must go through when they lose their homes.

Click on the photo album link below to view larger images of some photos taken of the fire that night, and the remains later:

View Album

Get your own

Many a good time was had visiting guests, and sipping a cold Labatt's Blue under the shade of the willows at the workshop. We'll miss that particular spot, but 2008 will be a new year. We'll have to build a new favorite deck, and start some new memories for Rainbow Point Lodge.

So, if anybody has a line on some good deals for hardware, parts, tools, linens, dishes, you name it, keep us in mind. We'll have lots to stock up on and get ready for, before we open up next spring. Gale will have an excuse to go to some garage sales!

Looking forward to sharing better news next time! Happy New Year everyone.

Happy Holidays from Rainbow Point Lodge

It's been great hearing from so many of you over the last few weeks. Thanks for your holiday wishes, and for scheduling your fishing trips for next summer. We're looking forward to seeing you!

It is a busy time of year for everyone, but don't forget it's also the time of year you need to be thinking about next summer. If you haven't made your reservation for next year, it's a good idea to contact us as soon as possible, as some weeks are at or near capacity. With everyone getting together over the holidays, that's the perfect time to get your plans made.

We're looking forward to celebrating Christmas with all of our family, and are especially looking forward to having both of our two girls, Amanda & Karla, with us. None of us have seen Karla since March, so we are very anxious.

Highway 105 celebrates 60th Anniversary

2007 marked the 60th anniversary of the official opening of the Red Lake Road. Many of our regular guests are familiar with the commemorative rock/plaque located just across from our Lodge entrance at the Perrault Falls park signifying this opening.

I recently came across this photo in the local newspaper, and thought I'd share it with all of you. (Photo originally provided by the Dupont Family) Besides the fantastic cars, it was exciting to see the bridge in the background, which would be the Perrault Falls bridge right before our entrance. You'll notice nothing but forest to the right of the bridge. This area is now the store and entrance way to Rainbow Point Lodge.

We'll give you some more great history in the weeks to come!

Canadian Fishing Vacations at Perrault Lake, Ontario

Bob & I have been experimenting in how we can make our fishing & hunting blogs more interesting for everyone. Here is one of our 1st attempts at a short video show showing some of the fishing and vacation images from the lodge. These are camp images we chose randomly to practice, but I think they show a pretty good representation of the lodge, and the fishing we have here at Perrault Lake in Ontario. Let us know what you think!

Guests at Rainbow Point Lodge

Fishing, Hunting & Vacations at Rainbow Point Lodge

Bob & I are trying to catch up with technology, and are learning how to upload our fishing, hunting & vacation photos a bit better. Check this out!! We're excited to be able to share our lodge photos with you all so much better, and faster. Hope you enjoy this little sample, and we'll be doing some exciting things with our website photo albums in the near future.



Let us know what you think.

Winter at Rainbow Point Lodge

We had a fantastic warm fall, extending well into mid November, but Old Man Winter has definitely arrived now. The last couple of weeks has seen a steady cooling of temperatures, and we have had plenty of snow. There is about 10" on the ground already as of December 1st, and temp is more like what we get in January, at about -10 F. Bob has the wood stove a pumpin!

I took a nice long walk today & it was pretty pleasant all considering, decked out in my hunting boots, snowsuit, scarf & touque (or as you guys call it -stocking cap). The falls looked just amazing with the thick coating of frost on all the branches. I'm not the best picture taker, but this gives you an idea.

Bob & I have not done nearly enough hunting this fall, but are going to have to get at it now. Bob likes to wait until there is a snowcover on the ground, and he definitely has it!

We've been busy getting the Christmas mailing ready and out to everyone, and I'm sure many of you have your copies already. If you didn't receive one by the 5th or so of December, give us a shout, and we'll make sure we get the current info off to you.

We'll be talking to you soon (hopefully with news about our moose!)

Bye for now

Gale

Grouse and the Fall!!

The past few weeks we have had a fair number of grouse hunters in camp. As with other years, the hunting seems to get better after the low lying leaves fall off and we get a frost. With the ever warming seasons that we all seem to be getting, the first hard frost is coming more in the last week of Sept-the first week of Oct. This year we are seeing more birds and it is not very hard to get a limit of 5 in a short walk. You can have a three day possession of 15 total which, combined with a little fishing, makes for great fall get away. You do not need an ATV but it gives you a little extra versatility.
Amanda was home for our Thanksgiving weekend, (Canadian Thanksgiving was October 8th), and for some family fun the 3 of us went grouse hunting. Amanda was the sharpshooter of the day, and we had a great time.
We did already have a little snow, as is depicted in the picture from October 9th, but it obviously did not last. The weather has just touched the freezing mark, for the last few weeks at night, and up to mid 50s-mid 60s during the day.
Gale and I have got the bulk of the shut down work done but it will be another week until we can finally say it's complete.
We are presently working on the fall rate schedule and advertising avenues. Once all these are finalized we will be posting them on our web site http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ for ALL to view.
I was lucky enough to be drawn for a Bull moose tag for our area and will be working on that the next month or so. I usually like to wait until the bush quiets down from the bird hunters and we have a little snow on the ground. I will keep you posted as to any success.
Keep the Blog comments coming as I will write about anything you would like to hear about as it is very hard sometimes to come up with topics that we think you'll be interested in.
Take care and look forward to seeing you all in the near future. BOB and Gale!!

Moose Hunt

Im on a roll.... Two Blogs in one day, and maybe a third, depending on the two finger typing speed. We have completed the Archery moose hunt and had a few resident gun moose hunters through the lodge. The archery moose hunt went well with a small bull being taken in each of the two weeks this year. We had other moose called in with no clean shot, and a great video taken by one of our hunters that showed a 50+ inch bull with a cow and calf that would just not come close enough to the hunter to get a shot. As with bow hunting, a big percentage of the hunt is the thrill of hearing an animal call back and the anticipation of him breaking through the bush at 15-30 yards!
Our second week of the archery hunt saw the hunters take a bull after a grueling ten minute hunt!! They called twice and just about got run over by the bull but were able to take him vey easily.
The gun hunt is comprised of Ontario resident hunters from southern Ont. that apply for their own tags in the resident only catagory. They are not outfitted by us other than the accomodation but they were also succesful. They took three small bulls and a few calves. A great time was had by all.
I am posting a picture of one of the bulls that Ted and Tom Coon took. If you ever have the opportunity to talk to these two about their hunt, the story is great and I can back it all up. They had such an experience that they don't even need to embelish it to make it good!!!!! Guys I had a great time, see you in G. Bay and next fall on the bear hunt.
I think I am good for one more post so read the next one on the current grouse and fall situation. Talk to you soon. BOB

Bear hunting news!

Well: I am getting down to writing the blogs that I should have written a while ago, but the drive was not there, and we were busy through out the day and night with the bear hunt. The hunt on the average went as I expected with some VERY nice sized animals taken. I think that the average size was up from past years. This can be attributed to hunters being very selective of the animals before they take their shot, and also the feed conditions this past summer. The FANTASTIC blueberry crop helped the animals build the fat that they need for the winter, but as I have found in the 30 odd years of doing this, it makes them very skiddish when it comes to hitting the bait. If there is a smell or a sound that they don't like or are curious about, they will quite often not hit the bait until after dark. In years that the main source of food, being blueberries, is poor they tend to be a little less cautious and are more willing to hit the bait during shooting hours, as their metabolism needs nourishment. I used a few trail cameras and found this to be the case.

I am posting a couple of pictures that we have and as of this writng we are waitng for a few more hunters to send us the promised pictures.

We are presently setting up our fall web site changes and one of the new additions will be a page devoted to hunts only, and we hope you visit it. If we have not posted you picture from a recent hunt, e-mail it to us and we can have it up in no time. Please visit http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ to see the upcoming changes.
On to the next Blog MOOSE!

FALL IS UPON US !!!!!!

How is everyone enjoying the end of the summer? I can't believe that the last day of Aug. is tomorrow. This seems like a very quick summer to me and the weather is starting to turn to cooler nights, which is great for sleeping, but a sure sign of Fall.
We are right in the middle of our bear hunt and and also have a pile of late summer fishermen. The fishing has been a little challenging the last week as ALL the lakes are turning over but this is coming to an end. The northern and bass fishing has been good, the walleye have been down in deep water (25-35), but the patient fishermen will have good success with all species. Normally the fall fishing picks up from the turn over and we expect the fishing to be fantastic in the next week or so. Life is too short to say "I should have done a fall trip " so why don't you enjoy the fall colors, low numbers of people, great cool fresh air, good fishing and reduced rates and make a call now or go to http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ and see what you are missing!
O.K. the sales pitch is over but we enjoy Rainbow as a home and want to share it with you!
The weather has been 45- 55 over night with the day time highs reaching 70 -99 <(just trying to see if you are really reading this) actually the highs are around 75. We have seen the lake go down about a foot, to just below the norm, as we had fairly high water this summer with all the rain this spring. All in all, the fall weather is starting off great.
Bear hunting has been going very well. We are seeing a large number of Grouse in the bush as we are bear baiting this year. The bird numbers have been down the last few years, but as they do in their cycle, the population is increasing quickly! The nice thing about hunting birds in the fall, is that you have vast roads and logging areas to hunt, and can also enjoy the fall fishing at the same time. The bird season starts on the 15th. of Sept. and goes on and on past our closing date!
I am going to sign out again, but hope you all have a great Labour Day weekend, and we hope you will keep us in mind for a Spontaneous Fall trip or next summers vacation. Talk to you soon and Fins Up!! BOB
I really appreciate the comment to the blogs so take a minute and type a reply. Thanks!!

Bob & Gale Go Fishing Too!

I am so excited, I had to throw in a blog for a change myself. We have found a couple of days where we could actually get out on Perrault Lake for some fishing, and it was great. July 23rd we took a trip out on the lake, shore lunch pan in hand, and tried some of our old hot spots. Dispite the heat (mid 90's and sunshine that day) Bob's island produced quite a few bites, a few northern and bass, but we were catching too much "Canada" for our liking that day, so moved on to try some of our old haunts. Grassy Bay produced pretty well, and we caught a couple of nice northern that we put on the stringer for our shore lunch. Then off to try a point that Bob liked just south of Bass Island, where we found a nice walleye honey hole. Between 16 and 20 feet of water we landed two walleyes in short order, one 21" and one 22". Plenty of good hits there. Then it was shorelunch time, and we enjoyed the company of Bill & Marge Bock from McHenry, Ill for lunch. We wanted to pass some fresh walleye on to our parents who can't get out this year to fish, so mission was accomplished today.

Another great day was had on July 29th when Bob took me all the way down to the end of the Ord River, to the rapids that empty in from Ord Lake. I hadn't had a chance to get down there for quite a long time. Such a fantastic ride down the river. Water level is up quite high, so aside from a few rocks to watch out for, it wasn't too bad getting in. We caught quite a few small northern and bass below the falls, and then carried on into Turtle Lake, and then on into Lost Lake. Lost Lake is one of my favorite places, with it's high cliffs.

We spent the day seeing the sites mostly, enjoying the many eagles and loons on the lakes. The water lillies, one of my favorite sites, were in full bloom, and I absorbed as much sunshine as I could handle for the day.

All in all we had a great relaxing day. We weren't trying too hard in the fishing department, but got quite a few we just caught and released during the day.

The guests in camp did very well fishing today as well, catching more than enough to eat, and putting some away for the trip home.

That's my brag of the week. Hope I can get out on the lake again soon!

Bye for now,

Gale

p.s. Still some cottage space left for August & September. If a last minute trip is in the cards, give us a call at 1-800-282-9039, and we'll see if your schedule can fit ours!.

The Heats On, but the fishing is GREAT!!!!

We were in a heat wave last week with 3 days at 95-100 degrees-----NO KIDDING!!!!! The temp was up but the hardy fishermen that went out early and late had good success. The perch fishing has been very good with lots of nice 9-12 inchers (after the cull) being the norm. The walleyes have been in surprisingly shallow water for this time of the year but the mid twenties have produced many larger ones. The northerns have been the most productive with a 43 incher being the largest lately.
This coming week the forecast is for some more warm weather but it is sure better than we had earlier this summer with all the rain.
Make sure you check out our late season specials at http://www.rainbowpoint.com/ if you think you can make a short notice holiday.
We are hard into our bear baiting for the upcoming season but would like the heat to drop a bit as the lack of wind in the bush and the heat is killing us.
The BLUEBERRIES are fantastic this year and we have the INFO on the easy picking.
Please send a comment to the blog just to let me know that someone is reading these things and I will have more drive to update them more often!!!!
Take care and we will talk soon!

OK! OK! I know it's been a while!!!!!

The answer to ALL your questions is YES!! the fishing is still GREAT and the weather has been co-operating fairly well.
The walleyes are in the mid teens in the morning and some of the larger ones can be found in the 20-25 foot range as the sun comes up. We are using everything from jigs and minnows,when you know you have a school grouped up, to spinners tipped with either a minnow leech or crawler. The choice of bait does not seem to be the critical point but the color and presentation still are the main points to remember. CONSTANTLY, my biggest observation of many fishermen (and Gals) is that they are trolling way to fast! If you would slow down your presentation all of a sudden,to your surprise, you may start to catch more walleyes. The second biggest problem is patience, don't leave it at home, as sometimes the fish are not biting and if you work an area for a while you will find that they have just moved a little deeper and may start biting again. Full throttle running from place to place is not the way to fill the stringer. The northern fishing is starting to get"Mid summer good"as the cabbage weed is coming up in some of the deeper bays and the casting of large spoons and spinner baits has seen some beauties caught and released.
The fish flys are just about finished hatching and really had little effect of the numbers of fish being brought in. The perch fishing has been very good with many people spending quite a bit of time cleaning their limits.
Gale will be putting some more of her many pictures on the web page for you to view @ www.rainbowpoint.com . She has been putting in many long days in the store as this is not her lucky year with staff! Life goes on and we are enjoying it so when her free time permits you will see more pics. Please send the pictures that you all promised to send as soon as you get home and we will put them up on the web.
Make sure that you are signed up for the web only specials that we offer from time to time as you never know when a time sensitive special will pop up, and you may have some time to take advantage of it!
Take care and enjoy the summer and if you have the urge we are just a call away 800 282-9039. Til next time. BOB

Had a few minutes for some quick news!!

It's June 18th. and we are into the summer with a splash! We started the summer with drought like conditions and through some pretty steady rains have got the lake back up to what I would call fairly high water levels. Last night we had another major down fall of rain during the 31/2 hour thunderstorm. I noticed this morning that the road seemed awful quiet and I was to learn that the highway between the Lodge and Vermillion Bay was washed out in one spot and that early estimates were that it would take at least 24 hours to repair. The rest of the week looked fairly nice with a small chance of showers but starting to moderate towards the weekend. As you know with weather predictions it could be snowing by then!
The fishing last week was excellent with many large northerns being caught, especially by the Oberers in cabin 9, as they mastered the sucker fishing like pro's. We had some very nice walleyes taken and the perch fishing was nothing short of fabulous. The walleyes are still scattered a bit with nice fish being caught in shallow bays in the early and late times of the day, and also some beauties now being found in 20+ feet of water.
Gale just posted some more pictures on the web site www.rainbowpoint.com if you want to have a look. We would love to be more current with the news and pictures but the day to day running of the resort keeps you going from morning til night and any free time you have, writing a blog is the furthest thing from my mind.
Hope this info helps you keep in touch with the Lodge and reminds you of some great memories in the past and makes you want to create new one's in the future.
Hope to see you all up here sometime soon!!!!! Take care Bob and Gale

Summer's Picking up Speed!!

Hi Everyone: We are getting a reversal with the weather the past few weeks as we have had a BUNCH of very needed rain. The lake level has risen a good foot over the last two weeks but we are still a foot from what I would call normal. As I am writng this (Thurs. afternoon) we are getting more rain (surprise)! We get the odd day that the sun shows it's face and all we can hear is the sound of the Grass Growing!!
For those of you that are coming up this weekend the weather is supposed to moderate quite a bit and the temps are going to be from the high 70's to the 80's. Just to be sure, you may still want to bring your ice fishing clothing and shorts as our weathermen are NO DIFFERENT than yours and have been known to make the ODD mistake in predictions!
We have been getting many pictures that we are starting to load on to our web site @ www.rainbowpoint.com and as we have time in this busy part of the season will be adding more so keep watching.
Our first fish fry of the season last week was a rush to cook as I was trying to beat the oncoming rain. For those of you that have joined us at one you will know that 10 gallons of hot oil combined with rain DOES NOT mix!! This weeks fish fry on Tues. night was picture perfect with all attending and WOW what a spread! We had the usual Rings games going and a few dollars I'm sure changed hands as the players became more????
Gale has sure got the store looking Great and we hope you will take advantage of the discount you will recieve as our guests and check out the items we have to offer.
The fishing for walleyes and northerns is still fairly shallow and I expect this to change in the next few weeks as the weather warms steadily. We will direct you to the fish if you give us a few minutes of your time when you arrive. Minnows and crawlers are the bait of choice at this time but we will soon see leeches come into play as it always does at this time of the year. The large sucker chubs have, and are still producing some monster northerns ( 99% released) and we will only carry them for two more weeks as they are hard to come by after that.
Gale and I hope you have a safe trip up for those of you that are coming up to spend time with us this summer and for those of you that have the urge GIVE US A CALL and we will take care of you. Till next BLOG (soon) BOB and Gale!!!!!