Thank you to all of our new and returning guests for visiting this season! We had a great summer on the lake, and the season just flew by!
The ice went out early, allowing Andy and Jerad to get into Camp Lochalsh on May 1st. Early ice-out is always a good thing for us as it allows for extra time to make minor upgrades, sand and varnish boats, and re-mark rocks on the lake. The ice was completely off the lake by May 3rd and with opening day scheduled for May 21st, we felt confident we’d be ready.
The year was filled with both old and new faces. Marlene kept us full with her excellent dinners and desserts for the second year in a row, and her quirky stories and sense of humour had us laughing all season long. Elorah and Jerad returned for another round, both assuming more responsibility. Nick, Owen, Ryan, Jerad, and Jonathan were on the docks, and Ryan and Jerad went guiding. Elorah, Lora, and Laura cleaned the cabins and served meals, and, of course, caused a bit of confusion! Last summer we had one of the best staffs ever, and we are pleased to say that most of our 2016 employees have committed to returning this year!
Fishing
The fishing was exceptional once again. We had Fish’n Canada visit in June to film an episode. The walleye board quickly filled up with lots of nice fish being caught and released in late May and June. This continued into July and August with the heavier fish being taken later in the summer as usual. Those feisty springtime walleye kept us all well fed at shore lunch while we had some amazing perch caught in late June and early July. The pike hit just about anything in late June, while we didn’t see too many whitefish this year.
Boats
We purchased three new 18′ cedar strips from Giesler Boats in Powassan and five new 15 h.p. Evinrude electric-start four stroke outboards from Bucks Marina in Wawa. This kept our fleet of boats and motors running well and allowed us to retire some of the older boats which will now be sold off. We have six new 18′ cedar strips on order with Giesler Boats for 2017, as well as three new Evinrude 15’s from Bucks Marina.
Animal Friends
Our pets provided lots of love and laughs this summer. Altes is eight years old and as mischievous as ever. Missing Schaefer, our other Weimaraner who passed away in 2014, we adopted a new puppy and called him Pfeiffer, following our naming tradition. Pfeiffer was born on April 23, 2016, and we brought him to Loch Island in mid-July. While Altes is a grey Weimaraner, Pfeiffer is a blue Weimaraner with a glistening dark greyish-blue coat and wide hazel eyes. He is very talkative. He is an outgoing and playful dog with a strong personality. He quickly learned how to steal snacks from the dining room, and to not go too close to the edge of the dock! He is growing up fast, and soon enough his big sister will teach him to chase squirrels and minnows. He enjoyed going out in the boat, curling up on the floorboards for a nap, and trying to take our fishing rods for himself.
Cornelius the Loon returned to the lake and was spotted by many guests. He continued to try to steal fish right off stringers! We hope that he will come back year after year to entertain us and show off how intelligent loons can be.
Shore Lunch
Once the fishing moved down the lake from the Teepee Island shore lunch spot, we returned to the old Kathleen Bay shore lunch spot instead of the Bear Point spot. We rebuilt the fire pit and picnic tables and cleared out the brush. Everyone enjoyed fried walleye and potatoes in the calm and picturesque bay, and it also proved to be a great fishing spot. We hope to have shore lunch in Kathleen Bay again next year.
Renovations
Lots of new projects were completed last summer. Starting on Loch Island, the lodge decks, both upper and lower, along with the stairs were replaced in early July. From the ground up, the entire deck, footings and top boards were replaced with treated lumber. We’ve been slowly redoing all of our decks around the lake with new ones constructed from treated lumber. There are only a few more to do and they are on the schedule for this summer! A replacement loading dock was also completed in late June on Loch Island.
At Camp Lochalsh, renovations on Cabin 3 were completed in late July. It’s been a slow process of replacing/renovating cabins over the last several years at Camp Lochalsh, but we are excited to be reopening more Camp Lochalsh facilities with updated interiors, beds, and appliances. In this upcoming season, Cabin 7 will get a new floor and deck. The After Glow deck and older docks are scheduled to be replaced. We’ll be moving the old fish shack to our newly upgraded one, formerly the hot tub pavilion. The old fish shack will be removed to make room for a boat house expansion project that will take several years to complete.
Both Otter Island cabins will get new roofs. The 3-bedroom cabin will have skylights and a new bathroom. The 2-bedroom cabin will get a new water tower. We also look forward to replacing the roof, kitchen, and bathroom of the Sandy Bay left cabin.
See You Soon!
With so much in store for 2017, we are anxious to get in and work! There is so much to do this upcoming season, and we are hoping for an early ice-out. A special thank you to all of our loyal guests who come year after year! We promise to do all we can in an effort to provide you with the best Canadian wilderness vacation experience possible! See you all in 2017!
Cabin 3 – Camp Lochalsh is complete!
It took us almost two years to complete, but the renovation on Cabin 3 at Camp Lochalsh is now complete! When the cabin was first built, back in the early ’70’s, the full log building which was constructed on a cement slab and was a duplex unit set up like a motel inside. Today, the motel design was not meeting the needs of our guests.
The facelift given to Cabin 3 involved completely gutting the cabin, plumbing and all. Now, instead of the outdated ’70’s motel look, the cabin sports two bedrooms each with a double and twin bed, a full kitchen with all new stainless steel appliances, a 4-piece bathroom and large picture windows that look out over the lake.
This cabin was rented late in the summer and those who stayed in it were impressed to say the least. Cabin 3 was based on the same renovations we did in 2015 on Cabin 2. Both cabins are now ready for rental and can accommodate up to four people in each.
For next summer, we plan on taking down Cabin 9 and renovating the sauna at Lochalsh.
More new boats and motors for 2017!
On order right now for 2017 are three more 15 h.p. Evinrude outboards from Buck’s Marina in Wawa and six more 18′ cedar strip boats from Giesler Boat Builders of Powasson. Pairing Giesler’s 18′ Nippising model cedar strip boat with an Evinrude four stroke electric start outboard makes for a dynamite fishing machine! With big padded swivel seats, our boats are second to none for spending long hours each day exploring the lake.
Our sport show lineup for 2017
This winter we’ll be attending for sport shows in Michigan. Here is a list of where we’ll be, so come out and visit us!
The Fish Board 2016
Featured Guest Photos
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