Wednesday, July 7, 2010

8 more days until arrival at the VBL

With just 8 more days until I pack up with the old man and head up North I am more antsy than a 10 year old on the 3rd of July. I've waxed up the boat and swapped out all of my old line for new. Binge shopped at Cabela's twice just to ensure I have all the needed equipment for success. I still need to pick up one more Marine battery to get the trolling motor all ready.


This year my Dad wants to catch more Walleye, and I want some Small Mouth Bass. Muskie and Pike are simply a bonus this year. We have arranged for Gord to be our guide for day and we look forward to getting a better idea of where to fish for particular species of fish and the techniques required.


Fishing here in Kansas has sucked the last two years as everyone is keeping small fish and depleting the stocks of the public waterways. I often wish the Fish and Game officers would more strictly enforce the creel limits and have a presence on the boat docks for inspections of fish. I commend the DNR in Canada for a job well done, and it shows in the numbers of fish caught by all.
The fishing must be good at VBL this year because Gord is not posting any updates due to spending all his time in the fillet room.
If you are going to be up at the lodge between July 16th and July 24th drop a line here and we look forward to meeting you.


Neil

10 comments:

  1. Great, read about your much anticipated trip up to Vermilion Bay!
    My wife, Diane and I will be there this Thursday!

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  2. Just not fair you guy's get to go to VBL now.
    I go early and now have to sit and wait till my next trip in May 2011.
    Neil you will be in good hands with Gord on your fishing expedition, I'm sure he will teach you well and show you secret spots that you would not have tried.
    Good luck on your trip be safe and make sure you post a report with lots of pics.

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  3. I think starting next year I will be going twice a year. Once in the lat spring right after Muskie open and again in the Fall. Once a year is just not enough and damn too far apart.

    It's an 18 hour drive, and I plan on making a good 12 of it the first day, with just 6 on the second day. We are gonna take the time to hit some of the Dives, Diners, and Drive Ins this time. I downloaded the app for my Tom Tom GPS and will let us know when we are close to one.

    Last time up we didn't start until late and ended up driving all day the second day. I'll reverse that this year, but also stop to smell the roses. (AKA Diners)

    Perchmaster: Where is a good spot to catch some of those perch? I hear they are second to none in taste and eating. I want to definitely stock up on those and wear Gord down. :-)

    Charles: Admire your work, and if you are still there when I get there it will be a pleasure to meet you and your wife.

    Happy fishing all.

    Neil

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  4. Neil,

    When you get to VBL just click your heels together and say, "I'm not in Kansas any more". This will guarantee you a great week of fishing.

    Two weeks is definitely the way to go and Gord's discounting policy is the incentive. It gives you the opportunity to see first hand the very differnt fishing patterns. If you come back in late August or early September you will find the walleye fishing to be spectacular.

    Perch? That's primarily a spring bite in the shallows, but it might be worth poking around in some deeper water in bottle bay. Those fish can't go far. I know that around here the perch would be in 25'- 40' of water.

    Don't forget to give those lake trout a try on Clearwater or the trout holes. And....post some pictures!

    Andy

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  5. Neil,

    I forgot to mention it. Don't forget to make a stop at the Norske Nook in Oseo, WI. It's a blue plate diner with the best pie in the midwest. They have expanded in a few other communities (Rice Lake, Hayward, Eau Claire), but the original is in Oseo. The hot beef or hot pork sandwich with mashed potatoes is a good bet.

    Andy

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  6. Neil
    For the perch if you can get up to Bottle Lake I would try jigging in the deeper water and see if you can find some schools.
    They probably won't be able to be found in water any shallower than 7-9' so look deeper and try points.

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  7. Hi Neil...It's evident that the countdown and preparations for departure are well underway. You're getting good suggestions concerning travel and fishing tips. Plus, you're thinking ahead so that you can spend more time at VBL in the future. This is all commendable. However, you have made no mention of paying hommage to the fish gods and asking them to bless your trip with bountiful catches. Was this an oversight?

    Andy and I have found it best to be repectful of the fish gods before wetting a line. Our research has convinced us that it's a big mistake to snub the fish gods. Irritable and cranky fish gods have caused us to experience equipment failures, crappy weather, biting bugs and numerous lost fish. Under no circumstances do you want them conspiring against you. Please take this into consideration.

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  8. 3 days and wake up.

    I have a shrine all set up in my man cave and have made multiple offerings to the fish Gods. Blessed my boat and equipment whilst spilling sake all over the place, and piling salt outside my garage to ward off evil spirits.

    Has anyone noticed that the domain name for the homepage has expired. Someone better take care of that or the lodge page name could go away to someone else.

    Rain and biting bugs are nothing. I'm an old salty Marine and anything biting me is going to be intoxicated and fall off dead on the deck of me boat! Next they'll be on the end of a hook.

    Equipment failures,,,, well I am prepared. I always have 3 of everything. It's called N+2. What's necessary plus 2. Minus boat and engine, but Gord has that covered too.

    It looks like it is raining all the time now in Vermilion but hey I'm not made of sugar!

    Counting down the hours......

    Now someone find out who is responsible for the business page and get that domain name renewed. ASAP!

    Neil

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  9. Crisis averted.....I have renewed the domain name (vermilionbaylodge.com) for another 5 years. The notice I received looked so much like spam that I ignored it! It will take a few hours for the website to come on line again.

    Neil, sounds like you are prepared. Fishing is good, the weather is nice, and my beverage is refreshing! See you shortly.

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  10. Its summer, its warm, its vacation. What's more fun than that? Listening to Constable Bastable telling you where to go! (Fishing that is). 5 more days and I get to see his smiling face (well, Suzanne smiles for both). Its Walleye time, and tourney time I think...Entertaining I am sure. I plan to try to keep up the challenge, but only GOOD LUCK ALL!

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