Sabourin Lake Lodge

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2001 Sabourin Lake Lodge Newsletter

Another interesting and busy season has come to a close at Sabourin Lake Lodge. We would like to thank the guests and the staff that helped make it an unforgettable summer.

What our mild winter lacked in snow, our wet May and June more than replenished the water levels in the lake. Environment Canada said this was one of the wettest spring and summer in 100 years. After an extremely dry season in 1999, it was difficult to remember that all of this rain was totally necessary. However, we can't fight Mother Nature. We certainly appreciated the good nature of our guests and the guides who went out in the inclement weather every day. Thankfully, by the end of the first week in July, our good weather returned.

Even though the fishing was somewhat slower at the beginning of the season due to the cooler spring, the number of trophy fish caught and released was higher than the previous year. In 1999 there were 489 trophy pins awarded; this year we presented 529 pins. The largest northern caught this year was 48 inches long by William Morton with guide Matt Perin in August.

The largest walleye caught was 32” by Dick Cornell with guide Les James.

The break down of trophy pins are: 357 Northern Pike caught over 35 inches - 90 of which were over 40”. There were 126 walleye over 24 inches and 45 Smallmouth bass. There was only one Lake Trout caught and released this year. We will have to promote Musclow better as there are plenty of large Lake Trout in this lake. At the end of the season when we removed the motors from the boats, we tried casting for trout and caught 29 of them between 30 and 37 inches. Musclow is a catch and release lake and all trout were released back into the water. The trout are definitely there, it will just take the right bait and the right conditions to catch them. May and the first two weeks of June are excellent times to catch Lake Trout as the water is cold and the trout are near the surface. We plan to make Musclow more accessible with better docks, ramps and steps.

We promote artificial lures, but for guests who prefer live bait, only worms will be allowed. We will not allow minnows or leeches in our waters. We feel that allowing minnows or leeches could increase the chance of introducing harmful species into our waters, it could increase the chance of a deeply inhaled hook which could increase the casualty rate of released fish. We hope that our guests understand our decision, and we will have worms for sale at the Hook Shop.

To promote catch and release fishing, we once again put copies of all the conservation licenses sold to our guests into a box and drew this years winner for a free trip for two to Sabourin Lake Lodge. We cover airfare from Red Lake or Winnipeg, four nights and three full days of fishing. Personal refreshments or gratuities are not included. This year's winner is Perry Wickens from Carmel, Indiana. Congratulations Perry and we look forward to seeing you at Sabourin this season! Thank you to all the guests who bought conservation licenses.

Once again, this year proved to be busy. Beside the normal daily maintenance, with the help of the staff we also painted the exterior of the lodge, painted the staff cabins, installed new bedspreads, installed new mirrors, glass shelves, and bed lamps in the cabins. We tore down the existing small porch on the teepee and installed a new large screened in patio. We added comfortable leather couches to finish it off.

Due to the age of our old sewage system, which had been adequate when installed in the 1970's, it was necessary to upgrade our system. This huge undertaking was completed after our last guests left at the end of the year. We installed three new tile fields and five new septic tanks. There will be some evidence of the construction in the spring but we plan to landscape and plant grass to hide the new additions.

Plans for 2001:

We look forward to the New Year with anticipation, especially early spring. Walleye season opens the third Saturday in May, which is the 19th. Above normal water levels last fall should mean that fishing this spring would follow normal patterns. Even though some days may be cool, fishing is usually very fast, especially the Northern and Smallmouth Bass. With today's warm outerwear and a good pair of Neoprene gloves, you can be quite comfortable while fishing and watching the rebirth of the north. If there would be an interest, we could provide wet suits and snorkel equipment to watch the walleye spawn in their own environment. I often wonder how many big ones there are under the boat.

We have installed a web page for Sabourin Lake Lodge this fall. You will be able to access our most up to date newsletter, rates and a good map of the area that we fish. It can be found at: http://www.voyageur.ca/~sabourin

There is a Planning Committee being set up at this time by the Ministry of Natural Resources that will govern the rules for the Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. They will be deciding things like maximum horsepower of outboard engines allowed on our lakes, limits of fish and what areas are closed to fishing. We do not anticipate any major changes this year, however, one item that will impact us is the garbage issue. We will be implementing a recycle program in camp for all metals, plastic and glass. We will fly out the recyclable material, install an incinerator to burn what we can and feed the bears the leftovers.

Due to the proven success of the four-cycle outboard engines, we will complete the fleet this year.

We replaced two of the oldest boats last year and we will be replacing two more this year.

We will complete the renovations of Cabin two in the fall. We did not complete this in 2000 due to the need of the new sewage system. The renovations will include a closed in screen deck, a new roof and an enlarged sitting area with comfortable leather couches.

A new fuel containment area for the generators will be built.

We will be installing a new propeller on the Beaver aircraft. We did not complete the new float change on the Beaver last year, but hope to this winter. The new floats, along with other modifications, will increase the payload and passenger carrying capabilities.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of William Owen. Bill had been suffering from arthritis. It was so bad that he could hardly use his hands the last few years. Bill guided at Sabourin Lake Lodge since the 70's, and was well known by our long time guests. Rest in peace Bill.

We had many favorable comments on the new seaplane base “RED LAKE AIRWAYS” that we used in Red Lake this past year. We will be using them again in 2001. To get to Red Lake Airways, turn right off Hwy #105 approximately two miles before Red Lake onto Hwy #125. Travel easterly till you cross the Chukuni River Bridge, about 3 miles. Take the first right immediately after the bridge and the first right again. For our guests who drive, there is free, secure parking at Red Lake Airways. For our guests that fly into Red Lake Airport, a free shuttle service will be provided to the float plane base. Their phone number is 807-735-3335.

Please remember to keep your total luggage to a maximum of 50 pounds per person. Kent Mittelberg, a guest of many years, complied an excellent list that seems to include all the essentials and he is able to keep to our maximum weight.

Kent's list for Sabourin:

  1. Stocking cap
  2. Golf/baseball cap
  3. Neoprene gloves
  4. 2 Pairs “old” pants
  5. 2 Pairs warm socks
  6. Waterproof boots
  7. Sweatshirt
  8. Rainsuit/Poncho
  9. Athletic shoes
  10. 2 shorts
  11. 2 short sleeve shirts
  12. Swiss army knife
  13. Blank cheque
  14. Suntan lotion
  15. Casual clothes for dinner
  16. Duffel bag to carry things in boat
  17. Booze-beer can be purchased in camp
  18. Camera
  19. Sunglasses
  20. Insect Repellant
  21. Passport
  22. Drivers license
  23. Wool shirt
  24. Heavy PJ's
  25. Long underwear
  26. Hooded Sweatshirt
  27. Cooler for worms
  28. Thermos
  29. Snack food
  30. Book
  31. Binoculars
  32. Fishing poles and tackle

Many people find that they would like to come to Sabourin Lake Lodge during the week, but the commercial airfare into Winnipeg makes it prohibitive. We are able to offer the services of CanAm Travel Experts in solving this dilemma. Linda and Bruce Verner are able to obtain cheaper airfare where there is no Saturday overnight required. Their phone number is: 612-475-1618

Fax number is: 612-475-3082
Toll free number: 800-642-2283
E-mail: canam@canam-travel.com

All of us at Sabourin Lake Lodge would like to wish you all the best in health and happiness in the coming year.