Sabourin Lake Lodge

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2002 Sabourin Lake Lodge Newsletter

As winter approaches, the magic of the summer spent at Sabourin becomes stronger. It is a privilege to be able to share special events with our guests. We were able to celebrate wedding anniversaries, birthdays, family reunions and the tradition of friends getting together in the great Canadian North. Thank you for honoring us with your visit to Sabourin; we treasure the time we are able to spend with everyone.

We predicted an “average” year for the lake, and we were not disappointed. Spring fishing was fast and exciting; a 49.5" Northern was caught at the Moosehorn on opening weekend and it took until almost the end of the season to break that record. On August 28th, Gerry Gay caught a 50" Northern with Les James as his guide. The largest walleye caught and released this season was 31.5". Dave Dray and his guide Frank Green won that honor on July 25th.

Many people feel that we are putting too much emphasis on catching trophy fish and by doing so it trivializes Sabourin. We apologize to those guests and are taking a good look at our actions because we certainly want to promote the whole Sabourin experience. We would never want other areas of your stay to suffer because we were coasting on the success of the fishing. That said, it is interesting to compare the number and size of fish caught from year to year.

Growth was exponential - both in numbers and size. A total of 935 pins were presented this summer compared to a total of 529 in 2000. Pins are awarded for Northern pike 35 inches and over, walleye 24 inches and over, and for all Lake Trout and Smallmouth Bass.

Year Norther Walleye Lake Trout Bass
2001 691 157 14 73
2000 357 126 1 45
1999 347 102 4 36
1998 207 67    

Out of the 691 pins that were presented for Northern caught and released, 171 fish were over 40 inches. Catch and release is obviously working. Thank you for participating in this program to help improve our fishing.

As an added incentive to our catch and release program, we will once again offer a draw for a free trip for two people to Sabourin Lake Lodge to all the guests who bought a conservation licence. We include airfare from either Red Lake or Winnipeg, four nights and three full days of fishing. Personal refreshments and gratuities are not included. All conservation licences were put into a hat and Jim Hickey of Edina, Minnesota was drawn as the lucky winner! Congratulations and we look forward to seeing Jim at Sabourin in the 2002 season.

Opening season starts the third Saturday of May, which is the18th this year. Northern fishing is predictably fast and furious. The walleyes are in full spawn, which makes opening weekend a great time to enjoy Sabourin. Not only is the fishing great, but there are no bugs to contend with. We have found that a pair of good Neoprene gloves are invaluable for cooler weather.

A common question for our guests is what kind of equipment and lures are effective in our waters. For Walleye fishing we recommend a variety of 3/8 to 1/2 ounce lead head jigs and twister tails. The most popular colors are white, black, fluorescent orange, and chartreuse. Other lures are sinking rapalas, rattling rap rapalas and Little Joe Spinners with a Mr. Twister tail. One very effective combination was a Bottom Bouncer with a Little Joe attached and then tipping the Little Joe's hook with a worm. Bottom Bouncers come in various weights; we recommend 1/2 oz and a few larger ones such as 1 or 1 1/2 oz for the deeper holes. They also worked well for trolling with other lures like spoons and rapalas. A few large walleye were caught with a Bottom Bouncer and Husky Jerk combination. A 20-inch monofilement leader separated the lure from the Bottom bouncer. We recommend rods with a light to medium action for Walleyes.

For Northern fishing silver spoons, daredevils, and surface lures are effective; steel leaders are a must for Northern fishing. One lure that seemed to work well for Northern and Walleye alike was the Mepps Spinners. With a skirt on they also worked well in the weeds. They come in a variety of sizes but In our area #4's and 5's seem to be the most effective. The hottest lure of 2001 was the Suick, a large piece of wood with a metal tab at the back that you can bend to control dive depth. The most popular ones are from 7 inches to 10 inches in length and the best colours had black tops with white bellies. All color combinations from orange to green were also effective. There was even some pretty good size walleyes caught on these Suicks. Certainly you need a medium to heavy rod to handle the weight of these lures.

We are encouraging all our guests to go “barbless”. Researching barbless fishing, it is apparent that barbless hooks help reduce mortality rates. It reduces the time it takes to untangle the fish from the net, which in turn gets the fish back into the water sooner. Many people worry that they will not be able to land as many fish without barbs. However, barbless hooks are easier to set, and as long as the line is kept tight, the fish will not escape. Not only is there less damage to the fish when the barbless hook is removed, but it also helps the guide or angler who is inadvertently impaled.

Our season was busy and enjoyable as always. The new sewage system was commissioned and worked well. The guests of 2002 will notice the completion of the screened-in deck on cabin 2, and the new root cellar. The cook will appreciate the covered in bar-be-cue area the next time there is rain on steak night.

New for 2002:

One item for 2002 that will affect our guests who fly into Red Lake will be the loss of the CANPASS Permit system. In previous years the pilots who made frequent trips into Canada could apply for a permit from Canada Customs and by phoning ahead at least an hour could land at any airport in Canada within 60 miles of a Customs Airport or Port of Entry. As of the writing of this letter (due to Sept. 11 attacks) all private and corporate aircraft coming into Canada will have to clear Customs at a point of entry. Red Lake, Kenora, Ear Falls DO NOT APPLY. The Point of Entry for our guests will be Fort Francis across from International Falls, Thunder Bay, or Winnipeg. You can still use the CANPASS System by phoning 1-888-226-7277 to speed up your clearance. For more information you can call 1-800-461-9999. You are required to give them your full name, birth date, citizenship, purpose and length of stay. You will have to use the ADCUS (Advise customs) on your flight plan.

All our guests should be reminded to carry photo ID, Visas or Passports for travel into Canada. We advise guests that hold convictions for old D.U.I. charges that they apply for a pardon so that a Peace Bond will not have to be purchased upon arrival in Canada. Don't forget if you are crossing the border with children and one or both parents are not accompanying the children, you must obtain and carry a Notarized letter from the missing parent(s) giving you permission to be travelling with that child.

Many guests 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: 612-472-3082
Toll free number: 800-642-2283
E-mail: canam@canam-travel.com

The world events of the past year has made us all reflect upon and appreciate the important things in our lives, our families and friends. All of us at Sabourin Lake Lodge would like to wish you joy and peace this holiday season and hope that you enjoy health and happiness in the coming year.