September 1st. was a big fish day…trout and musky!

Meanwhile a little further East…

More from last week…

The post Fall Fishing Update! appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

But what about the fishing?

It’s all about having a good time…

There you have it. A taste of what the last couple weeks have been about….

Weather is cooling and the lake is getting lower. Forest fires are down due to the weather and some rain in the area. We are keeping our fingers crossed on having more water in the lake moving forward into the fall…but we will go with the flow. Fishing has been good……hoping you can join us soon!

*editors comment: The Biden beer was actually donated by Anne from McColl’s Island (a bastion of democracy on Eagle Lake)…thanks Anne! It’s much more fun to put Len out on a limb!

The post September 1, 2021…VBL update appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

…apparently by throwing themselves at their hooks! The past Wednesday saw a parade of southern folk arriving at the VBL border…some might even say a “caravan”. The VBL bead curtain and hedge restraining walls were no match for these fevered migrants fleeing the lack of fish in their homeland… Let’s highlight the first wave…

What about the border!??

After a somewhat dismal start on Monday with up to 8 hour wait times at the Fort Frances border crossing, our Wednesday arrivals all breezed through with virtually no wait times. There were no issues at the border and things are working well. One pro tip: On the Arrive Canada app you will be required to have an address for a quarantine location (should you need to)…the address you want is the lodge (202 Lakeshore Drive, Vermilion Bay Ontario, P0V2V0). Just remember the postal code has zeroes, not the letter “o”…….it will not accept the latter. Some might find that frustrating (Brad). Watch in the comment section as I’m sure others might have suggestions based on their experiences. Bottom line……get vaccinated and come on up!

Flaming Walleyes…

Some might say the walleyes are on fire. There seems to be no shortage of eaters and many have commented on some strong year classes. We’ve also had some dandy’s caught and released in the past few days, plus 3 pike over 35″ and a good day on Clearwater Lake for Team Andy…

The VBL fish fry back in action?

This past Sunday we hosted a modified “outdoor” fish fry which seemed to be a big hit with the guests in camp. We’ve been on the fence about hosting a fish fry since Covid rules don’t allow us to gather indoors in large groups. Depending on weather and availability of whitefish we will try and put one together for the remainder of the season…stay tuned!

More in depth coverage to follow…

Well, this was a taste of what to expect and what is going on at VBL. The water levels continue to dip but we’re hopeful that we can make it all work to the end of the season. We’re going into October this year so give us a call if you have the urge. Signing out for now……..

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August 9, 2021 and my first sighting of an American traveller. These have rarely been seen in the past several years causing some concerns as to them becoming extinct. While in the past they were often spotted during seasonal migrations to NW Ontario lakes, some theories as to their dissapearence have ranged from climate change to a drop in fertility rates. The male of the species can be identified by an oversized boat and motor appendage attached to their posterior. Will their apparent comeback be sustained? Only time will tell….

Border headache?

Apparently day one was not the best time to cross the border in International Falls. The up to 8 hour reported wait times has to really put a damper on travelling north. Let’s hope the backlog of “let’s be first” people slows down for those we expect to see this coming Wednesday. Here’s a link to expected border wait times… Travel.gc.ca – U.S. to Canada border wait times … A possible plan B might be to consider Baudette, MN as an alternative crossing. Here’s the phone number for that as it doesn’t seem to be listed in the link. 218-634-2803.

Update: As of 7:00 a.m. Aug. 10 Fort Francis lists no wait time. End of shit show!

As of right now I have not heard of any difficulties that people are having, other than the wait time, to enter. I will update further if I hear of any. In the meantime give some thought to what essentials you might need if stuck in a lineup.

On a more positive note…

The goal at the end of the day is to hit the lake and round up some of those Eagle Lake fish who have had it pretty easy the last year and a half. Here’s some pictures from the Hamm family who spent last week with us. Calm waters, smokey skies, and plenty of fish…

Let’s hope…

…for a faster boder crossing in the coming days and weeks. If the volume of traffic was a surprise it shouldn’t be any longer. Perhaps more staff will be added. We will know more in the coming days.

Anyways, it will be great to see some of the regulars back here at VBL. We will be doing a rain dance to see if the lake levels can go up, but while our docking is requiring some shallow water manuevering it is still workable. Good luck to those travelling in the next few days!!!!

The post August 2021, Border Reopening! appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

1. On August 9th, US citizens will be allowed to enter Canada. Those citizens will be allowed to return to the US at the end of their trip. RETURNING TO THE US… US Citizens will not be subject to quarantine or require a negative covid test. President Biden’s decision to extend the US border closure does NOT affect US Citizens going to Canada. It only affects Canadian citizens coming to the US (which is still bad). Your fishing trip is still on!

2. US citizens over the age of 11 must have proof of vaccination (your card will work) AND a negative MOLECULAR covid test. 11 and under must have a negative molecular covid test. The most common molecular covid test is the PCR test. You can usually get it for free, however, many have a 48 hour wait time. If you are confident, that you’re going to come back negative… you CAN provide digital proof. I personally was tested, and then headed north the next day. Since it is a two day drive, I received my results on the road. Showed them the digital proof, and had no problems crossing.

3. ArriveCan should be filled out on your smart phone or computer 72 hours prior to traveling to the border. This is to ensure that your information is uploaded, and it will create a smoother border crossing. If someone has forgotten (or can’t figure out the program), you can do this AT the border. Your crossing will go easier, and you won’t be holding up traffic, if you take the time to fill out the forms before hand.

4. There will be occasional “random” tests. These, from what I understand, will not be rapid tests. So, you will do the test at the border, but will then continue to your destination. From there, IF you test positive, you will be contacted. You then will need to enact your “quarantine plan”. Resorts are being encouraged to have a place designated, just in case a test comes back positive. From that point… you can either stay in quarantine, or return to the US. Canada will not detain you.

5. There is ZERO non-artificial bait allowed to cross from the US to Canada right now. (frozen, salted, dead, alive, minnows, leeches, worms, shrimp… nothing, zero, zilch)

6. Johnson&Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer are all approved vaccines for crossing into Canada. Astrazeneca is also approved by Canada, but was not approved in the US.

Now the longer version. Note there are links to other sites you might find useful:

Please note that while the border personal are dealing with these changes they will not be allowing any type of bait, including night crawlers or salted minnows, into Canada. We assume this is temporary.

Additional information…

From my guest Andy who will be one of the first to arrive at VBL on August 11. He has a few good suggestions:

Hi Gord,
I saw your info on border crossing. Assuming we cross successfully on the 11th I will be happy to post something about our experience on the blog.
In general, the information you copied is good. I have some additional thoughts after looking at most of this.
There are a couple of caveats with the ArriveCan App and the covid tests. When you download the app, the first thing it asks you to do is schedule your border crossing location, day, and time. However it only allows you to do that three days out. So go ahead and setup the app and then 72 hours before your arrival pick your arrival and then I am assuming, scan your vaccine card. 
Walgreens and CVS are the best options for the Covid test. It appears that Walgreens Rapid Diagnostic Test NAAT (ID Now) or the PCR will meet Canadian specs. The Rapid Antigen Test will not. The NAAT rapid test will supposedly yield results within 24 hours. The PCR test says result time varies which makes me nervous. Also you can only schedule the test three days out. The good news is it is free. 
At CVS, you need to answer the first question “yes” in order to get a free test. It reads, “Are you seeking a test to prevent possible spread of Cobid-19 for future travel, work, or recreation?”. Otherwise if you answer “no” to all the questions you have to pay $139. You need to select the molecular PCR/NAAT test. They say results are available in 1-2 days. At CVS you can schedule 13 days in advance. If there is a rush for tests this might be a preferred option, but the results might take longer.
My sister recently moved to Panama and they got tested at Walgreens 3 times and it took about 30 hours for results. All three times it was free.
For our Wednesday border arrival, I want to allow as much time for test results as possible but not be in danger of being more the 72 hours old. If I schedule for late Sunday afternoon with a border arrival time at noon on Wednesday I should be good. Monday morning would also likely work and would give a little cushion if there were car problems delaying our arrival to later then 72 hours. 
Regardless, when we leave Dick’s cabin early on Wednesday morning, there is an outside chance that we would still not have all our results, make the drive, and hope it arrives before noon. That would be stressful. For these reasons, I will likely go with the Walgreens test which should be ready in 24 hours. The Walgreens Rapid Diagnostic Test (ID Now) is listed as a Nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and that appears to be acceptable. Of course there is no CVS or Walgreens in International Falls for a backup plan.
After the test results are reported online or via email, those would be scanned on the ArriveCan app to speed up processing time.
In sum, for your Guinea pigs arriving on the 11th (who will be in camp?), I would recommend: 1. Download and install the ArriveCan app now. 2. On Thursday or Friday (8-5 or 8-6), get on the Walgreens web site and schedule an appointment for the IDNow NAAT test for late Sunday (8-8) or Early Monday (8-9) depending on their arrival time at the border. The test has to be performed within 72 hours of arrival. If you don’t allow enough time for border arrival, your results will be too old. I will likely go with early Monday morning. That would give me some time to wait in International Falls if the results were late. 3. On Sunday (8-8) open the AccessCan app and enter your anticipated border arrival date, time, and location. 4. When you get your negative test results, scan and submit those on the AccessCan app. 5. The backup Covid Isolation Plan will be VBL Lodge info (mother-in-law cabin or the garden shed for Joe later that month)
Good luck to all your guests!
Andy

Also, from someone who has crossed the border earlier, the test must include: 1. person’s name and date of birth 2. name and civic address of lab 3. date the test was done 4. the test result ....

For those who still might have questions…here’s the phone number of the Fort Francis border crossing: 1-807-274-3655

The post Border Questions & Answers appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

Well, it seems our long hibernation will finally be coming to a close with the announcement that the border will reopen to US vaccinated travellers on August 9, 2021. Right now there is some confusion as to what is necessary to complete the process so rather than speculation I am awaiting clarifications forthcoming in the next few days. Till then stay tuned, but I anticipate our first US guests will be pulling into camp on August 11. Now I need to get a few boats out of moth ball status and do a rain dance to get lake levels back up…

While we have had a smattering of guests…

…our first “fishing” guests (Larry Barke, and friends, from Winnipeg) were here last week. A mid July fishing opener was unusual, but chalk it up to the new normal. In honor of the event I actually fired up the Pepsi cooler in the fish house and filled it with some Sleeman beer. After a couple years in “idle mode” the cooler fired right up and a few cool ones have been enjoyed in the fish house since then. Yesterday I checked out the boats in Clearwater Lake with George Benger from Pinawa, MB. I was happy to find them as I left them in March. Of course some testing was necessary…

The bottom line…

Yes, the border is reopening with some extra hurtles to get over. Will the simpler times ever return? Perhaps, but for this summer people will need to be vaccinated. Proof of vaccination along with a covid test will need to be submitted electronically within 72 hours of crossing using the Canada App for your phone or on your computer. There is talk of a “quarantine plan” should things go wrong, I suppose. Apparently this is an address and phone number which we assume will be VBL, more specifically the “mother in law cabin”. That’s about all I can say until we get the specifics ironed out, so stay tuned…I will be posting these when I know for certain the details. I will also be emailing those who have trips booked.

The post July 2021: Border reopening? appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

An early season lake trout is fooled by a shallow running Rapala Husky Jerk…but eventually back to the lake with perhaps a valuable lesson learned…at least till next time!

It’s another spring without the prospect of guests in camp till possibly later this summer. We do see light at the end of this tunnel and it will likely be a shocker to all of us when things do get back to normal. In the meantime we continue with our usual preparations with an addition of more than usual personal fishing time for Susanne and I. Let’s have a look at some of what this May has been all about, shall we?

The early season lake trout action is always enjoyable, especially when they are up cruising the shallows on Eagle as well as on Clearwater Lake. With all that has been going on we have yet to make it back across the portage trail to test our skills on Clearwater….that is for my next blog post. Overall it was a cold spring and surface temperatures remained quite cold for an extended period. What I thought was going to be the perfect window of opportunity for shallow cruising fish turned out to be more of a challenge. Perhaps too much cold water was turning them away from their usual patterns. While I was concentrating on the upper 10 feet of water, reports of fish being caught trolling the 30 foot range seemed to confirm I was missing the boat…and I sure did. While I did encounter several fish it was very spotty. A less stubborn angler might have been more flexible in his approach. Apparently that isn’t my style. Oh well, there is always next year!

Opening day for walleye…

Since this darn virus thing started last year we have suddenly been “free” to fish opening day. It was kind of like back in our early years of the camp, when things were not so busy, we often took the opportunity to head out on the lake. Seems we are full circle…

Closer to home…

Our opening adventure to Blind Bay was partially a chance to have a scenic boat ride to what can be a popular spring destination. If there were 8 boats on the lake that day, most of them showed up there at some point in time. Closer to home it’s been pretty lonely in terms of other boats and fishermen. I’m not complaining, other than my guests, I prefer it that way.

Things are heating up in the shallow bays…

It seems walleye are moving way back into the bays to feed on bug larvae. We did well trolling shallow running raps in less than 6 feet of water. Water temperatures in the 60 degree range.

This spring we’ve also had a chance to make a few changes…

We’ve installed some nifty window awnings on cabins 7 & 8 to keep the interior cooler and to provide a bit of cover while lounging on the deck. Another addition was a deck awning on the lodge…..keeping things cool and extending right over the deck…

We also replaced some of the older floating docks this spring. While they still need some fine tuning I think they will be a good improvement…

To wrap things up a fishing report from last evening…

Our “hot spot” from last spring has yet to produce, but we gave it a shot last evening, and things are slowly turning on…

Bummed about the border…

I know everyone is tired of the uncertainty of when / if trips can be taken. I know I am. There’s only so many blog posts I can create with Susanne and I fishing….or is there? Perhaps a cooking segment? Dogs fly fishing?

The point is to show our guests, and remind ourselves, of what a great spot this is and why we all enjoy it so much. Does it fill the void? Probably not but let’s not be overly pessimistic. We keep hearing encouraging reports, generally followed by negative ones….that suggest some movement on reopening the border will take place in the near future. Manitoba, our neighbor to the west seems to be in a dire predicament in terms of being the highest number of cases per capita in North America right now. Seems they were less than serious up until this point. I seem to be using the word “point” a lot….but what is the point?

Bottom line is at some point (damn that word!) things will return to normal. Till then hang tight, plan accordingly and watch for the signs…

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It has been declared by…

…our crack team of ice out experts that as of April 14, 2021 the ice is officially off of Vermilion Bay on Eagle Lake! That means theoretically there are two more days of open water fishing before the walleye season closes. Correction: one more day…no fishing on the 15th! I say theoretically because who wants to fish in a wind swept lake with snow and close to freezing temperatures? I see that half of you put your hands up…

The contest post game break down…

Like any competition there needs to be meaningful analysis, statistics and a gathering of large men with thick necks. I can provide the first two, but the latter will have to await the reopening of the border.

Interesting fact: Almost 10% of contestants picked May 1 as their guess!

Interesting fact: Only two people picked the right date. They both submitted their guess on the same day (March 10). Since there can be only one winner we need to go “up top” to review the photo finish…

Undisputable fact: Sally Rasmussen and Mike Morris both had the foresight to pick April 14th as the winning date. In a forensic analysis of the emails it appears Sally submitted her guess at 11:46 a.m. Mike Morris submitted his guess at 8:13 p.m. They say the early bird gets the worm….Congratulations Sally.

The agony of defeat: While there can only be one winner (Sally Rasmussen), Mike Morris was sooooo close he will forever be remembered for his split second defeat. Some may say controversial. I say, Mike, well done!

Interesting fact: Close calls…..Jim Stanzel (April 15), Bayview Tracy (April 13)

A word about the winner…Sally Rasmussen…

It appears Sally has a bit of a reputation. You may recall seeing them at the lodge over the years……..her and Bruce in their Boston Whaler. Bruce often seen skulking behind the fish house. Sally often asking “Have you seen Bruce?”. Little known fact is that Sally is part of the exclusive “VBL 52 inch club”. No, this is not a waist size, but a recognition of her biggest musky caught here at the lodge. She can now add “Ice Out Winner 2021” to her ever bulging trophy case. We look forward to her next visit when she can claim her fabulous mystery prize, and bonus pat to the back!

Thanks for taking part…good luck next year. Stay tuned for the start of “Open Water”, and fishing Eagle Lake!

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You can see from the picture taken yesterday on April 7th that the sun was shining and the ice was melting. What you can’t see, as this being April 8th, is the rain, wind and overall wetness that has descended upon us. A good thing too, as March was the driest in the past 100 years. The ice is looking feeble, and some rain and wind will likely take it’s toll.

As you can tell we are in desperate need of some rain to get the lake level back up. The “bath tub ring” is the water level last fall. In the foreground is the swimming raft I pulled up on shore before freeze up.

Fortunately there is quite a volume of rain in the forecast over the next few days. Hopefully we will get to see the creek fill back up before any guests arrive.

Speaking of the docking situation, we had ordered some new floating dock last fall to replace some of the older sections….here is truck load number one!

I was surprised that we actually had enough (barely) water to float the docks off the trailers into the creek. They will stay in this position till the water goes up a bit and I can remove the old dock system.

Well, there you have it…

… a quick update on the ice conditions and a few shots of what’s going on up here. I should mention that Canada is really lagging behind the US in terms of getting needles in arms. This is a factor that may decide on when the border might reopen. On a positive note Susanne has just received her first shot and I’m scheduled for this coming Saturday. I wish I had a crystal ball to accurately make predictions for when things will reopen. I would say that May / June are very unlikely. July is a wild card. August has potential, and September seems likely. Hopefully your ice out predictions will not be as lame as this! As I look at the guesses you sent in the majority seem to have a good shot. Only one has reached it’s past due date (April 5th…Joe S., better luck next year!)

If you haven’t already read this interview that Andrew from Northern Jacks did with me, check it out! While you are there check out his blog and sign up….he posts some interesting stuff! Here’s the link : “Tales from the Lodge”

The post Ice Out Update: April 7, 2021 “Progress!” appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

March 30, 2021: Out like a lion?

It feels like the windswept tundra at VBL today. Yesterday we had a high of 10 C. and today it’s a balmy minus 7 C with howling wind and snow. At first glance ice conditions seem to be unchanging. The creek is still solid and the lake ice is tight to the shore. It’s a strange spring melt…..no rain, and no runoff. Reports seem to indicate however that the ice thickness is thinning quickly, probably due to some of the sunny days we’ve had.

Someone once said that March was created for people who don’t drink so they could experience what a hangover was like. With weather like this I would tend to agree. Here’s a few pictures from a couple days ago (pre snow!)…

Let’s hope for some spring rains to get the lake levels back up!

If you recall back in the Fall I did a post that included the retrofitting process for the wooden musky. Back in the day, as seen above, it looked great….however the elements eventually took their toll and it needed to go into retirement.

Charles Weiss was the original creator of the musky, but he recently moved to Nova Scotia, and the logistics of getting this to him to repaint seemed onerous. Fortunately Susanne knew of a talented local artist (Rhonda Beckman) who agreed to put her spin on this…

Well, it’s definitely an eye catcher! Not sure yet if it’s going back on the deck rail or perhaps a more sheltered location…

It’s still not to late to get your ice out guess in!

The post Ice Out Update: March 30, 2021 appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

It sure seems like spring is coming along at a fast pace! Here’s a look at what it looks like today:

So let’s recap how the contest works…

I have to remind everyone that the contest is open to anyone reading the blog. No need to be a guest, but if you win and want your “prize” you will need to show up to collect it (barring continued border closure!). Anyways, it’s simple. First person to pick the correct date the ice leaves Vermilion Bay will be the winner. All guesses are kept secret till ice out. I’ve had a good response so far, so if you are still on the fence you better get ‘er done!

Clearwater Lake ramp rehab…

So if you recall from some earlier blog post, the boat ramp I have the portage boats on in Clearwater took a beating during the ice out last year. I waited to this spring to tackle it hoping lake levels would cooperate….and they did. The water is so low the whole mess was exposed.

So assuming the water goes back up to a somewhat normal level the ramp should work just fine. I’ve added more of the “slippery stuff” to make getting the boats on and off easier for some of us more mature individuals. Some new spark plugs and fresh gas….the boats are ready to go. Even fired them up to satisfy my curiosity. Hopefully things will transpire so that they get used this season. More on that at the end of this blog.

The last photo was taken yesterday. I worked on the ramp over three days. Day one the ice was free of water. By day three in front of the ramp I had a couple inches and holes were appearing where I could see the lake bed. Still plenty of ice on the lake, but some warm weather coming…I’m glad I got it done when I did.

The weather has been so nice we even did a cookout on the point:

Border predictions…

So unlike in the US where the vaccine rollout is going strong, and many people seem to be getting back to a more normal condition….here in the great white north we seem to be far behind, with talk of a 3rd wave and exotic variants. Vaccinations? Well, maybe by September, some talk of end of June…it seems confusing at best. For that reason and a few others we are not optimistic about May or June. If you are booked into that time frame, and don’t have the luxury of hoping for the best (ie. you may require advance notice to consider other options) then you may want to consider moving things to the same time in 2022. This is not ideal and we wish it was otherwise, but I think it’s best to be realistic.

Let’s end on a good note…

Some reminders of a more normal time here at VBL….and everywhere else!

The post Ice Out Contest Update: March 17, 2021 appeared first on Vermillion Bay Lodge.

Thou art all ice. Thy kindness freezes. William Shakespeare

Likely William Shakespeare never experienced a NW Ontario winter, but his sentiment is pertinent to this blog post. Another ice out competition is up for grabs! A valuable prize…the ability to boast like a politician on steroids…and the admiration of your fellow VBL’ers. What more could you ask for! We will flesh this out a bit later in this blog post…but first some fish bling:

So just a bit of an update since the last blog post. Weather wise we had a couple weeks of seriously cold weather…

…but things have morphed nicely into a warming trend. In fact the last couple of days have had some rain and serious snow melt. Hence this notification of an imminent Ice Out Contest.

On a recent outing Pat & Sharon (Cedar Point Lodge) were able to put on a fish catching seminar…

So, the ice out contest…

Yes, it’s that time. The rules in a nutshell: You get to make one guess when the ice will be gone from Vermilion Bay. Your guess will be kept confidential! Email Gord with your prediction at vbay@drytel.net. Remember there is no need to rush your prediction…I will be posting regular updates / pictures on ice conditions to aid in your efforts…….BUT…the first person to pick the correct date will be the winner. Do you go for broke and jump the gun, or do you bide your time to collect intell? That is the dilemma you face. Good luck!

Thoughts on the upcoming season…

I probably don’t have to remind folk about the border closure last year. Thank you everyone for pushing your reservations and deposits forward to this year! We appreciate your loyalty! It seems this year isn’t the slam dunk we were hoping for in terms of getting back to normal. I’ve contacted our May guests to say that it is unlikely that those trips will happen with the current state of the COVID. I’m a bit dubious about June as well and would suggest that if you need advance notice to rearrange vacation times and to rebook alternate holidays it may be time to consider this option. I’m happy to leave reservations as they stand in the hopes things turn around…we are here regardless and ready to go at a moment’s notice. On a more positive note, there seems to be an uptick in vaccine shipments to Canada which might mean an opportunity to get things moving again. The US seems to be on-track as well. While I remain optimistic I think it’s important to be upfront with all our guests, especially those who don’t have the flexibility of waiting till the last moment. As a back up plan we have started filling in weeks for 2022 starting in May. We will keep this option available to those that may need it….and will continue to honor your deposit and our 2020 rates for that circumstance.

Good luck in the contest and I will update you with more frequent blog entries, and hopefully some interesting fish pictures!

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