Owen MacDonald's group

Jess Hunting's honorable 22 lb lunker, May 28, 2011

Way to go Owen! May 27, 2011

Michael's fine specimen, May 28, 2011

Another beauty by Jess, May 27, 2011

Walleye! May 25, 2011

You've all been asking for walleye pics. I am still waiting for our guests to bring me the goods. I know they're catching walleye but as of yet, no pics.

The guys on the dock had the day off so they went fishing. And they got pics to prove it!

Ben's day off! What a beauty!

Ben & Carus. That's how to do it!

New dockhand, Dana with his first walleye...ever!

Carus with another lovely wally!

Season Record for Amanda! May long weekend 2011

We know it's early but after our first weekend, the bar has been set!

Congratulations to Amanda on her 117 cm pike! Way to go Amanda!

Mom, Linda follows up with a 95 cm pike. What a beaut!

Tyler's honorable lunker at 92 cms. Nice catch, Tyler!

No pics of any of Dad's catch. I guess he was too busy netting everyone else's trophies? Way to go Todd!

Carol

May 22, 2011

Christina and her lunker, May long 2011. Way to go, Christina!

Dion & a beautiful walleye. Also, May long 2011. Great job!

May 20 - Let the games begin!!

First catch of the season! 5 casts off the dock. Way to go Ben!!!

OK, so we took off this morning before work just to get an hour on the lake before our guests start arriving! It's been a long winter and it sure felt good to hear the zip of our first strike! The fish are biting! 14 fish in about an hour and a half!

Ben bursting with excitement heading out to our bay.

Some early morning action to get the blood flowing!

Nice pike!

My biggest of the season...but it's early! I forgot how heavy they are!

Early morning. Carus nearby.

Another big one for Carus! Way to go!

See you all here soon!

Cheers,

Carol

First tour of Winefred Lake, May 17

Hi Friends,

Ben and I took a spin around the lake last evening and I thought I'd share a couple of our pics. Of course, it's not the same without your fishing gear. We are rigging out our gear this evening and planning to hit the lake in the early AM on Friday to try a little fishing before we start work for the day. Goodness only knows when we'll get out there again.

We still have some May long weekend slots but are looking very busy for the prime fishing of May and June. See you all here this year!

No ice here! Beautiful evening!




Bird Island. Some of the birds have returned.

Heron on the north side of Bird Island.

Cheers,
Carol

><((((°>

May 16th, Ice?...What ice?

Hello Friends,

I am delighted to report that the ice has fully melted. We took a spin out there today and there is still a little ice on the shores of shady bays but at least there's nothing floating!

So as we gear up for the Victoria Day weekend, the weatherman says we will be looking at the wind dying down to 5 kms and temperatures between 22-24 degrees for the weekend. As well as, cloud and sun mix and POP of 20-30%. All in all, NOT BAD!

I still have availability for our season opening, May 20. Give me a call at the lodge and we'll get you set up for a great holiday weekend.

Cheers,
Carol

Ice Conditions, May 13

Hello friends,

For some reason, my post from yesterday did not upload so I'm including pics from yesterday and today.

This first pic was taken May 12. With almost 20 degrees and winds from the SE at 30 kms, the ice took a real beating. The ice moved out of our bay to the north end of the lake so it appeared that we were making ground. We were all thinking that we should have no problem opening by May 20.

 

This second pic was taken this morning around 11 am. As you can see the ice has receeded further north and even with binoculars, it is hard to see it from the dock. It is still there but we are expecting to see the end of it very soon.

The weather for today is predicting 20 degrees and winds from the south at 15 kms. Really good ice melting weather. Over the next few days we are expecting much of the same and by the 15th or 16th, we should be ice-free.

Who would have thought it could happen. Our spring was very late getting started but it sure has worked in our favor for season opening May 20.

If you still haven't booked your trip, do not wait. Give me a call at the lodge. I still have some great dates available!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Cheers,

Carol

Ice and June Availability

Hi Friends,

Here's the first update on the ice conditions on the lake.

It seems that the wind has come from all directions today! So it has brought the ice back into our bay which is a very good thing! Movement means thrashing and bashing which certainly helps to beat it down. The wind is strong and gusting over 30 kms from the SE at the current time, and current temperature is just over 20 degrees celsius. An overnight low of 7 should help break it down further.

All this movin' and shakin' is breaking it up pretty quickly. I'll post again tomorrow with a new up-to-date pic!

For those of you who have not booked and are thinking you might not be able to get in through the June prime fishing time...I have a cabin and a couple of Eagle's Nest suites that just came open. This can accommodate group(s) up to 14 people on Thursday June 16 through to check-out on Sunday June 19. Don't wait on this one, I am fully booked out for June weekends otherwise. This opening won't last long!

See you all here at the lodge!
Carol

Out Fishin' (by Edgar A. Guest)

Hello Friends,

Over the past few days, we've been watching, debating and scrutinizing the ice conditions on the lake. Until this week, we were convinced that the ice might not be gone for our opening weekend, May 20th. However just today, we can see the ice beginning to move. As I look at our dock, the ice has moved to the east and there is now open water from our dock to the first point on the west side of the bay!

It appears that our bay is ice free. As we all know, it will move around for awhile before it's gone. But this sure is an improvement over last week when we couldn't see any water at the dock.

I will start posting pictures each day, starting tomorrow, with comments about the lake conditions.

I am booking and have availability for the May long weekend. As outlined in the Alberta Sportfishing Regulations, the fishing season opens on Winefred Lake on May 20th which is also the lodge's season opening date.

With great expectation for a wonderful fishing season, I'd like to share the following with you all. This was sent to me by a very special angler who quickly became a fan of Winefred Lake and a friend to all of us here at the lodge. Thank you for sharing John! See you in June!

Cheers!

Carol