A View From South Dakota's Roy Lake...

This has been an interesting Fall.  I had the opportunity to fish with Jason Mitchell along with Dennis Kassube in August.  They filmed two shows, the first on Walleye Fishing and the 2nd show topwater fishing for Bass.  A lot of fun with successful fishing both days.  These shows will air after the first of the year and show thru July, 2010. 
 
Bill Sherk with Due North Outdoors and Minnesota Bound was also here towards September bass fishing.  Boy, did they get the weather, but filmed a great fishing show and also on things to do in the area.  It will also be shown after the 1st of the year thru July 2010.
 
We have had some great fishing this Fall, both walleye and Bass, Northerns of good size, and crappie.  Although the Crappie bite hadn't really taken off, some people were able to find the crappie holes and get some great slabs. 
 
Now we are in a very interesting time frame waiting for the lake to turn over.  Water temperature right now is 43 degrees trying to go to 42 degrees.  I know this because Chuck Eldridge of La Dredge Corporation installed a camera underneath the dock.  The camera is linked to a tv in the cafe which also shows temperature.  Right now, there are no fish on tv.  The bait fish have gone deep and as the cold water on the bottom goes to the top the bait fish will come in.  The big fish are staging in about 14-19 feet of water and no matter what you throw at them they will not bite.  (There have been some walleyes caught from shore, but this is not the norm for the next day or two.)  As soon as the turnover is completed the bait fish will come into shore and the big fish will be chasing them.  Not only will boat fishing be good so will the wader fishing.  If you haven't tried wader fishing you should   I can only describing it as being one with the water.  Because I am short, sometimes when talking with taller fisherman the water goes down my waders and I really do feel like one with the water.  The guys think this is funny.  I think it is blonde.
 
We have a framed in area on our walle of fame in the Dining room.  We are going to devote this as a Tribute to our Military.  If you are a customer of mine or have family that are or have been in the military please send me a picture and a short note as to what their tours of duty included.  We are very proud of our military friends and would like to share them with everyone.  My address is above or you can e-mail me pictures and I will copy them and put them up.
 
I look forward to hearing from you.
 
Jan - www.roylakeresort.com
Jan@roylakeresort.com

Unexpected Gifts...

By: Neil Johnson
I want to encourage you all to invest time, effort, and finances in to what’s most important. To illustrate this point I want to tell you a little bit about what my family has been experiencing.

My Dad is dying. In truth we all are. I’m not trying to be morbid, it’s simply a fact we must all deal with. It could happen at any time, yet some of us are given the gift of knowing that it will visit us soon. My Dad has been given this “gift” although some people wouldn’t call it that.

This past December Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. Initially it was thought that the cancer was discovered early enough to treat with an upper lobectomy, which involved removing the upper third of the lung. As unpleasant as that sounds it would’ve removed the cancer and eliminated the problem. Filled with hope my Dad and I went down to Mayo where he was run through a battery of tests. The results were not positive. Surgery was not an option. He was in stage four and we were told that ninety-five percent of the people were dead within five years. On the ride home from Rochester Dad and I talked about a number of things, but one of the things we talked about was the “gift.”You see, there were to many times where both Dad and I allowed things to get in the way of spending time together or saying things that needed to be said, but now we knew we didn’t have that much time left. The conversations became more open and we were dedicated to making sure my kids knew their Grandpa more.

This spring we set up a fishing trip to Elbow Lake. We stayed at Elbow Lake Lodge, which provided the perfect atmosphere for what would turn out to most likely be our last fishing trip together. The general manager of the resort, Lee Byram, is also a pastor so he had an interest in making sure our stay was enjoyable and care free. The fishing was slow that weekend but the important thing was spending time with my Dad, my brother, my nephew, and my two oldest boys. My Dad loves his grandchildren and on the first night we gathered around him as he told us a story and presented us with some special gifts (lures that he knew to be the best). The next day while attempting to fish we must have looked like something out of the Keystone Cops. My brother doesn’t fish, my dad had injured his foot, and the kids are young (7,6, and 6). At one point one line was stuck in a tree, one lure was snagged on the carpet, another line was snagged on a rock, and two lines were tangled up together. It seemed to be all we could do to keep lines untangled and in the water. But we were together. I watched as my Dad struggled along, yet loved on his grandkids.

This past week I was at Elbow Lake Lodge again. I was with my wife, our five kids and a special friend of our family. This time the fishing was fantastic. We caught walleye, northern, bass, panfish, and perch. Then we got a phone call regarding my Dad, and one more gift. Dad was in the hospital and was told that because of his pain he would no longer be able to live at home by himself. We cut our vacation a little short and went to Bemidji to pick him up.

It was during our car ride home that I was given the best gift of all. Just Dad and I were in the car. We talked about the past and we talked about the future. He told me he had finally made peace with God and had asked to be forgiven of his sins. For me that was the best gift, something I had been praying about for quite some time. But then again, my Dad had been given the “gift” of knowing his time on Earth was short, and he was able to put his affairs in order. Some of us will never get that gift.

Today as I helped my dad get out of bed, go to the bathroom, and get a little bit of food I was reminded just how fragile life is. I wish I would’ve spent even more time with my Dad. Still, I am grateful for the special times we did have, most of which occurred while at the lake, whether it was our personal property or a place like Elbow Lake Lodge. The key is to have an environment free of distractions. The lake is the perfect place.

Larry William Johnson passed away on Monday July, 6th at my home in Oak Grove, MN. He kept a positive attitude and fought to the end but eventually the cancer won. He was as graceful in his passing as he had proven to be in life. We worked hard to manage his pain and keep him comfortable till the Hospice Nurse arrived (thank God for them). We didn’t do everything right and I know he was in incredible pain, but he never got upset or angry.

Pictured from left to right - Steve and Damien, Nathan, Grandpa Larry, Isaiah and NeilJust the other day I was talking to my oldest son, Isaiah, about the pain Grandpa Larry was experiencing at the end. Isaiah looked at me with a big smile and said, “But he’s not in any pain anymore! In fact he’s probably already caught the new world record fish!!”

Although I can see the gifts God provided at the end, I still wasn’t ready to loose my Dad. The best and most fitting comments I heard were from a business contact who said, “Neil it’s a big hole.”

May God Bless you and your family in your Lakeshore dreams!

Neil Johnson is an avid fisherman, outdoor enthusiast and currently works with www.LakeShoreDreams.com 

Catfish Special

Hello Minnesota Bound,
On Saturday May 30, 2009 my youngest daughter Baylee who is 7 years old and I took a trip down to the Minnesota River along Blackdog road for a day of fishing. We were fishing from the shore under the 35W bridge and not having much luck. We packed up and moved to the south side of the river and picked a spot on a little sandy beach and fished in one of the outlets that lead to and from the river. After a few casts and nothing taking what I had to offer I set up my daughters new rod and reel (a present for catching her first fish on Memorial Day) a Zebco combo setup with a 4lb test line. I put the bait on the hook...Cheese of all things, and after about 5 minutes her pole was yanked from the resting stake and was getting dragged into the water. I dove for the rod and reel and told her to come get her pole that she had a fish on. As soon as she grabbed it the fish started to take off and my daughters eyes were as big as saucers. I could tell she was scared and excited at the same time. She said she did not want to get pulled in. I told her she was ok and that all she had to do was listen to me, “hold the tip up in the air, when I tell you to, reel in a couple time and take a step back, let the fish do the work and tire itself out”, “ok Daddy.”   I have to tell you she listened and was completely focused. After about 10 minutes she landed this monster.  A 26” 7lb catfish. She was not scared to hold it as you can see.  We released it and then tossed out another line and about 5 minutes later she caught another one. This time she handled herself like she had been fishing for years and not days. This one was 15” long and about 3 lbs. We again released it and continued the day fishing and talking with other fishermen who were there to see this little 7 year old girl, My pride and joy catch the biggest fish of the day.

Thank you so much for letting me share this very special day with you and all who enjoy the outdoors.

Sincerely,
Daniel A. Hamilton

The Fish Are Biting Up North!

Craig Riendeau keeps us up to speed on what is happening in the north country.  His view is from Thunder Lake near Remer, MN.  Memorial Weekend treated everyone very well.  Enjoy!

Wow, what a weekend.

On Thunder Lake, surface water temps have crept up into the mid-50’s with the beautiful warm weather we had this weekend. As a result, the fishing is really starting to pick up. Crappies, largemouth and smallmouth bass have been starting to become more active on Thunder Lake, while the pike bite on Big Rice remains strong as well. Our guests have had quite the weekend of fishing.

Crappies are being caught in shallow water on slip bobbers with minnows and leeched. It is purely a protective bite right now as they are trying to protect their nests and beds from predators. They are not actively looking to feed.

Smallmouth and largemouth bass are being caught on crankbaits and also on live bait bobber setups. Today was truly an incredible day for smallmouths. We had a few big smallies that were caught today.

On Big Rice Lake, Northern Pike are still being caught on cane poles and daredevils. An occasional walleye is also being caught there as well as some perch.

On Thunder Lake, Scott from Cottage #3, who was a first time guest with us, caught a 20 inch smallmouth. Believe it or not, it was Scott’s 1st ever smallmouth caught! Good luck trying to top that. Not to be outdone, Nathan from Cottage #10 landed a beautiful 20 3/4″ smallmouth that was his biggest ever also! These are two trophy smallies caught on the same day on the same lake at the same resort. Chip from The McCleary Cabin also reeled in a big female smallmouth as well. Both Nathan and Chip released theirs, while Scott is having his mounted. Chris from Cottage #8 also landed a very nice Thunder Lake walleye.

This might sound like I’m making this up so you will either just have to take my word for it, or ask my guests themselves, but believe it or not, Jerry caught his two biggest walleyes ever on back-to-back days on Rice Lake. The 1st walleye measured at 22.5″ and the 2nd measured at 24.5″. Vern & Donovan also caught some nice pike on Rice Lake as well. Donovan had a bonus JUMBO perch on the stringer to show too.

Click Here to see the photos from the weekend.

Muskie Attacks Perch...

I took my daughter, Ella and a friend of mine with his kids fishing this weekend on Bald Eagle Lake. We caught over 75 panfish, the kids had a blast. The highlight was when one kid yelled “Look at the huge fish under the boat!”...It was a muskie.  At that same moment, I had hooked a small perch and reeled him in. The muskie couldn’t resist and attacked the perch. The kids were screaming and jumping up and down. I battled the unhooked musky for 10 minutes with my ultra light and 4lb test, I guess he didn’t want to give up his meal. We were able to get the musky’s head in my small net and hoist him in. After pictures and releasing the 40” fish. We released the muskie and tried to release the, now dead, perch that the musky attacked. Minutes later the same musky was hovering under the perch. It was quite a sight. The picture on Ella’s face is priceless.

By: Matt Rammer