Early Check-Ins - Check-In Time is 3:00 PM

Just a reminder to those of you coming up to visit us at Bear Trail. Our Check-In Time is 3:00 PM. We appreciate all of you who've given us that time on Saturday to have everything ready for you.

We are just wanting to let everyone know that Saturdays are Very Busy around here with most of our guests not leaving until as late as 9:00 AM on the same day that you are checking in. We usually do not have boats and cabins ready until 3:00 PM.

On any given Saturday, we are cleaning boats, boat maintenance, cleaning cabins, mowing/weedeating (so we don't have cars to contend with), preparing meals, etc. Allowing us the few 6 hours that we need to complete our duties is much appreciated. Even stopping to load private boats in the water takes a little time and assistance.

Please, no early check-ins.

We want everyone to feel welcome when they arrive but we also want to have everything prepared and ready for those arriving for their vacations...

We appreciate if we could have that time to have everything done by the time you arrive for your vacation! We look forward to seeing all of you this summer!

No Need For "Boater's Card"...

We have been receiving numerous questions regarding the "Pleasure Craft Operator Card" that was started last summer. This card only applies to Canadian Residents. I pasted the exact quote off of the Boater Exam Website, which clearly states that if you are here on vacation for less than 45 consecutive days (don't we wish we could vacation for that long...LOL) then you DO NOT REQUIRE THE BOATER'S CARD.

"Non-residents only need to obtain a Pleasure Craft Operator Card if they are operating their powered boat in Canadian waters for more than 45 consecutive days or if the boat they are operating is registered or licensed in Canada (this includes rented boats). Boater Education Cards or equivalent certifications are recognized in Canada. Proper identification should be kept on board at all times to provide proof of residency."

If you have any other questions, please feel free to call or e-mail anytime!!

Outdoors Card for Fishing Licenses 2010

Just wanted to post a reminder to those of you who received their Outdoors Card from their fishing trip last year. REMEMBER TO BRING THOSE WITH YOU!!

If you did not receive an Outdoors Card from visiting us in 2009, then you can do one of two things:

Call the Ministry of Natural Resources to order a replacement card. The phone # to call is (800) 387-7011. This may take several weeks.

If you are really close to your trip dates and cannot receive a replacement card in time, then you can purchase another card from us for $9.00 (Approx.) CAD.

If you have any other questions, you can e-mail or call us anytime!

Update for June 24, 2010

Did I mention that fishing on Eagle this year has been AWESOME?? We have talked to numerous of our repeat guests who tell us that this has been their Very Best Year of Fishing Ever on Eagle Lake! We are assuming that the slot sizes and conservation efforts have done wonders for our fishery, but the proof is laying in the fish buckets every night....FULL, FULL, FULL... The eagles are not going hungry this year.

We have had another great week here, with lots of numbers of walleyes and perch being brought in daily. The perch are right up there in size w/ the walleye. Got great pics this week, so I'll be posting them soon. Check out our FaceBook site for the latest pictures posted.

The big fish this week cannot go ignored, either. We've had two giant muskies that were boated and several others that tantalized some fishermen to no avail. Might as well stick a $20 bill on a hook and stick it out there for them to take... Paige Carl of Sandy, UT was our latest to land a Monster Muskie that had consumed the Northern Pike that she was reeling in. I'll be snatching a copy of her pictures tonight to post. Most of the fish boated have been towards the 30 # mark or above, with several catching some of those growing muskies too.

Bait is the ticket. The northern and muskies are very eager to take those artificial lures but most of my numbers of walleyes right now are coming from minnows, leeches and crawlers. If you have any questions about your upcoming trip and what types of lures are working, please e-mail or call us anytime! Please be patient, though, we are in and out most all day, so we will answer those ASAP.... Thanks to all of you who've visited us this year! It seems to be flying by! We look forward to seeing you guys next summer!!!

Update for June 18, 2010

We are wrapping up another great week of fishing here on Eagle Lake. We have had nothing but 4-5 weeks of great weather, for the most part.

Started today with extremely high winds that began lastnight and lasted throughout the afternoon. We are now having mainly rain with a lighter breeze this evening. Temps have remained in the 60s and low 70s most of the week with today topping out in the high 50s. Most everyone called it a week by mid-afternoon today.

Our groups this week are taking their limits home, if they wanted them. We had an awesome week for walleye, northern and some huge perch. Our biggest walleye this week were two 28 inchers, 27 incher and several 20-27 inch walleyes.

Highway 502 Open to Traffic

Highway 502 is open from being temporarily closed for a short time last weekend. On Saturday, they had opened it up to one lane at the washout. Anyone wanting to use this route should have no problems passing through.

If you have any other questions, please let us know!

Update for June 13, 2010

The morning started out a little slower but mid-day picked up. Most everybody in camp caught a lot of eaters w/ several reporting slot and trophy size walleyes today. Weather was very nice today with very light showers this morning and sunshine by mid-day.

Water temps remain in the mid-60s. Should be a good week.

Hwy 502 is open to traffic but may still be down to one-lane. Haven't heard any updates to that. I'll post any new info as it comes available.

Highway 502 Washout on June 11, 2010

Just learned that Hwy 502 has been closed between Fort Frances to Dryden due to a washout in the route. We are just learning of this tonight, so we are hoping to catch some of you that are checking in on June 12th.

You will have to go towards Kenora using Hwy 71 North and then follow Hwy 17 East towards Vermilion Bay. You can reach Hwy 71 by going West on Hwy 11 out of Ft Frances rather than going East towards 502...

If you have any questions, you can reach us at (800) 565-9913. Go to CKDR.NET for more info.

Update for June 10, 2010 -

Eagle Lake is fishing AWESOME with more numbers of walleyes being caught this year than any year before! If they want to take home limits, they don't seem to be having any problems here! The populations are really high w/ a great abundance of walleye being caught between 15-23 inches. We've had several trophy fish caught w/ biggest edging 30 inches! Plenty in the 25-28 inch range, as well.

As for smallies, they were hot and heavy for the first 3 weeks of season, with spawn hitting a little early this year and they are now moving off of the spawn areas. We've seen VERY WARM water temps this season, with our water temps today hitting close to 65 degrees. No complaints here with the weather, with air temps ranging in the 50s to 60s most of the last week and a half! Big smallies caught this year with plenty of 4 and 5 lb fish.

As for northerns, the numbers are doing well but we've also seen several 40 to 41 inch northern being caught up with this Spring, as well. The muskie season hasn't opened yet, it opens June 19th, however, we've had several guests reporting muskies spotted in the 50 to 55 inch range.

I will keep this blog posted as much as possible, but please also check out our Facebook Fan Site for Bear Trail Lodge. I have been posting there quite a bit, as well, with some pictures posted as I receive them.

Update for Saturday, May 29, 2010

The weather has changed a bit in the last few days with overcast skies, occasional thunder-showers and temps in the 50s and 60s. The water temps in the bay here are about 60 degrees. Walleyes still hanging shallow with several being caught off the dock, as well.

The smallmouth bite slowed a little today but still doing decent. The walleyes are VERY ACTIVE with guests catching with both artificial lures and live bait. Yesterday, had guests consisitently catching 25-28 inch walleyes and plenty of small walleye for fish fry...

All is well at Bear Trail!!

Update for May 27, 2010

The weather here is cooler than it has been in a few weeks, with temps in the 50s in the AM and 60s or low 70s during the day. Still unseasonably warm for this time of year.

As for the fishing, walleye are still shallow, with most people finding them w/in 7 ft of water. Even having some caught right off of the dock. Biggest walleye this week is 28 1/2 w/ several caught right at 28 and just under. No problems having the guys find their eater walleyes for shore lunch or dinner every evening.

As for the smallmouth, yesterday was a fun day for two groups that took the Drive-In Trip to the smallmouth lake. Easily a 100+ fish in each boat with sizes ranges from those smaller ones up to 18/19 inches. Catching a lot of those on topwaters and bait, both.

On Eagle, the smallmouth is still hot, with most fish still in the shallows and catching them on topwaters/soft plastics/spinnerbaits, as well. Lots of 18-20 inchers being caught this week. We think that they are just coming on the beds this week, but we'll have to wait to see what the water temps are doing. Water temps started out at 70+ degrees in our bay at the end of last week, but temps have cooled off to the low to mid 50s. The water levels have come up a little, as well, with the 3+ inches of rain that we had on Tuesday.

In all, fishing is good. No complaints here. We'll keep you posted. Keep checking our FaceBook site, as well, for almost daily posts!!

Casey & Chanda

Update for May 25, 2010

Doing well this first week here at Bear Trail! The weather has been great with mild temps in the 70s most of this week. Yesterday, had some storms move through dumping 3 inches of rain on us with a little lightning mixed in. The lightning kept quite a few people out of their boats yesterday, but still had some walleye/bass caught right off the dock.

This week has been very productive for fishing. The bass are still hitting on topwaters and pretty shallow. Walleyes are hitting w/ those artificial lures, as well, with some guys doing good on minnows, too. The northerns are all over the place. Not a problem for action.

Muskie season doesn't open until 3rd Saturday in June, however, they are very active right now w/ some of the guys seeing some coming up w/ their topwater lures and soft plastics. Saw a couple pics with 38 inch and 40 inch muskies caught inadvertantly with Pop-R-Lures and jigheads...

We'll keep you posted here as frequently as possible. My FaceBook site is being updated regularly, as well!! We'll get some pics uploaded soon!

Casey & Chanda

Update for May 18, 2010

I've been updating my FaceBook Site regularly but neglecting this one. You'll have to check out the almost daily posts on FB, as well...

We are seeing temps in the 70s and 80s since May 15th. Sunshine all around for the last four days. The water temps around the dock, yesterday, were at 71.6 degrees. This is extremely warm for this time of year. We've also been seeing unseasonably warm temps for the month, as well. We caught glimpse of several smallies, northern and muskies around the dock yesterday.

We have our first guests arriving on May 22nd this year. The cooler temps in the last few years during opener had a lot of people uneasy with booking the earlier weeks, however, we are full camp from May 22nd until August 7th!! Should be a great year! We are using the extra time to finish up some last minute projects around here. We are ready for our "Opening Weekend"...

Keep an eye out on both this message board and our Face Book Fan Site for Bear Trail Lodge!

Casey & Chanda

Eagle Lake Walleye - Recent Study done by MNR

What we have been saying for quite sometime is now formally documented.

According to a recent study done by the biologists at the Ministry of Natural Resources, the walleye population in Eagle Lake is in Good Shape! All of the data collected indicate that Eagle Lake has a healthy walleye population, being in the top 25% of all lakes in Northwestern Ontario.

They also compared zones of the lake to see the differences in the number of walleye. In 2009, the most walleye were seen in the West Zone, from Blind Bay to the North. They used the numbers of walleye that were captured per netting, where we averaged 3 times higher than the South Zone of the lake. That's very good!!

It goes to show you that having a good slot size in place and good conservation efforts in releasing those brood fish will keep our fish population great for future generations. Thanks to everyone for helping us keep Eagle Lake Great!!

Contacting us...

As of arrival at camp yesterday, seems that our lines here at the lodge are not working. This should be fixed by Monday. We have our 800# still forwarded to the Cell Phone but its not picking up real well here! Leave a message or drop us an e-mail to contact us this weekend!

Sorry for the inconvenience. Gotta work out all the kinks before the guests arrive?!?!

Opening up for 2010 Season!!

We just arrived at camp yesterday. The weather here has been mild for the last couple weeks with a cold front moving in today. We are seeing 40s today but has been in the 50s for the most part.

We are excited to get started for this summer. We are planning a lot of renovations for the cabins and dock, so we should be pretty busy.

If anyone needs to contact us, you can call or e-mail anytime. E-mail may be quicker since we are in and out of the Lodge most of the day. We still have some scattered openings this summer, so let us know if you are wanting to plan a trip up this summer!

Looking forward to another Blow-Out Year at Bear Trail!

Casey & Chanda
Your Hosts at Bear Trail Lodge

Davenport, IA - Quad Cities Boat Show - January 15-17, 2010

Come by and see Chanda at the River Center in the Quad Cities! I look forward to seeing everyone there!!

Council Bluffs - River City Hunting & Fishing Expo - January 15-17, 2010

Come out and see Casey at the River City Hunting & Fishing Expo. We look forward to seeing you guys out there!

Kansas City Sports Show - January 7-10, 2010

The KC Sportshow is now over! We were so excited to get to see all of you who came out to see us this year. We had lots of guests, both past & present, that came to see us. It was great to catch up with you. With the Deep Freeze weather outside, the attendance was really great this year. We got a lot of you in the books for 2010 and we are quickly filling those empty spots!

Thanks for coming out and we hope to see you guys this summer or during the KC Show 2011!!