Sunday, May 27, 2012

FISHING SEASON IS OPEN

The fishing season at Manotak Lodge has officially opened and we are catching fish.  The week started off with great weather and great fishing.  The weather turned cold as the week went on but the fishing stayed hot.   As we expected because of the warm weather this spring, the Walleyes were not in Ord River but out on the main lake.   We thought "Eyes" would be slightly deeper than usual because of the warmer water temps (as high as 61 degrees F surface) but we were still catching most in 6-14 feet of water.  We found some at 18-21 but the majority were at 10ish feet.  10ish must a word, google it.   Our secret weapon lure for Walleyes is proving to be exactly what we expected when we tried it this past Fall.  Two of our regular guests told me that they had days they believed to be some of the best fishing they can remember.  One has been here for over 35 years.   The other fisherman and good friend of mine Mark, had just a phenomenal last evening of fishing where he went through 4 dozen minnows in 3 hours and most of the Walleyes were 20-24 inches.  He asked me to go fishing with him that night but I made the mistake of working instead.   My loss for now but we will make it up in the Fall when Mark returns.  If you want to know what this secret lure is, email me at:  manotaklodge@gmail.com
Pike were also on a terror with a couple over 40 inches being caught.   The majority of Pike were in shallow depths chasing Walleyes, Perch and Bass.   Bass have come up shallow now which is slightly earlier than normal so Pike have a smorgasbord to choose from.   Spinners and Cranks are working but the majority of Pike have been caught on Suckers and Ciscos.   We have these live baits at the lodge and we can teach you how to fish this technique.  The season started with fisherman catching afew Bass and most were on the smaller side but as the week progressed, the size and quantity increased.    We believed that Bass would be spawning earlier than normal but we now have fairly cold weather so this might slow it down.  Perch have been quite active this first week.  We normally do not target Perch this time of year but they have been biting so guests are getting a bonus.  Muskie's have also been active with a 47 incher being caught on a minnow while the fisherman was Walleye fishing.  
As stated earlier, the weather has turned cold and rainy so we will see how the fishing goes the next few days.  We had planned on making our first video for the Manotak Lodge Weekly Fishing Report but we are in the final stages of some changes so stay tuned in the near future.  On a last note, I want to mention that many guests ask us if the water warms up enough to be able to swim at the dock during the season.  We always tell them yes that the water usually warms up in July & August to be able to swim comfortably.  Well, I need to change my usual answer now that Ken & Lenny have proven that swimming can take place in May.  Well, ok maybe they weren't really swimming.  It might be considered more like flopping & flayling in the water but none the less they gave it a go.   I will tell the stories when you arrive for your fishing trip here at Manotak Lodge.     One last comment, we have heard comments that our Live Webcams showing the lodge grounds and dock sometimes are slow to load.  We are sorry for this inconvenience and we are working on it but being in such a remote locations we know that we are pushing the boundaries of WI-FI.  Also, there are alot of people looking at the webcams so the server is being taxed extensively.   For the most part we know that guests are able to see them on a regular basis so we hope you enjoy the show
That is all for now.  Stay tuned for more.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

WE HAVE ARRIVED AT MANOTAK

Linda and I have arrived at the lodge and it looks great.  We are very excited to be here and are having alot of fun with the start of sprucing things up.  Our staff shows up this coming Friday so that is when the real work begins.  As most of you know, it has been a warm winter up here in NW Ontario and it is still rather warm.  We are not sure if it was a record date or not but ice-out we believe was around April 5.  This is the earliest we have ever heard of ice-out.   It will be interesting as to where the fish will be this spring.  Walleyes should mostly be out of their spawning grounds and starting to think about where they want to be on the lake based on water temps.  Pike should still be around the usual places such as Jackfish and Ord Bay but they even might be spread out more than normal. 
Speaking of fishing, we want to remind people about the ability to buy your fishing license and Outdoor Card on-line.  This is a great option to get your fishing license ahead of time instead of waiting at the lodge.  The reason I say "Waiting at the lodge" is because we will have a new electronic license system here at the lodge and we are already hearing about some small bugs in the system.  We hear this is translating into longer time periods for each license.  We know with any new system there are kinks to be ironed out but the on-line purchase of a fishing license and outdoor card is simple and fast.  Linda & I purchased ours yesterday and it was a matter of 5 minutes each.  Here is the link for the website that you would go to:  http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/OC/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_091032.html
If there is a problem with this link let me know by posting a comment on this blog or send me an email at:  manotaklodge@gmail.com.    One suggestion we have is that when you are instructed to print your receipt, that you also save that final E-License and Outdoor Card form somewhere on your computer in case you need to access it later.  We are not sure how to get a duplicate other than making a copy from the original one that you printed.  We also made multiple copies and stashed them in various places such as tackle boxes, luggage, vehicle, etc. so just in case it gets wet, we have another copy handy.  If the on-line purchase does not work for you or you still want to buy your license at the lodge, that is no problem either.  We will have them available here.
We have very exciting news and that is our pet duck Lunch is back and in rare form.  She was swimming out in front of the dock and I talked to her for all of 3 words and she came running in for bread.  She ate out of my hand right away.  The next day Linda and I were working all the way up behind our garage and she walked up from the dock and stood there looking at us like where the heck have you been, I am hungry.   This is 5 years straight she has been coming to our lodge.  It made us think that she has a pretty good gig going here with free food and no deposit ever paid.  I have to admit that any worries that I had in life just left me when she showed up.  We will be turning on our live Webcams very soon.  We thought all of you would get some enjoyment out of seeing the ice on the lake melt and leave but that obviously is not going to happen.  We will try and look like we are very busy when we are in front of the camera.  If we are carrying fishing poles and tackle boxes and leaving the dock in a boat, don't worry we are still working.  We are doing research for our guests prior to your visit.   This is a tough assignment but we are up to the challenge.  Well, that is all for now.  If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment in this blog or email.  We really hope comments come in so we can keep a Manotak dialogue going.

Friday, March 30, 2012

FISHING AT MANOTAK LODGE 2012

Well, it has been some time since we last posted a blog but the fishing season is fast approaching and we thought everyone is getting excited to fish at Manotak Lodge. The Walleye fishing is only 49 days, 15 hours, 2 minutes and 45 seconds away so get that gear ready. If you have been following the weather most of you know that it has been extremely warm up at the lodge. Reports from our contacts up there are saying that alot of smaller lakes are opening up and it won't be long before the ice is out on the larger lakes like Perrault Lake. This is good news as it makes it easier for us to open up the lodge in the Spring but lake levels are still very low and we need rain. We know that everyone wants good weather when they are there fishing but we really do not like low water levels based on the dock logistics. In regards to "New News", there are a couple of things to report. The Canadian Gov't is reviewing the policies of an individual trying to cross the border into Canada with a DUI. When we first heard the rumors that there might be some "Easing" of the policies we were very excited. We have since recieved a letter from MP Greg Rickford - Kenora (I am not familiar with the organization in Canada as to which office he holds) informing us that an person with a DUI offence of 5 years and older, that recieved no jail time, and has been in good standing with the law since then that they will recieve a one time exemption into Canada and will not be charged a fee. I am paraphrasing alot of the details of the letter so it will fit into this blog but this is good news. I know the first question you are asking yourself is what happens in the future after this one time exemption. We are of the understanding that the Canada Gov't still wants you to apply for a permanent waiver. I will be sending out Greg Rickfords' letter to all of our fisherman who have signed up to receive our newsletter. You can sign up by going to our homepage and clicking on the brown box that states "Sign up for Newsletter".
We also wanted to remind everyone about our Fall Special in September. Maybe you could not make it up in the early part of the season because of schedule conflicts or maybe you are thinking about a second trip to Manotak Lodge. This would make it easier on the pocketbook as our Special involves the 1st Fisherman is regular price and the 2nd fisherman is HALF PRICE. Any plan is available: Housekeeping, Evening Meal or American Plan. If you have never experienced September fishing you will want to try it. It is my favorite time to fish Canada. Cabins are filling very quickly so call us soon. We will be turning on our Live Webcams very soon after we arrive at the lodge so stay tuned. Thats about it for now. We will be blogging more often now that the fishing season is fast approaching.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Manotak Lodge News

I know it has been a long time since the last post on the blog but time really has passed fast. I have always tried to keep this blog about Manotak Lodge and fishing but I want to make one exception at this time if you don't mind. My mother passed away this past week and it really put things into perspective. Linda & I are very very lucky to not only have our own families to rely on during these times but to also have our Manotak family. My mother passed away from a long battle with cancer and it makes a person think about making sure that we experience all we can in life when we can. We were very fortunate that she had a chance to come up to Manotak and catch one of her favorite fish: Walleye. She taught me well. This sounds simplistic but the next statement is true: Go fishing with family and friends: SOON & OFTEN. You all should remember that we promised to give away a free trip to Manotak Lodge based on one of the winners from this past summers MANOTAK MASTER ANGLER CONTEST. From a random draw of names the winner is: TOR SAILE. We want to thank all of the fisherman this past summer for fishing hard to win but you know you are all winners because you fished at Manotak Lodge (OK, so we are biased alittle bit).
We have made some changes to our website and one of the changes that we are excited about is the new Welcom Video on our homepage. Take a look and let us know how we did. Yes, we were reading our lines but, hey, we are fisherman not actors. I think Linda looks great. This welcome video gave us another new idea that is coming soon. It will be another video so stay tuned. We would also like to thank everyone who commented on Trip Advisor and for the great reviews. We are now number 1 in reviews for Ontario fishing lodges. These reviews are very important for new guests and we are very appreciative for the comments.
We want to mention that weeks are really filling up fast so if you are on the fence about coming up to Canada to fish with us, please give us a call or email. It is only 106 Days, 1 hour, 32 minutes and 45 seconds until opening of the fishing season at Manotak Lodge. Can you feel the jerk on the line. Can you smell the Walleye frying in the pan. You are not dreaming, it happens at Manotak Lodge. Remember to watch for our Live Dock Video Cam starting in early May. I promise to blog more often.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Manotak Lodge Update

Hello to all of our Manotak Lodge fishermen,
Linda and I hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving holiday and are now getting your Christmas fishing wish list organized. We thought we would post with some of the latest Manotak news. This is going to be a fairly lengthy post so grab a cup of coffee (or a beer) and enjoy.
First things first: GO PACKERS! – GO BADGERS! It is fun to be a cheesehead at the moment. Two exciting games this past weekend that will gray anyone’s hair in a blink of an eye. While there are many other great teams, we know down deep that you are all rooting for the Packers and Badgers. Just as you all pulled for Jeff Gordon in Nascar this Fall.
On to Manotak business. The 2012 Sportshow season is right around the corner and we truly hope that everyone can come out and visit us in our booth. Please wear your Manotak Lodge shirts and hats as we have no problem “showing off”. We are very close to finalizing our sportshow schedule and will post on our website very shortly. We do know that we will be in St. Charles Chicago, Milwaukee WI, Green Bay WI, Madison WI, and St. Louis MO.
If you have not finalized your dates for coming up to Manotak this summer, give Linda a call and she can discuss all details. If you have not sent in your deposit as of yet, we ask that you do this within the next week. We normally ask that deposits be received by Thanksgiving so that we know what dates we have available when we get to the sportshows. It is always a difficult situation for us when we don’t hear from a group and we believe they still might want to come up fishing. We don’t like to give your cabin away but we also don’t like to get caught with an open cabin for the summer. We prefer that you send a personal check for the deposit. We still accept credit cards but have instituted a small fee for processing. Send all deposits to: Manotak Lodge PO Box 318 New London, WI 54961
Something that we started late last year and have decided to keep it again for this year is our HALF PRICE FALL SPECIAL. First fisherman is Full Price and the second fisherman is HALF PRICE! This is for September only. We have always tried to promote Fall Fishing as it is one of our favorite times to fish in Ontario. The weather is usually fantastic and the fish are stacked up on the reefs and on a feeding binge for winter. We know that we are competing against other outdoor sports in your home states such as bow hunting, grouse, ducks, etc. but once you experience September fishing in Ontario you might not change to any other time. Hopefully this incentive will convince you.
Another enticement that we would like to mention is our rental home in Panama City Beach Florida. We have been offering a 10% discount to any Manotak Lodge fisherman to come down and experience the beautiful white sand beaches and the phenomenal deep sea fishing. Our home is available from May through October and you can get more information on our website: www.manotak.com
All of you that were at Manotak Lodge this past summer know that we ran our MASTER ANGLER contest again and it was a great success. You should also remember that each week’s winner was to be eligible for a free trip to Manotak Lodge in 2012. We will be selecting randomly ONE winner at one of our Sportshows coming this January. Stay tuned to our blog as we will announce which show we will draw for the winner. We hope to video tape the drawing and will place it on our website. Speaking of videos on our website. We have started a Manotak Lodge – Facebook page which you will see near the bottom of our website homepage. Most of you that know me, know that I am not the most proficient at computers and are terrible at updating even our blog on a timely basis. However, we hope that this new FACEBOOK link will be helpful for our guests and will allow all of you a chance to communicate everything Manotak. I promise to do my best at submitting news on a semi-timely basis but I also challenge you to submit your comments and to post pictures and videos. Please only Manotak related items.
We hope that our new WEBCAMS that we installed at the lodge and dock this past summer were enjoyable to our guests. Based on comments we believe they were a big hit and we hope to have them back up and running when we arrive in the spring of 2012. One note for Dave in California: we do not take any responsibility for getting hypnotized by the cameras and ignoring your family. Our advice is that every now and then just back away and say hello to your wife.
Well, that is all for now. Sorry for this posting being so long but we have not posted anything in a while and thought we should get caught up. We will be posting our end of year newsletter very shortly so look for that on our website.
HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU AT THE SPORTSHOWS OR SEEING YOU AT MANOTAK LODGE THIS SUMMER.
Regards,
Dave & Linda Becker
www.manotak.com
email: Manotak@drytel.net
Toll Free: 1-800-541-3431

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Year End Review @ Manotak Lodge

It is hard to believe that the fishing year has come to an end at Manotak Lodge. We want to thank all of our guests this year for choosing Manotak Lodge as their fishing destination. We had another fantastic year of fishing and we hope everyone has great memories that will last them until next year when they return. I have to admit that we have been slightly behind in reporting for our Manotak Master Angler Winners. I also have to admit that I have a good reason and that is that I was out fishing, ALOT. The fishing has been so good the last month that I could not resist. I would like to acknowledge the following winners that brought our season to a great finish: Ken Keegan, Dale Stephens, Gary Borkowski, Mark Melius (two time winner) and Brian Burbach. We want to thank everyone that participated and we hope everyone had fun and maybe even learned a thing or two. Based on all of the feedback it looks like our live webcams are a hit. We know that they are slow to load at times but this is somewhat understandable as we have had over 1000 people trying to view the lodge at one time this summer. We will be shutting them down for the winter very soon but expect them back up and running again next April or May. For any hunters out there that are looking to take advantage of a great bird hunt, you should be thinking about Grouse hunting here in Northwest Ontario. The numbers of Grouse are always good and this year was no exception. Start planning now for next year, slots book quickly. Again we want to thank everyone who fished with us this summer and we look forward seeing alot of you again next year. We will be posting our upcoming sportshow schedule for 2012 soon on our website so come out and sit with us in our booth. Potential new guests always like to hear about Manotak Lodge from people who have been there and experienced it first hand. Besides, who would believe lodge owners that think Manotak Lodge is the best lodge in NW Ontario. I guess there is a fine line between bragging and promotion??? Stay tuned to our blog site as we will update new posts with any news for the cupcoming season.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Master Angler Winners & Fishing Update

I know you have all been patiently waiting for a fishing update but I have been too busy fishing. I had to rub it in just a little bit. We also need to update the Manotak Master Angler winners for the past few weeks. We would like to congratulate Tor Saile, Gary Borkowski & Mark Melius as Master Angler winners. They are all guests who have been fishing at Manotak Lodge for a few years so they definitely have it figured out where the fish are. It helps that they are all good fisherman also. Tor brings his two sons along with him, Tyler & Tanner. We are not sure who fishes harder, the kids or dad but we do know that Tyler and Tanner are very good fisherman. It is exactly what Linda & I had hoped would happen at Manotak and that is to promote fishing to the younger generation. Gary & Mark are very good friends of Linda and I who originate from our home town. GO PACKERS - GO CHEESEHEADS! See their pictures at right.
Onto the fishing report. Walleyes are still on a great bite. Reefs are the place to be if you want Walleyes! They have not gone as deep as we thought they would at this time of the season especially for how hot it has been this summer. We are catching Eyes in the 14-22 foot range with Minnows & Leeches an equal choice for bait. Nightcrawlers are working but minnows and leeches are catching more fish. I have snuck out fishing the last two evenings and have absolutely pounded Walleyes by Twin Islands, Sand Dunes & Sandbar. Last night as an example I was fortunate to boat over 20 Walleyes in an hour & a half. My ego enlarged my head so big my hat would not fit. I can mention one secret weapon that I came upon for Walleyes for the past two days of fishing: Gold Glitter Jigs. A vendor stopped by the lodge and asked me to try his newly painted jigs that were covered in gold glitter. I guess I am like most fisherman in that I was skeptical but thought why not. They should give off a flash in the water which should help attract fish. Well, they have been red hot or should I say gold hot. I fished with Earl my dockhand and he could not believe how many fish I caught compared to his jig. Last night same thing. I fished right next to one of our guests, Craig from Denver, and he finally had to ask what the H_ll I was fishing with. He caught one to my 12 Walleyes. I have to admit that there are absolutely no problems in the world when you are catching fish. I sure wish the foreign countries that are fighting right now would come over and fish for one week and change their attitude. They can fight it out for the Manotak Master Angler Award. Pike are on a strange bite at the moment. One day they are jumping in the boat and the next day they are no where to be found. We can always rely on Pike to give action through most of the day if Walleyes are finnicky but I guess this is fishing. Yesterday was a slow day for Pike while today was fantastic. Gold spoons were good for one of our cabins that fished close to the lodge. They caught 12 pike in 2 hours time. Bass are not on a good run, they are on a phenomenal run at the moment. Leeches and Nightcrawlers are pounding Bass one after the other. Without bragging, it is common to have a guest tell us that they caught 25-40 Bass in a short days time frame. 15-19 inchers are very very active at the moment. Reefs where Walleyes are hanging out are very active for Bass as well. Some of the deeper points are also very good. Muskies are increasing in activity but we are not knocking them dead by no means. Mark & Gary who I mentioned earlier fished for them fairly actively and saw afew in the lower to mid 40's. I was fortunate to see a brute that would have definitely been over 50 inches strike one of my 17 inch Walleyes as I was bringing it in the boat. Needless to say my heart lodged in my throat for a fraction of a second. Muskies will only get better as the season progresses. Unfortuntely I do not have great news for Jumbo Perch. We are catching lots of Perch but not able to find the bigger ones on a consistent basis. I have been saying this for the past month without finding a solution. We have seen streaks of glory where a guest will catch maybe a dozen larger Perch and then they just dissapear the next day or even that afternoon. We ask our guests to keep only 9 inch or larger Perch so that they have a good meal of fillets. We appreciate this greatly.
In other news at the lodge, we have been greeted by our pet duck Lunch and her offspring. All 10 of them. They have been eating us out of house and home. They are averaging about 3-4 loafs of bread a day. We love it! In fact, another flock of ducks has shown up to take advantage of the free meals. At one time we had 18 ducks eating right out of our hands. We also found out that one flock of ducks don't like another flock of ducks. We thought we were in the "Hood" and there was going to be a gang war. Ducks were chasing each other and biting at each others tail feathers. Absolutely Hilarious to watch. We also hope you are enjoying our Live Webcam. It has been a great feature to the lodge. Guests tell us they really like watching from home and seeing what is happening here or what the weather is like. We are really close to starting up another camera right at the dock. Everything is close to being installed and should hopefully be up and running this week or maybe next. Stay tuned, literally. Don't forget about our new Fall Special where one fisherman comes for full price and the next fisherman is half price. This starts in September when it is my favorite time to fish. It may be yours also. Well, that is all for now. Sorry for the delay in reporting but I know you will cut me some slack when you know I am out fishing and doing it for a good cause. Maybe that should be our new slogan: Fishing for World Peace!