Newsletter
With the addition of new guide boats this year, we needed to upgrade our dock area to handle all the equipment… so we decided to rebuild our fuel dock! A permanent 56ft dock will be the base of the new dock, with a large floating section to be attached to it. This project should hopefully be finished within the next two weeks.
Today, Julie and Pit went into Bonaventure to make sure that the boats and equipment were tuned up for the upcoming season (and to do some fishing, of course). The high water means that the creek is high and quick to travel (although we still need to be careful of rocks and of the two beaver dams which are being constructed). The fishing for walleyes was predictably awesome, with a dozen shorelunch walleyes landed within the first 15 minutes of fishing. After switching techniques to go for pike, the action slowed down as we were only able to raise two small ones. However, it was a great day and Bonaventure is sure to produce some big pike again this year.
Today marks the official beginning of the 2005 season at Aikens Lake! Our first guests stepped off the plane this afternoon as our army of volunteers bid adieu to Aikens for another year. The camp is in tremendous shape and ready for action! See you soon.
As you are aware from recent news entries, every year we open up the camp with “Molly Maid Week”. The term was coined in 1989, the first year Gerry and three of his friends opened up the camp. Mops in hand, the three were dubbed the Molly Maids, and they were individually known as Big Molly, Tall Molly, and Short Molly. Big Molly was Gerry’s eldest brother and best friend Bernie. He passed away last fall at the age of 59. As a tribute to his life, his legacy, and his hard work in helping transform Aikens into the place it is today we have renamed the Master Angler’s Clubroom “Big Molly’s Place” in his honor. Now, instead of going to have a drink in the Clubroom, you can say you’re going to Big Molly’s!!!
Today was a cold and rainy day… the kind of day that makes you want to curl up next to a fire. Despite a great dockbite that has produced many slot walleyes over the past week, only two people braved the weather tonight; Boy, did it ever pay off! Norm Foidart and his fiancee Shari landed three trophy walleyes! For Norm, it was his 5th master angler walleye making him a Walleye specialist! For Shari, they were her first two! Combine that with a huge 38.5″ pike the other night and it is obvious that Shari loves the fishing at Aikens Lake! Meanwhile, back at the lodge… (see other news item)
The night time is the right time to be fishing at Aikens! The big walleyes are cruising the shallows around the dock. In the past three nights, over 40 slot walleyes have been landed… but no more trophies yet. The trout were also hot today with 10 boated in under an hour.
It has been a great week of work thus far as the volunteers have really been making the most of their time. The new lodge looks phenomenal! The hardwood floors, the pine walls, and the new furniture all give the lodge a luxurious appeal! The clubroom is now under construction as we are building a screened in porch. Stay tuned for more updates!
Although it has been a tradition for 17 years, many of our guests have never heard of this phenomenom. Beginning tommorow, one week of all-out preparation, cleaning, building, renovating, and installing is set to begin at Aikens Lake. With over 20 close family members and friends, this year promises to accomplish quite a lot more than in years past! As with every year, we will be doing a huge “Spring-cleaning” throughout all the cabins and the grounds. However, this year we will also be working on the lodge renovations and installing a new dock for the brand new Lund guide boats! With our first guests arriving on the 28th of May, we have no time to spare! Let’s get to it!
Well, the lodge looks spectacular! The hardwood floors are now completely installed throughout the dining room, lounge, and clubroom! We have purchased new light fixtures and new furniture. People’s jaws are going to drop when they see the new lodge! This week, we are renovating some staff quarters and next week we’ll be working on a new roof for the lodge along with a screened-in porch for the clubroom. All these projects are scheduled to be completed in time for our first guests who will arrive on May 28th.
