We are extremely proud to announce that Aikens Lake Lodge has been chosen to host the 2008 CALL OF THE TUNDRA. www.callofthetundra.com . This contest is a televised tournament, with a brand-new 2008 Toyota Tundra as the first prize!

This is the second CALL OF THE TUNDRA event and the host for the show is none other than DAVE MERCER from tv’s FACTS OF FISHING!www.factsoffishing.com. We are very excited to receive the contestants and to see who will win this sweet truck! Maybe the guides can have a shot at the prize?….

All jokes aside, if you are interested in entering this unique draw, consult the Call Of The Tundra website (see above text) for entry information and rules. Who knows, after an unforgettable 3 days of fishing you might just drive off in the sunset behind the wheel of a brand-new 2008 Tundra! Talk about a beautiful trip! We’ll keep the newsletter posted about this one-of-a-kind event.

For six years one of Aikens’ most esteemed employees came to the lake every May ready to shine and deliver top-notch service. Pascal Breton, a.k.a. Turbo, is viewed as being a cornerstone of the “Aikens Experience”. His endless smiling attitude and “good enough is never enough” mantra inspired everyone who’s ever worked along side him to try and keep up with Turbo-man. Let me tell you from experience, trying to match Turbo’s pace is no easy feat! Be it guiding 100 days a season or toting his guitar to Big Molly’s for one of his countless shows, Turbo never ceases to impress.

Pascal is bringing his exemplary work ethic south of the (Canadian) border. He is moving to Arizona to begin a new chapter in his already impressive life-story. With a little help from our partners at the Aviary Group, Turbo landed a job in the real-estate market and will be hitting the ground running as of Nov. 1st. For those of you who know this guy, you’re well aware of the skill, confidence, charisma and ambition that this young man exudes! And those of you who don’t, it shouldn’t take you long to figure out how he got his nickname!

Turbo, we wish you all the best of luck and success in Phoenix. You’re an exceptional friend and worker, and we’re sure you’ll impress all of those that cross your path! Hey Arizona, tie up your boot-straps tight, you’re about to get a Turbo-fueled dynamo unleashed upon you!

ps. Turbo, I’ll keep a Lund key tucked away in case you get a weekend off this summer.

We have a very exciting announcement to share with everyone… We are extremely proud to present to you our new Sales Manager, Patrick Trudel! You are likely already very familiar with Pat, our head guide since 2005. He has actually been with Aikens since the summer of 2000, but he has really excelled in the last 3 years since becoming head guide. Pat will bring his tireless energy and outstanding people skills to a new year-round position that was created just for him.  Pat will play a major part in our marketing efforts and he’ll certainly be in contact with many of you this fall. Don’t worry however; he’s not trading in his fishing rod just yet! Although the eventual plan is to have Pat in a full time management role (aka: not working as hard), for 2008 he will remain as head guide… and in subsequent years he will still suit up for special assignments.

Pat’s main duties in the winter will be as our frontman… coordinating our marketing efforts and helping bring old friends back to Aikens, as well as introduce many new faces to the wonders of the “Aikens Experience”. He will be attending most of the shows we are going to this winter (show schedule, likely to be 7 shows, to be posted later this month). Pat will also help setup the Corporate Winnipeg Shorelunch (we held the first annual last year and it was highly successful), and possibly more in other cities. Pat will also begin to throw some “Trudel-spice” into our newsletter, as he will begin updating it on a regular basis. In fact, most of the entries this winter will be authored by Pat! Other duties will include some client phone calls and bookings, follow ups and callbacks of contacts, helping out with mailouts, sportshow follow ups, office support, and of course a hectic month of April when we start gathering supplies for the upcoming season!

During the summer, Pat will continue to be an invaluable person at the lodge. As mentioned, he will still be the head guide for one last season. Pat is a leader that our staff loves and he does a great job in that capacity. In preparation for this promotion, Pat has already helped out with the opening and closing of the lodge for the past two seasons and he’s been expanding his knowledge of the “Aikens underbelly” (aka: Lund and motor maintenance, generator and power supply, water pumps and plumbing, CAT-5 and communications networks, etc). With his new role, it appears Pat will be a fixture at Aikens for the long term!

Pat, we are ecstatic that you have decided to join the Aikens management team and we know that you will excel in your new capacity much the same way you have excelled in your guiding over the years. We look forward to many, many years of working side-by-side with you. Let’s rock this town!

Let me put you up to speed on something that will be waiting for you at the lodge next spring. This is a project which has been two years in the making and that was expertly orchestrated by our very own bush-engineer Leo Nolette. It was completed just before our departure from the lake at the end of September.

Last year in the fall, for one week straight, the boys poured concrete non-stop in a half dozen large cribs under the existing dock. It was a massive undertaking, and a true testament to the pride each worker at Aikens puts into his/her sweat-equity. These forms sat, cured and hid under the planks and the high water all of this summer, until this fall when the water dropped again.

Now it was Leo’s turn to shine. Assisted by only a select few, he deftly welded joists, posts and trusses together to create what is now more of a pier than a dock. Decked with pressure-treated lumber, this new infrastructure stands two feet higher (also ground level) than it’s predecessor, so no more hopping around wet spots on the dock in the spring. The dock is 110 feet long and ten feet wide. The”T” at the end is now 40 feet wide!Sporting an extended wing on the north end, the now super-sized dock will offer more real estate to those dock-bite aficionados next spring! Yet another beautiful addition to the now long list of upgrades which has completely transformed our much loved lodge.