Red Lake, Ontario P0V 2M0 Amherst Jct., WI 54407

807-727-2543 715-824-5876

(summer) (winter)

www.echolakelodge.com ehr@wi-net.com

The 2011 season at Echo was similar to spending 4 months in the Caribbean. The summer was hot, dry, and offered many swimming days. There was a total burning ban in effect for most of the summer. Red Lake Firefighters were kept busy with over 908 fires from April 1-October 31 (629,391 hectares were burned). A few fires came within kilometers of camp. On several occasions guests woke up to heavy smoke hanging over the lake.

Lake water levels dropped to the point where the creek portage to Black Beaver was almost dry, the beaver pond on Detour was dry and guests discovered many new rocks! See pictures of some of these rocks and shore lines on the website.

The largest Walleye, 30 inches, was caught and released by Bob Wall on Detour Lake. Jim MacFarlane, Dave Murray and Gary Pribyl caught and released 29” Walleyes. Matt Kubiak caught the largest Northern (40”, 13#) on Rocky Lake. Charley Whitmarsh and Jim Carey caught and released 40” Northern on Underbrush and High Lakes. Doug Eggers caught and released two nice Northern (37¾” and 38”) on Moose Camp and Detour. The largest Lake Trout this season was 32” and caught by Jon Goldstein on Underbrush Lake. Nick Belott is going to mount his 26” (heel clicker!! J) Lake Trout caught on Underbrush. 25” Lake Trout were caught by Jim MacFarlane, Nick Belott and David Johnson.

Again, the Bear hunt was successful, with Ben Ostrowski, Jason Ehr, Matt Repinski, and Charley Whitmarsh harvesting very nice Black Bear. Charley Whitmarsh “hit for the cycle” with an Echo Lake “Grand Slam:” 350# Black Bear, 40” Northern, a very nice Walleye, and a 22” Lake Trout.

Jamie MacFarlane, former Echo Lake guide from 1982, took advantage of the “warm” water and was first to jump in on May 26^th. The Barrigars found out that 13 beers and 1 diet coke was one too many diet cokes for a day of fishing. Emily Flowergarden kept us entertained with her true stories about the “Hip-Billy Country Club (HBCC) and Marina, Pets Allowed”. If you want to know how many beers it takes to let someone ‘buzz’ a ‘W’ for Walleye and an ‘N’ for Northern in your hair on each side of your head, just ask Gary Pribyl or Leon Kubiak. Greenie, a wise veteran fisherman, says, “If the fish aren’t biting, you can’t stop ‘em.” When 3 fishermen got locked in the fish-cleaning house, Gary Dusil said it was payback time from 2008. When the Cedar Rapids/Missouri group got ready to pack out on Saturday morning, Gary Pribyl got to watch them and film it from the dock since he was staying for 2 more weeks. The best catch of the year for Dave Shelby was a St. Croix rod and reel on No Fish. We welcomed our first international guest, Burghard Schonfeld, from Konigswinter, Germany.

Remember to bring your Passport and Outdoors Card. Canada now requires all boat operators to have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card or a completed Rental Boat Safety Checklist (available from us). Non-residents can also use written proof of competency such as a boating safety course. With the rising cost of beer and alcohol in Canada, some guests have been taking advantage of the lower cost at Duty Free before crossing the border. Get more information and hours of operation at: www.dutyfreeamericas.com

We encourage any guests with questions about admissibility into Canada to call Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters Association (NOTO) at 1-800-665-5787. NOTO offers one-on-one support for potential non-resident guests who have border-crossing questions. With the exception of a few guests with recent convictions (who are not currently admissible), almost all callers can take steps to gain admissible status.

We are now taking reservations for the 2012 season. As always, our mailing list guests have first priority to make reservations, so we encourage you to reserve your trip to Echo Lake Lodge as soon as your group has finalized plans. We pride ourselves in being the most reasonably priced lodge in the Red Lake area. Keep in mind that our rates include boat, motor, unlimited gas and all government taxes. Please check our brochure for current rates. We request that you put 50% down within 2 weeks of making your reservation and send the balance by May 1, 2012. See you soon at Echo Lake Lodge!

From the Wisconsin Loon’s Nest,

Tom & Mitzi