MOOSEHORN LODGE
News and season summary
800-682-6123
www.canadafish.com
November 2007

At last...an update from our amazing 2007 season!

The weather in this part of the world is, in a word "unpredictable". Our season started as the lowest water in over thirty years, as we practically had a drought last winter. The month of June brought a ton of rain. Within a few short weeks, the water rose to the highest it has been in quite some time. Safe travel through pelican rapids was possible throughout most of the season. At this moment, as I look out at the dock, this is the highest fall water level that we have ever had, which gives us a great outlook for the 2008 season.

Currently at Moosehorn, there are still a few hardcore fishermen trolling for muskies, walleye and big pike, as the cooler weather brings great rewards. Moose hunting has been very productive for all as well this year.

Regardless of how bizarre Mother Nature can be these days, the fishing remained consistently incredible, on every area lake. Numbers and trophies were experienced by all at Moosehorn once again. The musky fishing has only gotten better, and we are now realizing that these fish are in bigger numbers and wider spread throughout the lake system than we had ever thought possible before. Fish were caught in unusual spots all season long, which in turn makes the fishing here more exciting for all.

Memorable events and catches of this season!

Here is a point form list of some of the "news" of Moosehorn Lodge from the 2007 season;
•  Greg Marino had eleven muskies over 50" being caught on his trips, plus countless others in the high forties;
•  Bryon Thompson caught two muskies over 50" within a ten minute span;
•  Colin Gosse and Jeremy Funk placed third in the first locally held bass tournament;
•  Pat Banner caught a thirty and a half inch walleye;
•  Linda won the fish derby between her and Roseanne Young, donating the winnings to "Healthy Babies"
•  Rookie fisherwoman "Cheryl Haebig", caught two forty inch northern pike within a ten minute span as well;
•  Outdoor writers Jim Smith of Muskies Inc. magazine, and Andrew Meyer of Ontario out of Doors fished with us this year;
•  Colin Gosse caught a forty six inch Muskie on eight pound test with an ultra light rod ;
•  Seven muskies over 54" recorded in our 2007 season!

Our lodge had a ton of trophies in all species, collected again this year. There were a total of One hundred and twenty-seven master angler fish caught at Moosehorn Lodge in the 2007 season. Of that total, the breakdown is as follows; 24 Walleyes (over 27.5"), 23 Northern Pikes (over 40"), 54 Muskies (over 44"), 25 Smallmouth Bass (over 19"), and 1 Lake Trout (over 34"). Listed below are the top three of each species master anglers;

Walleye (27 ½" and over)
- Pat Branner of Eldon, Missouri 30.5"
- Anthony Kasica of New Berlin, Wisconsin 30" and 29"
*there were five 28.5" walleyes caught as well; Marty Masters of Eugene, Missouri, Gary Hafemann of Cudahy, Wisconsin, Bryan Thompson of Moosehorn Lodge, Ginney Anderson of Gaylord, Michigan and Vet Stocco of Barrie, Ontario

Smallmouth Bass (19" and over) (new for 2006)
- Michael Urban of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin 20.25 "
- Tom Urich of Desoto, Wisconsin 20" - Leah Ruzynski of Brookston, Minnesota 19.75"

Lake Trout (34" and over)
- Dan Boissonneault of Timmins , Ontario 34"

*Water Levels on Minnitaki Lake were extremely low this spring, which is where and when we access our monster Lake Trout, a lot of other nice Lake trout between 25" and 32" were caught at Moosehorn throughout the season, mostly on Big Vermillion Lake .

Muskellunge (44" and over)….54 Caught
- Linda Rice (Muskie Mamma) 56" and a 55.25"
- Allen Ingram of Winamac, Indiana 55.5" - Stan Strub of Shed Falls, Wisconsin, Bryan Thompson of Sioux Lookout, Greg Marino of Moosehorn Lodge, and Drew Meyers of Minaki, Ontario all tied @ 54" (Lots of other fish over 50"- see photo gallery!)

Northern Pike (40" and over)
- James Carroll of Clive, Iowa 47.5"
- Linda Rice of Moosehorn Lodge 44"
- Kyle Lassonde of Stillwater, Minnesota 43"

The complete list is posted on our forum section of this website.

And the winner is...

We have a catch and release reward program. For each fish that qualifies based on the below chart and is released back into the water your name can be entered into the draw. Two names are drawn; the first is for a perma mount of the winning ticket or $300 CDN towards your next trip to MHL . The second drawn ticket wins their trip free (equal to what the guest had spent the previous year) . Don't forget to fill out those ballots, located in the front office, for each fish. Remember, these sizes are different than master angler sizes.

WALLEYE OVER 21"
NORTHERN OVER 27 1/2"
MUSKIE OVER 34"
LAKE TROUT OVER 30"
SMALLMOUTH OVER 18"

Perma Mount or $300 CDN towards next trip winner; Jim LaRue of Minn. City Minnesota

Free Trip (for one) equal to previous year's expenditure winner; Bill Amunrud of Lacrosse, WI

Thank you to all of you who support our catch and release program.

Fine Dining had by all at Moosehorn

We have had numerous compliments from guests and locals alike, on how fantastic the meals were this year. Moosehorn's certified Chef Greg Rice has outdone him self again, making sure that everyone is pleased with the food. Again this year, Greg and staff will be hosting Christmas parties at the lodge, and they are booking up fast. Cheers to Greg for making the dining as fine as the fishing here!

Accommodations enjoyed by all

A great deal of positive feedback about our various improvements to Moosehorn lodge have been received and appreciated from our guests. Carter and Greg are always fixing and improving this camp. Plans for next year are already in the making to improve cabins five and six for your comfort and enjoyment. Any suggestions or feedback in this area are always appreciated, as our goal is to provide the perfect destination for all.

Houseboat warning!!

This past season co-owner of Moosehorn Lodge, Carter Rice spent most of his evenings guarding the dock and making sure things ran smoothly, while he lived aboard his newly renovated houseboat. The occasion evening cruise was enjoyed by some, while others just dropped by for a quick hello. Lots of good laughs and memories were made. This is just another fine example of the relaxed atmosphere we provide here at the lodge. If you're around next year be sure to stop in a say hello, but we'll warn you, it's not for the weak of heart. Carter loves to meet new people, and has great life experiences to share with all. If you're lucky, he might even play you a song! Don't be scared!

Book your Guide early!

It is amazing how many days are confirmed for 2008 already, most of these are guided trips looking to ensure that they claim their spot. The popularity of our experienced guides just keeps on growing, so if you have someone in mind, book your guide early as they can only be available upon who books first! Even if you have never been here before, why not let one of our professionals ensure that you have the trip of a lifetime!

OH CANADA ! More and more Canadians have discovered Moosehorn Lodge

This season we have noticed a large increase in Canadian fisherman coming to stay with us to enjoy this amazing resource. All that had come here loved their stay, and have recommended us to others, for that we thank you. The accessibility to the lodge has become more feasible to anglers from southern Ontario due to inexpensive new flights to Thunder Bay . Some even fly up in their own aircraft, which we have facility to dock. We welcome all interested Canadians and everyone, from anywhere else in the world.

Here are some of the compliments that we have received from you;

"To Linda, Carter, and the entire staff at Moosehorn: Thanks again for the wonderful trip. Alan and I had a great time. Your hospitality is the best. I always feel like family, when I am there . That is why my father John, loved you all so much" - Eric Petersen

"I just wanted to let you all know that I had a hell of a good time last week! You folks know how to make sure that your guests have fun. The laid back atmosphere that your staff created was such a pleasant break from the often uptight setting that vacations in the US are like. In the excitement of catching all of those walleye, I've forgotten the name of the reddish haired guy that handles the dock, but his friendliness and sense of humor certainly added to the experience. I don't know what you are paying him, but he deserves a raise! I'm already thinking about next year! Again, thanks for a great vacation!" - Grant Dowell

"I think about you two and your place quite often. If we head up north to Canada , it will be to Moosehorn ...but we are unsure at this time of when that may be. Greet Carter for me...really enjoyed him...one fine guy!" Take care - Glen Lien

"My compliments to you and your staff at the Moosehorn, you have a great facility with professionals at every leve l. I had a great stay!" - Stan Strub

"On behalf of Ryan Bents and myself (Reush party over Labor Day weekend), we would like to thank everyone at Moosehorn lodge for the generous hospitality, great service fantastic food, and most of all, for all of our guide services(Greg Marino). It was another successful jammed packed weekend full of fun, fishing and relaxation. We will continue to be big fans of Moosehorn Lodge and spread the word of referral whenever we get the chance. " - Mark A. Ruesch

"Greg Rice, I wanted to send you a personal thank you for last week. My father and I had a wonderful time and are already starting to plan next year's trip. As usual, everything was perfect . Once again, thanks for the great time!" - Tracy Connell

" Colin , thanks again for a wonderful trip this year. We all had a great time and enjoyed all of the fishing with you a Bryon . I may even plan a second trip in July for some killer musky action. I just have to see what dates that you have open." - Scott Boeselager

"A special thank you for the way our fishing trip has been a special event for us every year. Your hospitality is second to none. You guys spoil us rotten and we love it ." - Jim, Dick and Kent Donovan

"Thanks again for a wonderful time with our family at Moosehorn. We returned this year with our son and grandson, they were really impressed. From the equipment, the menu, the prepared meals and those to die for shore lunches. Our walleye fishing was beyond our wildest expectations . Just so the others know, we were there in the middle of August and it was still extremely successful fishing!" - Eileen Gaura

"Bea and I appreciate the fine service, good meals and exceptional fishing . You guys have done an excellent job refurbishing Moosehorn, including the new boats and the dock . We have been coming up there for years and will continue to come up until our health won't let us." - Jerry Nyback

Our thanks to Frank Pagel who contributed the following letter to GM Today;

Father-son tradition begun
By DAN DURBIN - Special to GM Today	June 14, 2007
With Father's Day just around the corner, it just seems natural to talk about fishing traditions. One father-son team that would agree with that is Frank and Steve Pagel of Waukesha . They have made a tradition of going to Lac Seul in Canada for six straight trips over the last 10 years or so. "When we went up there the first time I thought it was going to be a one-time deal," Frank, 74, said. "It's really quite an expensive trip when you add everything up. But the fishing is so good we keep going back." While the fishing has been good every year, this year, they hit it right on the head. "In three days of fishing we caught about 500 walleyes, 60 smallmouth, 30 or so northerns, and some lake trout," Steve said. "It really was nonstop. We could have caught more walleyes but we actually switched species because we were getting tired of walleyes." It's that type of variety that Steve says makes this trip so good. "I would put it up against any fly-in trip," he said. "But I think this trip is even better. The lake is huge. It's so big in fact that you'd never learn the whole thing. Plus, the regulations aren't as tight as on many of the fly-in trips. We release almost everything we catch, but you can take a trophy walleye home if you want. Often times the fly-in trips have only a couple species." Frank now is retired, and says this trip fills his fishing desire for the whole year. "Once you go up there you catch so much, and it's so easy, you can't hardly even go down here," he said. "We caught over 100 walleyes the first morning. Heck, we even caught them we ran out of bait and had to use just lures." And although their main target was walleyes, it was the smallmouth that both Pagels said were out of control. "They were coming in to spawn," Steve said. "The water is gin clear and these fish were just in cruising. What was really great was that they were just in a couple feet of water and you could see them come up and hit." And, they were big. "The bass were 15-to-20 inches," Frank said. "They were all nice ones and fought great." The fishing was awesome, but, with over 750,000 acres of water to choose from, the Pagels get guides each time they go up there. "We've been with two of the same guides for each year we've gone, Colin Gosse and Greg Marino," Frank said. "We started out with them at a different resort and were so happy with them, that when they started guiding out of a new resort, Moosehorn Lodge, we went with them." Steve, who owns Forge Bow Co., one of the leading manufacturers of archery equipment in New Berlin , concurred with Dad. A good guide on Lac Seul is paramount. "Honestly, the lake is pretty dangerous," he said. "One of the best spots we fished was a rock bar that came up out of nowhere, right in the main lake basin, from 70 feet all the way to just a foot below the surface. A lot of boats get damaged up there because the lake just has a lot of rock that can sneak up on you. "Aside from the guide putting you right on the fish, they can actually save you money because you don't wreck your boat." Aside from both Pagels agreeing on how good the fishing was, both said the traditional shore lunch they had each day was alone worth the trip. "We brought home enough fish to have one more good shore lunch," Frank said. "It'll be a good thing to share with some friends who weren't fortunate enough to go up there." And even though Frank caught so many fish this time that he proclaimed he probably didn't need to go back, Steve thinks otherwise. "Dad, and most of us, have said that before," he said. "But my guess is that sometime later in the summer we'll all sit down and talk about going next year." After all, they wouldn't want to break their "Pre-Father's Day" tradition.

Please join our "FORUM" section of this website

The staff and family of Moosehorn Lodge would like to invite you to join our forum on this website. This would be a better way to keep in touch with all of the friends we make here each and every season. All of your fishing questions could be answered here, by our guides. We would appreciate your comments and suggestions. Is there something you would like to see on our website or in the next newsletter, post it on this forum, e-mail, or call with your suggestions and comments. The most recent updates on the site can always be seen on the Forum .

Musky Hunting - 54 master muskies for the second year running...and more big fish than ever before!

Moosehorn lodge is consistent. One hundred and eight master (over 44") muskies caught and released in two seasons. The largest fish was caught by none other than Muskie Mamma herself @ 56". Allen Ingram caught a 55.5". Linda caught another 55.25" Stan Strub, Drew Meyers, Bryan Thompson, and Greg Marino all caught fish @ 54". Eight other muskies over 50" were also caught, that's fifteen over 50" There were thirty-nine more fish caught by guests at camp over 44". Even a 47.5" pike was caught by James Carroll, and they say these monster pike are only in the far north! Brian Lassonde caught a 47" muskie, in an area where muskies have never been recorded before. Colin Gosse caught a 46" muskie, on a jig and minnow, while fishing for walleye. Almost every trip out had their chances. Our guides raked up some monsters as well. These fish can all be seen by logging on to the photo gallery on our website.

A lot of these Musky were caught in the evening. These guys would start out a little later in the day and stay out till dark or fish the full day and night. A guide is definitely recommended if you are interested in evening fishing on Lac Seul. Ask us about evening guided fishing trips.

Muskie Mamma keeps on producing trophies...two over 55" this season!

Our co-owner and musky fishing personality Linda Rice (A.K.A. Muskie Mamma) kicked off the season early with a whopping 55.25" muskie on June 16 th , three days after catching her first big fish of the season, a 44" pike. On the 16 th as well, Linda released a 19.5 inch Bass, as a bonus prize, what a day! Linda carried out the season, fishing at every chance she could get, collected a total of eight master muskies (over 44"). Later on this year she topped herself with a monster 56" caught on August 14 th . Again on the same day she caught another 45"muskie, she's never happy with just one. Some say it's pure skill, others base it on luck, but whatever it is Muskie Mamma just keeps on producing. Way to go!

Our new improved Tackle Selection!!!

You may want to check out our new tackle store , in which we will have for sale the best baits from top name manufacturers such as; Bucher tackle and Roberts Outdoors, Salmo , Suick , Drifter tackle and St.Croix . We will also have for sale at Moosehorn, the new custom made " muskie mamma" topraider , a color pattern that has not been available before. We are sure that you will find our prices fair and competitive, so you may want to save some of your shopping for when you get here!

Announcement-St. Croix Dealership

We are proud to announce that we are now an authorized St. Croix (signature series) rod and reel dealership. If you decide to purchase your St. Croix gear with us, you will be the proud owner of a "custom" Moosehorn rod . All of our musky rods will have the name "MUSKIE MAMMA" labeled on the blank. All of our other St. Croix rods are labeled with "MOOSEHORN LODGE". This is our first step in stocking our store with the right equipment for your vacation. Be sure to check out our updated " lure list " on our site, for the rest of your tackle needs.

From the Ministry

There will be new Fishing Regulations in place for our region for the year 2007. These are not yet posted and we will keep all of you informed as of any new changes.

As of January 1 st 2005, Big Vermillion Lake in our area has a "no bait" regulation in place. This means no bait live or dead for use for any species on this lake only. Please refer to the "lure list" on our website for the best artificial lake trout, smallmouth bass and musky baits to bring or buy here. The rest of the area's regulations can be seen in a section soon posted on our website.

Crossing the Border (and the ongoing "potato question") and FAQ

Here it is, the reason that potatoes can no longer cross the border (either direction), is because of a potato "mop-top virus" (harmful to potatoes only) that is trying to be kept under control in Canada and the U.S. The border patrol can never seem to tell anyone why. Here are some other basics on crossing; Visitors may bring the following into Canada: 200 cigarettes (= 1 carton), 50 cigars, and 14 ounces of tobacco; 1.1 liters or 40 imperial ounces (= 1 bottle) of liquor or wine, or 24 x 355-milliliter (12-ounce) bottles or cans of beer for personal consumption; gifts up to the value of C$60 per gift.  To import tobacco products a person must be 18 years of age or over, and to import alcoholic beverages the importer must have reached the legal age established by authorities of the province.  You can bring in a small amount of food for your own consumption. The same restrictions will apply to returning Canadian residents. Be sure to check with Canadian borders before crossing for any new regulations.

New U.S. passport rules will come into effect soon. Will these rules affect my trip to Canada ?

Yes. As of January 23, 2007 , a new American law, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), requires anyone, including U.S. citizens, entering or re-entering the United States by air to have a passport or a NEXUS card when used at a NEXUS kiosk at designated airports.

By June 1, 2009 or earlier , anyone, including U.S. citizens, entering or re-entering the United States by land and sea will need to have a passport or other appropriate secure document.

At this point, only requirements for travel by air to the United States have changed . Americans can continue to use documents such as their birth certificates and government-issued photo identification (e.g. driver's license) to cross the Canada-U.S. border by land and sea until the WHTI is fully implemented.

When the new U.S. passport rules come into effect, will my children require passports?

Currently, all children, regardless of age (including newborns and infants), must have their own passport to enter the United States by air. U.S. travellers to Canada are reminded that d ivorced parents who share custody of their children should carry copies of the legal custody documents for children less than 18 years old . Adults who are not parents or guardians must have written permission from the parents or guardians to accompany the children. When travelling with a group of vehicles, parents or guardians should travel in the same vehicle as the children for border crossing.

Sport Shows 2008 (Come out and see us!)

Chicago Musky Show Jan 11-13
Harper College
Roselle and Algonquin roads
Palatine , IL
F 12-9 S 9-7 S 9-5

Indianapolis All Canada Show Jan 14-16 The Fountains 502E Carmel Dr. Carmel , IN M 5-9 T 3-9 W 3-8

Milwaukee All Canada Show Jan 18-20
Milwaukee County Sports Complex
6000 W. Ryan Rd.
Franklin, WI
F 3-9 S 10-7 S 10-4

Madison All Canada Show Jan 21-23
Marriott Madison West
1313 John Q. Hammons Drive
Middleton, WI
M 5-9 T 3-9 W 3-8

Green Bay All Canada Show Jan 24-27 ShopKo Hall 1901 S. Oneida St . Green Bay , WI T 5-9 F 3-9 S 10-7 S 10-4

North West Sports Show March 27-April 1st Minneapolis Convention Center 1301 2 nd Avenue South Minneapolis, MN T 5-9 W 1-9 T 1-9 F 1-9 S 10-9 S 10-6

Don't forget to send us your pictures so we can add them to our website. Names and fish sizes too please! We want to brag as much as you do.

Thank you to all of you for the past remarkable season. We look forward to seeing you back here again for the 2008 season. Please join us in our quest for the next world record fish!

Have a great winter, and we hope to see everyone again!

The staff of Moosehorn lodge