July 2010 - Sac Bay Lodge is under new ownership!!
We are Kenn and Kate and we are thrilled to be the new owners of this beautiful camp. We fell in love with Sac Bay from the moment we seen the first picture of it...and after our first visit we were hooked. So we packed up our desk jobs and eagerly made our move from Manitoba Canada to our new life. We are excited about all of the upcoming challenges that will provide us with new experiences every day. Routine, heck that word isn't even in a camp owners dictionary!! We wake up every morning (stiff and sore), and look out onto the beautiful Sturgeon Lake and realize how very blessed and lucky we are. We look forward to meeting all of our guests and listening to their stories of this camp that has so much history. Welcome all to Sac Bay Lodge!!
-Kenn and Kate
August 30, 2010
Phew, it is 27 deg. C (80.6 deg F) today and the humidity is through the roof, so I decided it was the perfect day to sit down in front of a fan and update the website. We have been busy here at Sac Bay Lodge. We poured the forms for the new fish cleaning house and workshop and started building them, chopped down a ton of trees, reshingled some cabins and met alot of great people. July was hot hot weather with pretty much a thunder storm every day around 6. The rain was needed as the lake was down almost 2 ft. from what we have been told, but I believe it is back up to normal now. So the new fish cleaning house should be complete in a couple of weeks or so and then we will move on to the workshop. Not bad for a couple of desk jockeys who know didly squat about carpentry. Thanks god for knowledgable guest, great neighbours and wonderful friends and family. We did manage to go fishing..and yes I have finally caught my first fish..well technically he caught me, ran right into my hook and got his eye caught on it..but I did get him in the boat so I suppose I did catch a fish!! Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Anyways back to what's new. The lodge has been redecorated, complete with common seating areas furnished with puzzles, games, books, videos and the internet for those of us that go through withdrawal. I have posted pictures on the Accomodations page for your viewing pleasure. Well its starting to cool down so back to work I go..It has been a great first few months and we have enjoyed meeting everyone and look forward to meeting many more guestsl!!!
-Kate
The new fish cleaning house tucked in behind the old will provide fishermen with a cool breeze and great view as they clean their daily catch. The old house will be torn down to allow for more room to move trucks and boats at the launch.
September 18, 2010
Wow, where did the first part of September go!!! Well the weather has cooled off to mid teens and it has been very breezy!! Even with the cool windy weather our fall fishing guests enjoyed some great fishing. A 30.5 inch Walleye was caught by a guest this past week, what a fish. Kenn himself caught a 40" Northern just a few minutes from our docks. The work has slowed down somewhat, however we have managed to complete the siding on the new fish shack, reshingled the Pontiac Cabin so folks the ambience of the natural indoor water feature is now gone, sorry it had to be done, but you still are able to enjoy that beautiful lake view! The rest of the fall will find us cleaning up some more trees, and enjoying the company of our hunters who have now moved in to seek out their trophy moose! Good luck to you all!! Oh by the way if anyone interested as of today we still have one cow tag left. Call us if your interested!!
September 27, 2010
Fall has always been my favorite season for a number of reasons, less heat, no bugs, fuzzy socks weather, haha..but most of all the beautiful colors that fall presents. This fall was no exception, wow, check out the pictures below of the beauty of fall at Sac Bay Lodge!! The temperatures have been sitting at 50 to 55 F or for us Canucks 10-14 C, with some days being terribly windy to the next being beautifully sunny. We had one day where it rained literally all day but aside from that, not alot of rain. Kenn has been working fiendeshly on the new buildings trying to get them completed before snow flies. He is doing a fantastic job! The fascia is almost complete on the one and then he is moving down to the fish cleaning house to put the finishing touches on it. We have been receiving lots of help from our hunters at the camp. They have been great, cutting brush, helping with siding, what an awesome crew!! As of today our moose hunters haven't been having much luck, but it will happen, I can feel it!! The grouse hunting has been great though!! Our fall fishermen guests have been reporting very patchy fishing! Some days its great and the next day nothing or very little. Oh well...that's why they call it fishing right?? The first edition of the Sac Bay newsletter has been emailed and I am working on the mailing list for those guests that didn't have an email on file at Sac Bay. If you would like to receive it by email just send us your address @ sacbaylodge@gmail.com Time for me to go to work, I am busy painting a new sign for our lane! Have a good week!
Winter Arrives!!
November 24, 2010
Well winter has arrived at Sac Bay Lodge! After just a skiff of snow in the beginning of the month, winter arrived with gusto bringing us approximately 12" of snow this week alone. I love winter so it doesn't bother me at all...and let's face it, we know that it comes every year so no point if complaining. I love the beauty that winter brings and wow is Sac Bay beautiful when the snow blankets the beautiful trees. The lake is not yet frozen however in the small bays ice has started to form by the shores. The temperature is beautiful hovering between -10 and -15 C, however watching the forecast it is looking like the temperatures will rise to -3 to -5 over the next couple of days and we are to expect more snow. Thank goodness we have finished ploughing the first downfall....and wow what a learning experience that was. As new lodge owners there is alot to learn and sometimes you learn the hard way!! LESSON 1: Well it would seem that the best time of year to put the snow plough blade on the truck would be fall, ya, before you get a foot of snow and the plough blade is buried in the snow. Not a problem just dig it out right?? Wrong, first you dig it out and then you have to line up those mounts and put the pin in the hole. Sounds easy doesn't it, well it would be if the blade and the truck weren't parked on a hill where you can't pull up nice and level and just pop them in. LESSON 2: In the spring park the plough blade on a nice level piece of ground where you pull right up to it and pin the mounts! It wasn't all bad, we actually enjoyed the beautiful winter day working together and then riding up and down the lane ploughing the snow!! It was actually a great day and we topped it off by cutting down a beautiful little tree to plunk in the front yard and adorn it with Christmas lights and decorations!! All in all it was a very good day and we look forward to the challenges that Sac Bay will present to us this winter coming!! Check out the pics below of winter in all its splendor at Sac Bay..and if you want to try your hand at ice fishing give us a call!!
JANUARY 10, 2011
Well Christmas and New Years has come and gone for another year and now the decorations are packed up and put away,...and the ICE FISHING GEAR is out woohoo!!! We went out yesterday for the first time to do some ice fishing. We got a few bites but didn't land any but had a great time! The weather is beautiful, the last couple of days have brought us very pretty light snow and temperatures hovering around -10-15 degrees celcius. The ice right out in front of the lodge is approximately 12 to 15" thick and there is some heavy slush patches (which I don't mind saying, scare the h#!@ out of me...and I don't mind saying I'm also not crazy about the noise that the ice makes when the truck is driving on the lake..very eerie!! We have crews of ice fishermen coming in the next couple of weeks so I am excited to see the big trout that Sac Bay is famous for..i'm also hoping to get a few lessons from the pros! Well i'm looking out the window and see that it is snowing quite heavily so off I go to get shovelling again. We have about 2 ft. of snow and we are loving it..great skidooing! Stay warm folks!
March 18, 2011
Wow where does the time go?? Here we are, the middle of March and old man winter still has his grips on us. Snow...snow..and more snow!! We have at least 4 ft of snow and it is coming down again today. It is an absolutely beautiful day..-11 with great big beautiful snowflakes falling. The camp is full of ice fishermen and they have enjoyed some beautiful trout, specifically a whopping 14 lb. Lake Trout caught by Derek on his very first ice fishing trip to Sac Bay...what a beauty! The last week we have had temperatures from 0 to +7 so things have gotten a bit sloppy on the lakes. There is alot of slush but underneath is beautiful black ice about 2 ft. thick. We ventured out into the bay in front of the lodge yesterday with friends and neighbours for the 1st. Annual St. Patricks Fun Day!! It was a great day, no fish were caught but we had a blast building snowmen, enjoying irish stew and some green beverages and ending the day with a fantastic winter bon-fire in the yard with the whole gang. It was a very good day. Kenn has joined up with some of our guests today and they are headed out on the skidoo's to a nearby lake for a fantastic day of fishing. Spring is just around the corner and we are excited about meeting our 2011 spring guests. Well I believe there is a shovel with my name on it again today so off I go!! Happy spring folks!!
April/May 2011
Well not sure where the last couple of months went but here we are June 8th...sorry gang for not updating, things have been pretty busy around here. We have had a very cool spring, we thought the snow would never leave and we anxiously awaited the warm spring sunshine....actually we are still waiting for that. We went ice fishing for the last time on April 16th and then we geared up for the busy spring we had coming. Our project lists were long this spring and we were actually quite looking forward to getting out and getting them started. With spring has brought the wildlife, our Pine Marten (Marty) still makes an appearance once in awhile however I believe he has been squeezed out by the hundreds of rabbits that have shown up, lol!! Our chipmunks are back and hungry. We have our old tame ones and some new ones that haven't quite warmed up to us yet. Taking the garbage to the dump is exciting, there is a Mama bear with her adorable baby at the dump these days as well as several other bears, several bald eagles, turkey vultures and of course the gulls and ravens. Moose are also on the move...we heard a report from a transport driver that stated he seen 34 Moose on the 599 from Savant area to Ignace...wow!! Now that all of the snow has gone our spring renovation projects get started. With the help of Rob and Corinne and their crew at This n That manufacturing (Kenn's cousin) they completed installation of 3 new kitchens in the Wyandote, Pontiac and Cree (pictures to follow soon). These guys and Kenn worked their butts off and got the renovations done in time to allow me to spring clean and paint to get ready for our spring guests. Great job guys!! The cabins look fantastic, in two days these guys installed 3 kitchens, levelled cabins, fixed decks and stairs and still managed to catch a trout or two; and they all still have all of their fingers and toes!! Seriously folks these guys are amazing! Before we knew it May was here and guests started to arrive. This is our first full season so we haven't met alot of our guests and were excited to do so. Don and Mike were the first to arrive and they were the first to christen the new fish cleaning house. ..and they did a great job of it with all of the fish they caught...and some so big the head wouldn't fit in the gut pail..just kidding...see i'm learning how to tell fish tales too! haha!! But seriously they did catch some fantastic fish, check it out in the gallery... the next week seen the camp full with a fantastic group of guests from Wisconsin...I have dubbed this crew "The Memorable Memorial Crew" . This is a group of 3rd maybe 4th generation Sac Bayers with a knack for practical jokes and the ability to make you feel like you have known them all of your life. Great crew, they invited us to join them daily in the lodge for evening dinner to review their days over a fantastic meal that not only included appetizers, an entre but fantastic desserts...some of which actually made it to the table. Not the case for the wonderful banana bread that Carol prepared, and it mets it's demise at the hands of myself as I pulled out the oven rack to check it and it slid right out and splat landed in a steaming mound on the lodge floor. Oh and Barb, FYI when Banana Bread lies on the floor in a puddle,....um it ISN'T done!!! hahahahahah!!! anyways that was one of the many many laughs that we shared with this crew and we look forward to seeing them again next year. So here we are June and the camp is still full of delightful guests that are catching impressive fish and enjoying the camp. As I look out the window the sky is grey, cloudy and the wind is still howling. It isn't a great day here and we are still eagerly waiting for that spring sun. I promise to update more often and will post photos of guests and their catches as they come in. Keep in touch and have a great summer!
Don filets the first fish in the new fish cleaning house, Shawn and Brendon look on........ couldn't have done it without you guys!
The new fish house is keeping busy on the left and the right picture shows Jake with his practical joke Tshirt a look like of his buddy "Bealer" Dohn!...and below is the Banana Bread or what was left of it! Marcia, Barb, Nancy, Mark and Mike and Katie I can still see you guys laughing your butts off!!
June 2011
Wow, where is the summer going!! Blink and another month is gone..we have been keeping busy here at Sac Bay..we ripped down the old fish cleaning house and Kenn is busy taking it apart and stacking the wood, huge job!! He has built his dock for his plane using some of the old wood and now he is working on getting his float endorsement and then he's up up and away!! We can't wait to get in the air and check out the are, especially the lakes where we have boat caches! The weather has been fantastic, although very very dry. We have only had 4 or 5 rains the whole summer season so far and there are raging forest fires north of us by Pickle Lake. Some days the air is completely blue and you can smell the smoke in the air! There has been alot of moose and bear sightings in the area..a couple of bears even made their debut in the camp. Of course it was my first bear experience and it just so happened that I was in camp alone. It was a little unnerving, but thanks to Joe, Matt and Ben for scaring them away. We haven't seen a bear since then. Also thanks to Joe Matt and Ben to introducing me to Trout fishing with Zonars..WOW THAT WAS FANTASTIC!!! After some deliberation about taking a woman out in their boat (because apparently it is bad luck, haha) they offered to take me out to go trouting...well without a word of a lie..I caught two wonderful lake trout within a ten minute time frame..I was sooooo excited, it was great!! Oh and did I mention that I was the only one who caught fish that night.!! I guess it is bad luck taking a woman on your boat, hahaha! Anyways I had a great time and can't thank them enough for the experience!! Have I mentioned that Sac Bay has the greatest guests!! Kenn has been enjoying down rigging, he has mastered the technique and loves it!! July is gearing up to be a busy month, we will be enjoying a visit from our adorable Grandchildren and their Mom, as well as several other family members!! Also on the agenda is stump and root removal..rock relocation...road repair..and much more!! Drop us a line folks and don't forget to send us your recipes for the Sac Bay cookbook..look forward to hearing from you!! K & K
FALL 2011
Ok, where have I been you ask?? I can't believe I haven't updated this since June..wow where has the season gone? Well Kenn and I have been busy busy! This season found us doing more work around the yard, clearing the old fish house and landscaping the dock area in front of the new. Kenn has done a fantastic job (see pic below) it looks great and affords our guest alot more room to maneuver their boats. We have also been removing roots and stones from paths throughout the yard. Honestly I don't know who planted all the darn rocks in the yard, but geesh they keep popping up everywhere!! A bit of exciting news..Sac Bay Lodge now has a 26 ft. Pontoon boat for guests to rent..it provides a comfortable alternative for groups of guests to enjoy a day fishing all together. We have given it a few test runs and it is a ton of fun! We are now just in the midst of our hunting season and so far it has been a great one..with some nice bulls being harvested (see gallery for pic) Kenn installed some new moose poles and has also discovered that his Back Hoe is the handiest piece of equipment during moose season. Ohhhh I almost forgot...AND THIS IS GREAT NEWS...I have caught my biggest northern! Soooo exciting..as your all aware I love fishing for Northerns and we took a day with a friend and went fishing...it was great! Pic is in Gallery! Well we are heading back out into the yard to get some work done while our weather is still beautiful! This fall has been great weather, although very very windy. It has been so warm that we enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving celebration in the lodge yesterday with wonderful friends..we are truly blessed. In a month or so I will be sending out the Fall newsletter, that includes reservation request for 2012..we look forward to seeing all of our guests/friends next season and we look forward to hearing from you over the winter. AND BY THE WAY GANG, TO DATE I ONLY HAVE ABOUT6 RECIPES FOR THE COOKBOOK, so perhaps you could put that on your to do list this winter! Keep in touch! K & K
