Sportsmen Shows
I wanted to thank everyone who came to our booth during the Sportsmen’s Shows we attended.  It was great to see so many of our longtime clients and to meet so many new potential clients.  I also wanted to thank everyone who signed up to receive our monthly website update.  The updates allow us to continually supply you with fishing information, pictures and to share relevant Adirondack and Lake Champlain tidbits. 

If you’re thinking about booking a 2008 fishing trip with us or any other guide service don’t wait to much longer to make your reservation. We have some prime dates available due to some recent cancellations and checking our reservation calendar very closely, see the list below. These are great fishing dates and will go quickly once this update is issued so don’t wait to call (518-963-7351) or email us to reserve one or more of these dates. 

We still have some dates available during early July which is a good fishing opportunity to come north and try our guide service.  The fall is a great time to fish with us during late September and all of October.  Give us a call (518-963-7351) or email us at the lodge to check on these dates, we hope they fit your availability schedule.  We have some clients who book their fishing trips a year in advance and weekends always fill up fast.  Our reservation book is filling up quickly and people are starting to book for the fall.  Don’t forget Long Pond is a great fishing destination location on its own, filled with bass and pike.  The fishing packages we offer for the pond do not include the guide service.  This is a great way to reduce your overall expenses and still enjoy a great fishing opportunity.  Just look at the pictures of the fish in this update for proof of the quality of fish in Long Pond.  We find that the month of September has turned into a summer month and fishing can be challenging because of the high water temperature.  October and November are big fish months and more and more clients are booking during these two exciting months. It appears based on recent years the biggest fish of all species are caught in the fall.  The lodge is closed during the month of August because of the lack of air conditioning in the lodge plus we will be guiding in the arctic for High Arctic Adventures during the entire month. We can still offer you guide service only packages if you are vacationing in the area. Please call or email us for any additional information on this service that you might require. Reservations should be made well in advance for this service to insure all the details of your "Guide Service Only" trip can be arranged.

Ice fishing is over for another very successful season on Long Pond.  The sheer number of fish that are caught each season through the ice is amazing even to me.  The pictures that we are able to put on our winter website updates can prove that fact and we don’t get pictures of at least half the fish that are caught.  Because we attend so many sportsmen’s shows during the winter months the burden of taking care of most of the ice fishing people usually falls upon my wife Jane.  How she is able to do all the tasks that are involved in her daily schedule is truly amazing.  I’m blessed to have such a wonderful, understanding wife and she has been doing this for 30 years.  The guide service certainly would not be as successful as we are without her dedication and devotion to our clients.   

It is time once again to sign your name to the 2008 Sea Lamprey Petition.  For those of you that are new to our update mailing list let me explain.  Last year there was a great deal of controversy whether the state of Vermont was going to be involved in lampreciding a few of their rivers and streams to kill sea lamprey.  Sea lamprey attach themselves to lake trout, salmon, walleye and other species draining the fish of body fluids which kills the fish then they move on to another fish.  A 2007 petition was started to show support for the treating of rivers and streams in Vermont to kill this parasite.  The petition was sent to the Governor of Vermont and proved to be a very helpful tool in persuading the powers to be to take the necessary action.  The 2008 petition is now available for you to sign to show your support.  We encourage all members of our mailing list to take an active role by signing this petition.  The petition can be found by going to this website www.petitiononline.com/lamprey2/petition.html

We certainly want to thank everyone for taking an active roll by taking the time to sign this very important document.  It only takes a minute to sign the petition but it can have a long term impact on the quality of fishing in Lake Champlain for years to come. 

Questions That Were Asked at Our Booth at the Sportsmen’s Shows
Where are all the Lake Champlain lake trout and salmon and why is fishing for these two species so poor?

Are all the bass tournaments on Lake Champlain hurting the bass fishing? 

If Vermont and New York have a reciprocal fishing license agreement why isn’t the entire lake covered? 

What impact will the Alewives have on Lake Champlain fishing in the future? 

Why won’t the Nature Conservancy allow oiling of cormorant eggs on the Brother Islands? 

Why don’t they have a hunting season for cormorant’s to help control the population explosion?

Why don’t people who fish for perch and crappies realize that releasing some of the bigger fish will insure that future generations will have fish to fish for? 

What does VHS stand for and why is it so important in the fishing world? 

With all the work being done by the Lake Champlain Walleye Association when can we expect the fishing to show some improvement for this great tasting fish? 

We had these and hundred’s of other questions from concerned show goers and we are confident that we answered them all with a high degree of accuracy.  People are very concerned about the future of this great body of water and are looking for answers. 

Gasoline Surcharge
We are presently paying $3.50 a gallon for gasoline in Willsboro, New York.  There is concern that we might be paying $4.00 a gallon during the peak driving season this summer.  We hope we won’t have to impose a gas surcharge but with the constant and continuing escalation of prices we may be forced to.  We have to protect our guides who are the backbone of our business and supply such a vital service.  They have to purchase gasoline up here in the North Country for their boats and tow vehicles.  The price for gasoline is always much higher in the Adirondacks because it all has to be trucked here over considerable distances.  The surcharge, if we have to impose one will be mentioned in future updates.  

New Pictures
We recently updated most of our Photo Album page.  We now have new ice fishing pictures, new largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass pictures and new pike pictures.  We are not able to update the salmon or lake trout pictures because we have not taken any recent pictures due to the ongoing sea lamprey problems. Please check these new photographs to see if YOUR picture is among them. 

Joke of the Month
Two guys are fishing in a boat under a bridge.  One looks up and sees a funeral procession starting across the bridge.  He stands up, takes off his hat and bows his head.

The procession crosses the bridge and the man puts on his hat, picks up his fishing rod and reel and continues fishing.  The other guy says, “That was very touching, and I didn’t know you had it in you.” 

The first guy responds, “Well, I guess it was the proper thing to do – after all, I was married to her for 40 years.” 

- Pete

Something to Think About
A very wise person once said, “If we truly concentrated on the important things in life there would be a severe shortage of fishing poles.”