As many of you may know, we have been very very dry up here in the region near our lodge for the past couple of years and this summer has been especially dry. We have had no significant rain in the past 5 weeks. That being the case, when a thunder storm comes through, it usually spawns forest fires. There have been many fires started in the past couple of weeks here in NW Ontario but two of them are absolute monsters. They are listed as RED039 and RED040 on the Ontario Fire Reporting website. Here is a link: https://www.ontario.ca/page/forest-fires

Each of these fires is causing us concern. RED039 is Northwest of us by only 4-5 miles. That distance can be covered in less than a day if the wind is in our direction and high in speed. RED040 is also causing issues as it has literally burned along the road that leads to our lodge. They are allowing traffic to move South away from the area with supervised escorts but only emergency vehicles are allowed to come North.

The guests that were here at our lodge this week were instructed to leave at this time so they were escorted South down our road by fire personnel. We are staying in contact with the firecrews in our area on a daily basis to get updates on the fires progressions. The Ministry of Natural Resources has instructed the Native Reserve just North of us to totally evacuate as of yesterday. That is 3800 people expected to leave by military planes before the fire reaches their village. We wish them all the best.

WE ARE CURRENTLY SAFE BUT COULD USE RAIN AND THE RIGHT WIND DIRECTION.

On a more positive note, fishing has not changed at Stormer Lake Lodge as it has been absolutely fantastic right from the beginning of the season. Up until about a week ago, most of the Walleyes and Pike were in weed and sand structure. That is because of the many kinds of minnows that spawn in our lake and also because of the Mayfly hatch that is just nearing its cycle. As of the last few days, the Walleyes are making their way out to rock reefs in addition to weedlines and that is making it very simple to just pick them off one after another. A jig and minnow combo is still the best option while twister tails have had some limited success.

In regards to Pike fishing, there has been no shortage of quantity and size so far this summer. Just a few days ago, we had a 39 1/2 and a 43 inch Pike caught within hours of each other. Many in the 32-36 inch range are common all day long. Mepps spinners in the #3, 4 & 5 size are very good on Pike. We also like Rattle Traps in colors of blue/silver, and Perch. Johnson Silver Minnows and Cleos are also a good choice for spoons.

We know this is a short message at this time but we will try to update more regularly when we know we are in a more stable situation with our surroundings.

Regards,

Dave & Linda