| Welcome To Thunder Bay
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Getting the boys to Thunder Bay was supposed to be easy. It was all set for July 11th. American Airlines gave each U.S. soldier the required round trip flights to Chicago. Ed Newby and Bob Buttgen, donated their private planes and pilot skills to get the U.S. soldiers from Chicago to Canada. Then the weather went out in Thunder Bay, and the planes could not leave Chicago. Ed's daughter invited them over for a BBQ, they all went to bed in Chicago with full tummies, and woke up to sunny skies on Saturday. Thank Goodness ! They arrived in Thunder Bay at noon Saturday and city officials, the media and local military groups rolled out the red carpet.  Mark Snyder, event coordinator for Project Healing Waters was given the Medallion of the City, by Councilor Linda Rydholm. A special bagpipe welcome was performed by Cliff Niles (left photo in banner) of the Macgillivray Pipe Band of Thunder Bay. He dropped us a e-mail yesterday, "My hobby is piping and I have played for many occasions over the years, but I found it very humbling to play for these brave soldiers. The smiles on their faces during the "ceremonial piping in parade" meant just as much to me as it did to them!" While their luggage was loaded and planes were readied for the 45-minute flight to Miminiska Lodge the boys enjoyed lunch and conducted interviews with the media.  Click here to read the news report. Every soldier was impressed with the special welcome prepared by Paul Pepe of Thunder Bay Tourism,  and all of the radio, TV and newspaper reporters who stopped by for lunch and a chance to say "Welcome to Thunder Bay - Welcome to Canada."
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Promises Kept !
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Making promises is one thing. Keeping them another. So when Dallas Bergl, CEO of Inova Federal Credit Unions told us he would donate a big check for the Project Healing Waters event - $5000 in fact - we knew he was "good for it." After all Dallas, told us he heard about PHW in an NPR radio story so he knew a little about the organization. He also has a decorated military background as part of the Honor Guard for U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and was there, in full uniform, the day the Vietnam Memorial was opened in Washington D.C. We got the real check a few weeks ago, based on donations from Inova employees and account holders. And the big check? Well that presentation was part of the welcome ceremony in Thunder Bay last Saturday. Now Dallas has gone one step further. He and his 17 year old son Dakota are here with us this week to help where help is needed and to strike up some friendships with the very special guys who are our guests, thanks to giving people who keep their word. BTW: That big check is hanging on the wall in our dining hall, and every soldier is signing it with their own special thank you note.
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| Back "issues" of the Fishing Reports and Newsletters
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If you would like to go back to check a story in one of our past e-mails of either a Fishing Report or a Wilderness North Newsletter you can do so in our archive file.
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A Band Of Brothers -
and what a welcome in Thunder Bay !
...by Alan Cheeseman
Our "Healing On The Albany" event is off and running. It kicked off last Friday when the soldiers arrived in Thunder Bay - and what a reception they had. (See side bar story "Welcome to Thunder Bay.") In cooperation with Project Healing Waters, soldiers from both the U.S. and Canada will be our guests all week, at Miminiska Lodge on the Albany River. Seven U.S. soldiers and two Canadians are here to enjoy the cool green boreal forest, and the lakes and streams of Northwestern Ontario.
Mark Snyder, the event coordinator for Project Healing Waters has rigged up their fly rods, and together with our First Nation Guides pointed them in the direction of the plentiful Walleye and scrappy Northern Pike on Miminiska Lake. As of this writing they are having great success despite the unusually cold and rainy weather  we are experiencing.
Austin Randell, our director of maintenance, has even built a new ramp so those soldiers in wheel chairs have easy access to their cabin.
You may recall that Project Healing Waters is a non profit charity, that assists soldiers who have been wounded in the battlefield, by introducing or reintroducing them to the joys of fly angling. Our guests this week have been injured in the line of duty in Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam.
The photo on the right shows Mark exchanging knot tying ideas with our Native Guides.
Also, we would like introduce our two Canadian Soldiers to you on this week's podcast. 
David Thompson and Matt Kozakiewicz, both from Shiloh, Manitoba were seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan. Their stories are remarkable. Listen Now.
Keep in touch. I welcome your e-mails to guide us in creating a report that works for you...you can send one now.
Alan
Alan@wildernessnorth.com 1-888-465-FISH (3474)
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Good Bye Cold - Rainy - Windy
Hello Sunny and Nice
...By Graham Saunders
No really - that's the forecast. Every one of the Wilderness North destinations had a few days of very strong winds, very rainy conditions with low ceilings and very cool temperatures this past week. Hey, I warned you.
However, starting today, winds back off, the temps climb up, and the skies clear up. Trust me. You see, a dominate low pressure system has blocked our usual west to east weather systems from moving, and now a ridge of high pressure moves in and with it much improved weather. Our temperatures will be downright warm - in the mid 70's where they belong.
And most of my friends may start talking to me again.
I can tell you more about this year's weather patterns, and take a peek at the summer we have been waiting for on the podcast.
By the way, this coming Sunday, July 20th is Lake Superior Day, learn more by clicking here.
Graham Saunders, is professor of meteorology at Lakehead University here in Thunder Bay, and weather commentator for the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal and for Wilderness North.
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Healing On the Albany 2008
When our chef, Jean Randell saw both U.S. and Canadian soldiers at one table, she commented, "This is like Doctors Without Borders, except, it's "Sold iers Without Borders."
She was right.
Jean saw clearly that all soldiers who keep the peace sometimes pay dearly, regardless of their uniform.
Take Sam Floberg, (right photo) of Fargo, North Dakota USA for example.
Sam is one of those who stood tall, when others may have stood back. He's one of those who said, "I will," when the question, "Who will protect the free world?" is asked. And he is one of our guests this week, as the borders come down and spirits go up.
On Sunday Jean prepared a turkey dinner with all the fixins'. Our staff and the soldiers sat at one big family table to give thanks.
-For our freedoms.
-For the soldiers who answer the call when ever
and where ever freedom is threatened.
-And for each other.
There was plenty of laughter, especially when 81 year old Helen Cheeseman presented each soldier with a Wilderness North shirt, and a good luck kiss.
Bill Johnston, of Butler, PA, got both, even though it appears
in the photo that Helen is strangling
him. Alan Cheeseman, her son, says she does possess that ability and can use it if required - and he ought to know.
Bill (60) is a Vietnam vet, and the senior member of the PHW delegation. A grade school in Pittsburg, PA sponsored Bill's trip - and his most grateful.
The others in camp are all younger guys from recent military engagements. But everybody is getting along and having a terrific time. And so are we.
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Pike on Chocolate Chip Cookies ?
...Katelyn Johnson
It felt more like October than July this past week here at Miminiska Lodge - but conditions were ideal for fishing! Despite constant rain and cool wind, guests caught plenty of Walleye and Pike.
Fly-fishing anglers found success in the shallow waters at the bottom of Miminiska Falls, especially using white or olive-green coloured flies. Watch out for the strong current though - we recommend a strong fishing line! Even the soldiers of Project Healing Waters expressed thanks they had their warm clothing and rain suits, and they too really hammered them, under low clouds and spitting showers and ceilings so low we could not fly the planes.
Jim Gray from Meaford, ON has some interesting advice for anglers: DO NOT TRY this at home, it should only be done by trained professionals.
Using a piece of chocolate chip cookie he managed to reel in a 36 inch Pike. The secret to his success? He cast into the pencil weeds, counted to twelve, and then hit his friend Harold in the face. It was around this time that he realized he had hooked the big one. He instantly thought of his wife - and he wondered what she would do in this situation, and he figured she would say 'drag it in' - and the rest is history, so they say. This story has not been confirmed by SNOPES or any other source - we only report what guests tell us. And we did NOT see any photos - HMMM?
Zach Huffman had a unique catch one afternoon while fishing off the rocks on shore lunch island - he caught a Rock Bass! Rock Bass are not indigenous to the Albany River, and are usually not found this far north.
In the end, it was thirteen year-old AnnaMay Modruson from Glen Ellyn, IL who had the biggest catch of the week with a 40 inch Pike. She is now a Master Angler. Congratulations AnnaMay!
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Summer Jig Patterns Emerge on
Whitewater Lake
...Tyler Lancaster
There was not much pressure put on the fish in Whitewater Lake this week at either Striker's Point or Whitewater Lodge. The weather was windy and rainy most of the week.
Despite the nasty chop and the sunless sky, the Crane group and the Wenzel group had great success. Tim Crane's 26 inch Walleye off the dock was the trophy of the week. Al Taylor's 24 inch Walleye was also a beauty. Both were taken on jigs.
The Wenzel brothers from Wisconsin who have been to Striker's about eight times came up with some rather remarkable "number days." They had 100 by lunch on their second morning at points just inside the river outflow, only minutes from the dock at Striker's Point Lodge.
Walleye seem to be congregating now at mid-lake structure such as reefs, sunken islands, or at sudden humps that rise from flat, open expanses. This can be a very good time to catch Walleye. Often a nice breeze can help you to drift over these pieces of structure, while dragging a jig from the windward side of your boat. Drift fishing allows you to cover more water, faster, and also to find the productive part of a reef more quickly.
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Wind, Rain, and Mayflies Create Challenges
...MacArthur Hobson
 Fishing this past week at Makokibatan Lodge was slow as the many days of strong winds and wet weather kept guests close to shore. Fish were slow to bite with the majority of them coming on the south shore of the lake between Rogers Reef and the summer, shore lunch island. Most fish were caught in 18 ft of water on bright colored Hot and Tots.
We also experienced a large mayfly hatch which seemed to turn off many of the fish from striking artificial baits.
Weather for the next week looks to be nice with temperatures between 60 and 84 with light winds, and no rain in the forecast. Happy fishing!
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