Monday 28 October 2013

Freeze-Up is Just Around the Corner!



Fish House at Kapkik Lake Fly-In Outpost Cabin
The Fish House at Kapkik Lake
Dad, Chris, and the crew flew North to Kapkik last week for another overnighter. This will be their last trip there on floats for this year, as the ice is already forming on some of the lakes. They will now have to wait until the ice is safe to land on and then they can fly up there on skis. They pulled the airplanes out of the water today. 


Kapkik Lake Fly-In Outpost Cabin
Insulation Done in the Cabin at Kapkik
Freeze-up is starting early this year, but Dad is very pleased with the progress that they have made at Kapkik. They have actually surpassed their timeline goal with the new cabin. This trip, they sheeted in the fish house and put the roof on. They were also able to completely insulate the cabin, which made for a more comfortable  night's sleep. 



Kapkik Lake Fly-In Outpost Cabin
Snowmobile at Kapkik Lake Cabin
Dad had a snowmobile flown in to Kapkik, which will be used this winter to pack down the runway for the airplanes and keep them out of the slush. As you can see in the picture, Chris is anxious for the snow to fall so he can get going! Dad told him that there would be no water-skipping as they need this machine for work this winter. 


As mentioned before, the ice is already forming on the shorelines on the lakes up North. Dad says its only a matter of days now until ice over. Generally, the lakes around here will freeze about 5 days after the ice forms up North, so ice-over isn't too far off for us either. 
I guess that means ice fishing is just around the corner!



Indian Lake Chain Trophy Musky Fisherman, K.C.'s Landing Resort
Last Group of Musky Fisherman at K.C.'s Landing Resort
At the drive-to camps, the musky fisherman have been doing really great so far this fall. The last group of brave musky fisherman rolled into K.C.'s Landing on Saturday. Within an hour of arriving at the camp, they were suited up, fishing gear in hand, and on their way across the lake. They are here for a week so we have our fingers crossed that the lakes won't freeze over! If the lake isn't frozen by Wednesday, they should be in the clear as the temperatures are supposed to rise mid-week. The surface temperature of the water is already down to 34 degrees Fahrenheit!


Until next time,

Meagan


Thursday 17 October 2013

A Cold Night at Kapkik

The new out-house base at Grace.
Hello again! I hope everyone enjoyed reading my last entry. I appreciate the comments that I received on Facebook. 

What a beautiful day in Northwestern Ontario!
I had coffee with my Dad this morning (over the phone) and I got to hear all about their last trip up North. The weather is holding nicely so they had another opportunity to do some work before the ground freezes. They just got back yesterday from an overnight trip up to Kapkik Lake. 

Walkways to the boats at Grace.
Dad, Chris and the team left Tuesday morning. They stopped at Grace Lake where they spent 4 hours working, and then continued on to Kapkik where they would do more work and then spend the night. 


In the 4 hours spent at Grace, they got lots of work done. They dug a new out-house hole and built the base for the new out-house. You can see why they wanted to get up there before the ground froze! They also got the cabin jacked up and levelled and cleaned up more brush around the yard. Lastly, they finished the walkways to the boat slips. The cabin is looking great now that its all level, has all new walkways, and even new deck railings! 



The new out-house at Kapkik.
Around 1 pm, they flew over to Kapikik Lake. First, Dad and Chris finished off the soffetting on the cabin while the other guys got a large hole dug for the new DOUBLE out-house. They then put down the base for the out-house,  and even got a couple of the walls up. 

They put the deck railing on the cabin deck, and did some more clean up around the area. The yard is really looking great. 


The yard and new deck rails at Kapkik.

When they were done working for the day, it was time to settle in for the night. They do have the wood stove set up in the cabin, but no insulation yet. Although it was a beautiful sunny day, when that sun goes down at this time of year, the mercury sure drops quickly. There was a very heavy frost overnight and they figured they could sleep comfortably inside the cabin with that wood stove burning. However, without insulation, Dad says they might as well have been sleeping outside!! He said they all slept FULLY clothed, even toques on their heads! (Toque is Canadian for a winter hat, in case you're wondering, lol). Dad said Chris even slept with his shoes on! Chris woke up in the morning and commented "Well, its nice to wake up and hit the ground running!". 

Once everyone was awake, they made their coffee on a fire outside and warmed up.

Just another day at the office! 

Needless to say, next on their agenda is INSULATION at Kapikik!

Until next time,

Meagan






Monday 14 October 2013

Our First Blog Entry!

Hello from Wayne and Karla Clark!

Welcome to the Clark's Blog! We are so glad that you stopped by. This is going to be the first of many blog entries. There is so much going on at all of the camps and outposts cabins and we'd like to keep you updated! Between ongoing construction and updating to the cabins, hunting, the weather, minnow trapping, and of course the fishing - there is always lots to report and this is a good way to share with everyone.

I, Meagan Stansfield, will be writing for the Clark's blog. For those of you who don't know me, or don't recognize me because of my last name, I am Wayne and Karla's daughter. I married my wonderful husband, Devin last summer in August. We got married at K.C.'s Landing Resort. My Dad and I flew into the ceremony in his airplane. The ceremony was held on a dock on the water and the reception in a tent. The camps, the flying, and the outdoors will always be a huge part of my life.

Meagan & Devin's Wedding August 4, 2012.

I work in Dryden at a financial services company, but I love to keep in the loop of what's going on at the camps. I have been helping my parents out with the social media side of the business. I'm going to be taking care of their Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and things like that. This is my first time writing a blog, so please bare with me as we get started!

You may think things are "winding down" at the camps, which in some ways they are, but musky fishing is extremely exciting and popular this time of year. While there aren't any guests flying to the outpost cabins anymore, there are still are a few brave fisherman that are hitting the lakes on these frosty mornings in search for those trophy muskies. Staying at Northern Lights Resort and K.C.'s Landing, there are musky fisherman on both Cedar Lake and on the Indian Lake Chain. One major perk that we like to remind people of is that when staying at any of the resorts or when flying to the outpost cabins, the bait is included with your trip! The musky fisherman at camp right now are using large suckers to entice those monsters to the boat.

One of last year's late fall musky fisherman on the Indian Lake Chain.

The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and we just celebrated "Canadian" Thanksgiving this past weekend! It is hard to believe how fast the summer went and how fast this fall is already passing us by. All in all, it was a great season. The camps were busy and we had lots of guests at the fly-in cabins. Fishing was amazing at both the outpost cabins and on Cedar Lake and the Indian Lake Chain. It was the first year with all of the outposts, but it went very smoothly and the guests were all very happy with their adventures.

Clark's Camp October 6, 2013

The guys (Wayne, Chris, Nick, and a few others) have been up at the outpost cabins pretty well everyday lately. They are doing lots of updates at Grace, McVicar, and of course Kapkik! Kapkik is the outpost cabin that burnt down before my parents bought it. They couldn't wait to build a new cabin there as this lake is VERY popular. Starting this summer, my parents hired airplanes to fly in load after load of material and in only a few short months, they've got a beautiful cabin well on its way!

The new cabin on Kapkik Lake, September 2013.

I have been putting up pictures of the progress on our Facebook page so be sure to check it out. It really is incredible how fast these guys work. As of right now, the dock is built, the walkways are done, and the entire outside of the cabin is complete. The windows and doors are in and the roof is on and next on the agenda is to build the fish house and outhouse and then to finish off the interior of the cabin. This cabin is going to be gorgeous and BIG and the landscape is really incredible for those who like to explore. The fishing on that lake has always been incredible, but as you can imagine, since the lake has had a bit of a break since the fire, the walleyes will be jumping in the boat next summer!

Now you have an idea of what is going on right now. We will keep you posted!

Thank you so much for dropping in. Hope to see you again real soon!

Until next time,

Meagan