ThunderHook Fly-Ins 2014 Annual Newsletter & Photo Journal From Your Hosts - The Dill Family & Debbie Alexander www.thunderhook.com
The Crane Lake Connection All INCLUSIVE FISHING TRIP ON SMOOTHROCK LAKE IN WABAKIMI PARK Depart: Crane Lake, MN 10AM Arrive: Smoothrock Camp 12PM with Lunch Waiting! Driving to Crane Lake, MN Approx. Mileage (mi) Approx. Drive Time (hrs) Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 273 4.5 Green Bay, WI 473 8 Des Moines, IA 514 8.5 Milwaukee, WI 538 9 Chicago, IL 610 9.5 Kansas City, MO 707 11 Indianapolis, IN 792 13 Denver, CO 1185 18 Crane Lake Smoothrock Camp Sioux Falls Mpls/St. Paul Green Bay Milwaukee Des Moines Chicago Denver Kansas City Indianapolis Note: Rental Cars and Shuttle Service may be arranged for transportation to Crane Lake, MN. The closest airports with commercial air service are Hibbing, MN (HIB) and Duluth, MN (DLH). Thunderhook has an exciting new trip to the Smoothrock Camp that we are offering to all of our anglers. Starting next summer Thunderhook is adding an option to begin your fly-in fishing trip from Crane Lake, MN. The Crane Lake Trip is likely the closest departure point to a great Ontario Fly-In Fishing Trip anywhere in the lower 48 states. Crane Lake, MN is a hidden gem nestled between Minnesota s famed Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Voyageurs National Park. Crane Lake is only a 4 hour drive from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan area of Minnesota and a 9 to 10 Hour Drive from the Chicago, IL Metropolitan area. Accessing Canada via Crane Lake is also nearly an hour shorter than driving to International Falls, MN/Fort Frances, Ontario, and there is no wait at the International Bridge Crossing. Crane Lake, MN is only six miles from Sand Point Lake, Ontario where there is a Canadian Port of Entry which is accessible only via water. Guests choosing our Crane Lake Trip will leave Crane Lake, MN on a privately chartered commercial boat and arrive at the Canadian Border in less than 10 minutes. After clearing customs fishermen can simply step on the airplane and head for Smoothrock Camp. Anglers simply need to bring their clothes and fishing rods. Note: We also have fishing equipment at the lodge for those who do not have fishing equipment or would prefer not to bring their own. This is the perfect trip for fishermen on a tight schedule where time constraints are a major consideration or for those looking to shorten their travel time.
Sample Trip Itinerary Day 1 - Arrive in Crane Lake, MN for overnight stay, dinner, and drinks. (Optional) Day 2 - Depart for Canada Border Crossing at Sand Point Lake, Ontario, fly to Smoothrock Camp for Shore Lunch and fishing. Flight is approx. 1.2 hours. Days 3 & 4 - Breakfast, Guided Fishing, Shore Lunch, Dinner Day 5 - Depart Smoothrock Camp for Sand Point Lake, Ontario. Arrive back in Crane Lake, MN to your vehicle by 11AM. Rates: 4 days / 3 nights - $2495 5 days / 4 nights - $2750 * Minimum group of 6 ** We provide all meals, lodging, snacks, beverages, bait, and one guide per group while at Smoothrock Camp. *** Liquor is available but not included *** 80lbs maximum weight limit per person For more info check out our webpage: www.thunderhook.com/crane-lake-mn-trip/
2014: Excellent Fishing, Great Friends and Good Times! Another great year is in the books at Thunderhook Fly-Ins despite many struggles do to another lingering winter. Of course we would like to thank our wonderful guests for being patient as the ice melted on many of our lakes delaying many trips at the start of the season. Looking back at the start of the year we were delayed about two weeks and our first fishermen and women and did not get in to some locations until after June 1st! However, the year turned out to be spectacular once again and we could not have done it without great customers from the U.S.A., Canada, and around the world. It was a rather cool summer in Northwestern Ontario, Canada as compared to the last few. It didn t slow down the fishing one bit. In fact, it may have made the fishing even better. During the summer of 2014 guests registered more Walleye over 30 than in any previous summer. The Pike fishing remained fantastic throughout the year but specifically in the first six weeks of the season as well as the first two weeks of September. It will be interesting to see the big fish that are caught during the 2015 season. Overall we would like to thank you and your friends for making 2014 another great season at Thunderhook! We are grateful and thankful that many of you return year after year in search of good service, solitude and fantastic Canadian fishing! levels that occur on Smoothrock Lake which is something the old dock did not do. In July we made a dramatic change to the Smoothrock Camp communication system due to ongoing difficulties with the prior system. We installed two satellite dishes which provide broadband internet service as well as VOIP telephone service for calling. The new phone works flawlessly and there is even voicemail at the resort now. Overall, it was another fantastic year of fishing on Smoothrock Lake. Although the water levels on the lake were well above average. Guests continue to notice a consistent increase in size of both Walleye and Pike on the lake. This year our anglers caught more walleye over 30 than ever before. Last fall Thunderhook purchased a Living Stream bait system that will be installed this spring in the Smoothrock boathouse. This will dramatically increase the quality of our bait. During the moose hunt a large supply of building materials was flown into the Smoothrock Camp. We are building a large storage garage with a new shower house, work area, and storage area. This will include the removal of the current shower house, old motor shed and workshop. We also began to take down cabins two and three last fall and will continue to work on their removal as time permits. Thunderhook Outposts The summer at Thunderhook outpost camps was much like the previous summer. Once the lakes were ice-free we immediately began working to get the camps open and operational for the arriving guests. The fishing throughout the summer was spectacular as usual at all of our fly-in lakes. It is of particular note that the walleye fishing on Shabuskwia Lake is getting better and better every summer. The size of the fish being caught and released is absolutely astonishing. Many projects that were postponed last fall are now scheduled for this spring after it snowed a foot on September 22nd. More maintenance and repairs will be the theme of 2015 including docks, cabin improvements at some of the properties, and new motors. Moose Hunts Once again, hunters from around the world participated in the Thunderhook moose hunt which is one of the largest in North America. Demand for these hunts continues to be extremely high primarily due to the decline of the moose population in the USA and the elimination of once in a lifetime hunts in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Limited space is now available for the 2015 hunt. The Thunderhook moose hunt is an exciting time to visit the Wabakimi Provincial Park. An added bonus is the truly spectacular fall fishing. If you are considering booking a moose hunt, please call us as soon as possible to ensure availability for the dates/weeks you desire and to receive all of the details of the hunt. Please call us or email us for our 2015 Moose Hunt Rates. Smoothrock Camp After an interesting start to the season at Smoothrock things began to quickly fall into place. Our crew immediately began construction of the new dock which was a huge improvement over the last dock. Now there is 1250 square feet of dock space at the resort for the planes, guests, and boats. The dock accommodates the fluctuations in water TV & Advertising Throughout the year we will continue to run segments on Midwest Outdoors. Also, Drake makes it a priority to keep our Facebook page up to date with the latest pictures and info. Be sure to check out our latest list of sportshows. If you have a picture or video that you would like to share with us, please post it on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/thunderhook or email them to us at info@thunderhook.com
New for 2015 Aircraft Prior to 2014 season, Thunderhook purchased a DeHavilland Turbo Otter. We are extremely happy that the aircraft was in great condition and working order and served our business needs wonderfully. This fall, after the moose hunt, Drake flew the Otter to Fort Frances, Ontario where it will spend the winter. We are upgrading the aircraft with a new interior and some other features this winter and will continue on with improvements such as paint, instrument panel, and new floats over the next several seasons. Cellular Telephone Service We now have cellular telephone service at our seaplane base in Armstrong Station, Ontario. This was a huge step for the community, our customers, and our business. Unfortunately, we are unable to get cellular telephone service at any of our fly-out camps. New Yamaha 4-Stroke Motors Again, we will be replacing many of our outboard motors at many of our fly-in destinations. We are proud to offer Yamaha 4-Stroke 15 and 20HP electric start motors at our fly-in destinations. Also, no guest in our operation will arrive to an outboard motor that is more than three years old. We feel strongly that our guests must have the most efficient and reliable motors as part of their great Canadian fishing vacation. Don t forget to prewire your depthfinder with alligator clips to be directly connected to the motor battery. 2015 Sport show Schedule Throughout this fall and winter Debbie, David, Al and Drake are attending a variety of sport shows throughout the United States. It s a great way to see our guests as well as new customers! The All Canada Show has added a second show in Green Bay, WI for 2015 and we will be doing a show in Phoenix this winter as well. Stop out and see us at one of these great shows! Free Tickets! If you are planning on attending, please email info@thunderhook. com and we will arrange for you to receive free passes to the show(s) of your choice. You may view the schedule at www.thunderhook.com/ sportshow-schedule as we have added several shows. Come see us and talk about a 2015 fishing trip with Thunderhook! 1. All Canada Fishing & Vacation Show Jan 8-11, 2015 Pheasant Run Resort St. Charles, IL 2. Minnesota Sportsmen s Show Jan 8-11, 2015 St. Paul Rivercentre St. Paul, MN 3. All Canada Fishing & Vacation Show January 15-18, 2015 Radisson Conference Center (Oneida Casino) Green Bay, WI 4. Kansas City Boat & Sport Show Jan 22-25, 2015 Bartle Hall Kansas City, MO 5. Chicagoland Fishing & Outdoor Expo Jan 29 Feb 1, 2015 Schaumburg Convention Center Schaumburg, IL 6. LaCrosse Boat, Sports, Travel, RV & Hunting Show Feb 12-15, 2015 LaCrosse Auditorium LaCrosse, WI 7. Omaha Boat, Sports and Travel Show Feb 19-22, 2015 Century Link Center Omaha, NE 8. Duluth Boat, Sport and Travel Show Feb 18-22, 2015 The DECC Duluth, MN 9. International Sportsmens Expo Feb 19-22, 2015 University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 10. Madison Fishing Expo Feb 27-Mar 1, 2015 Alliant Energy Center Madison, WI 11. St. Paul Bird, Buck, Bait & Boat Expo Feb 27-Mar 1, 2015 Warner Coliseum State Fairgrounds Minneapolis, MN 12. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sport Show March 4-8, 2015 Wisconsin State Fair Park West Allis, WI 13. Minnesota SCI s 40th Annual World Hunting Expo March 6-7, 2015 Bloomington Doubletree Hotel Bloomington, MN 14. Northwest Sport Show March 25-29, 2015 Minneapolis Convention Center Minneapolis, MN Hospitality - Meet & Greet Events Last season we again hosted a meet and greet event in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at Michele s Restaurant. The event was hosted by Thad Klasinski, who is the proprietor at Michele s, and Tom Dailing, both longtime Thunderhook guests. Again, over 100 guests attended this fun event as we awarded drink coupons, door prizes, and a fishing seminar. A hearty thank you to our friends Thad and Tom for hosting another get-together! We are planning on repeating this event in Stevens Point, an possibly in other cities as well. If you would like to host a meet and greet event in your community, please contact us to work out the details
2015 Fishing Rates Smoothrock Camp Resort SMOOTHROCK CAMP AMENITIES Cabins 4 and 5 (fully modern) 6-8 person capacity / 4 minimum Cabin 6 10 person capacity Cabin 7 8 person capacity Cabins 9 and 10 8 person capacity Cabin 11 12 person capacity We provide full time staff catering to your needs: clean, modern, shorefront cabins with electric appliances, fully - equipped kitchens, propane grills, screened in fish cleaning house. Most have screened in porches, sand beaches, new 16 ft Lund boats, 20HP Yamaha 4-Stroke motors, and swivel boat seats. All beds have fresh linens ready for your arrival. 2015 Fly-In Fishing Specials (From Armstrong, Ontario) Thunderhook Outposts Shab Island Cabins (fully modern) 6 person capacity / 4 minimum Shabuskwia South (fully modern) 10 person capacity / 6 minimum Almos Bay 10 person capacity / 6 minimum 8 days / 7 nights - $1345 each Funger Lake 10 person capacity / 6 minimum 4 days / 3 nights - $1225 each 8 days / 7 nights - $1345 each Moonshine Lake 10 person capacity / 4 minimum 4 days / 3 nights - $1050 each 8 days / 7 nights - $1195 each THUNDERHOOK OUTPOST AMENITIES Thunderhook fully equipped outposts feature 14 and 16 ft Lund boats and 15hp 4-stroke motors, swivel boat seats, boat cushions, life jackets and landing nets. Fully equipped kitchens, screened house or porch, propane grill and fish cookers, hot and cold running water and showers. Guests provide sleeping bags and towels. $995 Fall Special Any available date after September 1st Smoothrock Camp, Almos Bay, Moonshine, and Funger Outposts (8 days/7 nights) Direct Referral Program Directly refer a new party; and pay only $995 for your personal fishing trip. 2nd Trip Special Come on a 2nd trip in the same year and pay just $995 per person! A Kind Reminder If you are considering a trip to Thunderhook, we highly recommend that you make your plans without delay. Dates throughout the season fill quickly as the sport show season gets underway. Thank You! We want to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting us in beautiful Northwestern Ontario, Canada. We consider it an honor and privilege to serve you. We liken it to the sign in our office which says, Come as guests leave as friends! WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! David, Drake, Debbie, Mike, Al and the rest of the Thunderhook Team! www.thunderhook.com
2014 Photo Journal
2014 Photo Journal
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Summer 527 Highway Armstrong Station, ON Canada, P0T 1A0 Winter P.O. Box 321 Orr, MN 55771 807.583.2106 info@thunderhook.com www.thunderhook.com