Winter Job

Last week some one said to me “What a job you have, fish and fly in the summer and take take winter off.”

Let me set the record straight.  Last night Karen and I returned from our first run of sport shows.  We left home on Jan 11.  Over the course of the last 21 days we drove over 3700 kilometers (2300 miles),  rode almost 43 hours in the vehicle, spent 18 days doing shows in 4 cities often driving between shows the same day shows started or ended.  We stayed in 7 different hotels, ate in countless restaurants, had to wash our clothes in hotel laundries, and tried to keep up on phone messages and emails. Somehow we still found time to visit with colleagues and guests along the way.

Our personal life still goes on so we skyped and emailed with parents, kids and grandkids, and worked on responsibilities for various committees and commitments aside of work.  Today we open 3 weeks worth of mail, catch up on office matters, start our year end, do more laundry and play with the dog.  On Thursday, at day break, I am back on the road for another sport show.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, I wouldn’t trade my job for anything.  A wise man once said, “If you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

1 down 5 to go

Karen and I have just finished the Chicago All Canada Sport Show.   I have to admit, it has not been this much fun doing a show for years.  I think folks are a little more optimistic regarding vacations. Lot’s of great visits with guests, new guests and tire kickers.  We managed to book several groups. Many key dates are disappearing quickly.  

If you are looking for a top Canadian vacation this year stop by one of the upcoming shows and we’ll help you set things up.  See previous posts for show dates and locations. 

In Chicago we had our daughter Jo with us so I hope that wasn’t the reason for all the interest.  She has headed back to Ignace so Karen and I are now on our own.

 

Look for this booth at the show.  Ignace Outposts

Show Season

January is back to the grind time for us at Ignace Outposts. We’ve had a nice break through the holidays visiting kids and spending time with the grandkids. Now it is time to focus on 2010. We head off to sport shows in a few days. We’ve picked some great shows to attend. We encourage you to stop by one of the shows listed and talk to us about spending your vacation with us. We attend these shows so you can get to know us better and see us on your turf. We always look forward to seeing old (meaning regular) guests and friends but are excited to meet new guests face to face. We will have plenty of photos and information to excite you about your 2010 Ignace Outposts vacation. We do carry our booking calendar so we can check availabilities based on your vacation time.

While we are on the show circuit, we are available by both phone and email. Feel free to contact us.

• Jan 14 - 17, 2010 - Chicago All Canada, Pheasant Run Mega Center, St. Charles, IL
• Jan 21 - 24, 2010 - Milwaukee All Canada, Milwaukee County Sports Complex, Milwaukee, WI
• Jan 25 - 27, 2010 - Madison All Canada, Marriott Madison West, Madison, WI
• Jan 28 - 31, 2010 - Green Bay All Canada, Shopko Hall, Green Bay, WI
• Feb 5 - 7, 2010 - Minneapolis All Canada, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Mar 24 - 28, 2010 – Northwest Sport Show, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN

If we are in your area, please stop by a show and we’ll “talk fishing”.

We’ve been doing this for a while…

This goes back to our early years! Notice the lack of grey hairs, and before my mother-in-law points it out … the abundance of hair, and check out the baby blue antique landline phone.

2010 is our 25th season at Ignace Outposts

You’ll hear this often over the next year. We are excited to be in our 25^th season. Looking back we were just pups when we came to Ignace. We came with two small children and one in the oven, a big dog, lots of ambition and no idea that we’d still be enjoying this a quarter century later. Karen agreed to try this venture with me for 5 to 10 years. 25 years later we look back to many great friendships and lots of great memories…and forward to many more yet to come.

As we head into 2010, world economics are still soft, there are concerns of wars, and terrorism and Canada and the United States just can’t seem to get border issues under control. But we are optimistic that things will improve. Regardless of distractions, it is for that very reason vacations are important. We have the privilege of offering a unique Canadian experience – a remote get away.

No cell phones, smart phones, emails, Facebook, instant messaging or other tethers to the internet are available at our camps. These things were not even in existence when we began in Ignace.

Let go of the rat race and spend some quality face to face time with those who matter. Think about it, how will missing a few emails compare to the memories of time well spent at Ignace Outposts in 5 years time or even 25 years.

Have a great New Year and we look forward to seeing you in 2010!

Our base sometime in the past.  Likely the early 80’s.

Best Wishes

To Our Left-wing Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures.   Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

(Disclaimer: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.)

 

To Our Right-wing Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Brad and Karen
Ignace Outposts
http://www.ignaceoutposts.com

2010 Guest Handbook on-line

We’ve updated our guest planning handbook.  It has some important updates.  Even our long time guests may want to check it out.  I encourage everyone planning an Ignace Outposts trip this summer to see it on our web site.  Guest Planning Handbook

It is in pdf format so you can view it on your computer or print it out as a reference. 

Great resource

At this time of year family and friends get together. If your gatherings are anything like the ones I attend, conversation quickly passes through politics, kids, in-laws and then turns to real interests like fishing and sports. Once the topics enter this arena the sports provide friendly argument and the fishing returns to common ground. I don't think the Pack vs the Vikes will ever be settled, but I digress. Outside a few boasts on size, there is not much to disagree about when talking fishing. If questions arise concerning a Canada trip (with Ignace Outposts of course) I am providing a link to a great info web site: http://www.infonorth.net/
This site will answer the detail questions about heading to our part of the country. It can't help with the techniques of fishing, but then we do need something to remain subjective.

This one is for the ladies!

I’m not being sexist, but a reality of our business is that the vast majority of our guests are men. This blog post is designed to be left up inadvertently on the family computer to drop a few hints for “stocking stuffers” for a fisherman. If you do plan to bring your better half on an Ignace Outposts trip this summer, of course you can load up her stocking with some of these great items. I am sure no one would notice if you augmented your own stocking either.

I am assuming the Ignace Outposts trip has already been booked. If not you can start with a major Christmas gift then fill the stocking as a hint.

Sunscreen

Yes this is often required on Canadian Lakes too.

Multi tool

A good multi tool is invaluable in a boat. With some of these devices enterprising anglers can perform complex jobs just short of minor surgery. A tether is advisable to ensure this is not an annual purchase.

Filet knife

A fisherman and his knife very quickly become inseparable. A good quality knife such as a Rapala (brand) will last for years. And in this regard size does matter; a 7 1/2 inch blade is just about perfect. Be sure to include a sharpener for bonus points.

Thermos

A durable heavy thermos is ideal for keeping hot foods hot. Use for hot coffee or soup for lunch.

Nail clippers

Even though most fishermen could care less about a French Manicure, they do find these cheap little nail clippers a handy fishing tool. Clipping fishing line with nail clippers saves chipped front teeth. This is also an item that should be on a tether.

Insect repellent

We do have mosquitoes (nastius bitingus) in our area. A little deet helps makes the evenings more bearable.

Lures/bait

Most lures are designed to catch the fisherman at the baitshop. But you can’t go wrong with Rapalas, jigs, Berkley power baits and Gulp alive.

Hand crank flashlight

This is a handy thing to have in a tackle box, particularly when the tackle box gets out only once a year on it’s annual pilgrimage to Ignace Outposts.

Places such as Walmart or Bass Pro are good places to look for these items.

And a little hint, save money by not buying a new lucky hat, or taking a wild guess at a new type of fishing line. There are a few things that just do not make good gifts.