We got the call we've been waiting for!

Hugh Carlson of Viking Island Lodge and Outposts called this evening to say he flew his Cessna 180 on floats over Red Lake today and except for a bit of ice near town, the lake is open. So are all the other lakes around the west end including Douglas Lake where Viking Island Lodge is located. That's the lake that feeds the creek and rapids that we fish at the end of Trout Bay.
Hugh even went open water walleye fishing. Normally he goes ice fishing for walleye on the last day of the season, April 14.
You can check out Hugh's trip on Enid's blog.
Since most of the ice broke up on April 7, that is the day Hugh considers the official ice-out.
This beats the previous record of April 20 by nearly two weeks!
Hugh says, we could make it by boat the 20 miles out to Bow Narrows Camp if we skirted some ice off the Forestry Point and also right in Howey Bay, where we dock.
It should be long gone when Brenda and I get to Red Lake on Monday.
It was beautiful everywhere in Northwestern Ontario today with highs in the mid-teens C.
A rain system is moving in for the weekend and temperatures will fall but no snow is predicted.
The rain is welcome. Last year was extremely dry and there was little snow over the winter.
We need the rain to replenish the water table and prevent a bad forest fire situation from developing.
One of the worst times for forest fires is in the spring before the trees get their leaves.
Despite all the warm weather we've had this spring, the trees look more or less normal for this time of year. Leaf-out might come as usual in mid-t0-late May.
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