What's Happening at Halley's
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October 2021
What a month for the northern lights-they were absolutely beautiful! The northern lights had lit up the skies many a nights in October!
Halley’s Camps TROPHY FISH LIST is posted on our website! Click here
At One Man this month we had 2 fishermen at the beginning of the month and wow!! Did they every catch the fish! Trophy northern and bass!! Shawn and Eric really tested many areas of the fishing from near to far and they did absolutely amazing!
Make sure you check out our trophy list—we had some great fishing in 2021 in a short season.
Largest walleye: 30”
Largest smallie: 21.5”
Largest pike: 42”
Our Thanksgiving was October 11th and we had so much to be thankful for this year. With 2 forest fires-one of which was at Moosehorn and burned towards Kettle this spring and the other one this summer that started north and moved its way to the English River, we are able to say that all our buildings and docks remain intact! So thankful and grateful to the MNRF that worked hard endlessly which seemed like all summer fighting the fires in our area. Chris had flown around and checked on all our locations and we did loose some boats and motors on our musky lake at Irregular otherwise that was about it.
We are grateful that Canada opened its borders and we were able to see everyone that made it up! Everyone was double vaccinated, covid tested negative and travelled to us to go fishing. Thank you all for taking the extra steps to come on your fishing vacation with us at Halley’s Camps!
NEW for 2022! We are flying from KENORA!!
We are having all of our outpost guests and our all-inclusive guests fly out of Kenora, Ontario and not Minaki. This is will be easier for all of you for less driving, timelines, hotels, meals, shopping and more! We will have a new office downtown Kenora as well! We will be continuing to offer flights from Winnipeg and Fort Frances direct into our lodges and outposts. Kenora is located 2.5 hours drive north of International Falls, MN.
September 2021
September was a great month to come fishing. When we look at the number of trophies registered between the two places Kettle Falls and Caribou Falls Landing we had 70 trophy fish registered!! Whether it be walleyes, bass or pike—when fishermen would put their lines in the water wham-o-fish-on!! And we have pictures to prove it!!
Kettle Falls Lodge
We had lots of return fishermen to Halley’s but some of them were new-be’s at Kettle Falls this year as they have stayed at One Man, Caribou or one of the outposts in the past. First timers ever to Halley’s Camps, Nicholas and Chris, were looking forward to this surprise trip that was given to them by their ladies for Christmas! They caught a lot of fish and Nicholas caught the largest walleye of the year which was a 30” walleye!! Steve returned for a 5 day trip with his son Matt and they caught piles of fish and registered many trophies with the largest bass being 20.5”-whew that is a lot of bass!!
The last group of the year was Bill Jr and Bill Sr for a 90th birthday fishing trip for Bill Sr. They caught lots of fish and had a very memorable few days fishing with us. Bill caught a 21.5” smallie!!
After all the guests left Kettle for the season there was still some wrapping up to do before winter-the dock, boats and equipment were all stored for the cool Ontario winter ahead.
Caribou Falls Landing
Guests at the Landing had good fishing. We had some guests that were supposed to be at the outposts but with the fires they wanted to come fish at Caribou. Spring fishermen, like the Phillips party, came as well and Jimmy caught a trophy bass that was 18” and a 41” pike! We had the Kentucky boys that said this was by far the best fishing they have ever had in 25+ years! A new party from Chicago area found their way with casting and trolling and got piles of walleye, bass and pike and a few trophies to record! Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves-fishing and hanging out with family and friends-so good to see!!
Moose Hunt
As the fires burnt a lot of area this summer, we decided that it was best to give the animals and area a break. We didn’t do a moose hunt at Trapline or Rex but Chris decided to do a hunt at one of our moose hunt camps. This lake is very far north and he brought his eldest son, Louis, with him to guide the 3 moose hunters. Two moose hunters were successful and the third moose hunter definitely saw some animals. They all had a memorable week!
August 2021
When we heard the announcement that the Canada border was going to open August 9th we wanted to scream for joy from the tree tops!! Even though the border was open, we had to wait until August 21st to open because of the forest fires. This would be the first time Kettle Falls was able to open in over 23 months with fishermen!
We were also able to operate Caribou Falls Landing as well with fishermen. Our outposts and One Man Lake Lodge had to remain closed as the forest fires in the area were still not under control.
Kettle Falls
Guests at Kettle Falls had great fishing as you can see in the pictures! The Esser party caught lots of fish-the largest was caught by Bryan who caught a 21.5” smallmouth bass! Jacob another fishing guest, had caught the largest northern at Kettle measuring 42”. The 2 longest walleyes were 27.5”.
It was fantastic to see the guests return, on the docks, in boats, smiling, and just enjoying the great outdoors! We, as many of you, waited for this what seems like an eternity. Fishermen entered the lodge through the big dining rooms doors-smelled dinner, desserts and breads-it was like being welcomed home for many returning guests! It really was a pleasure to see guests on our 75th anniversary!!
Caribou Falls Landing
Caribou Falls Landing had many guests boating lots of trophies and with a week and a half of guests we had over 30 trophies registered! The lengthiest northern pike at Caribou was 40”, meanwhile 4 walleyes all measuring 28” were the largest, and the biggest bass was 19.25”—those are some whoppers! We had the Holcomb party come in and fish with Louis and they had some great fishing. They registered multiple trophies while fishing 7 days with us!
Seeing the docks full of boats, counting minnows, hearing the laughter coming from the cabin decks and listening in on the fish stories while guests are registering fish—we missed this during the Covid shutdowns—every single part. It was so good to see you all again!
The Border is Opening!
VISITORS from the United States arriving and departing to and from Canada
As of August 9, 2021 fully vaccinated American citizens and permanent residents, currently residing in the US can cross into Canada for non-essential or leisure travel.
Fully vaccinated travelers permitted to travel to Canada if they have received the full vaccination series of a vaccine accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada.
Fully vaccinated travellers must:
- Be able to meet the pre-entry test requirements-which is to have a negative pre-entry COVID-19 molecular test result within 72 hours of crossing the border
- have received the full vaccination series of a vaccine accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada
- be asymptomatic
- Submit information digitally using the ArriveCAN app or website before boarding if arriving by air, or before arriving at a land or marine port of entry and have provided COVID-19 related information electronically through ArriveCAN prior to arrival in Canada
- have a paper or digital copy of their vaccination documentation in English or French Unvaccinated children under 12 years of age and dependents of fully vaccinated travellers eligible for entry to Canada will be exempted from quarantine with enhanced public health measures, meaning they can move around with their parents, but must avoid group settings, such as kids camps or daycares
- There will be random Covid tests done on travellers at the border. Fully vaccinated travellers will not need a post-arrival test unless they have been randomly selected to complete a Day 1 COVID-19 molecular test.
- Travelers must have a quarantine location in mind. As a guest of Halley’s Camps, we will provide a place for an individual/s to be able to quarantine if they get symptoms of Covid-19.
RETURNING TO THE UNITED STATES
For Americans arriving back into the US by land travel by vehicle, the US is not requiring a negative covid test within 72 hours of returning to the US. For air travel from Canada to the US a negative covid test must be completed within 72 hours of crossing the border. You will need to show the test results before being allowed to board a plane from Canada to the US. At the Winnipeg airport there will be Covid tests available that are free-these tests are 24-hour tests (must be complete 24 hours before you board) and available M-F 8am-4pm. Please call us to find information about flying into International Falls vs Winnipeg.
Follow any additional federal, provincial/territorial and local public health measures. In Ontario, wearing a mask is required indoors in public places and you must stay 6 feet apart from others while in public.
We are giving you the information as of up to today, July 22, 2021. If travelling to Canada this summer or fall, please keep updated with travel on current boarder statuses.
May 2021
As we continued through May, we had to call many guests to let them know that the US/Canada border closure had been extended. Same as last year, we are rolling reservations and 100% of deposits to the 2022 year. We also created a call list if the border were to open. If you have changed your mind and you would like to add your name to our call list for fishing the “what if we have a season”, please give us a quick email with your name, phone number and which location you would be interested in fishing for 2021. Fingers crossed that we receive some good news on June’s border announcement.
It has been a very DRY spring and after a 10-minute storm which had lots of lightning left lots pop up fires started. The Moosehorn Lake fire made the news here in Kenora with the wild fire burning right towards our Moosehorn Lake Outpost. The Ministry of Natural Resources Fire was able to get in there and put sprinklers on our cabin, shed and boats as the fire was across the bay. The fire even though it was moving to the north- north-east, it was so hot that it back burned right next to the cabin at Moosehorn as you can see in the picture. The bright green trees behind the cabin was where the sprinklers were spraying water on the cabin but the wind was so strong a lot of water got carried by the wind in the backyard.
The same fire moved over 8km in one day and just as soon as we were breathing relief that Moosehorn was still standing now Kettle Falls Lodge was in its path. The fire kept burning and it reached the English River just a little southwest of Kettle. The fire crews were able to get in to Kettle and put sprinklers on the buildings to protect it if the fire were to keep burning. After 3 days, the winds faded from over 40 mph to just a breeze and it finally rained. Even after days of raining the MNRF was having to scan the fire area for hotspots and putting crews on the ground to put them out. Chris and I are so relieved that the MNRF saved our Moosehorn Lake Outpost and Kettle Falls Lodge.
Our May walleye opener was a fun one. We were able to get out and try out luck at fishing and it appears we haven’t lost our touch!
Many Halley’s guests have been asking what Gene and Wanda are up to these days and besides working, they are spending time at their outpost camp on a walleye/northern lake. Pictured here is Gene’s helpful way of filleting fish on his paddle!
Pictured here is a summer’s worth of propane to our One Man Lake Lodge.
ADVENTURE AWAITS...
Start Your Perfect Getaway
Ready to experience some of the best walleye, northern and smallmouth fishing in Canada? Whether you desire all the comfort and luxury of a lodge or the escape and adventure of an outpost experience, Halley’s Camps offers something unique for everyone.
