January 28, 2004: We're half way through the Sportshow season and we're back in Winnipeg for a short break. It's minus 40 degrees here today and there's more snow than we've seen in the past 3 years combined.

The winter roads are ahead of schedule and we're taking delivery of the new boats and motors sometime next week. The new boats are for Aswapiswanan Outpost Camp. We plan to get them to God's Lake and then haul them in with a snowmobile.

Bookings are right on par with most normal years, but we have a few prime spots that are not usually available at this time of year. June 2 - 6 (about 2 weeks after ice out) is available for a large group of up to 16 anglers. Of coarse we'll take any size of group for that spot. We had a group who had booked the entire camp of 24 move to August dates, and we haven't had many takers on this prime date. We believe it's because we're normally sold out in June and most anglers don't bother to ask us anymore for those kind of dates. Please see the rates page for special deals and availability at Bolton Lake and the Outposts.

The outposts are sold out for May and June but we have 2 weeks available in July and 1 week in August at Joint Lake as well as 2 weeks in July and 2 weeks in August available at Kitchi Lake. Aswap is sold out for 2004.

We'll keep you posted on the winter activities and bookings.

February 10, 2004: Jodi and I just returned from an "All-Canada Show" in St. Louis. The drive was difficult with blowing snow and lots of ice, but it only took 17 hours each way. In a few days we'll be in Omaha for the last "All-Canada Show" of the season, then we have the rest of the month off of shows.

In the following weeks we will have the opportunity to collect the rest of the supplies for the winter road and finish all that work. We brought in 5 tanker trucks of fuel into our other lodge on God's Lake and plan to fly our fuel to Bolton in the spring. The winter road is perfect right now, hopefully it will stay that way until we're done.

Bookings have been very good lately, we just need a few more guests to be on par with last season's bookings.

Please click here for the latest offers and availability. Rates and Availability.

February 27, 2004: Our Moose Hunts are Sold Out for 2004! Bolton Lake has never been seriously hunted, so the results should be fantastic!

The winter road work has been going well, but it's getting warm here so it will not last long. We've had above freezing temperatures for the past few days in Winnipeg, and it's starting to soften the road up North. One more run with a few more propane, a new snowmobile and more lumber for Aswap and we'll be finished.

We also only have 3 more shows. Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Cleveland are the last markets for the season. We enjoy the shows, but it's nice to be home.

Ice fishing on the Red River in Winnipeg has somewhat satisfied my need for fishing. I haven't caught a fish over two pounds since my fall Musky trip, but I can't complain, it's great to be outdoors.

We've rehired almost all the same guides from last year as well as our chef and cleaning staff. We're very excited to have them back for 2004 since they performed so well in 2003. Chef Justin has some great menu ideas that we're going to implement this year, so be prepared to be amazed. One of our guests is a chef in the Chicago area and he's given us some great menu ideas as well. Combining all the different ideas should deliver great results.

Please feel free to give us suggestions on food, or any other areas you feel you'd like to see different at Bolton Lake or the Outposts. Just send us an email and we'll seriously consider every suggestion.

March 22, 2004: The shows are over and we're just finishing up the preparations for the season. We've filled in a bunch of the spots at the outposts, but we still have a few excellent dates available at Bolton Lake. Give us a call or email if you're interested.

We visited the lodge this weekend to make sure everything was still in one piece. Everything looked great, but it was hard to tell since there was so much snow. In some places the snow was even with the roof of the cabin. In a few weeks we'll drop off our maintenance man so that he's there for the thaw and preparing the runway for the season. We'll also take in the construction workers to work on the outpost cabins at Aswap Lake and Joint Lake. Everything is pointing towards another successful season at Bolton Lake and the Outpost Camps.

April 13, 2004: It's starting to look a lot like spring here, but the temperatures are still a bit low. We sent in Harley our mechanic to Bolton Lake last week and he's getting the runway and other things ready for the season. It's good to have a guy at the lodge at this time of year so we can get updates on ice conditions and weather. It's too early to tell when the ice will be out, but in Southern Manitoba we have very little snow left and all the rivers are wide open.

There's a lake just North of Winnipeg that I usually use as a gauge for when the ice will be out at the lodge. About two weeks after the ice goes out on Gull Lake, the ice should be out at Bolton Lake and the Outposts. Weather plays a very key role, but it's a good rule of thumb.

Winston and Yvon, our carpenter/guides will be in Winnipeg by the weekend and we'll be sending them to Aswap to work on the camp inside and out.