Getting Ready for 2008

Hello Everyone. Time to oil up the reels and change that frayed fishing line. I give it about 2 1/2 months before we are on the water this year. You'll be surprised how fast the season will creep up on you. I am guessing ice out to happen the second week of May.

We had a great season last year. Lots of terrific fishing on Rainy Lake. Big pike, smallmouth bass and walleye. My clients caught a lot more walleyes last summer than any in seasons past. Some of the most notable Eyes' were over 32 inches. What really pleased me was that every one of those trophies were released back into Rainy.

Pike fishing was a challenge. It's getting crowded out there. For years we had the lake and the pike fishing to ourselves but I guess good fishing secrets don't stay secrets for long. I had to look for new territory and try out techniques to keep on the big northerns. It was tough at times, particularly when there were guys trolling spoons all around us. We found big groups of untouched large pike in some very unlikely places. I think the increased pressure has force many of the wariest fish into these out of the way spots. What's great is that none of these places are easy to find, even with a GPS. That's all I'm willing to say for now. Our largest pike measured and released last season was 47 inches. That monster was caught in the late summer on a modified spoon.

Smallie fishing was terrific again last season. We tried a few new presentations and lots of new locations but found many of the old techniques to work best. I also put most of my clients on out of the way locations to catch their bass. We worked many weedlines and had success on almost all of them, throughout the season. Hopefully these spots hold out again this coming season.

Of course I have spent most of the winter Reading. As usual I like to publish some of my favorites so perhaps you might want to pick up a copy and read it yourself.

I hope to see many of you again this summer. Perhaps a few of you tire kickers will give Rainy Lake a chance this year. You won't be disappointed in the fishing or the guides.

Scott Hamilton



The World Without Us- By Alan Weisman

What would happen to the world without us in it? What will happen? Read this page turner and think about it.



The Road- By Cormac McCarthy

McCarthy seems to be in vogue right now. I liked his work before Oprah and the Cohen Brothers got hold of his books. The Road will probably made into a movie soon. Yet read it. It is real art worth reading.



The Shock Doctrine- By Naomi Klein

I loved this book. Klien continued to call out the corporations and governments on their anti-social behaviors. Her arguments are convincing and intelligent. Keep your head after a storm... some corporation or the government might just covet your land and Naomi Klein gives you examples.



Everyman- By Phillip Roth

Sometimes you read a book that makes you think, it can make you cringe or even break your heart. This book does all that. I wasn't going to recommend this book... it cut very close to the bone, for everyman.



Bang The Drum Slowly- By Mark Harris

A story about a baseball player who has terminal cancer. He dies slowly yet brings together a divided baseball team. A great baseball story as most baseball stories are.