Winter Wonderland in Northern Indiana

Winter Wonderland

Timing really is everything. As I pulled out of our driveway in the wee hours of January 7th to head to St. Louis for the first show of the year, who would have guessed just a short 24 hours later our area of northern Indiana would be buried in 25" of new snow. Milissa (due to a military commitment) was not able to attend St. Louis with me. Talk about being a hero (or goat as the case may be), I go off to talk fishing and hunting for the weekend, she stays home and clears 25" of snow from the driveway. Now I know what many of you are already thinking, and I couldn't agree with you more. It IS a tough job marketing a camp with all the competition out there, but gosh darn it someone has to do it! As our girls would quickly follow up with in their vernacular JK, JK, JK!!!!! ( for those of you who are teenage text unsavvy that stands for "Just Kidding") Fortunately, we do have a snowblower and Milissa wasn't left home to shovel all that snow by hand, and bless her heart she did a great job and I even managed to gather some new business for camp too, although with the shows it's never easy (read on).

Yea! More of the "white stuff"

After leaving St. Louis, on Monday I headed to Indianapolis to work the Indy (actually in Carmel) All-Canada Show. Milissa would join me on Tuesday of the show. Of course, it started to snow making the 2 1/2 hour drive down to Indy a little more eventful but otherwise fine. Unfortunately after a good night of attendance Monday night, the shows (I think mostly due to weather considerations) attendance on Tuesday took a huge hit with probably only 40-50 people attending the show the ENTIRE six hours. As the show GROUND to a halt Tuesday night, I was quietly considering the events of the last week. I leave for St. Louis, Milissa gets buried with snow. She drives thru the snow on Tuesday to help out in Indy and there are very few show attendees----I can feel the noose tightening. Fortunately, we salvaged the day/night with a great experience at Mitchell's Fish Market in Carmel with some wonderfully fresh seafood and a couple of cold beverages. While there, we also received some excellent service from our waitress who is a Notre Dame Law student and who was working there on Christmas break. Thanks again for the great recommendations and excellent service!

Now it's home (and just so everyone knows: the snow gods are also willing to dump on me), to about six inches of fresh snow as I pull in the drive from Indy. MY turn to get behind the snowblower! Won't be long again now and the second half of the show circuit will be upon us and it will be time to hit the road for South Dakota, Nebraska and Minnesota. Let's hope for better weather for travel and at home this time around! Cancellations have been few this year, but a few prime weeks do show a cabin open here or there. Maybe it's the week your looking for!

Until next time--stay warm and I don't think it's too early to (start) thinking spring and that first walleye tap on the end of the line.

Happy New Year!

Hey does anyone know if there is a college football bowl game on tonight? Yea, if it's anything like the last 2 1/2 weeks or this coming week, the answer is  probably "yes". Don't get me wrong, I love watching almost any team play college football, but I have to admit the bowl season is getting a little out of hand. If you are a fan, here is to hoping your team was 1) bowl eligible and 2) brought home a victory (or will be if they are still playing).

We are getting ready to "hit the road", as they say, and start the sport show circuit. None too soon as far as I am concerned, because if I don't get out and at least talk some camp and fishing, I am going to go nuts. This years schedule will take us to the following locales:

St. Louis, MO
Indianapolis, IN

Sioux Falls, SD

Omaha, NE

St. Cloud, MN

Minneapolis, MN

Edwardsburg, MI

You can see the complete show schedule, along with dates and addresses from our website. One thing that is a BIG change for us is that we will not be in Wisconsin this year. We have had a very strong presence in Wisconsin the last several years including two shows in Milwaukee, two in Madison and one in Green Bay last year. This year we decided (despite the many wonderful guests we have booked from Wisconsin in previous years) to "bite the bullet" and make an entrance in some markets we simply have not been able to get to previously. Those markets this year will be Indianapolis, Sioux Falls, Omaha and St. Cloud. As much as we hate to pass on our Wisconsin swing this year, we just simply can't afford to do all the shows we might like to do every year.

We will most certainly miss visiting with our great Wisconsin guests at the shows this year, but at the same time we are looking forward to meeting lots of show attendees in our new markets this year and hopefully even finding a few who will be willing to give us a try for their 2011 trip. We remain extremely confident that for those who do, they will be quite pleased with the camp and our fishing. As usual, there are not a lot of openings for next year already, but there are still a few really good weeks left here and there that I know will provide some excellent fishing to our guests, especially in September which is truly some awesome fishing! If you have never tried fishing Canada in September we encourage you to give it some consideration.

If you are near one of the areas we will be exhibiting, please stop by for a visit and a little fish chat!

Until next time, take care.

Pre-Christmas Activities

Christmas time is always such a busy time of the year with all the shopping, wrapping, holiday parties, kids' Christmas plays, concerts etc. Plenty to keep you busy for sure! Sara just had her 5th grade Christmas concert on Friday and wrapped up a volleyball tournament over the weekend. Allison earlier in the week had her third grade Christmas play "Alvin and the Chipmunks". Megan has been busy with the school choir including her Christmas concert and a trip to the local Barnes & Noble to participate in the choir group Archer Voices and some holiday caroling. Emily has been busy writing, editing, re-writing, re-editing, changing, throwing away and re-starting her Christmas list(S)!

We also have a trip planned to take the girls to Great Wolf Lodge which I think is causing about as much excitement for them as Christmas itself. As for Milissa and I, we knocked a little rust off this past weekend by participating in the WAOR Radio-Outdoor Expo. Although the rainy weather kept the attendance down some, it still felt good to get out and talk about camp, fishing and bear hunting. I miss camp so bad already- I really needed a fix! As part of the radio promotion we had decided to offer a free trip for two to camp next year which was won by Sandy Wilhoit of Edwardsburg, Mi. Congratulations Sandy!--and boy is she ever excited about coming back to Canada as she used to go there regularly with her father and family when she was younger.

Hopefully will be able to get out on safe ice pretty soon for some bluegill and crappie fishing too. Best wishes from our family to yours for a safe, and joyous Holiday Season.

Happy Veterans Day

We often find things to blog about during the "offseason" to be quite challenging. Outside of camp life, I guess we just don't lead very exciting lives! Milissa and I were just talking the other night about posting a wish for a Happy Veterans Day to all of those who have bravely served in the defense and support of our great nation. Milissa, many of you know, is a 22 year veteran (and officer) of the US Army Reserves and who was deployed on a tour of duty to Iraq from June 2008-April 2009.

Barracks in Kuwait

In addition to being extremely proud of her and all our veterans, we as a family, also understand the sacrifices that a military family makes from both sides of the fence. From my perspective, I think back to all the times I have been asked the question "So what do you do during the offseason?" Well the year Milissa was deployed I can tell you I did a lot of cooking, laundry, dishes, homework, taking to school, picking up from school etc. I found it to be a real challenge running a household with four girls between the ages of 7-12. I fully understand this was the easy side of the fence to be on.

Milissa comes home safe!

The soldier is the one away from home and their families and friends who they love. They are the ones who are sleeping in unfamilar places, longing for home cooked meals, and certainly not taking for granted all of the conveniences of every day life that it is so easy for us to do. They are the ones who are willing to put themselves in harms way and many through the years have paid the ultimate price as a proud member of our nation's armed forces.

To try, even in some small way, to show our continued appreciation to current military families and veterans we began offering a military special during the month of July two years ago. We have been absolutely thrilled during the last two seasons to host a number of military personnel (active duty and retired) in camp who have taken advantage of this program and we plan to continue it indefinitely. If you are not familar with the Military Special you can see it at: http://www.peffleyscamp.com/images/militaryspecialflyer.pdf



Milissa and the girls



Comfortable accommodations....




Before signing off on this blog, we would also like to encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices our veterans (and their families) have made and to ask everyone who knows a veteran to take a moment out of your day this Thursday and say: Thank You

2010- A season of memories.....

Sandwiched between Don Strafford's 49th consecutive year in camp (opening week) and Jim Wertz's group first ever visit to Canada during week 19 of the season, was another incredible season of fishing, friendship, fun and memories at Peffley's Camp. New faces blended in with the regulars week in and out, to enjoy the splendor of the Canadian wilderness 12 miles from the roads left behind. They left their work and worries behind them to recharge their batteries in the peacefulness of the wild.....reconnecting with nature, friends and families in one of the last areas to remain untouched by the hands of man.

For some it was perhaps their last trip to camp, for many others it was the beginning of a new relationship and experience that will (like many before them) become a regular part of their lives. The setting is perfect for many of those, "wow, this is incredible" moments, the serenity ideal for those quiet reflective times and the action on the water always fast enough to keep the angling desires satisfied... in the whole, probably best summed up by many guests who were heard saying in camp: "what's NOT to like about this?".

For us, like our guests, it was a season filled with memories and great times in camp. Despite having to work "just a little bit" every day, we found it easy to be thankful for the beauty of our "office", and the great friendships developed with our guests during the season. Challenges and opportunities were present throughout the year to keep the job exciting as one thing is for sure-SOMETHING will develop every season that is a new challenge. In the wilderness, it's just another facet that keeps the "job" new and refreshing every year.

Many improvements were made to the camp again this year too. From our ongoing commitment to keep our fleet of Yamaha 4 stroke outboard motors all (almost) brand new, to more new comfortable cushioned boat seats-we continue to try to make time on the water as carefree and comfortable as possible. In the cabins- the first installment of new mattresses arrived this year (more to follow next year), the wood floors in several of the cabins were refinished this year, and small convenient nightstands were added to each of the bedrooms in camp. Cabins 2 & 6 also received the new hand-split cedar shake siding leaving only Cabin 1 remaining to be re-sided next season. The permanent dock in front of the motorhouse was re-built from the foundation up this year-- and next season the "master plan" includes the removal of THE RAMP as the gateway to camp which we plan to replace with a series of steps and platforms. Replacing the ramp will be almost like a changing of the guard-as the ramp has been a fixture of the camp FOREVER, but things change over time and the new "gateway" promises to be even safer, more comfortable and much more aesthetically pleasing.

We would be remiss if we didn't mention (as we get asked the question a lot) about Ray and Marilyn and whether they will be with us again in camp next year. We are extremely happy to report that YES, Ray and Marilyn do plan to be with us for the 2011 season, marking their fifth year anniversary as an integral part of the team that is committed to our guests overall satisfaction.

Finally we would like to once again say "THANK YOU" to all of our guests from last season. Without you, there would be no reason for us to "do what we do". Your loyalty and support of the camp is certainly very much appreciated as are the friendships we have developed in this our sixth season.

The annual camp Christmas letter will be in the mail before long and soon enough the May 21, 2011 opener will be upon us. Until next time, take care.

ps. Please note the blog slideshow: 2010-Remembering when.... is updated with many of your photos from throughout the season. If you have more that you would like posted here or on the website photo album, please email them to us.

A time to heal

My brother Gary, who some of you have met in camp through the years, had an opportunity to visit with me in camp at the end of the season this year. Diagnosed and having been treated for colorectal cancer the last year and a half had made a visit to camp last year impossible for him. Despite a nine year age difference growing up, I could always count on my BIG brother to not leave me (the "kid") behind, and we were very fortunate on short-notice to put an itinerary together that allowed for this visit.

Since camp was for all practical purposes shut down, and it was just the two of us, there wasn't a whole lot to do other than spend some quality time on the water fishing together. By his own admission, Gary isn't an "avid" fisherman, but he does certainly enjoy it and more importantly it provided an ideal setting to relax, recover and reminisce. As we did all that, we also found about four spots very near camp that we could count on to consistently produce good to excellent walleye action. Our time on the water, generally consisted of a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the late afternoon, with most days resulting in us catching about 20-30 walleyes a day, with some northern pike sprinkled in and the occasional hard-fighting whitefish. All said, we had a ball catching and releasing the fat, pre-winter walleyes mostly in the 16-18" range. Most days, I would have to say I caught the most fish, Gary however, caught the biggest of both species: walleye (20") and northern (30"), Neither fish HUGE by any standard, but then again it really wasn't about the fishing anyway.......
 

Still catchin' fish and killin' bears

More about the fishing when I get around to writing the fishing report for the website, but suffice it to say here in the blog that the last couple of weeks has seen some continued excellent fishing for our guests. So good in fact, that although camp is "officially" closed, we still have a group of first timers in from St. Louis that are continuing to terrorize the walleye. Our bear hunts wrapped up with some decent success too. After having both of our hunters harvest bears in week one of our season, our group of four bow hunters in week 2 went home with two bears including a smaller but beautifully coated chocolate bear.

In other unrelated news, there was a fire a couple of weeks ago at the Village Corner in Vermilion Bay. The gas station/tackle store (Jiggers) and restaurant were destroyed. Not sure what the intention will be for the future with regards to possibly rebuilding the facilities. This was a popular stop for many of our guests who would call us from Vermilion Bay on the way up to arrange their pick up at the landing. We will be sure to pass along any additional information over the winter months or as it becomes available.



Matt Curtis (L) with his bear and his father Dave