SAS Newsletter 2014 by Gayl Punzalan

Testimonials

“We are more than excited to get back up North to see all of you again. The spring cannot get here fast enough and it is always the highlight of our year!” Josh Harvey – Clarence, Missouri “Again Keith and I had the best trip ever this year. All of the changes you guys have made are really nice, especially the new motors!” Bill Tuttle – Waseca, Minnesota “I have sent a couple of pictures for you. We had a great time! The kids are still talking about what an awesome time they had. One of the girls calls Sas her new Disney Land!” Joy Leslie – Austin, Manitoba “Here’s a pictures of the 47” pike I caught on July 12th. I want to express my appreciation for the wonderful experience we had at Sas. We had spent several seasons

2013 Master Angler Northerns from Sas • John Olson, July 12/13 47” • Pete Korkowski, May 19/13 44.50” • Richard Thompson, June 15/13 44.50 • Keri Clemons, June 19/13 44” • Walter Myers, July 12/13 42.50” • Kevin Crimmons, Aug 29/13 42” • Patrick Green, June 9/13 42” • Landon Thompson, June 12/13 42” • Todd Jenkyns, Sept. 12/13 41.50” 2013 Master Angler Northerns from Charron • Dick Buse, July 2/13 45” • Jeff Marshall Sept. 11/13 44” • Ron England May 29/13 43.5” • Jerry Ellington, June 23/13 41.0” 2013 Master Angler Northerns from Apisko • Jeff Swenson, June 15/13 43.0” • Brian Novak, June 6/13 41" 2013 Master Angler Walleyes from Sas • Dick Steffen, May 22/13 32.25” (*2 MA) • Darren Condie, June 3/13 31.25”

in old Cabin 6 and thought we were going to miss it. It took about half a day to not miss it so much. The staff at both Northway Aviation and Sas are great.” John Olson – Devils Lake, North Dakota “My Dad had mentioned Sasa-ginni-gak as something he always wanted to do in the past and I am not sure how he found out about it so we did this for him and now we are looking at continuing a tradition. Just so you know the guys and myself were very pleased with how you and the others treated us. Very professional and courteous so thanks for that.” Doug Babson – Winnipeg, Manitoba

Jeff Swenson, June 15/13 43.0” • Tony Knecht, May 30/13 31.0” • Mike Mast, May 19/13, 31.0” (*3 MA) Pete Korkowski, • Jack McLean, June 21/13, May 19/13 44.50” 31.0” • Jeff Dyrda, June 9/13, 30.50” • Bob Miles, June 8/13, 30.0” (*2 MA) • Noah Miller, May 19/13, 30.0” (*5 MA) • Ben Hockin, Sept. 5/13, 29.5” Go to saslodge.com for the full Master Angler list.

1-888-536-5353 | www.saslodge.com | info@saslodge.com

Dear Guests,

hank you for such a great season in 2013! I must say we have had record numbers of truly satisfied guests. The most common remarks were “Fishing is always good, but this year was our best fishing ever!” The late spring gave us some cooler water temperatures and great fishing that lasted through the whole season. It really was incredible hearing guests raving about the fishing through July, August and into September. Some of the fishing excitement was generated by another new addition to Sas this year – new motors! We have upgraded the motors to 15hp and many guests were happy to be able to get around more quickly and get the boat up on plane. Some guests commented that they were able to fish new areas just because they could more easily access the further spots on the lake. It looks like we have opened up some new fishing territory and this will make for continued great fishing! Terry and Edgar have also been largely responsible for our guests’ satisfaction while at the lodge. These are two people who are always happy to lend a hand, get you whatever

you need and take time to chat. Unfortunately Edgar had an unfortunate accident this summer and continues to work hard at rehabilitating himself as best he can. He is the most determined man we know so we are sure that he will do everything in his ability to get back to his old self as much as is possible given the injuries he sustained. Terry and Ed are a part of our family and if you wish to send any warm wishes to them please forward them to Bonnie, Karmen or Ian any time. We're sure they would

be happy to hear from you. We have completed two major projects this year. Planning in advance, in January we hired the men who have the trapper’s cabin on Sasaginnigak to build an ice strip. Using snowmobiles, drags and augers to flood the surface they built a beautiful 3000’ x 150’ strip running roughly north-south with a little taxi way over to the lodge. In February, over 7 days, we flew in 23 loads of lumber and supplies for our new main dock and new cabin. This saved us time as

everything was into camp in advance of the season so the carpenters were able to get started early in May. It also saved us money as the Grand Caravan could be used to land on the ice versus the smaller Amphib Caravan used in the summer. This equated to about 15 less flights than if we had done the trips in the summer

because of the increased payload of about 1500lbs per trip. Tamarack Ridge opened at the end of July to rave reviews. It is a 1285 square foot cabin with two bedrooms. It has the same awesome twin beds as the other cabins, sleeping 8, four people per room. One of its luxuries is the bathrooms – two

Upgrades done in 2013

s we do every year we plan a number of projects to be completed during the season. Some are easy to spot, others are more behind the scenes, but most always they are done to improve your overall experience! Charron Lake – we installed a new high pressure on demand water system; upgraded the lighting for the dock, filleting shed, motor shed and front porch; the filleting shed now has hot and cold running water! Apisko Lake – we installed a new larger kilowatt solar array to improve the solar power performance. Kesch Lake – we built a new 20’ x 20’ deck with bench railing and a walkway to the filleting shed, shed and dock. In the cabin we put up new curtain doors for the bedrooms and installed shelving for storage in the bedrooms and kitchen.

Sas Lodge – Edgewater Cabin - has been given a nice facelift. New flooring was installed throughout the main area. The bathroom was rebuilt with a new floor and new shower. – New Dock! – The main dock at the lodge has been completely rebuilt. New frames were welded with modern floatation material and wood decking to create an 80’ x 80’ dock. You will find the dock wider and more comfortable, more room for luggage coming and going and more room for the quad.

HAPF – Hunter & Angler Preservation Fund

gain this year we would like to thank all of our 2013 guests for their small contribution to the HAPF fund. The Manitoba Lodges & Outfitters Association (MLOA) began this fund a few years ago to go towards conservation projects in the province. Primarily the fund is to preserve opportunities for anglers, ensure sustainability and growth of the industry and promote sustainable use of our natural resources. At the end of the 2013 season we proudly submitted our donation of $2345!

Have you seen? Have you heard?

- Tamarack Ridge Cabin – Our newest cabin opened its doors July 2013. This is the first cabin in a new location since we built Hillcrest over 20 years ago. Guests who have seen it absolutely love it! This is an 8 man cabin with two washrooms, two individual showers, and a spacious deck with a beautiful lake view. Its secluded location makes you feel like you have the whole lake to yourself!

The Land That Gives Life

of them! Also each bedroom has a shower accessible directly from the bedroom. We have some super excited guests already booked into TR for 2014. Many of our larger groups are booking Cabin Super Six and Tamarack Ridge together as they are situated near each other.

lease like us on facebook to keep up with current news and see lots of great pictures! Leave us a comment – we always love to hear from you! Would you like to share your Sas experience with others? Why not review us on Trip Advisor? This is still a new thing for us and we have only had a couple of reviews. We would love to see more; maybe the next one will be yours!

Flying from Winnipeg International?

f you are flying out of Winnipeg International Airport please give yourself plenty of time between the end of your fishing trip for arriving back at St. Andrews and getting back to the Winnipeg airport. If our flight is delayed due to weather, or for some unforeseen reason, this can easily cut in to your time you need to be at the airport to check-in, drop bags, get through security and to the gate before boarding time. Our experience with security at Winnipeg is that it can be very, very slow. If our van drivers are transporting you to the airport please allow for at least 30 minutes for the drive from St. Andrews. If you need information on the Winnipeg Airport please go to www.waa.ca

Have you registered your Master Angler catch? Fish can be submitted on line at: https://anglers.travelmanitoba.com/ . See the latest entries for some of our big Manitoba fish. Or if you have already submitted your master angler go here to see the list: https://anglers.travelmanitoba.com/ master_angler_search.asp Search the record book for your name or see how close you have come to the all time record! Each person who submits gets a profile where you can track all of your Manitoba Masters! (add screen shot) www.huntfishmanitoba.ca/go-fishing/master-angler-awards You are also able to and more than welcome to use the internet at the lodge to submit these same day! WiFi is also available at the outcamps!

anitoba Hydro has decided to run its new Bipole III transmission line down the western side of the province. This decision had been up in the air for the last few years and there was huge push back to not allow the transmission line down the east side of Lake Winnipeg and through Atikaki Park. There is a well supported bid for a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the east side of Lake Winnipeg to protect the largest area of undeveloped Boreal forest in the world. Though the UNESCO designation has not yet been realized, at least we know it still has a chance without a mega power line cutting through the area. If you are interested in reading more: About Bipole III http://www.hydro. mb.ca/projects/bipoleIII/index.shtml About World Heritage Project http:// www.pimachiowinaki.org/our-future

Sports Shows

e will be attending two sports shows in 2014. The first is the All Canada Show in Chicago January 9 – 12. Then we are off to Denver for the International Sportsmen’s Exposition January 16 – 19. If you are in the area, please send us a message on our contact us page, requesting complimentary passes to the show. First time guests will be offered some fantastic “show only” special rates! Great savings!

Get in touch with us anytime

Bonnie - info@saslodge.com Karmen - karmen@saslodge.com Ian - ian@northwayav.com Phone: 1-888-536-5353 | Fax: 204-336-2353