A burbot catch is usually an odd ball in a night of fishing for trout or big walleyes… but for one night the Wet Rock burbot bite of 2004 was as consistent as it gets. The eel/fish were commanding the waters at 48ft to 51ft directly south of the Wet Rock and two lucky fishermen were there to cash in. Colin McInnes and Tim Konstaniuk were on hand to reap the first burbot trophies in two years. Colin cranked in his two Master Angler burbots 15 minutes apart! All told around 10 burbot were caught in around an hour of fishing with no other species being caught in that hour. The two fortunate guides were quoted as being pleased but somewhat disgusted by the slick greasy skin of the burbot and the difficulty of measuring them because of there eel like tails. The Wet Rock hasn’t yielded anything like this before or since and the phenomenom cannot be explained - however these boys need no explanation…..just a good hook set!

Jon Hesse, a former NFL middle-linebacker, tonight achieved the greatest pinnacle in sporting history. Nevermind that he was part of the Elway-led 1997 Denver Broncos Super-Bowl winning team, tonight in front of dozens of adoring fans Hesse won the famous Chicken Toss. For those who need to be brought up to speed, a new tradition has been born at Aikens this summer - and it starts with a rubber chicken. Late at night, these birds can be seen taking flight in the clubroom, hopefully to land in a soup pot. Each throw costs a dollar, and the winner takes all. Despite being the 6th winner of the evening, Hesse did rake in the largest pot… a $22 windfall. Said Hesse: “This is the greatest achievement of my life, even more presitigious than that Super Bowl thing or whatever it’s called”. The staff at Aikens couldn’t agree more. Jon Hesse, you are a true champion. Those rubber chickens are hot on you, player.

Winnipeg’s double A baseball team has always been a fantastic supporter of local children’s charities. Through their “Field of Dreams” foundation, the have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity. In an effort to help them raise even more money this year, we donated a three-day trip to Aikens Lake. The club raffled off tickets at $2 per, and the trip was for two people to join Paul Edmonds (the voice of the Goldeyes on CJOB) and Donnie Smith (ace reliever for the Goldeyes) on the trip to Aikens. All told, they were able to raise more than $5,000 for local children’s charities. We’d like to thank all people who purchased a ticket. We hope Paul and Donnie have a great time at Aikens with their guests.

Bob Brown, the retired Outdoor Editor of the Fort Dodge Messenger, will again grace us with his presence from August 13th to 18th, 2004. Bob has fished, hunted and written stories about Manitoba for over forty years and will be returning to Aikens Lake for the fourth time in 30 years. Last year, he was quoted as saying, “In over 40 years of fishing in and writing about Canada, the three occasions I had to fish Aikens Lake provided me with the best walleye fishing of my career.” Keep on truckin’ eh…Bob! If it is true that every day spent fishing will not be deducted as part of your lifetime, then you will surely still be writing at 100.

From July 29th to August 3rd, 2004, we will he honoured by a return visit from Doug Stange, editor in chief of In-Fisherman. Doug will be joined by the crew of In-Fisherman Television to produce a segment for their educational TV series on “Basin Trolling Tactics” as well as other aspects of angling the bountes of Aikens Lake. Doug’s return after too many years will be an exciting time to share old memories and capture new ones. Yeah Doug…eh?

The Master Angler pace is heating up with the weather. As of July 3rd, anglers at Aikens Lake have caught and released 58 trophy fish (39 Walleye, 9 Northern Pike, 6 Lake Trout and 4 Whitefish). This number compares favourably with our record breaking pace of 2003 where we stood at 54 on July 3rd. After a wet, windy and clod spring, the big ‘eyes have started to hit with consistency and the cold, high water has kept the magnificent pike in the shallow bays. Trophy lake trout are being caught and released in new and sometimes unlikely hot spots. The advent of hot and stable weather in July and August could give Aikens Lake a shot at a new record and an average of 1 Master Angler Trophy per two guests. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to strive for that new record!

Mr. Jack Detrow from Ashland, Ohio, member of a very well travelled fly-in fishing party, accomplished a rare and memorable angling feat by catching a Master Angler Trophy in each of the “Big Three” species of Aikens Lake, reinforcing its reputation of being one if not “the finest multi-species” fisheries in Canada. Jack started things off with a 45″ Northern Pike, followed by a 29″ Walleye, both caught and released on June 30 and a 37″ Lake Trout caught and released on July 1st. Another unique aspect of this feat is that both the Trout and the Walleye were caught in the same new spot… which has yet to even be named! Maybe we should call that new spot “Det-Row”. Keep your thumb on the reel…..eh, Jack! Thanks for the memories.