Brian Kline		Tom Kline
	Matt Kline		Garland Hutto
	Scott Borchelt		David Borchelt
	Mike Goodrich		Jim Perrine
	Ed Resh		Kyle Resh
	Jim Starrs R		Charlie Hall
	Jim Hanson		Bob Davie R
	Aaron Goodrich

Pre-trip Planning

blwc.com 2003 Season Recap | 2004 Fishing Newsletter

Cabin Assignments

2004 Summer Bear Lake Newsletter

July 1, 2004

Dear BearLakers,

We are fast approaching the 2004 trip and it is time to get serious about making plans and packing.   We will meet at Dorothy’s home in Grand Blanc at 8:00 am on Friday the 23 rd of July to organize and hopefully head North by 9:30 am (directions to Dorothy’s follows this letter).   Our traditional lunch stop at the Antlers in the Soo has become very popular and it will help to arrive early for dinner.   We have motel reservations for Goodman’s in Espanola this year.

My boat will probably be stored at Lang Lake compliments of my brother.   We will need another vehicle or two, so I will make some calls to arrange the transportation.   We normally pack the boat trailer full of gear and food.   Since the boat will already be at Lang Lake , we won’t have the usual space for gear.  

As usual, pack your own lunches and breakfast.   We are not buying group pop this year so pack whatever pop you plan on drinking during the week.   Remember, the lakes in Killarney (Cat, Van Winkle, Howry, Gem, Lower Cranberry, RoundOtter) do not allow cans or bottles, so plan accordingly.   If you are bringing a cooler, freeze a gallon or two of milk or water to help keep your cold stuff cold longer.   Mike will buy breakfast for two rainy or laid back mornings at camp.   We will have flats of crawlers for each cabin.   Please check the cabin assignments online and arrange for someone in your cabin to have an empty cooler for the crawlers.   At the same time, I’d talk with your cabin mates about milk and other necessities you’d like to share.

Assignments

• Garland Hutto - Dinner Sun and Wed (And buying food stuffs for remaining dinners)
• David Borchelt - Dinner Sat (And buying food stuffs for remaining dinners)
• Jim Perrine - Kitchen Inventory
• Mike Goodrich - 2 Group Breakfasts

Garland ’s two meals and my meal will not be fish; the other meals will certainly satisfy our desire for a fresh fried catch.   I will buy the beer south of the border and distribute to the vehicles when we arrive in Flint on Friday morning.  

In Flint , we will collect $140 for the kitty. This pays for most of the incidentals on the way to and from our fishing adventure. It pays for the gas, ice, bridge tolls, Friday night dinner at the Antler’s ($10 max), the hotel in Espanola, and breakfast on the way in. It also covers the crawlers and prizes for the largest fish and most of the expenses on the way home.

On the way north after leaving Dorthy’s we'll stop at the Pierson Road Meijer to fuel up the vehicles. Please plan on arriving fully equipped so we can avoid the Meijer shopping for the basics. We have wasted 90 minutes during the past few years waiting for last minute shoppers.   Let’s try to avoid this extra stop.

We will stop in Gaylord , Michigan , to pick up Mike Goodrich, et al.  At the Soo, we'll have dinner at the Antler's.   While there we will pass around a sign-up sheet for KP duty.    We will fuel up for the last time with cheap American gas and steel our nerves for the border crossing.   Immediately after crossing the border, we will meet at the welcome center and purchase our fishing licenses with credit card and exchange money if needed.   The 7 day non-resident fishing license costs $39 CAN.

Right now we are planning on having breakfast at Lang Lake before our pickup. Hopefully we'll be fishing by 2 PM on Saturday afternoon. Please make sure we carry the group food to the cook cabin, cabin 8. The group food should be taken care of before you take personal gear to your cabin.   The last real responsibility is to pay the remaining balance on the trip. Please bring the balance to be paid by mid-week. Bill will accept checks.

Money Summary

• $xxx Balance due to Bear Lake Wilderness Camp – If you don’t know how much, ask.
• $140 US to the kitty
• $39 Canadian for a 7 day non-resident fishing license

We are going to try something different this year for t-shirts.   I have designed a t-shirt for us using an online service.   They are cheaper, not embroidered, and best of all – you get to order and pay for it yourself.   Handling the t-shirts has been a draining responsibility.   One word of warning – don’t slack and wait to long.   They are very slow to ship.   I would order your t-shirt and/or hat as soon as you read this.   Go to http://www.cafeshops.com/burntcabin and look for the 2004 Bear Lake items – you will find a t-shirt, hat, and a sticker!   You can see samples, pick your size and pay online.   I would suggest families go in together to save on shipping.

Send email to bearlakers at burntcabin dot org to send to all Bear Lakers. Visit http://burntcabin.org/vbpro/htdocs/grapevine/entries.html to post to the BearLake GrapeVine.

We are looking forward to spending our next adventure with a great group of guys.  

                                                                   Wishing you tight lines,

                                                                             David & Scott

Directions to Dorothy’s place from the South:
Take I-75 North to I-475 just south of Flint . Take exit 23 - Hill Road - and proceed East (right). After crossing Center Road , watch for Steeple Chase Drive on the right. Turn right and drive to the very end of the court to 6101 Steeple Chase. Grandma Dot's phone number is (810) 603-xxxx.  

2004 Non-Resident Fishing Licences

State of Michigan Road Map

Jeff Mundey's 2003 Pictures

To wet your whistle, Jeff sent me he and his crews pictures from 2003. Enjoy!

I've attached some photos from last years catch to wet your chops. The SM in "Karl Double Bass" was 20 1/2 inches and weighed 4 lbs. 10 oz. It might be my personal best. The other one in the picture is a measly 3 lbs

Jeff

Dave Morrison (? - 5/13/2004)

Bear Lake has lost one of its finest. Dave Morrison has always been a special person to me for many reasons. One of many memories which I often retell to others who know him happened during the Spring before our first visit to Bear Lake. He worked for GMAC but was venturing out on his own to start a corporate incentives company. This allowed him to make special arrangements with many manufactures to purchase items at wholesale prices. One of these companies was Shakespeare and their hot product was the Ugly Stick. My father had asked Morrison to pick up an Ugly Stick for my birthday before heading to Bear Lake for the first time. I was twelve years old, getting ready to head to Bear Lake and waiting for a visit from Morrison who I had not yet met to deliver my first new fishing rod. Can you imagine the excitement? This was equal to a 16 year old's first car. I still remember that night when he came to the house. I was standing next to dad when he introduced me to Morrison and my new Ugly Stick. It was a black beauty - 6 foot 6 inches and Medium action. Morrison's excitement was contagious. He was as happy for me to get this new fishing rod as I was. In his excitement, he wanted to demonstrate the durability and flexibility of the Ugly Stick. Advertisements in fishing magazines described how this was the first rod that you could bend and touch the tip of the rod to the butt without breaking. I remember clearly as he spread his legs, extended his arms to reach tip and butt. He bent that rod backwards trying to marry the two distant pieces of fiberglass and graphite in a slow arc. Within inches of the feat, the shiny new Ugly Stick shattered into two disconnected pieces of glass, one grasped in each hand. We all were silent - Morrison expressed complete shock, my face showed horror, my father laughed (as I remember it). Dad always described the sound of that rod breaking in Morrison's hands like the sound of a .22 rifle. Before our departure to Bear Lake at the end of June, a new Ugly Stick arrived. I used that rod for two Bear Lake visits. It now rests at the bottom of High Lake after an especially cold and rainy fishing trip with my cousin Matt (Stooge) Lentz. We had been trolling perch for pike and done especially well that day. My sleepy and cold hands loosed its grip and that poor fishing pole ended up at the bottom of the lake. No fishing rod holds as much magic and mystique as that Ugly Stick. That was my first introduction to Dave Morrison. I will forget neither.

BearLake January Newsletter -

Hello Bear Lake Fishermen,
As I write this letter, the ground is covered with a foot of snow and the Chicago area has been in a deep freeze for several weeks. However, it is not difficult for me to picture us skimming across the clear waters of Bear Lake . Last years trip was perfect and certainly wets the appetite to head North.

The group decided to move our trip forward by one week, so we will depart from Flint on the morning of July 23 rd and return on the 31 st . We can probably accommodate anyone who wants to arrive late or leave early. Even without a request, I have already received several deposits; as of now the list of extraordinary fishermen is as follows.

Received Deposits Tom Kline, Brian Kline, Scott Borchelt, David Borchelt, Ed Resh, Kyle Resh, Matt Kline, Nick Kline.

Deposits Mailed Jim Perrine, Mike Goodrich.

Count Me In Jack Harding, Mark Kochis, Garland Hutto, Brock.

The group is coming together quickly, but I think there will be room for everyone who wants to attend. We can manage a group of eighteen if needed; the euchre tournament will need to be started sooner and Bill will need to save all the back lake boats for our group. Please send a note or your deposit if the next great fishing trip is on your agenda for 2004.

I am looking forward to the best part of the trip which of course is spending time with a great group of friends.

Wishing you tight lines,