Cheers
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rredge |
What do you want to see in a fishing lodge |
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A friend and I just bought one, in Newfoundland, on a river with salmon and sea-run brook trout. We won't open until 2009. Gives us some time to find out
what people want to see in a lodge. This forum may be a good place to start.
Cheers |
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MontyMontana |
#1 | |||
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No d... electronics...no satellites...emergency communication only...leave the new age home and read a book when you are not fishing.
Just my opinion Monty Montana
Your Signature ... I fish via our criminal justice system..."Catch and release"
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Mnash1 |
#2 | |||
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If it's a pricey joint, decent food & comfortable beds.
If it's cheap I'll sleep in a tent and eat granola bars.
Livin' in a yurt, down by the river.
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RonT1 |
#3 | |||
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My waders hanging by the door, boots drying on the steps, and rod strung up and waiting for the evening hatch.... Oh, you meant...
R |
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narcodog |
#4 | |||
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What or who do you want for a client? Do you want an average Joe fisher person or do you want folks with unlimited funds?
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Bakerloo |
#5 | |||
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Here is what I like in a lodge: The lodge should have a nice comfortable living room that is big enough for all of the guests. I want a big fireplace and old leather sofas with trophy fish and other animals on the wall. I would like a small tying area stocked with materials to tie local favorite flies. A small but well stocked bar with drinks costing $4-5.
A small but well stocked fly shop- No rods or reels for sale, but lines, leaders, tippet, hemostats, flies etc. A loaner rod & reel or two just in case. The ability to have some of our catch smoked. If necessary, boats with motors that run.
Food- plenty of good food, not fancy food. Wine with dinner or the choice of a local beer on tap. A sack lunch would be nice so I didn't have to come back to the lodge.
My room should be clean and comfortable. I don't mind sharing a room with 2 or three of my fishing buddies. Hot water for showers. Get as many water heaters as necessary so I don't get a cold shower. A horseshoe pit behind the lodge. Maybe some activities for non-fishing spouses.
Fishing and catching are two different things. You can't control the weather. I want the chance to catch a big one, but this doesn't always happen. A guide if I want one for a couple of hours would be nice. A friendly staff that has the opportunity to socialize with guests is nice. (I like to BS with the staff)
I have gone to a lodge for the past 22 years with 8 friends. These are the things that we like. We don't mind paying what it costs to make it a memorable experience. Maybe a 2-tiered price structure is possible. Some guests want to be pampered more than others. It will be interesting to see what others want. Good luck with this adventure. I would love to have the chance to own a lodge. |
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mac7x |
#6 | |||
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Good food, clean sheets, hot showers. If it's a remote camp, sufficient light in the evening so you can tie flies. And if it isn't remote, and the
locals have easy access, fishing rotation, which is normal salmon fishing etiquette everywhere else, but, to my understanding, is not widely practised in
Newfoundland.
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flyfishingpastor |
There's lots of places to fish... | #7 | ||
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There's lots of places to fish, but to me, the fishing is the important part. I've gone to really plush places where there's always the
POSSIBILITY you'd catch a fish. There were plenty on the walls, but few in the stream. The staff was efficient but only friendly when you had your check
book open. Then I've been to mom & pop kinds of places where the family runs a clean, comfy place with good food where you were treated like guests
they'd like to see return, not clients and the fishing was amazing. I like a comfortable gather place with a big fire place and no TV in the public areas.
I have no problem with tv's in the rooms and computer access - I can choose to use or not use either. But, for me, the fishing is the priority. If the
fishing is good, you can feed me cold cuts and I'll sleep in a bunk room. Best of luck in your new venture!
FFP "He told us about Christ's disciples being fisherman, and we were left to assume...that all great fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly
fisherman and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman."
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seattlesetters |
#8 | |||
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Not much to add to the others' fine comments, but I would say serving rather large portions of red meat at dinner is appreciated...and helpful. Standing in
cold, moving water for several hours is more work than most people think, and the protein provided by beef, wild game or lamb helps regenerate tired muscles.
If I'm going to fish all day, every day for five days straight, this becomes a very legitimate concern.
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Hardy Guy |
#9 | |||
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Hello Rory,, nice to see another Canuck on here. Is this Mike Crosbys former lodge on the Hawke?
First and foremost what i like to see is a good "home pool" and at least one other good pool within sight,, or a short walk. Easily my biggest turn off is a lodge who has to ship you out to good pools(time wasted). Next are good guides who know their shit and are not wanting to break for dinner and head back to camp. I am there to fish,, so the guide should really be good about allowing you to do so. Either a decent kitchen to do it yourself or good meals if you have a kitchen staff. A good lounge area with a well lit tying table is nice. Lastly is cleanliness,, it doesn't need to be 5 star(unless it is 5-star) but i don't ever want to pay to sleep with bed bugs again. Cogratulations on the purchase,, i sincerely wish you the best with it. Please feel free to post more info. Hardy Guy aka Dwayne Miller PEI, Canada
Obsessed Salmon Chaser since 1988!!
www.flyfishtheisland.com
Last Edited By: Hardy Guy 01/28/2008 13:52.
Edited 1 time.
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rredge |
#10 | |||
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Hi Dwayne, We'll be in Newfoundland, not Labrador. My partner and I bought the place as much for our own enjoyment as anything. We want to run this in the
summer and keep it small, and we aren't into roughing it. I agree with the UK guide who said to me, a few weeks ago, "the apres-fishing is as
important as the fishing"
Everybody's comments are much appreciated. There's some good advice here.
Last Edited By: rredge 01/28/2008 16:44.
Edited 1 time.
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Flyman615 |
#11 | |||
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rredge:
Sounds to me like your thinking thus far is right on and you've got a good start going. As has been stated, clean, warm and comfortable rooms/showers are #1. Followed by the aforementioned commodious "living room" or common space with fireplace and bar close by. Trained guides are also important. They need to be able to adapt to the capabilities, or lack thereof, of the guests. Beyond that, just treat your guests as per the "Golden Rule" and you'll do very, very well! Finally, keep us posted via the Forum. I may want to make a reservation...soon! Regards, Flyman
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leatherneck |
#12 | |||
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..anything but my wife!
"The rule is perfect: in all matters of
opinion our adversaries are insane."
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canenut |
#13 | |||
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It sounds like you have a good grip on what you want to do with it and it sounds very nice. A hearty breakfast, sack / shore lunch and either good beef,
venison, veal, or lamb for supper sounds lovely.
Clean beds, flt tying area, etc., mentioned by the rest are good too. Good Luck and keep us informed on your opening.
The trout takes the fly, the line tightens and it's like I was blind, but now I
see.
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PYochim |
#14 | |||
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The last lodge we stayed at, Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana, had a good selection of local beers.
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bobbeegee |
#15 | |||
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I would agree with all as to good food, libations, comfortable surroundings, and plenty of hot water.
In addition I always like to see historical artifacts, pictures, etc. of the the local rivers and country in which the lodge is situated. I like the feeling of association with a bygone time and place. Bob |
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levertonhatches |
Lodge? | #16 | ||
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A lodge I enjoyed very much had two characteristics that were particularly pleasing. One was that everyone ate together at long tables, so we all got to know
each other; lots of fly trading going on and that sort of thing. The other was a covered porch overlooking a stretch of river, with big comfortble rocking
chairs, to enjoy the outdoors. The rocking chairs had tying vises on their broad arms. Libations available.
Will your guests be taking any of the catch home with them? If so, facilities to accommodate that are useful. |
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SecondHandWolf |
What do you want to see in a fishing lodge | #17 | ||
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1. A pretty setting where you can lounge outside the lodge, look at the water (stream or lake), and casually meet the other guests. When I want to be alone, I
tent camp and fish. When I go to a lodge, by myself or with others, I still want to meet and interact with people in a relaxed way. So, you have to have a
place, like a large porch, where you can do the same when it's raining. Along with this, you need a bar! Not that you need to obtain a liquor license, but
have a cozy area with wood and tables and comfortable chairs where guests can bring their own spirits to enjoy while they talk. You have to keep such a
"bar" smoke-free, I understand that. But those who want a smoke (
, cigar, or cig) can go outside and down-wind of everyone else.
2. A tackle shop that's well stocked with flies, lines, leaders, tippet material, accessories, books, . . . and specialty tackle from vendors local to the region, i.e., bamboo rodmakers, landing-net makers, artists, custom-graphite-rodbuilders, etc. Be sure to include good maps, current topo maps from the USGS for the adventurous. Lastly a way for the shop's staff to have the latest weather up-dates / forecast. 3. A good dining room for breakfast at least. Guests may be willing to drive to the nearest town for dinner, but breakfast is the meal you don't want to delay. 4. A table with a good goose-neck-extendable light for fly tying. If you can afford to put one in every guest's room, great. Otherwise, a couple in the bar would be good. Some of us like to tie in the evening after our experience the previous day. 5. I think a TV in every room is unnecessary. Limit it to an area of the bar/lounge. But a combination radio/CD player in each room is nice. Many of us have our favorite CDs or want to just listen to something on the radio. 6. A place to hang your wet waders and wading boots overnight, so they can dry out. Gates Au Sable Lodge has a rack outside each room and they've never had a problem with theft. So whether you have an inside or outside area, guests will need someplace so their room's floor or their car doesn't get wet. 7. Reservations a year ahead. Some anglers and their friends reserve the same week each year to take a fly fishing trip. If you like a place, it's easy to just reserve you time for next year when you check-out. 8. You want a website that has quality pictures of the lodge (inside and outside), the setting, the guest rooms, and the local stream/lake. I hope this helps. Let us know if you do get a websit up and best regards, SecondHandWolf |
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rredge |
#18 | |||
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Keep the comments coming. They're very much being taken on-board.
Thanks, Rory |
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Eric Peper |
#19 | |||
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Lots of good recommendations here. One addition that I enjoyed at one of my favorite places was access to a small library of regionally relevant fishing and
tying books. Not every day is good for all day fishing and finding a good book in the "great room" was welcome. Another nice feature, depending on
your viewscape, might be access to a spotting scope on the "cocktail porch" for eyeballing game and possibly risers.
EP |
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bulldog1935 |
#20 | |||
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My friend Rus Schwausch does it right.
http://www.epicanglingadventure.com/ The first thing you need is a chef. This means something. "If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much." |
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