Hey Tetu Fans!

It's hard to believe it's already the beginning of September! Where did our summer go? We've been busy and happy with the outcome of the season, except for our water levels these last 8 weeks! We have dropped another 12 feet since July-I'm pretty sure we have never seen the water quite this low in the seventeen years we have been here!

Luckily, the boys have worked very hard to continue the fine fishing this system has to offer. It's amazing how these fish will adapt to the changes like we have experienced this year.  The guides certainly earned their wages this year with so many changes and the warm temps we have had!  This has been the warmest summer I can remember!  I feel like I did when we lived in FLORIDA and the high humidity was a real challenge for our guests and staff!

As we begin to wind the season down, it gives all of us a chance to catch our breath! We were fortunate enough to have some nice, larger groups this year and we have secured them for next year as well. We enjoyed meeting so many new Tetu customers and friends!

Thanks to all of you have given us your comments or suggestions for upcoming trips-I promise that we listen to your ideas-Just the other day, someone suggested to us that we put more of the plastic hangers in the cabins instead of the wire ones, and the following day we made sure that we picked some up in Kenora and distributed them!  It's the small things that help us, along with other ideas to make your trip exactly what you want!

As you all know, we have sure been short of precipitation this year!  It's the longest we can remember without measurable rain in this area of Ontario. It's one of the strangest weather years that I can remember!

 Our plan is to stay open as long as guests want to come and fish!  Right now, our last guests will be departing the 26th of this month.  That will put me back to Minnesota around the first of October, and Ed usually behind me by just a couple of days. The dogs will be sad to leave the island! They have enjoyed their freedom and all the guests this year! Caliber has healed from her surgeries and acting like a dog again! Let's hope she has an injury-free winter!

I'll make sure I write another blog before I leave the island at the end of the month!  We thank all our Tetu guests for your visits and hope you plan your 2012 visit with us soon!

I'll also make a list of our Master Anglers soon and post it-some beautiful fish have been caught and released this year!  Stay tuned!

Kathi

Hello from Tetu Island Lodge!

Wow, where has July gone?  It really whipped by us!  Our 4th is usually one of the slowest times of the season, yet we were full and had a great holiday week-Fishing was great, weather behaved and there were plenty of nice Master Anglers caught and released-

We welcomed a wonderful new group from PEKIN Insurance on the 6th of July.  This is a wonderful company out of Pekin, IL and we are still hosting them as I write this!  Every four days brings us another 30+ fishermen/women from PEKIN and we're all having a blast with these fine people! We had some horribly hot weather to contend with and they were all troopers through it all. We're so grateful to add all of you to our "Tetu Family" and look forward to hosting you again next year!  THANK YOU! It's so exciting to have so many new friends. We enjoy showing Tetu off to you all and we love all the positive feedback we are hearing from ALL of you! Once again, the Tetu Staff ROCKED and have been going strong with their fine skills, professional attitudes and their very hard work. Ed and I are so proud of this team and they sure didn't let us down!

For our Tetu friends that follow us on FACEBOOK, you see that Ed has been enjoying his new monster fryer for the group shorelunches!  Once again, we thank BRAD from MID-SOTA Manufacturing out of AVON, MN!  This has made our corporate lunches go so much smoother and it's so FAST that we can get these fishermen back on the water right after lunch! We've done 18 in a row now and down to the last 3 days, so Ed will be ready for a break!

We've purchased another 200 HP for one of the Crestliners-a special thanks goes out to Nisswa Marine for their quick response and installation. This week we also had to buy 3 new 90HP engines for the fishing boats.

FYI-If any of you have an iphone and have service with A T & T, your cell phones now work on the island!  You'll even get service in some spots on the lake!

Our photo shoot went AMAZING!  Scott and Tal were up during the third PEKIN group and they took some beautiful shots of them fishing, shorelunches, golfing, and in the dining room!  We also finished our food shots, new cabin photos, aerial shots of the resort and staff/guide shots.  We can't wait to see the finished product and choose some for the new 2012 brochure! Saksay even let them take some photos of him and we're hoping to do a special spread and article on him in this year's brochure.

Rene is back at Tetu!  Their new daughter is doing wonderful and gaining some weight! He managed to get all the way home in time for her birth and he's one proud papa! Congrats, Rene!

Walleyes have been plentiful! 10 over 26 inches just in the last 3 days- We had a beautiful 45 inch pike caught and released by Frank McChesney the other day and we're finally seeing some big smallies on the board! plenty of 17 and 18's and occasional 19s. After the VERY long mayfly hatch (one of the longest and largest we can remember in 15 years!) we're now glad to see it is over and done with!  I had forgotten just how horrible those things are and how awful they smell~ Whew~

I'm thrilled to report that we have a very busy August coming up!  I think we only have 3 two day openings left, however, I am ready to wheel and deal on September dates anytime you are!

Daughter Kate and her boyfriend Chris are arriving this coming week.  I'm so excited to finally get Chris up here, as he is a FISHERMAN and I'm hoping to get him on the muskies and big pike!  Kate is no slouch herself, as her record for a muskie is about 51 inches!  Our oldest son, J.B. from Naples, FL will also finally get back to Tetu the first week of September, along with Ed's sister Donna, also from Orlando.

We'll be announcing some exciting news soon for mid-September!~We're trying something DIFFERENT for Tetu then and we hope it will generate some interests, trips and BIG prizes for you! Stay tuned!

Thanks for taking the time to check in on us! We're thrilled to be having a fun and busy season again! Ed's hard work is finally paying off for us and we're both so excited about the future of Tetu Island Lodge!

Kathi

Greetings from Tetu!

I have to apologize for my lack of blogs these past two weeks!  On June 5th, I had to take our yellow lab Caliber home to Minneapolis to her orthopedic surgeon's office and just returned yesterday so I feel I really missed 12 very important days and so many wonderful guests that I wasn't able to see and visit with!  Caliber is doing great, they had to remove the TPLO plate from her previous surgery. She has had so much trouble with this surgery so we're glad we're about to the end of it-Thanks everyone, for understanding how important these dogs are to Ed and I!

Enough about OUR last couple of weeks, let's talk about some GOOD things happening here on Tetu Island. I'd like to acknowledge some of our Master Anglers we have had the pleasure of hosting:
Darrin Westemeier                          walleye                       27 inches
Todd Johnson                                  pike                            37 1/2
Marsha Wellman                             walleye                       26
Bernie O'Connor                             pike                            36
Ron Smith                                       pike                            35
Robert Warneke                              pike                            40 1/2
Doug Apt                                        smallmouth                 16 1/2
John Stark                                     walleye                        26
Jeff Ohman                                     pike                            38 1/2
Paul Sperazza                               smallmouth                 17 1/2
Leo Brunner                                  walleye                        26
Michael Lee Sr.                             walleye                        26
Don Martisauski                            pike                             36 1/2
Brett Paynter                                pike                              35
Don Martisauski                           pike                              36
Ken Buck                                     walleye                         28 1/2
Bruce Ervin                                 pike                               35 1/2
Max Psihos                                walleye                         28
Sam Mauger                                walleye                       26
Matt Sperazza                             walleye                        26
Matt Psihos                                 sturgeon                       34
Brett Paynter                               pike                              36
Ken Buck                                     pike                              40
Ken Buck                                    pike                               39
Brett Paynter                              pike                                39
Darin Keimig                               pike                               37
Tim Kyler                                    pike                               36
Harley Williams                          walleye                          26
Brendon Ervin                            sturgeon                        66 inches!
Brett Paynter                              walleye                          27
Bruce Paynter                            walleye                          28
Sam Mauger                              walleye                          26
Jason Dunlap                            sturgeon                        73 inches!
Jim Deleeuw                              walleye                         26
Jim Deleeuw                              walleye                         26
Jack Daniels                              walleye                          29 inches!
Ethan Richardson                      pike                              38
Samantha Devick                      pike                               37 1/2
Dave Doucette                          smallmouth                   16
Steve Devick                             pike                                35


Congrats, everyone-on catching and releasing these great fish! You all know what awesome fishing this system has and I have to admit that we have some of the best guides available in Canada!

Mother Nature is really messing with us this spring/summer and I think we are at least a week to 10 days behind normal temps, both air and water-We've certainly had our share of precipitation and I'm about ready for it to be over! Thank goodness most of our guests remember to bring or purchase good quality rain gear before their trip up!  Notice how many of our FACEBOOK photos are pics of the guests and their fish in their rain gear!

We have a great season booked with a few openings left and would love to get these time frames filled, so if you are considering a trip up to Tetu this year yet, just give us a call-Our fall fishing is looking good and we're giving some nice healthy discounts for September! I am willing to bet we will have some beautiful and warm temps for the fall this year with the way the season is going. 

Feels wonderful to be back! I have one more trip to Minneapolis planned for Caliber to remove the staples at the end of this month, but that will be a 2 or 3 day jaunt!  Our 4th of July is filled this year and it should be a fun one! Stay tuned to hear about it!


Hope you are enjoying the FACEBOOK photos-Amanda works hard at keeping up with them-

Thanks, all for keeping track of us-we appreciate your feedback!

Kathi and Ed

Dear Friends,

It's been great to be back up at Tetu!  Ed arrived two weeks ago with Darryl, Lindsay and Rene. I followed four days later and we've been going strong ever since!  These last 3 days have brought in many of the remaining staff and Sak returned on Wednesday.  I can't tell you how relieved I was to hand over the "oven mitts" to him!  Although I love cooking for the staff in the beginning and end of each season, it's wonderful to have him back and taking care of the food!  Marsha also is back in the Tetu kitchen baking, cooking breakfasts and the staff dinners at night.

The dock work was complete the first week, then I think Ed was in a building mode, as he tore out the bathrooms in the lodge and we are almost finished with the new ones.  They look fantastic and hope you all appreciate them!  The office is also getting a mini-remodel and we thank our good friend, Dave Gramling for providing the beautiful granite for the new counter.  Also, Al and Ken Paulsen who also remodeled our home kitchen made us beautiful desk tops and counters to work off of in the new office area.  Ed and the boys are working on cabins three and four today and replacing the vanity tops with beautiful granite ones, also from Dave's business in Eden Prairie. All this granite! It's gorgeous and what an improvement over the plain white ones! We're getting spoiled-

We have a returning party from IL, the Pini family fishing for the first day of our season today! It's a little cool and cloudy, but we're hoping they had a great first day on the water and caught some nice fish-We have a couple groups arriving this coming Tuesday with 27 people and by next weekend we will have a full resort!  The resort weathered well this past winter and we're working on the landscaping and flowers today. New deck chairs were added on the front deck of the lodge and they look perfect out there-

We have a new generator coming in the next couple of weeks, so that's a relief. We also are purchasing a new 225 HP motor for one of the big Crestliners. The new dining room linens look beautiful and the girl's new serving outfits look great on them! Lindsay and Tracey will be returning to the dining room and we're in the process of finding one more gal to fill in while Joy is gone. Amanda is back in the office and we have a sweet new gal named Lilly for the laundry. Misty is also here and we're so glad to have "our girls" of Tetu back at it this season! What a great group of young ladies we work with and we're so fortunate to have them-they make everything here look great and CARE about their duties and make sure they are done RIGHT the first time!

The "boys" of Tetu have been so busy since they arrived I hardly see them except at meals-boats, landing, decks, docks, yardwork-you name it, they have been working hard on everything to prepare Tetu for the season.  We have some great new guys who are joining the guide staff and they seem to be fitting in extremely well with everything. All of the new guys have some guiding experience so once they become familiar with our system, they will be out on their own.

Our labs-Cooper, Caliber and Muskie are all thrilled to be back at Tetu! Caliber had surgery in February and she is doing pretty well, but not quite back 100% yet on that back right leg. Muskie is hanging in there and she was so excited when we reached the landing on our trip up.

It feels awesome to be back here for the new season and we're excited to see everyone! We are offering some special rates and deals for the times we have left to fill.  We're posting on our FACEBOOK page and will get some 2011 fish photos up soon.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend with your family and friends! We're thrilled to start the year off and are expecting some fantastic fishing and stories from all of our VIP guests and friends!

Kathi

  After an extremely long winter here in Minnesota, I cannot tell you how happy I am to see the snow almost gone here! It seemed like the winter would never end!  After 5 years here in Minneapolis, this was the longest winter yet! I'm sure you all know that I left Florida kicking and screaming when Ed decided it was time to return to Minnesota!

   We are down to just a few weeks before Ed leaves for Tetu.  Darryl will the the first of the guides to arrive and knowing him, he will arrive ready and willing to work hard! Lindsay will travel with him and she and I will open camp around the second to third week of May. Our first guests arrive early June and I know we will be ready by then.  Ed has some work to do on the new part of the docks to complete before June.  Sak will also arrive early June.

   As many of you will remember, our female yellow lab Caliber had surgery last winter on her left knee and had to have the same surgery on the right knee this last February.  She is still in her healing stage and doing great!  We'll have her ready for swimming and running the island by the time we open, so it's been along winter for her, as well.  Muskie is hanging in there this winter and she will hopefully have another year with us this summer at the resort.  Cooper is having a great winter and loving life!

   It's wonderful having the renovation completed here at our home.  We had a house-full over the Christmas holidays and we loved entertaining our family again. My sister and husband came up from Kansas City, and both our mothers were here to celebrate the holidays with us. We have a small Easter planned and the following week will be time for Ed to leave for Tetu.


   We are so grateful to all of you who have decided to return to Tetu for another Canadian Fishing Trip! We look forward to the upcoming season and are excited to see all of you soon.  The staff is lined up and arranging for their starting dates.  We have a few new guides that will be joining us this season also.  The kitchen staff will all return and we're looking forward to hearing how Sak's trip to Thailand was this winter.

   Early June has plenty of room if anyone is still undecided on dates, so give us a call and we would be happy to give you some pricing!  Ed and I are ready to go back to work and get to Tetu soon-Ed should have power and phones by the second week of May up there and I will be arriving there AFTER the power and water is running! I can't WAIT for that first fresh walleye fillet to hit the fry pan!

   Hope all of you are enjoying some beautiful spring weather and sunny days! Let's hope for a beautiful May so we can get Tetu opened and looking great for our 2011 season!  See you soon~

Kathi

Hello Friends,

After this long winter, who isn't ready for a little open water, and a shore lunch? After the winter we've had here in Minnesota, we're really looking forward to welcoming you back to Tetu Island Lodge for the 2011 season!

It's been a busy winter for us. Ed has been traveling to sports shows throughout the Midwest, and is looking forward to heading north around May 1st.

We are excited for the coming season.  After getting the generator started, Ed will get the lodge and office open. Then, he will start re-building the docks to make them more user-friendly for arrivals and landing boats. He will also be doing some updating in a few of the cabins, and around the grounds.

We are expecting to have most of last year's staff back this season, along with a few guides who have been with us in the past. We feel that this is a benefit to our guests. Our well-trained staff knows how to take care of guests and deliver the service you've come to expect.

Water levels are expected to be higher at the beginning of the year, given the amount of snowfall this winter, but not to worry. Tetu is on a controlled system that doesn't allow the water to get too high, or too low.

Thankfully, our bookings are ahead of last year at this time. We do have some additional openings during peak fishing times, so don't hesitate to call us to schedule your trip to Tetu Lodge. Also, if you can refer a new guest that books a trip with us, we will give you a 10 percent discount on your trip in 2011 or 2012. Talk to your friends and tell them about the great times you've had at our resort. We love referrals, and are thankful for every one of them. Please let us know if you need additional brochures to pass on to your friends. We'll ship them out to you ASAP!

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook. That is the best way to keep up on the fishing reports, weather, and the latest news from Tetu.

We're looking forward to seeing old and new friends this summer at Tetu Island Lodge! Thank you for your business.

1. We believe that we have something very different than other resorts--our island location sits at the heart at spectacular river and lake system, allowing our guests to fish current, calm bays and at the edges of rapids--all in one day without leaving the boat! Structure-wise, our guides may lead you into rocky or sandy bottom structure, or quietly take you into a shallow, weed-lined bay to hunt for large pike or muskie. All this variety makes for a day of fishing that may look completely different from one hour to the next.
2. The term "all inclusive" is something usually used to describe large resorts in Mexico or the Caribbean. We talk about Tetu that way because all you need when you come to our resort is your clothes. We have top-flight gear for you and all the bait and lures you could ever ask for. Our boats are boats you would normally see on a recreational lakes--they are top-end, very comfortable and made to order for the type of fishing experience our guests have told us they want. Food-wise, we can promise you that you will eat exceptionally well every day. We could go on, but chances are if you are wondering if we do can this, or we can do that, there's a pretty good chance the answer will be, "yes." Many people tell us that the "net fishing and relaxing time" at Tetu is as high as any fishing resort they have been to before. We work hard to take care of every little detail so you can get settled, ready to fish and ready to take advantage of every minute you are with us. It's your time and we do everything we can do to make sure you get the most out of your stay with us.
3. Customization is also possible at Tetu. We have people that come to us and want to hit the water first thing and fish until the stars are starting to come out. Others are more laid back and prefer to go at an easier pace, come back and take a break at the lodge or extend the time of their shore lunch. One question you will be asked over and over by us, "so what do you want to do today?" We mean it when we ask that. Your days with us can be custom designed.
4. Our guests are a mix of families, business associates, old friends on a reunion and couples celebrating anniversaries. Some have fished their whole lives. Others have never held a fishing rod before. Last year, we had two couples come up and the wives had never fished before. By the second day, the women opted to go out with a guide on their own because they felt comfortable doing so and because they wanted to show their husbands a thing or two about catching walleyes. We love to see people come here and discover a newfound passion for fishing or being in the Canadian wilderness. It is one of the joys of our work and we see it happen every day. 

January 4, 2011

Holiday Greetings from Tetu to all of you!  I hope your holidays have been enjoyable and you have been able to spend some quality time with those you care about.  Our Christmas was busy, which is a first here in MN for us!  We had plenty of company from out of town, and with Scott and Kate around, it was a magnificent holiday and really fun New Years!  Both of our mothers were here with us for about two weeks also!

Today we finished up with new carpet for the sport show booth! Ed will be able to pick up the new photos we chose and we're excited about the "new look" for the 2011 Tetu Island Lodge Booth display!  We have needed this for awhile and we love it and hope you can come to one of the shows we are attending to get a look at it!

Our first show starts January 13th, in St. Charles, IL at the Pheasant Run Convention Hotel and Convention Center. Tetu will also be attending the American Outdoor Show in Chicago-Rosemont on January 26th through 30th. He is more than ready to get on the road and begin working again to get the reservations going for 2011!

Our winter is flying by with both of us working on the remodel of the house here in Minneapolis.  It is nearly finished and has been worth the wait! It was awesome entertaining over the holidays and so great to have room for everyone!  The dogs are also enjoying their winter, except we have recently found out that our poor yellow lab, Caliber is going to have to have another surgery on her right hind leg for the exact same injury she had LAST January on the LEFT leg! Whew~this little girl is expensive! But hopefully she will be good as new by the time we return to the island in the spring. She has a fantastic surgeon and a great vet to help us through it all.

We thank all of you who sent us your beautiful Christmas cards and holiday photos and wishes! We love hearing from you and seeing your families! It's always thrilling to have Tetu Island Lodge on the front cover of your holiday greetings!

If you are planning on a trip this year, I would suggest you get your reservations in as soon as possible-The weekends are filling quickly and we always want to try and fulfill your wishes on dates.  We certainly can use some "help" with any bookings from you, or others you might have shared our Tetu info with! This economy doesn't seem to be magically improving like we had all hoped it would, but Ed and I are still so grateful for all our wonderful customers and the reservations~

Any questions or comments you might have, please contact us through the phones, emails, or Facebook.  Hope to see some of you during the sportshow season! Thanks for taking the time to read our blogs, view our web site and we hope you enjoyed the beautiful 2011 Tetu Brochure.  If you would like us to mail you another one, or have someone in mind, please let us know and send us the address and we would be happy to mail it out right away!  We LOVE to share Tetu!

Happy New Year to all of you!

Kathi