Madotson: Red Pine Island, Rainy Lake, Ontario   Justin's Perspective - Opener 2008 Same place but a different perspective, Thanks for the photos ... and the memories. What a great trip 2008 made. Hope to see you this fall. View Spring Fishing Opener 2008 The lake level is high as the rain continues to come down. Tornadoe warning for Kooch county on Saturday. The weather was wild, rainy and sunny too. With a record attendance at RedPine Island we had 20 people in beds or sofas. The Tent platform was removed in preparation for the new little lake side cabin . 24" was the largest Walleye caught Friday by Nick (worth $60). Alexi won the first day pot ($80) with a 22" Walley on Thursday. We had Steak sandwiches on Wed night, BBQ Ribs on Thursday, whole lamb on the spit Friday that was absolute perfection, and marinated flank steak Saturday. Carter's posse and Bruce & Dane left Saturday and the balance will leave Sunday. Pretty good fishing overall with periods of success and periods of no luck whatsoever. Two boats stopped by Ontario MNR. Thanks Harry for making it possible, and thanks to all for attending. This is a special crew of guys. View Family Fun with Friends Overflowing with cousins and family friends, Red Pine Island burst to life for summer fun once again. Happy Birthday PopPop!! View Spring Fishing Opener 2006 The fishing was fantastic, the weather was wonderful, the food was fabulous but most of all the company was spectacular! For the first time in nearly ten years we all managed to make it to the annual fishing open at the same time. I haven't seen the Schroeders since Adam was still getting "little boy" hair cuts and from the looks of it he has seen the barber since! What a great four days of fishing fun. The Wallys were biting the sun was shining the music was...well sometimes it was rocking. The Red Rover was in fine form with its transformation nearly complete; I don't think Dick can fit one more thing in it. Pills, Fenske and Brownie cooked up some fine meals culminating in a delicious and extremely tender thin cut sirloin steak sandwich on onion rolls - yum! Jimbo was amazing in the KP following the Roasted Lamb banquet on Saturday. Thanks Harry for instituting such a wonderful and memorable tradition. We love ya' man! View RedPine Island Fishing Opener Lamb Roast 2006 With some direction from Angelos in Greece, and a whole lot of artistic license, plans were drawn up and stainless steel fabricated to create the first truly portable spit roaster, and it performed miraculously! We marinated a thirty pound whole lamb overnight in a puree of Garlic, Vinegar, Tarragon, Basil, Mint and Olive Oil. After mounting to the spit we got the meat on at about 11:30 am and managed the fire to keep from running too hot at first. Later we turned up the heat to really cook it off until about 5:30.After a quick butcher job that cleared the legs, shanks, filet and racks it was off to the dinner table along with mashed potatoes and salad and kicked off with a special round of Highland Park Single Cask Scotch care of Ron and Adam Schroeder. Wow Dick, it worked! Way to go! View Spring Cabin Opening 2006 Lobster was on the breakfast menu both mornings with a beautiful Lobster Omelette with a delicious Gruyere Morne sauce on Saturday and nearly as nice Lobster Benedicts with a Hollandaise/Morne sauce. Wow I did not think it was possible to top Brie Omelettes in taste calories or cholesterol but I stand corrected. A special appearance was made by our dear old friend Paddy O'Furniture boasting some recent dental work. Also we had Gus up to help open this year for a couple of weeks. He did an amazing job freshening things up around the place. Thanks man see you in a few weeks. View Justin's Shore Lunch Photos Justin snapped these of the boys shore frying some fresh caught Walleys during the Spring opening trip in 2005. Nice pics, was that on the Rat Root River?? View Dick & Steph Go Hunting in 1994 Dick's old pics. Stephanie at 8 years old. Charlie and Farley. Precious memories that can never be repeated or reproduced. View Fishing Trip 2003 Who'dat? Homies from da good ole days ;-) View Fall Hunting 2005 What a great opportunity to head North once a year and hang with the boys, cook great food, tell dumb jokes (that everybody has heard 75 times over) and sit in a blind for hours waiting for some mallards to fly over and land in the decoys. While there seem to be fewer birds than in the past, the low production numbers don't stop these intrepid hunters from seeking their quarry. Whether it is heading out during an early morning sunrise or returning late in the evening after a long run back from Grassy Portage these men know what it takes to work hard and play even harder. View Moonrise and Bonfire Well these shots did not make it in with the others, so here they are. Moonrise over the main bay of Rainy Lake. It barely looks real but it is. Also we had a little work day where we burned a ton of dead wood cut around the campsite, beach and cabin. We had that sucker cranking for at least two hours; the flames were so hot it felt like our faces were searing off when we loaded up more wood. View RedPine LaborDay 2005 What a great new tradition was created when we brought our friends up to Red Pine Island. The boys had gobs of fun foraging weapons and bartering goods at their Trading Posts. They were outside nearly the entire weekend even during the rain! Thanks Mom & Dad for opening your home on Labor day weekend to our great friends. View RedPine Early August 2005 Water skiing, nature hikes, lots of wildlife, good food and family. What more can you ask for?? View Spring Fishing 2005 A stunning way to begin the season on Rainy Lake! The annual rites of Spring include lots of fishing, a little bit of merry-making, tons of food, and even more classic jokes. Oh and a whole lot of camaraderie and new memories to be treasured for a lifetime. The Northern Lights were out in force requiring an all nighter to soak up the energy rays right through sunrise. Never get tired of watching the Aurora Borealis. Thanks Harry for hosting us all. View Late Autumn Weekend 10-22-04 Peace in the North Woods was momentarily interrupted by a couple of goofballs with a bacon-basted White Castle Slider-stuffed Turkey. It was not all fun and games as we did go hunting.Here is the PC Version...Late in October two intrepid travellers headed North long after all was put away for Winter. With a lot of ingenuity and a little desperation we got the power on and spent a quick weekend of fine cooking and prime clowning. We actually gor a couple shots off and bagged us a Mallard, ok it flew into the cabin and broke its neck ;-). We will have to do this again soon! View Redpine Island Autumn 2004 This was a first for me: seeing Redpine all closed up for winter with the leaves blanketing the ground as if to help keep it warm during the long cold winter rapidly approaching. All was so serene and peaceful. View Hunting 9-12-04 It was a bluebird weekend for the annual Red Pine Hunting trip. We didn't really see any birds, we must have been a little early. Oh well, we made up for the lack of birds with an abundance of gourmet cuisine and unmatched camaraderie. Oh and a wicked four hour nap on a rock in Blind Bay. Whew did that feel good! View Hunting 9-11-04 The Fall Hunting Trip to Redpine Island is always a highlight of the year for me. Often far too short a trip; this is day one of a long weekend with good friends. Many beers drunk as well as fine scotches and wine. Many rounds shot sometimes too often not so many birds seen. Always look forward to next year's adventure. View LaborDay 2004 The annual run up to the lake for Laborday weekend and to share my birthday with family. Bouky and Margita provided spirited company and added some real power in the kitchen too. Thanks for the great cake, mmm was it delicious! View July 2004 We usually try to make it up for Harry's birthday in July and try to catch the kunhardt cousins while they visit from New York. No such luck this year as schedules were running pretty tight. Well we missed you guys and hope to do a better job coordinating next year. View