Minipi Camps Web Log

Welcome to the Minipi Camps Web Log.  This is a major new addition to the Minipi Camps web site requested by many anglers who wished to share their Minipi experiences, stories and photos with others.  We welcome your posts and enthusiastic participation in these Web Logs.  You are helping expand the Minipi family to others who have always dreamed of the magic of Labrador and the thrill of landing an enormous Brookie on a dry fly.  Happy blogging… BL

We have had a few calls and emails lately concerning the airfares to Goose Bay. In particular the fare for the Halifax to Goose Bay leg. Some travel websites and even the Air Canada website will show fares that can sometimes top $2k from the U.S!

There is help though. Canada One Travel in Winnipeg, MB, Canada have great fares to Goose Bay. For Example $601 USD Harrisburg PA return, $692 USD Atlanta GA return, $807 Los Angeles CA return, and $807 from Portland OR return. They also don’t charge the Canadian Goods and Services Tax for US citizens.

These guys have the best deal. Hands down. You can check them out on the web at http://www.canada-one.com , or by phone toll-free at (866)401-9900.

See you this summer.

Robin Cooper

Ed Quigley’s new book In the Company of Rivers: An Angler’s Stories & Recollections has three chapters (out of 25) on the Minipi experience: With Penelope on the Minipi, The Last Place on Earth and Minipi Memories, plus an interesting sidelight on Lee Wulff on the Minipi in the chapter titled Catch & Release.  Click on the following link to Ed’s website:  edquigley.com Click the link to amazon.com on his site to read reviews, and peek inside the book. And, hey, buy a copy—Quigley still has his student loans to pay off.

Just a note to tell everyone that my son Joseph and I have just completed the IGFA application for a new Junior World Record. On 7/9/07 Joseph landed a beatiful 7lb male brook trout at “Ten Pound Cove” on a #10 Grey Wulff. Joe shattered the existing World Record of 6lbs, 8oz.! Special thanks to guide Kelly Groves. As always, many thanks to Jack, Lorraine and Robin Cooper.

Parrie Willette Jr.

The first week of the season is now under our belt, and what a crazy week it was. Camp start-up is always hectic and last week’s unseasonablely hot weather coupled with the rash of forest fires threw a wrench into the gears of our logistics machine. As some of you may already know, a forest fire seriously threatened Minonipi Lake Lodge, but I am happy to let you know that all is well, and the fire is now fully extinguished.

Then we had nearly a whole week of bright sunshine and scorching temperatures reaching into the high 90’s. This dropped the water on average 9 inches a day and slowed the action. We had 4 anglers at Anne Marie Lake Lodge, and the insects were hatching everywhere, but few brookies were moving until yesterday when Richard Schriber booked a 5 3/4#, a 5 1/2# female, and a 5 …

read more...

The latest issue of Fish & Fly: For The Adventure Angler, Tackle & Travel 2007, Vol. 7 Number 3, has a spectacular photo-feature on Minipi’s big brookies titled, “Here the ‘Little Trout of The Springs’ Grow SUPER SIZE.” This is in its EXOTIC WORLD ADVENTURES series. Run out and buy a copy. (We got ours at Barnes & Noble.) The photos are terrific—there’s one of a Drake sitting on the water. It’s one of the best closeups I’ve seen.

Here’s a picture of the cover...and I’ve inset part of one of the pictures from the inside of the magazine and their spectacular picture of the NEW Anne Marie.

The Minonipi Wullf is certainly one of the essiental flies for fishing the Minipi watershed. Lee Wulff designed this pattern to mimic both the Green and Brown drakes in one simple pattern. Although not a popular pattern elsewhere in the world, it is a staple in the Labrador anglers’ flybox. In a recent conversation with David Brandt from the Wulff School of Fly Fishing, he gave me the recipe to “cook” up some of your own Minonipi Wulff’s. By the way, Dave knew Lee Wulff and if you look in the Photo Gallery you’ll find a picture of Dave and Lee together. So this is from “the horse’s mouth.”

First of all, the original Mustad hook Lee used for all of his Wulff’s has been recently discontinued. The Daiichi 2421, however, is a good substitute. Most of the Wulff’s tied by Dave for my fly shop fall into …

read more...

Dick Recchia from the UltimateFlyFishing.com staff recently wrote a short article about his experiences while fishing for Northern Pike at the Minipi Lodge. They were having a slow day, and decided to “huck” some big bugs for Pike. Check out the full story at the Ultimate Fly Fishing website.

http://www.ultimateflyfishing.com/news/dest_pike.html

Robin Cooper