Diaries of a Lodge Owner

• Episode 123: How A Reality Fishing Show Shaped Two Careers And A Lifelong Passion

  A tornado on Lake Nipissing. Fifty anglers. Cameras sprinting through bush while boats pound eight‑footers—and a single log that quietly holds the winning bag. We pull back the curtain on The Last Call, the 2004 reality fishing series that pushed us to the edge and then reshaped our lives. From chaotic GPS races to head‑to‑head heats, you’ll hear how split‑second choices, sketchy weather, and unclear rules forged the kind of lessons you can’t learn from a highlight reel.What surprised us most wasn’t just the production scale. It was the people. Roland Martin maps wind and structure like a cartographer, Hank Parker brings championship calm, Jimmy Houston turns pranks into legends, and David Fritz feeds the crew with moon pies after 60‑ounce steaks. Those moments—equal parts grit and grace—opened doors to a decades‑long career in the fishing industry at Lund, Berkley, and Rapala, and they taught us why a lost card can still be a winning hand.We also dive into photography that actually works for anglers. Yes, phones can beat pro gear when the shot is right. Think face, light, background. Clean the lens, angle into the sun, frame out clutter, and set 4K 30 if video might make TV. We share the stories behind magazine covers, a 100‑foot trailer wrap, and a day on the water where a young hammer sticks a six after five minutes because passion doesn’t care about age or titles.If you love fishing stories with real stakes, practical tips you can use this weekend, and a heartfelt look at how mentors and mistakes shape a life outdoors, this one’s for you. Hit follow, share it with a fishing buddy, and leave a quick review so more anglers can find the show.

  --------  

  1:11:05

  --------

  1:11:05
• Episode 122: Walleye, Wolves, And A Year in the North

  Some seasons don’t just hand you fish; they hand you perspective. We kicked off with cold rivers, hot saunas, and the truth every lodge owner knows—how you close determines how you open—then rolled into a year that tested instincts, technology, and our sense of community on the water.At Buck Lake, we arrived dreaming of 12-pound walleye and walked into a masterclass in humility. LiveScope showed “nothing,” confidence dipped, and we over-scanned instead of fishing. Then Pete stepped in with quiet precision, rigged a drop shot with live bait, and built a standout walleye segment in under two hours. We unpack why that worked, how irregular rock hides fish from forward-facing sonar, and how to keep your head straight when screens go blank. The takeaway: tech is a tool, not a verdict, and good mechanics still win.The road took us from the shining floors and dialled service of Lodge 88 to Air Dale Lodge and Timmins’ Cedar Meadows, where cabins back onto a timber wolf reserve. Timmins surprised us with urban lakes stacked with walleye, plus a bigger story: six-figure mine jobs, real housing affordability, and a life where you can clock out at 4:30 and be casting by five. And in Wedgeport, Nova Scotia, we witnessed the revival of the world’s oldest bluefin tuna tournament—run by volunteers, powered by heritage, funding a museum, and reminding us what a fishing community can feel like when everyone shows up.We close with family-first choices, a fall muskie that was short, thick, and heavy, and a new way to troll: watching baits ride over rock in real time, spotting fouled lures instantly, and seeing follows as they happen. Those moments stitched together a theme—balance the screen with your senses, lean on people who care, and make space for the traditions that outlast any bite window. If you love walleye, muskies, bluefin lore, or the craft of using LiveScope without letting it use you, you’ll find something here to take to the boat.

  --------  

  1:13:55

  --------

  1:13:55
• Episode 121: Science, Myths, And The Hunt For Muskies

  The fish of 10,000 casts can feel like a slot machine with a mind of its own—and that’s exactly why we can’t stop chasing it. We dig into why muskie obsession grips so hard, how one strike wipes out weeks of slow days, and why the best stories aren’t always the biggest fish. Pat Tryon joins us to separate myth from data, sharing two decades of logs that show how lunar majors and minors consistently open bite windows—and how local weather still calls the shots.We get tactical without getting gear drunk. Pat breaks down a minimalist setup that covers almost everything: a nine-foot-six extra-heavy casting rod, a 400-size reel, 100-pound braid, and a simple leader strategy. From there, we go deep on tuning. Learn how tiny adjustments to crankbait line ties unlock depth and stability on the troll, and how bending a Suick’s tail turns a weed-choked flat into a surgical strike zone. This is the difference between passing through fish and provoking them.Electronics become tools, not crutches. We explain why mapping is the foundation for boat control and casting angles, how side imaging finds trees, spines, and edges in minutes, and where forward-facing sonar accelerates learning responsibly. Use live sonar to confirm bait and presence, build smarter waypoints, and return with confidence rather than guesswork. Along the way, we wrestle with the ethics of “pummeling” marked fish and land on a practical balance: discover fast, fish with intent, and keep the hunt alive.It all comes back to persistence. You’ll hear a gutting net mishap with a heavy October fish and a soaring high as a seventy-something guest lands her first 50 at the lodge—two moments that define why we keep going. Ready to time your next window, tune your spread, and make better passes? Follow the show, share this with a muskie-crazed friend, and leave a review telling us your best heartbreak or hard-won high.

  --------  

  1:25:59

  --------

  1:25:59
• Episode 120: The Mind of a Guide - Lessons from 10,000 Casts

  We sit down with French River muskie guide Pat Tryon to explore what actually makes a trip unforgettable: humility, timing, and a sharp eye for what guests truly want. From long days chasing a single follow to easy afternoons spotting eagles and picking blueberries, we unpack how reading people—more than reading side imaging—defines success on the water.Pat takes us back to the moment that reshaped his career: watching a guest catch a bigger muskie than he’d ever landed and choosing joy over jealousy. That decision set the tone for a guiding philosophy built on service, not scoreboard. We get into the real craft: teaching mechanics like figure eights and lure cadence when it matters, keeping quiet when it serves the day, and knowing when to protect a spot without shortchanging a paying guest. We also dig into the ethics of information sharing among guides, the practical impact of walleye slot limits, and how bass tournaments can shift entire ecosystems when fish are weighed far from where they were caught.Behind the scenes, Pat opens the playbook on the invisible work that makes everything feel effortless: off‑season waypoint management, hyper‑organized tackle systems, and end‑of‑day resets so the boat is turnkey at dawn. On the lodge side, we talk pairing the right guide to the right guest and keeping personal drama “behind the line” so mornings start with calm water, good coffee, and zero tension. The thread through it all is respect—for guests, for colleagues, and for the resource. And the payoff? Friendships that outlast any bite window, the kind that bring people back year after year because they feel part of something bigger than a single fish.If you enjoy thoughtful stories about guiding, lodge life, and the reality of pressured fisheries on the French River and Lake Nipissing, you’ll feel right at home here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves the craft as much as the catch, and leave a review to help more anglers find the show.

  --------  

  1:10:54

  --------

  1:10:54
• Episode 120: When Technology Meets Tradition

  Cold rain. Quiet docks. One bait tracing a rock spine as the screen lights up and someone yells, “Figure eight!” We’re deep into late‑fall muskie, chasing one perfect fish and showing how tech, teamwork, and cold‑weather comfort come together when most boats are in storage.We break down why November muskie isn’t a numbers game. It’s timing and clean presentations when the water is low, clear, and unforgiving. Pat captains the spread, Rayburn works the lines, and I turn the live scope backward to watch baits ride the ledge in real time. That simple shift changes everything: setting exact depths in seconds, confirming when lures skim rocks instead of ploughing them, and spotting weeds so the spread stays fishing. We also wade into the ethics—live scope as a tool is only as fair as the angler using it. If a fish won’t eat, we move on. When it reacts to a rip and surges hot, we learn and adjust.Survival equals success in this weather, so we share the upgrades that turn a two‑degree deluge into a full day. A tall custom bimini with clear panels becomes our greenhouse, and a milk‑crated sunflower heater keeps hands and spirits alive. We talk honest measurements, why weight tells the truest story, and the heaviest muskie we’ve ever held. Then we go ashore to keep the cottage running on a rock island: PEX over copper, hot and cold taps trickling during freezes, rigid foam skirting to cut wind, and a small heater to hold the crawlspace just above zero. Inside, a high‑efficiency insert and on the dock, a sauna that makes cold plunges addictive—these are the little things that buy you weeks more at the lake.If you want the lake to yourself, to learn more in a single pass than in a summer of guessing, and to finish the season with a story that warms you all winter, this one’s for you. Hit follow, share with a friend who lives for shoulder season, and leave a review with your best cold‑weather tip—we might test it on the next muskie run.

  --------  

  1:08:35

  --------

  1:08:35

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Diaries of a Lodge Owner: Podcasts in Family