Bob Jensen..........

[Husky]

Bob,

I saw from another post that you were a former Camp Fish instructor. That brought back some really great memories. I took my son when he was 10 and again at 11 (Rainy Lake/Houseboat trip) and he still talks about those experiences. (He's now 21) Iwas saddened to see Camp Fish as it was in Walker (at the old music conservatory site) had to come to an end, I often ponder about how many youngsters had their lives permanently affected (positively, of course) by the experience. If you come in contact with any of the others who took part, please express our thanks, especially to the cook, every time we "roughed it" I gained 10 lbs!!)

Quick Question: We took a short trip from Walker to a lake the people at Camp Fish referred to as "Big Boy". It had tons of small (<5lbs) pike and some very nice largemouth (4-5lbs) in its many wild rice areas. I visited Walker and looked, but could not find it--no one seemed to know of it. Perhaps "Big Boy" was not its real name.
Got any ideas? I'd like to go out there with my son, just for old times sake. He'll never forget 47 pike and 3 4-5 largemeouth in 2.5 hours.!


Regards,

[Otter]

"Big Boy" is actually just "Boy." The locals call it "Big Boy" to differentiate it from "Little Boy," another lake in the area. It is directly east of Leech Lake and can be reached via Hwy 200 or Hwy 8. The closest town is Longville, and you can probably get resort information from their chamber of commerce - I think they have a web site http://www.longville.com/

[Bob Jensen]

Camp Fish was a long time ago and a wonderful experience, although we didn't know it at the time. Fishing at least six hours a day, usually eight or ten, then on days off fishing twelve-fourteen hours, maybe more. I still speak with some of those Camp Fish veterans, and did a show with Camp Fish co-founder Al Maas this past summer.

A number of Camp Fish instructors and graduates are now involved in the fishing tackle industry. One or two work at In-Fisheman, a couple are fishing tackle sales reps, outdoor writers, etc.

A truly unique experience: Great memories, wonderful people, and fishing as much as we did then was certainly great preparation for a career in the fishing tackle industry.

Thanks for bringing this up.

Best Fishes,

[Tom B]

I fish with Rob Kimm (RK on the boards), who was a Camp Fish counselor. He tells great stories from when he works there.

Tom B