Simply a joy to fish with Ken and Nina from Illinois recently. Ken contacted us a few weeks earlier mentioning that he’d taken the boys on fishing trips in the past, but never his 14 year old daughter. I could sense right away that this trip was going to be something special for the two of them to enjoy together. Nina hasn’t fished very much in the past yet was extremely excited to get after some Rainy lake Tankers with her dad. I have to admit the trip was one of my favorite outings of the entire season. Beyond big fish, sponsorships, and detailed specifics of our angling techniques this was truly fishing at it’s finest. Seeing a father and daugter so appreciative of the whole experience truly reminded me of why I chose to become a fishing guide years ago. I have to hand it to Nina as her learning curve was unprecedented as she literally outfished both Ken and I. She quickly caught on to several different techniques we employed during the trip due to some adverse weather conditions. I would estimate Nina alone landed 20 walleyes on her first ever walleye adventure, and most of those fish were “big-uns”.
Kudos to Ken Laube for taking the time to take daughter Nina on a Father/Daughter fishing trip. With the increased “Hustle and Bustle” of today’s world I believe there is further need for parents to take a step back and just be a dad or a mom. Get yourself out of cell phone reception and tell the boys at the office your on your own this week. Your duties will be centered around your most prized possesions for a couple days. From our break on the sand laced shorelines to our incredible fishing action I assure you this will be a trip the two of them will remember for many many years.
Our trip originated out of Thunderbird lodge located here on the shores of Rainy lake east of International Falls. Both Nina and Ken were very happy with T-Birds accomodations.
For those of you who want to experience a fishing trip, but possibly don’t have the gear or want to haul it north we’ve got everything you need. From the Corvette on Water (Skeeters WX2100) to premier fishing rods and reels from Loomis and Shimano. All you need is a fishing license and a camera. We’ll help you locate lodging and get after those fish for your picture album!!! 
On a side note; Upon our initial pick up at 8 am at the Thunderbird Docks Nina told me she had a dream the night before that she was going to land a BIG BIG Pike!! She was already smiling from ear to ear, and that my friends like nothing else immediately brought me back to my childhood. It was true excitement!! I mentioned that although we certainly land a lot of monster pike typically speaking these fish are a bit more scattered in the heat of summer. Still as you can see from the pics……Dreams certainly do come true. It was a strange feeling when I witnessed Nina’s drag screaming from her reel as she struggled to keep a grip on that doubled over fishing rod. I knew at once as I smiled her last nights dream was now becoming reality!! As my Grandpa used to tell me as a boy……”That fish Nina……Had your name on it!!”
The pleasure was all mine Team Laube!! Great fish and even better times!! 
