4 Shows the Whole Family Will Love

Flyin' Bob opens the Children's Entertainment Series circuit in Northwest Ontario. Atikokan's Children's Entertainment Series, Dryden's Children's Delight Series, Fort Frances' Kids and Company, Kenora's Sunday Smiles, Red Lake's Family Entertainment Series,  and Sioux Lookout Kids Kaleidoscope have been offering four, high quality performances that focus mostly on dance, music theatre and puppetry for children and their families Sunset Country.

The 2011/12 performances are as follows:

Flyin' Bob

From the rainbow skywriter, to a dramatic and nearly disastrous finale on the 9 foot high, 20 foot long tight-wire, Flyin' Bob; balancer, wire walker, professional idiot and highly skilled goofball, takes you on a visit to the one man three ring circus in his mind. He views the world as filled with toys, and tries to convince his audience to see it the same way. The most common reaction after seeing the show is, "This guy has too much time on his hands!". Flyin' Bob considers this the highest possible compliment.

• October 20, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout
• October 21, 2011 at 6:30 pm at New Prospect School in Dryden
• October 22, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Red Lake District High School in Red Lake 
• October 23, 2011 at 2:00 pm at Lakewood School in Kenora
• October 24, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Townshend Theatre in Fort Frances
• October 26, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Atikokan High School in Atikokan

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus 

Based on the book by L Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, this exciting story follows the early life of Santa Claus from being abandoned in the forest and adopted by the wood-nymphs, through to making and delivering the very first toys. Meet the original reindeer Glossie and Flossie as well as the chilly rogue Jack Frost and find out the answer to lots of Christmas questions! Why do we hang stockings? Where the first Christmas tree was decorated? And finally how he came to be known as Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus. Packed with funny jokes, inventive puppets, enchanting songs and tons of opportunities for the audience to join in, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is both a beautifully crafted story and an engaging piece of theatre.

• November 17, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout
• November 18, 2011 at 6:30 pm at The Centre in Dryden
• November 19, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Red Lake District High School in Red Lake
• November 20, 2011 at 2:00 pm at Lakewood School in Kenora 
• November 21, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Townshend Theatre in Fort Frances
• November 23, 2011 at 6:30 pm at the Atikokan High School in Atikokan 

Anders Magic 

Winnipeg magician Anders has been performing and astounding audiences professionally for over 10 years. Anders' show is an interactive combination of magic, juggling, comedy and pick-pocketing. The kids will be glad to know he uses plenty of audience participation but watch out for Anders' 2 animal co-stars Rocky and Vinnie. A true entertainer, Anders strives to make your experience memorable and magical. This 60 minute show is sure to impress and delight all ages.

• February 23, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout
• February 24, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the New Prospect School in Dryden
• February 25, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Red Lake District High School in Red Lake
• February 26, 2012 at 2:00 pm at Lakewood School in Kenora 
• February 27, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Townshend Theatre in Fort Frances
• February 29, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Atikokan High School in Atikokan

Project Soul

Project Soul was created to share the love and passion of hip hop. It shows the positive impact it can have on communities and how it connects/identifies with so many of today's youth. The group is made up of individuals who each specialize in different genres of street dance: popping, locking, hip hop, street jazz and breakdance. The show highlights these individual lives and how they came together as Project Soul.

Project Soul begins with the opening of their current touring show: how music gave them the gift of dance. This leads into each individual performer's solo that include biographical voiceovers expressing how they got involved with street dance culture and what impact it has on their lives. In conclusion they end with how hip hop has brought them together as a group, a community and given them much more understanding of their own identity.

• April 19, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout
• April 20, 2012 at 6:30 pm at New Prospect School in Dryden
• April 21, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Red Lake District High School in Red Lake
• April 22, 2012 at 2:00 pm at Lakewood School in Kenora 
• April 23, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Townshend Theatre in Fort Frances
• April 25, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Atikokan High School in Atikokan

For more information and ticket prices, please visit:

Atikokan: Atikokan Children's Entertainment Series or call Kathy at 807-597-4306
Dryden: Children's Delight Series
Fort Frances: Kids and Company
Kenora: Sunday Smiles or Sunday Smiles on Facebook
Red Lake: Family Entertainment Series
Sioux Lookout: Kids Kaleidoscope

Tips for Crappie Fishing in Sunset Country

Fall crappie fishing at Arrowhead Resort  in Nestor Fall

As the summer ends, crappie fishing heats up Sunset Country

Fall is one of the best times of the year to go crappie fishing in Sunset Country; the weather is cooler and the mosquitos are gone. September, right through until the end of October is when you'll find the black crappies biting. Often anglers like to fish for crappie in the deeper holes; jig in the 20 - 40' depths and you'll find the crappies in huge schools. Small jigs, tipped with live bait or small tubes is the best way in the fall. The schools can be 10 feet thick at this time of the year.

Winter ice fishing for crappie is fun as well. You'll find the black crappies large in size and in good numbers. Often, the outfitters will set up ice huts right over where schools of crappie tend to gather. Combine your crappie fishing (and walleye, trout or northern fishing as well) with some snowmobiling. Stay in a winterized cabin and cozy up beside a fire after a great day of crappie fishing and snowmobiling.

Ice fishing for crappie at Gateway North Outfitters

Crappie fishing in the Spring is the best through the ice or just after ice out, when they move inshore to feed on schools of bait. In most cases, you'll find crappie in shallow bays or suspended along deep weedlines. Live minnows on a small (1/4 to 1/8 ounce) jig work great.

Black Crappie Found in Northwestern Ontario

Black crappie are a favourite of panfish anglers. A schooling fish, crappie are not always easy to find but when you do locate them, you're usually over a lot of fish. This popular pan fish can be found in large numbers in certain lakes such as Rainy Lake, Lake of the Woods, Off Lake and the Winnipeg River System. A true delicacy, crappie make for some of the best eating if you love to eat fish. Black crappies are generally 7-10" (18-25cms) long and weigh between 0.5 and 1 lb. They have 7-8 dorsal fin spines; 6 or 7 anal fin spines and an irregular mosaic of distinct black blotches. Black crappie can be found in Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Zones 4, 5 and 6. Crappie fishing season is open all year round. The crappie limit is 15 with a Sportfishing license and 10 with a conservation fishing license. You can download the Ontario fishing regulations to find out more about the rules of fishing in Ontario.

Link to Ontario lodges and resorts to inquire about crappie fishing opportunities available at their location.

Top 5 Tips When Planning a Canadian Hunting Trip

Make sure you are prepared for your hunting trip

When planing a hunting trip to Canada, you should really plan in advance as some of the following tasks will require some time. Whether you are planning, a bear, moose or whitetail deer hunt, not adhering to these rules can put a trip on hold and cost losses of fees. When planning a hunting trip to Canada, here is a list of the top 5 basic things to know:

1) Remember your Passport 
A passport is required to enter Canada by car, sea or air. If you don’t have one, get one as soon as possible. You can apply for your U.S. Passport online at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html

Tip: Make two colour copies of your passport before you travel. Carry one each in different luggage or firearms case in case you lose your original. Always carry your original passport with you at all times when you travel internationally.

2) U.S. Customs Form 4457
You will need to have a U.S. Customs form 4457 filled out with a list of items of value as proof you owned them before you entered Canada. It is best to list your firearms, spotting scopes, riflescopes, video cameras, etc. This is usually any item of value that contains a serial number. Failure to obtain a completed U.S. Customs Form 4457 before you leave may end up costing you Duty (tax) at the Canadian Border as you enter back into the United States. The customs agent may think you bought your hunting equipment in Canada and therefore charge you duty. The online form can be accessed at: CBP website. Fill in the form and bring it with you to the border crossing where it will be stamped with the official customs seal. DO NOT SIGN IT until you meet the border crossing officer.

Tip: Make 2 extra copies of your Form 4457 and keep them with your extra passport copies.

Sample Form 4457

3) Canada Non-Resident Firearm Declaration Form 909
Hunters must fill out the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration Form 909 before leaving for Canada. Don’t try to fill it out at the border, as it will delay your trip. Do not sign this form until you are at the border and the officials there ask you to sign it. You will need to present the form with your passport. There is a fee for the permit and it is approximately $25 CDN. You can pay for your permit in Canadian dollars or by MasterCard, Visa or American Express. Canadian Customs does not except U.S. Currency. Remember to always carry your firearms permit and identification while you are hunting. Do not bring any handguns on your trip as handguns are prohibited in Canada. Obtain your firearms application at: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/form-formulaire/num-nom/909-eng.htm

Tip: Fill out the form online and then print 3 copies. Double check your firearms details, especially the serial number, before you hit the print button.

4) Denied Admission to Canada
Visitors may be denied admission to Canada if you have any of the following convictions on your record:

• Minor offences (including shoplifting, theft, assault, dangerous driving, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of illegal substances, etc.)
• Indictable Criminal offences (including assault with a deadly weapon, manslaughter, etc.).
• Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)

Successful Moose Hunt at Thunder Hook Fly-ins

5) Bringing back your Canadian Hunting Trophies
There are 3 different ways to get your coveted hunting trophies back from Canada into the United States:

(1) Bring them back with you by car or airplane

To bring back the raw cape, rug and/or antlers/horns home with you, you will need to fill out U.S. Fish & Wildlife Form 3-177-1. This form appoints you as the owner/broker of the animal parts you will be importing from Canada into the United States. If you use a hunting consultant, they should fill this out for you. If you booked your trip direct with the Outfitter, you will need to fill it out yourself. This form can be a little tricky and will require some research as you will be required to list the common name of the animal you are importing as well as the scientific name. Remember to present your Canadian Hunting License and tags with this form to prove that the trophy was taken legally. You can find the application and instructions at http://www.fws.gov/forms/serachdata.cfm and typing "3-177" into the search field.
Tip: Fill out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Form 3-177-1 before your hunt.

(2) Have the cape, rug and/or antlers/horns shipped

Bring back your raw trophies by having them shipped to you. Your Canadian outfitter will bring your hunting trophy to a taxidermist. An export permit must be filed in Canada to export the hunting trophies to the United States. The hunting trophy must be shipped to a USDA Port of Entry and received by a US Brokerage Company and inspected by the U.S. Wildlife Department to make sure the contents and the export paperwork match so that the hunting trophy may legally imported into the United States. Once the hunting trophy clears the U.S. Port of entry, it must be shipped to a USDA Certified Taxidermist. This process can take up to 6 months and cost upwards of $750 or more depending on how many trophies you are importing.

(3) Have the trophy taxidermy mounted and shipped back to you
Have your hunting trophy taxidermy mounted in Canada. This entails you to trust the outfitter to choose a taxidermist for you. You will not have to run the taxidermy trophy through process #2, but you will have to pay shipping and customs fees.

Being prepared for your Canadian hunting trip can make all the difference! For more information about hunting in Sunset Country or to connect with other hunters, visit HuntSunsetCountry.com. For more information regarding non-residents having firearms in Canada, visit the Canadian Firearms Program.

What's the difference between American Plan & Housekeeping Packages

Rent a Housekeeping Cabin

Confused when booking a fishing or hunting vacation in Northwest Ontario?

If you are planning to stay at a resort or lodge in Sunset Country for your family vacation, weekend get-a-way or your annual Canadian fishing trip, your accommodation choices are wide and varied. Many of the fishing and hunting outfitters in Sunset Country offer different packages including American Plan and Housekeeping cabins. Do you have to be an American to have 'American Plan'? No. I'm not sure where these terms came from or if they are even used in other parts of the world. In general, American Plan means that your meals are included and Housekeeping is where you make your meals in your rented cabin. I say 'in general' because each outfitter has various packages. Some will include everything in the American Plan Packages such as meals, baits, guide service, boat rental, gas and more. Some lodges include only the meals in their AP Package. Modified American Plan usually includes dinners. To save a bit of money you can rent a housekeeping package and make your own meals. The majority of the resort and lodges in Sunset Country offer separate cabins for every party. There are however, some American Plan resorts that offer you a room in the lodge itself.

American Plan Dining Room - Courtesy of Tom Thomson

Usually the Ontario fly-in outpost camps are just like renting a housekeeping cabin except that you fly into a remote area not accessible by car. There are also fly-in American Plan Lodges that offer you the seclusion and the luxury of hot, home cooked meals.

With all the options available when booking your Canadian vacation in Sunset Country (meals or no meals, boat rentals vs bringing your own boat, guide service, etc.) it's lucky we have the Internet! The lodges and resorts in Sunset Country describe their different fishing and hunting packages on their websites. Visit the Ontario lodges and resorts to start planning your vacation today. Order the free Ontario's Sunset Country Travel Guide & Map that has all of our accommodation members dotted on the map with a useful directory on the back.

Do you have more questions about visiting Ontario's Sunset Country? Feel free to call us at 1-800-665-7567 and we'll do our best to help you out.