Diaries of a Lodge Owner

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Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Network

127 episodes

1 week ago

Ever seen a town pop up on a frozen bay? We sat down with Donnie Crowder of Hot Box Huts to explore how a three-hut hobby became “Hogtown,” a 52‑hut ice fishing village on Lake Simcoe built around safety, comfort, and catching more fish. An early cold snap laid down a rare shelf of white ice, and Donnie explains how that milky layer creates low light cover in three feet of water—turning the shallows into one giant dock where perch and pike cruise all day. We dig into the nuts and bolts of an...

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Ever seen a town pop up on a frozen bay? We sat down with Donnie Crowder of Hot Box Huts to explore how a three-hut hobby became “Hogtown,” a 52‑hut ice fishing village on Lake Simcoe built around safety, comfort, and catching more fish. An early cold snap laid down a rare shelf of white ice, and Donnie explains how that milky layer creates low light cover in three feet of water—turning the shallows into one giant dock where perch and pike cruise all day. We dig into the nuts and bolts of an...

Show more...

Places & Travel,

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/127)

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 127: Are Big Trade Shows Still Worth It For Lodge Owners

The floor may be buzzing, but the best trade show wins often happen in quiet moments—over a handshake, a shared story, or a thoughtful follow-up that arrives right when someone is ready to book. We open up about the early missteps, the pressure to sell fast, and why we chose a different path built on trust, clear expectations, and experiences we could control. Rather than pushing deposits, we focused on unique selling points that never go out of style: great food with a sit-down lunch, comfo...

2 days ago

1 hour 19 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 126: Ice Village On Lake Simcoe

Ever seen a town pop up on a frozen bay? We sat down with Donnie Crowder of Hot Box Huts to explore how a three-hut hobby became “Hogtown,” a 52‑hut ice fishing village on Lake Simcoe built around safety, comfort, and catching more fish. An early cold snap laid down a rare shelf of white ice, and Donnie explains how that milky layer creates low light cover in three feet of water—turning the shallows into one giant dock where perch and pike cruise all day. We dig into the nuts and bolts of an...

1 week ago

1 hour 17 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 125: Bears, Bait, And Betting On Yourself

Forget the neat arc of a nine-to-five. We sat down with Kyle Satchery, a small-town barber who spends spring and summer trapping live bait and guiding bear hunts when the weather turns, to unpack a life that moves with ice, bugs, and bookings. From black ice and first-snow days to crappie dinners snuck in before a niece’s skating show, Kyle’s world is built on grit, logistics, and quiet pride. The bait business gets real fast: acquiring a long-standing operation, coordinating with fewer trap...

2 weeks ago

1 hour 8 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 124: How An Oil Patch Mindset Rebuilt A Northern Fishing Lodge

A hot-tub sunrise under northern stars. A beached fuel barge after the dam closes. Guests stepping off rocks because the docks aren’t ready yet—but they can see the heart and the plan. We sit down with Willie “the Oil Man” to unpack the real work behind Two Rivers Lodge’s first season and why oil patch grit translates surprisingly well to backcountry hospitality. We start with the bones: levelling a tired lodge in careful stages so doors swing and windows seal, rebuilding docks and cribbing,...

3 weeks ago

1 hour 4 minutes

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 mo...

1 month ago

1 hour 11 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

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 ...

1 month ago

1 hour 13 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

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...

1 month ago

1 hour 25 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

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 ove...

1 month ago

1 hour 10 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 119: First Season At Two Rivers Lodge

A northern lodge season can turn on a single moment: a kid’s jig drops to a LiveScope mark and a 41.5-inch pike surges from the deep. We ride that energy across a year of big fish, bigger decisions, and the quiet math of winter planning that keeps a remote camp alive. Willie the Oil Man joins us for a no-filter catch-up on Two Rivers Lodge—what worked, what broke, and what we learned while chasing muskies in 55-degree water, stacking 100-walleye days a mile from the dock, and filming fly angl...

2 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 118: How Chasing Trophy Muskies Teaches Leadership, Discipline, And The Long Game

What keeps you casting when the lake goes dead quiet and your fingers are numb? We sit down with Ugly Pike co-host and Passador BJJ owner, Frank Ungaro, to map the shared DNA between landing trophy muskies, leading a thriving academy, and growing a podcast people trust. The common thread is obsession paired with integrity—showing up, learning fast, and respecting the community that makes the chase worth it. Frank takes us into a Lac Seul trip derailed by a brutal cold front, where structure,...

2 months ago

1 hour 14 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 117: Preventing Rental Boat Disasters On Northern Waters

We share the unspoken truth about rental boat damage, how to read buoys with confidence, and the specific checks that keep people safe and motors alive. Scotty brings years of lodge management and mechanical know-how to help guests, cottagers, and new boaters avoid costly mistakes and winterize right. • following directions over copying locals’ shortcuts • red right return explained for headwaters and return trips • GPS as a tool with error margins and limits • rental boat briefings, safety ...

2 months ago

1 hour

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 116: Winds, Wolves, and Walleye

A glass wall, a dozen yellow-eyed timber wolves, and a wind that wouldn’t let up—our northern run from Wawa to Timmins had all the ingredients for a trip that teaches more than it takes. We hit record in the truck ride home to unpack what really worked: turning ugly chop into a pattern, trusting shade over sunshine, and letting a leaky tin boat and a pair of deep-diving cranks do the heavy lifting when cameras—and anglers—couldn’t stand. We walk through the surprising spots and exact setups ...

2 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 115: From Katrina’s Ruins to a Beloved Waterfront Brand

What if the fastest way to build a profitable company is to stop building for profit? That’s the paradox at the heart of our conversation with Ron Ladner, the force behind Shaggy’s—the waterfront restaurant brand born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and powered by a mission to make every guest leave happier than they arrived. We trace the journey from storm surge and rescue boats to a million guests a year, and the surprising operating system that made it possible: solve your team’s real pro...

3 months ago

1 hour 21 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 114: Manufacturing “luck” through time on the water

What if “luck” isn’t your enemy in fishing, but the spark that starts every great pattern? We dive into the messy, humbling, and unforgettable moments that turn random bites into reliable tactics you can repeat—from a dead-herring stalemate to a flutter spoon inhaled on the drop, and the day a kid’s toy-sized inline spinner produced a 36" pike that fed an entire camp. We unpack the real formula behind those storybook catches: preparedness meeting opportunity. That means tightening the weak l...

3 months ago

1 hour 34 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 113: Following the Food - Predator Fish and Migration Patterns

Angelo Viola and Dean Taylor join us at Lodge 88 on Esnagi Lake for an exciting fishing adventure, sharing strategies and stories while filming for the 40th season of Fish'n Canada. • Live bait versus hard baits debate for northern lake walleye fishing • Understanding migration patterns of baitfish to locate predator fish • Following food sources like herring, suckers, and ciscos that attract game fish • East Coast tuna fishing experiences and the highly regulated nature of the fishery • Tra...

3 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 112: Finding a Voice in Canadian Fishing

What happens when someone who grew up with a speech impediment suddenly finds themselves co-hosting one of Canada's most iconic fishing shows? Dean Taylor's journey from behind-the-scenes team member to on-air personality for Fish'n Canada reveals the power of facing our fears head-on. Dean never imagined he'd be in front of the camera. Growing up with a stutter that made classroom presentations nearly impossible, he channeled his passion for fishing into writing instead. But everything chan...

4 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 111: When Things Go Wrong At The Lodge

The wilderness has a way of teaching its toughest lessons at the most inconvenient moments. Steve Niedzwiecki pulls back the curtain on the chaotic realities of running a northern fishing lodge, where Murphy's Law isn't just a saying—it's practically a business partner. Steve's first year of ownership coincided with historic drought conditions on the French River, creating a perfect storm for boat damage. With water levels so low that even experienced guides were hitting rocks, guests in ren...

4 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 110: The Hidden Seasons of Lodge Life

Ever wondered what happens at your favorite fishing lodge when the boats are stored and the last guest drives away? The magic of those perfect summer days on the water doesn't materialize from thin air—it's crafted through months of behind-the-scenes work during what lodge owners call "the hidden seasons." The rhythmic cycle of lodge ownership follows a pattern invisible to most guests. As Thanksgiving marks the season's end, an emotional reset begins alongside the monumental task of winteri...

4 months ago

1 hour 15 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 109: The Return of Willie?

The legend returns! After mysteriously disappearing, Willie "the Oil Man" has resurfaced at Two Rivers Lodge in northwestern Ontario. This episode reveals his ambitious journey of resurrection—transforming an abandoned fishing resort into a premium wilderness destination. Willie walks us through the extraordinary challenges his team faced: a main lodge sinking into the water, wildlife reclaiming the buildings (including bears using the shuffleboard table as a toilet), and devastating forest ...

4 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes

Diaries of a Lodge Owner

Episode 108: Fishing, Finding Purpose, and Full Circle Moments

Have you ever wondered what life might look like if you actually pursued the thing that makes you leap out of bed in the morning? Jake Monk's journey offers a rare glimpse into what happens when passion meets opportunity and purpose finds its perfect home. Jake's adventure begins unexpectedly when, as a teenager obsessed with fishing but with limited experience, he wins a contest for a stay at Chaudière Lodge. That single trip plants a seed that would take years to fully bloom. Working at th...

4 months ago

1 hour 18 minutes