22 Years of Good Fishing at Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge
This 2009 fishing
season marks the 22nd anniversary of Budd's Gunisao
Lake Lodge. Over the seasons Gunisao has seen many
guests, staff and trophy fish. If its lodge walls
could speak, we all know that they would have some
interesting stories to tell. Tales of amazing trophy
catches, fish that got away, unannounced bear arrivals
at shore lunch, and everyday guest banter, would be
just a handful of memories/stories you would hear.
Gunisao Lake's most
noteworthy story would be of how Budd's Gunisao Lake
Lodge came to be. Dr. James Budd purchased Gunisao
Lake Lodge in the fall of 1987. Previous to this Dr.
Budd had practiced podiatry in Michigan for twenty-six
years and had retired in 1985. It was then that Dr.
Budd's family decided he needed something to keep
busy. This led him to the inevitable; he took his
love of hunting, fishing and the outdoors, and decided
to pursue the fishing resort industry. It took a couple
of years for Doc to find the right combination, of
location and fishing, to strike his interest but it
was a search worth waiting for. He visited many lodges,
carefully considered a few, but in the end fate took
its course. One day his phone rang and on the other
end was Jim Gulay from Fisher Branch, Manitoba. Mr.
Gulay had heard that Dr. Budd was looking to purchase
a fishing resort, and was calling to tell him of his
fishing lodge in northern Manitoba. It did not take
much convincing for Dr. Budd and his brother Don to
head up to Manitoba and take a look at this lodge
with their own eyes. Dr. Budd and Don spent nearly
a month at Gunisao Lake in the fall of 1987. They
fished, learned their way around the lake and tried
to decide if this was truly the right place. In the
end Dr. Budd purchased that lodge, which we all know
today as Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge.
In the years
that Dr. James Budd has owned and run Budd's Gunisao
Lake Lodge, he has surrounded himself with family
much of the way. His brother Donald Budd was there
in the beginning cooking in the kitchen and assisting
Dr. Budd with handiwork and many other things around
camp. To this day Don still comes up every summer
to fish the Gunisao waters. Don's wife Barb was actively
involved with the lodge during the summers and going
with Don to the sport shows. Ann Louise Budd, Dr.
Budd's wife, was also there in the beginning. She
has worked the sport shows, answered the phones and
lent helping hands to our wait and cleaning staff
over the years. These days Ann Louise is Budd's Gunisao
Lake Lodge's expeditor, as well as the lodge's eyes
and ears to the outside world during fishing season.
Brendon Budd, the fourth of Dr. Budd's six children,
was also with Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge in the beginning.
Brendon helped Dr. Budd manage the lodge for thirteen
years. During these years he married Lisa and they
were both involved in everything from sport shows
to bartending during the regular season. Dusty Budd,
Dr. Budd's youngest son, has been involved with managing
Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge for the past seven years.
Prior to managing the lodge the family likes to say
Dusty was an indentured servant guiding on the lake
during his college summers. Now, Dusty and his wife
Jennie are involved with everything from sport shows
and running the office to managing the store during
the season. Those of you visiting this year will have
the opportunity to see the second grandchild who will
grow up at the lodge. Lisa and Brendon's daughter
Savannah, who many of you remember is now thirteen
and Dusty and Jennie's Jackson, is 15 months old.
Budd's Gunisao Lake
Lodge is truly a world class walleye fishing destination.
One look at the master angler list in Travel Manitoba's
Fishing and Hunting Adventures Guide can attest to
that. Just ask any of our long time patrons. Some
have been fishing Gunisao Lake for each of the twenty
two seasons that Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge has been
around; the Valspar group, Reverend Youngdahl and
group, Dr. Molinaro's group, the O'Daniel group. Most
anyone that has ever fished the Gunisao waters knows
exactly why it is such a special place, such a diamond
in the ruff.