November
We are both back home now, the weather was wonderful this fall and I hated to leave camp but we are looking forward to next season with great anticipation. I managed to replace six electric water heaters this fall along with installing a new floor in the lodge. We added new culverts on the road and around camp as well this fall. I managed to slip out one day with Ginger and catch a nice limit of Walleyes. Our moose hunters had a good week of hunting; they saw some nice animals and Matt White shot a nice bull on the second day of their hunt. The fellas also caught many nice walleyes during the week. We will be working on our Christmas letter now and should have it in the mail to our guests soon, many of you with reservations for next season will be receiving your reservation forms in the mail this week, please be sure to get them back to us no later than the fifteenth of December with your deposit or let us know your intentions, thanks to everyone who came to camp and spent time with us this season, take care and start thinking about the great fishing to come, thanks, Jim and Julie
September 26th
Evening everyone, one more week to go and the 2010 season is in the books. Week 19 saw tons of good Walleyes and a couple of days of exceptional Northern fishing. We had mostly veteran Wabaskang fishermen in camp this week along with just a couple of rookies. Chas Ratz, one of the new fellas in camp seemed to catch on fast and ended up winning top honors for the biggest Walleye of the week, he landed and released a beautiful 27 inch fish that he was certainly proud of. Leroy Hennen, one of the Wabaskang Camp veterans in camp had a great week as well. He managed to make the board with a 17 inch Smallmouth Bass, a 26 inch Musky and a 38 inch Northern, all of which he released after a few quick pictures. Other big Northern caught in camp were : Chas Ratz with a 36 incher, Matt Krueger had a 37 ½ incher, Chris Silbernagel also had a 37 ½ inch fish and Craig Plekkenpol, with the first 38 incher of the week took top honors for big Pike of the week. The weather has fallen into the fall patterns now with cool damp days and a wind of about twelve miles an hour each day, we saw three frosts this week with a hard frost on the 25th, our Moose hunters will be in camp this week and all indications are they will have some good hunting ahead of them, hope you all enjoyed the camp pictures this season and hopefully we will have some moose pictures to add this week, bye for now from Wabaskang Camp.
September 22nd
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. Our season is coming to an end with only two weeks remaining. Last week saw incredible Walleye fishing but tough Northern fishing. We had a camp full of experienced fishermen and it was ½game on ½ between the different groups. Most of our big Northern were caught fishing deep water for Walleyes, many fish in the 24 ½ to 27 ½ range were routinely caught each day in 30 ½ of water using a lindy rig or jig and minnow, we did have a few fellas that showed us when the going gets tough the tough get going, Dave Harms released a 36 1/2 ½ beauty, Curt Schurman came to play with a 39 3/4′ ½ monster but the Allison boys were once again blown off the board by the gang from Waterloo ½ Cedar Falls, Vern Hanus put everyone in their place with a gigantic 40 ½ torpedo sized Northern, all three of these fish were also released after a few quick pictures. We also saw a few lake trout come in this week, one was caught by Tom Gloviak, a nice 22 ½ fish and a second one caught by Pete Linsmier, his fish was just under 24 ½ long. A few of our guests tried their hand at bass fishing, we had lots of small fish being caught but the biggest fish was caught by a rookie at camp, Matt Weilhamer managed to land a pie plate sized fish just over 18 ½ long, good job Matt. The real hero in camp this week was Doyle Broka, he managed to win top honors for the biggest Walleye with a beautiful 27 ½ fish, he was later tied by Jim Anderson who also caught and released his 27 ½ ½ fish as well, Doyle and Jim showed everyone what it takes to catch a big Walleye. These fellas have lots of patience and infinite skill at a level so high their fishing partners can only dream about, maybe Doyle can teach his buddies some new techniques next season. Week 19 is here and so far the Walleye fishing is as good as ever, we will see if the Northern fishing makes a comeback this week, that ½s all for now, Jim from Wabaskang.
September 14th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp, another week has passed with great fishing still the norm. The windy and wet fall weather is still in the forecast for this week and most of next but the fishing is worth the effort. We had some serious walleye fishermen in camp this week with lots of 18 to 24 inch fish being caught. Most of the walleyes were caught in 30 to 40 feet of water on a jig and minnow combo or on a lindy rig with a large minnow. The walleyes are staging in deep water hanging around the schools of bait fish that are abundant all over the lake. Don Gutknecht pretty much stole the show this week by catching and releasing many big walleyes, the biggest being a nice 26 1/2′ ½ beauty which was quickly released. Our northern fishing was good this week if you could find some weeds to cast in, the truth of the matter is most of the quality fish were caught while walleye fishing deep water. Don Gutknecht released a 34 ½ northern but top honors goes to Keith Oelmann who released a nice 39 ½ fish caught in deep water while fishing for walleyes. Keith also had top honors this week for his 17 ½ bass just edging out Ed Rasmussen and Robert Rathe, both fellas had nice 16 ½ bass to brag about. We had another musky caught this week here at Wabaskang, Joel Demro skillfully caught and released a beautiful 39 ½ monster, good job Joel. We are looking forward to week 18, the weather is turning colder each day and the fishing should be fantastic for weeks to come, we are closing the camp ground down now because of the frosty mornings and the promise of cold weather in the forecast, we will talk again soon, goodbye from Wabaskang.
September 8th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. Week 16 is in the books for 2010 and we had some great fishing to brag about. The week started off with temperatures near 85 degrees and high humidity, by the end of the week we struggled to reach 50 degrees for a high. The walleyes were stacking up on deep water humps and rock piles in huge numbers. Most of our guests used a slip sinker and gold hook to catch their fish; we saw nice limits of fish most days even though the weather has been so unpredictable. First timer Dave Sproul won the big fish of the week with his 28 inch walleye. Our northern fishing was tough this week for the fellas actually fishing for northern, it seemed that most of the big fish are following the schools of walleyes around and not roaming the weed lines like most fall fishermen would think. We had some huge northern caught and released this week by our walleye fishermen. Gary Shaver released a monster 40 inch beauty only to see James Bulten wipe him off the leader board with a huge 42 incher which was also released. Pretty good anglers if they can land fish of this size with light walleye tackle. We saw limited smallmouth bass fishing action this week because most of our guests were targeting walleyes. Another new comer to camp, Marty Bess was able to win top honors with his 17 ½ inch bronze beauty, not bad for Marty. We look forward to week 17, hopefully the weather will cooperate and our guests will be able to enjoy some sunshine for most of the week. We will update again soon, so far this week the walleye fishing has been second to none, we will see if the pattern hold s true throughout the week, bye for now, Jim at Wabaskang.
August 30th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. We had another interesting week here at camp. The Walleye fishing has been good all season but this past week saw numbers and good average size for all our guests in camp. Most of the bigger fish were coming out of 25 to 35 feet of water on a jig and minnow combination or a lindy Rig with a minnow, some of our guests were using night crawlers and did good as well. The biggest Walleye of the week was caught by Craig Mericle, a nice 26 ½ beauty. We had some success this week casting for big Northern Pike, most fish were caught along the weed lines using big Bull Dogs and Sandcats, J.J. Hansel released a 40 ½ , Kevin Reints and Mike Lammers both released 41 ½ fish to finish the week tied for top honors. Our Smallmouth Bass fishing was spotty this week, most fish were caught on a jig and twister tail combo or just a bobber and worm, Susan Langfritz caught and released a beautiful 16 ½ fish only to be clobbered on the last day by Steve Young who caught and released a monster 18 ½ beauty. The weather has warmed again this week, highs the last few days close to ninety degrees, should cool off tonight and the rest of the week is cooler than normal, we are seeing the trees beginning to change colors now and Fall is just around the corner, bye for now, Wabaskang Camp.
August 23rd
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. We have seen week 14 come and go with lots of big fish being caught and released. The Walleyes seem to have begun their move to deep water; many fish were being pulled from 25 to 35 feet of water using the old jig and minnow combo. Our guests were seeing fish anywhere from 16 inches to 27 inches in the same areas all week long. We had two 27 plus inch fish caught this week by Tim Schaeffer and Mike Luhring, Both of these fish were caught on minnows fishing in 20 to 30 feet of water using a slow troll technique. Most of the bass wee caught by Travis Holm fishing right off the dock using a bobber and worm, he had a seventeen plus inch fish but Marge Schurman stole the show with a beautiful eighteen inch beauty. Our Northern fishing proved to be somewhat of a challenge this week. The big fish were not chasing the traditional big stick baits usually used to catch them, most of the big Northern were caught by our guests while they were Walleye fishing in deep water. Ivan Harken was showing off to his gal Jessica by catching and releasing a nice 39 plus inch fish only to get slammed on Friday by Ed Rasmussen who skillfully caught and released a huge 45 incher while fishing for Walleyes with eight pound test line. We should see a huge migration of Walleyes to deep water this week as the big schools of bait fish are beginning to move deep as well. Our guests are still catching small and medium sized Walleyes and Northern in shallower water but most of the trophy ½s are heading down to deeper water. The weather outlook for this week is hot early and cools in the second half of the week which will keep the fish moving from shallow to deep depending on where the bait fish are. Hot here today, high around 83 but a predicted high of 57 tomorrow means our guests will have to adjust their techniques to find the fish, we need some stable weather patterns to push the fish to their normal late August hang-outs, we will talk again next week, so far this week our biggest Northern is 41 inches and the Walleyes is at 26 ½ inches, both fish should be beat by tomorrow, take care, bye from Wabaskang.
August 14th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Week thirteen has come and gone and the fishing seems to be as good as ever. We saw lots of nice catches this week in spite of the stormy weather. Our Northern fishing seems to be somewhat out of whack; most of the huge fish were taken along the rocky shorelines near deep-water drop-offs. Once again the best bait was a Sandcat trolled in about twenty feet of water. Kristy Lammers and Adam Langreck each released nice thirty-eight and a half inchers but were blown out of the water by Mike Lammers with a monster forty incher which was also released. The Northern seem to be following the huge schools of bait fish that are beginning to form near the deep water areas, we should continue to see good Northern fishing as long as you follow the food source. Many anglers fished the weedy areas and could not develop any type of pattern that would hold true from one day to the next, stay away from the weeds when the water is high and go to the rocks if you want trophy Pike. The Walleye bite was consistent in the deep water areas if you were fishing mornings and evenings. Many of our guests were catching nice Walleyes in thirty feet of water on spinner and minnow combinations or jig and minnow rigs. There is still a decent Walleye bite along the weed lines in shallow water if the lake is choppy and the sky is cloudy. Alan Orr and Kyle Krivachek each caught beautiful twenty-five inch fish only to be bested by Kristy Lammers who caught and released a nice twenty-six incher. Once again the biggest Walleye of the week was caught on a Sandcat trolled along deep water next to shallow humps. The Smallmouth Bass fishing seemed to be picking up some this week. Most were caught while fishing for Walleyes in shallow weedy areas, Rhett Lammers and Anthony Morse each had a bass over sixteen inches but Don Wauthier showed he had what it takes by catching a jumbo sixteen and seven-eighths inch fish. We had over three inches of rain again this week and the lake continues to rise, lots of wind with the storms has got the lake whipped up some and the fish seem to be moving on a daily basis, follow the food and find the fish, words to live by if you are a fisherman. We are looking forward to week fourteen, the forecast show daily high temps only in the fifties and sixties, we should see an explosion of good Walleye and Northern fishing as Fall-like weather moves in. Lets hope for some dryer weather and mild winds for the up-coming week, that ½s all for now, bye from Wabaskang.
August 9th
Evening from Wabaskang Camp. We had another good week of fishing here at camp, our guests had no trouble catching fish even though we had some frightening weather to contend with mid-week. The Walleye fishing seemed to be about normal for this time of the season. Many of our guests found fish in shallow water early mornings and late evenings using minnows or crawlers on a bare hook or spinner rig. The fish seemed to migrate to deeper water when the sun was high and the bigger fish were taken on a jig and minnow combination in twenty-five to thirty feet of water. Our biggest Walleye of the week was caught by Rob Watkins, a nice twenty-three incher. Northern fishing was slower in the early part of the week but began to really take off after the storm on Tuesday. Most of the bigger fish were taken on live bait rigs using large minnows or suckers. The fish seemed to be chasing big baits up to the boat but would not take the lure. We should see a big change in Northern fishing this week once the weather cools down some. Rodney Askildson still managed to land a beautiful thirty-seven incher to take top honors for the week. We saw lots of small to medium sized bass being caught in the same places where the smaller Walleyes were being caught. Emma Traugh caught and released a nice seventeen incher right from our dock and Matt Stark landed a seventeen inch plus fish to take top honors at the end of the week. We had trees blown down this week and several heavy down-pours to contend with this week which made fishing rather unpredictable all week. The weather forecast is hot, humid and chances of storms early in the week so the fishermen will need to try new spots and techniques to keep ahead of the game, that ½s all for now, see you next week, Jim from Wabaskang.
August 2nd
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. We are through week eleven now and all indicators are saying we have had an exceptional season of fishing so far. This week saw the walleye bite remain steady for nice eater sized fish. Most of the fish were taken on small pieces of night crawlers hooked to a spinner rig of some sort. The fish remained shallow for the most part, usually hanging out in less than 12 feet of water along the weed lines. Matt Olsofski brought in a nice 25 incher, Rose Halla landed a 26 inch beauty but Chad Peterson took top honors for the week with a monstrous 30 inch Walleye which he quickly released. Once again the biggest Walleye of the week was taken on a Sandcat fished over the cabbage weeds in shallow water. Our Northern fishing seemed to be a bit frustrating to the seasoned anglers who usually throw big baits over the weed tops. It seemed the best Northern fishing was along the rocky shorelines where the fish were laying in ambush among the boulders and logs close to the bottom. Our biggest fish were caught by Matt Olsofski who caught and released a beautiful 361/2 incher and Sarah Peterson who took top honors for the week with a huge 38 incher which she released after a couple of quick pictures. The bass fishing seemed to pick up this week if you knew where to go. Cassidy Askildson landed a beautiful 18 inch bronze back which is going home for the wall, not bad for a young lady who is only 8 years old. We are looking forward to week 12, the weather has warmed up some and the humidity has been around the last few days, the forecast shows a chance of thunderstorms almost each day this week but not an all day thing. Lots of big time Walleye anglers in camp this week so there should be some impressive numbers to talk about next week. Talk again soon, over and out from Wabaskang.
July 27th
Welcome to week number ten here at Wabaskang Camp, we are at the half-way point of our season now and it has been a great year of fishing so far. We had a camp full of experienced anglers in camp and the numbers of big fish taken sure showed it. The Bass fishing began to pick up this week with lots of bass in the 15 ½ to 17 ½ range taken. Most of the Bass were caught on night crawlers in weedy areas adjacent to deep water. The biggest Bass of the week was expertly caught by Craig Jennings, a beautiful 18 ½ bronzeback. We had one new fella in camp this week who seemed to really stick it to all the regulars, Jaret Wunsch had just the right touch on the big Walleye this week; he skillfully landed and released a huge 29 ½ monster while his little friend Reid watched in jealous awe. The Walleye bite seemed to be in two completely different areas of the lake. We had a good shallow water bite tight to the weeds on crawler harnesses and minnow rigs, most fish were in the 16 ½ to 19 ½ range with an occasional 20 ½ plus fish. The bigger Walleyes were coming from 18 to 30 feet of water on the sunken humps and rock piles. Most of these fish were taken on the jig and minnow combination. Jaret ½s big Walleye came on a 7 ½ Sandcat fished over the weed tops in 12 feet of water, great job Jaret. Our Northern fishing was second to none again this week, we saw lots of 25 ½to 27 ½ fish being taken on jigs and minnows and big stick baits. The biggest fish of the week were taken on Sandcats fished among the weeds in ten to fourteen feet of water. The best fishing was on cloudy and breezy days or during a rain storm. Jaret managed to catch and release a nice 39 ½ fish only to have his friend Reid snatch the big fish glory from him with a 391/2 ½ torpedo, woooweee but wait one minute here Reid you were blown out of the water by Brian Boevers with a huge 42 ½ monster he is putting on the wall and then Bill Mincks slammed you with a 44 ½ log sized fish which he promptly released, woooweee Reid better luck next time, no prize for third place. We are looking forward to week eleven, the lake is high and the bug population is low, should be another interesting week here at camp, talk again next week , bye from Wabaskang.
July 19th
Hello fromWabaskang Camp. Week nine has come and gone with lots of big fish and even more big fish stories. The Walleye bite began to move from the shallow weed edges to deeper weed lines and rock piles. Smaller Walleyes seemed to be in ten feet of water or less and were easy pickens on a crawler harness or jig and minnow, the jig needed to be less than a quarter ounce for the best luck. If you wanted the big fish most of my guests fished in deeper water along cabbage weed lines and rock piles that tumbled down to around eighteen feet or so, again a night crawler or minnow worked best, the fellas throwing crank baits or plastics had limited success, the best bite using artificial baits was early morning or late evening around sunset. Kady Mericle had a nice 24 ½ Walleye but she was knocked off the top of the leader board by Bob Medearis who edged her by 1/4′ ½. Bob has a free hat coming for his big fish of the week. The Northern fishing continues to be outstanding. Many of our guests caught the big Northern while fishing the shallow water for Walleyes, they would latch onto a huge fish and the fight would be on with light tackle, we had some huge northern caught on big stick baits as well, Jim Hagen landed and released a 39 ½ beauty, Kady Mericle managed to catch and release a huge 41 ½ monster but once again she was knocked off the top of the leader board by Roy Green who landed and released a 41 ½ torpedo. Our Smallmouth Bass fishing was tough going this week compared to other weeks, the fish are still in transition from the spawning beds to their summer haunts. Roy Green did manage to catch a nice 18 ½ bronze beauty to take top honors for the week. Fishing should really take off this week with a more stable weather pattern and fish beginning to be a bit more predictable. We have high water levels but with a floating dock we have no problems here at camp, we will up-date again soon, bye for now, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 10th
Evening from Wabaskang Camp. Week eight was a week of stormy weather and unpredictable fishing. Our guests did great one day and struggled the next. The Walleyes were mainly hanging out on the weed edges and shallow rocky shorelines. The best bait seemed to be a worm harness or minnow and jig combo fished as slow as you could. The bite was a not very aggressive so you had to be on your toes to feel the fish and set the hook before it was gone. Mike Lammers managed to find some huge Walleyes roaming the deeper weed beds and landed three fish over 26 ½, the biggest being 291/4 ½, he was using huge Northern baits in the nine inch range, he released every fish he caught. Joe Kuschman had a nice 28 ½ Walleye and Syd Hancock caught and released a beautiful 25 incher to round out the week for big Walleyes. Our Northern fishing was good to our guests who were throwing the big baits and weren ½t afraid to cast their guts out all day. Chad Hawker seemed to have what it takes as he released lots of big Northern this week, the two biggest being 39 ½ and 391/2 ½. We saw a slow down in Bass fishing this week, most of the big females were in post-spawn mode and were tough to catch. We saw lots of smaller fish being taken on twister tails and spinners. Joe Kuschman managed to catch the biggest bass of the week, a nice 18 ½ beauty. We had a huge Musky landed this week as well, Garrett Hancock got hold of a 51 ½ monster that was the talk of camp on Friday, and he took some pictures and released her at the dock to fight another day, good job Garrett! The weather has been showing signs of calming down this week and fishing should really begin to explode on all fronts, we will keep you updated, bye for now.
July 5th
Welcome to Wabaskang Camp week seven update. We had another week of heavy rain and muggy temperatures. Total rain from June 26th to July 4th was around four inches, we had culverts along our road wash out and the Electricity was off twice this week. Fishing was good one day and slow the next, some stable weather coming in this week should get the fish back in the mood to put on the old feed bags. The Walleye fishing was exceptional for the trophy sized fish and in my opinion tough going for the eater sized fish. Most of the smaller sized Walleyes were coming from inside cuts on shallow weed edges on the smallest jig you had in your tackle box tipped with a bit of worm. The trophy sized fish were coming from deeper weed edges on large stick baits like suicks and sandcats, Kenny Fouts started things off early in the week with a 28 ½ beauty which he quickly released only to be topped by Marty Neihouser who skillfully caught and released a monstrous 29 ½ beauty. Northern fishing was great depending on who you talked to. We had numerous fish in the mid to upper 30 ½s released all week. Isak Christensen kicked things off with a released 39 ½ monster only to be bumped from the leader board by Kristy Lammers who released a trophy 40 incher, next Rhett Lammers jumped to the top spot by releasing a torpedo shaped 41 incher, just when we thought the bar had been set pretty high Kenny Schroeder came from the rear of the pack and landed a huge 43 incher which as he said has been a twenty eight year quest of his, he decided to keep this monster and put her on the wall, the fish will continue to bring great memories to Kenny for many years to come, he may have had a bit of help from his buddy from above, good job Kenny. We had two huge Lake Trout caught this week as well, Mark Lewandowski had a 29 incher and Paul Dennert, with the skillful leadership of Bob Compton landed a huge 32 incher which came out of about 55 feet of water. Our Bass fishing slowed some this week while the big females were recovering from the rigors of the spawn, to show his exceptional skill and talent, Tim Wuethrich caught and released a pumpkin sized smallmouth that was 19 inches long. We should see some better weather this week along with more seasonal patterns beginning to take shape; we will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang
June 28th
Morning everyone, greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Fishing continues to impress us here at camp. We are still seeing the effects of a huge Mayfly hatch this year but walleyes are beginning to move back to their normal early summer patterns. Most of the walleyes are coming on night crawlers pulled very slow on a spinner rig, the shallower the better. A good morning and evening bite is still available if you can stand fishing right in the weeds. Some of our guests had good luck tossing white or brown tube jigs into the weed pockets and slowly dragging it back to the boat. The biggest walleyes were actually being caught on huge northern baits that seemed to look similar to a small walleye in size and color, Ryan Little took home top honors with a beautiful 28 ½ walleye that was quickly returned to the water after a few quick pictures. Our group of northern fishermen really had good success later in the week, we saw most of the bigger northern being fooled by huge baits that dove about two feet below the surface and had a slow wobble as they were retrieved back to the boat. Dark colors seemed best along with copper and gold combos. The Wentlandts seemed to have an edge over our other guests when it came to pike fishing, both father Dave and son Bryce caught gigantic 41 ½ monsters, Bryce gets bragging rights though because his fish was heavier than Daves by almost 6 pounds. Bass fishing had good days and slow days, most of the fish were ready to leave the spawning areas and head back to rocky points and deeper weed lines, Joe Nunlist Jr. showed his group of 12 how it is done by taking top honors with a beautiful 18 1/2 ½ miniature football sized bass, he admired his catch and quickly released her to fight another day. The weather has not settled down yet with a storm front passing by every other day or so, fishing patterns are changing daily but the forecast shows signs of improvement, we had almost two more inches of rain this weekend and the lake is in great shape, we need some warm weather now to see our Summer patterns emerge and the fish begin to feed on a regular basis, that ½s all for week six, we will chat again soon, bye from Wabaskang Camp.
June 20th
Good morning from Wabaskang Camp. Week five has come to an end with an explosion of May Flies on the South end of the lake. Our guests still enjoyed great fishing for Walleyes and Northern. We had a week of unstable weather as storm fronts seemed to move through every other day. The fish have stayed shallow to gobble up the May Flies and feast on the bait fish that are swarming the shorelines. Most of the biggest walleyes were caught on night crawlers or jig and minnow combos, we should see a good crank bait bite begin this week now that the weeds are establishing themselves and are thick enough to hide the Walleyes when the sun is high. The biggest Walleye of the week was caught and released by Ann Peterson, a beautiful 27 ½ fish. Our Northern fishing was good even when most of our guests were actually fishing for walleyes. Many big Northern were caught on jig and minnow combos fishing shallow water where the Perch and Walleyes were hanging out. Large spoons caught a large share of big Northern, as well as bulldogs and suicks, the biggest northern this week was caught by Ron Phippen, a huge 40 ½ monster which was quickly released. The Bass fishing this week fell off a bit from the week before, most of the big females were done spawning and were resting up before going back to their regular haunts and habits. Bob Michaud managed to catch and release a football sized fish that was 18 ½ long, he was proud of his fish. Week six is now underway, we had mostly sun yesterday and some light rain this morning, should be a good day for the Walleyes as we have a slight chop on the water and cloud cover, we will talk again soon, bye from Wabaskang.
June 13th
It is hard to believe we are already into week five of the season. Last week was another exceptional week of fishing for our guests, lots of smaller fish being kept for the frying pan and all of the trophy sized fish being released to fight another day. The water temps have held steady for the last week or so, surface temps have hovered around 64 degrees, a favorable temperature for almost all the game fish in the lake with the exception of Lake Trout. We saw the best week of Smallmouth fishing so far this season as far as size goes, we had numerous fish over eighteen inches caught and released , many of the fish were still hanging around the spawning beds and were hitting small tube jigs and spinners, rapalas worked as well . The biggest bass of the week was caught by Mike Lammers, a beautiful 19 ½ inch beast which was quickly returned to the lake. We saw some outstanding northern fishing this week as well. Most of the bigger pike were hitting bulldogs and sandcats, as well as suicks and reef hogs, the biggest pike of the week were caught by Derek Bagwell, he used the old jig and minnow combination to land a monster 42 incher which was promptly released after a quick picture. Walleyes were still shallow and aggressive, hitting shad raps and bettle spins along with white tube jigs and of course a jig and minnow combo and crawler and slip bobbers on the weed lines, everyone had great fishing with the largest walleye being caught by Craig Codner, a 26 ½ beauty which was released. Cool and wet weather has been in place now for about a week or so but after Sunday the skies should clear and warmer weather will return, should be another week of great fishing for our guests, talk again soon, bye from Wabaskang.
June 5th
Week three at Wabaskang Camp was an especially good week of fishing. The water has warmed into the low sixties on the surface which has the shallows alive with bugs and bait fish which in turn draws huge schools of hungry walleyes and menacing northern pike. Our guests endured three days of wet weather early in the week but the fishing was fast and furious. Walleyes were still hanging around six to twelve feet of water and were biting on minnows and especially worms. Anytime you could find a shoreline with weeds and some scattered rock with a wind pounding into it you had incredible fishing. Some of the best baits were white tube jigs, crank baits, small Mepps spinners and the old stand-by jig and minnow combo or bobber and worm set-up. Our biggest walleye of the week was caught by Garrett Taylor, a monster 29 incher. Northern were roaming the shallows looking for a quick meal. The best baits were rattling Shad Raps and medium sized stick baits, some pike were also taken while walleye fishing with jigs and minnows, the biggest pike of the week was caught by Wayne Gajewski, he landed a beautiful forty plus inch fish which he quickly released. Bass fishing was up and down all week, early on the bass were tight on their beds but after three days of rain most of the fish moved off to rocky shorelines and deeper water to rest up after the spawn, Gary Spatz was the big bass of the week winner with a football sized bass that was nineteen plus inches long, she was quickly released to fight another day. Week four is here and we have rain again today, lake levels are ideal and the fish are still hungry and aggressive, we should see a mix of sun and rain this week which will keep the fish in a hungry mood and keep them shallow where they are easy to tempt with a lure or live bait rig, we will up-date again soon, bye for now.
May 30th
Our second week of the season has come to an end and the weather was exceptionally nice for this early in the season. Our guests had some of the best early season fishing I have seen since we bought the camp. The water temperatures were hovering around sixty degrees on the calm sunny days which caused the shallows to explode with activity. Smallmouth Bass were holding tight to their beds but would eagerly take a twister tail or small Mepps spinner if it ventured too close, we had many bass released over seventeen inches, young Blake Johnson, turning nine on Saturday, caught the biggest bass of the week, a huge brute a hair over nineteen inches, he took home a free hat and pin for his efforts. The Northern fishing was fast and furious as usual, the fish seemed eager to take any bait that resembled a small walleye or minnow. Some of our guests picked up huge northern while fishing for Perch and Walleye, Craig Kleinschmidt had a beautiful Pike that was over thirty-nine inches long but he was spanked by his dad Bill who had the biggest Pike of the week in camp, a monster fish over forty-two inches long, both father and son promptly released their trophies back into the lake. Walleye fishing was as good as it gets for the second week in a row, all of the fish were shallow and at least six different year classes were feeding in the same areas. Ken Scheidt had one of his best days ever; he landed a beautiful twenty-eight inch Walleye on his last day here to win top honors for the week. Most of his Walleyes were coming on night crawlers worked in shallow water next to the reeds. Perch were biting well again this week with lots of male fish around ten inches being caught, the females were beginning to move shallow to join the males to get serious about spawning and our guests began catching some nice twelve and thirteen inchers toward the end of the week. It has been raining now since Friday night and we have had almost two inches so far as of Sunday night, our guests so far this week have been braving the wind and rain and report good fishing all over the lake as long as you are staying shallow. Lake levels are on the rise and may actually be considered high by the end of this week. One more little story to tell, Bill Sharpe was reeling his line in at the end of the day on Friday planning on heading back to camp and packing things up when he hooked a hungry thirty-nine inch northern which he admired briefly and returned to the lake, great way to end the trip.
May 22nd
What a wonderful opener we had this year, warm sunny days and cool nights for sleeping. We had a wee bit of rain but not enough to make our guests drag out their rain suits, complete opposite from last year ½s opener. We have leaves on the trees, green grass growing like crazy and water temperatures in the upper fifties already. The smallmouth bass are holding tight to their beds and the spawn will be over and done with almost 3 weeks early. We are starting to see new weed growth in the shallow bays which is attracting huge schools of bait fish, along with all the game fish that feed on them. Our guests had fantastic fishing all week long and even were headed home this weekend with slight sunburn. The walleyes were caught mostly in 4 to 10 feet of water on small minnows or bits of night crawlers hung on a jig. Some of our Missouri fellas used tube jigs and other small artificial baits and did just as well. The biggest walleye of the week in camp was caught by Dean Harlan, a beautiful 27 5/8 ½ female which he quickly released. Lots of big northern were hooked as well; most of the fish are extremely shallow feeding on the pearch and small male walleyes that have invaded the warm shallows. Kevin Johnson caught and released a huge 40 ½ fish only to be outdone by Dan Taylor who landed a monster 43 incher; it is his personal best which he also quickly released after a few pictures. Our guests also did very well on bass this week, Norby Reiff showed the whole camp how it is done by catching a 19 ½ beauty, after a few quick pictures it was back in the lake to fight another day. The pearch fishing really took off as the water warmed, many of our guests had pearch over 11 ½ with a few close to 13 ½, the males were definitely ready for the females to move shallow and begin the spawn. We had a great time with all our guests again this week; everyone really enjoyed the sunshine and light winds all week. Ron, one of our regulars even managed to achieve a new nickname in camp, he will be known as the ½Turtle Man ½ after catching and releasing not one but two snapping turtles this week, must be something about the way his hands smell that seems to attract them. A message to Bob, we will give you a call early next season to remind you to bring the steaks, seems you are getting forgetful in your old age, that ½s all for now, we will update again soon, thanks.
MAY 18TH
Another wonderfull day at wabaskang camp. The weather was gorgeous and the fishing was great! Dean Harlan wants to say Happy Anniversary to his wife Julie in case he forgets to tell her on their Anniversary because he is having so much fun fishing. Warm and dry for the rest of the week, even had a Lake Trout caught yesterday. Thats all for now, Bye from Wabaskang.
MAY 16TH
What a beautiful opening weekend we had this year! If any of you remember our opener for 2009 it was snow and below freezing temps, well that wasn”t the case this year. We have had a weekend of sunshine and the temps in the 70’s. Everyone has been using the sunscreen and some of our guests were in shorts and T-shirts. Of course the fishing was great and we have posted some photo’s for you to look at. We will post more photos as we get them and keep you up to date on the happenings at Wabaskang Camp weekly so keep checking our site for weather and fishing updates.
