October 1st
Well here it is the last week of the 2011 season. The guests in camp this week included fishermen and moose hunters. The weather has been beautiful this fall and the last week was no exception. The walleye bite continued to be best in deeper water, usually around thirty feet or so, a jig and minnow was popular as well as Little Joe rigs and Lindy Rigs, all tipped with a minnow. Wonder Boy Chas Ratz got things started with a nice 19 ½ walleye only to watch all teary eyed as Leroy Henna slammed him with a beautiful 25 ½ fish, it wasn t long though and Mike Zahnen topped them both with his 28 ½ monster, all three of these fish were released. Mike s fish held up all week long until Thursday when Dave Goodlund put the hurt on all the competition with his mega 29 ½ monster walleye that he released after a few quick pictures. The northern bite was sporadic again this week but we did see quite a few big fish released. Mike Zahnen took the lead momentarily with his 33 fish but new-comer Shawn Douglas quickly took over the top spot with a chunky 34 ½ released fish, Fred Meier knows all the northern hot spots and released a 38 and 39 ½ fish to take the top honors for the week. Once again Wonder Boy Chas Ratz was too small and too late with his released 39 northern on Friday—-maybe next year fella. The bass bite was on again and off again this week, we saw lots of fish being caught but the biggest of the week went to Shawn Douglas, he was able to land a 16 bass to take home the hat for the week. Our archery hunters for moose arrived in camp Saturday morning and by Monday night had both their bull tags filled, both animals were exceptional sized brutes and were truly trophy animal, they also saw two other big bulls that were well within shooting range for their bows. Julie and I will be busy now shutting camp down for the season, thank you to all of our guests this season, we hope to see you all again next year, that s all for now here at Wabaskang Camp.
Sept 25th
Greetings to all our fishing fans out there, week 18 of the 2011 season was one for the books. We had a group of dedicated fishermen in camp and the fish were certainly cooperating with them. Our walleye bite was strong all week long; the best bite was in thirty-five feet of water using a jig and minnow combination. Some of our guests also used a lindy-rig type set-up also using a minnow. The walleyes also were caught in shallow water in the early morning using a jig and minnow or a little-joe type rig tipped with a minnow. Camp pro Doyle Brocka started the week off with a 20 walleye only to see Vern Hanus bring in a nice 21 fish. Old timer Dave Lindaman jumped on top with a 22 ½ walleye but Scott Toppin knocked him off the board with his 24 1/2 beauty, the top walleye of the week went to Ricky Stephens, he landed his trophy walleye that measured 25 ½, good job Rick. We had lots of big northern released this week, Curt Schurman started things off on Saturday with a nice 35 ½ fish, Harlan Kruse decided to stick his nose into the mix with a 37 northern which was quickly smashed by Brett Langfritz who released his 37 ½ northern after a few quick pictures. Steve Young said hold on there and released a 38 beauty to take the lead in the week but veteran angler Vern Hanus landed and released a 40 monster to wipe Steve off the board. Just when Vern thought he was going to take first place for the week Brett Langfritz, a camp legend in the making landed a huge 41 trophy to take home for the wall. The fellas mainly caught their fish casting big stick baits and spoons along and in the deeper cabbage weeds near deep water. The bass fishing was slow this week because most of our guests were concentrating on walleyes. Dave Lindaman did show all the fellas in his group how it is done by taking the top spot for the week with an 18 beauty that he quickly released. Next week is our last week for this season and we should have lots of action to talk about, take care and we will talk again soon, Jim
September 18th
Welcome back to Wabaskang Camp. Week 17 was another week of fantastic fishing. The weather was nice early in the week but by mid week we had snow flurries and high winds. We also saw our first two frosts of the season. Our guests always seemed to find a spot to fish where the wind and the rain and snow weren t so bad that they couldn t stay out and catch fish. The walleye bite was good but it was a soft bite again and you needed to be on your toes to catch your fish. Marty Neihouser started things off for the week with a 21 fish only to have Don Gutknecht spank him with a 24 fish. Larry Schultz even managed to make the big fish board this week with his nice 25 fish which he also released. The biggest walleye of the week was caught by the old pro Larry Dufel, he managed to catch and release a 26 beauty to win top honors for the week. Most of the walleyes were coming from deep water near huge schools of bait fish; the best presentation was a spinner rig and minnow or a jig and minnow combination, night crawlers worked as well but was not the choice of most of our guests. Our northern fishing was great for the fellas that were able to stand the rough weather and cast away all day long, Tim Wuethrich caught and released a 34 and a 37 fish to take the lead early in the week but Dave Zender came along and released a hefty 38 fish to take the lead. The real northern champ in camp—hey that rhymes—was Gus Zender, he managed to catch and release a 38 ½ and a monster 40 northern, his personal best, to take top honors and finally earn bragging rights in the family. The bass fishing was good again this week as well, most of the bass are still hanging just off the deeper sides of the rock piles and are hitting just about anything that looks like an easy meal, Tim Wuethrich seemed to have the magic touch when it came to bass, he released a trophy 19 ½ beauty to fight another day, we have two weeks left in the season and I am sure the fishing will continue to impress our guests, that s all for now here at Wabaskang Camp.
September 11th
Evening everyone, this is Jim from Wabaskang Camp. The fishing was outstanding once again this week, we saw lots of limits of walleyes everyday and the northern fishing began to pick back up by the end of the week. The weather was mild again this week and many of our guests fished in shorts and tee-shirts part of the week. The walleye bite was best in deep water, usually 27 to 35 feet deep. The best technique seemed to be a white jig tipped with a minnow. The bite was a soft bite so if you felt any resistance on the end of your line you had to set the hook and hang on. Michelle Cook had a nice 22 1/8 fish early in the week but Jerry Elm came along and crushed her with a 27 ½ beauty. He was edged out of the top spot at the end of the week by veteran angler Don Rowe; he managed to land and release a 28 monster to take the top honors for the week. The big northern were tougher to come by this week but we did manage to see some nice ones caught and released. Randy Cook released a 35 fish on Sunday, small by his standards, but once again Don Rowe came along and took the top honors for the northern as well this week by catching and releasing a 36 fish. We did have some other nice fish released this week as well, Tom Behl released a 34 northern and Mike McKay released a 34 ½ fish as well. We will see a change in the weather next week and the fish will really begif to school up and the big fish will be putting on the feed-bag before winter gets here, we will talk again soon, Jim
September 4th
Week 15 is nothing but a memory now but the fishing was something our guests will never forget. The walleye fishing is the best we have ever seen it, many of our guests were reporting days where 80 fish or more were being released per boat. The biggest fish have moved into deep water now and are being caught on jigs dressed with a minnow or a lindy rig type setup also tipped with a minnow. Don Heim started things off with a hefty 24 walleye only to have Jeff Schmidt come along and catch a 25 fish. Our biggest walleye of the week belongs to Keith Sorenson, he was a rookie in camp but beat all his buddies by releasing a huge 27 ½ walleye, the northern fishing was spotty at best this week with most of the big fish being taken on the same baits and techniques that our guests were using for walleyes. Barney Wiersma started things off on Saturday with a nice 36 fish only to have Chad Heim come along and bust him off the board with a 39 monster. Andy Buffington seemed to be the fella to beat in camp this week, he had a 40 northern and a 43 monster to take top honors for the week, Kevin Reints also released a 40 northern this week. Most of the big northern seem to be roaming the deep water following the huge schools of walleyes around, our guests did catch some big fish in the shallow weeds but not as many as we usually see caught this time of year. The bass fishing was decent as well this week, we had a couple of fellas from Missouri in camp this week and they always seem to catch the bass, Gary Pitchford had the big bass of the week, a nice 18 ½ beauty. Still very dry here and warm weather is once again in the forecast, we will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang
August 27th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. Week 14 has come and gone but we have lots of good fishing to talk about. The Northern fishing was tricky this week with many of our guests catching most of their northerns while fishing deep for walleyes. The fellas that did throw the big baits were seeing lots of fish follow their baits to the boat but wouldn t hit. Kyle Lerum had the biggest fish of the week with a gigantic 39 ½ northern and Steve Harms took second place with a 39 ½ fish; both fish were caught on Sandcats casting over the deep edges of cabbage weed beds. Other nice northern this week include Gene Thomas with a 38 northern, Mallory Luhring had a 34 fish, Travis Holm caught a 38 northern Dan Roose released a chunky 35 fish, Mike Luhring released a 38 northern, and Terri Wiegmann managed to catch and release a 38 ½ northern while walleye fishing with light tackle. The walleye fishing gets better and better each week, all our guests had numerous fish over 20 each day. Leon and Mallory Luhring each released 24 fish, Susan Langfritz released her best walleye ever, a nice 25 fish, Terri Roose released a walleye over 25 as well but finally Mike Luhring managed to take top honors this week with a 27 walleye that he released. Not much for bass fishermen in camp this week, some small fish were caught but most of our guests concentrated on walleyes all week. The weather is still dry and we have warm temperatures as well, the outlook is for some rain next week and finally cooler temps. We will talk again soon; take care, Jim from Wabaskang
August 19th
It is the end of week 14 now and we have lots of fishing to talk about. The heavy hitters were in camp this week and they managed to put up some pretty impressive numbers. Our Northern Pike fishing was exceptional for the fellas that were able to establish a pattern and stick to it. By far the best Pike action was in deep water trolling for suspended monsters. A stick bait or large crank bait worked best when trolled with side planers at a depth of five to eight feet over forty to sixty feet of water. The fish were roaming the open water following huge schools of ciscos and whitefish. Little Kyle Kravachek started things off this week with a 30 ½ fish only to have thunder Mike Lammers come along and wipe him off the top spot with a 35 fish. Larry Forbes managed to re,ease a 36 fish to temporarily put him first place but Mike Dufek from Michigan drove 30 hours just to bump him off with his 38 beauty. The Northern fishing was just warming up for our guests because thunder Mike Lammers coaxed a 38 fish to the boat but out of the mist came Steven Morse who expertly landed a 42 monster to take top honors and eventually win the big Northern of the week contest, Mike Lammers had two other Northern over 41 but couldn t crush young Steven s dreams no matter how hard he tried. Our Walleye fishing was frustrating to some of our guests and fantastic to others. The fishermen who had fished this week in the past knew right where to go and what presentation to use. Jaclyn Kravachek caught her biggest walleye ever on Sunday with a nice 23 fish she quickly released, Kristy Lammers also released a 23 fish early in the week to pull into a tie with Jaclyn but took matters into her own hands a few days later and landed a 26 ½ monster to take top honors for the biggest walleye of the week, most of the big fish were taken on large crank baits or Sandcats in open water. The bulk of the eater sized fish were being taken on a white jig and minnow or a lindy rig setup with a minnow or worm, the best depth for these fish was 15 to 24 feet. Paul Taylor was the fella in camp to beat this week with his 17 bass but Brother Dan showed him how it s done when he released an 18 ½ beauty to take top honors for the week. We had a little rain again this week but we still need more to ease the fire worries, we have another group of seasoned anglers coming in this week so there will be lots to talk about soon, take care and think fishing, Jim from Wabaskang.
August 6th through the 12th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. Good news to report, we finally had some decent rains last week and things are beginning to look a little better as far as the dry conditions go. There are still over one hundred fires to our North but most have been contained or should be in the next week or so. The fishing has remained good as usual with lots of trophy sized fish being caught and released. The Walleye bite was good both shallow and deep last week, we had many of our guests using a jig and minnow or jig and white twister tail combination in 10 to 15 feet of water with outstanding results. Jon Mericle started things off with a nice 23 fish only to see his father Craig smash him off the leader board with a gigantic 27 ½ Beauty, father and son both released their fish as well. The deep water bite was best if you trolled a lindy-rig type set-up with a long Snell, usually 6 to 8 feet behind a slip sinker, minnows were the number one bait but crawlers also produced well. The best depth seemed to be 26 to 32 feet of water. Many of our guests did well on northern in the same areas that they were fishing walleyes. Matt Stark caught a nice 27 northern his first day out but Larry Forbes quickly erased him with a 34 ½ beauty on Saturday as well. Jason Hartling got into the act with a huge 42 Northern on Sunday which he caught while working a weed line for walleyes, his fish ended up being the top northern of the week. We have seen some cooler weather now and hopefully the rains will continue to sweep across our area and bring some much needed moisture to the area, we will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang
August 8th
Here we are at the end of another week at Wabaskang Camp. The walleye fishing continues to be great for most of our guests with almost all of the fish coming out of ten to twelve feet of water. A white jig and minnow combination seemed to work as good as anything but a spinner rig and worm was just as effective for many of our guests. It seems the fish are staying shallow and feeding on the huge populations of baitfish in the lake this season. Corey Katzung started things off this week with a nice 23 ½ fish only to see Mark Kline from California bring in a 24 whopper, next youngster Todd Peterson landed and released a 25 walleye to move to first place but by weeks end Mark Kline jumped back to the top spot with a nice 26 fish, he caught most of his big walleyes on sandcats while fishing the weed beds for northern. The northern fishing was good as well this week with lots of big fish being caught and most were released. Sarah Peterson jumped onto the big fish leader board early on with a 39 fish which she released, next Kevin Halla bumped her off the board with a 39 ½ monster, Bonnie Oliver showed all the fellas in camp how it is done by releasing a huge 40 fish which she expertly caught using light tackle while fishing for walleyes. We thought she was going to win top honors when along came Gene Katzung who released a monster 41 northern to take top honors for the week, he also caught his fish on light tackle while trolling for walleyes with a spinner and minnow combination. The bass fishing has slowed some now with the best bite being early and late along reeds and rock piles, once again youngster Todd Peterson managed to land and release a huge 18 bass to win top honors for the week. We are still very dry here and there is not much rain in the extended forecast, the lake level is still adequate and the fish are still biting so we will just keep plugging along and hope for some wet weather in the near future, lots of fires north of us but nothing close right now, we will talk again soon, take care, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
August 2nd
Good morning from Wabaskang Camp. We have gone through the tenth week of our season now and there is only nine more weeks of fishing to go. It has been very dry here this month and there is not a lot of rain in the forecast. The lake levels are below normal but there is still lots of water so there is no problem getting anywhere you want to go on the lake. The walleye bite has been moving to deeper water the last week or so with lots of limits of fish coming out of 20 to 27 of water on jigs and minnows or trolling spinner rigs with a minnow or night crawler, there has also been a good deep water trolling bite in the mornings and evenings over 30 to 60 of water using crank baits and stick baits that dive to about six feet and attract the suspended fish that are feeding on the huge schools of ciscos and other bait fish holding over deep water areas. So far we have had decent fishing each week and week 10 was no exception. The bass fishing was spotty early in the week but if you worked the reeds and rock piles in the mornings and evenings you could catch lots of the feisty fish, our big bass of the week belongs to Rick Sims, he released a fat 18 ½ monster back into the lake. We saw lots of big northern again this week as well, you just had to be at the right place at the right time to capitalize on the feeding frenzy that took place in certain weed beds each day. Dennis started things off on day one with a nice 29 he released only to see Rhett Lammers slide past him with a 32 fish, not to be out done, big brother Reid comes out of nowhere to take first place with a released 39 ½ monster northern that fell victim to a Sandcat bait, Reid was talking trash for the next few days before Bob Schellhorn back slapped him into second place by catching a trophy 40 fish, after a few days of whining Reid Lammers found a 42 monster northern to vault him into the top spot on the leader board, Along come my buddy Jeret Wunsch and right in front of Reids tearful eyes he pulls in a trophy sized northern that was so close to beating or tying Reids fish that we went ahead and called it 41 ½ just so little Reid wouldn t sit down in the bottom of the boat and cry the rest of the day. Our Walleye fishing was exceptional as well this week; most of our fishermen were fishing deep water— 20 or more with a jig and minnow combination. We saw numerous limits of nice sized fish each day and also had some whoppers released this week as well. Cindy Luhring started the competition off on Sunday with a 23 fish only to see Don Heim and Roger Luhring land 24 fish, Big Rich Luhring and Mike Lammers each caught a 25 fish on Sunday to keep the leader board interesting, Most of these fish were caught using a jig and minnow combination in 22 to 27 of water, Bob Schellhorn upped the stakes with a nice 26 walleye he released on Tuesday only to see fishing phenom Jaret Wunsch land a trophy 29 ½ monster walleye that is going on the wall. He caught his fish trolling over 60 of water with a 6 Sandcat lure, poor little Reid Lammers failed to rally at the end of the week and had to settle for first place in the Northern category and was a no-show as far as trophy walleye fishing goes, maybe he should give Jeret a call and get some pointers for next years trip. Lets hope for some rain this week, stay in touch, that s all for now from Wabaskang Camp.
July 24th
Here we are again, another week has flown by and I have lots of fishing news to report. Week nine of the season had some of the hottest weather we have seen in years and some of the strongest sustained winds that I have ever seen. We had five days of temperatures in the low to mid nineties and high humidity which made the days almost unbearable. Almost no wind early in the week meant for some tough fishing for most of our guests. Susan Mincks got things started with a nice 36 ½ northern on her first day out. Craig Mericle landed a nice 23 walleye on Sunday to get things started in the walleye category. Hot weather and calm days followed and the fishing suffered on our end of the lake. By Thursday the weather had done a 35 degree change from hot to cold and the wind blew all day on Thursday, sometimes over 60 miles an hour, the fish started to turn on and our guests took advantage of the cooler temperatures and had good catches of walleyes and northern. Reid Lammers and Matt Howard each had 25 walleyes to take top honors for the week and Bill Mincks had two 41 northern this week as well to easily out-shine the rest of the fishermen in camp. I must say that all our guests worked extremely hard for their fish but in the end everyone had plenty of fish to eat while in camp and most managed to take their limits home. The weather has cooled down to the seventies now and the up-coming week should be a good week for fishing, we will talk again soon, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
July 23rd
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. Sorry we have not updated our news site for a few weeks but I will try to be more prompt the rest of the season. Week eight was a week of mild temperatures and dry weather. We had a camp full of fellas from Missouri and points south so the fish saw a ton of spinner baits all week. Roy Green was here for his second trip this season and made the board and ended up with the big fish of the week honors in the Walleye category with his respectable 24 fish. We saw some good bass fishing this week as well, Kyle Ulrich landed a 17 beauty but Brother Brett knocked him out of the top spot with a gigantic 19 fish. Most of our bass were caught throwing spinner baits along the rocky shore lines and along the weed edges. The weeds have thickened up good now and are holding good populations of big northern. Jason Comer started things off with a nice 36 ½ fish, along came Jerrod Yarger who quickly took over first place with a 38 ½ pike. Sam Pickle, who drove all the way from Oklahoma to see us pulled into a tie with Jerrod with his 38 ½ beauty only to see Jesse Blevins hammer the competition with his huge 42 trophy fish which is going home for the wall. Still hot and dry now and no good rains in the forecast, stay in-touch and we will have all the news from week nine soon, talk soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 13th
Good morning from Wabaskang Camp. Just wanted to update all our friends out there on how the fishing was last week. We have had an exceptional year so far and the fishing continues to be top-notch as we move into week nine of the season. The weeds have finally thickened up some now and the big pike are beginning to chase the big baits. We had lots of slot fish last week and some real monsters as well. Reid Lammers and Bryan Butcher both released 39 fish, both were caught throwing Sandcats along and over the weed beds. Evan Neihouser released a beautiful 40 fish which he caught on light tackle while fishing for walleyes, Kristy Lammers also released a 40 monster that she caught while casting a Sandcat over the weed beds. We had lots of big-time northern fishermen in camp this week but the top fish goes to the youngest fella in camp. Rhett Lammers managed to catch and release a monster 43 Pike that hit a Sandcat being trolled behind a planer board; he definitely kicked his Brother Reid s butt this week—great job Rhett. Our Walleye fishing was slow early in the week with a Mayfly hatch going on. By the end of the week we had a very respectable number of big Walleyes being released. Kristy Lammers released a 26 fish, Mike Lammers caught and released a 26 ½ Walleye, and two 28 monsters as well, most of these big fish came on sandcats while fishing for Northern Pike. Jeannie Snyder outdid her husband Kevin with a beautiful 28 fish which she released as well. It seemed like the ladies in camp this week had the fellas number, Christy Butcher landed a beautiful 28 ½ fish while her hubby Bryan watched with wide eyed amazement and envy, she is taking the fish home to go on the wall better luck next time Bryan. Our Bass fishing was second to none again this week for the guests that were up early and were throwing top-water and tube jigs, Marty Neihouser had more than one 18 bass this week but as usual his buddy Tim Wuethrich stole the show (and the hat) with a 19 ½ hog. We are in need of some rain now but the lake level is still slightly above normal, everyone take care and we will chat again soon, Jim
July 5th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. We have progressed to week six now and the fishing has continued to impress us all. The walleye fishing remains top notch, we are seeing several year classes being caught and the big fish seem to be hanging around in shallow water which makes them easier to find and catch. Many of our guests are using the standard jig and minnow combination with great success. The walleyes also were taking night crawlers trolled in shallow water next to the weed lines. Cade Sandager caught a nice 22 ½ fish, Gerald Hinkemeyer had a 23 ½ fish, Leo Fortenberry made the board with a beautiful 23 ½ fish, but the week belonged to Joel Sandager, he released a 27 monster and a huge 29 walleye, both were caught while casting for northern along the weedy points and bays, he had a week he will never forget. Our northern fishing this week was tough going for many of our guests, it seems the bigger fish are hanging out along the many weedy and points where the walleyes are and they are eating small walleyes and minnows and don t seem to be interested in chasing the big baits. The felas in camp that did cast for northern still caught fish but not the numbers they are use to. First timer Cade Sandager released a 35 ½ fish, Bob Compton released a 36 northern, Gerald Hinkemeyer also released a nice 36 fish, Katie Little had top honors for a day with her 38 ½ monster but her husband Ryan knocked her out of first place with a monster 42 fish, the weeds are growing fast now and our northern fishing should be rocking and rolling by next week. We had some good bass fishing this week as well. Dave Wentlandt released a 18 bass and Bob Compton released a huge 191/2 bass to take top honors, he also released a 25 musky this week as well I would say he had a pretty good week. We are seeing a mayfly hatch this week so the walleyes will be well fed and may be a bit difficult to catch the next few days, the weather has been warm and dry and the lake is still a bit high but is going down some each day, we will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
June 30th
Good morning to all of you out there. We had another great week of fishing here at Wabaskang Camp. Week 5 was a week of exceptional walleye fishing. Our guests had days of 75 fish or better per boat, many of the fish were over 22 and most were released. The walleyes are still holding close to the weeds in shallow water, usually around 10 to 12 feet. Our guests had great success using a lindy rig type set-up tipped with a minnow or worm. The mayfly hatch has begun but it is a smaller hatch than most years and hasn t really affected the fishing much. Some of our guests also caught walleyes trolling crankbaits along the weed lines , the bigger fish seemed to come from isolated weed pockets next to deep water, we did have one group that did extremely well fishing shallow rock piles with the jig and minnow combination, Connor, Mark, and Ward Jankus all had fish in the 25 and 26 range, they released all the bigger fish as well, Dave Woolard and his buddy Monty Green each released a 25 walleye as well, top honors goes to Glenn Grooters this week, he caught and released a beautiful 27 fish which he caught using a night crawler. Our northern fishing is still a little slow; the weeds haven t thickened up much yet so most of the big beauties are just roaming the shallow weed lines waiting for a meal to present itself. When the weeds thicken up some, probably another ten days or so the big fish will gather in those areas and be easier to find and catch. Josh Hardin caught a nice 36 northern, his first trip here and his first big Northern, it is going home for the wall, the biggest northern of the week goes to Marty Robbins, he also is mounting his 38 ½ trophy, his father Bob also lost a huge fish at the boat that may have knocked son Marty out of first place if they could have gotten it into the boat. Big bass were caught this week as well, they are on again and off again because of the unstable weather and high water, the spawn is winding down now and the bass are beginning to move to more traditional spots like rock piles and reedy points, Marty Robbins released a 173/4 fish, Josh Hardin released a 18 beauty, and Monty Green took top honors this week with a monster 19 trophy, he quickly released the fish back to fight another day. We should see some great walleye fishing again next week and hopefully the northern pike will begin their normal Summer feeding patterns and start churning the water looking for an easy meal, we will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang..
June 20th
Another great week here at Wabaskang Camp. Week number four finally saw mainly sunny skies and mild temperatures. Our guests had great fishing all week and everyone seemed to catch plenty of fish. Last week we didn t talk about bass and I wanted to say that we did have some nice fish caught that week. The bass seemed to be undecided about rather to get serious about spawning or just hang around the spawning beds and wait for the water to warm some yet. Ron Mcfadden released a beautiful 18 bass early in the week only to have the sly and sneaky Bob Baker edge him out with a 18 ½ fish later the same day, he was excited to learn he had the big bass of the week and as it turned out the biggest of the season up until the fellas came in on week four. As far as bass go for week five we had lots of big fish released and saw numbers of bass caught each day on different baits and in different areas of the lake. Reid Lammers and Brian Kinzy both released 18 beauties on Saturday the 11th, Brady Codner and Kevin grumpy old man Reints both landed trophy sized 19 bass, the biggest bass of the week belonged to Andy Schmitz, he released a 19 1/2 bronze back to take top honors. Surface baits and tube jigs worked well if you fished the shallow reeds next to the spawning areas. Our walleye fishing was great once again this week with many different year classes coming in each day. The week started off with Brady Norton catching and releasing a 23 walleye, Craig Codner released a 25 marble eye, and Dale Wilson came along and slammed a huge 27 fish, his personal best so far. He thought he had top honors for the week only to have Bernie Stankewicz slip under the wire with a huge 28 ½ walleye. Also his best ever and it earned him the big fish of the week award. Most of our guests were using minnows on a jig or hook and sinker, fished in shallow water almost any time of the day. The best depth seemed to be around 12 feet. We saw some huge northern as well this week. Some were caught casting medium sized stick baits and some were caught using live bait. Matt Kinzy released a nice 34 fish using a mepps spinner as his lure of choice, Reid Lammers released a 36 northern caught on a sandcat, Ron Allan managed to wrestle a 37 ½ fish to the boat for a quick picture, he was using light tackle while fishing for walleyes with a minnow. Dan Schmitz caught and released a 39 fish as did Craig Codner. Kevin Reints held top honors for less than two hours with his torpedo sized 40 northern only to have Bill Wilson smash him off the leader board with the biggest northern of the season so far, a 44 ½ monster caught on a sucker in shallow water, he released this trophy fish after a few quick pictures. The weather seems to be calming down now and we are seeing water temperatures in the upper sixties now, lots of good fishing to be had this week so check in with us later to find out who caught what, bye for now, Jim from Wabaskang
June 14th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. It has been over a week now since we have added any new camp news to our site so there is lots to talk about. We have seen lots of rain here at camp and the lake has gone up almost a foot in the last week or so. The fishing has been good throughout the season and last week was no exception. Most of our guests are fishing the shallow water areas near any type of submerged weeds using a number 6 gold hook tipped with a minnow or piece of crawler, the rig is slowly pulled along the bottom in about ten to twelve feet of water. Don Wauthier got things going with a beautiful 24 walleye, Ron McFadden and Lance Loger each had respectable 25 ½ fish and Randy Cook won top honors with handsome 27 ½ Walleye which was quickly released. Chris Tucker also had a 26 walleye released to fight another day. Our resident Lake Trout expert Jim Loger from Dike Iowa managed to land a nice trout again this week, he released a beautiful 26 fish to take top honors for the week, and he earned a nice blue hat for his trouble. Lots of good Northern this week as well but they were tougher to come by than in other weeks, not a lot of weeds showing up yet so the northern are scattered and not very aggressive. Bob Kinzy showed his son and grandkids how it is done by boating and releasing two 36 monsters, Richard Kalpinski also released a 36 northern but once again Wayne Gajewski blew the competition away with a gigantic 41 northern which was also released. We will try to add more pictures soon, lots of moose sightings on the lake and a driver even hit one at the end of our road last weekend, that s all for now, talk again soon, Jim
June 6th
Hello again from Wabaskang camp. Week number two was a wild week of fishing and weather. The walleye fishing was outstanding if you were using live bait such as minnows and crawlers but if you were throwing tube baits or small stick baits the going was tough. It seemed like we just couldn t find a consistent fishing pattern that would hold up for more than a day or so. Most of our walleyes were caught using small jigs dressed with a small minnow or piece of worm, the fish came out of three to eight feet of water and we saw more than six different year classes in the same areas. The fellas also used a small gold hook and split shot dressed with a minnow to catch a ton of walleyes. Joe Barnes released a 24 fish, Rich Pease released a 25 walleye, Chris Tucker released a beautiful 27 walleye, and Mike Pease released a huge 27 ½ walleye to take top honors for the week. Smallmouth Bass fishing had good days and bad days, some days you could see the big females moving around the beds and then another weather system would blow through and scatter the bass. We had one morning when the wind blew so hard some of the private boats actually broke loose from the dock and drifted to shore. When you have wild weather the fish seem to move constantly and keep everyone guessing as to where and what they are feeding on. In spite of the wicked weather Mike Pease released a giant 18 ½ fish and youngster Jarrett Hulsen also managed to bring a football sized 18 ½ bass to the boat, of course all the big bass were released after a few quick pictures. Our Northern Pike fishing was good this week but most of the anglers we had in camp were walleye fishermen. Rich Pease released a 36 northern and Joe Barnes released a giant 40 fish to take top honors for the week. Both fish were taken on light tackle while fishing shallow water for Walleyes and Perch. The Perch are on the beds or near the beds now and were easily caught if you knew where to go, the biggest Perch of the week were caught by Jerrett Hulsen, a 12 perch and Mitch Kleinschmidt had a 12 ½ perch. The end of the week saw almost three inches of rain on Friday morning and more rain through this weekend. The lake is high again now and somewhat cloudy but fishing has held up fairly well and so far this week we have a 27 ½ walleye released by Randy Cook and a nice 18 ½ bass released by Bob Baker, Bob Kinzy also says the northern are getting more active and invading the shallows looking for an easy meal, he released a 36 fish on Saturday. We will talk again soon; this is all for now, thanks, Jim from Wabaskang.
May 30th
Well here we are again, finally getting around to writing an update for week one of the 2011 season. All of our guests enjoyed some great spring weather this week along with some exceptional fishing most days. The leader board ended up with a four way struggle for top spot for the biggest bass of the week. Reid McCord released a 18 ½ fish and didn t fall out of the boat this time, Dean Harlan landed and released a beautiful 18 ½ fish as well, Pat Munger came along and caught and released a huge 18 ½ beauty only to have Tyler Harlan edge him out in the final hours of the week with a football sized 18 ½ smallie. All in all the fishing was superb considering the up and down weather we experienced all week long, we had a high one day early in the week of 77 degrees and saw a low of 26 degrees on Wednesday morning, and Julie s tomato plant did not do so well. Lots of baitfish flooding the shallows now and the week ahead shows some warmer air coming in by midweek so the shallows should warm enough to bring the big female bass to their beds and the huge northern should begin to wake up and become more active chasing tube baits and spinners. Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures from this week and there will be more soon, time to pick up the trash and clean the fish house, talk later, Jim
May 25th
Greetings from Jim and Julies Wabaskang Camp. Well the season is off and running and some fantastic fishing is here for the taking. We had some beautiful warm weather on Friday and Saturday but Sunday and Monday brought cooler temperatures and light rain, on Tuesday morning everyone woke up to snow flurries. As far as fishing goes there has been some big fish caught and lots of eaters as well. The bass seem to be a bit undecided about setting up to spawn yet or not. Most of the bass being taken this week so far have come from the weedy banks and points next to deeper water, almost all the bass have been the smaller males but we did manage to see Kevin Johnson catch and release a nice 18 fish and Dean Harlan did him one better with a 18 ½ beauty also quickly released. The walleyes have been real shallow, usually in three feet of water or less. Most of our guests have been using a split shot and small minnow pulled slowly across the soft bottom to catch fish, some of our friends from Missouri use only soft tube baits or top water baits and have done equally as well. The three biggest so far this week include Terry Lauer with a 26 monster released, Josh Lembrich also with a 26 beauty and top honors so far this week belong to Steve Taylor with a 26 ½ trophy, all three fish were released after a quick picture. Lots of big northerns roaming the shallows right now gobbling up an occasional small walleye or perch. We have had lots of fish taken so far on light tackle or sucker rigs, Butch Schultz brought in a 36 fish, Carlie Harlan released a fish around 33 , Mike Schultz released a 38 fish, Kevin Johnson released a 39 5/8 monster, brothers Scott Munger and Lee Munger went toe to toe with Lee s 42 torpedo just beating Scott s 39 beauty, both fish were released. Mike Schultz also landed a 40 monster that looked like it was a log coming through the water. We did have one lake trout caught by Bob Ayres who was guided by Ron Johannes, a 30 beauty that he plans on making a replica of when he returns home. The perch are setting up on their spawning beds now and the big females should slide up out of the deeper water any day now and we should have some fantastic perch angling going on. That s all for now, it s time for bed for me, this is Jim at Wabaskang saying goodnight.
May 16, 2011
Hello from Jim and Julie to all our friends. We have been very busy opening up camp and getting everything ready for our first guests that will arrive on Thursday. I have been here since the 25th of April and the ice went off the lake on May 9th. When the ice pulled away from the dock it drug about a third of the dock right over the steel poles and broke some welds but we were able to repair everything and should have everything as good as new before the season starts. The weather has been really nice the last two weeks with little rain and lots of sunshine. Julie arrived here on the 8th of May and she has all the cabins ready to go and just needs to wash some windows and get the lodge in order. We will be very busy the next few days with all those finishing touches but we are looking forward to our 12th season here at camp. Hopefully we will be posting some nice fish pictures on our site soon and everyone will catch a real dose of Wabaskang fever. Take care and we will see many of you soon.
