Week of Sept 20th – 26th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. We are done for the season now and it seems the weather has changed for the season as well. We are expecting snow by the end of this week or early next week so Julie and I are very busy trying to get cabins cleaned, drained, and winterized for the season. We had a great week of weather for our last week of the season, only one drizzly day but otherwise sunny and mild. Our fishermen in camp found many walleyes in twelve to thirty feet, the best bait was a green or orange 3/8 ounce jig tipped with a minnow. Super sensation Justin Seippel landed a chunky 19 ½½ walleye on day one to take an early lead in camp but Dave Fuller quickly erased him from the board by catching a 21 walleye. The biggest walleye of the week goes to Craig Plekkenpol, he caught and released a beautiful 26 fish, and he takes the free hat home for his efforts. Our northern fishing was slower this week, probably because most of our guests were walleye fishing and only caught northern while jigging. Jeff Bevan released a nice 30 northern, Vic Mosbrucker released a 33 ½½ northern, moose hunter turned fisherman Steve Irish released a 35 fish but once again Craig Plekkenpol takes top honors by catching and releasing a chunky 38 northern. We did see another monster crappie come from Keynote Lake this week, Vic Mosbrucker released a 14 brute which won him a hat at the end of the week. We also had a 27 lake trout caught and released by Kevin Tanner, great catch Kevin. Our moose hunters this week had one good morning where they had a nice bull come to the call and their shot was just off the mark and the moose was gone, the rest of the week they saw more bull moose but they would not come to a call or leave the cow they were already with, next season should be better if the weather is cooler and calmer. Julie and I are looking forward to next season and we have lots of work to get done between now and then, lets hope for a decent spring in 2015! Big Mike is gone now for the season, he is somewhat of a camp mascot around here. He did spend lots of cash on a new rig and plenty of fancy tackle but it did help him catch and release a 30 and a 31 walleye this season. Maybe next season he will manage to catch big fish without trying to spend his way to the free hat leader board! He is my little brother but that doesnt mean he has the same high level of fishing talent that I do. We will try to get all the fishing pictures from our guests on our site shortly, sorry no fall foliage pictures so far but this week has been nothing but wind and rain so no decent pictures yet, sorry Bill and Susan, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of Sept 13th – 19th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. Week 18 is gone and we are headed into the last week of the season. We had another exceptional week of walleye fishing. Most of the bigger fish were caught in 25 to 35 of water, the best technique by far was a ounce jig tipped with a minnow. The hot color was pink or blue for many of our guests. The week started off with lots of average sized fish, camp regular Brett Langfritz started things off with a chunky 23 walleye, he usually catches the big fish each week but this week he had his head handed to him by many of our seasoned walleye anglers. The week belonged to the gang from Wisconsin, Ricky Stephens and his brother Scott along with Terry Williams, Mark Steinfeldt, and Greg Marweg had a week of walleye fishing they will never forget. Greg caught many walleyes over 24 and his biggest was 25 ½½, Terry released a 27 fish, Scott released many walleyes with his biggest being 27 1/2, Ricky caught three 27 walleyes this week and Mark had bragging rights in the group when he caught and released a 29 ½½ monster. All these fish were caught close to camp and almost everyone of the bigger fish were released, most of our guests were making the run to the big lake each day but sly Ricky and the gang just hung back and set up shop after all the boats were gone for the day, next season they will be the gang to watch! Our northern fishing was decent this week, many nice fish were caught in deep water while fishing for walleyes, another group from Wisconsin also had a great week in camp, Paul Wiegand and the fellas released many decent northern, Paul released a 38 fish, it seemed almost everyone in camp released at least one big northern, Scott Toppin released a 38 fish, Vern Hanus released a 34 ½½ northern, Paul Erickson released a 34 ½½ fish, George Riggs even caught and released a beautiful 37 northern, Carolyn Rasmussen released a 38 northern, Tyler Mass-Schlie released a chunky 37 ½½ northern, Corey Katzung released a 35 ½½ northern, even former camp legend Harlan Kruse managed to catch and release two 37 fish this week, his little son Chad also released a 35 fish, the top northern of the week goes to Curt Schurman, he released a 40 monster he caught casting a Bulldog near Birch Island, he usually catches some good fish but this year he took his game to a new level, next season he will be the guy to follow! We did have some decent bass caught this week, most were caught in deep water while fishing for walleyes, Tommy Wiegand caught a 18 bass, Harlan Kruse whimpered around camp until I put his 17 ½½ bass on the board but Tyler Mass-Schlie beat everyone in camp when he landed an 18 ½½ beauty, Tyler takes home the free hat for his trophy! Next week we are expecting warmer weather with very little rain. We will have a camp full of fishermen and moose hunters so there should be lots to chat about next week. We will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of Sept 6th – Sept 12th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. We have seen week 17 of the season come to an end and only 2 more weeks to go! We had many good walleye fishermen in camp last week and we had good numbers of fish but the size was down from the weeks before. The best depth for the walleyes seemed to be between 27 and 35, a rocky bottom was great if you could find one and if you could see schools of baitfish nearby all the better! A jig and minnow was the top producer last week and the best colors were green or white. Dean Baker started things off by landing a nice 21 ½½ walleye, Steve Rathe was here for two weeks and he landed a 23 walleye to take the early lead but not for long, Roger Mobley brought in a 24 fish only to see Mike Dufel make his father proud by catching and releasing a chunky 25 ½½ walleye and take home the free hat for the week. Our northern fishing was solid this week; we had many good fish caught while jigging deep water for walleyes. We also saw some huge fish caught on surface baits and spoons. Dick Bremer released a 35 northern and Dean Baker released a beautiful 38 ½½ northern, Dale Wilhelm caught a nice 37 ½½ fish and Dick Bader caught and released a 36 northern. Our real expert this week was Ryan Inselman, he managed to catch and release a 32, a 40 and a 42 monster northern to easily win top honors in camp for the week, great job Ryan! Bass fishing was spotty this week; a few of our guests found some good fish and did very well. Curt Jacobsen took top honors for the bass this week by catching a beautiful 17 ½½ fish. We did see one trout caught this week by Mike Dufel; he released a 25 ½½ fish to win bragging rights for the week! One other fish was caught this week which is rather unusual, Gary Shaver caught a monster crappie on the south end of the lake, and it is only the second crappie we have seen this season. Next week looks cool and damp so the big fish should start to feed heavy before the snow begins to fly, we will keep everyone posted on the happenings next week, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of Aug 30th – Sept 5th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Week 16 of the season is in the books and we saw great fishing and some beautiful weather. Our walleye bite continues to impress all our guests, the fish are moving deeper every few days and should be stacked up and hungry on all the deeper reefs and rubble/sand bars. The best bait continues to be a minnow and jig combo or a Lindy Rig and minnow. The best color of jig was pink early in the week and then a lime green or white worked well. Kip Elm started things off by catching a 21 walleye only to see Steve Mericle land a nice 23 fish. Kady Mericle, [no relation] caught a 24 ½½ walleye only to have Tom Behl catch and release a beautiful 25 ½½ fish. Dan Brandt had a good week as well, he caught a 24 fish but the top fish of the week belongs to Curt Brandt, he released a 28 ½½ trophy, he wins the hat for the week and bragging rights until next season, great job Curt! Our northern fishing was steady most of the week with the biggest fish being caught on big baits like a Bulldog or Sandcat. The weeds are getting soft and turning brown but some weeds still hold good fish if there are bait fish nearby. Marlene Miller released a 31 fish and Kip Elm released a chunky 32 northern. Joel Demro only managed a 37 ½½ fish this week which is a little unusual for him since he usually catches plenty of 38 + northern when he is in camp. Tom Behl had a great week, he released a 37 northern to have bragging rights in his group, Larry Pencock is taking a 37 northern home to mount, J.J. Hansel released a 39 and a 40 ½½ fish but Steve Young was the guy to beat this week, he released a 41 monster to win the hat for the week. Our bass fishing was spotty but many were caught by using jigs and minnows in deep water along the reefs, Brian Pottenbaum released a 17 ½½ fish, Jim Prather caught a monster 19 : bass to take top honors for the week, other nice bass were caught by Marty Kunkel, he released a nice 18 bass and Kip Elm is taking a trophy 19 bass home for the wall. We did have one lake trout caught this week by Dave Demro, he managed to land and release a chunky 22 ½½ fish to take top honors for the week, great job Dave. Next week we will see cooler weather and hungrier fish, stay tuned for big things next week, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of Aug 23rd – 29th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. The last week of August turned out to be a week of great weather and fantastic fishing. We enjoyed the company of many of our friends this week and were sad to see the week come to an end. We enjoyed prime rib with Chad Heim, grilled pork loin with Jim Peters and of course a great fish fry with Larry Luhring and his gang. Our walleye fishing was great again this week. The walleye are moving deeper now and are easier to find on some of the deep water reefs and weed lines. A jig and minnow worked well but a Lindy Rig and big minnow also produced big fish. Mike Kukral started things off this week by catching a chunky 24 walleye only to see Roger Luhring bring a 26 fish to the boat to take the early lead. Jeff Brunscheon also landed a 26 walleye but the fellas were blindsided by Susan Langfritz when she caught and released a beautiful 27 walleye, she had a super secret hot spot that was putting big walleyes in the boat all week long. Kevin Reints was fishing with Mike Lammers in the cursed Ranger boat when he casted a big stick bait over the weed bed in North Bay and tied into a 29 monster walleye, he released the trophy after a few quick pictures. The walleye bite was good this week and just when Kevin thought his fish would win top honors for the week along came Duane Rieckenberg and his gigantic 29 ½½ walleye to crush poor Kevins dream of winning a free hat, Duane is taking his trophy home to hang on the wall, great fish Duane. Our northern fishing is picking up as the fall season approaches, most of the big fish were caught on Bull Dogs, Sand Cats , Suicks, and Reef Hogs. Any weed bed close to deep water held fish but the trick was to be there when the fish were active and aggressive. Jeff Bruncscheon released a 36 fish to start things off this week but Brian Boevers had one of his best days ever when he released a 35, a 38, and a gigantic 40 northern to take the early lead but hold on Brian because Kevin Reints finally got his free hat by catching and releasing a beautiful 42 ½½ fish late in the week, he was fishing with Big Mike and really showed Mike a few new things this week! Our bass fishing seems to be slow right now but we did have a few nice fish caught. Some were caught while walleye fishing deep water with a minnow and some were caught by casting top water baits along the rocky shorelines. Terri Roose released a nice 12 fish only to have Don Heim crush her fish when he brought a 13 ½½ fish to the boat. Camp legend Duane Rieckenberg released a 14 bass to take over the top spot only to see Don Hein reclaim the lead when he landed a 17 ½½ fish, the whole camp stood up and took noticed when Brett Lang fritz once again claimed top prize this week when he released a beautiful 17 ½½ bass. Brett always seems to catch good fish and he is usually the guy to beat when he is in camp. Next week should be very interesting for our guests, the weather is changing now and more rain and cooler temperatures are expected, the big eyes should start bunching up in deep water and maybe we will see a fish over 31 this week. Thats all for now, we will chat again soon, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of Aug 16th-22nd
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Week 14 is in the books and we had a week of great weather and fantastic fishing! The walleyes are moving to deeper water now and are beginning to bunch up in large but loose schools in rocky rubble bottom areas in about 23 to 33 of water. The best bait was a Lindy Rig and big juicy minnow just slowly drag the offering along the bottom and look for schools of bait fish and usually the big walleyes are close by. A slight chop on the water also seemed to help the bite some. Thea Wubbena landed a 20 fish the first day to start things off but Mallory Luhring quickly moved to the leader board by catching a chunky 23 fish, it seemed like almost everyone in camp caught a trophy sized walleye this week, [except Harlan Kruse]. Stan Wubbena released a 27 ½½ walleye, Kathy Kruse released a 25 ½½ fish, Tim Schaeffer released a 28 walleye, Marty Neihouser landed a 26 fish, Tim Wuethrich released a 27 walleye, Kyle Lerum released a beautiful 28 ½½ walleye, Tyler HIcok released a 28 ½½ monster walleye, Travis Holm released a 27 fish, Kim Schaeffer released a 25 walleye but the top walleye of the week was caught and released by camp legend Brett Langfritz, he released a beautiful 29 walleye, he seems to always catch big walleyes when he is in camp and has a hat so heavy with big fish pins that he cant hold his head up straight, great job Brett. Our Northern fishing was consistent this week, we had
trophy sized fish caught using a Lindy Rig and minnow and also had many big fish caught by our guests throwing big stick baits and large soft plastic baits. Susan Langfritz released a 31 northern, Tim Wuethrich released a 34 fish, Jason Pak landed a beautiful 36 ½½ northern, Ann Brocka released a 34 ½½ fish, Sherri Boevers released a chunky 36 fish, Morgan Luhring released a 29 fish. The two biggest northern of the week were 40 brutes, one caught and released by Evan Neihouser and the other by Larry Pothast, Larry caught his fish in spite of the fella he was stuck fishing with! Our bass fishing slowed some this week but top water bait tossed into the rocks along the shore line usually got the attention of a few bass. The two biggest bass were both 19 monsters one caught by Mike Luhring and the other by Tim Wuethrich, both guys worked hard with top water baits and earned their bass pins this week. Next week Mike Lammers returns to camp for one more shot at stardom, he has a couple of seasoned anglers with him so maybe they will be able to put him on some good fish. Thats all for now, this is Jim from Wabaskang saying goodbye.
Week of Aug 9th -15th
Greetings once again from Wabaskang Camp. We are now on the backside of our 15th season and time is just flying by. The fishing has been exceptional for walleyes this year and the fishing for northern and bass has been good as well. The weeds are beginning to turn brown now and the tops are getting very soft and falling apart, another sign that fall is just around the corner. Last week saw lots of big walleyes being caught and released, the best bait is still the minnow and jig or lindy rig set-up but a spinner and crawler also worked well. the deep water bite is just beginning to take off and many of the big pigs are moving from the deep green cabbage to the deep rock and gravel areas. Karen Orr started things off this week when she released a 24 1/2 walleye only to see Kristy Lammers release a 26″ walleye, non-relative Jon Mericle was so proud of his 29 fish but quickly had his dream crushed when big-bully Mike Lammers caught and released a 31: monster walleye, he caught his casting big stick baits over the cabbage weed-tops right at dusk. I should mention that Mikes fee hat he won for his big walleye probably only cost him around $60 grand by the time you figure in the cost of his new boat and all the tackle he buys each year, the hat was one of our best sellers however! Other nice walleyes released this week were caught by Dan Edeker, he released a 26 3/4 fish, Ross Bruns released a 28 walleye, Kristy Lammers also released a 27 walleye but the real star of the week was Alan Orr, on Friday he caught and released a 28 1/2, a 27 1/2, a 27, a 26 and a 25 walleye, he had a day that my brother Mike can only dream of having! Sometime old-school tactics beat the big spending desperation tactics that the new generation uses {Mike} ! Our northern fishing was decent but not up to the standards we usually see this time of year, the lake is falling quite fast now and that may have the big brutes in transition and making them harder to locate. No-relation Craig Mericle managed to catch a 39 fish along with son Travis Mericles 37 brute to start things off big but that was about the last of the big fish except for Mike Lammers who released a 39 fish as well, he usually catches fish in the 40 range but maybe he is losing his touch, he will be back in camp one more time in a few weeks to try and break away from the Ranger curse. Bass fishing is good morning and evenings along the rocky shorelines and the reeds. Quinn Edeker released a chunky 16 bass but Ross Bruns won the hat this week when he caught and released a 17 1/2 fish. Next week looks dry and temperatures are expected to be seasonal, great fall fishing is ahead! I will chat again soon, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of Aug 2nd – Aug 8th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Week 12 has come and gone and we have lots to talk about. Most of our guests had good success fishing walleyes in about twelve feet of water on the weed edges. The best bait was a minnow and spinner or jig. The best color was silver or gold. Aimee Traugh started things off this week by catching a nice 23 walleye, Adam Hammond was throwing a Sand Cat when he caught and released a chunky 26 ½½ walleye. Deane Fober released his best walleye ever, a beautiful 26 ½½ fish. Jay Gallery was a new-comer to camp but he showed everyone how it is done by releasing a 26 ½½ as well. Heather Robinson loves catching big fish and she will have some stories to tell her students in class when she gets home, she released a chunky 26 ½½ walleye to pull into a four way tie for big walleye of the week. Last but not least Myron Destival blew everybody out of the water when he released a monster 28 ½½ walleye, good job Myron! Northern fishing was a little slow this week. The fish seem to be in transition between shallow water and the deep water next to good green cabbage weeds. The best baits were Suicks, Sand Cats, Reef Hogs, and Mepps Spinners. Teresa Taylor released a 27 ½½ northern, Ernie Traugh released a 27 ½½ fish, Jason Hartling released a 33 northern, Adam Hammond released a 36 ½½ beauty, Brian Boevers released a 38 fish, Lucy Fober taught Dave a few tricks and released a 34 northern, Mary Augustin managed to catch and release a beautiful 35 northern in spite of her husband guide, the big northern and the hat goes to Ken Hartling this week, he release a chunky 39 fish. Bass fishing was tough this week but Ed and Teresa Taylor seemed to know how to fool the bronze beauties, Teresa released a 17 ½½ bass and her husband Ed released monster 18 ½½ bass to win the top spot for the week. Next week brings Mike Lammers back to camp; it should be very interesting to see how he does. Time for bed now, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of July 26th – Aug 1st
Hello from Jim and Julie at Wabaskang Camp. Week eleven has come and gone and we saw some good fishing and great weather. The lake continues to slowly drop and we will be closer to normal levels in the next few weeks. The weeds have not taken off yet and we probably will not see any of the really thick cabbage weeds that we usually see this time of the year. The lake temperature is also slowly rising and surface temperature is hovering near 77 degrees around our dock, great for the swimmers in camp! Our northern fishing was decent this week, we had a few monster fish caught and also saw many fish in the slot released. The best bait seemed to be a Reef Hog or Sand Cat along with a Suick or even the reliable Red Eye Wiggler! Geoff Bray had a good week, he released a 33 northern and also caught a monster 41 fish the same day, top honors for big northern this week went to Chad Peterson, he caught and released a gigantic 44 fish, the biggest fish caught here in camp so far this season! Most of the northern are being caught by casting or trolling the deeper weed edges where you can find some good green cabbage weed. Rocky shorelines also produced some nice fish for our guests that were using crank baits and spinner baits, green and orange seemed to work well but white or sucker color also had plenty of action. The walleyes have been slowly moving a little deeper but are still mainly relating to dark soft bottom areas. There seems to be plenty of bait fish and insects in these areas to hold huge numbers of good fish, plenty of the 17 to 21 size. A white or green jig tipped with a minnow was the hot ticket along with a spinner rig and crawler, a slow presentation worked well for our guests. Kerry Huck, Bonnie Oliver and Susan Willer all had 24 walleyes this week, Anita Bray caught a 25 fish, Iron Man Chad Willer released a 25 ½½ fish, Mark Kline managed to catch a 26 walleye casting a Sand Cat in North Bay, and Mike Lepak captured the big fish of the week honors by catching and releasing a beautiful 27 walleye, he used a night crawler to catch his trophy. Our bass fishing was decent this week as well, most of our guests caught fish casting the weed lines and shore lines with twister tails and crank baits, we had two very nice bass caught this week, one by Craig Jennings and the other by Mark Kline, both fish were around the 18 mark and were fat as footballs. We are expecting more dry weather next week and should finally begin to see some walleyes begin to migrate to deeper water near shallow rocky reefs and bars, lots to talk about next time so stay in touch, Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of July 19th – 25th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. We had another good week of fishing here last week, northern and walleye are starting to move to more predictable areas and are getting easier to find. In addition to good fishing we also had more sun than rain and the lake is beginning to slowly drop to a more manageable level. Week 10 here in camp had plenty of veterans to the lake, Larry Luhring had his whole group in camp and they always catch plenty of fish. The walleyes are moving to the 15 to 20 depth now and are staging over soft bottoms that are holding insects and minnows. The best bite seemed to be on minnows and jigs and white or green was the best color. Janet Rieckenberg started things off by releasing a chunky 26 fish, Cindy Luhring and Char Heim both managed to land 27 walleyes that would eventually earn them both a free hat at the end of the week. Other nice walleyes caught this week belong to Don Heim, he caught a 26 ½½ fish and poor little Mike Lammers could only muster a 27 walleye as his biggest fish of the week, pretty disappointing considering he claims to be a Lake Legend around here. The deep open water trolling bite for the big walleyes hasnt take off yet but next weeks full moon should really get the big brutes going. Our northern fishing was good as well, lots of small fish were caught by the fellas using smaller baits like spoons and twister tails and crank baits. The big monsters were caught using huge baits like Sand Cats and Suicks along with Reef Hogs and Bull Dogs. Sucker color was good along with yellow and orange on sunny days. Dennis Brown started things off by releasing a nice 33 northern only to see David Robison crush him by releasing two 36 fish on day one. Daves brother Doyle didnt show any pity on his little brother when he released a monster 41 northern to take the early lead in camp. It didnt take long for Jaret Wunsch to make his presence felt, he released a massive 43 brute to take the lead and eventually win the big fish of the week honors. He managed to do this while Mike Lammers sat back and looked on with wide eyed amazement wondering how Jaret managed to catch the biggest fish and Mike could only manage a measly 40 this week. Maybe Mike should consider taking up a new hobby like horse shoes or bird watching, something that doesnt require much physical activity or brain power! Other nice northern released this week belong to Rhett Lammers, he released a massive 41 fish to crush his brother Reids tiny 40 fish, might as well get use to seeing Rhetts name on the leader board because he takes after his mom Kristy when it come to catching big fish and Reid seems to have the Mike Lammers curse for catching big brutes. Our bass fishing was good as well this week; the biggest bass were actually caught right from our dock using a bobber and worm. Jaret Wunsch once again stole the show by catching two 19 bass as well as plenty of smaller fish. Reid Lammers did claim to have released a 19 bass as well but we all know how his father makes claims as well so I will just leave it at that! Next week looks like more sun and we should finally see some summer like temperatures settling into the region, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
Week of July 12th – 18th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Week number nine was another cool and wet week. The lake did drop about 4 this week and should continue to drop in the weeks ahead. Our walleye fishing slowed some this week, the fish are transitioning from shallow weeds to deep weeds and rock piles, minnows are still the best live bait but worms worked as well. The mornings and evenings were the best time to be looking for the walleyes; a jig tipped with a minnow fished just inside the weed line caught many nice fish. Our guests also did well casting crank baits and tube baits, green or blue was the best color. Craig Mericle landed a chunky 23 walleye only to see Garrett Hancock catch a 24 fish, Diane Howard put her husband Terry to shame by catching a 25 ½½ walleye but the big walleye of the week goes to Sid Hancock, he caught a beautiful 27 fish to take top honors for the week. Our northern fishing is getting better and better each week. Still not seeing a lot of good weeds but if you can find some green cabbage type weeds you are in the right spot. Spoons worked just as well as anything this week. Kim Prohaska released a 35 ½½ fish to start things off but crazy lady Kady Mericle showed everybody in camp that she can catch fish even though she is stuck with Craig all week, she released a monster 40 ½½ northern to win the hat. Bass fishing is still good; the rocky shorelines were the best along with some shallow reeds early in the morning. Top water baits worked well along with twister tails and even a bobber and worm. Sid Hancock released a 17 bass only to have his grandson Garrett knock him off the board by releasing an 18 ½½ beauty, good job Garrett. Next week looks wet and cool again but maybe we will see some sun later in the week. Talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 13th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. Week eight was another good week of fishing. We had lots of slot sized northern and some even well over the slot size. Sand Cats and Suicks were great baits to use along with crank baits and spinner baits. Orange and yellow were the two best colors along with a sucker color and a deep purple. The northern are still lurking in the shallow water close to the schools of bait fish and perch. Karen Jutting trolled a sand Cat the first day and boated and released two 31 fish, Bob Compton released a 35 fish, old timer Dennis Watson always gets his name on the leader board, he released a 38 and a 36 northern this week, his favorite bait is a spinner bait. Camp regular, (unfortunately) Dave Marshall came running up to the office like a little school boy to report he had released a beautiful 39 northern only to have his hopes of a free hat crushed when Jen Cole skillfully caught a monster 41 fish, she is taking her trophy home to hang on the wall, after dad Randy pays for it of course! Randy did manage to release a nice 35 northern, only foot shorter than Jens monster fish! Other nice northern released were caught by Jeff Jutting, he released a 37 and a 34 fish, Ken Schroeder released a 37 fish, Brandon Schroeder released a 36 fish, and Greg Phillips released a chunky 35 northern. Almost all of the big northern this week were caught on the weed lines using large stick baits and spinner baits. Walleye fishing was steady this week for most of our guests, we saw good numbers of fish but the average size was down from previous weeks. The walleyes are still hanging close to the shore in shallow water and are being caught on jigs and minnows or a piece of worm. Other good baits were small crank baits and tube baits. Joyce Adams caught a 21 ½½ walleye on day one only to see Brandon Schroeder catch a beautiful 27 walleye while he was casting for big northern using a Sand Cat, he is taking his fish home to mount! The bass fishing was very good this week, we had many fish over 18 caught. The bass are still staying close to the reeds and traditional spawning areas and many females are still loaded with eggs. A tube bait or spinner bait was a top choice for our guests but a bobber and worm also was very productive. Dan Deck was the star of his group the first day, he released an 18 bass, little Rhett Lammers used a bobber and worm to catch five bass right from our dock, he released them all, the biggest being 18 ½½ long. Ken Schroeder managed to catch and release a monster 19 bass to have the big bass of the week and win a free hat. We did have some perch fishermen in camp this week, Ken and Brandon Schroeder caught tons of nice perch, some over twelve inches long, Gary, Stuart, and Nathan also caught lots of perch, Keynote Lake was a great place to go, shallow water and a worm was all you needed. Paul Dennert along with Bob Compton did catch a monster trout, Paul landed a 34 ½½ trout to win the hat for the week in the trout division! Next week looks wet and cool, we need some warm dry weather to get some weeds going, we are expecting to see great fishing for all our guests next week, not much swimming going on yet because of the cool water temperatures but things will change in a few weeks we hope, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 10th, for week of June 28th-July 4th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Week number seven is in the books and we had great fishing and plenty of rain. The northern fishing is getting better and better each week, we are starting to see a defined weed edge in about ten feet of water. The weeds are not very thick and are growing in scattered clumps in most areas now. The best bait for the big brutes seems to be large stick bait or crank bait, trolling was effective on windy and rainy days, the fish were feeding primarily in late afternoon and evening. We saw lots of wind this week and any shoreline that the wind pounded into for a few days was the hot spot to be. Ryan Neihouser started things off by releasing a 30 ½½ northern, Mike Lammers quickly crushed him by releasing a chunky 35 fish, camp regular Marty Neihouser jumped into the game by releasing a 38 beauty, Evan Neihouser topped his dad by releasing a 39 fish only to see brother Ryan jump back on top by catching and releasing a 40 monster. Once again grumpy old Mike Lammers crushed poor Ryans hopes by also releasing a 40 fish, too bad for Mike because his wife Kristy showed everybody in camp how it is done by releasing a gigantic 42 fish, she catches the big fish while Mike looks on in amazement and awe! Evan Nancy Peterson made the board this week by releasing a nice 33 fish; she still knows her favorite spots on the lake. Walleye fishing continues to be a shallow water bite, most fish are in about twelve feet of water and are staging right in the weeds, a jig and minnow or twister tail worked best but a crank bait or a slip bobber and worm also produced. Orange was a great color along with blue or green. Rhett Lammers started things off by releasing a chunky 24 ½½ walleye only to see Tim Wuethrich tie him with a 24 ½½ walleye of his own. Kristy Lammers released a 26 ½½ walleye to briefly take the lead only to see Marty Neihouser jump into first place by releasing a 27 1/2 fish, his hopes of winning a free hat were quickly smashed by Bob Compton, he released a beautiful 29 walleye, and he caught his big brute while casting for northern using a Sand Cat. Our bass fishing was exceptional this week as well, Gabe Christensen released a 16 fish, Dave Beason released a 17 fish, the big fish of the week was skillfully caught and released by Dylan Peterson, he landed a beautiful 19 bass, great job Dylan, Nancy sure was proud! We expect more rain and cool temperatures for week Eight, the lake continues to slowly rise but seems to be leveling off now and maybe a dry week or two will come our way. I am excited to see what week eight brings and will update everyone soon, so far Mike has only been able to get his name mentioned on the leader board but he did manage to swipe the free hat from Kristy at the end of the week, I guess it is the only way he will ever get one, too bad Ranger didnt give him a free hat after he spent a small fortune on his new boat and still doesnt catch more fish than the average fella that fishes one week out of the year. Talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 6th, for the week of June 21st-27th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp, yea, yea I know it has been a few weeks since my last update but the fishing has been so good I just didnt want to brag about it. Never the less I think it is time to let everyone know what has been happening here at camp the last few weeks. Week six saw great numbers of big walleye and northern, the walleye bite is still shallow with stick baits and spinner baits catching most of the big fish. We had a camp loaded with anglers from Missouri that just love to cast for anything that chases a lure and they had some of the best fishing ever. Holmes Teegarden started things off by catching a feisty 21 walleye only to get clobbered by Bob Howard who landed a 24 beauty. Dan Howard released a 25 walleye, Mark Nihoris released his personal best walleye, a 27 fish, Brent Minett also released his personal best walleye, a 27 ½½ fish, and Holmes Teegarden also caught a 24 walleye later in the week. Almost all the big fish were caught on artificial lures but the top three including Colleen Hoovers 28 beauty were caught on live bait. All the fish were in less than 15 of water and were caught at almost any time of the day. We are seeing great numbers of walleyes and many different year classes this season, the water level is very high and the bait fish are tucking tight to the shore where they can hide in the flooded rocks and tree roots, fish shallow and you will have great success. Our northern fishing saw a big improvement from the week before, we had fish caught on stick baits, crank baits and large tube jigs. The best color was a fire tiger or clown color, old timer Chuck Zender was proud of his 22 northern the first day but shortly after he reported his nice catch Sam Pickle plowed into a 38 ½½ monster, other nice fish belonged to, K.C. Hendrix, he released a 38 northern, Kyle Ulrich released a 39 monster, Roy Green released a 40 brute, Joel Sandager released a 35 fish, Rich Zender released a 34 fish, and Dan Howard released the big northern of the week, a whopping 41 ½½ fish, great job Dan. The weeds are just starting to emerge from the shallow water and we should see some fantastic fishing for many weeks to come, just find the bait fish and you will catch the northern and walleyes. Bass fishing continued to impress our guests, most were caught on spinner baits and small crank baits but the old bobber and worm method worked as well. Dylan Bradahl released an 18 bass; Braden Lowes released a 19 monster to take top honors this week. We did have a monster crappie caught this week by Josh Jones, it measured 11 and was caught down in Keynote Lake. Another interesting thing we saw this week was the number of decent trout caught, Braden Lowes seemed to know what he was doing because he caught a 26 trout and guided his cousins Austin and Matt to a nice 29 fish, Guy Lowes also caught a decent 23 trout. Lots to tell you about week seven shortly, w are still seeing rainy weather and windy days but the forecast looks promising, I will update again very soon, I promise, time to get back to work now, Jim
June 22nd
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. Week number five has gone by and we saw great numbers and size of walleye and perch. The walleye bite continues to be shallow and the best bait is a small jig with a minnow or worm. The fish seem to be stacking up near shallow water weed beds or reeds and are aggressively feeding through most of the day. The bite in the evening was especially productive for big walleyes that were prowling the shore looking for an easy meal. Mike Jones was first to land a big walleye, he released a 25 fish and so did Dave Woolard. Chris Winkler landed a 27 ½½ fish only to have Monty Green crush him by releasing a trophy 28 walleye. Montys fish was quickly toppled by camp regular Ann Peterson, she landed and released a beautiful 28 ½½ fish, just when she thought she had the free hat for the week her husband Ron jerked the rug out from under her by releasing a monster 29 ½½ walleye, Ron and Ann always have quite a battle against each other for the big fish of the week, poor Glenn just sits back and occasionally repairs the boat while Ron and Ann catch fish. We also had an excited Dave Stankewicz come running up to the lodge to report he had released a 28 walleye near the end of the week but his fish was no better than fourth place but was still a great fish for someone of Daves skill level. Our northern fishing was tougher this week mainly because most of our guests were spending their time chasing walleyes. Mike Winkler caught a chunky 36 fish but the biggest northern of the week was caught and released by Mike Jones; he landed a beautiful 38 fish. All the northern this week were caught casting crank baits or tube jigs in the shallow water, other lures worked as well, the only lure that seemed to not work was large or medium sized spinner bait. We did see some nice bass released this week as well, the bass are still hanging around their spawning beds and some are actually still waiting to spawn. We saw lots of the smaller males coming from less than 10 feet of water and also had the bigger females being caught just off the spawning areas in about 12 feet of water. A twister tail or crank bait worked best and orange or green were the top colors. Dave Woolard released an 18 bass he caught while walleye fishing, his best buddy Monty Green once again stole the show by catching and releasing a chunky 18 ½½ beauty. Im sure Dave and Monty argued all the way back to Indiana about which fish was really bigger! Bill and Susan Mincks did manage to catch a nice 29 trout this week but Bills northern fishing just plain sucked, just ask him! Next week looks like more rain and cool weather, we have had some water over the road between here and Vermillion Bay but a detour has been set up if the need arises, thats all for now, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
June 16th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. Great fishing to report again this week, we had some monster walleyes and northern caught and released. The walleyes are still staying in shallow water, usually around ten feet or less; we did have some fish come from slightly deeper water but mainly on calm sunny days. The jig and minnow combination seemed to be the best bait this week along with small crank baits and tube jigs a close second and third. The week started off with big fish, on Saturday Mike Lammers landed and released a 30 walleye he caught on a suspending crank bait in about four feet of water down in Keynote Lake, at about the same time Kim Thiel caught and released a 30 walleye while fishing near the mouth of Aerobus Bay, both fished were released after a few quick pictures. It seems Kim caught her fish without spending a small fortune on a new Ranger boat like Mike did; it just shows that expensive gear doesnt make you the best fisherman in camp. We saw plenty of trophy walleyes released this week, Craig Codner managed to release a 26 beauty even though he was stuck fishing with Rob Roose all week, Rob is my neighbor back home and I sure am glad I am up here most of the time. Bonnie McCord released he personal best this week, a chunky 24 ½½ fish, her husband Doug did get the last laugh by releasing a 26 beauty. Dan Schultz showed his group how it is done by releasing a nice 28 walleye. Great job Dan. By the way none of these anglers with the exception of Mike had a fancy boat or top of the line gear——just saying! Our northern fishing has been good so far this season, the big fish are getting very active now and are willing to chase a big stick bait or tube jig right back to the boat. Many of the fish were caught trolling Sand Cats or Suicks in about five to eight feet of water. We also saw some huge northern caught while fishing walleyes in shallow water using a jig and minnow. Dan Edeker released a 35 fish; Mike Lammers also struggled but did manage to release a 35 fish as well. Dan Edeker did jump back into the lead briefly by crushing Mike with a trophy 38 beauty. Cade Williams had his first trip to camp and showed dad Chad and grandpa Mike that he is the best at northern fishing in the family by releasing many big northern, the biggest being around 35. Bernie Stankewicz doesnt usually mess with northern fishing but when he sets his mind on something you better get out of the way, he released a 39 ½½ monster. The big northern of the week goes to Scott Destival, he released a 42 monster while poor little Mike Lammers watched and pouted from the back of the boat, good job Scott. Our bass fishing has slowed some this week mainly because of the cooler weather and rainy days we had, most of the bass were caught near their spawning beds using a crank bait or tube jig, and some were caught trolling a minnow or crawler on a spinner. Kevin Reints released an 18 bass to briefly have top honors but Rob Roose and Jess Wilson both released bass over 19 , great jobs youngsters! The forecast is for more rain and we are seeing water levels near the highest marks last year, fishing should continue to get better and better each week as the water finally starts to warm some, anyone coming this way in the next few weeks should bring plenty of warm clothes and dont forget your rain gear, talk again soon, Jim
June 9th
Hello again from Jim and Julies Wabaskang Camp. Week three of our season saw great fishing for almost every species in the lake. The walleye are still in the shallow water and are biting on minnows, crawlers, and plastic baits. The best bait seems to be a 1/16 ounce jig tipped with a minnow or piece of worm. Simply work your bait from the shore back to the boat and the fish are usually only a few feet from the shore to about twenty feet out in about five feet of water. Many eater sized male walleyes are being caught and usually if you try to fish a little deeper the bigger females are laying tight to the bottom and will take anything dropped in front of them. Terry Haindfield caught his 23 ½½ walleye on day one by dragging a minnow around with a sinker about two feet above the bait, boooooring but it works. Ron McFadden caught a 24 walleye, Steve Sauer caught a 25 walleye and later in the week boated a 26 walleye as well. Most of the walleyes were caught just around the corner in Moose Bay or down in Keynote Lake, we did have a few of our guests go for a boat ride everyday to the North end of the lake and do very well in shallow water near the Wine Lake falls area. Bonnie McCord released her biggest walleye ever, a beautiful 24 ½½ fish. Northern fishing took a back seat to the walleye this week but we did have a few die hard fishermen who found plenty of good northern action. Blake Johnson was in camp for his second week and he released a 34 northern on the 31st, he was using a tube bait fishing the weedy slop next to shore, Scott Mead released a 35 ½½ fish that I believe he caught while dragging a minnow around under the boat——-booooooring, Chris Tucker released a beautiful 38 fish only to see Vicky Mattila land a trophy 38 ½½ fish to put on the wall. Matt Kinzy used all the knowledge he gathered from Grandfather Bob to catch and release a 33 a 34 and a 36 northern all in the same day. The big northern of the week goes to Terry Haindfield, he released a monster 42 ½½ fish, finally some excitement for the boys from Dike. Bass fishing was good again this week, we saw lots of big bass released, most of the bigger fish are on or near their beds now and are easy to catch if you can find them. Kevin Johnson released an 18 ½½ bass to start things off only to see sly Pete Sauer take the lead by releasing a trophy 19 fish, Petes status as a camp legend is in doubt this season after Ron McFadden crushed him by releasing a 19 ½½ monster bass. Many bass were caught while fishing the shallows for walleyes but many more were caught by casting tube baits and stick baits on top. Seasoned Angler Stan Thornberry did impress everybody in camp when he pulled a 30 lake trout into the boat, our first big trout of the season; he caught it in shallow water looking for trophy walleyes. Next week looks good for weather and fishing so check us out again in a few days, talk soon, Jim
May 30th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. We have come to the end of our first week of the season here at camp and the fishing has been very good considering how cold the water was just one week ago. The weather has changed from cool and wet to hot and dry, the lake is almost three feet higher than it was when I left camp last fall. The walleye bite has been getting better and better each day as the water has slowly warmed from the upper forties early in the week to the mid sixties now. This is surface temperatures but it is a good indicator of how quickly the water can change with just a few days of sunshine and eighty degree temps. The best technique for walleye right now seems to be a 1/16 oz jig tipped with a tiny minnow or worm, just flip your bait over the side of the boat and slowly work it along the bottom as slow as you can, most of the fish are being caught in less than ten feet of water so light tackle and a slow retrieve is the ticket. Another good way to catch fish has been a spinner rig tipped with a minnow slowly trolled in shallow water, there is not much weed growth yet so snags are not much of an issue and any little resistance you feel you need to set the hook because the bite is very light right now. Tube baits and jerk baits are also producing some bigger fish when worked over shallow water close to the rocks or reeds, we are seeing fish of all sizes this season which is a good indicator of how healthy the walleye fishery is here. Mike Pease started things off on Saturday by releasing a chunky 24 walleye, his buddy Craig Kleinschmidt released a 25 fish the same day, Conrad Stromberg also released a nice 25 walleye before Rick Carlson took the lead by catching and releasing a beautiful 26 ½½ fish, Craig Kleinschmidt quickly jumped into a tie with Rick when he released his 26 ½½ walleye but no one was going to deny Mike Pease this week, he managed to catch and release a trophy sized walleye measuring 29 ½½ long, after a few quick pictures he released the beautiful fish back into the lake. Other great catches that were beat before they could even get on the board include Rick Carlsons twin 28 fish he released this week, great job Rick, we know the odds were against you this week considering the fishing partner you had! The Northern fishing was good as well this week; the big brutes were roaming the shallows chomping on any unsuspecting walleye or perch that wasnt paying attention. The northern were being caught on the small jigs being used for walleyes and also tube baits and spoons, the key to all our guests success this week was fishing shallow water and a slow presentation. Rick Pease started things off on Saturday by releasing a nice 31 fish; next our buddy Kevin Johnson released a 34 northern, he uses only artificial baits all week and usually catches more than most. New comer Nick Zindars released a 36 fish only to see Craig Kleinschmidt jumped to the top spot on the leader board by releasing a beautiful 40 monster, Bob Kinzy impressed his son and grandsons by releasing a 40 fish of his own to tie Craig for top honors of the week, other great northern released include Jack Froemings 38 ½½ trophy, Mike Peases 39 ½½ beast. Logan Kleinschmidt released a 39 ½½ fish as well. The smallmouth bass are quickly moving towards their spawning areas now and we will see some fantastic bass fishing for the next few weeks. The bas were caught on tube baits and small Mepps spinners as well as jigs tipped with a minnow or small worm, Blake Johnson started things off this week by releasing a 17 fish only to see Matt Kinzy release a 18 ½½ bass, once again Bob Kinzy impressed the camp by releasing a monster 19 bass and shortly after Blake Johnson released a 19 bass as well, Bob relinquished his top spot to Blake so Blake could have the free hat, now thats sportsmanship. The perch are beginning to move shallow and we saw lots of male perch being caught and a few jumbo females, a tiny jig and worm was the best and the star of the week was Logan Kleinschmidt, he brought in a hefty 12 ½½ perch, great job Logan. We are expecting some rain this weekend and then mild weather again most of next week, fishing should continue to be excellent as the fish are easier to find in shallow water, sorry about the long delay between updates but with the late ice out and getting everything done at the last minute we just didnt find the time to get the pictures and info out to you all, lets hope for a normal season the rest of the way and I will update again soon, Jim
May 16th
Greetings to everyone. Tomorrow would have been our opening week for the season but Mother Nature had other plans. We are still seeing ice all the way across the lake and as far north as we can see. There are some small open pockets of water but not much. The temperature dropped down to 20 degrees this morning and we finally were able to get the water flowing by 11AM, lows tonight down to 30 shouldnt be so bad. Tomorrows weather is partly sunny and highs near 55 degrees so more melting will take place. There is still some snow in the bush and plenty piled along our road but the bulk of the snow is gone. I will try to keep everyone posted on conditions here; each day sees some progress so things should get better soon, talk again soon, Jim
May 15th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. Still plenty of ice on our end of the lake and we are expecting lows in the upper 20s tonight. We have been busy finishing up on the cabins and making sure everything is ready to go when the ice does finally decide to go. This winter was one for the record books here in N.W. Ontario and the late ice out should be no surprise. We are hoping things improve by the end of the weekend so I can finish some plumbing projects and concentrate on getting the dock ready to be put back into place. More new pictures tonight of a sun set and lake ice, keep in touch, bye for now, Jim
May 14th
Good evening to everyone. We posted a few more pictures of the remaining snow banks in camp and of the ice still covering the lake. As of tonight we have decided to cancel our opening week this season. I am measuring almost 11 of ice still surrounding part of our dock and we are not seeing much melting on the lake out front. There are areas of water on top of the ice and probably areas that have very thin ice but it doesnt seem likely that we will have enough open water to put our dock in place or even launch boats until the beginning of next week at the earliest. I know things can change quickly but we felt that we needed to inform our guests now to give them a chance at making other arrangements. We have had the camp for fifteen seasons now and this is by far the most ice we have seen this late in the season. I am concerned about where the ice will stack up if it does blow back towards our shore which could block our dock and boat launch for days on end. We are sorry for all the disappointment this decision has caused but I felt it was the most prudent decision to make based on the current conditions. We will continue to update our site daily and keep everyone posted on the ice conditions here on the south end of the lake, thanks to all our opening week guests that have been so understanding and flexible with us. Talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
May 12th
Just a quick update to all our anxious guests who are patiently waiting to find out if we will be open on the 17th. We had plenty of rain today and there was some ice melting near shore but there hasn’t been any movement one direction or another. We are seeing dark ice in many spots but still no open water areas other than next to our dock. I was able to walk on the ice around our dock this morning and by this time last year we had ice around our dock but it had blown across from the other side of the lake and most of the West shore and North end of our lake was already open. More rain tonight may keep working on the ice and another day may make a big difference, we are expecting cooler weather now though and North West winds which may cause any loose ice to pile back into our bay and cause even more problems and delays, we will be making a decision on opening weekend by Wednesday evening and if we do delay our season by a week it will be the first time in over 30 years that the camp didn’t have guests by opener. I believe some areas of the lake will be open but my faith in having favorable conditions here on our end of the lake is fading fast, we are keeping our fingers crossed but realize there is really nothing we can do, I will update everyone again tomorrow, talk soon, Jim
May 11th
Hello to everyone. We have made good progress on getting the cabins cleaned and water on to many of our buildings. We have had two beautiful days with lots of sun and temps near 65 degrees. Tomorrow however looks like lots of rain and cooler weather the rest of the week. There are some spots out on the lake that have water sitting on top of the ice and we also have some areas of dark ice but nothing that would indicate that the ice is going off in the next few days. We have some open water next to our dock mainly from the creek feeding into the lake. I am still hopeful about opening weekend but the next few days will probably force us to make the decision to be open by the 17th or to cancel our opening week, we have always been able to have camp ready by the opener and even this season with all the snow and cold the camp will be in start-up shape but we cant put the dock in place until the ice is totally gone because if we get our dock in place and the wind switches and piles all the ice back into our bay the dock and anything tied to it will be at risk to great damage, the rain that is forecast may do a number on the ice and things may look 100% better in a few days and I will update all our opening week guests on the likelihood of camp being open on the 17th, I know some areas of the lake especially near the falls from Perrault Lake have more open water and camps in that area may still be on track to open on time but we are still unsure especially since the forecast is for cool weather until late in the week, keep your fingers crossed and I will update everyone again tomorrow evening, thanks, Jim
May 9th
Greetings from Jim and Julie, we had a day of cold rain today that helped melt some snow and did some damage to the ice as well. We were able to run water to part of the camp today but did have a few leaks and issues to deal with, the weather sounds good the next few days and we will have a good idea about the lake ice situation by Monday, we know many of our opener guests are anxious to know as soon as possible about their trip plans and we will contact all of you as soon as we know something, we certainly understand if you just cant wait any longer and need to call your trip off, I will take more pictures tomorrow and update everyone on the outlook to opener, thanks for your patience and we will talk soon, Jim
May 8th
Hello to all our friends from Wabaskang Camp, still almost 8 of snow in the bush and almost 16 of ice near our dock. We are still hopeful about opening weekend but we will need a lot of help from Mother Nature. The weather has been mild so the snow melt has been steady but not rapid so our road is in good shape other than being very soft in many spots, George Kupper used his bulldozer to open our road over two weeks ago and Arnold Watts plowed snow away from our buildings so I could get a few things done when I got here. The lake has some open water very close to shore so that has been our water source for cooking and cleaning. I have been waiting for more snow to melt and frost to come out of the ground before we try to run the water system. Our dock is still partially covered with snow and ice so I havent been able to do any prep work on getting it ready to move back into its summer position. We will update all our opening week guests on the conditions again in a few days and try to make a decision on the opening week by Monday or Tuesday, still plenty of time for things to happen so keep your fingers crossed, anyone with questions can email or call and we will try to update you as best as we can, it is hard to know when the ice will go because so many factors influence the timing, we know how hard it is for our guests to be waiting in limbo, trying to plan a trip to camp or being forced to change plans, we will keep everyone posted, talk soon, Jim and Julie
