Joyous holiday greetings from Jim and Julie of Wabaskang Camp. We want to wish each and every one of you a spectacular holiday season. Julie and I have enjoyed the camp for sixteen seasons and we cherish all the friendships we have made with our guests over the years. Each season brings new challenges but it also makes us realize how much we enjoy seeing all our guests and catching up on the “news” with all of you. Julie and I have always said we have the greatest guests in the world and it makes our job so enjoyable. Thanks again to all of you for your friendship and support.
We started the 2015 season on the 25th of April when I arrived in camp. The weather was great, sunny with temperatures around fifty degrees. There wasn’t much snow to worry about which was a splendid surprise compared to the six foot drifts I was fighting the year before. The lake was still froze but there was some open water next to shore which allowed me to fill pails for cooking and cleaning. The camp had fared well over the winter, I had a few tree limbs to clean up and one window to repair, and other than that there was no damage to the dock or the cabins. I unloaded my supplies and fired up the heater in the lodge and set about checking on all the cabins and sheds for anything out of the ordinary but found no problems. The next few days found me getting all our gas powered vehicles and equipment out of the shed and fired up and running. After a few days I started working on the dock by pulling out the temporary steel poles holding it in place and getting all the electrical connections ready to go. I was able to get the entire dock pinned in place by the 10th of May after all the ice was gone. Julie arrived in camp on the 5th of May but we weren’t able to actually fire up the water system until the 9th when the threat of a real hard freeze seemed to be over. I had rigged up a portable water pump that we could use with water we heated from an outdoor cooker for showering and cleaning so life wasn’t so bad until the regular water system was going. Julie had her friends Donna Hampe and Peggy Murray helping her get the cabins ready for our guests and with the nice weather they were done with a few days to spare. I stayed busy finishing up on getting the dock in place and getting all the kinks worked out of the water system before our first guests of the season arrived. We had our first batch of minnows delivered on the 14th of May and our guests began to roll into camp the morning of the 15th. I was on my own the first 10 days of the season because Julie needed to finish up some things back at work in Iowa and she was glad she had headed home because the weather was lousy after she left. We had almost 5″ of heavy wet snow and winds that howled over 40 mph, I also had water lines freezing and bursting so the first few days of our season were a real challenge to say the least. The remainder of our 16th season went on with no real problems, the water levels were decent and no terrible storms to deal with.
Julie and I completed many upgrades around camp during the season. I decided to purchase a 47 KW Cummins generator that will run the entire camp in the event of a power outage. This season we were without power on five different occasions and twice the power was off for over eight hours. It can be very stressful for our guests wondering how long the power will be off worrying about the refrigerators and freezers, along with no lights or even worse no camp Wi-Fi and internet service. Now with the new generator we will have a reliable backup power source to use in the event of an extended power outage. Another project completed this season was the addition of 4′ extensions to each slip of our floating dock. The extensions give our guests more room to maneuver when docking their boats. I also rewired the entire dock with the help of Hoover electric. Julie and I have been trying to remodel a few cabins each season for the last three years and this year was no exception. I started working on our eight person cabin as soon as Julie left camp on the 9th of October. The cabin now has new floors, cabinets, and counter tops. I also replaced the kitchen sink with a new double stainless steel sink and moved the sink to the west side of the kitchen facing the dock. Arnold Watts and Grant Doswell replaced the windows in the cabin while I removed the old hot water tank located in the bathroom and replaced it with a new tank located outside the cabin. The extra space in the bathroom allowed me to replace the bathroom sink with a new vanity and sink. Julie also made sure we put a new dishwasher in the cabin for our guests to enjoy. The last project in the cabin had me moving the propane heater from the kitchen to the dining area. The cabin is roomier now and should be a welcome upgrade for our guests to enjoy. We also replaced the windows in cabin 7, next season we will replace the floors, cabinets, and counter tops as well. You will see plenty of activity in our camp ground area of camp this season as well. We are in the process of finalizing a plan with the Ministry of the Enviroment that will see a new septic field being installed along with new sewage pumps with alarms and new holding tanks. The project will be completed during the season and should have little or no impact on our guests. The septic field will be installed in the camping area near where the small trailers are and may eliminate the camping sites in that area but we should be able to accommodate our regular campers with no problems. Greg Murray and I did manage to get three buildings painted this season so only twelve to go! As you can see we have a busy season planned but we should be able to accomplish everything with a little luck before I head home in next October.
We had wonderful fishing again this season at Wabaskang Camp. The smallmouth bass fishing is becoming world class here on Wabaskang Lake. I am seeing bass over 20″ and weighing 5 lbs or more. Most of our guests were using a brown or white tube jig or twister tail in the early spring and fall but during the heat of the summer a top water bait was bringing the big brutes to the surface in a hurry. The numbers of bass and average size that we were seeing indicates to us that the bass fishing will be a huge source of entertainment for our guests that are looking to catch a fish that pound for pound is the best fighter in the lake. My buddy Blake Johnson spends two weeks in camp each season and he usually catches the biggest bass each week. Blake released a chunky 19″ bass during his first week and an 18″ bass on his second week, his bass were big, but Blake usually spends plenty of time in the cabin sleeping while his dad Kevin was out on the water and this season Kevin released a chunky 19″ bass and a 19 1/4″ bass along with almost a dozen fish that were over 18″ to win the father-son contest, you snooze you lose Blake. Norby Reiff released an 18″ bass that impressed everyone in his group. Rick Pease usually watches his son Mike catch the big fish but Rick’s 18″ bass he released crushed poor little Mikey and he was so frustrated he has decided to make two trips to camp next season to double his odds. Steve Sauer released an 18 1/2″ bass, always nice to see Steve arrive in camp, but even nicer to see him leave. Mitch Weinberg slammed Steve with his 19 1/4″ bass he released, I guess Mitch can catch something other than perch after all. Jack Phippen released a nice 18″ bass, finally a year his sister Samantha didn’t beat him. Chris Tucker released a pair of 19″ bass, he always fishes alone so the two fish were probably 19″ long if you laid them end to end. Sam Wilson beat his sister this year as well when he released a 19″ monster. Blaine Stroble knows his stuff when it comes to bass fishing, he released two 19″ bass and a 20″ brute to crush Kent Taylor and the rest of the group. Clint Seehusen and Mike Williams each released 20″ bass but who cares. Newcomer Larry Brabazon tossed a 19 3/4″ beauty back to fight another day. Scott Willms slipped around the corner into Moose Bay and released a gigantic 22 1/2″ bass, easily the biggest of the season. Brent Minett is a slow learner but finally a trophy 19″ bass released, he has spent many seasons watching Braden Lowes catch the big bass, but Braden is the trout specialist in the group now. Brett Ulrich released a 19 1/2″ bass, he always spanks his dad Sam. Dan Smith released a 19 1/2″ beauty, not bad for an old timer. Tee Teegarden tries hard but never quite makes it to the podium, his 18 1/2″ bass released finished a measly 9th place his week. Trey Fazio released a 19″ brute, youngest fella on the board but easily the most talented. Rhett Lammers caught plenty of big bass this season, many right off the dock, his biggest was a chunky 19 1/4″ fish, finally something he is good at other than video games. Randy Abbot spent two weeks with us this season, he released a 19 1/2″ bass on July 1st and a 19″ bass on July 5th to take top honors both weeks, Randy had bass fishing down to a science. Tim Wuethrich released a 19″ beauty, his brand new boat sat on the trailer all week broke down but he still managed to catch fish from our “second team” boat. Bill Mincks has more hats from camp than most and his 19″ brute won him another, his wife Susan has her share as well. Craig Mericle unfortunately caught a “stinking” 18″ bass he released, he hates bass fishing but he loves to see his name on the board. Chelsea Hancock proved she is the real fishing pro in her family, she released a 19″ bass to take home the hat and more important, she has bragging rights over Brad and Sid for another year. Reid Lammers and Shaylon Lahr both released 18″ bass but nobody cares. Todd Peterson found time between his trip to the hospital to have a Sandcat removed from his face to catch and release an 18 1/2″ bass and win a hat. Eddie Taylor is light years ahead of everyone else in his group, especially Ernie, he released a 20″ bass to slam the competition. Dan Edeker won a hat this season when he released a 19″ bass, I guess you can catch fish without my brother “Big Mike” holding your hand. Jim Peters is probably pound for pound the best fisherman we have in camp each season, (he makes and shares great pork loin with us as well) he released an 18 1/2″ bass that won him a hat and gained him “celebrity” status around camp. Eddie Traeger didn’t make the board this season but he did manage to sink his boat while it was tied to the dock, up periscope Eddie. Larry Dorenkamp uses his fly rod to catch bass and he released a pair of 18″ fish this season, he fished from the dock many mornings while waiting for city slicker Craig Mericle to get out of bed. Brothers Guss and Dave Zender love northern fishing but each fella released an 18″ bass to land on the board, anything to beat big brother Chuck. As you can see, we had lots of nice bass released this season, top water or plastics are the way to go so stock up your tackle box for this season.
Walleye fishing is incredible on Wabaskang Lake. We are seeing many fish over 28″ almost every week and the vast majority of these fish are being released. By far the most popular lure seemed to be a plain jig tipped with a minnow, best color seems to be white and the smaller the jig the faster the bite. Crank baits trolled along weed lines or over open water after dark also produced some real monsters this season. Lets just talk about some of the bigger fish this season. Kevin Johnson released a 27″ and a 28 1/2″ walleye, all his fish were caught on plastics and no live bait. He caught his biggest fish while his son Blake was fast asleep back at the cabin. Cory Meade caught and released one of the biggest walleyes of the season. He released a 30 1/2″ monster that was the first walleye he has ever caught, see how easy it is Pete? Ron Phippen released a 28 1/2″ trophy, he is a great fisherman but he usually lets Scott and the grand kids do the catching. Ryan Riggs released a 28″ walleye, not bad for a kid who learned everything he knows about fishing from Ed Rasmussen. Steve Frantl has a good day once in a while, he was fishing with Paul LeTendre and Paul put him on a 28 1/2″ beauty which was released. Dave Woolard loves Monty Green’s new boat and he broke it in right when he released a trophy 29 1/4″ walleye, Ann Peterson gave husband Ron a lesson in June when she released her trophy 28 3/4″ walleye, her brother was close but no cigar with his 27″ walleye released, this group always uses night crawlers and consistently catches some of the biggest walleyes each week they are in camp. Our daughter Annie was in camp a whopping four days this season, she did manage to catch and release a 28 1/2″ walleye while trolling deep open water after dark with her uncle “Big Mike” , MIke’s son Rhett also released a 28″ fish that night along with Annie’s friend Kenzie Wedemeier releasing a chunky 27″ walleye, it seems everyone in the boat had good fishing except Mike’s “boat boy” Kevin Reints, he kept busy helping the “kids ” release their trophies. I just wanted to mention Kady Mericle’s 27″ walleye she released while fishing with her husband Craig, 27″ isn’t really that big for our lake but for Kady thats pretty good. My brother “Big Mike” spent five different weeks in camp this season. He caught almost a dozen walleyes over 27″ with his biggest being 29 1/2″ long, he released all his big walleyes. It seems that he was paying attention years ago when I taught him everything he knows today, the only difference between then and now is that I caught all my big fish by relying on my skill and not his preferred technique of out-spending the competition by thousands of dollars. Your 29 1/2″ walleye only ended up costing you $2,800.00 an inch, good job Mike you win a free hat once again! Mike’s buddy Myron Destival had just as many big walleyes this season as Mike did and Myron’s biggest was 29″. By the looks of Myron’s tackle he spent about 28 cents per inch on his fish. Frank Cabelinski was new to camp this season, he released a beautiful 29″ walleye, he claimed he owed his success to the fact that he did the complete opposite of what his buddy and camp legend Alan Orr told him to do, makes sense to me Frank. Brett and Susan Langfritz spent three weeks in camp this season, Brett released a 27″‘, a 27 1/2″, two 28″‘, and two 29″ walleye. His wife Susan released a 26 1/2″ walleye which was her personal best. Brett has learned a lot over the years and I wish he would take the time to pass a little of his vast vault of fishing knowledge on to his buddy Harlan Kruse. Kip Elm, Jeff Bruncheon, and Larry Pencock all released 27 1/2″ walleyes this season, its a start fellas. Scott Willms returned to camp for a September trip and his 28 1/2″ walleye was good enough to win the hat that week. Curt Schurman stumbled onto a 28 1/4″ walleye that he took home to hang on the wall next to his trophy lion “Leo”. Dave Harms also released a 27″ walleye while fishing with Curt, but 27″ doesn’t even get honorable mention around here fella. Just like the bass fishing, the walleye fishing was also superb here on Wabaskang!
The northern pike fishing has been great for some of our guests and tougher for others. The smaller pike in the 22″ to 26″ size are plentiful and easy to catch but the big brutes are harder to find since they are often roaming the deep open water feeding on the large schools of ciscos and whitefish. The best baits for the smaller fish were usually spoons in the red and white color or just plain silver. Crank baits always work or just keep it simple and troll a jig and minnow around the weed lines. For the big fellas you need a stout rod loaded up with 20 to 30 lb test braided line and a quality solid wire leader. Suicks, Sandcats, Bulldogs, Reef Hogs, and large spinner baits are my top choices. Year after year we are seeing bigger and bigger northern pike being caught and released. Our first year back in 2000 a big northern was around 39″ to 40″, now if you don’t catch a fish bigger than 43″ you probably won’t be the winner for big fish of the week award. We are consistently seeing fish around 41″ to 44″ almost every week. A few of the bigger fish that were released this season starts with Bob KInzy, he spends three weeks with us each season and he strictly uses artificial baits for his trophy fish. Bob released a beautiful 39″ fish on May 27th, he still has what it takes to impress the grandkids. Dan Edeker released a monster 42″ fish, he was fishing with “Big Mike at the time and probably had to look at Mike’s pouty face the rest of the week. Brett Ulrich released a 40″ brute and I know the whole group had to hear about it all week long. Kevin Reints released lots of big northern this season with his biggest being 46” long. His fish was the biggest of the season and the biggest we’ve heard about since we have owned the camp. Kevin was fishing with “Big Mike at the time and once again Mike wasn’t happy the rest of the week. Rhett Lammers and Kenzie Wedemeier both released 40” fish while fishing with “Big Mike”, seems like Mike enjoys watching rather than catching. Evan Neihouser released a 39″ fish only to see his dad Marty crush his dreams of winning a free hat by catching and releasing a gigantic 44 1/2″ monster northern, so sorry Evan, but your use to losing since you attend Purdue University. Dennis Watson released a 39″ northern and a 46″ musky this season, great week of fishing. Dalton Fehlberg released a 39″ northern proving anybody can catch big fish. Ted Gerber caught and released a monster 42 1/2″ northern, Jeff Jutting took most of the credit. Anita Bray released a 40″ brute, she kept the tradition alive of the women in her family usually catching the big fish. Chad Peterson released a nice 39″ fish and Brother Todd caught his own face, a trip to the hospital and a few stitches later and he was back on the water. Rob Watkins always catches a big fish and this season he released a 40″ northern. Larry Pothast landed and released a monster 40 1/2″ northern while skipper Harlan Kruse looked on in frustration. Brian Boevers won week number 14 this season with his 40 1/2″ northern, finally! Lori Edeker released a 39 1/2″ northern, she hates rain and cold but loves fishing. Bill Scharnhorst caught a 39″ northern, he owns the worst tackle but usually catches the biggest fish. Mark Zender caught and released a 39 1/2″ northern but Uncle Chuck Zender released a 40″ brute, so sad to bad Mark no hat for you. Tom Sandt did his best while fishing with the Zender clan, the 39″ northern he released didn’t even get a “that a boy” from the hardened northern hunters.
The trout fishing on Wabaskang Lake can be very good if you know when and where to fish. Spoons and large twister tails work great in a blue or silver color. The bait needed to be down where the trout are so a system to get and keep your bait at a certain depth is critical. Conrad Stromberg actually was out of bed early enough one morning to catch a nice 25″ trout, Doug Karcz caught one of the biggest trout of the season, a nice 35 1/2″ trout. Rick Carlson is a great cook and a good trout fisherman, he caught a 30″ trout this season. Braden Lowes and Jacob Will each had 26 1/2″ trout their week, lots of competition in that group.
Probably the most prized catch of the season was when Cory Katzung landed Lillian Maas, she said yes to his proposal, can you believe it?
Our 17th season is fast approaching and we are excited to get back to camp. Remember to bring your outdoors card along even if it has expired to speed up the process of issuing you a license, we will be printing licenses at camp again this season if you haven’t already purchased yours on-line or on your way to camp. Remember, if you do purchase your Outdoors Card or license on line be sure to print your receipt, your license, and or your temporary Outdoors Card. Remember to check your passport to make sure it hasn’t or is not about to expire. If you have any issues concerning your admissibility into Canada please call The Canadian Border Services Agency in Fort Francis @ (807)274-3655 extension 240 available 24 hours a day. Those of you that have received your reservation form please return it to us before December 15th, we have many guests waiting for any possible openings for the 2016 season.
Julie and I are both back at Kay and L Draperies now and we do our best to return everyone’s messages in the evenings. You can leave a message on our home phone @ (319)352-5559, or easier yet just e-mail us at stay@wabaskangcamp.com. If you like, check out some videos of camp after the season had ended just check us out on Facebook at Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp.
We know many of you have faced hardships over the years and hope 2016 finds everyone in good health and great spirits. We appreciate everyone’s continued patronage over the years and we consider all of you not just our guests but our friends as well. Happy Holiday Season to all of you.
Thanks again,
Jim and Julie
