Hello again to all our friends of Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. Week three of our 23rd season was a great week for fishing and weather. The lake has slowly started dropping and has lost about 5″ from its high mark almost two weeks ago. Hwy 105 remains closed so a detour towards Quibel is the route to take if you head our way, we have all the info on our website or Facebook page.
Let’s talk about the walleye fishing this week. The most productive depth seems to be in water less than 11′ deep. A great method is a simple 1/8 or 1/4 oz jig tipped with a minnow or piece of worm. My guests just tossed their offering up close to shore and slowly worked it back to the boat keeping it just off the bottom. Mornings and evenings were super productive but fish could be caught throughout the day. Small shallow diving crank baits also scored well on walleyes especially on wind swept shorelines. Evan Jagodzinski caught his first walleye ever, a nice 25 1/2″ fish which he released. Joe Lafollette released a chunky 24″ walleye; he came all the way from South Carolina to fish here on Wabaskang. Randy Cook scored big points with wife Michelle when he landed a chunky 26 1/4″ walleye. Scott Mead had his eye on the prize when he released a beautiful 28″ brute only to see ole timer Doug McCord take top honors in camp when he skillfully landed and released his 28 1/2″ walleye, about time Doug.
Our northern fishing has been steadily getting better and better as the season has progressed. Most of our guests used a jig and minnow or spinner baits to catch the toothy critters. Most fish are cruising the shorelines looking for an easy meal. Perch colored swim baits also caught fish. Bonnie McCord released a 32″ and a 33″ brute, Brooke Huck has the touch as she landed and released a chunky 36 1/2″ fish, her brother Eli released a 29″ northern his personal best. Tristen Kolb had two trips with us this season and he always catches big fish, he released a 36″ northern but his dad Neal released a 35″ and a 37″ northern to show Tristen how it’s done. The big winner of the week was the camp irritant Pete Sauer, he wasn’t in camp long but long enough to catch and release a beautiful 39″ brute, well worth the short trip here.
Bass fishing has been a favorite of our guests for many seasons now and this week saw plenty of action for the bronze backs. Most fish were relating to the flooded shorelines and shallow rock piles. A twister tail and light jig was dynamite for the critters with brown or purple being the best color to use. This week both if the biggest bass we’re caught by some of the youngest anglers in camp. Brooke Huck and Evan Jagodzinski each released 18″ brutes to have bragging rights for the week.
The crappie fishing has been very good this season with many limits coming into camp each day. A tiny tinsel tail jig with a small piece of white twister tail or minnow caught plenty of the tasty fish. Best depth was 4′ to 11′ over rocks or close to reed patches. Bonnie McCord and Brooke Huck each caught a crappie 13″ long, Evan Jagodzinski caught a 14 1/2″ crappie, he sure was happy. The big crappie of the week and of the season so far was caught by camp legend Mitch Weinberg, he managed to fight and land a massive 15 1/4 ” crappie which impressed everyone in his group. Mitch proves he can still catch fish without his buddy Pete’s guidance.
We only had one trout caught this week and it was a meager 22″ fish brought to the boat by Scott Mead, he released his fish after a quick picture.
Remember if you’re coming you camp get your fishing license before you arrive, also no poultry products or night crawlers allowed into Canada at this time. We are looking forward to week four with more big fish and hopefully great weather, for now this is Jim from Wabaskang.
