Week 8 greetings from Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. We continue to see plentiful rains most of the week which has kept the water level high and the fire danger low. Our guests are dealing with a high concentration of Mayflies on the lake which has slowed the walleye fishing again this week. Many trophy sized walleyes are being caught but the desired “eater sized” walleyes in the 15” to 18” range have been hard to find. Most fish that size are stuffing themselves with the bountiful bug hatch and are not interested in our guests’ offerings, also the fish are tucked away deep inside and under the cabbage weeds which makes it tough to get a bait in front of them. This week the best bait still seems to be large plastics in the 4” to 5” range, just throw them into the thick weeds and twitch the bait back to the boat. Another productive method was a jig tipped with a minnow pulled over mid lake humps in about 24’ of water. Kyle Lerum released a nice 25 1/2” walleye, Brandon Schroeder released his 26” trophy. The biggest walleye of the week was caught and released by fishing phenom Allison Waterman; she released her 28” beauty after a quick picture. Her father Ryan would love to take credit for putting her on the spot but everyone in camp agrees he had nothing to do with Allison’s good luck.
Northern fishing continues to move forward with plenty of trophies being caught and released. Large stick baits such as Sandcats and Suicks caught plenty of the toothy critters. Mepps spinner baits also did their share of the catching this week. Allen Heise was first on the board thus week when he released a chunky 35” fish, Dave Marshall struggled mightily but finally managed to catch and release his 35” trophy as well. Ken Schroeder had a great week, he released a 35”, 36”, 37”, and beautiful 39” northern this week. Kyle Lerum caught and released his 39 3/4” beast which was good for a hat but his fish was topped by Jeff Willenborg, he caught and released a massive 42” monster on Friday morning to finish off the week in style.
Bass fishing was very good for our guests that actually targeted the feisty fish. Tube baits or small hair jigs caught lots of the bigger sized fish. Lynn Nettesheim released her 28” beauty after a lengthy battle, Brandon Schroeder released a chunky 19” brute but the biggest bass of the week was caught by Logan Heim, he has multiple talents believe me but releasing his 21” brute was easily a hat winner this week.
Another week in the books with more rain in the forecast along with some hot temperatures later in the week. Remember to rinse your live wells out with a mild bleach solution before heading into Canada, also a clean boat as well. The border personnel are concerned about aquatic invasive species infesting Ontario waters.
I’m getting along better each day and really appreciate all the help my guests and family have offered and given me since my little “mishap😳. Remember to get your license before coming to camp and print an extra copy for us if you have a chance. Dutchies just up the road can fix you up with your license and any if your grocery or beverage needs. Be sure to visit the Whiskey Jack Restaurant while you are our guests, let Graham and Laura fix you a mouthwatering meal when you need a break from your own cooking. That’s all for now this is Jim from Wabaskang
