Here we are heading into the home stretch here at Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. We saw a significant upturn in the walleye fishing during week 16, plenty of trophy fish but also numerous 16” to 18” “eaters”. The walleye bite is gradually moving deeper now and many fish are being caught in 21’ to 29’ of water. A Lindy Rig tipped with a big minnow was popular along with spinner rigs and crawlers. A simple jig and minnow combination also caught lots of fish especially on breezy and cloudy days. Gerald Wilhelm came here all the way from Ohio and he caught a fat 24” walleye. Almost all our guests this week released trophy sized walleye but John Prohaska was the best in camp because he caught and released a chunky 25 1/2″ walleye and a beautiful 28″ fish, I guess he showed his buddy Craig Mericle who’s the man in camp.
Bass fishing was decent but we didn’t have a lot of guests that specifically targeted the ” football” sized eating machines. Some of our guests worked the rocky shorelines with surface baits and some guests used crank baits and tube baits. Martin Meek is the self-proclaimed bass expert in his group and caught plenty of nice fish up to 18″ but the first 18 of the week wins so sad too bad Marty. The biggest bass of the week was caught by Roger Burjes, a giant 18″ brute.
Northern fishing was as good as it gets this week. Many monsters were caught using giant musky baits but just as many were caught using a jig and minnow combination. Some guests were casting deep water humps around 22′ of water but many guests caught their fish along deep weed lines in about 14′ of water. Terry Pepin released a chunky 31″ northern, Brian Luecke released a nice 33 1/2″ brute. Craig Puetz released his 36″ trophy that gave him an exciting battle. Karen Jutting crushed her husband Jeff this week, she released a 29″, 31″, 35 1/2″, 36″, and 38″ monster pike, poor Jeff could only manage a half-hearted smile at the end of the week. Brandon Robinson had a great week in camp, he released a 33 1/2″, 35″, 37″, and a massive 40″ monster. Barney Wiersma was fishing with Brandon and he released two great fish, a 39″ and a 39 1/2″ beauty. Brian Boevers was the captain of the boat that took Brandon and Barney to the hot spots and he did release a 36 1/2″ trophy but he is the kind of guy that would rather see his friends have all the luck😀. Gerald Wilhelm is mounting his 40″ monster pike. Charlie Zender loves pike fishing and he was so proud of the 39 1/2″ monster he released but his lovely wife Vicki crushed his dreams of a free hat when she caught and released a massive 41″ brute.
We had one musky released this week; John Prohaska released a chunky 32″ fighting machine within sight of camp.
Plenty of crappies caught this week some in 10′ of water and some in 20′ of water. A tiny jig and minnow worked great or a small twister tail was the ticket for our guests. John Prohaska caught a 14 1/4″ slab but the biggest crappie if the week was caught by Tim Louck, he managed to land a 15″ beauty.
Next week we expect to see continued mild weather and wonderful sunsets. Remember to have your boat and live wells clean and dry and all plugs removed before entering into Canada to help prevent the spread of invasive species. Normal check in time is 1pm so if you’re running early check out Dutchies General Store just two miles up the road from my driveway, they can set you up with your fishing license and have a great selection of groceries, adult beverages, and souvenirs. Laura and Graham are ready to fix you a great meal at the Whiskey Jack Restaurant Wednesday through Sunday each week, they can give you a break from cooking and let you experience a sumptuous meal with great Canadian hospitality. That’s all for this week, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
