October 1st
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. We have finished the last week of the season and once again the fishing was outstanding. The weather resembled late August instead of late September so our guests spent most days fishing in short sleeves and sun glasses. The walleye bite continues to be the best in many years. We saw fish coming from 10 feet of water and fish coming out of 40 feet of water. Almost every spot you dropped your jig you could catch a walleye. My best buddy and mentor Chas Ratz had a great week of fishing, he released a 25 walleye early in the week and then released a 27 walleye later in the week, great job Chas. Matt Krueger always catches big fish and this week was no exception, he boated literally hundreds of walleyes this week with his biggest being 27 , he released his trophy after a quick picture. We had a few nice bass caught this week as well. Matt Krueger released a chunky 16 bass early in the week but John Fuller did him one better by catching a nice 17 bass. Most of the bass caught this week were caught in deep water while fishing for walleyes. The northern bite finally turned on for our guests this week. Speed trolling was the technique that Fred and Delmar Meier used to boat many northerns between 27 and 37 , Delmar released a chunky 37 fish for his biggest of the week. Bucktails, Sandcats and Suicks were all good baits this week, Chas Ratz released a 36 northern, Matt Krueger released a 35 and a beautiful 39 northern to lay claim to the biggest northern of the week in camp. Our moose hunters this week had a tough time early in the week with the warm weather and a late start to the rut. Jay, Larry, Adam, and Tony never gave up and on Friday evening Adam went about a kilometer from camp and called in a good bull moose that he was able to put an arrow into. We had the moose back to camp, cut up, and packed away into the deep freezers by midnight, great job to all you guys. Julie and I had a great time meeting al our guests again this season and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year. We will be very busy now closing up camp and finishing all the projects we planned for the season, thanks again to all our guests, see you next season, take care, Jim and Julie
September 24th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. Week number 18 has come and gone, we had some great walleye fishing and average northern fishing. The walleyes were hitting almost any bait that was dropped in front of their nose, that s probably why Harlan Kruse even caught fish. Most of our guests were fishing the 20 to 30 depths using a jig and minnow or a Lindy Rig and minnow. Vern Hanus started things off by releasing a nice 23 walleye, next his buddy Paul Erickson released a 24 beauty, it seemed that al the fellas in Vern s group had big fish fever, Brian Luecke, managed to catch and release a beautiful 27 walleye to win the big fish of the week. It seemed even floating jigs worked well if the presentation was slow and the bait was lively. Even my buddy Chas Ratz managed to release a nice 25 walleye just a stones throw from camp. The northern fishing was slow early in the week but our guests did manage to release some decent fish, The best bait for the northerns were Sand Cats and Bulldogs, spoons and large Mepps spinners also produced well. We also saw many nice fish taken on jigs and minnows while fishing for walleyes. Once again Vern Hanus started things off by catching two 27 northerns early in the week, His buddy Scott Toppin also caught a 27 fish, Camp regular, [unfortunately] Doyle Brocka managed to catch and release a 28 northern, good job little fella. Old timer Ed Rasmussen caught and released a beautiful 35 northern while jig fishing for walleyes. His son-in-law George Riggs also released a 35 northern to give Ed some competition; Dave Lindaman also caught a 35 fish. No one in camp could beat the best of the best, Brett the fish magnet Langfritz clobbered the competition this week with his monster 35 beauty, not only is he number one for big northern this week but his stunning good looks and dynamic personality make him the camp favorite each week he is here, too bad he has such poor taste in friends. Other nice northerns were caught by Scott Toppin, he released a 34 and a 35 northern, Paul Erickson released a 34 fish as well. Doyle Brocka snagged a 16 bass to win the bass category this week, very impressive considering my nephew Rhett released several 19 bass caught right from the dock this season. On the bright side Greg Marweg did catch a 12 perch to win the hat for the week. We have one week to go and we are looking forward to some beautiful fall weather, we will chat again soon, Jim
September 17th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. We had an exciting week again in camp, lots of good fish and tons of eaters. The walleye bite continues to be as good as ever, the smaller fish are in the shallower areas of the lake and the big trophy sized fish seem to be in the 25 to 35 depth. The best bait overall was once again a jig and minnow combination, the best color seemed to be white or blue. Wendell Freeman started things off this week with a chunky 20 fish, he was quickly pushed from the leader board by Tom Greiner s 23 fish, Brian Pottenbaum moved into the lead spot with his 24 fish only to see Dale Mobley catch a beautiful 26 fish to eventually win the big walleye of the week contest. We saw Bill Doll release a chunky 25 walleye, his friend Sean Vanderkamp released a beautiful 24 fish and Jim Doll released a trophy sized 26 walleye. The northern fishing was slow again this week for our guests, we had tons of small fish and medium sized fish caught but the big brutes were hard to find. Once again the Zender gang was in camp and they did their best to find some big fish, Chuck Zender showed his brothers how it is done by releasing a 25 fish on his first day out, Sean Vanderkamp caught and released a beautiful 39 northern on Sunday to jump into the top spot for the week. Gordon Huen also taught his boys a lesson on big fish catching by releasing a beautiful 39 northern as well. Most of the smaller northern were caught on crank baits and spoons with a few coming on spinner baits and plugs, the big brutes also came on spoons and stick baits. The perch fishing was spotty but Nick Huen and Spencer Lewis both caught 11 beauties to tie for the big perch of the week. Little Mark Zender did finally manage to win a hat, he released a chunky 17 bass to win the honors of top bass for the week, good job little fella. We have two full weeks of fishing and hunting left in our season and we hope to see some great weather to close out the season, we will chat again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
Sept 10th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp, week 16 is in the books and we had another great week of fishing. The weather was very hot and muggy through the middle of the week and the walleye bite definitely went to deep water. The best bite was between 25 and 35 of water and the best technique seemed to be a white jig and minnow or a Lindy Rig and minnow combination. Crank baits did bring in a few nice fish when trolled along deep weed edges early in the mornings and late in the evenings. Craig Mericle [no relation] was back in camp this week, it was his third trip to see us this season and he is getting to know the lake better and better. On day one Craig landed a chunky 22 walleye to jump onto the leader board but seasoned veteran Terry Kramer quickly swatted Craig from his lofty spot by catching a 23 fish. Ann Peterson also was back in camp this week and it was her third trip as well this season, she always catches big walleyes and she quickly showed everyone how it is done by catching and releasing a beautiful 27 fish. She was eventually tied by newcomer Ron Douglas who landed a 27 fish as well but first one wins, too bad so sad. We saw most of the big walleyes come from deep water but Ann did catch her trophy from shallow water on a night crawler. The northern fishing this week did begin to turn around and we saw some respectable fish take on big stick baits and spinner baits. The majority of decent northern were still caught on walleye rigs being fished in deep water using a minnow as bait. Kady Mericle released a 30 northern the first day to jump on the board but young Seth Boeckmann quickly pushed her off by releasing a chunky 32 fish, Camp legend Dave Lewis always has his name on the board and he had a great week as well, he released a 33 northern along with a quite a few more just smaller than that, Jerome Boeckmann released a 35 northern to briefly take the lead but no one could top Randy Cook s 38 beauty, he usually catches big northern on huge spinner baits and spoons but this week it was his walleye rig that did the trick, he released his trophy after a quick picture and his fish earned him top honors and a hat for the week. The bass fishing seems to be getting better this week as well; we saw many nice bass being caught on spinner rigs and twister tails. Terry Kramer started things off with a feisty 16 fish only to see camp regular Bob Compton erase him from the leader board by catching and releasing a nice 17 bass, Dave Muhs threw his name in the hat by catching a 17 bass as well, Jim Prather new fella to camp, also has a talent for catching bag bass, he caught a 17 beauty on his ultra light rig that gave him all he could handle, at weeks end the best of the best was Terry Kramer, he managed to catch a nice 18 1/8 bass to take the top spot for the week. The temperatures are predicted to cool next week and we have a camp full of seasoned walleye anglers, I expect to see some very nice fish being released next week, we will keep everyone updated on the fishing to come, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang
September 3rd
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. It is time for me to sit down and update everyone on last weeks fishing. We had great walleye fishing and average northern pike fishing. The weather turned hot and humid which pushed the walleyes deeper during the day and then they moved shallower evenings and overnight to the 10 to 15 depth. The best walleye bite came from Lindy Rigs being worked in about 27 to 35 of water; a big minnow usually caught a big walleye. We also saw lots of big walleyes coming in on white lead head jigs also tipped with a minnow. Chad Heim was in camp this week and he started things off with a chunky 24 fish, Rich Luhring released a 27 fish only to see his trophy fished crushed by his father Larry s 27 beauty. Things got even better for Scott Schmidt, he is taking a trophy walleye home for the wall that was 29 long, the fish was big enough to win him a hat at the end of the week for the biggest walleye of the week. We saw many big walleyes this week, camp regular Brett Langfritz released a beautiful 28 fish, Dan Edecker released a 26 beauty, most of the fish came from deep water and most if not all were caught using a minnow. Our northern fishing continues to be somewhat sluggish; many of the big brutes are being caught while fishing for walleyes in deep water. For some of our regular guests that love to throw the big stick baits and buck tails at the brute found the fishing tough going, the weed beds did not hold the large numbers of northern that they usually do because the bait fish were moving deeper and the weeds have already begun to die and are turning brown, brown weeds mean less oxygen and less fish. We did see some nice fish caught in deeper water trolling with planer boards and big baits that generally dove down to ten feet in about 35 of water. Mike Lammers got on the board first by releasing a 38 fish, Dan Edecker released a 39 monster, camp superstar Don Heim taught the boys a lesson by catching a 40 monster in deep water while fishing for walleyes, he is taking it home to put on the wall, good job Don. Lois Roose did her part to represent the ladies in camp this week by releasing a chunky 38 fish, also caught while working the deeper areas of the weed lines for walleyes, her husband G.G. caught a monster 40 northern that he originally thought was a snag, sometimes fish will fool you, he released his trophy after a few quick pictures. Tim Reints released a 35 fish, he usually has at least a few fish over 40 but not this week. Janet Rieckenberg caught a nice 37 northern to keep the ladies respectable and Carl Rieckenberg caught himself and earned a trip to the Dryden hospital for hook removal and stitches. The bass fishing was slow this week, many of our guests simply didn t fish for them but Shane Gansebom did catch a few and his biggest was 15 and Tim Reints finally won a hat by catching a chunky 16 bass. Mike Lammers did his best this week to earn his spot back as a top producer of trophy fish each week he is here but the results were a little disappointing. If you add the hours this season spent on the water and the amount a money spent investing in top of the line equipment he probably would have been way ahead if he had just stayed home and watched fishing shows, his young sons will have to carry the burden of the Big Fish Legend from now on since Mike is all washed up. I will try to get together with him back home in Iowa this fall and maybe take him pan fishing to help him get his confidence back, I will keep you posted. We had lots of friends in camp this week from back home, Chad Heim treated us to a mouth watering prime rib dinner one night, thanks again Chad. Jim Peters put on a feast of pork loin fro us and about twenty other guests in camp this week, it was wonderful. Larry Luhring and his son Rich always had a plate of eggs and biscuits or pancakes each morning for me and Julie to help start our day off right, thanks a lot. We are into the final stretch now and the clock is ticking, four more weeks and then it is time to start shutting things down for the season, we have great fishing ahead so keep checking things out and we will keep you posted. Bye for now, Jim from Wabaskang.
August 25th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp, very hot here today, high near 85 and lots of humidity. The fishing continues to impress with the walleye fishing being as good as it gets. We are finished with week number 14 of our season and time sure does fly by. We had exceptional walleye fishing this week again; most of the larger fish are coming from the 23 to 30 depth on Lindy Rigs tipped with a minnow or jigs dressed with a minnow or small bit of night crawler. The best color of jigs seemed to be white or blue this week. There were many guests in camp this week that enjoy getting up early and being over their top walleye spot by 6 am. Mike Luhring started things off this week with a nice 23 fish, Kevin Holm managed to land a chunky 27 walleye, Susan Langfritz showed her husband Brett how easy walleye fishing is by catching and releasing a 27 beauty, Deb Luhring kept the ladies in the top position by releasing a 27 fish, camp regulars Tim Wuethrich and Brian Boevers both released 28 beauties to take top honors for the week. Other great walleyes were caught this week as well, Mallory Luhring landed a feisty 21 fish, Tim Schaeffer released a 24 and a 26 fish, Dan Roose released a 26 and a 27 walleye, Doyle Brocka did actually catch some fish this week without Harlan s guidance, he managed to catch and release a 25 walleye for his biggest of the week and he also lost a bigger fish right at the boat, too bad so sad. Brett Langfritz did release a 27 walleye to finally live up to the all the hype he has been spreading around camp. The northern bite was decent if you didn t mind catching most of your fish while fishing for walleyes. The big brutes are not chasing the big stick baits and Bull Dogs like they usually do this time of the year so casting for the monsters was frustrating. Tyler Hicok did manage to release a 32 northern, Bev Harms caught and released a 33 brute only to see her husband Al release a 35 fish. Logan Wuethrich had a good week in camp; he caught and released a 37 northern and a 39 fish which was good for the big fish of the week. Kim Luhring did her best to show all the guys what the ladies in camp can do but her 39 fish was good for a tie at the top but first fish wins, too bad so sad. Kyle Lerum released a 38 beauty to come close to taking over the leader board but couldn t stretch an extra inch out of his fish, and Mallory Luhring released a chunky 29 northern to round out the week. We didn t see much for bass fishing in camp this week but Travis Holm did manage to land a chunky 17 fish right from our dock to take the top honors in the bass competition. We are expecting more hot weather this week, this might be the last chance to use the water trampoline and floating water mat for the season, cooler weather will surely arrive here soon and we will say goodbye to Summer, lets chat again next week, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
August 19th
Hello to all our friends from Wabaskang Camp, sorry for the late updates, it has been very busy here and Julie has been gone from camp for almost a week helping her parents back in Waverly. Week 13 was a great week to be in camp. We continued to see cool day time temperatures and just an occasional shower. The walleye bite continues to be the talk around town. We had numerous fish caught between 22 and 30 this week. The walleyes have moved to deeper water near wide open flat bottom areas that are attracting gigantic schools of bait fish. The bite is very good in the early morning but our guests continued to have success all day long. The best depth seemed to be around 23 to 30 and the best technique was a jig and minnow combo or a Lindy Rig and minnow. The fish would also take a crawler but a minnow was by far the bait of choice. Travis gout boy Mericle started things off by landing a chunky 21 fish, new-comer Brett Halversen caught a 23 walleye on his first evening out, Rhett Lammers always catches nice fish and he released two 25 walleyes and a 26 fish all on the same day. Even though Jon Mericle is no relation of mine he sure made me proud by catching and releasing a beautiful 30 walleye, good job little fella, we also saw Venita Bruns catch and release a trophy 29 walleye, she gives some of the credit to her son Tim. The northern fishing this week was better than the previous week but still is slow compared to some weeks, Most of the fish were caught while fishing for walleyes and some were caught on spoons and Sand Cats. Marcia Sproul started things off by catching a chunky 26 fish, Jon Mericle released a 27 northern only to see my nephew Rhett release a 33 northern, Craig Mericle ( no relation) released a stinkin 34 fish only to be blasted off the leader board by Kristy Lammers and her 35 fish that she released. Once again Craig Mericle (no relation) climbed back to the top with a 35 only to see Steve Renaud release a 36 fish, soon after Rhett came along and caught a 36 fish that he released and a 37 fish that was also released, Ryan Renaud showed why he enjoys northern fishing so much by catching and releasing a 40 brute, good job Ryan, the biggest northern of the week goes to Kristy Lammers, she managed to catch and release a monster 41 fish one evening just before dark. Once again Mike Lammers failed to make the big fish of the week board; it seems he has forgotten everything I taught him years ago when I was still fishing the waters of Wabaskang Lake. He continues to buy the best tackle and equipment including a new Ranger boat but he doesn t seem to realize that there is no quick fix for his lack of talent, maybe a refresher course on the lake with me this fall is what he needs to get back in the game. We are looking forward to next week, warmer temperatures are on the way but with the fish moving deeper the heat shouldn t be much of a factor, we will chat again soon, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
August 14th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp, once again we had a great week of fishing. The weather was cool and we did have a few days of wet weather but all in all it wasn t too bad. Our northern fishing was great if you are after numbers of slot sized fish, we had guests in camp that released over a dozen fish between 30 and 36 , the big brutes were not chasing the big baits but should start to put on the feed bag soon as fall season nears. Most of the northern were caught on spoons and stick baits and a few were also caught on spinner rigs and jigs while walleye fishing. Ken Hartling seemed to have the hot bait in camp this week, he released a 37 northern and many more just below that, his son Jason also released dozens of nice northern that were near or in the slot, they were throwing Sand Cats and Suicks along with a few secret lures. Brandon Robinson managed to catch a northern that was just shy of 38 , Ed Taylor released a 30 fish, Heather Robinson released a 35 northern, Mike Stark released a chunky 37 fish, Mary Augustin released a nice 31 northern and many more decent northerns were released by our guests this week. Many of the fish were caught right on the deep weed lines in about 14 feet of water. Our walleye fishing was super for most of our guests in camp this week as well. The weather didn t keep most of our guests off the water and it paid off to be out early and often. Nate Fober started things off this week by catching a 21 walleye; Jason Hartling also caught a 21 walleye the first time out. Rookie to camp Ed Taylor Released a chunky 25 walleye, Brian Boevers release a 24 fish and a beautiful 28 walleye. The big walleye of the week goes to Craig the fishing machine Bahlmann, he is taking a monster 31 walleye home to hang on the wall, great job Craig. The best bait for the walleyes this week was a spinner rig and minnow or a lead head jig and minnow, the depth varied depending on the time of day and the weather but 12 to 24 was the place to be. Not much for bass caught this week, most of our guests were concentrating on the walleye and northern. Ed Taylor did release a 16 fish and Dave Stark too home a free hat for his 17 bass. We have a busy camp again next week and the outlook for the weather is cool and dry, we are enjoying the fall like temperatures and hope the trend continues. We will chat again soon; take care, Jim from Wabaskang.
August 4th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. Week eleven was a great week to be in camp, we had lots of trophy sized fish released as well as plenty of eaters coming into camp. Our northern fishing is progressing well now and most green deep weed lines are holding big fish. A Suick or Sandcat is the bait of choice along with big spinner baits and cranks. We also saw some huge fish come from deep open water each evening towards sunset, our guests were trolling stick baits and crank baits over the n]massive schools of bait fish roaming the open water. Kristie Peterson started things off this week by releasing a feisty 29 fish, her friend Anita Bray released a nice 31 fish and Chad Willer released a 33 northern to start things off the first day. Day two saw Jake West catch a monster 39 fish on his birthday that he is taking home to put on the wall. Craig Newton caught a massive 40 fish he is going to mount as well, Chad Peterson released a 38 fish, Michelle Halla released a 33 northern, Dawn Sweeney released a 35 northern, it was close but no cigar for Todd Peterson, he is taking home a 39 northern to mount but the trophy of the week goes to Dan Willer, not only did he release a 35 northern but he snagged a monster 41 northern that he released after a few quick pictures, great job Dan. Most of these fish were caught casting big baits but some were caught by trolling the weed lines with spinner rigs and minnows. Our Walleye fishing saw some huge fish being caught again this week. Many of the fish are hanging out on the edges of the weeds in about 12 feet of water and are being caught on spinners and minnows or a jig with minnows or worms. We also saw some big walleyes coming right out of the thick cabbage weeds while our guests were casting huge baits for northern. Mike Willer started things off by catching a 19 walleye, first timer Jane Jennings caught a chunky 21 fish, Darlene Katzung caught a 24 walleye and Dan Willer caught a feisty 25 fish, the fish got bigger as the week went on and Chad Willer caught a beautiful 27 fish while trolling the deeper open water, Geoff Bray jumped to the top of the leader board by slamming his mom Anita s 26 walleye by pulling in a trophy 29 beauty, both fish were released as well, great job. Just when Geoff was thinking about picking out his free hat for the big fish of the week Chad Peterson made it look easy by catching and releasing a beautiful 30 walleye, he always seems to finish each week near the top of the board. We have had cool weather this week and the trend continues into next week and beyond, the fishing is only going to get better as the season moves forward so check us out next week for the new update, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 29th
Hello again from Jim and Julie at Wabaskang Camp. Week number 10 was a week to remember, we had fantastic numbers of northern and walleye caught and we also saw some monster fish released. This week we had a camp full of camp regulars that really know the lake and the best spots for the big fish. The weather this week was cool and slightly damp, we saw about an inch or so of rain but most of our guests didn t let a little rain keep them off the water. The northern bite was decent if you were trolling or casting the deep edges of the weed lines, Sandcats, Suicks, Bobbie Baits and Reef Hoggs were the top producers. We also had quite a few slot sized northern caught on a jig and minnow while fishing the mid depth humps and rock piles for walleyes. Little Rhett Lammers started things off on Saturday by releasing a 34 northern he caught using a Sandcat, camp rookie Dennis Brown showed everyone why he is known as a northern king back home by catching a chunky 36 fish, Harry Bye, also a new fella in camp released a 36 fish as well the first day. The Hancock family was in camp this week and they always catch some big fish, Chelsea released a nice 32 northern and her father Brad released a chunky 37 fish a day later. Jaret Wunsch, a decent guy if you don t have to see him most of the day had a super week in camp, he released a 39 monster one day and also released five 35 fish all in the same day, and he always seems to catch some big fish whenever he is in camp. The biggest northern of the week belongs to Steve Keller, he was a camp regular many years ago and finally returned to camp to see us and picked up right where he left off, he will be taking a monster 41 fish home to hang on the wall. Other great northerns caught this week belonged to Carter Greenslade who released a 33 fish, Anthony Bye, also a new fella in camp released a 37 fish, old timer Bob Compton caught a 36 fish, My breakfast buddy Rich Luhring caught a nice 38 fish, the fish were caught from all areas of the lake and were caught using different baits and techniques, the bite is really starting to take off on northerns, The walleye bite was very good this week as well, we had some gigantic fish caught and released this week along with tons of eater sized fish. Most of the eaters were caught on jigs tipped with a minnow fishing in 12 to 22 of water; a slow drag across the bottom was deadly for the walleyes. The monster walleyes were caught on big musky and northern baits casting along the deep cabbage weeds around dusk. Larry Luhring started things off this week by releasing three 23 fish his first day out, Don Heim always catches nice fish and he caught a chunky 24 fish the first day, Monte Keller managed to release a beautiful 25 fish his first evening to start the week off right, all of these fish were caught the traditional way by using a jig and minnow or trolling a spinner and minnow along the weed lines or mid depth humps. The monster walleyes were caught on big stick baits tossed over the deep weed beds in about 14 of water. The fisherman of the week was Jaret Wunsch because he caught and released a 27 walleye, a 27 walleye and a 29 walleye this week to impress many of our guests in camp but too bad so sad for you little pest because Kristy Lammers landed and released a beautiful 30 walleye to slam the competition this week. Jaret Wunsch did release a 19 bass to take top honors for the bass of the week so everything turned out ok. Rumors have it that Mike Lammers is so frustrated about being out fished the last few seasons that he is going out and buying a brand new fishing boat, sorry to say little brother but you can t buy success, better get use to the idea of watching everyone else catch the big fish. Great weather in the forecast so next week should be another week of big fish and tall tales, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 22nd
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp, it has been a few weeks since our last installment so there is a lot to talk about. Week nine was another week of nice weather and good fishing. The northern have moved from deeper water to the deep edges of the weeds, we also saw a good northern bite for suspended fish over forty to sixty feet of water. The camp regulars did very well along with the rookies in camp. Kady Mericle released a chunky 35 northern on day one that she caught on a jig fishing for walleyes, Susan Mincks was back in camp for the second time this season and she released a beautiful 37 fish caught while throwing a super secret lure, husband Bill also released a pair of 36 fish and a 37 fish this week but couldn t top his wife as usual [first 37 fish wins]. The walleye bite was very good early and late in the day. Most fish are still close to shallow water and were caught with jigs and minnows or spinners with minnows, some big walleyes were also caught trolling crank baits in deeper water after sunset. Rookie Kim Prohaska caught a 21 walleye her first morning out only to see her friend and guide Kady Mericle release a chunky 24 fish, Craig Mericle always seems to stumble into a big walleye and this week was no exception, he released a 26 walleye but the big fish of the week goes to Duane Olson, he caught and released a trophy sized 28 walleye, he showed everyone in his group how easy walleye fishing is, great job Duane. The bass fishing was exceptional as well this week, Old timer Craig Mericle released a stinkin 18 bass, he hates bass fishing but seems to have a knack of catching some nice fish, most of his big fish are caught by accident anyway and the bass was no exception. Camp regular Rhett Lammers did his best to beat Craig from the top spot but only managed to release a 17 3/4 bas to come in a disappointing second place, he caught many bass right from the dock using a bobber and worm. The weather has turned cooler and wetter the last few days and the trend should continue, we saw water temps near 78 degrees early in the week but things have cooled down to the low 70 s now, we will update you on week 10 tomorrow, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 15th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. Lots of big fish again this week with cooler weather and plenty of rain. The weeds are finally beginning to thicken up and we are seeing lots of big northern roaming the deep edges looking for an easy meal. The bait of choice for the big brutes seemed to be large spinner baits or large grub type lures. Most of the big fish were caught in 12 feet of water or slightly deeper with the smaller northern coming from the shallower weeds. Greg Philips released a chunky 30 fish on Sunday only to see Chance Comer release a nice 33 fish later the same day, Dennis Watson, a fella that we haven t seen in almost ten years was back in camp and he brought his A game this week, he released two 35 northerns on July 8th to briefly take the lead but his buddy Rick Laney knocked Dennis down a peg or two by catching a beautiful 36 northern he is putting on the wall. Dennis jumped back on top later in the week with a feisty 37 northern only to see Ann Gerber slam him to the ground by catching and releasing a trophy 41 Northern, good job Ann. Our walleye fishing was decent this week, we saw the smaller fish coming from weed line and rock piles most of the week, spinner rigs with a minnow or crawler worked best with crank baits and tube baits also producing. The best depth seemed to be 5 to 9 right in the weeds. We also had a good night bite for big walleyes; our guests would troll the 25 to 50 depths with shallow running stick baits. The week started off with Ryan Neihouser catching a nice 18 fish, Amy Pyne caught a 24 walleye, We had numerous 24 to 26 fish caught by Marty Neihouser and his family all week long, Jerry Gerber released a beautiful 27 walleye but the biggest walleye of the week goes to camp veteran Dennis Watson, he managed to catch a chunky 28 walleye to take the top honors for the week. The bass fishing was good as well this week, it seemed the hottest spot on the lake was right off the end of our dock, The rock piles also produced some good bass as well, Ann Gerber caught a feisty 14 fish, Bill Comer caught a 16 bass, camp mascot Marty Neihouser landed and released a monster 18 bass only to see camp cutie Rhett Lammers blast him out of the top spot by releasing a 18 and a 19 trophy sized bass right from the dock, way to go Rhett. We are looking forward to next week, the walleyes should begin to move to deeper water and be easier to locate in the bigger schools, northern will begin to set up shop in the deeper weed lines and should give our guests plenty of action, see you next week, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 9th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. We had another great week of fishing here at camp, many trophy size walleyes and northern were caught and released. The weather has been outstanding so far this season as well; we had warm days and cool nights most of the week along with some rain and very little wind. The walleyes are still hanging out on the weed lines and are feeding mainly on minnows again, most of our guests did very well using a jig and minnow or a Lindy Rig and minnow worked along the weeds in about ten feet of water. We also started to see a night bite beginning to develop this week as well, some of our guests were trolling big crank baits over deep open water after dark and were catching many walleyes over 24 , New comer Marcus Uhlenhopp was the guy to beat early in the week, he released a chunky 22 walleye to get things going, Camp regular Marty Neihouser caught a 24 walleye only to bow to Big Mike Lammers who skillfully released a beautiful 25 fish. Ethan Jones came all the way from Florida to release a chunky 25 walleye to make the board only to see pesky Marcus Uhlenhopp jump back to first place by releasing a trophy sized 26 fish. Jeanette Snyder proved she can hook something other than her finger by catching and releasing a beautiful 26 walleye but along came Bill Todd who landed and released a monster 28 walleye right out in front of camp. Just when it looked like it couldn t get any better Luke Brocka unleashed his secret weapon, Greg Stomp O Brien onto the lake and he caught and released a true once in a lifetime fish, he released a monster 31 walleye to easily take the top walleye honors of the week, maybe next time Greg should run the show instead of Luke. Many of the bigger walleyes were caught with large northern type stick baits right in the weeds. Our northern fishing continues to improve each week, camp cutie Rhett Lammers released a 33 northern to get thing started only to see Seth Neihouser blast him out of first place by releasing a chunky 34 fish, brother Ryan came along next and released a nice 35 northern to bump his brother out of the top spot but new comer Bill Todd quickly showed everyone how it is done by releasing a 37 brute. Kristy Lammers still has what it takes and she showed everyone in camp by releasing a monster 40 northern, her husband Mike usually catches numerous monster fish but it seems he has peaked and is on a downward spiral right to the deepest, darkest pit of Loserville land, too bad so sad. Anyway the biggest northern of the week goes to Tim Wuethrich, he always catches big fish and this week he released a gigantic 41 fish, always exciting to have Tim in camp because of his exceptional fishing skills, great job Tim. The bass fishing was good as well this week, most fish are being caught along the rocky shore lines and the weed edges, and best times seem to be morning and evenings. The bait of choice seems to be a tube jig or small crank bait. Casey Christensen released a chunky 14 bass only to get smacked from the lead by the Indiana Kid Tim Wuethrich, he released a beautiful 19 bass to easily win the top honors for the week. We are expecting a wet week coming up and that should help maintain the good lake level we have now, keep thinking about the fishing to come and we will chat again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
July 1st
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp, we had another great week here at camp, lots of big fish and plenty of eaters too. The week started off with Hunter releasing a 33 northern, his mother Candy released a chunky 36 northern only to see her husband release a beautiful 37 fish. We had lots of big northern released this week including old timer Holmes Teegarden who released a 33 fish, first timer Matt Steiniger released a chunky 39 northern, seasoned veteran Sam Ulrich managed to release three beauties the same day, a 34 , a 35 and a nice 38 northern, good job Sam. Although we had many good northern fishermen in camp there is none better than the fishing phenom Roy Green, he simply catches big fish at will and released a chunky 39 northern and a beautiful trophy sized northern pushing 42 , he easily blew the rest of his group out of the water. The bass fishing kept everyone interested this week as well, most of the fish were caught on top water and tube jigs near the rock piles. Holmes Teegarden released a 17 fish, Hunter Young also released a 17 bass, up and coming Brett Ulrich released a 17 bass only to see Braden Lowes come all the way from Texas to catch and release a monster 19 beauty, super job Braden. We did see a few trout caught this week, the biggest trout was caught by Austin Coy, a nice 18 fish. The walleye fishing was very good this week, most of the fish were caught on crank baits and spinner baits, the fish were hanging out in shallow water right next to the weeds. The Florida kid Matt Steiniger caught his first walleye ever and it was a chunky 26 fish, as usual the man around camp Roy Green blew him off the leader board by releasing a nice 27 fish, just when it looked like The fishing Phenom Roy Green was going to take the top spot for walleye for the week, Joel Sandager did something that almost no one will ever duplicate, went south from the dock and released two 30 walleyes only minutes apart, he gives some credit to his son Cade who did an excellent netting job, both fish were released to give another angler the opportunity to catch a fish of a life time, great job fellas.We are excited about the next week of fishing, high water levels and new weeds mean big fish, we will keep you posted, good bye for now, Jim from Wabaskang.
June 24th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. We saw another great week of fishing here at camp; many of our guests reported some of the best fishing they have seen in years. The weather continues to be warm and fairly dry, highs in the seventies and lows near fifty. The walleye bite continues to be shallow, the best technique was a jig tiny jig tipped with a minnow or small piece of worm, just flipped the bait toward the shallows and slowly drag it back to the boat, crank baits and tube jigs also worked well, the best color seemed to be white and purple or an orange-brown combination. Marty Robbins started things off with a chunky 23 walleye only to see camp regular Ann Peterson release a 25 fish, Mike Jones had a brief lead with his 26 fish which he released but Bob Robbins and Andy Banaski both released beautiful walleyes around the 27 mark. We had lots of big walleyes released this week but our guests also caught tons of eater sized fish as well. The northern fishing is getting better and better each week, most of the big fish are still roaming the shallows looking for an easy meal. The biggest fish of the week were caught while working the emerging weed line in about 12 feet of water, the fish were caught on a sinker and hook rig tipped with a minnow, this combination caught tons of walleye as well. Bob Lynch caught a nice 26 fish, Casey Jones released a 32 northern, old timer Bill Mincks released a chunky 34 fish, expert Kim Michaud briefly took the lead by releasing a 35 fish, Camp expert Monty Green released a 36 fish only to see Harold Hancock release a beautiful 36 fish, the biggest northern of the week goes to Walt Cuvelier, he managed to catch and release a chunky 37 fish, good job Walt. Our bass fishing was good again this week, the fish have moved away from the shallows and are setting up camp in the weedy bays and along the rock piles, Marty Robbins released a chunky 17 fish only to see his father Bob slam him off the leader board with a fat 18 bass, Bob had an outstanding week here in camp and really put on a show for his fishing buddies. We are looking forward to week six, the forecast calls for some rain and warmer temperatures so the weeds should begin to thicken, we will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
June 17th
Hello to all our friends from Wabaskang Camp. We have had another great week of fishing here, most of our guests remarked that they had the best average size for walleyes ever. The walleye bite is still at about the eight to ten foot mark, the best bait by far was a small to medium sized minnow pulled along the bottom with a small sinker about three feet ahead of the minnow. We saw good numbers of walleyes caught on jigs as well; a white or green jig was best tipped with a minnow. Bill Wilson started things off with a nice 21 walleye the first day out but Carolyn Wilson quickly shoved him off the leader board by releasing a chunky 24 fish, Kurt Voster landed a 24 walleye but once again Carolyn Wilson showed everyone in camp she came to play by releasing a pair of 26 walleyes to take the top honors for the week. The northern fishing is coming along now and should continue to improve as the season moves forward. The bigger fish were coming on sand cats and spinner baits but the action was spotty at best early in the week. We also saw some huge northern caught on minnow rigs trolled or drifted along the sparse weed lines. Sam Wilson started things off by releasing a chunky 38 fish, Scott Destival released a 39 , Dan Edeker released a 39 and a 40 northern, Brady
Codner released a chunky 38 fish, Dan Schmitz released a fat 39 fish, Reid Lammers managed to wake up and go fishing one morning and released a 40 fish, once again Carolyn Wilson came along and caught and released a beautiful 41 fish but the big northern of the week goes to Mike Lammers, he released a trophy 42 monster northern. Our bass fishing was exciting as well; many of the fish are still near their beds and were vulnerable to tube baits and minnow rigs. Andy Schmitz released an 18 and a 19 bass, Brother Dan released a 19 bass, young Jess Wilson caught and released a beautiful 18 bass caught right from the dock, we should see great fishing as the season continues, our weather has been beautiful and the water levels are perfect, we will talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
June 9th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp. Week number three was a week of great weather and good fishing. The walleye bite was shallow and a small minnow rigged on a Lindy Rig was the top producer for the week. We had some boats in camp that boated over 100 walleyes in a day, the walleyes were mainly chasing minnows, a leech or worm was not the bait of choice last week. All of the fish were caught between two and twelve feet and mornings and evenings seemed to produce the largest fish. Camp legend Pete Sauer boated and released the largest walleye of the week, a beautiful 28 fish. The northern fishing was spotty again this week, we saw plenty of medium sized fish but the real brutes were hard to come by, most of the fish were caught on a jig and minnow combination or a quick strike sucker rig. Old timer Jim Loger did manage to win top honors this week by releasing a chunky 38 northern, good job Jim. We saw lots of nice bass again this week, the fish have moved off their spawning areas on our end of the lake and are staging on the rock piles and sandy shores close to deep water, Randy Cook released a nice 17 bass, and Reid McCord and Ron Phippen both released 18 fish to take top honors for the week, we are expecting some rain this week but the mild temperatures and light winds seem to be the most likely weather we will see most of the week, We did have a beautiful lake trout released by Bob Kinzy this week as well, it was 26 long and was caught in shallow water on a small Mepps spinner, good job Bob, that s all for now, talk again soon, Jim from Wabaskang.
June 3rd
Hello from Jim and Julie s Wabaskang Camp. Our second week of the season is in the books and we saw some impressive numbers of walleyes and northern. The walleye bite has been consistently shallow and usually on minnows and night crawlers, the best presentation seems to be a Lindy Rig type set-up in about three to six feet of water, a very slow creep across the bottom worked best. The fish were hitting light so an ultra light rig worked best. We also had many of our guests hauling in walleyes on tube jigs and small Mepps Spinners, again a slow presentation was the ticket to success. Nate McMickle started things off with a chunky 23 fish he released only to have super star Logan Kleinschmidt crush him by releasing a 27 1/4 , but like father like son Logan s dad Craig knocked his own son off the board by releasing a beautiful 27 walleye to take the top honors for the week, most of these fish were caught South of camp in Moose Bay and Keynote Lake which had the warmer water than most areas of the lake. The bass fishing has been steady all season, we saw lots of male bass hanging around the shallow spawning areas and we are starting to see the big females moving shallow. The best bait by far was a tube jig thrown into the sandy shallows and twitched back to the boat, the bass were very aggressive and a blast to catch. Jarrett Hulsen had a great week here in camp, it was his second week and he released a feisty 17 fish, camp legend Blake Johnson who was also here two weeks smacked Jarrett off the board by releasing a fat 18 trophy, we had three fellas release 18 bass this week, Bill Kleinschmidt, Sam Kinzy, and Matt Kinzy, the biggest bass of the week went to Reid McCord who managed to catch and release a 19 football sized fish, good job Reid, The northern fishing was spotty this week, the fish are still sluggish and a slow presentation with live bait or tube jigs worked the best, we also saw the Kinzy family use small Mepps Spinners withy no hair catch more than most this week. Rookie Callie Peterson released a 29 northern caught on a tube jig, along came Blake Johnson releasing a 34 fish only to have his dad Kevin slam him by releasing a 37 trophy, Bob Kinzy showed everyone in camp how it is done by boating and releasing a monster 40 fish, he wins top honors of the week but he did guide his son Brian and grandsons Matt and Sam to some 35 plus northerns as well, his choice of lures was a Mepps spinner, We had dry week until Thursday when the rain set in and we ended up with over three inches total by Saturday, the lake level is great and the water temps are slowing moving up, still no sign of green weeds but things should begin to pop soon, we will chat again soon, Jim from Wabaskang
May 27th
Greetings from Jim and Julie s Wabaskang Camp. Week number 1 has come to an end and we had some amazing fishing and great weather. The ice finally left our end of the lake on the morning of the 17th, I had just enough time to get the dock in place and temporarily repaired before our first guests from Missouri drove into camp. The surface temperature of the water was hovering around a balmy 36 degrees and even colder in the main areas of the lake over deeper water. The lake trout are still holding in the shallow water areas near rock and sand and Kevin Johnson managed to land a feisty 27 fish the afternoon of the 17th, on Saturday our guests all headed out to catch some tasty walleyes for dinner and most were not disappointed, the walleyes were all in about two to four feet and were very sluggish so the best presentation was a split shot and hook with a small minnow slowly dragged across the muddy bottom, we had many huge fish caught and released this week, Jim Dunham released a 25 fish, super Steve Taylor had one of his best weeks ever for big walleyes by releasing a 26 , 26 , and a 27 walleye, Terry Lauer released a beautiful 27 fish and Norbert Reiff landed a feisty 28 beauty, our top three walleyes for the week went to newcomer Ben Cooper, a 29 brute, Jarrett Hulsen, a 29 monster and top dog Larry Lembrich released a gigantic 30 fish, almost every big walleye was released and since they all came from cold shallow water they were very healthy when returned to the lake. The only walleye that wasn t caught on live bait was Jarretts 29 fish that was caught on a tube jig. The smaller eater sized fish were tough to come by early in the week but as the water warmed into the upper fortys we had lots of limits of smaller walleyes and perch coming into camp. The perch were finally coming into the weedy shallows in big numbers by mid week and we saw some perch that would push the 12 mark, most were caught on ultra light tackle using a small bobber and tiny minnow or worm. The smallmouth bass are bunching up on points next to sandy hard bottoms waiting to move shallow and begin their spawning rituals, we saw lots of big bass this week, many were caught in the same areas as the perch and walleyes were and some came from isolated holes of 10 or so just off the rocky points around the lake, Kevin Johnson released a 17 bass, Jarrett Hulsen released a 17 bass, rookie Callie Peterson released a 18 fish, Craig Copes also managed to land and release a 18 bronze back, it was the camp legend Blake Johnson who showed everyone up this week by releasing a 18 and a beautiful 19 fish, good job Blake, the water levels are in good shape and the forecast is calling for warmer weather this week so fishing should continue to improve and we should see some impressive catches this week as well, the northern fishing was good for the small fish but the big fish were very slow to chase baits and only wanted a minnow or crawler inched along the bottom right next to the shallow weeds, we will see lots of northern action this week as the water warms and the big fish become more aggressive, the biggest northern of the week was landed by Keith Salscheider, he landed a beautiful 39 torpedo to take top honors, we hope everyone enjoys the pictures we added to the site from last week and there will be more to come, we will chat again soon, Jim from Wabaskang
May 13th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp, we had a decent day today, south winds and temps around 50 or so, the ice has moved away from our dock today and I was able to make some temporary repairs to parts of the dock and if the ice doesn t come back in before it melts we may be ok for the opener, there is still snow in some shady areas and frost in the shady sides of the cabins which is making the job of getting the water system operating very frustrating. We are hoping for a better day tomorrow, chat again soon, Jim
May12th
Greetings from Wabaskang Camp. We had a sunny and mild day today, light winds and highs near 57 degrees help melt more of the lake ice, we have open water all around our dock and about 50 yards out, there is patches of open water scattered around the shorelines and we are suppose to have warm weather for the rest of the week. I ran the water pumps and filtration system today and pushed water to the lodge and the laundry room, so far there has been no surprises. The low tonight is around 30 degrees but we should be ok with what is turned on now. I will try to run water to the cabins tomorrow afternoon once the temperature gets to 50 or so. We will update again tomorrow, take care, Jim
May 11th
Hello from Wabaskang Camp. Last night and today we had winds near 60 km an hour and the ice was pushed into my dock and a portion of our dock was torn apart, we are working hard to have things temporarily repaired by the 18th. The ice is still on most of the lake but it is slowing breaking up and moving around, the winds have calmed now and maybe we will get lucky and only have the damage we have now. It is cold tonight, down to about 27degrees, tomorrow the high will be near 57 so we will see some progress. We will post more pictures tonight and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, talk soon, Jim
May 10th
Hello again from Wabaskang Camp, well today has been a crappy day. The ice moved North this morning and bent many of our 2 steel dock poles over, the dock wasn t attached to them so it was ok, now the wind has changed and the ice is headed back towards the dock and I don t know if it will be in one piece or not in the morning. We have never seen such terrible Spring conditions in our 14 years owning the camp, I will update all of you in the morning on the conditions, we are expecting light snow tonight and strong N.W. winds. Talk again tomorrow, Jim
May 9th
Good evening again to everyone, this is Jim from Wabaskang Camp. We had a sunny day once again, high around 57 degrees. The snow is only showing in the shady spots in the bush now and we did lose some ice again today. There is still almost a foot of ice in front of camp but that is better than a few days ago, the weather does cool down starting tomorrow and we have a chance for snow on Saturday but after that things warm up again and we should see plenty of sun, I still believe the ice will leave our end of the lake on the 15th or 16th so for all of our guests that are coming the opening week keep planning on the trip, if things look better or worse I will certainly update this site asap and will also give all of you a call explaining the ice situation but as of now I think we will slide in under the wire, there is no doubt there will still be some ice in the back bays and areas where the ice drifts into when break-up happens but that will make for some good conversation and pictures, we posted some new pictures of the lake from yesterday and today to show you the changes in the ice, I will keep everyone posted, thanks, Jim
May 7th
Hello everyone just wanted to update all of you on the weather up here. I have been in camp since the last day of April. George Kupper had to come in here with a bulldozer to open my road a week before I headed up just so I could drive into camp. Arnold Watts came by a few days after George and cleared all the snow around camp for me with his plow, sure is good to have friends you can count on. There is still some snow in the bush and about 18 of ice on our end of the lake, we have had some beautiful weather the last few days and that has helped to dry my road out and melt lots of snow, there is still plenty of frost left in the shady areas around the cabins so we have not been able to run the water system yet, I had to cut a hole in the ice and haul water to the lodge and the cabins so we can begin cleaning them. The weather seems to have finally turned a corner and we should be ready for our first guests on the 18th, the ice still concerns us but we have made great progress in the last few days, Julie is posting some Spring pictures on our site to give you an idea how things are going, we will try to post new pictures everyday or so to show you the ice conditions, keep your fingers crossed and hopefully we will have a great opener, talk again soon, Jim
