Another week has come and gone here at Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. Week 14 was a week of tough walleye fishing but great northern and bass fishing. Not much rain in the last two weeks so the lake has dropped about 6” since early August, still plenty of water so no worries about launching or docking big boats.
The walleye fishing was good if you were interested in strictly catch and release since most walleyes caught this week were over the 18” mark. Our guests are using a jig and minnow or Lindy Rig and large minnow in 24’ of water near shallow humps and weed lines. The smaller walleyes are showing up in the weeds and rock piles but even though the fish are numerous in both areas they are not interested in eating what our guests are offering. Night crawlers did produce some “eaters” but not on a consistent basis. Clint Brocka made a return to camp this week and he managed to catch and release a pair of 24″ beauties. Dan Roose released a 25 1/2″ walleye that beat his wife Terri who released a 25″ fish. Jeff Schaeffer was new to camp this season but in spite of all his brother Tim’s bad advice still managed to release a chunky 24″ and 25″ walleye. Curt Lerum made his second trip to camp this season and he released a 26 1/2″ walleye that was the biggest walleye caught by anyone in his family this week. Camp regular Kevin Holm proudly released his biggest walleye ever, he landed a beautiful 27″ walleye that will be waiting for his return next season. The biggest fluke fisherman of the week goes to Allyn Harms, he always somehow manages to snag some trophy walleyes even though after spending some time talking with him, I determined he doesn’t really know much about what he is doing, he has his own way of catching fish and for some reason it seems to work. He was the king of the camp this week when he released a trophy 27″ and 28″ walleye, let’s just see how he does next season before we give him any deserved credit.
Northern fishing was great this week with plenty of the toothy critters being caught and released. Our guests were casting huge musky baits in deep cabbage beds and also over submerged humps in 22′ of water. Some of our guests also used Lindy Rigs and minnow combinations to entice the toothy critters to bite. Vernette Salge released a chunky 33 1/2″ northern that made the board this week, she was very excited when she told us about it. Luke Brocka had a good week northern fishing, he casts and trolls and this week he released a 35 1/2″, a 36″, a 37″, and a 38″ brute, his fish were well earned considering he was spending a lot of time in the boat with his father Doyle who seems to know everything about everything all of the time. Allyn Harms released a 37″ and 38 1/2″ northern or so he says and we know wife Bev isn’t exactly truthful when it comes to husband Allyn and his fish stories. Kyle Kerym struggled this week but he did manage to catch a beautiful 39″ brute and his father Curt caught and released a magnificent 39 3/4″ monster. Sherri and Brian Boevers caught some very nice northern casting and using planer boards, the pair always catch good fish and seem to know where to go when the fishing is tough. The biggest northern of the week was caught unbelievably by Doyle Brocka, he released a 37″ trophy only to hook into a 42″ monster northern while walleye fishing, I know wife Ann and sons Clint and Luke were stuck listening to that story all the back to the cabin.
Bass fishing was good but most of our guests caught their bass accidentally while fishing for pike or walleyes. Wayne Hicok caught a chunky 17 3/4″ bass. Curt Lerum released a fat 18 1/4″ bass, Doyle Brocka was really excited to report his 19 1/4″ bass that he somehow caught and released but too bad so sad Doyle because Brian Boevers used his tried-and-true planer board method to catch and release a massive 19 1/2″ monster bass, winning hat goes to Brian this time.
Hot weather is in the forecast next week so we will see if the walleye move deep and start stage where the massive schools of baitfish are hanging out. Remember to have clean boats and live wells along with all the drain plugs removed from your boat before crossing into Canada to help prevent the spread of invasive species. The Whiskey Jack Restaurant is open Wednesday thru Sunday so plan on letting Laura and Graham serve you a delicious meal when you get tired of cooking for yourself. You can get your fishing license right up the road at Dutchies General Store before you come to camp, they also sell groceries, souvenirs, and have a great selection of adult beverages for you to choose from. That’s all for now this is Jim from Wabaskang.
