Another week has come and gone here at Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. I am writing this update on the 24th of June and as of Saturday we have seen almost 3″ of rain. The lake was down about 6″ from opening week and we really needed the precipitation because of the extreme fire danger due to the exceptionally dry conditions, everyone in the area is breathing a sigh of relief and can feel much better now about the summer going forward. Our guests experienced good fishing last week especially on cloudy and windy days.
The bass fishing was exceptional for our guests who worked the shorelines with top water baits and twister tails. The bass are still lingering in their spawning areas even though most fish have spawned on our end of the lake by now. We saw many trophy sized bass released this week. Terry Bertholomey was new to camp, but he managed to release a chunky 18 1/4″ fish, Larry Brabazon always catches some nice fish and he released a fat 18 1/2″ bass. Dave Steffen is usually a hat winner every time he comes to camp but the 19 1/4″ bass he released ended up in a tie for second place–too bad so sad. Jon Reynolds also released a beautiful 19 1/4″ bass. The bass champion of the week was Eli Gerber, he released plenty of giant bass with his biggest being 19 1/2″, he will be back next season to defend his crown.
Walleye fishing was exceptional for trophy sized fish and tough for the smaller eater sized fish. Our guests used spinner rigs and minnows along with a simple split shot sinker and minnow or crawler. Crank baits also caught big walleyes this week. The fish seem to be drifting back into deeper, darker, and cooler water now after the spring spawn. Dave Woolard released a 24″ walleye, Jeff Jutting finally returned to the leader board this week when he released a chunky 25″ walleye, Lucas Narbatovics released a beautiful 26 1/2″ walleye, his biggest in a long time. Alan Weber released his two biggest walleyes ever this week, Alan released a 26 1/4″ and a 28″ trophy walleye the same day, he should give some credit to boat captain Brian Luecke for putting him on the fish. Glenn Grooters was able to catch and release a chunky 27 1/2″ walleye this week, quite an accomplishment considering he was in the same boat as fishing comedy act Ron and Anne Peterson. Bill Hrovat released his 28″ trophy, excellent job Bill. The walleye champion in camp this week was a fella that has been fishing this lake for over 40 years. Monty Green released his super-sized 30 1/4″ walleye after a quick picture, truly a fish of a lifetime for him or anybody.
Northern fishing was great for the smaller sized fish, a spoon, crank bait, stick bait, or even a top water bait worked well. The toothy critters are cruising along the recently emerging cabbage weeds and are eager to attack any lure that passes by. Jon Reynolds released a chunky 33″ pike; Tom Harden has a more reliable boat this season and it helped him catch and release a 34 1/2″ northern. Bob Howard makes all his fishing lures, and he caught a beautiful 36″ brute he released after a quick “selfie” with his trophy catch. The biggest northern of the week was caught by Eli Gerber, he was using his top water lures fishing for bass when a giant northern slammed his bait, Eli released his 37″ brute after a few quick pics.
Crappie fishing has slowed down from the early part of the season. The crappies are moving along the deep edges of weed lines and the schools are more difficult to find. Dave Steffen is a great crappie fisherman and also fishing guide, he managed to put his buddy Terry Bertholomey on a beautify 14″ crappie, big enough to win the free hat for the week. We had a guest catch a giant snapping turtle this week, Steve Stern managed to drag to the surface a giant 30 pound plus turtle, after a quick pic the beast was released to return to the murky muddy bottom. Steve probably thought he was looking in a mirror when the beast came to the surface since Steve looks pretty rough himself after five days in camp.
Remember to get your fishing license before arriving at camp and bring us a copy or have us copy it when you get to camp. For our guests bringing their own boats please be sure to have the boat and live wells clean and dry, also be sure to have all the boat plugs removed. Keep an open date for lunch or supper during your stay and slip out to the Whiskey Jack Restaurant and enjoy a great meal prepared by Laura and Graham. Dutchies General Store has a great selection of groceries, adult beverages, bait, and souvenirs to choose from as well. That’s all for week five news, this is Jim from Wabaskang.
