Holiday greetings from Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. We want to wish each and every one of you a warm and joyous holiday season. Julie and I have had the camp for fifteen seasons now and we are looking forward to many more. Julie and I are both back to work now at Kay and L Draperies, our daughter Annie is a freshman at Wartburg College this year and is also cheerleading for the football and basketball teams, it is hard to believe she was only three years old when we first took over the camp.
We had a rough start to the 2014 season, I arrived in camp on the 27th of April and was met with six foot snow drifts around the cabins and a lake with 29″ of solid ice. George Kupper, a local contractor, opened our road with his bulldozer before I arrived so the drive into camp was no problem other than the disheartening site of seeing snow along the sides of our road piled higher than the top of my pickup! Once in camp I quickly unloaded my supplies and turned on the propane to get some heat going in the lodge. It didn’t take long to realize that we were going to have some major problems trying to get the camp up and running by the walleye opener on the 17th of May. The first order of business was to cut a hole in the ice and bail some buckets of water to use for cleaning and cooking, water from the lake was so cold that it would freeze before I could carry it up to the lodge and get it inside where the heat was on. The next few days I stayed busy shoveling out the doors to all my storage sheds and cabins so we would be ready when the snow finally did melt. The temperature was near or slightly above freezing during the day but would fall into the lower 20s at night and everything would refreeze, certainly not what I needed to get the sewer lines to thaw and our road to dry out. Julie arrived on the 5th of May and wasn’t too excited to see the snow and ice, she especially didn’t enjoy the prospect of using the outhouse for another week or so! I was able to rig up a 6 volt shower for her in the lodge bathroom and also manually fill the toilet so she didn’t have to slosh her way to the outhouse every day. By the 9th of May the weather had warmed and most of the snow was gone from the open areas so we decided to start cleaning cabins. I did fire up the pump house and run water to the cabins to clean them but when Julie, Peggy, and Donna were done cleaning I had to shut the water off and drain the cabins again. By the 12th we had the cabins cleaned and ready to go and thought maybe there was still a chance of making the opener but Mother Nature had other plans. We woke up the morning of the 13th to see a winter landscape with a fresh 6″ of snow. Because the lake was still froze solid and there was no open water to be seen on our end of the lake, I started making calls that morning to our guests advising them of our intentions to cancel our opening week of the season, we felt terrible to disappoint our guests that had been planning their trip all year long but there was no way of knowing when the lake would open or where the ice would drift to, with no dock and no running water the decision was made and Julie decided to head back to Iowa for 10 days to finish up some work at home and spend some time with her mom. I was left all alone at camp and spent my days rigging up boats and motors, cutting firewood for our camp fire pit, replacing screen doors and windows and cleaning out all my sheds. The ice began to break up on the 18th of May but a strong northwest wind pushed all the ice back into our bay and shoved the dock right into shore, the ice stayed clustered around the dock for the next three days and I wasn’t able to finally move all the dock sections into place until the evening of the 22nd. I did get a visit from a group that was staying at another camp, they pulled into the dock and one of the fellas had fallen into the lake, we got him onto my atv and up to the lodge, stripped him down, wrapped him in blankets and set him in front of the heater, I made him some warm chicken broth and after about an hour he was back to his normal self and feeling fine, the water temperature was only in the mid thirties and he was very lucky. Our first guests of the season pulled into camp on the 24th of May and we were off and running. The season flew by and we would like to thank Peggy, Greg, Donna W. ,Donna H., Jen, and Arnold for all their help this season, they are the best in the world. We did have many projects to accomplish in 2014 and most were finished before I came home in late October. One project we didn’t finish was adding extensions to our floating dock. The lake was at or near record high levels most of the season and I wasn’t able to get into the water and pull the steel poles that needed to be moved to add the extensions, hopefully the spring of 2015 will allow me to get this done , I will also have to rewire the dock as we add the extensions. The small dock is completed now along with new wiring, it should be a great spot for some secluded sun bathing and swimming as well as a safe spot to dock a few camp boats. I did manage to remodel cabin #5 this Fall, the floors were replaced along with replacing the windows on the lake-side of the cabin. I also installed new cabinets and counter tops along with a new microwave and dishwasher, I tore the old sink out and installed a new stainless steel double sink and moved it to a different wall, the oven was replaced with a new model as well. Once the cabin was finished I replaced the roof on the lodge bathroom and tore the old sheet rock out and added insulation and redid the walls. The vanity and sink were also replaced and a new floor was put down, finally a fresh coat of paint was added and Julie should have a nicer bathroom when she gets to camp this spring! During the Summer we stayed busy painting some cabins and as usual I cut brush along the road in my spare time, a never ending job. Julie has plans to remodel the big cabin in 2015 and a few other ideas, she likes to keep things looking nice and tidy. I also plan on replacing the sewer line and water lines on the North half of camp.
The fishing on Wabaskang Lake continues to impress our guests, the average size of the walleyes has been steadily going up over the past five years and the numbers of fish being caught and released has increased as well, the M.N.R. slot sizes seem to be working and the fishing has improved because of it, I know it is hard to release a trophy sized fish but if you think of the future and your kids and grand kids getting the chance to have the same memorable experiences as you then the decision is easy to make. It seems that the walleyes on Wabaskang Lake are of two distinct groups, we have a huge population of 12″ to 20″ fish that seem to roam the mid to deep weed lines and can be caught almost any time of the year once the weeds are established, they don’t seem to move out until the weeds die off and the bait fish move on, many anglers hate fishing the weeds but if you use a ultra light rig and a jig and twister or minnow you can easily pull your offering through the weeds and get to the fish without much of a problem. We also have a solid population of truly trophy sized walleyes roaming the deep open water following schools of ciscos and other bait fish around all season long, the fish can be caught, usually as the sun begins to set, by trolling cranks and spoons over and near the schools of bait fish, some of our biggest fish of the season are caught this way. It seems each week we have some very impressive fish being caught no matter what the weather or water temperatures are, the fish have to eat so if you can figure out where, when, and what, then the rest is easy! This season we saw lots of walleyes over 25″ so I decided to give recognition to the anglers that I consider to be the “best of the best” in 2014. (or the luckiest). One of our anglers is Jon Mericle, he managed to catch and release a 29″ beauty on the 9th of August, what makes his fish so special is that he caught it even though he was stuck fishing with his dad Craig. Mike Pease released a 29 1/2″ walleye in late May, he caught his fish in shallow water and was his biggest so far at Wabaskang. Duane Rieckenberg has proven that he is the guy to beat when he is in camp, he took a 29 1/4″ walleye home for the wall on the 8th of August, next season he will have to let Janet and Carl catch a few big ones. Bob Compton stayed for two weeks and definitely knows where to fish, he always uses ultra light tackle and fishes super shallow, he released a 29″ walleye on the 4th of July, his buddy Paul still needs to refine his techniques if he is ever going to beat Bob. Mark Steinfeldt released a 29 1/2″ walleye on September 19th, he caught his trophy within sight of camp, deep water and a “special” jig was his secret. My buddy Brett Langfritz has always been at or near the top of the leader board whenever he is in camp,[ which is a little too often], he has a secret spot right near camp that produced a hefty 29″ fish on the 16th of August, his release was just one of many for this seasoned angler. Kevin Reints managed to catch a decent walleye this season in spite of spending most of his day on the water being my brother Mike’s “boat boy”, Kevin released a beautiful 29″ walleye on the 27th of August. Ron and Ann Peterson fish here at Wabaskang twice a year and always are the couple to watch, Ann released a golden 28 3/4″walleye only to have Ron slam the door in her face by releasing a monstrous 29 1/4″ walleye a few days later on the 19th of June, believe it or not he has caught even bigger ones in previous years here at camp, we expect even bigger things from him in the future since he finally has a motor that doesn’t break down every other day. We had two anglers this season that had a day on the water that would be hard to ever top. Rick Stephens released a 27″, 26 1/2″, and a 25 1/2″ walleye all on the 19th of September, once again he caught his trophies all within sight of camp, his Packers also won a few days earlier so he had plenty of reasons to celebrate. Alan Orr also had a dream day on the water in August, he was fishing a spot less than 3 minutes away on the 15th of August when, with the help of his trusty fishing partner and wife Karen, he released a 28 1/2″, 27 1/2″, 27″, 26″, and a 25″ walleye, Karen was so busy netting his fish that she never had a chance to get in on the action! Kim Thiel caught the second biggest walleye of the season, on June 7th she was fishing shallow water only a few minutes from camp when she landed and released a trophy 30″ walleye, she definitely made her father Gary proud. The top walleye of the season goes to my brother Mike, otherwise known as “Big Mike” for obvious reasons. Not only did he catch a 30″ fish the same day that Kim did but on August 11th he was fishing thick weeds with huge musky type baits and landed a 31″ monster right before dark, the same spot he caught his 30″ fish in June. I guess he was listening to me all those years when I was teaching him everything he knows about fishing which is only half of what I know, someday we will go head to head on the water and see who really knows the lake, my 20hp Yamaha can’t keep up with his 250 hp Evinrude but he always needed a head start anyway.
The northern fishing this season was once again great to some and tough on others. The high water most of the season kept the weeds down and made it tough to find the big brutes. It seems that big baits catch big fish and almost every season the same seasoned anglers are releasing the truly trophy sized pike. Even though most of our huge fish are take with big stick baits and plastics a few are actually caught on light tackle while fishing walleyes, especially early in the season. This season I decided to weed out the “minnows” that were less than 41″ long and recognize the “Class of the Class” when it comes to pike fishing. Terry Haindfield is new to his group but easily out-fished his buddies this season, on June 2nd he released a torpedo northern that was 42 1/2″ long, it seems most of the fellas in his group are only skilled at perch fishing and small ones at that! Scott Destival had to put up with fishing with my brother Mike but his 42″ northern that he released on the 9th of June helped take some of his depression away, but unfortunately not his share of the gas bill. Dan Howard released a gigantic 41 1/2″ fish on the 22nd of June, he needs to give his buddy Keith a bunch of pointers. (Good luck with that “free lottery license” again next season Keith). Kristy Lammers should be calling the shots when it comes to fishing northern, she released a 42″ fish on the 2nd of July and her son Rhett released a 41″ northern on the 25th of July, most notable about this is the absence of “Big Mike” and “Bully Reid” from the “Class of the Class” list. I think you need to spend more money on tackle next season if you want to compete with your wife and youngest son. Doyle Robison landed and released a 41″ northern on the 19th of July, his brother Dave is a humble fella and really should get some of the credit but I know what that is like! Ryan Inselman has learned quickly from the in-laws, he is now the official pike king of the Zender clan, he released a beautiful 42 1/2″ fish on September 9th, maybe Chuck, Dave, Mark, Rick, and Gus should try some walleye fishing instead! Little Jaret Wunsch usually catches a big brute every time he comes to camp. He fishes with “Big Mike” and has learned to be patient when in Mike’s boat, lucky for Jaret that Mike takes lots of “snack” breaks and that gives Jaret a chance to cast to the good weeds for once and he was able to put a 43″ brute into the boat on July 19th, he also released his trophy which turned out to be the second biggest northern of the season . Our biggest northern this year was caught by Chad Peterson, he casts long hours and was rewarded with a gigantic 44″ monster pike, he released his trophy so maybe baby brother Todd will have a chance to catch a really big fish some day.
Bass fishing continues to impress us here at camp. We are seeing huge numbers with exceptional size. Most of our guests are casting top water baits and shallow diving crank baits. Anything with orange or brown colors on it seems to work best. We had eleven anglers tie for third place this season, Bob Kinzy, Blake Johnson, Pete Sauer, Braden Lowes, Dylan Peterson, Ken Schroeder, Reid Lammers, Rhett Lammers, Tim Wuethrich, Mike Luhring, and Kip Elm all released or mounted a 19″ bass this season. Second place this year was a two-way tie between Rob Roose and Jess Wilson, they both released beautiful 19 1/4″ fish. Ron McFadden has his share or boat/motor issues each season but his 19 1/2″ bronze back was good for the biggest bass of the year, even his buddy Jack who has seen it all in his 40+ years in camp was impressed.
Lake trout are not usually a species of fish that are targeted by our guests but we did have a few decent trout caught this season. Stan Thornberry not only is the master chef in his group but he also the trout king, he caught a 30″ fish on June 2nd that many of us enjoyed on the grill. Bill Mincks usually catches the big pike but this season he was proud of his 29″ trout, whatever it takes to beat his wife Susan. Guy Lowes caught a 23″ trout and fishing fanatic Braden Lowes found some deep water holding trout and he caught a 29″ beauty on June 23rd. Dave Demro not only rules the roost in his boat and cabin but also is apparently the only fella in his group that has the skill to catch a trout, he released a chunky 22 1/2″ fish on September 3rd as Joel, Randy, and Joe looked on in awe. Mike Dufel taught his dad Larry a few things this year about trout fishing, he released a 25 1/2″ trout on September 7th to win the big fish of the week, maybe he gave his free hat to Larry since he will probably never win one of his own. Kevin Tanner was put on the hot spot by John and he released a 27″ trout on the 24th day of September. The biggest trout of the season was caught by Paul Dennert, he caught his fish trolling deeper water near Aerobus Bay and I believe his brother-in-law Bob was just as proud of the fish as Paul was.
Julie and I are looking forward to next season. We have a busy year planned with painting and remodeling along with plenty of other projects around camp. We look forward to seeing all our guests again and wish those of you that are battling illness a speedy recovery. I will be heading to camp around the 25th of April weather permitting and Julie will join me about a week or so later. Let’s hope for a better start to the season in 2015. If you have any questions please e-mail us at stay@wabaskangcamp.com or call our home phone number which is (319)352-5559. Julie and I are both back to work now at Kay and L Draperies so we usually return everyone’s calls in the evenings. If you received a reservation form last month and haven’t returned it to us yet please do so by the 15th of December, we have many past and possible future guests waiting on word of any possible openings that we may be able to accommodate them with. We will not be attending any shows again this year since we have a very limited amount of openings still available. We will be issuing licenses at camp again this season, please be sure to bring your Ontario Outdoors Card even if it has expired to help make the process of issuing you a license go quicker. You can also purchase your license and outdoors card on-line, just go to www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/get-outdoors-card sure to print both your license and temporary outdoors card along with your receipt.
As we prepare for next season we want to remind everyone to check their passports to make sure it hasn’t or is not about to expire, the U.S. border officials require a valid passport for reentry into the U.S. Children under the age of 16 may travel across the border with a valid birth certificate. If only one parent or no parents are accompanying a child then a formal letter from one or both parents or legal guardian is needed to cross the border. If you are concerned about any admissibility issues into Canada please call Canadian Border Services Agency in Fort Francis @ (807)274-3655 ext. 240 available 24 hours a day, you may also want to check out www.nwota.com/node/49 which has information that you may find helpful. One other issue facing our guests next season will be the new regulation being implemented by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. As of July 1st, 2015 anyone trailering a boat or any water related equipment through Minnesota will be required to take a brief AIS training course and get a trailer decal. online training will be available starting January 5th, 2015, paper home-study training packets will also be available. Trailer decals will be required starting July 1st, 2015.The course is a brief refresher on the precautions needed to be taken to prevent the spread of invasive species. The price of the course has yet to be determined but should not be more than a few dollars, the decal will be good for three years. You can call (651)351-2000 to request a paper copy or ask questions. Please go to trailers.mndr.gov/ which has all the information you will need. we know it seems like there is always something new to deal with when it comes to heading north on your fishing vacation but I have been assured by MDNR officials that the course is mainly informative and only takes about 15 minutes to complete. If anyone has a problem or questions just give us a call.
Julie and I wish all our camp friends the best of health and happiness in 2015, I know many of you have faced challenges in the last few years and we really appreciate all our guests continued patronage, we consider all of you not just our guests but also our friends, we wish all of you a wonderful Holiday Season.
Thanks again,
Jim and Julie.
