Greetings from Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. Our 26th season has come and gone, and we are both eagerly looking forward to next season. We have always been fortunate to have the greatest guests year after year, and we want to thank all of you for your continued patronage and friendship over the years. This season we also had numerous new guests, and many will be returning next season as well.
Julie and I are both back in Waverly now. Julie had her second knee replacement done in January and it went very well and she has healed up nicely, my back and pelvic injuries from the 2024 season have also healed up nicely and my knee seems to be finally getting better We no longer have our drapery business, so we have more time to spend with family and friends. Babysitting grandkids will also take up some of our free time. I plan on keeping busy with jobs around the house and Julie loves to weave on her looms so I’m sure we will both have plenty to do. Julie has plans to have some home remodeling done here as well so I’m sure the “off season’ will go by fast.
Our 26th season started April 27th when we arrived in camp. I was able to have a local contractor plow the heavy wet snow from our road a week before we arrived so the drive into camp was no problem. The ice finally went off the lake on May 5th and we were able to get the water system up and running a few days later. I spent a few days putting the dock back together, calm winds and warm weather really helped make the job a lot easier. We had all the cabins and camp ready to go by the 13th, a day before our first guests arrived. We accomplished many projects this year in camp. I was fortunate to have a good friend help me cut brush along our road from the highway to camp, a job that has to be done every few seasons to keep the power line clear and maintain good visibility along the road. Julie painted a few buildings this season and plans to paint quite a few more next season. I had planned to shingle some buildings this season, but we decided to raise and level the lodge and replace all the windows instead, a big job that was completed just before we closed camp. Next season we will do the shingling and painting plus remodel the lodge kitchen. I plan on replacing more power poles in camp early next season as we found a few more that need upgrading. As you can see, we will have a very busy season in 2026.
Our northern fishing was second to none this season, we had numerous trophy fish caught and released. Many of our guests used large baits or plastics to entice the mighty brutes but plenty of the toothy critters were also caught on small crank baits or a simple jig and minnow walleye rig. The top three fish released this season were all 43” long and were caught and released by Carla Mulder, Tim Wuethrich, and Chad Duckworth.
Smallmouth bass fishing was very exciting for our guests once again this season. Many trophies were caught using top water baits twitched over shallow rock piles and soft tube baits tossed into the deep edges of cabbage weeds. The top two bass this season were both 20” caught and released by Mike Lammers and Brian Hall.
Crappie fishing continues to impress our guests, especially early and late in the season. Most “slabs” were caught using a tiny jig and twister or minnow, a slip bobber also caught plenty of fish. We saw plenty of limits from our guests and the three biggest crappies were each 15” and caught by Kyle Huck, Steve Irish, and Rick Carlson.
We saw a few largemouth bass caught this season as well, all caught down in Keynote lake. Most fish were caught on medium sized crank baits while fishing for northern or smallmouth bass. Bodie Inselman released his chunky 20 1/2” bass, and Matt Blau released his 19” beauty.
Musky fishing has really surprised us the last few seasons. We are seeing more fish being caught and released than ever before. The fish are always caught by our guests while casting for northern using a variety of baits but mainly large stick baits or crank baits. Dave Vestal released a 38” and a beautiful 40” musky and Deb Waterman released a magnificent 39” musky.
We had a few trout caught this season, most in Aerobus Bay and in fairly deep water. The top two trout were caught by Logan Wuethrich, a chunky 33” fish, and a beautiful 36” fish caught by Kyle Weber.
Our walleye fishing this season was great for trophy fish and slow for fish 17” to 18”, the fish our guests are encouraged to keep while releasing the trophy fish. Our guests used a variety of techniques to catch the walleyes, but Lindy Rigs and jig and minnow combination was by far the most popular. Many of our guests also had great success using medium sized plastics in the cabbage weeds just before and after dark. Jim White, Craig Kleinschmidt, and Mark Schellhorn each released their 29” brutes. Tristen Kolb released his 30’ trophy, Monty Green caught and released his 30 ¼” walleye and the biggest walleye of the season was caught and released by Mike Lammers, a monster 30 ½’ walleye.
We have been encouraging catch and release since we have owned the camp and most of our guests release any trophy sized walleye. I believe poor spawning years due to high and low water events have contributed greatly to the low numbers of “eater” sized walleyes being caught, also more advanced electronics are making it easier for fishermen to target the more elusive walleyes. I have fished Wabaskang Lake starting in 1969, never missed a season and sometimes as many as three trips per year and experienced good and bad walleye fishing over the years. A few successive poor spawning years will have a significant impact causing low year class numbers and consequently slower fishing. It is clear to us that the desirable “eater sized” walleyes are currently experiencing a significant decline in numbers, especially during the last few seasons so we have decided to allow my guests to only keep walleyes less than 18” in length starting on opening day this upcoming season. I know some of our guests may decide to change their plans and cancel their reservations and we certainly will understand. Many of the camps on Wabaskang Lake have been doing this for many seasons and I believe this is needed to help bring the number of walleyes back to higher numbers. Friends from the reservation spoke with me and are very concerned about the current population of walleyes and how it affects their livelihood as well. Many neighboring lakes have switched to this rule as well and are seeing good results and say their guests seem to understand the rule and are abiding by it. Those of you receiving the reservation form please check with each member of your group and let them know of the new limit change we are making in camp, so no one is upset or surprised when they arrive next season. We can’t make exceptions for any walleye over 18” being brought into camp no matter what the reason and you will not be allowed to return. We all love to catch big fish and enjoy a tasty meal of walleye so you can keep the walleye under 18” and must release all walleye over 18” starting next season. We ask you to think about your kids and grandkids that may be fishing the lake in the future, we all want them to experience the thrill of catching a trophy fish and understanding that releasing it will help ensure great angling memories for generations to come.
Julie and I want to wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Jim and Julie
