2016
Holiday greetings from Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. We want to wish everyone a joyous holiday season and prosperous new year. Julie and I have had seventeen wonderful seasons at Wabaskang Camp and are looking forward to many more. We cherish the friendships we have made over the years and look forward to seeing and visiting with each and everyone of you again next season. We want to thank all our guests for their friendship and support.
The 2016 season unofficially began for us on the 27th of April when I rolled into camp. The snow was gone and the weather was beautiful, temperatures already over 50 degrees during the day and around freezing at night. The lake was still froze but there was some open water along the shore which allowed me water to fill pails for cooking and cleaning. The camp looked great considering the long winter months and extreme cold everything has to endure. I had a few tree limbs to clean up and some wash-outs along the road to repair but not too bad considering. The work began in earnest a day or so later as I removed the steel poles holding the dock in it’s winter position and prepared the sections to move into place once the ice went out. The warm weather made starting and servicing the vehicles and gas powered tools a snap so I was able to have everything ready to go in a few days. The ice left the lake on the 5th of May and I was able to run the water pumps and pressurize our water system just before Julie arrived in camp. She drove in on the 6th of May and running water is the first thing she asks me about, she isn’t a big fan of the out house. The unseasonably warm weather was a big bonus for us when it comes to cleaning the cabins, with running water throughout the camp Julie and her friends Donna, Peggy, and Greg were able to have everything spiffy and clean almost a week before our guests were due to arrive. The dock was successfully pinned into place a week early as well which gave me a little extra time to replace some worn boards on the dock and add some new solar lighting to both docks. I mentioned how nice the weather was and we actually had a ban on open burning for most of the month of May, our guests could smell smoke almost everyday and there was a constant threat of fires whenever we had a windy day or lightning, luckily the rains returned to our area in June and we had great water levels the rest of the season. Most of our summer was mild with very few violent storms, we ran our camp generator six or seven times over the course of the summer because of power outages mainly caused by lightning or wind, most outages were only an hour or two in duration. The 47 kilowatt generator we installed at the end of last season was a huge investment but is worth it’s weight in gold as far as I’m concerned.
The 2016 season saw many projects being started and completed. Greg is a fella that has helped us out for many, many years and spent most of the season replacing worn cabin boards and painting cabins. He certainly did a great job and was tired of seeing the color red by the end of September. Greg and Julie managed to paint almost half of the cabins and out buildings and we plan on finishing the rest of camp next season, we also plan on replacing many of the cabin windows as well. As the season rolled on I spent many hours out on the road cutting brush along and under the power line. It seems this is a job that is never ending even after we had a contractor spray the brush a few years ago. This season promises to see me out there once again doing my best Paul Bunyon impression. Another major project we completed in 2016 was the construction of a new septic drain field. This project was started in late September and completed for the most part by the third week of October. George and Bev Kupper own and operate a contracting business in Waldorf and were instrumental in making sure the project was completed on time. George was in camp by sun-up each day and he didn’t leave with his crew until well after supper time almost everyday, a big thanks to the both of them. The new field will now bring us up to date on the latest enviromental regulations. In addition to the new septic field we also replaced five of the old septic holding and pump-out tanks and added high water alarms and new pump connections to the new tanks. The work we accomplished was amazing considering over 190 dump truck loads of material had to be hauled into camp without destroying the road or crushing the culverts. In the spring I will make the last few connections needed to tie the entire system together. Over the last few years we have completely overhauled the drinking water system and now our sewer system to comply with the latest government regulations. The septic drain field was installed in our north-east camping area which meant I had to reroute existing water, sewer, and electric lines, this work was accomplished during the summer and didn’t cause too many problems for our guests. With the re-routing and removal of existing power lines we also re-wired the garage with new lighting and outlets and breaker box with the help of Hoover Electric. As you can see we had a very busy season. The work plans for the 2017 season includes remodeling two more cabins and shingling a few cabins as well. Julie would like me to raise and level the lodge so she can begin to remodel her kitchen and dining area. There is plenty of landscaping to do after all the work we did last fall so I will be busy smoothing and seeding different areas around camp.
Julie returned to Iowa around the 6th of October and took a week-long trip to the East coast with her mom, we are both back at work now at Kay and L Draperies.
John and Diosa Record continue to stop by from time to time and both are doing well, they mentioned how much they miss visiting with our guests and the stories they use to tell.
We had another great year of fishing here at Wabaskang Camp. The smallmouth bass fishing continues to impress our guests with the average size and number of fish being caught going up every season. The sight of a 20″ bass on the end of your line is something you will never forget. It seems the prime time for bass is late May and all of June, the bass are shallow and easy to find. Most of our guests use soft plastics and small crank baits to entice the brutes but live bait is also a great choice. Almost any area of the lake will hold good numbers of bass during certain times of the season but our guests always have great luck in Ruby Lake or Mcleod Bay, both areas have very rocky shorelines and also plenty of deep water. Alex Shaw started things off this season by releasing a chunky 19″ bass but his fish was crushed by the 22″ brute Josh Lembrich managed to catch and release between naps. Brian Weller released multiple bass over 18″ even though his specialty is catching walleyes. Blake “Sleepy” Johnson returned to camp again this season, he managed to release many bass, his biggest being 19″, his dad Kevin’s biggest bass released was also 19″ so 2017 will be “game on” for those two. Carolyn Wilson crushed the “boys” in her family with her beautiful 19″ bass, maybe Dale and Sam should do less trash talking and more listening! Clint Seehusen released a scrappy 19″ bass, he must have learned everything from his “mentor” Mike Williams. Rob “pipe cleaner arms” Roose landed and released a magnificent 19 ¾” bass, his biggest ever. Not all bass have to be huge to be special, Jack Jones released a chunky 16 ½” bass which was good enough for bragging rights in his gang and that is all that matters. Ann Peterson destroyed her husband Ron on bass this season, her 18 ½” brute brought tears of frustration and awe to Ron’s eyes. Cade Sandager’s 19 ¼”bass was top fish in his group until Zayden Inselman crushed Cade’s dreams of a free hat when he released a 19 ½” trophy bass. Sam Ulrich, Tee Teegarden, and Dan Howard all had bass over 17″ this season, plenty of competition between the “Missouri” boys. Ralph Pickle made his first trip to camp special with a 17 ¼” bass he released. Bryce Wendtlandt released a 19 ½” trophy bass beating his father Dave once again. Jessica Stensland caught a beautiful 17 ½” bass, no easy task considering she was stuck fishing with her husband Garret. My brother “Big Mike” caught lots of bass this season, his biggest being 19 ¾” but who cares. Tim Wuethrich makes numerous trips to camp—-unfortunately—- his biggest of the season was 18 5/8″ not huge but he didn’t have his buddy Marty along to show him where the big ones live. Jacob Noordhoek landed a scrappy 18 ½” bass. Larry Dorenkamp’s biggest bass this season was a beautiful 19″ fish, Rich Luhring left his “love shack” long enough to catch and released a scrappy 18″ bass, Jack Kline’s 17 ½” bass was the best in his group and I’m sure he let them know it. Mike Pease made two trips to camp this season and the 18″ bass he released was tops in his group. Logan Wuethrich released a 19 ¼” brute, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Kim and Tim Schaeffer each had bass over 17″ this season, about time! Dan Roose released a chunky 18 ½” bass, finally he broke his “Ranger” boat curse or maybe he just got lucky. Susan Mincks once again crushed her husband Bill with her 19″ monster, better luck next time Bill. Barney Wiersma landed a 19″ brute, I think his buddy Brian was more excited than Barney. Craig Mericle only made two trips to camp this season, however he did manage to catch and release a feisty 18″ “stinkin” bass, Craig and Kady have come a long way over the years when it comes to fishing but believe me they still have a long way to go to reach “Lammers” level. Vi Medhurst released an 18″ bass this season, she does well in spite of fishing with her husband Jim. Tyler Evers made his first trip to camp this season, his buddy Steve Young wanted it to bea memorable one and the 18 1/4″ bass he caught made sure of that. Jim White returned to camp after over twenty years absence, he showed us he hasn’t forgotten a thing when he landed a 19 ¼” monster, hope to see you next season Jim! George Riggs had a few boat motor issues while in camp this season but in spite of driving almost 500 miles for parts and repairs and medication for Ed during the week he did release a nice 18″ bass. Brett Langfritz graced us with his presence again this season, he released a fat 18 ¼” bass during his September trip to once again prove to Harlan Kruse who sets the “Gold Standard” in his cabin. Brandon Heuer made his first trip to camp, he is our daughter Annie’s fella. Both kids did very well fishing from the dock as I didn’t trust Brandon with a motorized boat, anyway he did catch a feisty 17 ¾” bass, boooooyah! Brandon and Annie eventually did take a boat out but also fished with my brother “Big Mike” in his boat, probably why they didn’t catch anything note worthy during the week. Maybe next year we can keep track of tiny fish for tiny tots and Brandon will get his well deserved recognition!
Northern pike fishing is has been very good on Wabaskang Lake over the years and this season was no exception. Most of the monster pike are caught using large stick baits like a Sandcat, Suick, Grandma Lure, or even a Reef Hawg. Soft baits work equally well especially Bulldogs. You can catch decent pike on smaller baits as well, crank baits, tube jigs, dry flies, and of course spoons all will catch fish. The best areas are deep weed beds and rocky shore lines, and we have plenty of both on Wabaskang. Nate Vannarom landed a beautiful 39″ fish, his biggest ever. Matt Kinzy released a monster 43 ¾” fish, easily the camps biggest of the season and a fish of a life time. Ron Mcfadden has a new boat finally and he managed to land a chunky 38 ¼” northern, his biggest ever and good for bragging rights in his cabin. Carolyn Wilson once again started things off in her family when she caught and released a 37 ½” brute and her daughter Jess released a nice 35″ fish but this year husband Dale slammed them both with two 38″ fish, one win for the boys finally. Bob Howard took home a free hat with his 36 ½” northern, a great fish for a great fella. Rhett Lammers was only in camp for one week this season, that’s a good thing. Rhett’s biggest northern was a measly 38″ runt! Adam Allen took a trophy 38 ½” northern home for the wall, Nancy was even impressed with his skill or luck depending on who you ask. My brother “Big Mike” Lammers did catch a few decent northern this season, his biggest was around 41 ½” but I’m sure he would say it was a solid 43″ fish. That’s my brother’s new way to win a free hat. Simon Wuethrich joined his uncle Tim for a week of fun and fishing and his 40″ brute was tops for the week—made uncle Tim Proud. Brandon Schroeder released a 39″ northern not his best ever but a good fish. Diane Howard made fishing look easy and also should give her husband Terry a few pointers, she released a beautiful 40 ½” fish. Jaret “I want to be a hippy” Wunch released a 38″ northern. Kurt Beknke landed a 39″ northern that finally gives the town of Green Iowa something to celebrate. Reid Lammers is the “good” nephew and he is off to lineman’s school now following in my and my father’s footsteps, he always impresses me with big fish and this season his biggest was an impressive 39 ½” monster. Chad Peterson didn’t hook his brother in the face this season, he did release a nice 38 ½” northern which as usual just beat his father in law Mike Lepak’s 38″ trophy. Kristy Lammers released a 39″ fish this season, she catches the big fish while her husband Mike takes credit. Doyle Brocka usually catches a few note worthy fish and this season his biggest northern released was a 38″ fish, It’s a wonder he can even see which direction to cast his lure with all the cigar smoke billowing out of his mouth. Rob Lerum finally won a hat with his 39 ¾” trophy, now lets keep up the winning streak in 2017. Coach Chris Davis released a beautiful 38″ northern and once again I think Brian Boevers was more excited than Chris. Bill Scharnhorst has the worst tackle and the crappiest gear but no problem crushing all the fellas in his gang, he caught two 36″,a 35 ½”, and 37 ½” northern to spank the competition, his “friends” even tried to steal his lure. Kevin Reints loves musky fishing but he is pretty good at northern fishing as well, he released a gigantic 41″ fish to claim the free hat and show “Big Mike” how it’s done on a meager budget. Rich Luhring released a pair of 38″ northern, no competition in the boat if Christine stays home. Marlene Miller released a pair of 35″ northern, her husband Wally has always claimed to be the pike fisherman in the family, move over Wally. Tim Wuethrich always catches more than his share of big northern, this season his biggest was around 39″ which for Tim is a bit small. Joel Demro stumbled into a chunky 38″
northern, he is slowly taking over the reins from father Dave but it is a very slow process. Larry Dorenkamp seems to have his best luck if he doesn’t fish with Craig Mericle, Larry released a 40″ northern he caught using his fly rod. Tyler Evers released a 40 ¼” brute, Larry Jaske was in the boat and was scared to death of the fish, seems he is not use to seeing big fish. Steve Young released a 41″ monster, he always catches a brute he also puts in long hours no matter what the weather. Mike Mosbrooker also released a 41″ northern, he said he was so tired from fighting it he just wanted it off his line! Rick Zender comes all the way from Idaho, his 40″ brute had all his brothers envious. Curt Schurman did release a 37 ½” northern this season, he tries so hard but is always playing second fiddle to his fishing buddy Brett Langfritz, Brett is a camp legend which is something his buddy Harlan Kruse always claims to be but never can back it up. Brett’s biggest northern this season was a whopping 42″ and he is so modest he didn’t even want to claim his free hat, what a superstar. Rick Stephens not only provides us with a great steak dinner but he can also catch decent northern, he released a nice 35 ½” northern this season. This is only a few of the northern caught and released this season, next year we should see even bigger fish, hopefully one over 46″ again.
Lets chat about the exceptional walleye fishing Wabaskang Lake has to offer. We are seeing more and bigger walleyes being caught. Most of our guests are releasing a walleye over 20″ now and we are even seeing many guests releasing any fish over 18″, catch and release is really making a difference on Wabaskang Lake. The best technique is by far the jig and minnow combination but other good options are a Lindy Rig tipped with a minnow or worm, a simple split shot sinker and bare hook with a minnow or worm, and of course crank baits and soft plastics. We do have a few guests that troll big crank baits over deep water after dark with great success as well. Walleyes are generally shallow in the Spring and deep in the Fall, find the bait fish and you will find the walleyes. Lets talk about a few of the bigger fish released tis season. Kevin Johnson released a 27 ½” beauty while his son Blake was fast asleep back at the cabin, Kevin always uses soft plastics and almost never uses live bait. Marty Vanpatten found fishing to his liking on Wabaskang, he released a 29″ beauty, Jack Phippen also released a 29″ walleye, he probably should give some of the credit to Grandpa Ron though. Mitch Weinberg is always pulling a few pranks around camp but he does usually catch a big fish, his 29 ¾” fish easily won the free hat and kept his buddy Pete from winning the hat once again, too bad so sad Pete. Rick Spindler made a return to camp after being away a few years, he released a chunky 28″ walleye that was only good for second place in his cabin. Mike Lammers says he is the best when it comes to walleye fishing but this season his personal best was only 27 ½”, maybe it is time to pass the baton to his son Reid, certainly not his son Rhett. My brother tries hard but we have not fished together for seventeen years and it is really beginning to show, he seems to have forgotten everything I taught him in his early years. Dan Edeker is a decent chap, his 27″ walleye wasn’t huge and maybe “Big Mikes” curse is rubbing off on his buddies. Diane Howard released a 27″ walleye, she had the big northern and big walleye while fishing with hubby Terry this season. Glen Grootrers can only fish where brother-in-law Ron takes him but he did manage to land a 27 ¾” walleye that finally won him a hat. Cade Sandager made Grandpa Charlie proud when he released a 29″ walleye even though Charlie considers walleye a “trash” fish. Jeanie Snyder didn’t get any hooks stuck in her hand this season but she did catch a 26″ walleye only to see husband Kevin snatch the free hat from her hands when he released a 27″ trophy. Brandon Schroeder has to find another spot on his wall because he is mounting a 28 ½” walleye, his father Kenny also took a 28″ walleye home for the wall. Jim Bruss was new to camp but he landed a trophy 29 ¼” walleye, a fish of a lifetime is going home for his wall. Mark and Jack Kline both caught 27 ½” walleyes, tie breaker next season. Christine Dowd has a wedding to plan but she didn’t let that keep her from coming to camp and releasing a gigantic 29 ¾” walleye, maybe “husband to be” Rich Luhring should stick to farming and let Chris do all the fishing. Sid Hancock released a 28 ¼” walleye proving to son Brad that wisdom trumps youth when it comes to fishing. Jim Medhurst spent most of his time wondering if his boat motor would start but he did manage to release a 27″ walleye, maybe its time to up grade Jim. Ken Hartling released a 27″ walleye, son Jason stills has a lot to learn from the “expert”. Ross Bruns released a 27″ and a 28″ walleye, both fish were caught five minutes from camp. Tim Schaeffer released a 27″ and a 27 ¼’ walleye, his best ever but still didn’t win a hat. Larry Pothast has more patience than anyone I know, he spends the week fishing with Harlan Kruse always going to the same spot and fishing with the same lures but he did manage to catch and release a whopping 30 ¼” walleye, Harlan wanted half credit for the fish but that’s not how things work fella. Jay Miller jumps from boat to boat in his group but his technique did catch him a 27″ beauty. Susan Langrfritz landed and released a 25 1/2″ walleye, not a monster fish but her biggest ever and a start to bigger and better things. Larry Dorenkamp is becoming the “guy to beat” in camp, he released a 29 ¾” walleye. Rich Snodgrass landed a 27″ walleye only to see Larry Willms come along and steal the free hat with his 27 ¾” beauty. Corey Katzung seems to always be in the right place at the right time, last season he got engaged to Lillian and this season he caught and released a wonderful 29 ¾” fish, seemed more excited about the walleye than he did when he got engaged, oops hope I didn’t get you in trouble Corey!
Although Wabaskang Lake isn’t known for huge numbers of muskies we did see a handful caught this season. Most of the big brutes were caught in typical northern waters with big spinner baits and stick baits. Jason Deber caught his 34″ musky fishing the narrows around the corner from camp, his fish was the first musky of the season caught by one of our guests. Josh Hood caught his fish just across the lake from camp, his 35 1/2 ” musky even impressed “Lake Legend” Mike Pease. Mike Lepak caught a 34″ musky, finally a fish son-in-law Chad couldn’t beat. Sue Cabelinski caught her 31″ musky while walleye fishing within site of camp. A legal musky on Wabaskang Lake must be 40″ or greater so all the fish were released.
We are seeing more and more crappie being caught, most of the fish are coming from Keynote lake in the spring and fall of the year. The fish are being caught on twister tails or live bait, the two biggest being a whopping 15″, Fred Meier and Bob Friendshuh both landed their fish the last week of the season.
Lake trout fishing continues to be spotty on our end of the lake. Most of our guests do not fish the deep water where the trout spend most of the season but for those that do the reward can be well worth it. Some of our guests early in the season were able to catch a few trout while fishing super shallow water for walleyes. Larry Lembrich caught the first trout of the season, his 23″ fish was tops for the week. Gary Wilkinson is a serious trout fisherman and he knows when and where and with what to catch trout, his 31″ beauty was the biggest of our season. Eugene Thomas landed a 28″ beauty, not sure who actually gets the credit for that fish, maybe Lenny deserves a little as well. Jacob Noordhoek landed a 17 ½” trout, not real big but bigger than anything his dad caught. One other notable trout caught was a 21″ beauty brought to the boat by Corey Katzung, I’m not sure how he caught it or if he even knew what it was but the excitement in his eyes was undeniable.
The perch are plentiful on our lake but the best time to catch them is early in the season. Late May and early June will see the fish schooling along shallow spawning areas and can be caught using tiny jigs tipped with a minnow or worm. Steve Rathe had a perch that he said was a “solid” 8″ but who cares. The biggest perch of the season was caught by Terry Lauer, a 14″ beauty.
Another great season has come and gone and we are looking forward to our 18th year at Wabaskang Camp. Please remember to bring your outdoors card to camp even if it has expired to speed up the process of printing you a new card and or license. Now is the time to check your passport and make sure it will be valid during your trip to Canada. If you have any concerns about being allowed entry into Canada please call the Canadian Border Services Agency in Fort Francis @ (807) 274-3655 extension 240. Julie and I are both back to work at Kay and L Draperies now and we do our best to return everyone’s messages in the evenings when we get home from work. You can leave a message on our home phone at (319) 352-5559, or better yet send us an email at stay@wabaskangcamp.com.
We know many of you have faced tough times and hardships over the years and hope 2017 brings health, prosperity, and happiness to you all.
A friendly reminder to those of you who received a reservation form for the 2017 season, If you have not returned it to us please do so by December 15th so we can determine If we have any available cabins for the upcoming season. I have guests waiting for an open cabin and promised them I would know something before Christmas. If you don’t plan on coming please email or call and we can give someone else an opportunity to come to camp and experience the beauty and great fishing on Wabaskang Lake.
Thanks again to all our wonderful guests and we will see you soon,
Jim & Julie
