Week 5, 2023 June 17th – 23rd

Another great week of fishing here at Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. We are still waiting for beneficial rains to arrive but nothing much this past week. The MNR has imposed a ban on open fires area wide until the dangerously dry conditions improve. The lake is down considerably from a season ago but still manageable. 

Walleye fishing remains solid with plenty of nice fish being caught and released. A jig and minnow worked well along with tube baits and crank baits. Weed lines and rock piles held fish all day long and were eager to bite. Levi Jones started things off when he landed a 21” walleye, Brian Frantl had his hands full with Allan and John but did manage to catch a 24” walleye. The biggest walleye of the week was released by Dave Steffen, he uses artificial bait mainly and loves to cast the shoreline for whatever is biting, his buddy Tom could only watch with amazement. 

Northern fishing seemed to slow down this week but we did have a few giants caught and released. Crank baits, spoons, and large tube baits all worked well. Our guests worked the weed lines and had plenty of action for the small and medium sized northerns as well. Randy Adams released a chunky 34 1/2” northern, Michael Jones lumped around the lake all week with his malfunctioning motor but did manage to catch and release a beautiful 35 1/2” fish, Jacob Denlinger released a 37” brute, John Schulte released a 38” northern between naps, super chef Steve not only plans and cooks great meals but he managed to catch a 40” brute. The biggest northern of the week was caught and released by Joyce Adams, she was stuck fishing with husband Randy all week but still managed to catch and release a 41” monster, great job Joyce. 

Bass fishing was super this week but the overall number was down from previous weeks. Tube baits and crank baits caught plenty of fish and any shoreline structure held fish. Luke Harken and Steve Stern both released 17” bass. Our buddy Russ Nielsen released a chunky 18” bass, Dan Reynolds caught and released a chunky 18 1/4” fish, Dave Steffen released a fat 18 1/2” and 19” brute and Randy Adams also released a monster 19” bass. 

Crappie fishing really picked up later in the week and we saw limits of crappie being caught by our guests. A simple bobber and tube jig tipped with a piece of worm or just a hair jig worked well. Bob Howard started things off when he caught a 12” crappie on one of his homemade jigs, his fish was quickly crushed by his father Dan who landed a 12 1/2” slab. The biggest crappie of the week was caught by mega star Dave Steffen, his 14 1/4” crappie was one of the biggest so far this season, poor Tom could only look on with disbelief and frustration 😜. 

Remember to get your license before arriving in camp, also poultry products are ok to bring but must be store bought. Dutchies General Store can fix you up with your license and all your grocery and beverage needs. The Whiskey Jack Restaurant is a great place to have a great meal, let Laura and Graham do the cooking while you enjoy your vacation. That’s all for today, this is Jim from Wabaskang. 

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