Another week has come and gone here at Jim and Julie’s Wabaskang Camp. The third week of the season was a transitional week for crappies, walleyes, and bass. The crappies have moved away from the shallow spawning areas and are now suspended in 10′ to 15′ of water close to reedy bays and rock piles. Our guests did particularly well in the mornings and evenings using tiny tinsel tail jigs or a slip bobber and minnow combination.
We didn’t have any crappies caught over 14″ this week but I will give a shout out to Taiya Kolb and Haley Keltesch, both young ladies were able to catch both crappie and perch like real seasoned professionals even though they were boat partners with the infamous Neal Kolb.
Bass fishing kept everyone busy this week as well. The smaller males have been staging in the shallows and finally this past week the giant females have moved onto their beds and are almost locked down and concentrated on the spawning ritual, a big bass will take a soft bait but usually are most likely to pick it up and remove it from their bed right now. Mike White released a beautiful 18″ bass, Kerry Huck caught and released a monster 19″ brute and it looked like he was going to win the hat but Tim Spindler came from the back of the pack and released a giant 19 1/2″ trophy to take top honors for the week.
Walleye fishing was exceptionally good for most of our guests this week. Windy days and cloudy days were by far the best days for catching walleyes for our guests. The big females are transitioning from warm shallow water to a bit deeper water with more cover, so the key was to find the transitioning points where the schools were slowly moving through. A jig and minnow worked fine as well as a split shot and hook and minnow, the real key was to present a super slow presentation and let the fish finally decide to eat. Many big walleyes released this week and most from areas south of camp. Taiya Kolb released a 24 1/2″, and two 26″ walleyes, Haley Keltesch released a chunky 24” and a 25 3/4″ walleye, not bad for her first time fishing for them. Scott Mead did his best to put Iowa on the board but his measly 27″ walleye he released was only good enough for fifth place this week. Neal Kolb kept up to his boring daily routine and as usual it paid off, he released a beautiful 27″ and 27 3/4″ walleye this week. Jeff Gaerke was the top angler in his cabin; he caught a nice 26″ walleye. The camp champion this week was superstar Dave Riemer, he released all his big walleyes and his 26″, 28 1/4″ and 28 3/4″ trophies are all back swimming in the lake, wear your winning camp hat with pride Dave.
Northern fishing took a back burner to walleyes this week. Most guests caught small and medium sized fish while angling for crappies and walleyes. A tiny jig would entice the toothy critters, but spinners and crank baits also worked well. Neal Kolb once again saw his name in lights when he released his 38″ brute and proudly won himself a magnificent camp hat.
No trout to report this week and although many perch were caught most were below the 9″ mark.
Remember if you are bringing a boat into Canada, it must be clean and dry and the bait and live wells must be clean and dry as well, also remove all plugs from the boat and wells. Get your fishing license online from home or at a tackle shop on the way here, Clark’s Bait and Tackle in Dryden and Vermilion Bay have everything you need as well as Dutchies General Store here in Perrault Falls. I want to encourage all my guests to make a visit to The Whiskey Jack Restaurant during their stay here at camp, great barbecue ribs, sandwiches, brisket, and even turkey is on the menu, oh and the best homemade pizza in all of Perrault Falls. That’s all for week three, this is Jim from Wabaskang
