 |
West Lake walleye! |
As we stare down the third week of June, we now have all the
camps open and full. It’s always a good feeling when the opening work is done. Now
we can transition to upkeep and improvements - and maybe sneak in a little fishing ourselves.
Most all of our cabins and facilities wintered well. Southwest,
the last to open, came with the most challenges. An angry bear seemed to have
taken out his angst on the cabin, tearing out every screen and also a good
portion of the plumbing and sewer lines. Mother nature (at least I hope it was wind
and not the bear) also toppled over a giant tree that we found leaning in the
path the airplanes need to taxi / dock. Fortunately, all were fairly easy fixes
and with a few swipes of the chainsaw and some replacement pipes, all our camps
were fully operational.
The weather has been all over the place since my last report
(it was snowing at that time). We’ve had hot, cold, mist, snow, wind, calm, smoke,
clouds, and sun. What we haven’t had much of is rain. Fortunately, there is
some in the forecast, which would be very welcomed.
 |
Adam considers a jump into the lake. |
I’ve fielded several inquiries about the fire situation up
here. As many may have read about in the news, Sandy Lake was evacuated due to a
fire that started near Deer Lake, another First Nations community about 40 miles
SW of Sandy Lake. That fire traveled very quickly and burnt more than 700
square miles of terrain. Fortunately, it stopped just a few kilometers away
from Sandy Lake, which was evacuated as a precaution. While the fire isn’t
completely out it is substantially subdued, getting just enough precipitation
and favorable winds.
Closer to home, we did have a fire that started due to a
lightning strike just outside the SW boundary of Opasquia Provincial Park. It was
nearest to our Burnt Lake cabin. That fire gave myself and a few guests at
Burnt a little bit of a fright, but again, we thankfully received just enough rain
to tamp it down and winds that have not allowed it to travel any closer to our
camps.
 |
Toothy smiles! |
Significant rain is expected in the next few days and will hopefully put out both fires entirely.
The fishing hot spots have been slightly unpredictable, but after
a little searching, the catches have been predictably outstanding. With low
later levels a lot of the small feeder creeks, typical June go-to spots, have
not been producing quite like they normally do. With the water temps still
pretty cold (surface temps are just starting to break 60F), fish are still
relating to shallow mud flats and large boulders that soak up the sun. Most are
being found in 4-8’ of water.
Some highlights so far include a 43” pike and several more
in the upper 30’s at West Lake. A few 27” walleyes were boated at West Lake also.
This week’s group at South Lake already has 10+ trophy walleye, the largest measuring
28.5”. A 40” pike started the tally at Central on week one, and since, guests have
pulled in several around that length and at least one 28” walleye. This week’s
guests at Southwest lost count of their fish by Sunday afternoon (their first
day on the water). Cocos also had a few large pike on the “brag board”.
 |
Sunny skies and walleyes... |
Hot baits and lures have included: Mepp’s Black Fury
Spinners, orange jig heads tipped with Berkley Power Minnows and Ripple Shad,
and Storm Hot N Tot’s in metallic gold and chartreuse.
I’ve only gotten a handful of photos back from guests so far
this year. If you were recently fishing with us and want show off a fish or
two, I, our incoming guests, and those that can no longer join us, love seeing
your photos! Please don’t be shy 😉.
It’s great to be in the full swing of things and looking forward
to most of the summer ahead. We have had a few random cancelations, so if you
are thinking of a late hour trip, please reach out and we’ll see if any of them
might suit.
Otherwise, have a great summer and good luck on the water
everyone!