The Squeaky Wheel...

It seems mother nature wants to be the topic of conversation this week at Big Hook. 

As we've reported, it has been a very dry summer in our neck of the woods. This has lead to high fire dangers throughout northwestern Ontario. Dozens of fires have manifested and some have been large enough (like the Keewaywin fire just south of Sandy Lake) to force evacuations, spread smoke throughout the midwestern US., and make international news. 

One of four fires in Opasquia

Opasquia had been seemingly looked over by the lightning storms, sparring us the additional worry of active fires within our operational boundaries (although we were still affected by thick smoke anytime the wind blew out of the south). That all changed at the end of July, however. 

With one nasty storm (powerful enough to bowl over Shadow's "Squirrel Tree" here at Central), we were left with four active fires; three of which were close enough to our camps to boat to. Both the Big Hook staff and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) were on high alert, making daily flights over the areas to track the progression of these fires. The MNR went so far to set up sprinkler fire suppression systems around Southwest and West Camps in an abundance of caution (a HUGE thanks to the hard working men and women who came in to do so!).  

Fortunately, I'm finally getting some "screen-time" and writing this now due to a drenching rain that moved in this morning and is supposed to keep up for the next few days. We are very hopeful that this weather system will extinguish all of these fires completely. It's not ideal for the group here currently, but much better than the alternatives. Not the types to be dissuaded by a little rain anyway, my round of camp checks this morning found all our camps' fishermen out on the water and chasing fish. 

Central Lake 43"

Speaking of fish, big numbers and big sizes have both been reported. The biggest fish of the week was this 43" pike caught here at Central on a silver colored spoon. Southwest was the hot spot for numbers, outgoing guests ball parking their catch at a "few thousand." The big walleye that I've heard of was a 26"er out of West - I was told the fisherman's face broke the camera, so a photo is not available. 

Pike are stacked up amongst the weeds and cabbage. The biggest girls have been located in areas that are thoroughfares or have slight flowage. Spoons like a Johnson's Silver Minnow, Daredevil, or 5 of Diamonds are being favored. 

Walleye remain in the 10-15' range and are responding particularly well to white for jig head and/or tail color I was told by outbound guests in Sandy. 

I broke the news of the fallen tree to Nathan who in turn broke it to Shadow... I guess she took it well. 

Hard to believe there's only a few more weeks of the summer season! Hopefully there's nothing but fishing to talk about next time. 

Good luck on the water till then, 

Ryan

Sunset

Moonrise

As one might expect...

The second half of summer has been unfolding as it should. The walleye are moving deeper, the pike are carving out their turf among the weed beds, and some BIG fish are taking a brief break from their underwater world to make friends with some hospitable fishermen.

The past week has showcased what summer up here is all about: some days warm enough to warrant a swim, some mornings cool enough to tempt a fire, some thunderclouds that made a good excuse to fall asleep with a book, and some fishing so good you didn't even realize it was raining. 

Guests from all 6 lakes have reported great catches and many sent photos to prove it (THANK YOU!) The biggest pike last week (42") was caught at Burnt on a 1/16th oz. jig (perch fishing, I presume) and no doubt made for an exciting fight on light gear. Several other upper 30" and lower 40" pike were boated around the park. Silver spoons like a Johnson's Silver Minnow with a twister tail (white) seemed to "net" the most consistent results. 

While the pike are stacked amongst the weed beds, a lot of longtime guests are noting that the weeds have developed differently than in years past due to the low, low water. Some spots that are usually meccas have not matured as one might expect, meanwhile other areas that are often weed free are now matted up. 

Lot's of big walleyes have been caught too. South lake remained the hot-spot for big marble eyes with 8 fish measuring between 25-29". Several in that trophy class were also raised at Burnt, West, Cocos, and Central.

Most fish are now in about 10-15' of water. The adage of bright colored jigs on sunny days, darker colored jigs on cloudy ones seems to be holding true. Crawler harnesses have been deployed with great success too. 

We were thankful to get a moderate amount of rain through the week. The fire/smoke situation up here has improved immensely, although there was a new fire reported just east of The Park today. 

With the rain came all the bugs early season guests noted as peculiarly absent. We all knew it was just a matter of time, but bug spray has become a required piece of equipment. I imagine their reign will be fairly short lived, however, as the days are getting noticeably shorter already. 

As the season continues to mature, the berries are really starting to pop. Wild mountain strawberries have been a great addition to morning cereal and the raspberries are on the cusp of surrounding outhouses everywhere (they love the additional "nutrients" left by our guests). Blueberries won't be far behind either. It is definitely fun being able to enjoy such a diverse bounty up here. 

We'll try to keep you up to speed on all things Big Hook. Thanks so much for taking the time to follow us. 

Happy fishing, 

Ryan

Mid-summer, oh my!

29" (Jack in background for scale)

It's hard to believe we are already halfway through summer. Seems like it was just a week ago we were fighting snow on our first changeover day. Time sure can fly. 

Beyond the calendar, there are several other markers of the season's maturation. The mayfly hatch has now come and gone, lake weed beds are fully developed, trees and shrubs are starting to bear fruit, days are noticeably shorter, and the fish are beginning to descend in the water column as surface temps. flirt with 70. 

Fishing reports from the outposts have been good. Some of the lakes did see a dip in action last week as the walleyes feasted on the abundant mayflies. Others reported no slow down at all, but did note that gullets and stomachs were often full of Hex's. 

The most recent reports have all described fast walleye action and voracious pike. 

South Lake monster

We have not had much in the way of wind or waves as of late (although this may change by this afternoon with a severe batch of storms that are trending this direction). As such, there is a fairly steep thermocline between the surface and waters another few feet down. Walleyes at Central seem to be relating to this. Many being caught in 4-5'. Lighter presentations for these depths (and for fish through the mayfly hatch) have been favored. 1/4 oz jigs and slightly small twister tails (2") have proven deadly. It has also been possible to sight fish  - casting to individual shapes readily visible on sunny days. Other fisher-folk have had success trolling (relatively) shallow water crankbaits. Again, smaller sizes seemed to be preferred as the fish get over their mayfly glut.  

Color coordinated!

It won't be long till the walleye start diving down, however, and a step up in jig size will help get bait down too. I like 3/8 oz. through most of the second half of summer, sometimes it's worth throwing in a few 1/2 oz. jigs the tackle box just in case. 

The hot northern lure at Central has been a 6" red and black streamer pattern presented via fly-rod. We are starting to see a lot more fly-fishing converts up here. If nothing else, it offers a whole new set of challenges (and occasional frustrations). 

Groups at the outposts were all out fishing during our round of camp checks the past two days. Hopefully we'll have some updates to relay when we stop in again mid-week. 

We were fortunate to get a decent rainfall last week, but the fire activity and water levels remain extremely high and low respectively. The biggest fire in the area is on the south shore of Sandy Lake near the community of Keewaywin. It is currently about a quarter million acres in size and has forced the total evacuation of that town. It is also the fire responsible for a good deal of the smoke some of you may be seeing south of the border. "Sorry," as we say here in Canada. 

As stated, there is a strong batch of thunderstorms moving in now. We could certainly use the rain, but would just as soon it not come with the lightning for fear of sparking more fires. 

Hoping for a good drenching rain and some tight lines before and after. 

Ps. Huge thanks to the Batten Bunch for submitting your photos!

Sunrise at South Lake

They're H E R E ....

Hard to believe that we are staring down mid-summer already! Besides Canada Day (today!) and the 4th of July, the biggest marker thereto is the oft dreaded Mayfly. They began their hatch sporadically late last week and are now in full blossom throughout the park. 

The Hexagenia limbata (or Hex) is the second largest species of mayfly in North America. They are said to be indicators of a healthy ecosystem and provide an important source of sustenance for fish, birds, and animals alike. It is thought that the Hex hatch is synchronized in order to improve the chances that each individual finds a mate. In that case, job well done. The shear amount of bio-mass these insects create is quite remarkable. 

Hexagenia limbata
Photo Credit: Lynette Elliott

While it will inevitably change the fishing some as the hatch evolves, so far the bite has not slowed down. Outgoing guests report great catches of all game fish - although they did note the perch action seemed to taper as the mayflies became more prevalent. 

Last week's guests at South Lake boated 17 walleyes in the mid to upper 20's, including a dandy 29".  All of these came on simple jig and twister tail combos while slow trolling. 

Guests at Central reported aggressive walleyes too, some chasing top water baits like Zara Spooks and others attacking fish alongside the boat!

Guests at Central and Burnt chased the perch hard and both had good numbers right up until the mayfly activity began. 

A first-time guest at Southwest said something to the effect of "I never thought I'd be tired of catching fish, but I might be tired of catching fish... I can barely hold my arms up." #BigHookSouthwestProblems. 

That's how you hold a fish!

The biggest pike reported came from West, who boated a 39" and 41" if memory serves. Several others in the mid-30's were raised around The Park. Weed beds are developing rapidly and anticipation of summer top-water season is high. 

Dry weather persists and fire danger is listed as "extreme" in all of our region. Several new fires popped up near Red Lake due to a lightning storm yesterday. The airport closure will make fighting these extra difficult.

Similarly, water levels throughout The Park remain at historic lows. Many guests who have been visiting our lakes for decades cannot recall ever seeing the water as low as it is now. 

There is a small amount of rain in the forecast tomorrow, at this point, we'll take whatever we can get. Hoping more will materialize soon and the lighting stays away in the mean time. 

A happy Canada Day to all and have a happy and safe 4th of July too!

R

Maybe the most "Canadian" pic of the week in celebration of Canada Day

Careful What You Wish For...

Well, we asked for warmer weather and we got it! Suddenly the camps of Big Hook are filled with swimmers looking to beat the heat. It was only a couple weeks ago we were battling snow on a Saturday change-over. Warm and dry is about all that’s in the forecast. Since I seem to have a “weather-wisher” that’s working well these days, I’ll now hope for a good, long, soaking rain (just not on a Saturday – but now that’s getting awful picky).

Water levels remain VERY low throughout the park. Docks have had to have extra steps installed and water pumps have had to be lowered so they are drawing water and not air. A huge thanks for our guests who have piloted their boats extra cautiously, our motors (and I) really appreciate it!

With the dry conditions, forest fires are sparking up all around Northwester Ontario. While we are not under a burn ban yet, conditions are listed as “Extreme.” Please employ an abundance of caution any time fire is involved if you are due to arrive at Big Hook soon.

Fire just south of Sandy Lake

With the air, water temps. are also on the rise. Guests on Central saw surface temps. climb from the upper 50’s to mid-60’s in just a day. With this uptick, fish are moving slightly deeper, but 5-10’ seems to be the number to find schooled up walleye. The suckers have also begun their spawning run up the streams. Walleye, northern (and bears!) have been stacked up doing some fishing of their own. Several bears were seen on portages and creek mouths throughout the park this week.  I was taught a new sing-along while going to investigate one sighting – it’s always good to make noise just so there are no surprises.

The fishing remains superb. We had the chance to catch up with the guests at South Lake this week at length. They have boated several nice trophy sized fish including one northern just north of 40” and one walleye that was JUST short of 30” (I’m told no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t quite stretch her that extra ¼”). She was released safely and should be above that magic number by the end of the summer (don’t think that counts for his replica mount, however). Those fish were caught on a William’s Wobbler and undisclosed crank-bait respectively.

A beautiful day for a boat ride

Central guests have described great numbers above and below several rapids and “fish a minute” type conditions. Several mid-20” walleye and 35-42”pike were caught between the two groups currently at Central. Jigs tipped with Gulp-Alive and Berkley RippleShads of various colors have been the preferred presentations.

Aidan has taken care of most all the other camp checks this week, but guests all around have reported good fishing with several big pike at Burnt and huge numbers of walleye at Southwest (thousands).

The other exciting news around camp:

Our PouchCouch

It was decided the one thing missing around Big Hook was a hammock. We ordered one from PouchCouch that arrived recently. While I haven’t had the chance to enjoy it myself just yet, both the other staff and guests can’t get enough of it. I have to admit it looks quite idyllic.

That’s it from The Park for now. Thanks to everyone that cares to know about the happenings up here. For those of you who have recently made your own pilgrimage to Big Hook, please email or tag us your photos so we can share some more fish-tails!

Happy fishing,

R.

Cold, Cold Go Away

Mr. Chicago meets Ms. Pike

It's been a bit of a weather rollercoaster in the Opasquia Provincial Park. Summer has had a hard time getting going up here even though some guests experienced highs in the triple digits one their travels through Winnipeg a week ago. While the day time highs push into more normal numbers, the nights have brought the return of freezing temps almost every night this past week. Our chainsaws have been working overtime trying to keep wood piles full. 

The cool weather and late spring has delayed the normal progression of the local ecosystem. Bears are still being seen chasing after beaver pups in their dens - often by now they'd have moved onto fishing for suckers in streams as their spawning runs begin. Likewise, water surface temps have failed to get above the mid to upper 50's on any of our lakes. 

Cold water and variable weather has seemingly led to variable fishing. Some groups haven't been able to keep fish OUT of the boat, others were finding the fish less receptive. The outgoing guests at Cocos this week reported some of the best fishing they've ever had, and one member of their group has been coming up since the 70's. Likewise, West Lake said just about any bait, any color, presented anyway seemed to entice both Walleye and Northern. They boated several Walleye in the mid-20" range and several Pike in the mid-30's. Favorite baits included perch colored and blue / orange crank-baits set to dive 5-10' and small jigs tipped with black twister tails.

I had the opportunity to spend a few days fishing at Central and Southwest this past week. We were targeting Walleye almost exclusively and had great success on just about any wind blown shore or island, but again the fish were shallow with many being picked up around 4'. 

Moonrise over XZK

With warm days in the forecast, we'll see if water temps. come up and the fish go down.

Speaking of water levels, the lakes are now WAY down. Many of the typical problematic rocks that we mark at Central are now well above the surface. Other ones that are not usually an issue may become so. For guests coming up to any of our lakes soon, please exercise caution while boating to avoid a rock strike and drive with the trim/tilt tab in the DOWN position while traveling forward to lessen the effects of an impact should one occur. 

We're excited to have the next group of fishermen and women (several this week!) in camp as of this afternoon and will update as we get reports from them. 

Happy fishing everyone,

Ryan

Nice Central Lake Walleye

Shore Lunch!

Big Hook's 2019 Season Is Underway!

And so it begins...

It's been a busy two weeks since I first arrived at Central Lake on May 17th - a little late due to the winter that wouldn't quit. While the ice has finally given way, winter is still trying to hold on. We've had several batches of flurries and a driving north wind most all of that time. Warmer weather is in the forecast, however. Both we and the wood stoves will be happy for the break. 

The rest of the Big Hook 2019 staff was close on my heels. Everyone please welcome Tara and Aidan who have both been unbelievably helpful getting everything ready for our first guests who arrived Saturday the 25th. With the next batch of fisherfolks due in tomorrow, we are now in full swing for the summer season. 

By in large, the cabin openings went very well. The moorings for one dock gave way, but luckily it didn't stray too far from home. Very little else to report in the way of winter damages; for that we are very thankful. 

In more important news, the fishing! The late spring has led to a late walleye spawn. Guests early this week were having a hard time picking up marble eyes in any appreciable numbers. The pike fishing during this period was fantastic, however! Two boats at Central picked up more than 20 fish over 30" and a half a dozen north of 40" in their first two days! The first 43" fish coming within their first hour on the water! 

A nice Central Lake walleye

While the pike fishing has remained great, thankfully the walleye fishing turned on in the past few days too. With their spawn complete, the walleye have resumed eating and are doing so fairly ravenously. One staff member equated it to flipping on a switch, another guest called it “non-stop."

Shallow water presentations and light tackle have proved the most reliable as the bait fish and sport fish are relating to warmer water and are still not far from their spawning beds (water temps are in the mid-40's near the surface currently).

Other critters around the park are getting into their groove too. Several guests have reported moose and bear sightings around the park, including this big fella on the west side of Central:

Bear spotted at the West Rapids

It's a great feeling to have everything coming into full swing, with the facilities, the fish, and the people. Summer is a short season here in the Opasquia Provincial Park. I think everyone is ready to savour it. 

We'll update soon as we get more fishing reports after all our camps are populated tomorrow. 

Hoping for tight lines and warmer weather till then,

Ryan