Summer has returned yet again this week as temps have leveled out in the low 70’s, along with thick fogs in the am giving way to beautiful blue skies. We’ll see how long this lasts.
We are still in desperate need for rain. Docking both the passenger and work boat means that we have resorted to aiming either boat in the direction where we would like it to dock, then coasting in until she bottoms out. Most of the time we make it in far enough to actually tie off! RAIN, RAIN, RAIN please!
We are well into our fourth week of having guests in camp. It has been a blessing to witness the activity down at the dock, out by the campfire and simply throughout camp as guests make themselves comfortable with the surroundings. It’s been a blessing to hear so many guests say “Thank you” for opening, you made our entire year! The fish house is buzzing again with fish stories! We are delighted to see how full the gut buckets are as we go about our morning routines. Who knew a bucket full of fish guts could be so satisfying?
The lake continues to produce meaty, large fish! With the increase in fluctuating temperatures and wind shifts the fish have become a little more elusive, but once the hot spots are found everyone comes back with full stringers, accompanied by big smiles.
We have seen some personal bests this week. Our guests in cabin 6 landed a 43” Northern Pike and another in the same cabin bested his personal best about 4 times by continuing to catch a larger pike topping out at an impressive 38 incher. We also had a guest release a 41” northern this week and have seen many released over 30” Walleye continue to come out of the lake over limit, with many on the line having to be returned; however, the ones of legal size are still extremely chunky! Overall the fish have been so healthy – healthy in numbers, and healthy in quality! While we haven’t had many guests specifically targeting smallmouth much, we have had some really impressive footballs caught including a 22” tank.
Since we are a little late in getting this posted, I also wanted to mention Andy Augustine’s crew of three that for the week caught 1,002 walleyes. Unbelievable! About 250 of them came back at Lost Lake and the rest here on Wabby. What a week! The fishing, while not that good for every group, (and these guys fished about 16 hours a day) has certainly been fantastic overall for everyone.
We will be wrapping up our season here in a couple more weeks. If we thought an 18 week season seemed to fly by, a six week season seems to be operating at the speed of light. Before we know it we will be once again closing up cabins, winterizing plumbing, storing boats and pulling docks out of the water. An enormous amount of work for a very short “season” but well worth it to see all the smiles on the faces of our guests. What a whirlwind this short season has been!
We continue to be so very appreciative of the guests who have made the effort to get back to camp this year. It has been beyond rewarding for us on so many levels and a much needed reminder of how joyful spending time in camp with everyone is after a very LONG 22 month layoff. Thank you all!
Stay tuned as we hope to share more stories in the remaining weeks!