It was another outstanding week of walleye fishing here on Wabby last week. A lot of regulars, one new group (Kansas City) and a return to camp after a 15 year absence. None of it mattered as the walleye were everywhere again and whether you were a regular, a newbie or just rusty after a break from coming to camp it didn’t matter as everyone was on fish early in the week and throughout.

With not a lot of walleye fishing experience under their belts, Ron Ciani’s group from KC didn’t take long to get over the learning curve and early on was consistently putting walleyes in their boat. First timers, we really enjoyed their company and are excited for them to be returning to see us next year. Dave and Carol Faeth were back in camp. Dave’s been coming for over 30 years and while they don’t hit the water quite as hard as they used to, they compensate with very productive time on the water as they always seemed to have fish.

Andy Augustine was here with his mother (Esther) and his daughter Samantha (Sam). The patriarch of the family, Keith, as many of our long term guests know from here in camp or others know from the outstanding fishing reports of the past that he was mentioned in, is unfortunately battling Alzheimer’s disease and is no longer able to make it to camp. I’ll be the first to admit that it was different not having Keith in camp for the first time in our 13 years and overall for 40+ years, as I really missed our daily chats ranging from fishing to the stock market to whether the moon is really made out of green cheese. See with Keith, every conversation came easy regardless of the subject. A great week of fishing I am sure helped soften the bittersweet emotions of not having Keith here for the family as they all caught a lot of walleyes. Great people, and we look forward to starting the next chapter of fishing adventures here in camp with them again next year, as Sam’s husband will be joining the “band” next year.

Ed Gerwels crew of four was here again this year and they too had no trouble putting walleye in the boat. Very friendly, always fun to have in camp, I enjoyed the opportunity to chat with them throughout the week.

Ken Kwit was here with his two sons Ryan and Aaron. Ken had previously been to camp about 6-7 times under the ownership of the Morgan’s and Lundy’s but had not yet made it to camp since we took over. Ryan retiring from the Army (101st Airborne) was a great reason to return to camp and to introduce his sons to the adventure of fishing Canada. It didn’t take long at all and they were all over the walleye and pike. Great guys, and they are excited about future opportunities to return to camp and invite some friends.

Gary Schwartzbauer and Mark Timm’s annual crew of four was also in camp last week. Gary was here in the spring with his new bride Linda and Gary was quickly informed by her that “we will be doing this every year!” Perhaps part of the negotiation was that the “guy” trip in August was also still an every year thing? Who knows. What I do know is in addition to catching a lot of fish (as they always do), Gary had also planned (from the spring visit) a Camp Smokeout, where they contributed enough pre-smoked brisket, chicken and ribs to feed the entire camp on Thursday night. Everyone brought a side dish or dessert and what a time it was! That’s as close to being in a food coma I have been in years, but my was that good stuff! I think we just might have to do that again, again, again, again….

Todd Pinegar’s family was here this week too and what a treat it is to have them all in camp. One of the best walleye fishermen the whole season, Todd certainly didn’t struggle putting a lot of walleye in their boats, including numerous 24’s, 22’s and 20’s . It was a special week for them also as Todd’s father (Jack) was able to return to camp also after a long absence due to health issues. A former Pella, Ia police officer, it sure was nice to have Jack in camp again along with his new bride Linda, who is a real sweetheart. A great family and so much fun to have in camp. Taylor, honey, I hope you have stopped crying by now. Just a year and you will be back in camp!

Walleyes remained relating to weed edges in 12-15 feet of water, but were also noted making the transition more to deeper water as fish in some spots were taken out to 22′. Jig/minnow combo was good, as were little joe’s tipped with crawlers or crawler harnesses as well as lindy-rigged floating jigs. Eater pike were plentiful throughout the week, but the big boys eluded our walleye fishermen for the most part, although Samantha Augustine had a nice 10 pound fish.

Week 14 is already off to another great start with fish steadily streaming into the fish house. Looks like a lot of fun in camp again this week and with some cooler temps and some rain in the forecast, it might get even better yet.

Stay tuned, until next time!