Feeling Lucky
Updated: Sep 8
Fishing has been so much fun these last three weeks. Multi-species being caught consistently, great weather, water level dropping of course, water temps still hovering around 70 degrees, and the leaves are just now starting to turn yellow. While some of you in earlier weeks may have gotten hit with heat, cold, or rain, guests recently were feeling pretty lucky. Some days the fish were the lucky ones who got away. And others, guests had pretty good luck on the water too.
Photo dump here we go:
Denny and Joanne had a lucky run of great fishing days, including catching and releasing lots of bigger walleye:
Gordon and Lori had so much fun here in June that they came back again to try some fall fishing. They adapted well, had some luck, and caught lots of fish including these:
Conner landed this 28.5" walleye topping the leaderboard for the week:
And cousin Sean caught and released this thick 36" northern:
We warned Gerry about August being a big perch filleting month, and guests did indeed catch a lot of perch. Some were jumbo....and then some were just a teeny bit too small to fillet:
Mick and Laura were back again and had some fun days on the water with family they showed around this year:
Mark and Cindy were back and and caught some bigger walleye, keeper pike, and they spotted a bear:
Steve brought his kids KT and Jake back as the Wabaskang has roots for his family and all three had a great time:
Colton and Andrea returned with kids, Mom, and brother. They had so much fun on and off the water, and didn't want to their week to end:
And our nephew Matt came back after four years, and boy did he love fishing as much as he possibly could. Whether he fished with Grandpa, Uncle Ryan, his mom, me, or went out solo, he clearly was drawn to the Wabaskang like so many of you are:
Ryan has still found pockets of time to get on the water too:
And the recent Leaderboard standings:
The typical fall evenings at Tall Pines, guests enjoy campfires, game nights, and hanging out in the fishhouse:
A favorite of September mornings, is waking up to the stillness and quiet of fog. There is nothing quite like sipping a coffee while you watch the fog lift:
More Potluck fun with some feeling lucky at Mollky, Cribbage, or bean bags:
And just when I thought summer was over, we have been blessed with some incredible weather the last several weeks. First timers Jim and Lori soaked up fishing off the docks, blueberry picking, ice-cream at Whiskey Jack, and took in all the sights:
The Iconic Payphone doesn't get much use these days, but Superman did make an appearance last week!
Brothers Ray (Pitmaster), Jay, and Rick have a side passion/business making rubs and were quite the grill masters in the Bear's Den last week! We were lucky enough to try it too, and wow, smokehouse72bbq.com rubs took our burgers to a whole new level:
And as things are starting to wind down for the season, dockhand Gerry and housekeeping staff Shiann are wrapping it up too. After 18 weeks working diligently at Tall Pines this season, they will leave next week and begin their long journey home with some family stops along the way. Many of you were lucky enough to meet them while you visited. One recent potluck they dressed up as "Mummers" and entertained our crowd- I posted a video on Tiktok:
Gerry and Shiann will miss this view...
And if this is a sign, luck will be on their side with this recent rainbow...
And finally there was some irony in last week for me. For most of summer, I was itching to get my family back up here -counting the days down- to celebrate my birthday and see them...yet once they arrived I wanted time to stop and to savor each adventure, each big moment, and especially all the subtle moments while they were here. I witnessed recently some of you getting sad on Thursday/Friday as the week was slipping by and the end of your time here drawing near. Last week I experienced those same emotions. Friday just came too fast, I didn't want the week to end, and saying those good-byes never gets easier. Saying good-bye to the Wabaskang is always hard. For some of you, its saying good-bye til next time as you rebook and know you'll get another run. And some of you, its a final good-bye, knowing this was your last dance on the water. But for each and every one of us who has been up here, we have this in common-
that we are the lucky ones.
I loved everything about this blog post! So many familiar faces and names! I definitely remember the "end-of-the-week" blues, too. See you in a couple of weeks:)